Screening for Pathogenic Escherichia Coli in the Chattahoochee River, Columbus, Georgia

Escherichia coli testing is frequently used to indicate the possible presence of harmful pathogens, but E. coli itself can be pathogenic. Serotype 0157:H7, enterohemorrhagic E. coli, is likely the most medically important pathogenic strain of E. coli in the United States. In this study, we surveyed for 0157:H7 and three strains of another pathogenic subtype: enterotoxigenic E. coli. We isolated E. coli colonies from samples taken from the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, Georgia at two different locations, above and below wastewater outputs. We used PCR to test for the individual subtypes and then used a nested PCR protocol for the human, bovine, and avian ETEC. Our results show that most isolated E. coli strains are not 0157:H7 or ETEC. However, nested PCR specific for human enterotoxigenic E. coli amplified target sequences in some tested colonies, which may indicate humans as a source of E. coli at our sample sites

Religious leaders\u27 perceptions of advance care planning: a secondary analysis of interviews with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh and Bahai leaders

Background: International guidance for advance care planning (ACP) supports the integration of spiritual and religious aspects of care within the planning process. Religious leaders’ perspectives could improve how ACP programs respect patients’ faith backgrounds. This study aimed to examine: (i) how religious leaders understand and consider ACP and its implications, including (ii) how religion affects followers’ approaches to end-of-life care and ACP, and (iii) their implications for healthcare. Methods: Interview transcripts from a primary qualitative study conducted with religious leaders to inform an ACP website, ACPTalk, were used as data in this study. ACPTalk aims to assist health professionals conduct sensitive conversations with people from different religious backgrounds. A qualitative secondary analysis conducted on the interview transcripts focussed on religious leaders’ statements related to this study’s aims. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed using an inductive, comparative, and cyclical procedure informed by grounded theory. Results: Thirty-five religious leaders (26 male; mean 58.6-years-old), from eight Christian and six non-Christian (Jewish, Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá’í) backgrounds were included. Three themes emerged which focussed on: religious leaders’ ACP understanding and experiences; explanations for religious followers’ approaches towards end-of-life care; and health professionals’ need to enquire about how religion matters. Most leaders had some understanding of ACP and, once fully comprehended, most held ACP in positive regard. Religious followers’ preferences for end-of-life care reflected family and geographical origins, cultural traditions, personal attitudes, and religiosity and faith interpretations. Implications for healthcare included the importance of avoiding generalisations and openness to individualised and/ or standardised religious expressions of one’s religion. Conclusions: Knowledge of religious beliefs and values around death and dying could be useful in preparing health professionals for ACP with patients from different religions but equally important is avoidance of assumptions. Community-based initiatives, programs and faith settin

Implementation of the National Asthma Guidelines in a Residential Pediatric Clinic

Abstract Purpose: Foster care children admitted to residential facilities are a unique and vulnerable group, many presenting with undiagnosed or poorly managed asthma. The alarming rate of residents admitted to a particular residential primary care clinic with a diagnosis of asthma led to the project question: “Based on record reviews, does staff education about the importance of utilizing the national guidelines for asthma education influence the implementation of such guidelines in a residential pediatric clinic?” The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a systematic process to influence practice change. The project was conducted over a period of 4 weeks. Design: The project was a single-group pretest-posttest design. The medical records were examined prior and post National Asthma Guidelines, Expert Panel Report-3 (EPR-3, 2007) education to determine whether guidelines had been implemented. A convenience sample consisted of male and female residents, 12-17 years of age, admitted to the clinic with a diagnosis of asthma or any resident having experienced any asthma symptoms. Twenty-nine children’s records (n=29) were studied. Findings: The composite review of documented asthma guidelines was significantly higher post-intervention (M=3.96, SD=1.81) than pre-intervention (M=1.34, SD=1.54), t(28)=7.99, p\u3c0.05 for all measured variables. A large effect size was noted. Conclusion: Implementing national asthma guidelines encouraged best-practice for the residential facility and improved asthma care for a transient high-risk population. The literature review demonstrated a lack of data regarding pediatric primary care clinics in residential facilities. Implications: This study provided important information about implementing evidence-based practice. Larger studies are needed in the future

Multichannel demultiplexer/demodulator technologies for future satellite communication systems

NASA-Lewis' Space Electronics Div. supports ongoing research in advanced satellite communication architectures, onboard processing, and technology development. Recent studies indicate that meshed VSAT (very small aperture terminal) satellite communication networks using FDMA (frequency division multiple access) uplinks and TDMA (time division multiplexed) downlinks are required to meet future communication needs. One of the critical advancements in such a satellite communication network is the multichannel demultiplexer/demodulator (MCDD). The progress is described which was made in MCDD development using either acousto-optical, optical, or digital technologies

Migratory Dermatographic Urticaria Following COVID-19 Vaccine Booster in Young Adult Male

With the recent approval of booster vaccinations in the United States for adults who already received their primary vaccinations, millions of adults have been administered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster vaccines. Adverse events related to these vaccines continue to be reported and are majority self-limited. In this case report, we present a young male who acquired chronic, migratory dermatographic urticaria two weeks after administration of the Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine booster