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Severe bacterial infection is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Geographical-based demographic laboratory and clinical data are required to get a conclusion about the bacterial infection and their antibiotic susceptibility for the empiric antibiotic treatment in infants who presented with suspected infection. This study was aimed to find the most prevalent bacterial infection and antibiotic sensitivity among infants in the post-neonatal period presented at a tertiary care centre in South India.

A cross-sectional study was designed among infants (29 days to 1 year old) presented with suspected infection in the paediatric department. Infants with positive culture report were analysed for the bacteriological and antibiotic profile from the medical records. Antibiotic sensitivity was determined for the isolated bacteria according to standard procedure and data statically analysed.

Total of 218 samples (138 male and 80 female) were analysed. Most of the samples (171/218, 78.4%) were throat swab (p = 0.0247). Only one sample was cerebrospinal fluid from case of meningitis. Sample from upper RTI was major (162/218, 74.3%) with male dominance followed by stool samples from cases of diarrhoea (22/218, 10.0%). Staphylococcus aureus was the major organism identified in 46/171 (26.9 %) throat swabs. The most sensitive antibiotic against bacteria isolated from throat swab and CSF was gentamicin and cloxacillin. Netilmicin and piperacillin plus tazobactam were the sensitive antibiotics against bacteria isolated from stool, ear secretion and urine samples.

Upper RTI was the prevalent bacterial infection followed by diarrhoea in infants in the post-neonatal period. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the common organism identified in the overall report followed by E. coli and S. aureus. Community-based awareness should be provided to follow good hygiene regularly in child care. Furthermore, avoid delay in seeking treatment and provide the medicine prescribed at the right time and in the right dose to limit the morbidity and bacterial resistance.

It has been known, for at least 80 years, that micro‐organisms existed which have the capability of attacking aliphatic and aromatic hydro‐carbon materials; it has only been in the last decade that any attempt has been made to exploit the practical implications of the earlier work. Now that the attention of the metal‐working industries has been drawn to the economic and hygienic consequences of bacterial and fungal infections, the subject is beginning to attract the attention that it deserves.

People who inject drugs (PWID) face multiple health problems, including infectious diseases and drug overdoses. Applying syndemic and risk environment frameworks, this paper aims to examine the co-occurrence and clustering of drug-related harms and their association with incarceration experience with or without in-prison drug injection.

The authors used data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015 among 557 active opioid injectors. Self-reported data were collected through face-to-face or online questionnaires. They distinguished three harm categories, namely, viral infections, bacterial infections and overdoses, and built an index variable by summing the number of harm categories experienced, yielding a score from 0 to 3. Association between incarceration experience and co-occurrence of harms was modelled using a multinomial logistic regression.

Of the 557 participants, 30% reported lifetime experience of drug-related viral infection, 46% bacterial infection and 22% drug overdose. Multinomial logistic models showed that those who injected drugs during incarceration were more likely to report two (aOR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.03–5.36) and three (aOR = 9.72, 95% CI: 3.23–29.22) harm categories than those who had never been incarcerated. They were also more likely to report three harm categories than formerly incarcerated respondents who did not inject drugs in prison (aOR = 5.14, 95% CI: 1.71–15.48).

This study provides insights of the syndemic nature of drug-related harms and highlights that drug injection during incarceration is associated with co-occurring harms. Public health interventions and policy changes are needed to limit the deleterious impact of prison on PWID.

OVER the past two years, ten vessels on intercontinental routes have been examined and found to have suffered varying degrees of microbiological deterioration of the main engine lubricating oil. In one case, the emulsification of the oil had caused severe corrosion, necessitating a crankshaft regrind. In several cases the oil was unsuitable for further use and had to be discarded. The paper briefly outlines the mechanism of oil degradation by micro‐organisms and reports practical experience of the types and origin of organisms found in affected ships and the appearance of the oil and bearing surfaces suffering this form of attack. Practical recommendations are given for identification of the problem at the early stages and tested methods used to eliminate the bacterial infection are discussed.

This study aims to focus on the preparation and characterization of the silver nanowire (AgNWs), as well as their application as antimicrobial and antivirus activities either with incorporation on the waterborne coating formulation or on their own.

Prepared AgNWs are characterized by different analytical instruments, such as ultraviolet-visible spectroscope, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction spectrometer. All the paint formulation's physical and mechanical qualities were tested using American Society for Testing and Materials, a worldwide standard test procedure. The biological activities of the prepared AgNWs and the waterborne coating based on AgNWs were investigated. And, their effects on pathogenic bacteria, antioxidants, antiviral activity and cytotoxicity were also investigated.

The obtained results of the physical and mechanical characteristics of the paint formulation demonstrated the formulations' greatest performance, as well as giving good scrub resistance and film durability. In the antimicrobial activity, the paint did not have any activity against bacterial pathogen, whereas the AgNWs and AgNWs with paint have similar activity against bacterial pathogen with inhibition zone range from 10 to 14 mm. The development of antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity of the paint incorporated with AgNWs were also observed. The cytopathic effects of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were reduced in all three investigated modes of action when compared to the positive control group (HSV-1-infected cells), suggesting that these compounds have promising antiviral activity against a wide range of viruses, including DNA and RNA viruses.

The new waterborne coating based on nanoparticles has the potential to be promising in the manufacturing and development of paints, allowing them to function to prevent the spread of microbial infection, which is exactly what the world requires at this time.

Facility-based Varicella zoster virus (VZV) transmission is reported in a Canadian youth offender correctional centre (YOCC). Transmission occurred from an immunocompetent youth offender (YO) with localized Herpes zoster to another immunocompetent single dose vaccinated YO, resulting in Varicella zoster (VZ) breakthrough disease. The purpose of this paper is to identify infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures utilized in this setting.

A retrospective chart and immunization record review was conducted for two VZV cases and 27 exposed YO contacts in order to obtain demographic, clinical and immunization data. Descriptive data analysis was performed.

All VZV cases and exposed contacts were male with an average age of 14.2 and 15.6 years for cases and contacts, respectively. Both cases shared the same living unit in the YOCC. There were 28 identified YO contacts, of whom 70 percent were single dose vaccinated with univalent vaccine, followed by 22 percent with a previous history of Varicella disease. All cases and contacts were born in Canada. No foreign-born populations were involved with this event. Infection control measures included additional precaution management, enhanced surveillance and environmental cleaning. As such, no hospitalizations or post-exposure immunizations were required.

This report highlights the role that VZ breakthrough disease could play in fueling an outbreak in a high-risk environment without rapid recognition and implementation of preventative measures. It also underscores the importance of IPAC presence and public health immunization programs within correctional centers to avoid infectious disease threats.

The quality of haemodialysis process is a prime concern in renal care. This study, carried out at one of the leading Hospitals in Central India, providing kidney care and dialysis, aims to identify areas in the haemodialysis unit needing special attention, to improve process quality and ensure better patient welfare.

The failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) approach included: deciding haemodialysis process requirements, identifying potential causes of process failure and quantifying associated risk with every cause. Suitable actions were then implemented to reduce the occurrence and improving the controls, thereby reducing risk. The study used primary data generated and monitored over the period: July‐December 2008.

Adopting proper checklists for work monitoring, providing training to enhance patient and staff awareness; led to reduced process errors, mitigating overall risks, eventually resulting in effective patient care.

The quantification of risk associated with every likely failure is subjective.

The findings have a great significance in relation to kidney patients' welfare. The process areas which may get compromised are highlighted so that they get due attention. Error proofing makes the process “robust”, reducing its vulnerability.

This study provides a microscopic error proofing approach to haemodialysis process using a proven engineering tool, FMEA, ensuring quality improvement. This approach can also be extended to cover other hospital activities.

This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review to investigate the mental health problems during COVID-19 and the role of nutrition in minimizing mental and health-related issues during COVID-19.

A literature search was done electronically on April–May 2022 in the databases Google Scholar, PubMed and Cochrane Library, reviewing all the articles published in English. There were no limitations for the study (such as study design, region or any time frame). The quality assessment was done. The beginning database search picked out a total of 654 articles, 47 in PubMed, 575 in Google Scholar, 22 in Cochrane Library and 10 records from other sources. A total of 565 (duplicates found 89) were found after removing the duplicated articles, after reading the title and abstracts were further decreased to 88 full-text articles. These 88 studies went for full-text analysis, which excluded 56 studies and generated a final 32 articles for systemic analysis. The quality of the included study for the systematic review was assessed in two ways: one is evidence-based and another one on the JBI checklist.

People in social isolation and home quarantine suffer from severe anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness, anger and panic attack. During COVID-19, the vital role of diet and nutrients in mental health has been acknowledged and helps mitigate COVID-19 infection. Many studies showed stress and anxiety due to increased unhealthy eating and lifestyle practices.

This review will explain the interlink between diet and mental health because what we eat and think is interconnected with the gut–brain axis. The dietary elements and psychobiotic help in improving the immune system and psychological distress during the pandemic. This paper describes the role of different nutrients, psychobiotics and phytochemicals, to minimize mental and health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper also contains a balanced diet plan to withstand COVID-19.

The purpose of this review is to summarize the available literature on the effect of vitamin and mineral supplements, especially in doses exceeding recommended daily allowances.

A comprehensive search and analysis of original, peer‐reviewed literature on supplementation studies was conducted.

High doses of vitamins and minerals can be harmful instead of beneficial. Supplementation of vitamins and minerals, in general, may be most beneficial, and perhaps only beneficial, to individuals with a nutrient‐deficient diet. Consumers thus need to be weary of the safety and efficacy of their supplements. While vitamins and minerals are vital to life, the optimal doses of each required nutrient are currently not known.

Lack of standardization between studies makes it difficult to compare the results from different studies.Practical implications – Based on this review, a recommendation can be made to avoid high dose supplements and obtain vitamins from foods to the greatest extent possible.Originality/value – This review is unique in its comprehensive nature that allows the identification of common underlying problems with the supplementation of different groups of vitamins.

This study aims to determine the hygienic conditions of nursery schools' kitchens in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

The research sampling was obtained from 87 nursery schools. The research data were collected through a questionnaire and face‐to‐face interviews and observations. The questionnaire contained 59 questions and total of 100 points, the nursery schools' kitchens being graded as follows: 56‐100 points good, 41‐55 points acceptable, 40 points and below bad. The data were analyzed with SPSS 10.0 for Windows. Mean, standard deviations of all scores and percentages of responses in each category were calculated and presented in tabular form.

A statistical analysis of the scores shows that 0.3 per cent of the kitchens investigated were rated as good and put in this category, 57 of them (65.5 per cent) were found to be acceptable and the rest (24.1 per cent) were rated as bad. The nursery schools' kitchens were given the lowest score in staff training, while the highest score was given in dishwashing hygiene.

The hygiene of the food served in nursery schools is of great importance in terms of children's health. It is therefore essential to increase the number of studies carried out regarding the food served in nursery school kitchens and regarding hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) issues, and to concentrate on the education of the kitchen staff.

This paper focuses on hygiene issues in nursery school kitchens in Turkey.