Spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus belonging to the Brazilian epidemic clone in a general hospital and emergence of heterogenous resistance to glycopeptide antibiotics among these isolates

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have been increasing at an alarming rate world-wide. MRSA epidemics due to the clonal spread of multi-resistant isolates have been described. In this paper we show the absolute predominance of MRSA strains from the Brazilian epidemic clone in a hospital in the Northeast region of Brazil and the emergence of a vancomycin and teicoplanin heterogeneous resistant subpopulation among these isolates.     

Dental hygiene students’ part‐time jobs in dental practices in the Netherlands

To cite this article:
Int J Dent Hygiene
DOI: 10.1111/j.1601‐5037.2009.00415.x
Poorterman JHG, Dikkes BT, Brand HS. Dental hygiene students’ part‐time jobs in dental practices in the Netherlands. Abstract: Objective: Many students have paid employment while studying. In the Netherlands, the Individual Health Care Professions Act (IHCP Act) allows dental hygiene students to work under certain conditions in a dental practice. The aim of the study was to determine how many dental hygiene students have part‐time job employment in dental practice and which professional tasks they carry out. We also asked the dental hygiene students their opinion of the IHCP Act. Methods: All the enrolled dental hygiene students (n = 341) at a School of Health in the Netherlands received a questionnaire by email. Results: The response was 52% (176 students). Of the responding students, 75% had paid employment in addition to their study. A proportion of the students (35%) worked in a dental practice. The median number of hours worked per week was eight. Study year, age and prior education were positively related to working part‐time in dental practice. Activities frequently performed were giving oral hygiene instruction, fluoride applications, scaling and root planning, providing chair side assistance and giving local anaesthesia. Although the self‐reported knowledge about the IHCP Act was high, almost half of the students expressed the need for more detailed legal information. Conclusions: Many dental hygiene students work in a dental practice, taking over a number of tasks usually performed by the dentist. More information in the dental hygiene curriculum about the requirements of the IHCP Act seems desirable.     

THROAT SWABS IN CHRONIC TONSILLITIS: A TIME-HONOURED PRACTICE BEST FORGOTTEN

We have estimated that in 1995 more than £2 million was spent by the National Health Service on throat swabs used to investigate chronic tonsillitis in the UK. This study was devised to assess the value of this investigation. The surface microflora, obtained using a throat swab, was compared with the microflora of the deep tonsil in 30 cases of chronic tonsillitis. None of the throat swabs grew pathogenic organisms, while in 16 cases, heavy growths of recognised pathogens were grown from the tonsillar tissue. This paper demonstrates that throat swabs have little value in the management of chronic tonsillitis, and if the investigation was omitted in this condition, a substantial saving could be made.     

Cemented versus non-cemented hemiarthroplasty of the hip as a treatment for a displaced femoral neck fracture: design of a randomised controlled trial

Background  

A discussion is ongoing whether displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients should be treated with a non-cemented or a cemented hemiarthroplasty. A recent Cochrane analysis stresses the importance of further research into the relative merits of these techniques. We hypothesise that non-cemented hemiarthroplasty will result in at least the same technical-functional outcome and complication rate, with a shorter operation time.     

Transplants of fibroblasts genetically modified to express BDNF promote regeneration of adult rat rubrospinal axons and recovery of forelimb function

Adult mammalian CNS neurons do not normally regenerate their severed axons. This failure has been attributed to scar tissue and inhibitory molecules at the injury site that block the regenerating axons, a lack of trophic support for the axotomized neurons, and intrinsic neuronal changes that follow axotomy, including cell atrophy and death. We studied whether transplants of fibroblasts genetically engineered to produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) would promote rubrospinal tract (RST) regeneration in adult rats. Primary fibroblasts were modified by retroviral-mediated transfer of a DNA construct encoding the human BDNF gene, an internal ribosomal entry site, and a fusion gene of lacZ and neomycin resistance genes. The modified fibroblasts produce biologically active BDNF in vitro. These cells were grafted into a partial cervical hemisection cavity that completely interrupted one RST. One and two months after lesion and transplantation, RST regeneration was demonstrated with retrograde and anterograde tracing techniques. Retrograde tracing with fluorogold showed that approximately 7% of RST neurons regenerated axons at least three to four segments caudal to the transplants. Anterograde tracing with biotinylated dextran amine revealed that the RST axons regenerated through and around the transplants, grew for long distances within white matter caudal to the transplant, and terminated in spinal cord gray matter regions that are the normal targets of RST axons. Transplants of unmodified primary fibroblasts or Gelfoam alone did not elicit regeneration. Behavioral tests demonstrated that recipients of BDNF-producing fibroblasts showed significant recovery of forelimb usage, which was abolished by a second lesion that transected the regenerated axons.     

Long-term upregulation of protein kinase A and adenylate cyclase levels in human smokers

Repeated injections of cocaine and morphine in laboratory rats cause a variety of molecular neuroadaptations in the cAMP signaling pathway in nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area. Here we report similar neuroadaptations in postmortem tissue from the brains of human smokers and former smokers. Activity levels of two major components of cAMP signaling, cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) and adenylate cyclase, were abnormally elevated in nucleus accumbens of smokers and in ventral midbrain dopaminergic region of both smokers and former smokers. Protein levels of the catalytic subunit of PKA were correspondingly higher in the ventral midbrain dopaminergic region of both smokers and former smokers. Protein levels of other candidate neuroadaptations, including glutamate receptor subunits, tyrosine hydroxylase, and other protein kinases, were within normal range. These findings extend our understanding of addiction-related neuroadaptations of cAMP signaling to tobacco smoking in human subjects and suggest that smoking-induced brain neuroadaptations can persist for significant periods in former smokers.     

Occurrence of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus within a single colony contributing to MRSA mis-identification.

Many methods have been described for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but the homogeneous or heterogeneous expression of methicillin resistance affects the reliability of those methods. This study demonstrates that close association between methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and MRSA strains in the host colonisation site can present additional problems for the detection of MRSA in clinical laboratories, which may contribute to failure in the control of MRSA infection in hospital. Worse, this association may also account for the emergence of MRSA during antibiotic therapy.     

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of human group B streptococci isolated in Brazil

The present study addresses epidemiological aspects of Brazilian human group B streptococci (GBS). GBS (103 isolates) were serotyped with specific rabbit anticapsular antibodies by double diffusion in agarose gels. They represented 3 serotypes: 26 II, 41 III, and 36 V. Thereafter, the strains were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of DNA treated with SmaI. DNA restriction band sizes were compared and displayed 54 PFGE profiles that were arranged into 18 patterns. Of the predominant patterns detected for the 41 type III isolates 4 were observed in 15 strains from individuals with infections whereas only 3 were identified in 22 streptococci from healthy carriers. Such differences did not separate types II and V streptococci from carriers and patients. The PFGE method is a sensitive, precise, and powerful tool for discriminating streptococcal strains for epidemiological purposes.     

Effect of dietary curcumin and dibenzoylmethane on formation of 7,12- dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumors and lymphomas/leukemias in Sencar mice

Female Sencar mice (6 weeks old) were administered 1 mg of 7,12- dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) by oral gavage once a week for 5 weeks. At 20 weeks after the first dose of DMBA, 68% of mice developed mammary tumors (the average 1.08 tumors per mouse) and 45% had lymphomas/leukemias. Feeding 1% dibenzoylmethane (DBM) in AIN 76A diet, starting at 2 weeks before the first dose of DMBA and continuing until the end of the experiment, inhibited both the multiplicity and incidence of DMBA-induced mammary tumor by 97%. The incidence of lymphomas/leukemias was completely inhibited by 1% DBM diet. In contrast, feeding 2% curcumin diet had little or no effect on the incidence of mammary tumors, and the incidence of lymphomas/leukemias was reduced by 53%.