Surface disinfections: present and future

The propagation of antibiotic resistance increases the chances of major infections for patients during hospitalization and the spread of health related diseases. Therefore finding new and effective solutions to prevent the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms is critical, in order to protect hospital environment, such as the surfaces of biomedical devices. Modern nanotechnology has proven to be an effective countermeasure to tackle the threat of infections. On this note, recent scientific breakthroughs have demonstrated that antimicrobial nanomaterials are effective in preventing pathogens from developing resistance. Despite the ability to destroy a great deal of bacteria and control the outbreak of infections, nanomaterials present many other advantages. Moreover, it is unlikely for nanomaterials to develop resistance due to their multiple and simultaneous bactericidal mechanisms. In recent years, science has explored more complex antimicrobial coatings and nanomaterials based on graphene have shown great potential in antibacterial treatment. The purpose of this article is to deepen the discussion on the threat of infections related to surface disinfection and to assess the state of the art and potential solutions, with specific focus on disinfection procedures using nanomaterials

Enamel remineralization and repair results of Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite toothpaste on deciduous teeth: an effective option to fluoride toothpaste

Background: Dental caries is a recognized worldwide public health problem. Despite being one of the most efective strategies against dental caries, the excessive use of fuorine may result in a potential risk of developing dental fuorosis especially in children under age of six. The purpose of this work is to analyze a fuorine-free toothpaste containing Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite to assess enamel re-mineralizing and repairing properties. Results: The study was performed in vitro and in vivo, comparing the hydroxyapatite toothpaste with two others toothpaste containing diferent fuorine concentrations. The coating efect of the micro-structured Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles reintegrates the enamel with a biomimetic flm reproducing the structure and the morphology of the biologic Hydroxyapatite of the enamel. As demonstrated, the coating is due to the deposit of a new layer of apatite, which presents fewer particles than the natural enamel, not based on the chemical—physical changes occurring in fuorinated toothpastes. Moreover, it shows resistance to brushing as a consequence of chemical bonds between the synthetic and natural crystals of the enamel. Conclusions: The use of Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite toothpastes has proven to be a valuable prevention measure against dental caries in primary dentition since it prevents the risk of fuorosis

ALPHA: an eAsy inteLligent service Platform for Healthy Ageing

Dementia is one of the biggest global public health challenges facing our generation. Alzheimers disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia in elderly people over 65 years of age. The typical characteristic of AD is impairment of memory. As the disease progresses, other cognitive domains such as language, praxis, visuo-spatial and executive functions become involved, eventually resulting in global cognitive decline. Behavioral Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) problems are constant in AD and have highly negative impact on the quality of life of patients and their families. ALPHA project aims at developing an intelligent situation-aware system to collect and process information about Alzheimer Disease patients? life style. Starting from various data provided by caregivers and a set of non-invasive sensors and devices. ALPHA will provide clinicians with new quantitative and qualitative information about patients? abnormal behavior which, along with medical data, will enhance the accuracy and reliability of monitoring and assessing the patient?s health status. Clinicians will be supported by a suite of specifically designed tools and interfaces to analyze the metadata captured, improve management of personalized care plans and better interact with patients and caregivers. Studies of antique records of former psychiatric hospital will enable us towiden the knowledge of behavioral disorders thus allowing to compare the ancient ones and the curcurrent and to probabilistically determine relation between type of dementia and behavioral disorders

Determination of the main bioaerosol components using chemical markers by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

This work is part of an extensive research project aimed at the determination and characterization of bioaerosol with a multidisciplinary approach. In this context, one of the main objectives of the project has been the development of a comprehensive analytical method for the determination of different chemical biomarkers of the bioaerosol, by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The following biomarkers have been considered, and correlated to specific components of bioaerosol as unambiguous indicators: • ergosterol fungal components • chlorophylls, phytosterols (stigmasterol and b-sitosterol), -tocoferol vegetable cells and algae • cholesterol animal cells, vegetable cells and algae. • dipicolinic acid bacterial spores • muramic and meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid bacterial cells To verify the method, to find diagnostic ratios and to calculate the appropriate conversion factors, fungal spores, bacterial cells and spores, and algae of known species, commonly airborne, were analysed. The material was subjected to freezing and de-freezing cycles, followed by extraction, hydrolysis and purification of the biomarkers. The chromatographic separation of the bacterial biomarkers was achieved by using a polymeric column, based on Hydrophilic Liquid Interaction with the electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection, whereas sterols and chlorophylls were separated by a reversed phase column, coupled to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization – tandem mass spectrometer. The optimized method was applied to environmental particulate matter sampled in an outdoor site. Bacterial and fungal content was compared to the results obtained from the classical direct viable counting method in the sampled particulate matte

Developing and Piloting a Standardized European Protocol for Hepatitis C Prevalence Surveys in the General Population (2016-2019)

Funding Information: This work was funded by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through a contract. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Sperle, Nielsen, Bremer, Gassowski, Brummer-Korvenkontio, Bruni, Ciccaglione, Kaneva, Liitsola, Naneva, Perchemlieva, Spada, Toikkanen, Amato-Gauci, Duffell and Zimmermann.Background: A robust estimate of the number of people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is essential for an appropriate public health response and for monitoring progress toward the WHO goal of eliminating viral hepatitis. Existing HCV prevalence studies in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries are heterogeneous and often of poor quality due to non-probability based sampling methods, small sample sizes and lack of standardization, leading to poor national representativeness. This project aimed to develop and pilot standardized protocols for undertaking nationally representative HCV prevalence surveys in the general adult population. Methods: From 2016 to 2019 a team from the Robert Koch-Institute contracted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control synthesized evidence on existing HCV prevalence surveys and survey methodology and drafted a protocol. The methodological elements of the protocol were piloted and evaluated in Bulgaria, Finland and Italy, and lessons learnt from the pilots were integrated in the final protocol. An international multidisciplinary expert group was consulted regularly. Results: The protocol includes three alternative study approaches: a stand-alone survey; a "nested" survey within an existing health survey; and a retrospective testing survey approach. A decision algorithm advising which approach to use was developed. The protocol was piloted and finalized covering minimum and gold standards for all steps to be implemented from sampling, data protection and ethical issues, recruitment, specimen collection and laboratory testing options, staff training, data management and analysis and budget considerations. Through piloting, the survey approaches were effectively implemented to produce HCV prevalence estimates and the pilots highlighted the strengths and limitations of each approach and key lessons learnt were used to improve the protocol. Conclusions: An evidence-based protocol for undertaking HCV prevalence serosurveys in the general population reflecting the different needs, resources and epidemiological situations has been developed, effectively implemented and refined through piloting. This technical guidance supports EU/EEA countries in their efforts to estimate their national hepatitis C burden as part of monitoring progress toward the elimination targets.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Association between preoperative evaluation with lung ultrasound and outcome in frail elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for hip fractures: study protocol for an Italian multicenter observational prospective study (LUSHIP)

Hip fracture is one of the most common orthopedic causes of hospital admission in frail elderly patients. Hip fracture fixation in this class of patients is considered a high-risk procedure. Preoperative physical examination, plasma natriuretic peptide levels (BNP, Pro-BNP), and cardiovascular scoring systems (ASA-PS, RCRI, NSQIP-MICA) have all been demonstrated to underestimate the risk of postoperative complications. We designed a prospective multicenter observational study to assess whether preoperative lung ultrasound examination can predict better postoperative events thanks to the additional information they provide in the form of "indirect" and "direct" cardiac and pulmonary lung ultrasound signs

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake