Distribution and characteristics of bacteria on the hand during oropharyngeal swab collection: Which handwashing points are affected?

AIMS: To identify the contaminated areas of the hand collection and analyse the distribution characteristics of bacteria in the hand after swab collection. DESIGN: This study used a cross-sectional design. METHODS: A cross-sectional study sampling 50 pairs of hands (sampling hand and auxiliary hand) of healthcare workers was performed. Ten samples were collected from each participant. The optimal hand hygiene rates and bacterial colony counts of the whole hand and different hand sections without hand hygiene were identified as the primary outcomes. RESULTS: The optimal hand hygiene rates of the sampling hand and auxiliary hand were 88.8% (222/250) and 91.6% (229/250), respectively. The lowest optimal hand hygiene rates for the sampling hand and the auxiliary hand were both on the dorsal side of the finger and the dorsum of the hand (86.0%, 86.0% vs. 90.0%, 86.0%); the optimal hand hygiene rates for both sites of the sampling hand were 86.0% (43/50), and the optimal hand hygiene rates for the auxiliary hand were 90.0% (45/50) and 86.0% (43/50). The bacteria colony counts did not differ between the sampling hands and auxiliary hand. CONCLUSIONS: The dorsal side of the finger and dorsum of the hand were the most likely to be contaminated during oropharyngeal swab collection. Therefore, it is essential to pay extra attention to hand hygiene care of these two sites during the collection process to minimize the risk of cross-contamination. REPORTING METHOD: The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines were adopted in this study.

Detection of paralytic shellfish toxins by near-infrared spectroscopy based on a near-Bayesian SVM classifier with unequal misclassification costs.

BACKGROUND: Paralytic shellfish poisoning caused by human consumption of shellfish fed on toxic algae is a public health hazard. It is essential to implement shellfish monitoring programs to minimize the possibility of shellfish contaminated by paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) reaching the marketplace. RESULTS: This paper proposes a rapid detection method for PST in mussels using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology. Spectral data in the wavelength range of 950-1700 nm for PST-contaminated and non-contaminated mussel samples were used to build the detection model. Near-Bayesian support vector machines (NBSVM) with unequal misclassification costs (u-NBSVM) were applied to solve a classification problem arising from the fact that the quantity of non-contaminated mussels was far less than that of PST-contaminated mussels in practice. The u-NBSVM model performed adequately on imbalanced datasets by combining unequal misclassification costs and decision boundary shifts. The detection performance of the u-NBSVM did not decline as the number of PST samples decreased due to adjustments to the misclassification costs. When the number of PST samples was 20, the G-mean and accuracy reached 0.9898 and 0.9944, respectively. CONCLUSION: Compared with the traditional support vector machines (SVMs) and the NBSVM, the u-NBSVM model achieved better detection performance. The results of this study indicate that NIRS technology combined with the u-NBSVM model can be used for rapid and non-destructive PST detection in mussels. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Analysis of risk factors associated with healthcare-associated carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in a large general hospital: a case-case-control study.

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection is a major public health threat in the world. To inform the prevention and control of CRKP infection in hospitals, this study analyzed the factors associated with CRKP infection and resistance to carbapenems in K. pneumoniae. This case-case-control study was carried out in a large general hospital in China from January 2016 to December 2018, comprising 494 hospitalized patients infected with CRKP (case group 1) and 2429 hospitalized patients infected with carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP, case group 2). We selected control groups from hospitalized patients without K. pneumoniae infections for the two case groups separately, with a 1:3 case-control ratio, to analyze the risk factors of the two case groups using the conditional logistic regression. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors of CRKP infection were intensive care unit (ICU) admission (odds ratio [OR], 6.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.90-9.58; P < 0.001), respiratory failure (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.34-2.77; P < 0.001), age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (aCCI; OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.15; P = 0.007), admission from the Emergency (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.02-1.85; P = 0.036), and imipenem use (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.30-2.49; P < 0.001). Among the aforementioned five risk factors, aCCI (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.06-1.13; P < 0.001) was also identified as a risk factor of CSKP infections in multivariate analysis. The risk factors for resistance to carbapenems in K. pneumoniae were ICU admission, respiratory failure, admission from the Emergency, and imipenem use.

Persulfate promoted carbamoylation of N-arylacrylamides and N-arylcinnamamides with 4-carbamoyl-Hantzsch esters.

Carbamoyl-Hantzsch esters were used as carbamoyl radical precursors for oxidative carbamoylation of N-arylacrylamides and N-arylcinnamamides in the presence of inexpensive persulfates. This protocol can be applied to a broad range of substrates with various functional groups, providing a variety of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles and 3,4-disubstituted dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones in moderate to good yields via an intermolecular addition/cyclization process.

NDM Metallo-ß-Lactamases and Their Bacterial Producers in Health Care Settings.

New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase (NDM) is a metallo-ß-lactamase able to hydrolyze almost all ß-lactams. Twenty-four NDM variants have been identified in >60 species of 11 bacterial families, and several variants have enhanced carbapenemase activity. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli are the predominant carriers of blaNDM, with certain sequence types (STs) (for K. pneumoniae, ST11, ST14, ST15, or ST147; for E. coli, ST167, ST410, or ST617) being the most prevalent. NDM-positive strains have been identified worldwide, with the highest prevalence in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Most blaNDM-carrying plasmids belong to limited replicon types (IncX3, IncFII, or IncC). Commonly used phenotypic tests cannot specifically identify NDM. Lateral flow immunoassays specifically detect NDM, and molecular approaches remain the reference methods for detecting blaNDM Polymyxins combined with other agents remain the mainstream options of antimicrobial treatment. Compounds able to inhibit NDM have been found, but none have been approved for clinical use. Outbreaks caused by NDM-positive strains have been reported worldwide, attributable to sources such as contaminated devices. Evidence-based guidelines on prevention and control of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are available, although none are specific for NDM-positive strains. NDM will remain a severe challenge in health care settings, and more studies on appropriate countermeasures are required.

Handwashing Sink Contamination and Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella Infection in the Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Handwashing sinks can become contaminated by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella (CRK), including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca (CRKO), but whether they are major sources of CRK infections remains unknown. METHODS: We performed a prospective multicenter study in 16 intensive care units (ICUs) (9 general and 7 neonatal) at 11 hospitals. All sinks at these locations were sampled to screen CRK. All CRK clinical isolates recovered between 2 weeks before and 3 months after sampling in ICUs with CRK-positive sinks or other participating ICUs at the same hospital were collected. Whole-genome sequencing of all isolates was performed. Isolates of the same sequence type (ST) were assigned to clones by calling single-nucleotide polymorphisms. RESULTS: Among 158 sinks sampled, 6 CRKP and 6 CRKO were recovered from 12 sinks in 7 ICUs, corresponding to a 7.6% CRK contamination rate. Twenty-eight clinical isolates were collected, and all were CRKP. The 34 CRKP isolates belonged to 7 STs, including ST789 (n = 14, all had blaNDM-5); ST11 (n = 12, 5 belonged to KL64 and 7 to KL47, all had blaKPC-2); ST709 (n = 4, all had blaNDM-5); and ST16, ST20, ST1027, and ST2407 (n = 1 each). One particular ST789 clone caused an outbreak and contaminated a sink. ST11_KL47 sink isolates were likely the source of a cluster of clinical isolates. Two ST11_KL64 isolates belonged to a common clone but were from 2 hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Contaminated sinks were not the major source of CRK in our local settings. ST789 blaNDM-5-carrying CRKP might represent an emerging lineage causing neonatal infections.

In-hospital Medical Costs of Infections Caused by Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a major health threat, but the economic impact of carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae infections remains largely uninvestigated. Methods: We constructed a retrospective cohort of all patients hospitalized at West China Hospital in 2017 who had CRKP- or carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP)-positive clinical samples. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control the impact of potential confounding variables, including demographics, comorbidities, and treatment, and to observe the impact of factors other than length of stay (LOS). Patients who survived were subjected to subgroup analyses stratified by infection type. Results: There were 267 patients with CRKP and 1328 with CSKP. Patients with CRKP had a higher crude in-hospital mortality rate (14.61% vs 5.65%, P < .05) and longer LOS (median, 31 vs 19 days; P < .05). PSM for demographics, comorbidities, and treatment generated 237 pairs. Patients with CRKP had higher medical costs than those with CSKP during the entire hospitalization (median, in US dollars, $22962 vs $11755, respectively; P < .05) and during the period after infection (median, $9215 vs $6904, respectively; P < .05). When LOS was matched, patients with CRKP still had high excess costs compared to those with CSKP (median, $22917 vs $13851, respectively, for the entire hospitalization, P < .05; $9101 vs $7001, respectively, after infection, P < .05). For infection type, the sample size generated sufficient power to compare only the patients with pneumonia. For surviving patients, high excess costs were observed in those with pneumonia caused by CRKP as compared to CSKP ($21890 vs $11698, respectively, for the entire hospitalization, P < .05; $9773 vs $5298, respectively, after infection, P < .05). Medicines other than antibacterial agents and nonmedicinal therapies contributed most (57.8%) of the excess costs associated with CRKP. Conclusions: Carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae was associated with increased medical costs not accounted for by the cost of antimicrobial therapy.

Carbapenem-resistant Isolates of the Klebsiella pneumoniae Complex in Western China: The Common ST11 and the Surprising Hospital-specific Types.

A genome sequence-based analysis of 74 carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) from 12 hospitals in Sichuan, China, revealed that the isolates carried blaKPC-2 (n = 48), blaNDM (n = 22), or blaIMP-4 (n = 4) were identified as K. pneumoniae (n = 67), Klebsiella variicola (n = 5), and Klebsiella quasipneumoniae (n = 2) and belonged to 19 sequence types. Both inter- and intrahospital transmission of multiple ST11 strains was identified. There is an urgent need for all hospitals in a given region to coordinate actions against CRKP.

Effect of different delivery modes on the short-term strength of the pelvic floor muscle in Chinese primipara.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of different delivery modes and related obstetric factors on the short-term strength of the pelvic floor muscle after delivery in Chinese primipara. METHODS: A total of 4769 healthy Chinese primiparas at postpartum 6-8 weeks were interviewed. According to the difference of delivery mode, the selected primiparas were divided into 2 groups, including cesarean delivery group containing 2020 and vaginal delivery group containing 2749. All the vaginal deliveries were further divided into 3 groups, including episiotomy group containing 2279, perineal laceration group containing 398, and forceps assisted group containing72. The scales of their pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strengths were examined by specially trained personnel using digital palpation (Modified Oxford scale:0-5 grade). According to participants' willingness, if the PFM strength was weak (0 or 1 grade), at-home PFM training would be recommended and an electrical stimulation combined with biofeedback therapy would be conducted for them in hospital. Twelve weeks after delivery, the PFM strength would be measured again. For statistical analysis, t-test, one-way variance analysis, Chi-square analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test H, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test were carried out. RESULTS: The PFM strength in cesarean delivery group was higher than in vaginal delivery group (p < 0.05). Among 3 vaginal delivery groups, the PFM strength in perineal laceration group was the highest (p < 0.05); however, there was no difference in PFM strength between episiotomy group and forceps assisted group (p>0.05). After accepting PFM training at home and therapy in hospital, 305 women showed increased PFM strength (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal delivery is an independent risk factor causing the damage of PFM, and episiotomy may cause injury of PFM. Through PFM training at home and therapy in hospital, those damage will resume as soon as possible in the short-time period after delivery.

Placental DNA methylation of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1α promoter is associated with maternal gestational glucose level.

Intrauterine exposure to hyperglycaemia may increase the risk of later-life metabolic disorders. Although the underlying mechanism is not fully understood, epigenetic dysregulation in fetal programming has been implicated. With regard to energy homoeostasis, PGC-1α (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator-1α, encoded by the PPARGC1A gene) plays a regulatory role in several biochemical processes. We hypothesized that maternal gestational glucose levels would positively correlate with DNA methylation of the PPARGC1A promoter in placental tissue. We undertook a cross-sectional study of 58 mothers who underwent uncomplicated Caesarean delivery in a university hospital. Maternal gestational glucose concentration was determined after a 75-g OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Placenta tissue and cord blood were collected immediately after delivery. Genomic DNA was extracted and thereafter bisulfite conversion was performed. After PCR amplification, the DNA methylation of the PPARGC1A promoter was quantified using a pyrosequencing technique. The protein level of PGC-1α was evaluated by Western blotting. For all participants as a whole, including the GDM (gestational diabetes mellitus) and normoglycaemia groups, the maternal gestational glucose level was positively correlated with placental DNA methylation, and negatively correlated with cord blood DNA methylation of the PPARGC1A promoter in a CpG site-specific manner. In the GDM group alone, the placental CpG site-specific methylation of the PPARGC1A promoter strongly correlated with gestational 2-h post-OGTT glycaemia. Epigenetic alteration of the PPAGRC1A promoter may be one of the potential mechanisms underlying the metabolic programming in offspring exposed to intrauterine hyperglycaemia.

Effectiveness and safety of double-balloon catheter versus intra-amniotic injection of ethacridine lactate for termination of second trimester pregnancy in patients with liver dysfunction.

Severe liver dysfunction in pregnancy (SLDP) is rare but serious complications with high mortality rate. This study compared the effectiveness and safety of double-balloon catheter versus intra-amniotic injection of ethacridine lactate for the termination of second trimester pregnancy in patients with SLD. A total of 55 patients with indications of labor induction were enrolled and analyzed by retrospective control analysis method. Twenty-three cases adopted Cook double balloon dilation as Cook group, and 32 cases received intra-amniotic injection of ethacridine lactate as EL group. The primary outcome was evaluated by successful abortion rate and the difference in the induction-to-abortion interval. Secondary outcomes included liver function recovery and the frequency of adverse events. Both Cook and EL regimens were effective, with successful abortion rate of 87.0% and 93.8%, respectively (P=0.639). The induction-to-delivery interval was similar between Cook group and EL group (38.1 ± 21.5 vs. 41.3 ± 17.4, P=0.543). The liver disease status was more severe in Cook group than in EL group, but it did not show any significant difference after pregnancy termination between the two groups and the improvement rate also did not show any significant difference. Both treatments were safe and there was no significant difference in bleeding and cervical laceration adverse events between the two groups. Our study firstly compared double-balloon catheter and ethacridine lactate for the induction of labor in women with SLD during second trimester pregnancy.

Exploring Perceptions and Barriers: A Health Belief Model-Based Analysis of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among High-Risk Healthcare Workers in China.

The annual seasonal influenza vaccination rate among high-risk healthcare workers (HCWs) has fallen below expectations, underscoring the importance of exploring the impact of perception on vaccination behavior. An online survey, grounded in the Health Belief Model (HBM), was administered to high-risk healthcare workers at West China Hospital. The data analysis encompassed descriptive statistics, logistic regression for univariate analysis, and path regression for multivariate analysis. A total of 1845 healthcare workers completed the survey, with an acceptance rate of 83.90% (95% CI, 82.20-85.60%). Path analysis revealed significant correlations between vaccination acceptance and perceived susceptibility (ß = 0.142), perceived benefits (ß = 0.129), perceived barriers (ß = 0.075), exposure to vaccination advertisements (ß = 0.115), and knowledge about seasonal influenza (ß = 0.051). Vaccination education efforts should prioritize elucidating the risks associated with the disease and emphasizing the benefits of vaccination. Furthermore, leveraging advertising proves to be an effective strategy for promotion.

A fluorescence probe with targeted mitochondria for detecting hydrogen peroxide in vitro and in diabetic mice.

We designed and prepared probe W-1 for the detection of H2O2. W-1 showed excellent selectivity for H2O2 and was accompanied by colorimetric signal changes. The excellent linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and H2O2 concentration (0-100 µM) provided favorable conditions for its quantitative detection. In addition, the combination of portable test strips with a smartphone platform provided great convenience for on-site visual detection of H2O2. Moreover, W-1 possessed targeting mitochondria property and could be applied to image the exogenous and endogenous H2O2 in cells to distinguish normal cells and cancer cells. Lastly, W-1 was used for monitoring the H2O2 fluctuation of the diabetic process in mice, and the results showed an increase in H2O2 levels in diabetes. Therefore, the probe provided a tool for understanding the pathological and physiological mechanisms of diabetes by imaging H2O2.

Unlocking Efficient Hydrogen Production: Nucleophilic Oxidation Reactions Coupled with Water Splitting.

Electrocatalytic water splitting driven by sustainable energy is a clean and promising water-chemical fuel conversion technology for the production of high-purity green hydrogen. However, the sluggish kinetics of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) pose challenges for large-scale hydrogen production, limiting its efficiency and safety. Recently, the anodic OER has been replaced by a nucleophilic oxidation reaction (NOR) with biomass as the substrate and coupled with a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which has attracted great interest. Anode NOR offers faster kinetics, generates high-value products, and reduces energy consumption. By coupling NOR with hydrogen evolution reaction, hydrogen production efficiency can be enhanced while yielding high-value oxidation products or degrading pollutants. Therefore, NOR-coupled HER hydrogen production is another new green electrolytic hydrogen production strategy after electrolytic water hydrogen production, which is of great significance for realizing sustainable energy development and global decarbonization. This review explores the potential of nucleophilic oxidation reactions as an alternative to OER and delves into NOR mechanisms, guiding future research in NOR-coupled hydrogen production. It assesses different NOR-coupled production methods, analyzing reaction pathways and catalyst effects. Furthermore, it evaluates the role of electrolyzers in industrialized NOR-coupled hydrogen production and discusses future prospects and challenges. This comprehensive review aims to advance efficient and economical large-scale hydrogen production.

Clonal diversity of Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates revealed by a snapshot study.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is a notorious opportunistic pathogen mainly associated with hospital-acquired infections. Studies on the clonal relatedness of isolates could lay the foundation for effective infection control. A snapshot study was performed to investigate the clonal relatedness of A. baumannii clinical isolates in our local settings. RESULTS: Among 82 non-repetitive Acinetobacter spp. clinical isolates that were recovered during a period of four days in 13 hospitals in Sichuan, Southwest China, 67 isolates were identified as A. baumannii. Half of the 67 A. baumannii isolates were non-susceptible to carbapenems. bla(OXA-23) was the only acquired carbapenemase gene detected, present in 40 isolates including five carbapenem-susceptible ones. The isolates belonged to 62 pulsotypes determined by PFGE and 31 sequence types (ST) by multi-locus sequence typing. Forty-three isolates belonged to the globally-disseminated clonal complex 92, among which ST75, ST92 and ST208 were the most common sequence types. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical isolates of A. baumannii were diverse in clonality in this snapshot study. However, most of the isolates belonged to the globally-distributed clonal complex CC92. ST75, ST92 and ST208 were the most common types in our region. In particular, ST208 might be an emerging lineage carrying bla(OXA-23).

Functional variant in methionine synthase reductase decreases the risk of Down syndrome in China.

AIM: Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of human mental retardation and the genes involved in homocysteine/folate metabolism may play important roles in this condition. Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) is one of the key regulatory enzymes involved in the metabolic pathway of homocysteine. We investigated whether the polymorphism C524T of the MTRR gene is associated with DS. METHOD: A total of 104 mothers of children born with DS and 184 healthy mothers were included. The polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Plasma folate and total plasma homocysteine (t-Hcy) concentrations were also measured. RESULTS: Significant differences in the distributions of C524T alleles were observed between case and control mothers; a decreased risk of DS was associated with the 524TT genotype (OR=0.34), CT+TT genotype (OR=0.60). The mean t-Hcy value in the case group was higher than the mean value in the control group. t-Hcy concentrations were lower in TT homozygote than CC homozygote among the cases but not among the controls. CONCLUSION: MTRR C524T polymorphism decreases the risk of DS in the Chinese population.

Polymorphisms in genes RFC-1/CBS as maternal risk factors for Down syndrome in China.

PURPOSE: To explore the relationship between genetic polymorphisms in reduced folate carrier 1 (RFC-1), cystathionine b-synthase (CBS), two key genes in folate metabolism, and the risk of Down syndrome in China. METHODS: Genomic DNA was isolated from the peripheral lymphocytes of 104 mothers born children with Down syndrome and 184 age-matched control mothers. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction-fragment length polymorphism were used to examine the polymorphisms of RFC-1 A80G, CBS T833C and the relationship between these genotypes and the risk of Down syndrome was analyzed. RESULTS: We found that there were significant differences between RFC-1 G80G, CBS C833C polymorphisms among mothers of children with Down syndrome than among control mothers, with odds ratio of 1.51 (95 % CI 1.05-2.18), 1.53 (95 % CI 1.07-2.18) respectively. The combined presence of RFC1 mutant alleles and the CBS homozygous mutant allele (15/104) was associated with a 4.81-fold increased risk of having a child with Down syndrome (95 % CI 1.82-12.68, P = 0.0007). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that RFC-1 and CBS gene mutation alleles are related to Down syndrome, and women with mutation RFC-1 G80G, CBS C833C OR combined with RFC-1 A80G and CBS 833TT genotype increase the risk of Down syndrome in China.

Identification of Perna viridis contaminated with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins in vitro using NIRS and a discriminative non-negative representation-based classifier.

Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins are one of the most widespread marine biotoxins that affect aquaculture and human health, and their detection has become crucial. In this study, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) with non-destructive characteristics was used to identify DSP toxins in Perna viridis. The spectral data of the DSP toxin-contaminated and non-contaminated Perna viridis samples were acquired in the 950-1700 nm range. To solve the discrimination of spectra with crossover and overlapping, a discriminative non-negative representation-based classifier (DNRC) has been proposed. Compared with collaborative and non-negative representation-based classifiers, the DNRC model exhibited better performance in detecting DSP toxins, with a classification accuracy of 99.44 %. For a relatively small-scale sample dataset in practical applications, the performance of the DNRC model was compared with those of classical models. The DNRC model achieved the best results for both identification accuracy and F-measure, and its detection performance did not significantly decrease with decreasing sample size. The experimental results validated that a combination of NIRS and the DNRC model can facilitate rapid, convenient, and non-destructive detection of DSP toxins in Perna viridis.

Effect of daily chlorhexidine bathing on reducing infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms in intensive care unit patients: A semiexperimental study with parallel controls.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of daily bathing by chlorhexidine bathing on multidrug-resistant organisms in ICU, especially on carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). METHODS: Semiexperimental study which employed both precontrols and a parallel control was conducted. In the intervention period (from July 1 to December 31, 2016), strengthened infection control measures and daily bathing with 2% CHG-impregnated wipes once daily was performed in the ICU. Fifty-seven non-ICU wards with the occurrence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) infections during the same time were selected as parallel control group (only CHG bathing was not performed). The net effect of the 2% CHG daily bathing was evaluated by the difference in difference (DID) model. RESULTS: The DID model analysis showed that CHG bathing reduced the incidence of CRAB- and CRPA-caused infections in ICU by 1.56 and 2.15 cases/1000 patient days, and bathing of every 19 patients (95CI% 13 to 41) and 39 patients (95CI% 24 to 110) were able to prevent one case of HAIs of total MDROs and CRPA, respectively. However, CHG bathing showed no effect on MRSA, VRE, and CRE (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Daily bathing with 2% CHG-impregnated wipes can reduce HAIs caused by CRAB and CRPA, while it is not effective for the prevalence of infections caused by MRSA, VRE, and CRE.

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on motor function and language ability in cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This review was conducted to assess the quality of the evidence of effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treating motor and language ability of cerebral palsy (CP). Method: Medline, Cochrane library, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and CNKI databases were searched up to July 2021 by two independent reviewers. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were published in English and Chinese and met the following criteria were included. The population comprised patients who met the diagnostic criteria for CP. Intervention included the following: comparison about rTMS and sham rTMS or comparison about rTMS combine with other physical therapy and other physical therapy. Outcomes included motor function, as follows: gross motor function measure (GMFM), Gesell Development Diagnosis Scale, fine motor function measure (FMFM), Peabody developmental motor scale, and Modified Ashworth scale. For language ability, sign-significant relation (S-S) was included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Results: Finally, 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Results of evaluation using the Cochrane Collaborative Network Bias Risk Assessment Scale showed that 19 studies specifically explained randomization, among which two studies described allocation concealment, four studies blinded participants and persons and had low risk of bias, and six studies explained that the assessment of outcome measures was blinded. Significant improvements in motor function were observed. The GMFM of total score was determined by using the random-effect model [I2 = 88%; MD = -1.03; 95% CI (-1.35, -0.71); P < 0.0001] and FMFM was determined by using the fixed-effect model [P = 0.40 and I2 = 3%; SMDs = -0.48, 95% CI (-0.65, -0.30); P < 0.01]. For language ability, the language improvement rate was determined using a fixed-effect model [P = 0.88 and I2 = 0%; MD = 0.37, 95% CI (0.23, 0.57); P < 0.01]. According to the PEDro scale, 10 studies had low-quality, four studies had excellent quality, and the other studies had good quality. Using the GRADEpro GDT online tool, we included a total of 31 outcome indicators, as follows: 22 for low quality, seven for moderate quality, and two for very low quality. Conclusion: The rTMS could improve the motor function and language ability of patients with CP. However, rTMS prescriptions varied, and the studies had low sample sizes. Studies using rigorous and standard research designs about prescriptions and large samples are needed to collect sufficient evidence about the effectiveness of using rTMS to treat patients with CP.