Smoke signals: The decline of brand identity predicts reduced smoking behaviour following the introduction of plain packaging.

This study tests a social identity based mechanism for the effectiveness of plain tobacco packaging legislation, introduced in Australia in December 2012, to reduce cigarette smoking. 178 Australian smokers rated their sense of identification with fellow smokers of their brand, positive brand stereotypes, quitting behaviours and intentions, and smoking intensity, both before and seven months after the policy change. Mediation analyses showed that smokers, especially those who initially identified strongly with their brand, experienced a significant decrease in their brand identity following the introduction of plain packaging and this was associated with lower smoking behaviours and increased intentions to quit. The findings provide the first quantitative evidence that brand identities may help maintain smoking behaviour, and suggest the role of social-psychological processes in the effectiveness of public health policy.

Stereotype threat and hazard perception among provisional license drivers.

Stereotype threat refers to the negative impact a stereotype about one's group can have on one's performance in domains relevant to the stereotype. In the current paper, we explore whether the negative stereotype of provisional license drivers (PLDs) might produce stereotype threat in a driving-related hazard perception task. We manipulate threat by asking participants to self-identify as PLDs in a categorization condition, or by reminding PLD participants explicitly of the stereotype of PLDs in an explicit stereotype condition. Results reveal increments in hazard perception in the categorization condition, and decrements in hazard perception in the explicit stereotype condition. Mediation analysis reveals that hazard perception performance is fully mediated by increased effort in the categorization condition and by decreased effort in the explicit stereotype condition. We discuss these findings in terms of their implications for stereotype threat and its mediators, and for public policy that explicitly discriminates between PLDs and other driver groups.

Mice in the emergency department: vector for infection or technological aid?

OBJECTIVE: To study the type of bacterial flora present on computer mice in an emergency department. METHODS: Computer mice in the emergency department of a single institution, were swabbed on three separate occasions over a 12-month period. Swabs were plated out on McConkey agar and blood agar. Isolated organisms were identified by senior laboratory personnel using Gram stain, colony morphology and susceptibility testing. RESULTS: No methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was identified on the equipment. Two samples cultured methicillin-sensitive coagulase positive staphylococci. A range of other organisms were identified. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to studies in other hospital departments, no methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was identified on computer mice in the emergency department. These results suggest that mouse operated software is not adding to infection control problems in relation to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in this environment.

Employment of broad range 16S rDNA PCR and sequencing in the detection of aetiological agents of meningitis.

To employ partial 16S rDNA PCR and automated sequencing technique to identify non-culturable causal agents of bacterial meningitis, 73 peripheral blood samples and 413 culture-negative and eight culture-positive CSF clinical specimens from patients with suspected acute meningitis were examined for the presence of bacterial genomic DNA employing broad range 16S rDNA PCR followed by sequencing of the amplicons. In blood samples, 63/73 specimens were PCR positive (86.3%) and after direct sequencing of the PCR amplicons, only 12.7% (8/63) gave clear sequencing results and 55/63 (87.3%) were mixed with more than one organism detected. The mixed PCR amplicons were separated by using PAGE and mixed amplicons from 29/55 (52.7%) specimens were successfully identified through sequencing. Of the CSF samples, 8/8 culture-positive samples were also PCR positive and 45/413 (10.9%) of culture-negative gave a strong PCR signal and 88/413 (21.3%) specimens yielded a weak PCR signal. The remaining 280 culture-negative specimens were also PCR negative. Nested PCR was set up for the 88 weak positive samples and yielded 72/88 (81.8%) strong positives, with the remainder failing to amplify 133/413 (32.2%) culture-negative samples were PCR positive. In this study, the most common bacteria identified from blood specimens were Neisseria meningitidis, 13/63 (20.6%); Streptococcus spp, 5/63 (7.9%); Acinetobacter spp and Pseudomonas spp 4/63 (6.3%). From culture-negative CSF, the pattern was different in that Staphylococcus spp (13/58, 22.4%), Neisseria meningitidis (9/58, 15.52%) and Pseudomonas spp (8/58, 14.79%), were the most frequent. Overall, 16S rRNA broad-range PCR combined with direct DNA sequencing is a valuable molecular tool to aid with the detection as well as identification of non-culturable aetiological agents of acute bacterial meningitis and can augment cultural methods in the diagnosis of central nervous system infections in patients who have been treated with antibiotics. However, this study demonstrates that contamination is an important complication of the molecular assay, which should be attempted to be eliminated through careful laboratory controls. Hence there should be careful interpretation of any molecular finding, in tandem with other laboratory findings, such as culture, immunological and biochemical markers, and the clinical scenario of the patient.