Hospital-Onset Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Is A Better Measure Than MRSA Bacteremia for Assessing Infection Prevention: Evaluation of 50 US Hospitals.

Of 500 hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia events (58% methicillin-susceptible S. aureus [MSSA]; 42% methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA]), we found no significant differences in S.

How and when nurses collect urine cultures on catheterized patients: A survey of 5 hospitals.

Background: Obtaining a specimen for urine culture is a key element in evaluating for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Evaluating nurses' knowledge regarding appropriate reasons and methods to obtain urine culture specimens are the first steps to improving practice.

Methods: Nurses at 5 hospitals completed a 40-question survey regarding their knowledge, training, and practices of appropriate reasons for obtaining urine cultures.

A randomized controlled trial of interim methadone maintenance.

Context: Effective alternatives to long waiting lists for entry into methadone hydrochloride maintenance treatment are needed to reduce the complications of continuing heroin dependence and to increase methadone treatment entry.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of interim methadone maintenance with that of the usual waiting list condition in facilitating methadone treatment entry and reducing heroin and cocaine use and criminal behavior.

Design: Randomized, controlled, clinical trial using 2 conditions, with treatment assignment on a 3:2 basis to interim maintenance-waiting list control.

Hepatitis C virus load and survival among injection drug users in the United States.

Persons chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), some of whom may be coinfected with HIV and human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II), are at high risk for end-stage liver disease (ESLD). We evaluated whether ESLD death was associated with premorbid HCV RNA level or specific HCV protein antibodies among persons with or without HIV/HTLV-II coinfection in a cohort of 6,570 injection drug users who enrolled in 9 US cities between 1987 and 1991. We compared 84 ESLD descendents and 305 randomly selected cohort participants with detectable HCV RNA, stratified by sex, race, HIV, and HTLV-II strata.

A novel opioid maintenance program for prisoners: report of post-release outcomes.

Because prisoners with preincarceration heroin dependence typically relapse following release, a pilot study examined a novel opioid agonist maintenance program whereby consenting males initiated levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) treatment shortly before release from prison with opportunity to continue maintenance in the community. Treated prisoners (experimental group) were compared with controls who received community treatment referral information only and prisoners who withdrew from treatment prior to medication regarding treatment participation and community adjustment during nine months post-release. Nineteen of 20 (95%) prisoners who initiated maintenance in prison entered community treatment, compared with 3 of 31 (10%) controls, and 1 of 13 (8%) who withdrew.