Washing Technique Research Articles

Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli levels on the hands of theatre staff in three hospitals in Johannesburg, South Africa, before and after handwashing

Hand hygiene is a fundamental component of infection control. Hand contamination with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli may contribute to infections. To assess the effectiveness of different handwashing methods in reducing the levels of bacterial flora, especially S. aureus and E. coli, on the hands of theatre staff. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 70 staff in surgical theatres of three randomly chosen hospitals in Johannesburg, South Africa. Samples were taken before and after handwashing using the modified glove juice method and the fingernail press technique. Standard microbiological techniques were used to identify bacteria. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric analysis were used to compare the differences between hospitals and to determine the effects of handwashing on microbial flora and skin irritation. S. aureus organisms were isolated in the prewash samples of 29 (41%) and in the postwash samples of 20 (29%) workers. Of the 29 with positive prewash cultures, 19 (65.5%) showed decreased postwash counts, while 10 (34.5%) showed no change or increased counts. Four workers with a negative prewash count had a positive postwash count. No statistical differences were found between postwash counts categorised by the type of cleansing formula used and the washing technique. E. coli organisms were identified in the prewash count of the fingertip press of one worker. Almost half of the theatre staff carried S. aureus isolates on their hands prior to handwashing and approximately one-third after handwashing. Closer monitoring of handwashing techniques should be introduced.

The Effect of Nurses’ Implementation of Central Vascular Catheter Maintenance Care Bundle on Bloodstream Infection Among ICU Patients in KFGH and KAAUH

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are the most common type of healthcare-associated infections in clinical settings. Bloodstream infections are a leading known cause to increase the risk of patients' morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay, and additionally, are typically increased in patients with severe underlying diseases.. The study of CVC bundle implementation has not been adequately explored in Saudi Arabia (SA). This study aimed to assess the effect of nurses' implementation of central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle on blood stream infection among intensive care unit patients at King Fahd General Hospital (KFGH) and King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital (KAAUH). Objectives: Assess the effect of nurses' implementation of central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle on blood stream infection. Methods: This study used quantitative research as a cause of defining the relationships between the variables which are the nurses’ implementation of the central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle and the bloodstream infection rate. An observational study were as it enables the researcher to focus on specific behaviours. The tools used in this study were Central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle checklist was used to assess the effect of nurses' implementation of a central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle on blood stream infection. A convenience sample of 63 patients of both sexes with central vascular catheter was selected from the two institutions. Ethical approval was granted from KAUH and KFHJ. Data collection was conducted for six months. Results: A total of 63 patients and 37 nurses participated in this study. The average age of the study population was 51 years old (SD score of 51±20 years). The majority of gender were male (65% )of the admitted patients were male (78%) had poor knowledge scores about contraception before counseling. The study reveals that the majority had diploma level education (87%) while(13%) had a bachelor's degree. As the researcher observed the nurses implementation of central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle, the table revealed that there was statistically significant difference between nurses' performing hand washing in relation to patients' bloodstream infection (P-value=0.001). There were (53.9%) of the nurses at both hospitals didn't perform hand washing techniques which lead to exposure of patients to infection. Other influencing factors included misapplication of chlorhexidine antiseptic at KFGH which increased exposure to infection and showed significant statistical difference (P-value = 0.000). The fourth element of proper central vascular catheter site selection indicated the elevation of infection at the jugular vein site in (36.5%) of the cases followed by the femoral site (19%) it was not found at the subclavian vein site as recommended in current evidence. In addition, it was also noted that there was no significant correlation between exposure to infection and the daily review of central vascular catheter necessity Conclusions and recommendations: The relationship between nurses' implementation of central vascular catheter maintenance care bundle and bloodstream infection has had a positive effect on patients' bloodstream infection rates of intensive care unit As a result, this study recommends sustained efforts to educate the healthcare workers regarding the importance of bundle implementation and central vascular catheter care and provision of prompt feedback on adherence to aseptic technique. Moreover, healthcare providers should be involved in educational sessions on central line insertion, handling and maintenance.

Hand washing knowledge and practice among school going children in Duwakot, Bhaktapur: A cross sectional study

Background: Diarrhea and acute respiratory tract infection are the commonest cause of morbidity and mortality in Nepal. Proper hand washing techniques help to reduce the incidence of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection in children.Objective: Objective of this study was to identify hand washing knowledge and practice among school children of Duwakot, Bhaktapur.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 340 students of grade V, VI and VII from both the government and private schools of Duwakot, Bhaktapur. Convenient sampling technique was applied in government schools (due to less number of students) whereas students were randomly selected from private school (due to large number).Result: All the students had knowledge about the hand washing technique before meal and after defecation. Almost all (99.4%) students reported that they wash hand before meal and 92.4% students reported that they practiced hand washing after defecation. But, only 8.5% students at school and 47% students at home regularly washed hand with soap and water. However 91.6% students at school and 81% students at home washed hand only by water due to unavailability of soap.Conclusion: Although students had hand washing knowledge; proper hand washing practices was lagging behind.

FCγII (CD32) MONOSIT DI INFEKSI DENGUE PRIMER DAN SEKUNDER {FcγRII (CD32) Monocytes in Primary and Secondary Dengue Infection}

Dengue infection is a major health problem in the world, including Indonesia. Clinical manifestations of dengue infection varywidely, from asymptomatic until dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) hypothesis that states thatnon-neutralizing antibodies in secondary dengue infection may enhance dengue infection via Fcγ receptors is still controversial. Clinicalresearch shows that not all secondary infections manifest as DHF/DSS, but nearly all DHF/DSS cases are caused by secondary infection.Allegedly, the expression of Fcγ has an effect on this incident. This study is an observational analytical study with a cross sectional designto determine the expression of FcγRII (CD32) monocytes in patients with primary and secondary dengue infection. CD32 of monocyteswas measured using FACS Calibur with lyse no wash technique. Primary and secondary dengue infection were determined by IgM/IgGoptical density ratio using ELISA capture method. The ratio of IgM/IgG ≥1.2 was considered as primary infection, while the ratio <1.2was considered as secondary infection. Twenty primary and 32 secondary dengue infection patients in acute phase of dengue infectionpartisipated in this study. Expressions of Fcγ RII (CD32) monocytes were significantly lower in primary than secondary dengue infection(187.825±31.584 vs 218.598±43.414 MFI; p=0.008). CD32 expressions were higher in day 3 compared to day 4 of fever.

Enhanced Techniques of Soil Washing for the Remediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils

Soil washing has been developed as one of the ex situ traditional remediation methods for heavy metal polluted soils. It has been found to be effective in metal extraction. However, due to the distribution and speciation in soils, most metal(loid)s are present in less mobile forms which limit the washing efficiency. Therefore, methods are studied to enhance the washing performance by increasing the metals solubility and availability. This paper introduces some currently used methods and technologies, including the optimization of washing variables, lowering soil pH, application of assisted amendments and integration of electro-kinetic remediation and ultrasonication to enhance the removal of metals. In addition, it also suggests some further studies.

Transesterification of biodiesel byproduct glycerol and dimethyl carbonate over porous biochar derived from pyrolysis of fishery waste

Glycerol carbonate (GC), an oxygenated fuel additive was synthesized from oversupplied glycerol in transesterification with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) over fishmeal biochar. Fishmeal was carbonized at various temperatures (550–750 °C). The most suitable carbonization temperature based on GC yield was utilized in transesterification. Biochar was characterized to investigate textural and basic properties and surface functional groups. Thermal treatment, methanol washing, and solvent addition techniques were adopted to investigate biochar reusability after each reuse. At the most suitable reaction conditions of 85 °C, 2 wt% catalyst dosage, and DMC-to-glycerol molar ratio of 2, 99.5% GC yield and complete conversion of glycerol were attained over biochar carbonized at 650 °C. Strong basicity of biochar initiated decarboxylation reaction, which resulted in formation of glycidol (0.5%). Addition of methanol without catalyst treatment after each reuse sustained GC yield of 93% at the end of fifth reuse.

Scope of Dry Wood and Wood Composite Alternate to Stone in Case of Acid Wash on Denim Fabric

For the betterment of comfort ability, to impart decent fading effect and to make more exquisite, denim fabric is examined with different washing techniques. Usually, Acid wash is used to fade the color of denim to a higher degree and therefore this wash has a significant effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the denim. In this paper, we worked on to find out the comparison among stone, waste wood and wood composite in case of acid wash on denim fabric dyed with indigo dye. Denim garments were processed using some parameters such as temperature 30 °C, time 30 min as well as acid concentration (H3PO4) 1 ml/L, (KMnO4) 4 gm/l. This study was focused on the physical and mechanical properties like strength, weight loss, shrinkage, EPI and PPI, absorbency, color fading, GSM, wash, rubbing and perspiration fastness test and monitored the comparison of each treated and untreated fabric samples. It was noticeable that, a significant difference was found in case of Waste wood washed and wood composite washed garments in almost all properties than stone washed garments but the desired fading effects were achieved by acid washing with wood composite on denim fabric.

MP82-12 COMBINATION OF A CEPHALOSPORIN/FLUOROQUINOLONE ANTIBIOTIC REGIMEN AND ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL NEEDLE WASHING IS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RISK OF SEPSIS AFTER PROSTATE BIOPSY

You have accessJournal of UrologyProstate Cancer: Detection & Screening VII1 Apr 2018MP82-12 COMBINATION OF A CEPHALOSPORIN/FLUOROQUINOLONE ANTIBIOTIC REGIMEN AND ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL NEEDLE WASHING IS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RISK OF SEPSIS AFTER PROSTATE BIOPSY Matthew Simmons, Andrew Neeb, and Marta Johnson-Mitchell Matthew SimmonsMatthew Simmons More articles by this author , Andrew NeebAndrew Neeb More articles by this author , and Marta Johnson-MitchellMarta Johnson-Mitchell More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2018.02.2740AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Sepsis after prostate biopsy is a severe and potentially life-threatening complication. This has been reported at 2-6% in various series. This study analyzed the impact of 3 different prophylactic regimens on post-biopsy sepsis incidence. METHODS Data was reviewed for 824 patients who underwent prostate biopsy in a community practice clinic between January 2013 and October 2017. Sepsis was defined as development of fever, chills, leukocystosis and/or hemodynamic instability requiring hospital admission for supportive care and IV antibiotic treatment. The study was conducted in sequential patients. Group 1 (n=313) consisted of patients who underwent biopsy between 1/2013 and 4/2017. These patients received ciprofloxacin 500mg PO BID for 4 days starting the day prior to biopsy and gentamicin 80mg IM 20 minutes prior to biopsy. From 4/2015 to 10/2017 two groups of patients were followed in parallel in a randomized manner. Group 2 (n=252) received ciprofloxacin 500mg PO BID for 4 days starting the day prior to biopsy and Rocephin 1g IM 20 minutes prior to biopsy. Group 3 (n=259) received the same antibiotic regimen as group 2, but also had isopropyl needle washing. Needle washing involved firing the biopsy needle into 70% isopropyl alcohol followed by a quick dip in saline between each biopsy. RESULTS Incidence of post-biopsy sepsis in Group 1 was 3.8%. Incidence of sepsis in group 2 was 1.5%. Incidence of post-biopsy sepsis in Group 3 was 0%. One-way ANOVA analysis showed an F value of 5.6 and a p value of 0.003. Differences in sepsis incidence between treatments were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS In our practice we saw a significant reduction in the sepsis complications after prostate biopsy using a combination of a Rocephin/Cipro antibiotic regimen and isopropyl alcohol needle washing. The technique for needle washing is inexpensive and quick and can be easily adopted into current biopsy protocols. Reproduction of these results in other centers are needed to validate these findings. © 2018FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 199Issue 4SApril 2018Page: e1111 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2018MetricsAuthor Information Matthew Simmons More articles by this author Andrew Neeb More articles by this author Marta Johnson-Mitchell More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

An evaluation of the effectiveness of nursing students' hand hygiene compliance: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundHand hygiene is crucial for safe healthcare. Although the use of alcohol hand rubs is encouraged in clinics, there are few studies that focus on the proper use of alcohol hand rubs among nursing students. ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol-based hand rub application and proper hand washing techniques which influence nursing students' hand hygiene compliance to make recommendations for future practice of hand hygiene training. DesignThis cross-sectional study was carried out from May 3/June 3 2016 with the participation of 257 nursing students. Their hand hygiene techniques were analyzed using a UV lamp and an alcohol-based mix marked with fluorescence. ResultsOf the participants, 77.0% were first-year students and 55.3% were males. The percentage of skin surface covered by alcohol-based hand rub was 82.0% on both hands. The lowest percentages of skin area covered by fluorescent-labelled hand rub were identified in the metacarpal area near the wrist and thumbs. While there was a difference between points for using proper hand-rub technique on the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hands (p < 0.01), no difference was determined between the right and left hands (p > 0.05). It was found that the largest fluorescent remains were on fingers after hand-washing, and there was a difference in terms of hand-washing points between right-left hands and dorsal-palmar surfaces (p < 0.01). ConclusionsThere is a need to improve nursing students' compliance with hand hygiene. It is suggested that the use of hand-rub among students should be popularized, and new techniques that prevent the frequently omitted areas of the hands should be integrated into the curriculum.

Direct effect of contemporary health education programmes on the knowledge about hand hygiene and technique of hand washing in primary school age children

In the case of primary school children in Budapest (n = 165), data on their social status and their previous knowledge on hand hygiene were elicited with the help of pre-knowledge questionnaires issued by students of higher education. The aim of the research was introducing a novel pedagogical procedure - application and optimization of peer education in the development of proper hand hygiene among primary school students. The knowledge-based survey was conducted after four (n = 85) and eight hours of teaching (n = 36). In addition, the effectiveness of hand washing was tested immediately before (n = 166) and after the four (n = 74) and eight hours of teaching (n = 35) with Semmelweis Scanner after rubbing the hand with fluorescent cream. Prior knowledge of hand hygiene significantly increased after the four-hour and eight-hour trainings. In the case of smaller children, the effect of the eight-hour training was more pronounced. Similar results were obtained with regards to the changes in the number of areas missed while rubbing the surface of the hand as a result of the teaching. Sociological surveys on hand hygiene knowledge and direct physical measurements indicate that training with appropriate pedagogical procedures is effective and contributes to the environmentally conscious hygiene culture of children aged 6 to 10. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(12): 485-490.

Effectiveness of Child To Child Approach on Practice of Hand Washing Among School Children in a Selected School at Mangalore

Abstract Objective: Effectiveness of child to child approach on practice of hand washing. Design: Quantitative evaluative research approach &amp; pre experimental - One group pre-test post-test design was used. Setting: This study was conducted in a selected rural school (Aided higher primary school, Pavoor- Harekala) at Mangalore. Participants: The populations covered were school children in the age group 9-10 years who met the inclusion criteria and studying in a rural school at Mangalore. 75 students from Aided higher primary school within the age 9-10 years and studying in 4th to 5th class were selected by using purposive sampling. Main outcome measures: Main outcome measure was whether the school children are able to practice the hand washing technique. Data collection was collected by using Demographic proforma and Checklist (to assess the practice of hand washing). Results: Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean post-test score on hand washing of group 1 (12.46) and group 2 (12.05) was higher as compared with pre-test score of group I (12.46) and group II (12.05) and the “p” value is &amp;lt;0.05. So the child to child approach was effective to teach the children hand washing technique. There was no association between the selected demographic variables and pre-test hand washing scores Conclusions: This study concludes that through proper training and motivation by peer group, that is child to child approach was an effective method to teach the children healthy habits like hand washing and other common issues concerning children.

Knowledge, awareness and practice of infection control by health care workers in the intensive care units of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), one of the leading causes of, morbidity and mortality, are common in developing countries. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), commonest cause of HAIs, has been isolated from the hands of more than half of health care workers. Practice of hand hygiene may help in the control of nosocomial infections. We evaluated the practice of infection control among health care workers in the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Information on knowledge, awareness and practice of infection control in the ICU were obtained from health care workers with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Sixty nine out of the 80 (86%) respondents had good knowledge that a hand is the most common vehicle of transmission of infection. However, 53.8% and 32.5% of the respondents had knowledge of movement of hand hygiene and practiced six steps of the hand washing technique respectively. Though, physicians accounted for 68 (85%) of the respondents, only 28% of them practiced the six steps of the hand washing technique with resident doctors constituting a large proportion of hand washing technique defaulters. Only 13.9% of non-physician and 7.5% of physician respondents had ever attended a training program on infection control respectively. Knowledge and awareness of infection control among the health care workers in our ICU is good but the practice is poor. Training workshop on infection control should be organized for all ICU health care workers to reduce noso-comial infections.

The implications of male human papilloma virus infection in couples seeking assisted reproduction technologies.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most common viral sexually-transmitted diseases worldwide. The prevalence of HPV is higher in infertile males when compared with fertile men and ranges between 10 and 35.7% in men affected by unexplained infertility. HPV can bind to spermatozoa and can potentially be transferred to fertilized oocytes. Viral detection in blastocysts and trophoblastic cells is associated with impaired embryo development and poor pregnancy outcomes. Nevertheless, attempts to eliminate HPV-DNA from sperm samples through routine washing techniques have failed. In assisted reproduction technologies (ART), intracytoplasmic sperm injection involves no natural selection of the sperm cell, which means that these procedures have a plausible risk of injecting sperm containing HPV. The possible detrimental effects of HPV on ART in couples with infected male partners are summarized in this review.

Reduced Risk of Sepsis after Prostate Biopsy Using a Cephalosporin-Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Regimen and Isopropyl Alcohol Needle Washing

To compare 3 prophylactic regimens to assess their impact on postbiopsy sepsis incidence. Data were reviewed for 829 consecutive patients who underwent prostate biopsy in a community practice setting between January 2013 and October 2017. Group 1 patients received ciprofloxacin 500 mg two times a day orally for 4 days starting the day prior to biopsy and gentamicin 80 mg intramuscularly 20 minutes prior to biopsy. From April 2015 to October 2017, 2 groups of patients were followed in parallel in a randomized manner. Group 2 received ciprofloxacin 500 mg two times a day orally for 4 days starting the day prior to biopsy and ceftriaxone 1 g intramuscularly 20 minutes prior to biopsy. Group 3 received the same antibiotic regimen as group 2 and also underwent isopropyl alcohol needle washing. All study groups were demographically equivalent. Microscopic bacterial counts were substantially decreased after isopropyl alcohol needle washing. Incidence of postbiopsy sepsis in groups 1 (n = 313), 2 (n = 259), and 3 (n = 257) was 3.8%, 2%, and 0%, respectively (analysis of variance; P = .006). Risk factors for sepsis included elevated body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Score, and presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. There was a significant reduction in the incidence of sepsis after prostate biopsy using a combination of a ciprofloxacin-ceftriaxone antibiotic regimen and isopropyl alcohol needle washing. The technique for needle washing is inexpensive and quick, and can be easily adopted into current biopsy protocols.

Enhancement of surfactant efficacy during the cleanup of engine oil contaminated soil using salt and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The study aims to enhance the efficacy of surfactants using salt and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) for washing used engine oil (UEO) contaminated soil and compare the geotechnical properties of contaminated soil before and after washing (batch washing and soil washing). From batch washing of the contaminated soil the efficacy of the cleaning process is established. Contamination of soil with hydrocarbons present in UEO significantly affects its’ engineering properties manifesting in no plasticity and low specific gravity; the corresponding optimum moisture content value is 6.42% while maximum dry density is 1.770 g/cc, which are considerably lower than those of the uncontaminated soil. The result also showed decrease in the values of cohesion intercept and increase in the friction angle values. The adopted soil washing technique resulted increase in specific gravity from 1.85 to 2.13 and cohesion from 0.443 to 1.04 kg/cm2 and substantial decrease in the friction angle from 31.16° to 17.14° when washed with most efficient combination of SDS surfactant along with sodium meta-silicate (salt) and MWCNT. Effectiveness of the washing of contaminated soil by batch processing and soil washing techniques has been established qualitatively. The efficiency of surfactant treatment has been observed to be increased significantly by the addition of salt and MWCNT.

Central Composite Design Optimization of Zinc Removal from Contaminated Soil, Using Citric Acid as Biodegradable Chelant

Citric acid (CA) was evaluated in terms of its efficiency as a biodegradable chelating agent, in removing zinc (Zn) from heavily contaminated soil, using a soil washing process. To determine preliminary ranges of variables in the washing process, single factor experiments were carried out with different CA concentrations, pH levels and washing times. Optimization of batch washing conditions followed using a response surface methodology (RSM) based central composite design (CCD) approach. CCD predicted values and experimental results showed strong agreement, with an R2 value of 0.966. Maximum removal of 92.8% occurred with a CA concentration of 167.6 mM, pH of 4.43, and washing time of 30 min as optimal variable values. A leaching column experiment followed, to examine the efficiency of the optimum conditions established by the CCD model. A comparison of two soil washing techniques indicated that the removal efficiency rate of the column experiment (85.8%) closely matching that of the batch experiment (92.8%). The methodology supporting the research experimentation for optimizing Zn removal may be useful in the design of protocols for practical engineering soil decontamination applications

Variations on Negative Stain Electron Microscopy Methods: Tools for Tackling Challenging Systems.

Negative stain electron microscopy (EM) allows relatively simple and quick observation of macromolecules and macromolecular complexes through the use of contrast enhancing stain reagent. Although limited in resolution to a maximum of ~18 - 20 Å, negative stain EM is useful for a variety of biological problems and also provides a rapid means of assessing samples for cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The negative stain workflow is straightforward method; the sample is adsorbed onto a substrate, then a stain is applied, blotted, and dried to produce a thin layer of electron dense stain in which the particles are embedded. Individual samples can, however, behave in markedly different ways under varying staining conditions. This has led to the development of a large variety of substrate preparation techniques, negative staining reagents, and grid washing and blotting techniques. Determining the most appropriate technique for each individual sample must be done on a case-by-case basis and a microscopist must have access to a variety of different techniques to achieve the highest-quality negative stain results. Detailed protocols for two different substrate preparation methods and three different blotting techniques are provided, and an example of a sample that shows markedly different results depending on the method used is shown. In addition, the preparation of some common negative staining reagents, and two novel Lanthanide-based stains, is described with discussion regarding the use of each.

Variations on Negative Stain Electron Microscopy Methods: Tools for Tackling Challenging Systems

Negative stain electron microscopy (EM) allows relatively simple and quick observation of macromolecules and macromolecular complexes through the use of contrast enhancing stain reagent. Although limited in resolution to a maximum of ~18 - 20 Å, negative stain EM is useful for a variety of biological problems and also provides a rapid means of assessing samples for cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The negative stain workflow is straightforward method; the sample is adsorbed onto a substrate, then a stain is applied, blotted, and dried to produce a thin layer of electron dense stain in which the particles are embedded. Individual samples can, however, behave in markedly different ways under varying staining conditions. This has led to the development of a large variety of substrate preparation techniques, negative staining reagents, and grid washing and blotting techniques. Determining the most appropriate technique for each individual sample must be done on a case-by-case basis and a microscopist must have access to a variety of different techniques to achieve the highest-quality negative stain results. Detailed protocols for two different substrate preparation methods and three different blotting techniques are provided, and an example of a sample that shows markedly different results depending on the method used is shown. In addition, the preparation of some common negative staining reagents, and two novel Lanthanide-based stains, is described with discussion regarding the use of each.

Promotion of hand hygiene: the experience of the orthopaedic hospital Gaetano Pini-CTO, Milan, Italy.

Hand hygiene is the primary preventive measure against health care-associated infections in terms of cost-effectiveness. In 2005, the WHO proposed the "Global Patient Safety Challenge" campaign, with the aim of reducing the overall incidence of such infections, through multimodal programs and strategies, interactive training tools and standardised methods for monitoring compliance. On the basis of project "Rimani", sponsored by the Health and Social Care Authority of Emilia-Romagna, the Istituto Ortopedico Gaetano Pini has implemented a project which seeks to increase healthcare staff's compliance with hand hygiene. A multidisciplinary working group was created to prepare the project documents. Starting from 5th April 2015, twenty operational units were asked to produce information and training material. On 5th May, during a conference, a committee selected the three best works. The material was distributed on a monthly basis to the various departments. In addition to the training, the specifically trained operators of the Medical Monitoring Department carried out direct hand washing tests, filling out appropriate checklists. Non-compliance relating to the technique recorded in 2014 and 2015 was compared and a statistical analysis was conducted using Student's t-test for paired data. Three tests were carried out in 2014. Ninety-nine cases were monitored and 5 non-compliance cases were reported, concerning the execution of the procedural steps, the running time and closing the tap with one's hands at the end of the wash. In 2015 two tests, involving 30 operational units, were carried out. 60 observations were performed, and no non-conformities emerged concerning the technique. Statistical analysis showed a significant reduction of non-compliances between the 2014 and 2015 P = 0.000). The results obtained agree with the main findings in literature. The comparison between the 2014 and 2015 tests shows a trend of improvement in the wash technique. This confirms the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach and recognises the active and participatory involvement suggested by the WHO.

2017: JoVE's Year in Review

In January 2017, JoVE Behavior got off to a fetching start with a protocol to monitor the effects of a special diet for dogs with anxiety. This streamlined approach even uses a tool that most of us already have in our pockets: a smartphone! (54878) JoVE Biology helped us keep up with our New Year's fitness goals well into February with an article investigating the link between aerobic exercise and autophagy. (55099) In March, JoVE Bioengineering showed us that paper isn't going the way of the dinosaurs just yet! Our authors showcased 3-dimensional paper microfluidic devices that could be used to make cheap and simple immunoassays. (55287) JoVE Environment was buzzing about honey bees during April. Here, our authors demonstrated a protocol that can be used to investigate the effects of pesticides on honey bee colonies. (55296) In May, JoVE Behavior reminded us all to take a deep breath. Our authors used electroencephalography and electrocardiography to investigate traditional spiritual stress reduction techniques. (55455) During June, JoVE Science Education released an astonishing 8 new collections covering topics in Clinical Skills, Psychology, and Physics! Meanwhile, in the video journal, our authors gained the upper against infectious disease with a protocol to compare different hand washing techniques. (55604) In July, we were treated to a real spectacle in JoVE Medicine when our authors demonstrated a new way to use a smartphone and lens to record images of the fundus - and we can all see how smart that is. (55958) We all fawned over this protocol in the August issue of JoVE Environment. Here, our researchers relocated wild white-tailed deer to controlled habitats to examine the effects of environment and genetics on development. (56059) In September, JoVE Science Education continued its impressive growth trajectory and released 5 new collections covering topics in Chemistry and Biology. Over in the video journal, our authors in JoVE Bioengineering gave us a smashing protocol for simulating high speed collisions with bicycle helmets. (56288) Then, JoVE Neuroscience got a move on in October with an automated gait analysis for mice with nerve injuries. Here, our authors had mice strut their stuff on a glass runway to illuminate their footprints for the camera. (56402) During November, JoVE Engineering really turned up the heat as our authors described wind tunnel experiments that simulate forest fires in chaparral shrubs. (56591) Finally, in December JoVE finished the year with a bang. Not only did we publish our 7,000th video but in JoVE Chemistry our authors showcased laboratory experiments designed to simulate a nuclear reactor core meltdown and improve the safety of nuclear power plants - that's actually pretty cool. (54807) This year in review is just a sampling of more than 1,000 video protocols that JoVE published during 2017. Browse the JoVE archives for thousands of other videos and visit our website every week to see brand-new content.