Healthcare associated infection: good practices, knowledge and the locus of control in heatlhcare professionals.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The incidence of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) is an important indicator of the quality of care. The behaviors associated with the prevention of infections are not only supported by rational knowledge or motivation, but are mediated by social, emotional and often stereotyped behaviors. The awarness of the good practices related to HAI, may be a factor. Other studies, identify how the perception of the problem in healthcare professionals is often influenced by a tendency towards an external Locus of Control: the patient, the family, the other wards, other care settings. The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of healthcare professionals. In particular they have been measured their  awarness of the good practices, perceptions of the potential contamination level of some commonly used objects, knowledge about the management of invasive devices, Locus of Control. METHOD: A cross-sectional correlational design was utilized.  An ad hoc questionnaire was interviewed by 222 health professionals nurses and physicians in a northern hospital of Italy. RESULTS: The percentage of professionals who have attended training courses over the last 5 years was quite high, both for upgrades on HAI (78.7%) and Vascular Catheters (78.8%), while the percentage of professionals who updated on bladder catheterization (59.46%) was lower. The mean  score of good practice awareness towards HAI (5.06), is high. The perception of the potential level of contamination of some devices had a  mean ranging from 4.62 (for the drip) to 5.26 (for the door handle). The average value of the Locus of Control (43.54) indicates that participants demonstrated a value that is midway between External and Internal. The correlation test analysis revealed no significant relationships among professionals'age, knowledge about HAI, or infection related venus catheter. Also, results revealed that there were statistically significant positive relationships between professionals' Good Practices awareness about HAI , Knowledge, and Locus of Control. CONCLUSION: The study findings demonstrated that good practice awareness towards HAI among nurse and physician was good but not completely optimal. Findings revealed that knowledge toward HAI prevention and HAI related device prevention were not completely adequate. The educational courses, according to our correlational findings, should definitely take into account the psycho-social aspects of this phenomenon.

Sex determination of buffalo embryos (Bubalus bubalis) by polymerase chain reaction.

The aim of this study was to identify a simple, rapid method for sex determination of in vitro produced buffalo embryos, amplifying Y-chromosome-specific repeat sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Buffalo oocytes collected from slaughtered animals were matured, fertilised and cultured in vitro for 7 days. On day 7 embryos were evaluated and divided in to six groups according to developmental stage (2, 4, 8, 16 cells, morulae and blastocyst). Each embryo was stored singly in phosphate-buffered saline at -20 degrees C until PCR. Two different methods of extraction of DNA were compared: a standard procedure (ST), using a normal extraction by phenol-chloroform, isoamyl alcohol and final precipitation in absolute ethanol and a direct procedure (DT), using a commercial kit (Qiaquik-Qiagen mini blood). A pair of bovine satellite primers and two pairs of different bovine Y-chromosome-specific primers (BRY4.a and BRY.1) were used in the PCR assay on embryos and on whole blood samples collected from male and female adult buffaloes, used as control. The trial was carried out on 359 embryos (193 for ST and 166 for DT). When DNA samples from blood were amplified, the sex determined by PCR always corresponded to the anatomical sex. Embryo sexing was not possible in two embryos in ST and one embryo in DT. Both extraction protocols recovered sufficient quantities of target DNA at all developmental stages, but the time required for the ST (24 h) limits its use in embryo sexing and supports the use of commercial extraction kits (5 h).

Chaotic mosaicism in human preimplantation embryos is correlated with a low mitochondrial membrane potential.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between the intrinsic mitochondrial deltapsi of human embryos and the embryo karyotype. DESIGN: Analysis of mitochondrial deltapsi of living embryos followed by chromosomal enumeration with fluorescence in situ hybridization. A tertiary center for assisted reproduction technology. PATIENT(S): Fifty-two patients attending the fertility center for assisted reproduction. INTERVENTION(S): Donated embryos were loaded with a mitochondrial deltapsi-sensitive fluorescence dye. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Mitochondrial deltapsi was measured by confocal microscopy. Subsequently, embryos were fixed and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was used to denote embryo karyotype. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Mitochondrial deltapsi and embryo karyotype. RESULT(S): An association was observed between low mitochondrial deltapsi and the detection of chaotic mosaicism. Analysis of oocytes suggested that this was due to the effect of low mitochondrial deltapsi on the morphology of the meiotic apparatus. CONCLUSION(S): The data suggest that the intrinsic mitochondrial deltapsi of human oocytes programs the developmental fate of embryos through an effect on the ability of oocytes to form a normal meiotic apparatus and not through nondisjunction.