HIV Prevalence and Associated Factors Among Men Who have Sex with Men (MSM) in New Jersey,U.S., 2017

AIDS and Behavior - This study assessed the HIV prevalence among MSM in the greater Newark New Jersey area including Essex, Hudson, Morris and Union Counties and examined correlates of HIV...     

Electronic data capture in healthcare—NFC as easy way for self-reported health status information

We present an electronic data capture (EDC) system based on Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC is an easy way for self-reporting of health status information. As traditional paper-based questionnaires are time- and cost-consuming and may be affected by low patient compliance, our EDC system allows patient monitoring and electronic data acquisition directly from the patient's home. It enables real time representation and analysis of patient data and thus allows direct medical intervention by physicians. The results of a field test indicate that NFC is almost as simple as filling out a paper-based questionnaire. During the study patients used the prototype autonomously and with minimal errors. Further, NFC technology was perceived as very intuitive and the information quality of each patient's health status could be improved. Based on the findings we derive recommendations for future research and applications of NFC based electronic data capture systems.     

Molecular epidemiology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> from Lambaréné, Gabon

While there is an abundance of data on the epidemiology and molecular typing of Staphylococcus aureus, especially those carrying Panton–Valentine leucocidin (PVL) genes or mecA from Western Europe, Northern America and Australia, comparably few studies target African strains. In this study, we characterised genes associated with virulence and resistance, as well the phylogenetic background of S. aureus from healthy carriers and outpatients in Gabon. In total, 103 isolates from 96 study participants were characterised. Seventy-nine isolates originated from throat swabs and 24 isolates from skin lesions. Three isolates carried mecA, although only one, belonging to CC8-MRSA-IV [PVL+] ‘USA300’, was found to be phenotypically oxacillin-resistant; two CC88-MRSA-IV isolates appeared to be oxacillin-susceptible. PVL genes were common, with a total of 44 isolates (43 %) found to be PVL-positive. CC15-MSSA [PVL+] (n?=?29) and CC152-MSSA [PVL+] (n?=?9) were the predominant clones among the PVL-positive isolates. Among PVL-negative isolates, CC5-MSSA (n?=?12), CC101-MSSA (n?=?10) and CC15 (n?=?9) were the most frequent. A hitherto undescribed multilocus sequence type of S. schweitzeri was detected twice in unrelated patients. The data emphasise a need for further studies on the role of PVL in African populations and the clinical significance of S. schweitzeri.     

Nurturing the transformation from staff nurse to leader

A major component of nurse job satisfaction is autonomy of clinical practice, recognition by colleagues, and participation in decision making relative to patient outcomes. Shared governance provides the framework for autonomy and control of practice, yet implementation of this model implies staff participation as leaders. Staff nurses describe a transformation of perspective when adopting decision-making, leadership-oriented roles and recount the factors that influence and nurture their confidence and acceptance.