Importance of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) Emitter Configuration for the Attenuation of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida auris Pathogens.

Background: The relative importance of different ultraviolet-C (UV-C) emitter configurations on the attenuation of vegetative bacterial and fungal pathogens has not been assessed. We hypothesized that emitter configuration would impact the efficacy of UV-C attenuation of and ( pathogens.

Methods: American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) (ATCC 6538) and (ATCC MYA-5001 carriers (ReadyNowTM Test Carriers, Stratix Labs Corporation, Saint Paul, MN) were mounted on an aluminum stand along with three calibrated radiometers (International Light Technologies model ILT1270, Peabody, MA).

Importance of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) Emitter Configuration for Clostridioides difficile Attenuation.

Background: The impact of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) emitter configuration on pathogen attenuation has not been assessed. We hypothesized that emitter configuration would impact UV-C efficacy for () attenuation.

Methods:  carriers (ReadyNow Test Carriers, Stratix Labs Corporation, Saint Paul, MN) inoculated with > 10 American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 43593 (according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) 3135 standards) were obtained, and the following experiments were conducted from April to August of 2023.

Loss-of-Resistance Versus Dynamic Pressure-Sensing Technology for Successful Placement of Thoracic Epidural Catheters: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The traditional loss-of-resistance (LOR) technique for thoracic epidural catheter placement can be associated with a high primary failure rate. In this study, we compared the traditional LOR technique and dynamic pressure-sensing (DPS) technology for primary success rate and secondary outcomes pertinent to identifying the thoracic epidural space.

Methods: This pragmatic, randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded superiority trial enrolled patients ages 18 to 75 years, scheduled for major thoracic or abdominal surgeries at a tertiary care teaching hospital.

Perioperative COVID-19 Defense: An Evidence-Based Approach for Optimization of Infection Control and Operating Room Management.

We describe an evidence-based approach for optimization of infection control and operating room management during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Confirmed modes of viral transmission are primarily, but not exclusively, contact with contaminated environmental surfaces and aerosolization. Evidence-based improvement strategies for attenuation of residual environmental contamination involve a combination of deep cleaning with surface disinfectants and ultraviolet light (UV-C).

Fluoroscopic Guidance Increases the Incidence of Thoracic Epidural Catheter Placement Within the Epidural Space: A Randomized Trial.

Background And Objectives: Thoracic epidural analgesia can reduce postoperative pain and cardiopulmonary morbidity, but it is associated with a high rate of clinical failure. Up to 50% of clinical failure is thought to be related to technical insertion. In this study, patients undergoing thoracic surgery were randomized to one of two catheter insertion techniques: fluoroscopically guided or conventional loss of resistance with saline/air.

Persistent inflammatory nociception increases levels of dynorphin 1-17 in the spinal cord, but not in supraspinal nuclei involved in pain modulation.

It is well established that nerve injury or inflammatory injury results in a time-dependent increase in the expression of dynorphin in the spinal cord. However, little is known about the effects of persistent pain on the expression of this endogenous opioid peptide by supraspinal nuclei implicated in the modulation of pain sensitivity. This study used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the levels of dynorphin(1-17) in the spinal cord as well as in brainstem nuclei 4 hours, 4 days, or 2 weeks after intraplantar injection of saline or complete Freund's adjuvant in the left hind paw.