Sterilization Of Needles Research Articles

ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE TOWARDS HEPATITIS C AMONG CLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENTS OF CHUKWUEMEKA ODIMEGWU OJUKWU UNIVERSITY (COOU), AMAKU, AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE

Presently, there are so many viral diseases flying across the globe, of which hepatitis, a disease of the liver is one of them. This disease is caused by various strains of the hepatitis virus (A, B, C, D and E). Hepatitis C virus is a highly contagious virus that is majorly responsible for chronic liver disease across the globe. HCV infection is a blood-borne infection that is transmitted through contact with infected blood by reuse or insufficient sterilization of needles or sharp objects, transfusion of unscreened blood, sharing injection materials by drug users and perinatal transmission (mother to child). HCV infection prevalence is high in sub-Saharan region, where it is the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. Medical students, a great population of the health workers, are at most risk of the infection because they are mostly the first direct contact of patients in a healthcare facility. And so, there is need for them to be well aware of the viral infection and its mode of transmission. This study is aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards the infection as this will help curtail transmission of the virus. 147 clinical medical students were sampled for the purpose of this study using a 31-item self-administered questionnaire to extract the necessary information. SPSS 28.0 was used for data entry and analysis, alongside Chi-square test that evaluated the connection between variables, a p-value of less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. The result showed that in practice, 20.5% of respondents avoid HCV patients, and 15.6% do not wear gloves when attending to patients. For vaccination, 27.4% of the respondents were not immunized against the virus. The study found a strong correlation between students' ages and their mean Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice scores (p-value=0.014). This study revealed that 46% of respondents believed that people with hepatitis C should be quarantined. This unfavorable attitude may increase stigmatization of people with hepatitis C in society. Sadly, our survey reveals that 63.7% of respondents had no clue about the protocols that should be followed after a needle injury. This is a dangerous finding because each clinical student should be familiar with these protocols in order to reduce the risk of contracting an infection. In conclusion, there is a very important and urgent need to increase sensitization among clinical medical students as a whole lot of them have poor practice and attitude towards the virus. Keyword : Hepatitis C Virus, Clinical Medical Students, Anambra State DOI: 10.7176/JMPB/72-09 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Abundance, diversity, and species composition of fungal communities in a temperate forest affected by excreta of the Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

The possible effects of excreta of the Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo on abundance, diversity, and species composition of fungal communities were investigated in a temperate evergreen coniferous forest near Lake Biwa in central Japan. Samples were collected at three study sites that had the same vegetation composition, but which had been influenced by different stages of breeding colony establishment: Site C (control site), Site 2 (colonizing site), and Site 3 (post-colony site). In forest floor samples and in needles and twigs of Chamaecyparis obtusa, total hyphal length was lowest at Site 3, and clamp-bearing hyphal length (biomass of basidiomycetous fungi) was lower at Sites 2 and 3 than at Site C. Dark-pigmented hyphal length was highest at Site 2. Dilution plating of forest floor samples and mineral soil revealed: (i) species richness was higher at Sites 2 and 3 than at Site C, (ii) diversity was higher at Site 3 than at Sites C and 2, and that (iii) species composition differed among the sites. Surface sterilization of needles and twigs of C. obtusa revealed (i) with the exception of species richness in twigs, species richness and diversity were higher at Site 3 than at Sites C and 2, and that (ii) species composition differed markedly among the sites. In twig samples white rot Marasmius-like fungus and Geniculosporium sp. 1 were dominant at Site C and reduced at Sites 2 and 3. A coprophilous species, Sordaria sp. 1, showed a marked increase at Site 2 in needle and twig samples.

Diversity of endophytic fungi of single Norway spruce needles and their role as pioneer decomposers.

The diversity of endophytic fungi within single symptomless Norway spruce needles is described and their possible role as pioneer decomposers after needle detachment is investigated. The majority (90%) of all 182 isolates from green intact needles were identified as Lophodermium piceae. Up to 34 isolates were obtained from single needles. Generally, all isolates within single needles had distinct randomly amplified microsatellite (RAMS) patterns. Single trees may thus contain a higher number of L. piceae individuals than the number of their needles. To investigate the ability of needle endophytes to act as pioneer decomposers, surface-sterilized needles were incubated on sterile sand inoculated with autoclaved or live spruce forest humus layer. The dry weight loss of 13-17% found in needles after a 20-week incubation did not significantly differ between the sterilized and live treatments. Hence, fungi surviving the surface sterilization of needles can act as pioneer decomposers. A considerable portion of the needles remained green during the incubation. Brown and black needles, in which the weight loss had presumably taken place, were invaded throughout by single haplotypes different from L. piceae. Instead, Tiarasporella parca, a less common needle endophyte, occurred among these invaders of brown needles. Needle endophytes of Norway spruce seem thus to have different abilities to decompose host tissues after needle cast. L. piceae is obviously not an important pioneer decomposer of Norway spruce needles. The diversity of fungal individuals drops sharply when needles start to decompose. Thus, in single needles the decomposing mycota is considerably less diverse than the endophytic mycota.

Iatrogenic GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection in an area endemic for hepatitis C virus

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) is reported to be transmitted by blood products. This study reports infection with GBV-C/HGV from Area-O of town T, an area of high prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Four hundred and thirty-five inhabitants of Area-O in town T were examined. Three hundred and forty-three inhabitants of Area-H in town T (where differences of age or sex are not markedly different to Area-O) were studied as controls. We investigated the virus markers and conducted a survey of life history in both areas. The seroprevalence of anti-HCV and GBV-C/HGV markers in Area-O was 17·7% and 11·7%, significantly higher than in Area-H (1·5% and 4·4%). The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV markers was significantly higher in the anti-HCV-positive group than in the sero-negative group. Anti-HCV- or GBV-C/HGV positive subjects tended to have a history of intravenous medications at hospital C in town T, suggesting iatrogenic infection through insufficient sterilization of needles and/or syringes.

Hepatitis B control in China: knowledge and practices among village doctors.

To guide development of a hepatitis B control program in China, we investigated village doctors' sterilization practices, injection use, vaccination levels, and knowledge and counseling skills. The head doctor from each village health station in a rural county (n = 260) completed a self-administered questionnaire. Of the respondents, 94.2% reported adequate sterilization of needles; however, inadequate sterilization of syringes and acupuncture needles was common. Injections were found to be frequent and profitable. Of head doctors, 16.2% reported that most infants in their villages are vaccinated against hepatitis B. There was very high knowledge of modes of hepatitis B transmission, but it was not used to formulate advice for a hypothetical carrier. Knowledge of the consequences, prevalence, and use of condoms to prevent sexual transmission was lower. The sterilization of acupuncture needles, reuse of syringes, and frequent injections are practices that may transmit the hepatitis B virus. Research into issues of vaccine acceptance is needed to expand immunization. A review of treatment practices and better training in counseling for village doctors is suggested.

In-safe threading and sterilization of radium needles.

Radium needles must be threaded, sterilized, and, unless storage facilities are available in the operating room, they must be transported there for use. Exposure to personnel may be reduced if these operations are conducted without removing the needles from storage. A safe designed for this purpose will be described. It consists of three parts: (a) a lead box (with lid), inside which there fit (b) a central core of lead with holes to contain the needles, and (c) a lead brick wall attached to the side of the box behind which the operator stands. The lead box is water-tight, permitting flooding with sterilizing solution for cold sterilization of the needles. It may be drained through a valve near its bottom so the needles may be stored dry. Since the lid and walls are only 2 cm thick, this box alone cannot provide adequate protection from the amount of radium it was designed to contain (130 mg). Providing additional protection is one of the functions of the lead core that fits inside the box. This lead core...

STERILIZATION OR FERTILIZATION?

In this day of mass immunization programs and innumerable parenteral injections, adequate sterilization of needles and syringes is more important than ever before. There are no shortcuts when dealing with our microbial neighbors. It takes just as long to kill them now as it did in Joseph Lister's day. The introduction of the antibiotics and the increase in the tempo of our lives has not given us any excuses for relaxing our vigilance against our viral and bacterial "friends." If we do not abide by the techniques evolved for proper sterilization, we may find that we are spreading disease rather than stamping it out. In recent monthsThe Journalhas received many questions in connection with the proper procedure for heat sterilization. Although we do not profess to have the final word on this subject, a review of the techniques and recommendations as of 1962 is in order. The oldest,