BACKGROUND Hand hygiene noncompliance is a major cause of nosocomial infection. Nosocomial infection cost data exist, but the effect of hand hygiene noncompliance is unknown. OBJECTIVE To estimate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-related cost of an incident of hand hygiene noncompliance by a healthcare worker during patient care. DESIGN Two models were created to simulate ...

OBJECTIVE Compared with HIV monoinfection, HIV dual infection has been associated with decreased CD4 T-cell counts and increased viral loads. The same markers are also associated with the development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), which continues to be a prevalent problem in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sought to determine the relationship between d...

BACKGROUND Hand disinfection is frequently recommended for prevention of rhinovirus (RV) infection and RV-associated common colds. The effectiveness of this intervention has not been established in a natural setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hand disinfection on RV infection and RV-associated common cold illness in a natural setting. METHODS A controlled clinic...

Proper hand hygiene is acknowledged as the most critical element of an adequate infection control program in the oral healthcare setting. However, adherence to proper hand hygiene protocols is often lacking. Poor compliance with hand hygiene protocols has been attributed to such factors as lack of time, hand irritation, hand dryness, forgetfulness, skepticism over importance, understaffing, per...

Hand hygiene is one of the most important measures to prevent the transmission of infections. The infection prevention and control team at Trillium Health Centre has developed an interactive visual portrayal of the efficacy of alcohol-based hand rub use. Staff participate by having fingertip bacteria colony counts determined prior to and after hand sanitizing. During the process, infection cont...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are common in patients with HIV disease, even during suppressive combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). This review article addresses the pathogenesis of HAND, focusing on important findings from the last 5 years. RECENT FINDINGS While HIV-associated dementia is now rare in settings with cART availability, mild forms of HAND...

Healthcare workers' hands are the most common vehicle for the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens from patient to patient and within the healthcare environment. Hand hygiene is the leading measure for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance and reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), but healthcare worker compliance with optimal practices remains low in most set...

PURPOSE To review records of 166 patients who underwent treatment for Mycobacterium marinum tenosynovitis of the hand and wrist to identify factors associated with functional outcome. METHODS Records of 97 men and 69 women aged 13 to 85 (mean, 50) years who underwent treatment for suspected M marinum tenosynovitis of the hand and wrist were retrospectively reviewed. All underwent open biopsy;...

the immunogenicity of γ-irradiated tachyzoites of a highly virulent strain of toxoplasma gondii (rh strain) was investigated. immunized mice survived challenge infection and displayed increased interferon gamma (inf-γ ) production. on the other hand, nonimmunized controls died after 10 days and displayed a significantly decreased lymphoproliferative response to concanavalin a (con a). no tachyz...

Hand hygiene has been recognized as the most important means of preventing the transmission of infection, and great emphasis has been placed on ways to improve hand hygiene compliance by health care workers (HCWs). Despite increasing evidence that patients' flora and the hospital environment are the primary source of many infections, little effort has been directed toward involving patients in ...