Prevalence of antibiotic use in a tertiary care hospital in Italy, 2008-2016.

Background: Few data are available about temporal trends of antibiotic use in hospitalized children. The aim of the current study was to investigate the pattern and trends of antibiotic use over the years 2008-2016 in the largest children's hospital in Italy.

Methods: Annual point prevalence surveys of antibiotic use were conducted by reviewing medical charts of 0-17 year-old children hospitalized for ≥48 h.

Telemedicine as an effective intervention to improve antibiotic appropriateness prescription and to reduce costs in pediatrics.

Implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program is a pivotal practice element for healthcare institution. We developed a remote infectious disease consultancy program via telemedicine in a high-specialized pediatric cardiac hospital. A consultation for antibiotic strategy for each patient was available via telemedicine in addition to biweekly discussion of all clinical cases.

When perception reflects reality: Non-native grass invasion alters small mammal risk landscapes and survival.

Modification of habitat structure due to invasive plants can alter the risk landscape for wildlife by, for example, changing the quality or availability of refuge habitat. Whether perceived risk corresponds with actual fitness outcomes, however, remains an important open question. We simultaneously measured how habitat changes due to a common invasive grass (cheatgrass, ) affected the perceived risk, habitat selection, and apparent survival of a small mammal, enabling us to assess how well perceived risk influenced important behaviors and reflected actual risk.

Species' traits help predict small mammal responses to habitat homogenization by an invasive grass.

Invasive plants can negatively affect native species, however, the strength, direction, and shape of responses may vary depending on the type of habitat alteration and the natural history of native species. To prioritize conservation of vulnerable species, it is therefore critical to effectively predict species' responses to invasive plants, which may be facilitated by a framework based on species' traits. We studied the population and community responses of small mammals and changes in habitat heterogeneity across a gradient of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover, a widespread invasive plant in North America.

Trend of healthcare-associated infections in children: annual prevalence surveys in a research hospital in Italy, 2007-2010.

Background: Annual prevalence surveys of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) between 2007 and 2010 were conducted in the largest tertiary care children's hospital in Italy. During this period, actions to improve HAI prevention were implemented, including strengthened isolation measures; adoption of care bundles for invasive procedures; hand hygiene promotion using the World Health Organization multimodal strategy; and promotion of appropriate antimicrobial use.

Aim: To determine the impact of these measures on HAI rates.