Background: Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization (CDS) of medical devices are intended to help prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs), a significant cause of mortality and morbidity. In February 2013 the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS; Baltimore) formed a clinical community of experts and stakeholders--physicians, nurses, administrators, infection control practitioners, risk managers, and regulatory staff--to assess CDS practices across facilities.
Methods: A survey administered to leadership indicated endoscopy areas of risk. An endoscopy tracer tool with eight major performance areas was then created from best practices identified in the literature, regulatory requirements, and national guidelines for endoscope reprocessing. Peer-to-peer (P2P) assessments using the tracer tool were performed at five Johns Hopkins Medicine gastrointestinal endoscopy sites (three hospital-based; two freestanding ambulatory surgery centers) selected on the basis of their large procedural volumes and their operational ability to participate in further areas of the project.
Results: The P2P assessments revealed that 20 (42%) of the 48 possible criteria had a noted deficiency at one or more sites. Three of the eight major performance areas on the tracer tool had no deficiencies identified at any of the five sites. Deficiencies were mostly minor process improvements, and only one critical process required immediate alteration of practice. Because the assessments were nonpunitive, horizontal communication enabled feedback on process improvements, alternate methods to achieve outcomes, and solutions to common issues.
Conclusions: A nonpunitive and collaborative peer methodology was successful in capturing and sharing best practices in endoscopy areas. Successful replication in other clinical areas can be an effective way to assess CDS processes and facilitate dialogue for improvements.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1553-7250(16)42035-0 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Prehistory, Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
The evolution of human behaviour is marked by key decision-making processes reflected in technological variability in the early archaeological record. As part of the technological system, differences in raw material quality directly affect the way that humans produce, design and use stone tools. The selection, procurement and use of various raw materials requires decision-making to evaluate multiple factors such as suitability to produce and design tools, but also the materials' efficiency and durability in performing a given task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Extracell Vesicles
January 2025
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown great potential for treating various diseases. Translating EVs-based therapy from bench to bedside remains challenging due to inefficient delivery of EVs to the injured area and lack of techniques to visualize the entire targeting process. Here we developed a dopamine surface functionalization platform that facilitates easy and simultaneous conjugation of targeting peptide and multi-mode imaging probes to the surface of EVs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
December 2024
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are critical regulators of gene transcription, as they recognize acetylated lysine residues. The BD1 bromodomain of BRD4, a member of the BET family, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for various diseases. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel C-11 labeled PET radiotracer, [C]YL10, for imaging the BD1 bromodomain of BRD4 in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Science For Life Laboratory, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
A distinctive feature of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is the waning of insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas. New methods for direct and specific targeting of the beta cells could provide platforms for delivery of pharmaceutical reagents. Imaging techniques such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) rely on the efficient and specific delivery of imaging reagents, and could greatly improve our understanding of diabetes etiology as well as providing biomarkers for viable beta-cell mass in tissue, in both pancreas and in islet grafts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Chem
January 2025
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, Naples 80131, Italy.
Iron homeostasis is strictly related to numerous physiological pathways including cell cycle progression and cell growth. The newest anticancer strategies focus on either depleting the cells with a suitable chelator or increasing their loading by administering iron complexes to induce ferroptosis. Iron depletion inhibits cell proliferation, while iron overload induces the damage of guanine nucleobases in G-quadruplex structures via ROS generation, leading to genome instability.
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