Conectar
To assess the potential for microbial contamination of open-but-unused portions of wound dressings stored under real-life conditions in healthcare facilities, to inform safer and evidence-based wound care practices. Observational, descriptive, longitudinal, prospective study. Eleven types of non-adhesive wound dressings were sampled after opening and storage under usual clinical conditions in a hospital inpatient unit and a primary care centre in Andalusia, Spain. Samples were collected on six predefined sampling days (Days 0, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 after opening), cultured under standardised laboratory conditions and microorganisms were identified using mass spectrometry. Differences in contamination were examined by dressing type, healthcare setting, storage time and handling conditions. Microbial growth was frequently detected in open-but-unused dressings from the first day after opening, particularly after enrichment culture and increased with handling and time. The most frequent microorganisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus. Contamination patterns were similar across settings, although microbial diversity was higher in the hospital. Silver-containing dressings showed slightly lower contamination, but not enough to indicate protection. Scissors used for cutting dressings had high microbial loads, suggesting a potential source of cross-contamination. Open-but-unused dressings may become contaminated shortly after opening under routine clinical practice conditions, across different healthcare settings and dressing types.
Deaths related to drug overdose and suicide in the USA have increased 500% and 35%, respectively, over the last two decades. The human and economic costs to society associated with these ‘deaths of despair’ are immense. Great efforts and substantial investments have been made in treatment and prevention, yet these efforts have not abated these increasing trajectories of deaths over time. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and highlighted these problems. Notably, some geographical areas (eg, Appalachia, farmland) and some communities (eg, low-income persons, ‘essential workers’, minoritised populations) have been disproportionately affected. Risk factors have been identified for substance use and suicide deaths: forms of adversity, neglect, opportunity indexes and trauma. Yet, the biological, psychological and social mechanisms driving risk are not uniform. Notably, most people exposed to risk factors do not become symptomatic and could broadly be considered resilient. Achieving a better understanding of biological, psychological and social mechanisms underlying both pathology and resilience will be crucial for improving approaches for prevention and treatment and creating precision medicine approaches for more efficient and effective treatment.
The State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR) study is a prospective, longitudinal, multimodal, integrated familial study designed to identify biological, psychological and social risk and resilience factors and processes leading to mental health disorders, substance use disorders, substance overdose, suicide and associated psychological/medical comorbidities which reduce life expectancy and quality of life. It includes two nested longitudinal samples: (1) WD Survey: an address-based random population epidemiological sample of 15 000 individuals (unique households) representative of the state of Ohio assessed for psychosocial, psychiatric, behavioural health and substance use factors and (2) Brain Health Study: a family-based, multimodal, deep-phenotyping study conducted in 1200 families (up to 3600 persons aged 12–72 years) including MRI, electroencephalography, blood biomarkers and psychiatric diagnostic interviews, as well as neuropsychological, psychosocial functioning and family/community history, dynamics and support assessments. SOAR is designed to discover, develop and deploy advanced predictive analytics and interventions to transform mental health prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
All participants will provide written informed consent (or parental permission and assent for minors). The study was approved by The Ohio State University Institutional Review Board (study numbers 2023H0316 (Brain Health) and 2023H0350 (Wellness Survey). The Brain Health study was also approved by institutional review boards at each partnering institution involved in conducting participant assessments. Findings will be disseminated to academic peers, clinicians and healthcare consumers, policymakers and the general public, using local and international academic channels (academic journals, evidence briefs and conferences) and outreach (workshops and seminars).
FreshRSS 