Seeing is believing: an educational outreach activity on disinfection practices

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Skin and soft-tissue infections are very common among persons who inject drugs. They occur when microbes pass under the protective layer of the skin and proliferate. This happens when harm reduction recommendations such as skin aseptia before injection and sterile injection equipment usage are not properly followed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A group of active drug users involved in a health promotion project as peer educators were asked about their formation needs. To address their inquiries concerning skin and soft-tissue infections, we devised with them a series of workshops touching upon common infections, the microflora, and microbial transmission.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants learned to identify common infections and how to properly react in case of an abscess, cellulitis or phlebitis. They saw microscopic objects, found out about the high prevalence of microbes in their environment and on their skin, and could appreciate the efficiency of different washing and disinfection techniques. They visualized how easily microbes can spread from person to person and from contaminated objects to persons.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the weeks following this activity, some participants demonstrated and reported healthy behavioural changes regarding their own injection practices. Furthermore, they shared their newfound knowledge and began enforcing its application among people they inject drugs with. Most participants greatly appreciated this activity and valued it as being highly efficient and tangible. Note: A French version of this paper is available on the <it>Journal</it>'s web site [see Additional file <supplr sid="S1">1</supplr>].</p> <suppl id="S1"> <title> <p>Additional File 1</p> </title> <text> <p>Article en Français (article in French). Une version française de l'article a été préparée par les auteurs. Elle est disponible à partir du site Web du <it>Harm Reduction Journal</it>.</p> </text> <file name="1477-7517-5-7-S1.doc"> <p>Click here for file</p> </file> </suppl

Formation des nouveaux médias et espace régional: les acteurs, PPSH Rhône-Alpes/CNRS, 90 pages.

International audienc

Seeing is believing: an educational outreach activity on disinfection practices-0

Fter washing it with antibiotic soap and warm water for 30 seconds, and iii) after rubbing with an alcohol swab. A) A plate where alcohol was used efficiently. B) Box plots showing microbial abundance computed as a categorical score (3:>300 colonies, 2:50–300 colonies, 1:<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Seeing is believing: an educational outreach activity on disinfection practices"</p><p>http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/5/1/7</p><p>Harm Reduction Journal 2008;5():7-7.</p><p>Published online 12 Feb 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2265699.</p><p></p

Pneumococcal Septic Arthritis among Adults, France, 2010–2018

Streptococcus pneumoniae infection is considered an uncommon cause of arthritis in adults. To determine the clinical and microbiological characteristics of pneumococcal septic arthritis, we retrospectively studied a large series of cases among adult patients during the 2010–2018 conjugate vaccine era in France. We identified 110 patients (56 women, 54 men; mean age 65 years), and cases included 82 native joint infections and 28 prosthetic joint infections. Most commonly affected were the knee (50/110) and hip (25/110). Concomitant pneumococcal infections were found in 37.2% (38/102) and bacteremia in 57.3% (55/96) of patients, and underlying conditions were noted for 81.4% (83/102). Mortality rate was 9.4% (8/85). The proportion of strains not susceptible to penicillin was 29.1% (32/110). Of the 55 serotyped strains, 31 (56.4%) were covered by standard pneumococcal vaccines; however, several nonvaccine serotypes (mainly 23B, 24F, and 15A) had emerged, for which susceptibility to β-lactams was low

Immune checkpoint inhibitors increase T cell immunity during SARS-CoV-2 infection

International audienceThe COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, yet the role of antiviral T cell immunity during infection and the contribution of immune checkpoints remain unclear. By prospectively following a cohort of 292 patients with melanoma, half of which treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), we identified 15 patients with acute or convalescent COVID-19 and investigated their transcriptomic, proteomic, and cellular profiles. We found that ICI treatment was not associated with severe COVID-19 and did not alter the induction of inflammatory and type I interferon responses. In-depth phenotyping demonstrated expansion of CD8 effector memory T cells, enhanced T cell activation, and impaired plasmablast induction in ICI-treated COVID-19 patients. The evaluation of specific adaptive immunity in convalescent patients showed higher spike (S), nucleoprotein (N), and membrane (M) antigen-specific T cell responses and similar induction of spike-specific antibody responses. Our findings provide evidence that ICI during COVID-19 enhanced T cell immunity without exacerbating inflammation

Immune checkpoint inhibitors increase T cell immunity during SARS-CoV-2 infection

Immune checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma improve adaptive T cell immunity during COVID-19 without exacerbating inflammation.</jats:p