Search Tag: Infections

2015 19 Oct

New research reveals that invasive methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) infection (MSSA) caused more infections and more deaths in hospitalised infants than invasive methicillin-resistant S aureus infection (MRSA). The findings, reported in JAMA Pediatrics , could help to inform the adoption of infection control measures that include...Read more

2015 15 Sep

A team of engineers and scientists at the University of Arizona has developed a new diagnostic device that could reduce the amount of time necessary to diagnose tissue infections. The device's novel approach to molecular diagnostics, called DOTS qPCR, is faster, more efficient and less expensive than methods currently being used in clinics, according...Read more

2015 28 Aug

New research shows that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can be detected from the clothes worn by caregivers/visitors who are visiting infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The finding was presented at the International Conference on Emerging and Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.   RSV is the leading cause of childhood respiratory...Read more

2015 18 Aug

According to Johns Hopkins researchers, patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for Clostridium difficile infection were at risk for developing subsequent C. difficile infections. Their finding is reported in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology . “Importantly in this study, colonisation with toxigenic C. difficile on admission...Read more

2015 04 Aug

According to a new study, hospitals using single-use sharps containers had significantly lower rates of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection compared to hospitals using reusable containers. The finding is reported in American Journal of Infection Control . “This is the first study to show a link between use of single-use sharps containers and...Read more

2015 27 Jun

A new UK study published in the journal Thorax has identified an important new approach to diagnose infections in critically ill patients rapidly and accurately. The new method involves chemical analysis of breath specimens from patients in intensive care to detect bacterial infection in the lower respiratory tract of ventilated patients at risk of...Read more

2015 09 Jun

A new study suggests that a person's environment is more important than their genes in determining the bacteria that inhabit their noses. Interestingly, the study also suggests that some common nasal bacteria may prevent the spread of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (or Staph), which can cause infections. The study, published in the AAAS journal Science...Read more

2015 03 Jun

A multicentre study published in JAMA shows that implementation of a multifaceted intervention can be effective in reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.   Twenty hospitals in nine U.S. states participated in this study. Loreen A. Herwaldt, MD, of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa...Read more

2015 16 Mar

The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) has presented the findings of a new global study on acute kidney injury (AKI), seen by experts as a key step forward in their efforts to eliminate preventable deaths from the condition by 2025 ('0by25 Initiative'), at its annual meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa. AKI is a worldwide problem, killing...Read more

2015 13 Feb

Infections due to multidrug resistant gram negative bacilli (RGNB) in critically ill patients have been reported to be associated with increased morbidity and healthcare costs. A recent study conducted by researchers in Singapore has highlighted the heavy economic burden of RGNB infections to both the patient and hospital. "Nosocomial acquired RGNB...Read more

2015 11 Feb

A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-led study has shown that a set of characteristics, including differences in gene expression, may indicate which patients recovering from severe burns are at greatest risk for repeat infections. The finding is published online in Annals of Surgery . "Our approach is the first to enable the prediction of repeat...Read more

2015 05 Feb

A retrospective cohort study has shown that the use of arterial catheters (ACs) is not associated with improvements in hospital mortality in intensive care unit ICU patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The finding is published online in JAMA . ACs are used in 40 percent of ICU patients, mostly to facilitate diagnostic phlebotomy, collect arterial...Read more

2015 21 Jan

A Vanderbilt University study, which appears in JAMA , shows that once daily chlorhexidine bathing of critically ill patients did not reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Chlorhexidine is a broad-spectrum topical antimicrobial agent that, when used to bathe the skin, may decrease the bacterial burden, thereby reducing infections....Read more

2015 20 Jan

Researchers at Tübingen University have developed a new technique to safely mark T-cells for non-invasive in vivo imaging to better understand what happens during immune reactions in the body. This technique enabled the investigators to track the T-cell movement in mice using positron emission technology (PET). Previous methods used to follow the movement...Read more

2015 19 Jan

Based on results of a new study, high levels of two novel urinary biomarkers early in critical illness correlate with adverse long-term outcomes in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). The combination of tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and IGF-binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) can identify patients with AKI who are at greater risk of death...Read more

2014 27 Nov

A new method developed by Swedish researchers can rapidly identify which bacteria are causing an infection and detect whether they are resistant or sensitive to antibiotics. Results of the study have been published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology . "Clinical use of the method would mean that the right antibiotic treatment could be started...Read more

2014 16 Sep

A new study suggests a pioneering testing technology could reduce hospital stays by up to eight days and lower annual health care costs for people with serious infections by approximately  $2.2 million  (€1.5 million / £1.2 million).[1] The cost reductions are based on a health economic model from the RApid Diagnosis of Infections in the CriticAlly...Read more

2014 18 Aug

Infections in premature babies may be prevented when attending medical staff wear nonsterile gloves after washing their hands, compared with only hand washing, findings of a new study show. The study involved 120 extremely preterm babies in a neonatal ICU at a particular hospital. These infants were younger than eight days old and weighed less than...Read more

2014 17 Aug

According to a recent study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, bacteria that cause life-threatening bloodstream infections in critically ill patients may be growing increasingly resistant to chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), a common hospital antiseptic. The use...Read more

2014 04 Aug

Morgan Alexander, Professor of Biomedical Surfaces in the School of Pharmacy and Paul Williams, Professor of Molecular Microbiology, in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, have each received a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award worth a combined £2m. These are the first of its kind awards and the two researchers have been...Read more

2014 10 Jun

Bloodstream infections related to the use of central venous catheters (CVCs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for patients in surgical intensive care units, where nearly half rely on a CVC for the administration of treatment. To reduce the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement...Read more

2014 20 Mar

Comparing three treatment methods shows same survival rate According to a five-year clinical study named ProCESS, for Protocolised Care for Early Septic Shock, and published online on March 18, 2014, in the New England Journal of Medicine, the survival rate for patients with septic shock was the same regardless of whether they received treatment...Read more

2014 30 Jan

According to a new study, the largest of its kind, U.S. hospital intensive care units (ICUs) show uneven compliance with infection prevention policies. The findings are published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC),...Read more

2013 15 Oct

Scientists of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin for the first time have solved the 3-dimensional structure of the protein LBP and it´s genetic variant. This finding may help certain patients to better survive severe infectious diseases. The results have been published in the recent issue of the journal Immunity *. This host protein mediates...Read more

2013 14 Oct

According to a new study co-led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Yale New Haven Health System Center for Healthcare Solutions a simple procedural change can reduce patient acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by approximately 40 percent. Using disposable gowns and gloves on an intensive care unit...Read more

2013 03 Oct

In a first-of-its-kind study to evaluate the impact of a medical specialty on patient outcomes, researchers found that hospitalized patients with severe infections such as meningitis and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) are significantly less likely to die if they receive care from an infectious diseases specialist. The study, which analyzed nearly...Read more

2013 03 Oct

In a recent study, two different strains of non-toxigenic Clostridium difficile provided protection against both historic and epidemic C. difficile strains. The research was conducted by researchers at Hines VA Hospital and is published ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy . Studies show colonization with a...Read more

2013 01 Oct

Plasma reactor: The RUB team generates atmospheric-pressure plasmas and tests which effects UV radiation and reactive particles have on bacterial cells and molecules. Copyright: RUB, Photo: Jan-Wilm Lackmann As they destroy bacteria very efficiently, plasmas constitute an alternative to chemical disinfectants and potentially to antibiotics,...Read more

2013 04 Sep

The largest study of its kind, carried out by experts at the University of Leeds, has shown the most effective test for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile (C-Diff). C-Diff is a bacterial infection which causes 3,000 deaths a year in Britain. It affects the digestive system, and is most common in hospital patients treated with antibiotics for...Read more

2013 14 Aug

The fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs has taken a step forward thanks to a new discovery by scientists at The University of Nottingham. A multi-disciplinary research team at the University’s Centre for Biomolecular Sciences has uncovered a new way of inhibiting the toxicity and virulence of the notorious superbug, Pseudomonas aeruginosa...Read more