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The magnetization reversal processes and coercive properties of multilayered Co/Gd films in the wide temperature range 25

Background: Provision of information plays a critical role in supporting patients to be engaged or empowered to be involved with infection prevention measures in hospitals. This explorative study evaluated the suitability, readability and accessibility of information on healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) and infection prevention strategies targeted at patients from the websites of 19 acute care public hospitals in Sydney, Australia.Methods: We included hospitals with greater than 200 beds in the sample. We examined online information targeted at patients on HCAIs and infection prevention and compared it using the Suitability Assessment of Material (SAM) and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) readability formulas for suitability, readability and accessibility.Results: Thirty-six webpages were identified as being relevant and containing information about HCAIs or infection prevention. Based on the SAM/SMOG scores, only three webpages were found to be 'superior'. Many of the webpages scored poorly in content, literacy, graphics, learning stimulation and cultural appropriateness. In comparison, most of the webpages scored well in the layout and typography. The majority (97%) of the materials were written at a level higher than the recommended reading grade level. Lastly, the websites scored poorly on the ability to locate the information easily, as messages about HCAIs/infection prevention were usually embedded into other topics.Conclusion: While providing information online is only one approach to delivering messages about infection prevention, it is becoming increasingly important in today's technology society. Hospitals are neglecting to use best practices when designing their online resources and current websites are difficult to navigate. The findings point to the need to review patient information on HCAIs regarding suitability, readability and accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pre- and postintervention study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a new hand hygiene (HH) teaching module on the knowledge and attitudes amongst medical students towards HH. The teaching module significantly improved knowledge about HH indications and duration (T1=7.9, T2=9.2, T3=9.1; P=0.001), the use of HH materials (T1=1.3, T2=3.8, T3=4.3; P=0.004), and the 'Five Moments for HH' (T1=3.1, T2=6.7, T3=5.9; P=0.012). It also improved the students' attitudes towards HH (T1=48.5, T2=56.2, T3=54.1; P=0.04). Additional studies are warranted to evaluate the impact of this intervention on actual HH compliance of medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to explore the comparative epidemiology of influenza viruses, H5N1 and H7N9, in both bird and human populations. Specifically, the article examines similarities and differences between the two viruses in their genetic characteristics, distribution patterns in human and bird populations and postulated mechanisms of global spread. In summary, H5N1 is pathogenic in birds, while H7N9 is not. Yet both have caused sporadic human cases, without evidence of sustained, human-to-human spread. The number of H7N9 human cases in the first year following its emergence far exceeded that of H5N1 over the same time frame. Despite the higher incidence of H7N9, the spatial distribution of H5N1 within a comparable time frame is considerably greater than that of H7N9, both within China and globally. The pattern of spread of H5N1 in humans and birds around the world is consistent with spread through wild bird migration and poultry trade activities. In contrast, human cases of H7N9 and isolations of H7N9 in birds and the environment have largely occurred in a number of contiguous provinces in south-eastern China. Although rates of contact with birds appear to be similar in H5N1 and H7N9 cases, there is a predominance of incidental contact reported for H7N9 as opposed to close, high-risk contact for H5N1. Despite the high number of human cases of H7N9 and the assumed transmission being from birds, the corresponding level of H7N9 virus in birds in surveillance studies has been low, particularly in poultry farms. H7N9 viruses are also diversifying at a much greater rate than H5N1 viruses. Analyses of certain H7N9 strains demonstrate similarities with engineered transmissible H5N1 viruses which make it more adaptable to the human respiratory tract. These differences in the human and bird epidemiology of H5N1 and H7N9 raise unanswered questions as to how H7N9 has spread, which should be investigated further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Background Currently, there is limited literature examining the impact and appropriateness of the educational approaches used to teach medical students concepts around hand hygiene (HH). Aim To explore: (i) the perspectives of key academics and medical students towards HH and factors influencing compliance; (ii) the current teaching practices around HH in the medical school. We also aimed to examine options for new teaching and learning approaches to help improve student knowledge and attitudes towards HH. Methods Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with key academics and medical students. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Findings Participants felt that students do not value the teaching around HH, nor do they find it interesting, especially in comparison to other subjects taught in the medical programme. The use of professional modelling, assessment tasks and feedback from patients and colleagues were the major educational recommendations; these could be implemented to help improve the attitudes of medical students towards HH and hopefully their compliance. Regular, small, group-scenario-based and/or practical hands-on sessions were also proposed. The need for a culture change was the overarching theme to foster sustainable HH practices among medical students. Conclusion Assessment and scenario-based learning and teaching approaches should be considered to help improve HH behaviours among medical students. Sustainability of these practices is likely to require role models and culture change around infection control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Due to the advent of the new influenza A (H1N1) strain in 2009, many countries introduced mass immunization programs. Healthcare workers (HCWs) were amongst the key groups targeted for the vaccine in these programs. However, experience with the seasonal influenza vaccine has shown that there are multiple barriers related to the attitudes and perceptions of the population which influence uptake. The aim of this study was to determine pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccination rate amongst a group of Chinese HCWs and the associated factors around acceptance. A cross-sectional investigation of HCWs (doctors, nurses and technicians) from 19 hospitals in Beijing, China was conducted in January 2010. The main outcome measures were awareness, risk perception of H1N1, preventive measures and uptake of H1N1 vaccination during the pandemic. A total of 1657 HCWs completed the survey. A quarter of the participants reported receiving the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine. Occupation (being a doctor), receiving seasonal flu vaccine and believing in the effectiveness of the vaccine were all strongly associated with accepting the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine. Over a thousand participants (61%, 1008/1657) agreed that they were ‘concerned about the side effects of the swine flu vaccine’, while 758 (46%) were ‘concerned that the vaccine had not been tested adequately’. While studies reported high rates of willingness to receive the vaccine, in reality these did not transpire. Aside from promoting seasonal flu vaccination, authorities need to start educational campaigns much earlier in a pandemic. Programs that are simultaneously launched with the introduction of the vaccine will not be as successful, as those which have built momentum alongside the pandemic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we report the study of the perovskites La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.5Co0.5O3 and La0.8Sr0.2Mn0.5Co0.5O3 by neutron powder diffraction at various temperatures and magnetization measurements in zero applied field and at low cooling regimes. The replacement of half Mn by Co in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 destroys their long-range ferromagnetism exhibiting a cluster glass ferromagnetic order similar to the one observed in many cobaltites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant pathogen causing disease in renal transplant patients. The highest incidence of CMV disease occurs during the first 3 months post-transplant and is most problematic in CMV-naïve transplant recipients. In this study, we conducted a retrospective review of two databases, the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) and the National Hospital Morbidity Database, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), to examine CMV in renal transplant recipients. The first source looked at CMV serostatus at the time of transplantation and the second recorded hospital admissions for recipients with invasive CMV disease. From the ANZDATA registry, we obtained information from 13,530 renal transplants recipients from 1980 to 2004. Of these recipients, 7808 had a known CMV serostatus, of which 65.7% (5134/7808) had a positive sero antibody status and 34.2% (2674/7808) had a negative sero antibody status. In univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with renal rejection were being male, recipient age<50 years, being diabetic, being diagnosed with cancer at some point and having a positive EBV status. Positive CMV serostatus was not a contributing factor. Between 1993 and 2001 there were 1445 renal transplant recipients hospitalized in Australia with a diagnosis of CMV disease, of which 38% (554/1445) had CMV disease as a principal diagnoses. The average annual rate of admissions with any diagnosis was 3871 episodes per 100,000 people living with a functioning graft. Preventative strategies for CMV in renal transplant recipients should be a priority. New vaccines for CMV may soon be available and renal transplant recipients would be a suitable target group for vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic and neutron-diffraction studies of La2CoMnO6 doped with strontium and calcium ions are carried out. Stoichiometric and calcium-containing samples are orthorhombically distorted, whereas the oxidation and doping with strontium ions stabilizes a rhombohedral structure. Neutron-diffraction studies show that La2CoMnO6 is a ferromagnet, whereas a Ca-substituted compound does not exhibit long-range magnetic order. The whole set of data suggest that these compounds are inhomogeneous magnets that consist of clusters in which Co2+ and Mn4+ ions are ordered similar to ions in NaCl and of regions in which there is n←o such ordering. These regions exhibit different magnetic properties. Phase separation is discussed in a model of solid solutions with intrinsic chemical inhomogeneity on the nanometer scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]