Bacterial Loads on Skin of Unclipped Gluteal Sites Following Treatment with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol-Soaked Swabs in Dairy Cows.

The aim of this study was to compare the bacterial load of unclipped gluteal skin in dairy cows following either no treatment or treatment with a standard 70% isopropyl alcohol-based skin treatment protocol. Twenty Holstein-Friesian dairy cows from a commercial dairy herd in Cambridgeshire, England, were used in this randomised, blinded, controlled study. On each of the experimental cows an area of unclipped gluteal skin on one side of the pelvis was treated with swabs soaked in 70% isopropyl alcohol-based using a standard protocol and a contra-lateral area of skin was left untreated as a control.

Recurrent readmissions in medical patients: a prospective study.

Background: Hospital readmissions are common and costly. A recent previous hospitalization preceding the index admission is a marker of increased risk of future readmission.

Objectives: To identify factors associated with an increased risk of recurrent readmission in medical patients with 2 or more hospitalizations in the past 6 months.