Hygiene Program Research Articles

Sleep analysis in emergency nurses' department.

Shift work increases the risk of suffering physiological and psychological alterations, due to the sleep disorders that it usually produces in the staff with this type of workday. Analyze the influence of shift work on sleep quality in the nursing staff of the emergency department of the University Hospital of Leon. A total of 70 emergency department nurses aged between 24-56 years were divided into two groups (rotating shift and fixed morning or afternoon shift). The Pittsburgh sleep quality index was used for this purpose. In order to establish differences between the two groups, a bivariate analysis was performed using the χ² test. The results showed that both groups had "rather poor" subjective sleep quality, with scores of 8.5 for fixed shift versus. 6.3 for a rotating shift. The group of nurses' rotating shifts slept an average of 5.39 hours compared to 7.47 hours for a fixed shift. Significant differences were found in sleep latency, sleep disturbances, and the use of sleep medication, with more negative results for the rotating shift. Rotating shift produces a poor quality of sleep compared to a fixed morning or afternoon shift, and it would be interesting for the center itself to establish sleep improvement and sleep hygiene programs.

The Low and Slow COVID-19 Pandemic of Timor-Leste

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that has penetrated many countries including Timor-Leste. Being relatively new with frail healthcare system, lack of access to water and sanitation facilities, and high poverty level in addition to its proximity to Indonesia—a country with increasing number of infections and fatalities, it was expected that this country would be conquered by this public health threat. Conversely, it has managed to prevent community transmission, maintain low infection rate, and record zero deaths since the first case was confirmed on 21 March 2020. The country’s feat against this public health threat appears to be attributable to the immediate action of the government, support from international organizations, effective communication strategies, involvement of the church, and importance given to water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. The pandemic further emphasized the need of the country for more investments on the healthcare system. Nevertheless, despite the limitations on resources, the current tally of COVID-19 cases in Timor-Leste manifests how a neophyte and small country with limited resources could respond to a global health dilemma. As the country slowly lifts restrictions, vigilance must be kept to sustain its initial success especially that new and more infective strains of the disease are being discovered.

Influence of the nervous and emotional tension of the labor process on the body of pedagogical and medical workers

Introduction. The impact of high information and neuro-emotional loads on teachers and medical workers contributes to professional stress and the development of production-related diseases. The development of preventive programs in health-saving behavior is quite relevant. It reveals the need to study the peculiarities of the labor activity in employees of pedagogical labor and the medical sphere. The study aims to substantiate hygienic and medical-preventive programs to prevent the development of overstrain and maintain health in pedagogical and medical workers with different work intensities. Materials and methods. Researchers carried out comprehensive physiological and hygienic studies, a hygienic assessment of the intensity of the labor process, and factors of the production environment. We have a questionnaire survey and the results of medical examinations of teachers and surgeons. Scientists did physiological studies on the state of the cardiovascular system with characteristics of the response to stress loads (ECG recording on a 12-channel electrocardiograph and continuously using Holter monitoring, determination of systemic blood pressure). We calculated the total risk of fatal cardiovascular complications on the SCORE scale. Researchers carried out statistical processing of the obtained data using the statistical program EpiInfo 3.5.2., Statistika 10, Microsoft Excel 2010. Results. 85.7% of medical university teachers have chronic diseases, and diseases of the circulatory system prevail in the structure of morbidity, the frequency of which increases with age. The results of the questionnaire survey established the priority behavioral risk factors for teachers. There is a high (from >5% to 10%) and very high (>10%) absolute risk of fatal cardiovascular complications on the SCORE scale in teachers. In surgeons, the study of the features and degree of adequacy of the cardiovascular system's response to stress during work revealed the tension of the regulatory mechanisms of the circulatory system, which indicates a decrease in the functional capabilities of the myocardium. Conclusions. Neuro-emotional stress of work is the leading professional factor in the teaching staff of higher medical education (2 permissible, 3 class of harmfulness of the 1st degree) and surgeons (class 3.2). It determines the formation of the functional state of neuropsychiatric tension.

Health Monitoring of Laboratory Rodent Colonies-Talking about (R)evolution.

Simple SummaryWhen working with laboratory animals, scientists need to ensure that animals are not suffering from natural infections. Therefore, hygienic standards have been developed over the last 100+ years. The key element of hygienic standardization is the monitoring of infectious agents that can compromise the animal’s health, are dangerous for the personnel or interfere with the research. However, scientists became aware that by eliminating such unwanted infectious agents the overall diversity of all microbes in research animals, the so-called microbiome, has also been reduced. Moreover, it became clear that the microbiome composition has an enormous impact on how research models react, e.g., to treatments. This might hinder the translation of findings in preclinical research to the clinical situation. Therefore, new concepts in hygienic standardization need to be developed that take animal welfare as well as scientific value into account. In this review, we will give an overview of how classical monitoring has been evolved and demonstrate concepts regarding how to handle the microbiome as a yet unknown variable in animal-based research in order to enhance the validity of research findings.The health monitoring of laboratory rodents is essential for ensuring animal health and standardization in biomedical research. Progress in housing, gnotobiotic derivation, and hygienic monitoring programs led to enormous improvement of the microbiological quality of laboratory animals. While traditional health monitoring and pathogen detection methods still serve as powerful tools for the diagnostics of common animal diseases, molecular methods develop rapidly and not only improve test sensitivities but also allow high throughput analyses of various sample types. Concurrently, to the progress in pathogen detection and elimination, the research community becomes increasingly aware of the striking influence of microbiome compositions in laboratory animals, affecting disease phenotypes and the scientific value of research data. As repeated re-derivation cycles and strict barrier husbandry of laboratory rodents resulted in a limited diversity of the animals’ gut microbiome, future monitoring approaches will have to reform—aiming at enhancing the validity of animal experiments. This review will recapitulate common health monitoring concepts and, moreover, outline strategies and measures on coping with microbiome variation in order to increase reproducibility, replicability and generalizability.

Effect of gaseous ozone application during chilling on microbial and quality attributes of pig carcasses.

Ozone application has been suggested as an additional measure to the slaughter animals under hygiene programs. In this study, we determined the efficacy of gaseous ozone applied to pig carcasses during chilling (16 h at 2-5°C). Forty carcasses were allocated to each treatment: control, without ozone application (T1) and 5 ppm gaseous ozone application (T2), divided in two 4-h periods. The carcasses were sampled before and after chilling. The average counts of total aerobic mesophilic (TAM) bacteria before chilling were not different (p = 0.55) between T1 and T2. In turn, after chilling, the ozone-treated carcasses had significantly reduced about 0.4 colony-forming units (CFU)/cm2 of TAM counts (p < 0.001) than the control carcasses. No significant reduction was observed in the number of carcasses positive for Listeria sp. and Escherichia coli after gaseous ozone treatment; while a tendency (p = 0.08) of lower number of Salmonella positive carcasses in T2 was observed. Common macrorestriction (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) patterns of S. enterica were observed in the carcasses before and after chilling. Pork samples from treated and untreated carcasses with ozone showed no lipid oxidation or altered color and pH. The results indicate that the gaseous ozone in the tested protocol is effective in reducing TAM populations, but not effective in decreasing the number of carcasses positive for E. coli and Listeria sp. Regarding Salmonella, the tendency of positive carcasses reduction may encourage further studies by testing other protocols of gaseous ozone application inside the chilling chamber.

Psychometric Characteristics of Oral Pathology Test Items in the Dental Hygiene Curriculum-A Longitudinal Analysis.

As the landscape of oral healthcare and the delivery of services continue to undergo change, the dental hygienist plays an increasing role in assisting dentists with oral diagnosis and preventive strategies. Hence, the dental hygiene curriculum standards require biomedical science instructions, including general and oral pathology. Student learning and cognitive competencies are often measured using multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The objectives of this study were to perform a longitudinal analysis of test items and to evaluate their relation to the absolute grades of the oral pathology course in the dental hygiene curriculum. A total of 1033 MCQs covering different concepts of oral pathology administered from 2015 through 2019 were analyzed for difficulty and discriminatory indices, and the differences between the years were determined by one-way ANOVA. Test reliability as determined by the average KR-20 value was 0.7 or higher for each exam. The mean difficulty index for all exams was 0.73 +/− 0.05, and that of the discriminatory index was 0.33 +/− 0.05. Wide variations were observed in the discriminatory indices of test items with approximately the same difficulty index, as well as in the grade distribution in each cohort. Furthermore, longitudinal data analyses identified low achieving cohorts amongst the groups evaluated for the same knowledge domain, taught with the same instruction, and using similar test tools. This suggest that comparative analyses of tests could offer feedback not only on student learning attributes, but also potentially on the admission processes to the dental hygiene program.

The Inclusion of Rights of People with Disabilities and Women and Girls in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Policy Documents and Programs of Bangladesh and Cambodia: Content Analysis Using EquiFrame.

People with disabilities and as women and girls face barriers to accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and facilities that fully meet their needs, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Women and girls with disabilities experience double discrimination. WASH policies should support and uphold the concepts of disability and gender inclusion, and they should also act as a guide to inform WASH programs and service delivery. Using a modified version of the EquiFrame content analysis tool, this study investigated the inclusion of 21 core concepts of human rights of people with disabilities and women and girls in 16 WASH policy documents and seven end-line program reports from Bangladesh and Cambodia. Included documents typically focused on issues of accessibility and neglected wider issues, including empowerment and support for caregivers. The rights of children and women with disabilities were scarcely focused on specifically, despite their individual needs, and there was a disconnect in the translation of certain rights from policy to practice. Qualitative research is needed with stakeholders in Bangladesh and Cambodia to investigate the inclusion and omission of core rights of people with disabilities, and women and girls, as well as the factors contributing to the translation of rights from policy to practice.

Global Variation in Hand Hygiene Practices Among Adolescents: The Role of Family and School-Level Factors.

While appropriate hand hygiene practices (HHP) are protective against infections, the paucity of evidence on global estimates and determinants of HHP in adolescents limits effective design and planning of intervention to improve HHP in young people. We examined the prevalence and correlates of HHP in adolescents. We used nationally representative data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (2003–2017) from 92 countries. HHP were categorized as “appropriate”, “inappropriate” and “lacking” based on the information about “hand washing before eating”, “hand washing after using the toilet”, and “hand washing with soap”. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess the role of socio-demographic, health, lifestyle, school, and family-related variables in HHP. Among 354,422 adolescents (13–17 years), only 30.3% were found to practice appropriate hand hygiene. Multivariable models suggest that sedentary behavior (adjusted relative risk ratio (ARRR) 1.41, 95% CI 1.31–1.51)), and bullying victimization (ARRR 1.20, 95% CI 1.10–1.30) promoted inappropriate HHP. In contrast, parental supervision (ARRR 0.55, 95% CI 0.50–0.59) and parental bonding (ARRR 0.81, 95% CI 0.75–0.87) were protective against inappropriate HHP. From a policy perspective, hand hygiene promotion policies and programs should focus on both school (bullying, exercise) and family-level factors (parental supervision and parental bonding) factors.

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-Modulated Guided Tissue Regeneration with a Bioresorbable Membrane in Class III Furcation Defects: A Histometric Study in the Monkey.

It was the aim of this study to histometrically evaluate guided tissue regeneration (bioresorbable membrane plus bone mineral) (GTR) with or without platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in two different types of class III furcation defects (small keyhole defects and horizonal defects) in monkeys. In six cynomolgus monkeys, two types of class III furcation defects were created and allowed to chronify for 5 months in mandibular first and second molars. After a hygiene program the molars were assigned to GTR group (collagen membrane plus bovine bone mineral), PDGF group (collagen membrane plus bovine bone mineral plus PDGF), or negative control group (flap reposition only). Histologic sections were made after 7 months of healing and descriptive statistics were provided from the histometric parameters. Postoperative healing was uneventful despite marginal membrane exposures in the GTR and PDGF group. Bone regeneration of 23–35% of the original defect area was found in the two treatment groups. In none of the evaluated key parameters (formation of bone, root cementum, connective tissue, or epithelium) differences were detected between GTR and PDGF groups. However, the negative control teeth exhibited better bone regeneration than the treatment groups. The type of class III defect did not influence the regenerative outcome. Within the limits of this study PDGF was not able to enhance the histologic regeneration of class III furcation areas in monkeys compared to bone mineral enhanced GTR treatment regardless of the defect configuration. Membrane exposure during early healing might have influenced these outcomes.

367 A sleep hygiene and relaxation training program after the Great East Japan Earthquake: What aspects of sleep could be improved?

Abstract Introduction After a natural disaster, the incidence of sleep difficulties tends to increase. Specifically, the prevalence of suspected insomnia was reported to have increased among disaster victims after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. In a previous study, we have reported that education on sleep hygiene and relaxation training was effective in improving nighttime sleep in students of universities in Sendai city after the earthquake of March 2011. According to analyses of subscale scores of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the present study aimed to determine what aspects of sleep difficulties were successfully improved. Methods University undergraduates and graduates who reported having sleep difficulties were asked to respond to a questionnaire including the PSQI thrice, before attending a 90-min lecture on sleep hygiene and relaxation training, and a month and three months after attending the program. All participants who reported the total PSQI score of the cutoff point (6) or more were divided into two groups based on their PSQI scores before the program, that attending the course and that not attending it, that is, the “waiting list” group. Results The “attending” group exhibited a decrease in the total PSQI score in the first month after attending the program, and the score in this group reduced further three months later; Nine of twenty (45.0%) attending participants reported the score of less than 6 after a month, while only three of seventeen (17.6%) wait-list participants did. The PSQI subscale scores reported by the nine successful attending participants indicated a significant decrease in the subscale scores on subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, and sleep disturbance from before the program to one month later. Conclusion These results suggest that the short course on sleep hygiene and relaxation training intended for university students was effective, and about a half of the attended participants reported the PSQI score of less than the PSQI cutoff score one month later. This substantial effect would be mainly based on the improvement of their subjective sleep quality, latency, duration, and disturbance. Support (if any) This study was supported by a research grant from the Japanese Psychological Association, Tokyo, Japan.

Bucco-dental hygiene in the adult population in Bafia, Cameroon

Background: Oral diseases are one of the most prevalent problems throughout the world. According to WHO, despite great improvements in the oral health of population in several countries, concerns persist. Research objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate oral health related behaviors and practices, dietary habits, and to highlight the status of oral hygiene in adults. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study in 1 211 individuals aged 18 years and more was carried out. Those individuals were selected among the 50 enumerated areas that make up the city. We resort to a quantitative approach (using descriptive methods) and to qualitative technique in order to well understand adults’ practices regarding dental hygiene. Results: We found that most respondents were males (68.9 %), belonged to the 35-45 age group (48.3%), and are involved in informal activities (56.9). The study revealed that 42.8 % use tobacco and 49.0% drink alcohol on a regularly (daily) basis. 78.1% brush their teeth, but once daily (76.2%), with very few who respect the brushing technique in accordance with the WHO recommendations (09.5%). The cleaning products used are varied: fluoridated toothpaste (43.5%), chewing (19.1%), and tooth powder (18.1%). Analysis of the debris index and the tartar index shows that the level of oral hygiene in the adult population in Bafia is poor (75.2%). Learning objectives: it is important to establish oral hygiene programs or strengthen existing programs, with emphasis on the effective use of fluorides for the prevention of dental caries, promotion of oral hygiene, integration of oral health into national and community health programs.

Hubungan Pengetahuan, Sikap dan Sosial Budaya Ibu Rumah Tangga dengan Pelaksanaan PHBS di Desa Inelika Kecamatan Bajawa Utara Kabupaten Ngada

Clean and healthy living behavior is one of the factors causing disease transmission if not executed properly. Inelika Village is the village that has the lowest clean and healthy lifestyle. This is because the community has not implemented a clean and healthy lifestyle programs that has been implemented by health workers. This research aim is to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes and socio-culture of housewives with the implementation of clean and healthy family behavior in Inelika Village.This study was an analytic observational study with a cross sectional study design. The population in this study were 185 housewives. The sample used in this study was 65 people, using the proportional random sampling method. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between attitudes (0.002), socio-culture (0.031) and the implementation of clean and healthy living behavior. There is no relationship between knowledge and the implementation of clean and healthy living behavior (0.569). There must be cooperation between the government and the local community to improve the existing hygiene and healthy lifestyle programs.

Influence of Community-Led Total Sanitation and Water Coverages in the Control of Cholera in Madarounfa, Niger (2018).

Every year, cholera affects 1.3–4.0 million people worldwide with a particularly high presence in Africa. Based on recent studies, effective targeting interventions in hotspots could eliminate up to 50% of cases in Sub-Saharan Africa. Those interventions include Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs whose influence on cholera control, up to the present, has been poorly quantified. Among the few studies available, D'Mello-Guyett et al. underline how the distribution of hygiene kits is a promising form of intervention for cholera control and that the integration of a WASH intervention at the point of admission of suspected cases is new in cholera control efforts, particularly in outbreaks and complex emergencies. Considering the limited number of studies on Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and water coverages related to cholera control, the aim of our work is to determine whether these interventions in cholera hotspots (geographic areas vulnerable to disease transmission) have significant impact on cholera transmission. In this study, we consider data collected on 125 villages of the Madarounfa district (Niger) during the 2018 cholera outbreak. Using a hurdle model, our findings show that full access to improved sanitation significantly decreases the likelihood of cholera by 91% (P < 0.0001) compared to villages with no access to sanitation at all. Considering only the villages affected by cholera in the studied area, cholera cases decrease by a factor of 4.3 in those villages where there is partial access to at least quality water sources, while full access to improved water sources decreases the cholera cases by a factor of 6.3 when compared to villages without access to water (P < 0.001). In addition, villages without access to safe water and sanitation are 6.7 times (P < 0.0001) more likely to get cholera. Alternatively, villages with full sanitation and water coverage are 9.1 (P < 0.0001) less likely to get cholera. The findings of our study suggest that significant access to improved water and sanitation at the village level offer a strong barrier against cholera transmission. However, it requires full CLTS coverage of the village to observe a strong impact on cholera, as partial access only has a limited impact.

Dental hygiene student attitudes about benefits of baccalaureate degree and factors impacting entry-level program choice.

Although the bachelor's degree is the entry-level degree option supported by the American Dental Hygienists' Association, the majority of dental hygiene programs remain associate degree. The aim of this study was to explore factors impacting entry-level program choice and examine attitudes and perceptions of dental hygiene students pertaining to a bachelor's degree (BS) as the entry-level degree. A cross-sectional survey research design was utilized with a convenience sample of dental hygiene students (n=429) from the United States and Canada. The 33-item survey had four sections: demographics, factors influencing program choice, attitudes, and perceptions of a BS. Descriptive and inferential analysis was used to explore the relationship between variables. The completion rate was 91% (n=384). Factors that most influenced program choice included: location (74%), cost (68%), and time to completion (47.7%). Students with mothers who graduated from college were more likely to rank time to completion as their number one factor (37%) (χ2[df2]=19.6, p<0.001, phi=0.33). Students in bachelor's programs were significantly more likely to believe a bachelor's degree better prepared clinicians for duties required in future practice and that the entry-level degree should be raised to a bachelor's degree (p<0.001). While more students in associate degree program agreed there were opportunities in education without a bachelor's degree (p<0.05). Cost, time to completion, and location were the factors influencing students' program choice. While the dental hygiene profession advocates raising the entry-level degree to a bachelor's programs, less than 40% of dental hygiene students supported this change.

“Seconds save lives – clean your hands”: the 5 May 2021 World Health Organization SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign

The year 2020 was unprecedented in many ways, one of which was the tremendous attention given to appropriate hand hygiene practices in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Hand hygiene has finally gained global recognition from policy-makers, health managers, health care workers and the general public as a keystone in infection prevention. The World Health Organization (WHO) placed increased focus on hand hygiene in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to its longstanding efforts through both the global SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign and the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programme.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Preventive Oral Hygiene Program for Children with Congenital Heart Disease.

It is recognized that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are predisposed to having poorer oral health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary preventive oral hygiene program (POHP) for children with CHD. The aim was the reduction of the incidence of dental caries, as well as improvement of oral hygiene. The total number of participants in this study was 107 children with CHD aged between two to six years. At baseline, these children were compared to a healthy control group (HCG) of 101 children of similar age from five preschools in Giessen, Germany. All examinations were carried out before the introduction of a standardized POHP. The Quigley/Hein Plaque- (QHI), Silness/Loe Gingival- (GI) and Gingival Hyperplasia Index (GHI) were determined. Starting with baseline, the described procedures were repeated in the CHD group during two follow-ups after three and six months. In the first examination, compared to controls, CHD children showed a significantly (p < 0.05) poorer oral hygiene (QHI: 2.6; GI: 0.3; GHI: 0.2). All oral hygiene parameters (QHI, GI, GHI) of the CHD group improved significantly over the whole period of the preventive program (p < 0.05). These results demonstrated an improvement in CHD children involved in a standardized POHP. The data with regard to the general health of these risk patients, including prevention of endocarditis, demonstrate the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach between pediatric cardiologists, pediatricians and dentists.

Data-driven analyses of behavioral strategies to eliminate cysticercosis in sub-Saharan Africa.

The multi-host taeniosis/cysticercosis disease system is associated with significant neurological morbidity, as well as economic burden, globally. We investigated whether lower cost behavioral interventions are sufficient for local elimination of human cysticercosis in Boulkiemdé, Sanguié, and Nayala provinces of Burkina Faso. Province-specific data on human behaviors (i.e., latrine use and pork consumption) and serological prevalence of human and pig disease were used to inform a deterministic, compartmental model of the taeniosis/cysticercosis disease system. Parameters estimated via Bayesian melding provided posterior distributions for comparing transmission rates associated with human ingestion of Taenia solium cysticerci due to undercooking and human exposure to T. solium eggs in the environment. Reductions in transmission via these pathways were modeled to determine required effectiveness of a market-focused cooking behavior intervention and a community-led sanitation and hygiene program, independently and in combination, for eliminating human cysticercosis as a public health problem (<1 case per 1000 population). Transmission of cysticerci due to consumption of undercooked pork was found to vary significantly across transmission settings. In Sanguié, the rate of transmission due to undercooking was 6% higher than that in Boulkiemdé (95% CI: 1.03, 1.09; p-value < 0.001) and 35% lower than that in Nayala (95% CI: 0.64, 0.66; p-value < 0.001). We found that 67% and 62% reductions in undercooking of pork consumed in markets were associated with elimination of cysticercosis in Nayala and Sanguié, respectively. Elimination of active cysticercosis in Boulkiemdé required a 73% reduction. Less aggressive reductions of 25% to 30% in human exposure to Taenia solium eggs through sanitation and hygiene programs were associated with elimination in the provinces. Despite heterogeneity in effectiveness due to local transmission dynamics and behaviors, education on the importance of proper cooking, in combination with community-led sanitation and hygiene efforts, has implications for reducing morbidity due to cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis.

Knowledge of Hand Hygiene and Oral Health Students at Methodist 3 Private Primary School Medan

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge among students at private school towards hand hygiene and oral health in Medan, Indonesia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 498 students aged 6-12 years of Methodist 3 Primary School in Medan, Indonesia. Knowledge was asssed using hand hygiene and oral health questionnare. Results: 86.95% of students (426 out of 490) had good knowledge regarding hand hygiene and 78.4% of students (384 out of 490) had good knowledge regarding oral health. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that comprehensive hand hygiene and oral health educational programs for primary students are required to achieved this goal.

Disinfection of gloved hands during routine care

Healthcare-associated infections are a major issue in public health. After several decades of hand hygiene programmes, it is time to admit that we have failed to achieve our goal. One of the reasons is the overuse of gloves, which is in part justified by the nature of the nursing care. Several experimental studies supported the effectiveness of disinfecting gloves, but evidence for routine feasibility and effectiveness is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol-based disinfection of gloves during nursing care. Swabs were taken from the most contaminated part of both hands at different times: T0 (before wearing gloves), T10 (after 10 minutes of nursing care) from both gloves, T10A (just after the gloves were disinfected for 30 seconds with bedside disposable hydroalcoholic solution) and when possible at T20 and T20A. After 10 minutes of nursing care, gloves were contaminated in 72.5% of cases. After alcohol-based disinfection, gloves became free of microorganism in 79.3% of cases. Alcohol-based disinfection of gloves during routine care is effective and appears to be a reasonable alternative to current recommendations.

Sterilization potential of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs in the presence of different disinfectant agents

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections represent a public health problem, being responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality. Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the main parasites prevalent in the community. The A. lumbricoides infection method is oral fecal cicle, in this sense, it is necessary to expand effective methods to prevent the ingestion of eggs, such as sanitation, cleansing habits or even effective methods for the sterilization of eggs. Objective: Evaluate different agents of antisepsis action, with the purpose of find which ones are more efficient in larval mortality inside eggs. Methodology: The parasites were provided by the Federal University of Minas Gerais, which were sectioned, in this way, the recovered eggs were kept in culture bottles. After 40 days the embryonated eggs were purified and separated in culture bottles, and in each bottle had one different disinfectant products were added, in different concentrations and action time. As control, egg aliquots were maintained by adding distilled water. Using a microscope, it was observed the viability of the larvae inside. To determine the viability of the larvae, distilled water at 40 °C was added, then allowing the visualization of mobility inside the eggs. Results: It was observed that, fifteen disinfectant agents tested, only four showed efficacy, at intervals of 24 and 48 hours after exposure to the disinfectant and when undiluted. Conclusion: The data obtained in this study will contribute to the understanding of the epidemiology of this disease, as well as contributing to the development of more effective hygiene programs for the control of this parasitosis.