Risk-stratified nosocomial infection surveillance in a neonatal intensive care unit: Report on 24 months of surveillance

Objective : To document the nosocomial infection rate in a single neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in terms of patient workload and device utilization.
Methodology : Nosocomial infections have been identified and documented by the methodology described by the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System (NNIS), Centres for Disease Control, Atlanta. In addition, antibiotic usage has been surveyed in the NICU and standardized measures of patient exposure to antibiotics stratified by birthweight and gestational age have been described.
Results : Overall nosocomial infection rates compared favourably with the published NNIS figures at 6.2 infections per 100 admissions or 4.8 per 1000 patient days. Infection rates were significantly higher in lower birthweight groups. Device-related infection rates in each birthweight cohort were also very close to published figures and varied less with birthweight group. Antibiotic exposure averaged 12% of total admission days, less than previously published data.
Conclusions : The NNIS system is applicable to Australian NICU and provides an effective tool for monitoring infection episodes.     

Changes in activity of G-6-pase, APase, and gamma-GTPase in liver and blood serum of rats exposed to nuarimol and NDEA]

The effect of simultaneous administration of N-diethylnitrosamine (NDEA) and Nuarimol on the activity of gamma-GTPase, G-6-Pase ans APase in the liver and serum of Wistar rats was investigated in the 2-weeks experiment. The two-stage hepato-cancerogenesis model was used with NDEA as initiating agent. The possible promoting potential of Nuarimol (DDT analogue) was checked in this experiment. gamma-GTPase and G-6-Pase activities were measured by biochemical and histochemical methods and AP-ase activity was measured by a biochemical method only. The occurrence of gamma-GTPase positive foci found by histochemical methods was partly confirmed by colorimetric methods. This suggest the need for further examination of this enzyme in conditions of prolonged exposure to Nuarimol.