UAB Performs Deep South's First HIV-Positive Kidney Transplant From HIV-Positive Deceased Donor
December 14th 2016Sometime in the next few days or weeks - whenever he can adequately gather his thoughts - a Mississippi man plans to sit down and write a very important letter to a family he has never met, but whose legacy he will carry with him for the rest of his life. The man, who is HIV-positive, is in his 30s and wishes to remain anonymous. He recently became the eighth patient in the United States to receive a transplant from an HIV-positive deceased donor. The HIV-positive to HIV-positive transplant happened at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB Hospital is the first in the Deep South to achieve an HIV-positive to HIV-positive transplant, and only the fourth hospital in the country to do so.
Public Skepticism Would Likely Greet a New Zika Vaccine, UGA Study Says
December 13th 2016As scientists race to create a vaccine for the Zika virus, new research from the University of Georgia suggests almost half of Americans wouldn’t be interested in getting the shot even if public health officials recommended it for them. Only 1 in 3 people in an October 2016 nationally representative survey said they would be willing to get a Zika shot if one were available and recommended. More than two out of five respondents said they would not be interested in getting a Zika vaccine, and another quarter were undecided on the question.
Mutations Acquired Trans-Pacific May Be Key to Changes in Zika Severity
December 13th 2016The Zika virus remains a mystery. Isolated from macaque monkeys in the Ziika Forest in Uganda in 1947, the virus was shown to infect humans not long after, but it was identified as a benign disease, with mild symptoms. For this reason, it was not heavily studied until almost 70 years later when it appeared to be associated with an unusual cluster of cases of microcephalic birth defects and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) paralysis in Brazil in 2015 and 2016.
Scientist Identifies Natural Weapons Against Antibiotic Resistance
December 13th 2016Dr. Hans Wildschutte has his eye on finding answers to the serious global issues of antibiotic resistance and novel drug discovery. The research in Wildschutte’s lab focuses on finding environmental bacteria that can kill one or multiple pathogens.
Worm Treatment Strategy Could Benefit Millions of Kids
December 13th 2016A landmark new study shows the benefits of an expanded treatment strategy for intestinal worms -- treating adults as well as children -- that could improve the health of millions of children in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Africa. Dr. Naomi Clarke from the Australian National University (ANU) said children from the poorest communities suffered from consequences of infestations, such as poor growth and development, and chronic intestinal blood loss and anemia in some cases.
Nasal Decolonization and HAI Prevention: Applications and Evidence
December 13th 2016Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect more than 2 million patients annually and cost over $4.5 billion. Infection prevention bundles are increasingly being used that include nasal decolonization, and evidence supporting its effectiveness is growing. Although mupirocin (trade names including Bactroban, Centany) is commonly used for nasal decolonization, it may be prudent to consider new nasal antiseptics with which antimicrobial resistance is not an issue [trade names including Nozin (alcohol) and 3M and Clorox (iodine).
AORN Talks Guideline Development for Perioperative Nurses
December 12th 2016Every year, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) releases the latest version of its Guidelines for Perioperative Practice to its 41,000 members. Each edition of the book features updated instruction on practices that help perioperative nurses and, in turn, infection preventionists, ensure patient health and safety. For example, the 2017 publication contains detailed new insight into hand hygiene in the surgi-cal suite. The information discusses how fingernails, and even polish, can harbor germs, and offers best practices for preventing contamination that could hurt the patient. Through the teaching efforts of AORN members, and the acceptance of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Guideline Clearinghouse, these directions will reach more than 2,500 hospitals and more than 160,000 RNs.
NIH Scientists Develop New Mouse Model to Study Salmonella Meningitis
December 12th 2016National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have established in mice a way to study potentially life-threatening meningitis caused by Salmonella. Bacterial meningitis happens when bacteria infect the central nervous system (CNS), causing a serious disease that can be life-threatening and difficult to diagnose and treat. Patients who survive often have permanent brain damag
New Evidence Shows How Bacterium in Undercooked Chicken Causes GBS
December 9th 2016A Michigan State University research team is the first to show how a common bacterium found in improperly cooked chicken causes Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). The federally funded research, now published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, not only demonstrates how this food-borne bacterium, known as Campylobacter jejuni, triggers GBS, but offers new information for a cure. If chicken isn't cooked to the proper minimum internal temperature, bacteria can still exist.