Evaluation of ATP bioluminescence swabbing as a monitoring and training tool for effective hospital cleaning

Effective cleaning in hospitals is an important aspect of infection control of pathogens such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There is a need for simple, rapid methods of assessing cleanliness in order to effectively audit cleaning programmes and to educate staff. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence swabs for assessing cleanliness in hospitals. Sites (n=108) in three hospital wards, including floors, patient equipment and clinical workstations were examined by visual assessment, microbiological swabbing and ATP bioluminescence swabbing. Overall, ATP swabbing detected a similar number of undesirably high results compared to microbiological swabbing, but visual assessment gave significantly fewer unsatisfactory results. Highest median contamination levels (both ATP and microbiological) were obtained from floor sites under patient beds, and the lowest levels from patient equipment. It was concluded that ATP bioluminescence swabbing, while not directly equivalent to microbiological swabbing, was a useful tool for monitoring cleanliness. In addition, because of its ability to produce on-the-spot results, it proved useful during education sessions with ward staff and cleaning staff, as a novel way of demonstrating the importance of cleaning.

Compliance with hand hygiene in a genitourinary medicine department

The ability to control hospital-acquired infections is highly dependent upon control of cross-contamination from health-care workers to patients, and from one anatomical area of the patient to another anatomical area. Hand hygiene has been demonstrated to be an essential prerequisite in preventing cross-contamination. Wearing gloves does not afford complete protection against cross-contamination. Hand hygiene includes handwashing between patients, the use of alcohol-based skin cleansers and changing or removing gloves between examining different anatomical sites. There are no previously published audits regarding compliance to hand hygiene in genitourinary (GU) medicine clinics. A validated observation tool was employed in this audit. Doctors and nurses were observed in clinical practice. The adherence to hand hygiene protocols was overall poor. Doctors were more likely to adhere to protocols than nurses (83.3% vs. 66%). However, techniques of glove removal were universally satisfactory. Strategies for improvement in hand hygiene are suggested. These include performance feedback and use of posters.

Dynamic temporal and spatial regulation of the cdk inhibitor p57(kip2) during embryo morphogenesis

The complete developmental expression pattern of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) p57(kip2) has not been reported, here we report a detailed study of the localization of p57(kip2) protein during mouse organogenesis. We show that p57(kip2) is coincident with key stages of differentiation of several organs, some but not all of which are affected in Beckwith-Weidermann syndrome, a human congenital syndrome characterized by foetal overgrowth and childhood tumours.