Projected land use changes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at the carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

IMAGE: A PAPER PUBLISHED IN SCIENCE CHINA: EARTH SCIENCES ESTIMATED THE LAND USE CHANGES ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU DURING THE PEAK CARBON PERIOD (2021-2040), THE CARBON NEUTRAL PERIOD (2051-2070) AND THE END OF THE 21ST CENTURY (2081-2100) BASED ON SHARED SOCIO-ECONOMIC PATHWAYS (SSPS). THE LAND USE TRENDS AND LAND USE SHIFT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU UNDER THE FUTURE "DOUBLE CARBON" TARGET WERE ESTIMATED. view more 

CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

Land use change is closely related to human activities, affecting ecological environment and species diversity, and how to make scientific observations and simulations to predict it has become a focal issue. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "third pole of the world", is extremely sensitive to global climate change. Its complex physical geography and unique social and human processes have made it a hot spot for global research. Land use change on the Tibetan Plateau is an important foundation of ecological security barrier, and it has significant impacts on the Tibetan Plateau, its surrounding regions and the world.

This study predicts land use changes in the Tibetan Plateau during the carbon peak (2021-2040), carbon neutral (2051-2070), and late 21st century (2081-2100) based on shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). In the base period (1995~2014), the areas of arable land, forest land, grassland, urban land and bare land on the Tibetan Plateau are about 14×103, 349×103, 1853×103, 0.3×103 and 235×103km2, respectively. compared with the base period, the area of grassland will decrease in the next three periods, and urban, forest land and bare land will increase. By the end of the 21st century, grassland will decrease by 6.1 to 21.7%, and woodland is the land use type with the largest increase in area, increasing by about 21.2 to 72.8%.

 

Xu R, Shi P, Gao M, Wang Y, Wang G, Su B, Huang J, Lin Q, Jiang T. 2023. Projected land use changes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at the carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets. Science China Earth Sciences, 66(6): 1383–1398, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-022-1077-y

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JOURNAL

Science China Earth Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s11430-022-1077-y 

The release of DNA methylation map of four Chinese populations and epigenetic variation associated with Tibetans’ adaptation to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

IMAGE: (A) THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION BASED ON POPULATION SNPS. (B) THE EPIGENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION BASED ON ETHNIC-SPECIFIC DNA METHYLATION SITES. (C) THE DISTRIBUTION CURVE OF CORRELATION VALUES ESTIMATED BETWEEN OVERALL GENETIC DISTANCES AND CPG METHYLATION MANHATTAN DISTANCES OF CPGS SORTED WITH THE VALUES OF PST, THE PARAMETER TO ESTIMATE PHENOTYPIC DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN POPULATIONS. (D-E) THE CORRELATION CURVES BASED ON THE BETWEEN-ETHNIC (D) OR WITHIN-ETHNIC (E) COMPARISON OF GENETIC DISTANCES WITH CPG METHYLATION MANHATTAN DISTANCES. view more 

CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

]

Recently, a paper entitled “Genome-wide DNA methylation landscape of four Chinese populations and epigenetic variation linked to Tibetan high-altitude adaptation” was published online in the journal SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences. This study is led by Prof. Wen Wang (Northwestern Polytechnical University), Prof. Shuhua Xu (Fudan University), Prof. Zhengsheng Sun (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and associate Prof. Peng Tian (Northwest A&F University). Using the recently developed double strand bisulfite sequencing (DSBS) in Sun lab, this study revealed both genetic and DNA methylation variation in four Chinese ethnic groups, and investigated the potential difference and association of the two mechanisms in the population. Based on the comparison of Tibetan with other lowland individuals, they proposed potential function of epigenetic regulation in Tibetans’ adaptation to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

DNA methylation is one of the most important epigenetic marks in eukaryotic genome, and play important role in multiple cellular processes. Ongoing researches have showed the variation of DNA methylation among different human populations, and associated with both genetic and environmental factors. China is the most populous country in the world, which is consisted of 56 recognized ethnic groups. Geographical distribution and habitat differences are obvious among some ethnic populations. The most typical example is Tibetans’ adaptation to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is low in oxygen while high in UV radiation. However, until the publication of this work, few study has analyzed the variation of DNA methylation among different ethnic groups in China, not to say the role of epigenetic regulation in Tibetans’ adaptation to high-altitude.

In this work, the authors collected blood samples from 32 participants that came from four Chinese ethnic groups including Chinese Han, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Zhuang. They carried out DSBS, the recently developed high-throughput sequencing technology that could accurately identify both single-nucleotide variants and DNA methylation simultaneously at a single-base resolution by using one dataset. The results of this study suggest that DNA methylation-based epigenetic structure is largely different with the genetic structure that could clearly distinguish the four ethnic groups (Figure 1A). Only a small part of the DNA methylation sites shows ethnic difference and could separate the four groups (Figure 1B). Surprisingly, they found non-ethnic-specific DNA methylation variations correlated more significantly to the global genetic divergence than these ethnic-specific DNA methylation after excluding the influence of within-ethnic and between-ethnic difference (Figure 1C-E), suggesting ethnic-specific DNA methylation variations were determined more by environmental factors other than genetic diversifications. Interestingly, they revealed that DNA methylation differences between Tibetan and other lowland individuals were enriched around high-altitude adaptation related genes including EPAS1 and EGLN1 (Figure 2), that were critical selection signals in Tibetans’ adaptation to highland, suggesting DNA methylation alteration plays an important role in high-altitude adaptation. Besides, they also discussed the accuracy of Nanopore sequencing in human epigenomic study, and explored the reliability and feasibility of this new technology at DNA methylation identification as compared to DSBS. This work not only provide the first batch of epigenetic comparison map for some important Chinese populations and the first evidence of the association of epigenetic changes with Tibetans’ high-altitude adaptation.

 

See the article:

Lin, Z., Lu, Y., Yu, G., Teng, H., Wang, B., Yang, Y., Li, Q., Sun, Z., Xu, S., Wang, W., et al. (2023). Genome-wide DNA methylation landscape of four Chinese populations and epigenetic variation linked to Tibetan high-altitude adaptation. Sci China Life Sci 66, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-022-2284-8

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JOURNAL

Science China Life Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s11427-022-2284-8 

Study examines the use of silver diamine fluoride as an early childhood caries management strategy in Indigenous communities

Meeting Announcement

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR DENTAL RESEARCH

Alexandria, VA, USA – A study seeking to understand the perspectives of decision-makers (DMs) working within health fields in First Nations (FNs) communities in Canada regarding the use of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as an early childhood caries (ECC) management strategy will be presented at the 101st General Session of the IADR, which will be held in conjunction with the 9th Meeting of the Latin American Region and the 12th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry on June 21-24, 2023, in Bogotá, Colombia.

The Interactive Talk presentation, “Decision-Makers’ Perspectives on Silver Diamine Fluoride in Indigenous Communities,” will take place on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 3:40 p.m. Colombia Time (UTC-05:00) during the “Fluorides for Caries Control” session.

The study by Fabio Gregorio Arriola-Pacheco of the University of Toronto, Canada carried out six Indigenous Learning Circles (LCs) in five FNs communities in the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. Information about the status of ECC in these communities and treatment needs were first delivered by researchers as preparational engagement for clinical integration of SDF into the communities’ dental programs. Focus-group-style conversations followed utilizing a semi-structured format, from which audio recordings were later transcribed and analyzed thematically.

Themes which emerged from the LCs included a resistance towards SDF staining, how it compared to other ECC treatment strategies, the need for a prior educational component (to parents and the community at large) as key to SDF’s acceptance, suggestions on implementation strategies, and skepticism – grounded in historical contexts – about the novelty and efficacy of SDF. Some identified themes overlap with recurrent ones in the literature, while others are unique and significant to the DMs’ power position and the cultural context from which the sample was derived.

About IADR

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research for health and well-being worldwide. IADR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit and private-sector institutions who share our mission. Learn more at www.iadr.org.

An archeological first: A poem by Virgil appears on the remnants of a Roman oil amphora

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA

 

IMAGE: REMNANTS OF A ROMAN OIL AMPHORA view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF CORDOBA

Measuring just 6 centimeters wide and 8 long, the magnitude and exceptionality of the discovery has left the European archaeological community flabbergasted. It is a fragment of an oil amphora from the Roman region of Betica, manufactured about 1,800 years ago, with a written text on it, found during prospecting carried out in the municipality of Hornachuelos (Córdoba) by members of OLEASTRO, a joint project between the Universities of Cordoba, Seville and Montpellier. Thus far, nothing would have been extraordinary about the find, as countless pieces of pottery from ancient Rome have been found. Monte Testaccio in Rome, an artificial mound comprised of Roman pottery, is an infinite source of information about the Roman olive and wine industry. In fact, at first, the research team was not particularly surprised to receive the fragment from Francisco Adame, a resident of the village of Ochavillo, the first person who noticed that little piece of Rome when walking through Arroyo de Tamujar, an area very close to the village of Villalón (Fuente Palmera).

Neither was the research team astonished by the fact that the amphora featured words, as this is quite common too. In fact, the information printed on amphorae (producers, quantities, control…) has allowed archaeologists to understand the history of agricultural trade during the Empire. Likewise, it was hardly shocking to find a piece of an amphora in an area like theplain of the Guadalquivir River, considered one of the nerve centers of olive oil production and trade throughout the Empire. In the surroundings of Corduba, modern-day Cordoba, a good part of the olive oil consumed by Rome was produced and packaged, as evidenced, for example, by the remnants of amphorae with "Betica" seals preserved on Mount Testaccio.

Thus, the fragment of an amphora with text on it seemed, at first, just another piece, devoid of special interest. Everything changed, however, when the epigraph was deciphered, revealing the following words

S
vais
avoniam
glandemm
arestapoqv
tisaqv
it

Through overlaying, the researchers were able to infer that the text corresponds to the seventh and eighth verses of the first book of The Georgics, a poem by Virgil dedicated to agriculture and life in the countryside, written in 29 BC, which say:

Auoniam[pingui]
glandem m[utauit]
aresta, poq[ulaque]
[inuen]tisAqu[eloia]
[miscu]it [uuis]
C[ambió] la bellota aonia por la espiga [fértil] [y mezcl]ó
el ag[ua] [con la uva descubierta]

Virgil was the most popular poet of his time, and still many centuries later. The Aeneid was taught at schools, and its verses routinely written as a pedagogical exercise for many generations. Thus, it is common to find them on the remains of ceramic construction materials, with many authors deducing that these tablets had educational functions (Roman schoolchildren wrote Virgil on their chalkboards) and funerary ones (Virgil's verses served as an epitaph on many occasions). But, why on an amphora? And why The Georgics, and not The Aeneid? Posing these questions, the researchers on the project realized that the tiny fragment of pottery could be a unique piece, and one of extraordinary value, since Virgil's verses had never been documented on an amphora destined for the oil trade.

The authors' main thesis in the work, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology (University of Cambridge), in which Dr. Iván González Tobar appears as principal investigator) (PhD, University of Córdoba, currently a Juan de la Cierva researcher at the University of Barcelona, and hired by the University of Montpellier when the piece was found) is that the verses were written on the underside of the amphora without anyone expected to notice them, only as a sign of the knowledge and culture of the person who wrote them, revealing a certain level of literacy in the fertile plain of the Guadalquivir area.

Who wrote it? Here, the authors posit several possibilities: that they were written by a specialized worker of the establishment with a certain degree of literacy, or someone from the nearby villages related to an aristocratic family owning the factory. They are also open to the possibility that a child worker wrote it, as the regular use of young workers at this type of establishment has been previously documented.

In any case, the verses on the amphora from Hornachuelos/Fuente Palmera make it a unique piece posing many more questions in need of answers.

Referencia: González Tobar, I., Soler i Nicolau, A., & Berni Millet, P. (2023). Las Geórgicas de Virgilio in figlinis: A propósito de un grafito ante cocturam sobre un ánfora olearia bética. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 1-22. doi:10.1017/S1047759423000156 

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JOURNAL

Journal of Roman Archaeology

DOI

10.1017/S1047759423000156 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Las Geórgicas de Virgilio in figlinis: a propósito de un grafito ante cocturam sobre un ánfora olearia bética

How tidal range electricity generation could meet future demand and storage problems

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: THE RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THE BENEFITS OF TIDAL ENERGY, WHICH DOES NOT SUFFER FROM UNPREDICTABLE INTERMITTENCY AS POWER IS GENERATED BOTH DAY AND NIGHT view more 

CREDIT: LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

Tidal range schemes are financially viable and could lower energy bills say researchers.

Research by Lancaster University’s School of Engineering and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology combined a tidal range power generation model with its cost model to demonstrate the viability of tidal power.

Professor George Aggidis, Head of Energy Engineering at Lancaster University, said: “The obvious question for the UK, with one of the best tidal resources globally, is why haven't we already got a tidal barrage scheme?”

The research published in Energy demonstrates the benefits of tidal energy, which does  not suffer from unpredictable intermittency as power is generated both day and night.

The creation of a tidal barrage could operate for 120 years or more to meet future demand and storage problems.

Professor Aggidis said: “There is an urgent need to kick-start the selection and development of schemes around Britain. Tidal range generation is predictable renewable energy driven by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. The environmental and economic benefits are huge as barrages can protect coastal areas from flooding and sea level rise. With two-way generation and pumping, the full range of existing tides can be maintained within impoundments to protect and support low-lying intertidal areas such as saltmarshes and mudflats.

Our studies show that with modern technology and operating procedures, estuarine barrages are the only practical way to protect these vital habitats. Coastal lagoons have also been proposed for several locations around Britain’s coast. Schemes will provide jobs in construction and manufacturing for generations to come as well as opportunities for transport, communication, conservation, and recreation. In the long-term they will provide reliable power with reduced costs”.

The UK has the second highest tidal range in the world and offers the UK a level of independence from global prices and in the long-term cheap clean power.

Currently the Tidal Range projects under commercial consideration offer an achievable 10 GW installed capacity, delivering over 20TWh/y, about 5% of UK energy use. Based on the UK relevant resource availability there is the potential to further increase this installed capacity over 4 to 5 times with other tidal range project sites around the UK.

Such developments are essential to assist the UK to reduce its carbon emissions by replacing fossil fuel power stations. The current UK total generating capacity is around 42.8 GW that includes fossil fuels (19.2GW 44.9%), renewables (16.5GW, 38.5%), and low carbon (7.1GW - 16.6%). The La Rance Tidal Range plant in France today generates the cheapest electricity in the EDF fleet -  cheaper than nuclear.

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JOURNAL

Energy

DOI

10.1680/jener.22.00077 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Tidal range power generation: case studies combining the Lancaster 0-D generation and cost models

 

A new method to keep thickening agents tiny in transport and big in application

Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University report a dehydration method for cellulose nanofibers that produces a dense powder while maintaining the unique properties of the thickening agent

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OSAKA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: EVAPORATED CNF POWDERS HAVE A SMALL VOLUME AND NO HANDLING ISSUES RELATED TO STATIC ELECTRICITY (UPPER LEFT). THEIR WATER DISPERSIONS ARE COLORLESS AND TRANSPARENT (UPPER RIGHT) AND DISPERSION DROPLETS FORMED BY SPRAYING DO NOT DRIP (LOWER). view more 

CREDIT: 2023 NOGI ET AL., EVAPORATIVE DRY POWDERS DERIVED FROM CELLULOSE NANOFIBER ORGANOGELS TO FULLY RECOVER INHERENT HIGH VISCOSITY AND HIGH TRANSPARENCY OF WATER DISPERSION. MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS

Osaka, Japan – Many commercial products such as food, cosmetics, and inks contain cellulose nanofiber (CNF) as a thickening agent. However, CNFs have some limitations that prevent their more widespread use. Now, researchers from Osaka University have demonstrated a method of dehydrating CNFs to a dense powder without affecting their three key properties. Their findings are published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications.

Video for your easy understanding
https://youtu.be/PAEd36v_SjI 

CNFs are a popular thickening agent because small amounts in water have high transparency, high viscosity, and the viscosity can be controlled. However, the amount of CNF needed in water is very small, so the most efficient way of transporting CNFs is as a dry powder.

Sounds good, but how do we get CNFs into powder form? The water containing the CNFs can be boiled away, but the remaining fibers stick together and redispersing these clumps leads to liquids that are cloudy, unless a lot of energy is used to break up the clumps. If water is removed by freeze drying, the resulting CNF powder is quite fluffy and takes up a lot of space. It is also affected by static electricity, making it difficult to handle.

These are significant drawbacks in industries where efficiency affects profitability. Therefore, the research team from Osaka University devised an improved water-removal method, the first step of which is to form an ‘organogel’, a type of gel consisting partly of organic molecules.

“Our process involves taking a CNF paste in water and dehydrating it by stirring in ethanol,” explains corresponding author Masaya Nogi. “The ethanol is then removed at 30°C, which is a low and cost-effective temperature. After some processing, it can then be redispersed in water simply by stirring.”

The redispersed product was shown to retain the three key properties of CNF thickening agents. Its tunable viscosity was demonstrated by spraying it from a pump spray bottle. It was successfully sprayed from the nozzle, which requires a low viscosity, and the ejected droplets did not run from where they landed on an upright surface, which requires high viscosity behavior. Furthermore, the spray doesn’t generate dripping, which can be a problem with other sprays.

“The large scale of many industrial processes means that all process improvements can have a big impact on the bottom line,” says senior author Masaya Nogi. “Our method of powder creation retains all key properties of CNFs while also enabling effective handling and cheaper transport and storage.”

The ease of use of the organogel-derived CNF powders is expected to make them an attractive prospect for application in many areas, including in the food, cosmetics, and sanitation industries.

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The article, “Evaporative Dry Powders Derived from Cellulose Nanofiber Organogels to Fully Recover Inherent High Viscosity and High Transparency of Water Dispersion,” was published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202300186.

Evaporated CNF powders recover the inherent dispersion properties and are dense, which reduces the transportation and storage costs (upper). Freeze-dried CNF powders recover the inherent dispersion properties, but have a large volume and readily stick to surrounding objects (lower).

CREDIT

2023 Nogi et al., Evaporative Dry Powders Derived From Cellulose Nanofiber Organogels to Fully Recover Inherent High Viscosity and High Transparency of Water Dispersion. Macromolecular Rapid Communications

JOURNAL

Macromolecular Rapid Communications

DOI

10.1002/marc.202300186 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Evaporative Dry Powders Derived From Cellulose Nanofiber Organogels to Fully Recover Inherent High Viscosity and High Transparency of Water Dispersion

 

Two technology-based approaches that improved hand hygiene compliance are featured at infection prevention conference

Real-time feedback and unit-level data impact hand hygiene behavior

Reports and Proceedings

ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN INFECTION CONTROL

Orlando, Fla., June 27, 2023 – Hand hygiene is the simplest, most effective way to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare, yet healthcare worker adherence is often low. Infection preventionists at two health systems will present their successful hand hygiene interventions at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s (APIC’s) Annual Conference in Orlando Florida, June 26-28.

 

University of Michigan Health sustains 95% hospital-wide hand hygiene compliance through creation of interactive dashboards that visually depict data

In August of 2018, University of Michigan Health, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, transitioned from using static charts to creating dynamic electronic dashboards to visualize hand hygiene compliance in real time across its 1,100-bed campus. Through use of commercially available Business Intelligence (BI) software, they generated weekly and monthly compliance reports, made month-to-month comparisons, and filtered data by unit and by role (e.g., Environmental Services, Nursing, etc.) to show the rate at which healthcare workers cleaned their hands at the appropriate moments. Details about specific missed opportunities, like a failure to perform hand hygiene prior to donning personal protective equipment, were included.

A month after the infection prevention team implemented the dashboards, 19 units improved to 95% compliance or greater from rates that were already in the high 80s. From November 2018 to February 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, the hospital overall sustained a 95% or greater rate of adherence. Rates fell to 86% in March 2021 because the program was paused during the pandemic but have risen to 98% as of April 2023 through reintroduction and use of the dashboards and real-time data sharing.

University of Michigan Health relies on a robust team of trained observers to covertly monitor hand hygiene compliance, rather than an electronic system. ‘Secret shoppers’ track observations in the software using a mobile phone and that data is fed back to stakeholders in real time.

“We had already addressed hand hygiene at a global level at our facility and had achieved levels in the upper 80s and low 90s, but our goal was 95%,” said Harry Zhen, MPH, CIC, infection preventionist at University of Michigan Health. “The BI software allowed us to pinpoint departments and shifts that were struggling and stratify data by role types so we could have more meaningful conversations to drive improvement.”

The oral abstract, “Data Rather Than Germs on Your Fingertips: Leveraging Business Intelligence to Improve and Sustain Hand Hygiene Compliance,” is being presented at 2:51 pm ET, June 27 at the APIC Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla. 

 

Automated Hand Hygiene Monitoring Helps Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Achieve 98% Increase in Compliance 

When they trialed an automated hand hygiene monitoring system (AHHMS) in 2019, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center recognized opportunities to use this technology to improve hand hygiene compliance at their 665-bed, regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care.

After a 21-day baseline period in February 2022, the hospital deployed the AHHMS in eight adult inpatient units covering about 200 patient rooms. The AHHMS senses every opportunity for hand hygiene and counts actual dispenses of hand sanitizer to compute the compliance rate.

The intervention took place over a period of 56 weeks, from March 2022 – April 2023. As part of the intervention, the infection prevention team enlisted hand hygiene champions and unit managers who shared real-time data about their units during daily safety huddles with hospital leadership and during shift transitions.

During the intervention period, the median hand hygiene rate rose significantly in all units, ranging from a 67% to 132% improvement compared to baseline. The average percent increase over baseline across all eight areas was 98%.

“The automated monitoring system provides a level of accountability that is needed to supplement existing efforts and bring about a noticeable improvement in hand hygiene,” said Ndubuisi Eke-Okoro, MSc, CIC, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center infection preventionist who helped implement the intervention. “Hospital leaders at every level are actively engaged and supportive of this effort which has been critical to our success.”

The poster, “Hand Hygiene Performance Improvement Results in Adult Acute Care Units After 56-Weeks of a Novel Intervention Program,” is being presented at 11:15 am ET, June 27, at the APIC Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.   

“Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of infection prevention, but achieving and sustaining high compliance is often elusive,” said APIC 2023 President Patricia Jackson, RN, MA, CIC, FAPIC. “We congratulate the University of Michigan Health and Newark Beth Israel for implementation of such effective programs and thank them for sharing their successful approaches at APIC’s Annual Conference.”

About APIC

Founded in 1972, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is the leading association for infection preventionists and epidemiologists. With more than 15,000 members, APIC advances the science and practice of infection prevention and control. APIC carries out its mission through research, advocacy, and patient safety; education, credentialing, and certification; and fostering development of the infection prevention and control workforce of the future. Together with our members and partners, we are working toward a safer world through the prevention of infection. Join us and learn more at apic.org.

APIC’s Annual Conference, June 26-28, is one of the most comprehensive infection prevention conferences in the world, with programs led by experts from across the globe and attended by physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, educators, administrators, and medical technologists, with strategies that can be implemented immediately to improve prevention programs and make healthcare safer. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #APIC2023.

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Updated guidance shows how hospitals should protect patients from resistant infections

MRSA infections soared during pandemic, undoing previous gains

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOCIETY FOR HEALTHCARE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF AMERICA

ARLINGTON, Va. (June 27, 2023) — A group of five medical organizations have released updated recommendations for the prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA, transmission and infection. MRSA causes approximately 10% of hospital-associated infections in the United States and such infections are associated with an increased risk of death. Certain infections caused by MRSA rose by as much as 41% during the pandemic after falling in preceding years.

Strategies to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission and Infection in Acute Care Hospitals provides evidence-based, practical recommendations to prevent the spread of MRSA and reduce the risk of MRSA infection. The document, published today in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, is the most recently updated guidance in the series known collectively as the Compendium.  

“The enormous strain put on healthcare during the pandemic may have contributed to the observed increase in some hospital infections. We have data that show MRSA infections rose,” said David Calfee, M.D., senior author of the updated guidance and editor of ICHE, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. “The evidence that informs these recommendations shows that we can be successful in preventing transmission and infection. We can get back to the pre-2020 rates and then do even better.”

The updated recommendations elevate antimicrobial stewardship – an effort focused on improving how antibiotics are prescribed and used – from an “additional practice” to an “essential practice,” meaning all hospitals should do it. When someone who is colonized with MRSA receives treatment with antibiotics for another infection, they may have a higher risk of developing MRSA infection and may be more likely to transmit MRSA to others. Avoiding unnecessary use of antibiotics may decrease these and other risks associated with antibiotic use, such as C. difficile infection.

The guidance describes other practices — surveillance to detect asymptomatic MRSA carriers and decolonization to eradicate or reduce the burden MRSA among people who are colonized with MRSA — for specific patient populations.

“Basic infection prevention practices, such as hand hygiene and cleaning and disinfection of the healthcare environment and equipment, remain foundational for preventing MRSA,” Calfee said. “These fundamental practices help to prevent the spread of other pathogens as well.”

The authors retained contact precautions, the use of a gown and gloves when providing care to a patient with MRSA colonization or infection, as an essential practice. However, the authors acknowledge that for a variety of reasons some hospitals have chosen to modify or may be considering modification of the use of contact precautions for all or some patients who are colonized or infected with MRSA. The updated recommendations provide guidance to help such hospitals assess risk, make informed decisions, monitor outcomes associated with changes in the use of contact precautions, and identify populations and scenarios in which continued use of contact precautions should be considered.

MRSA infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections. Healthcare-associated MRSA infections often follow invasive procedures, such as surgeries, or the use of devices, such as central venous catheters, and can be spread within hospitals by the hands of health care personnel or through contact with contaminated surfaces and equipment.

The guidance updates the 2014 Strategies to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission and Infection in Acute Care Hospitals. The Compendium, first published in 2008, is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA). It is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the American Hospital Association, and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of several organizations and societies with content expertise. The Compendium is a multiyear, highly collaborative guidance-writing effort by over 100 experts from around the world.

In coming weeks, a new Compendium section will be published outlining approaches to implementation of infection prevention strategies, followed by an update to strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Recently published Compendium updates include strategies for preventing surgical site infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, ventilator and non-ventilator associated pneumonia and events, C. difficile infection, and strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene.

Each Compendium article contains infection prevention strategies, performance measures, and approaches to implementation. Compendium recommendations are derived from a synthesis of systematic literature review, evaluation of the evidence, practical and implementation-based considerations, and expert consensus.

 

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About Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
Published through a partnership between the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Cambridge University Press, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology provides original, peer-reviewed scientific articles for anyone involved with an infection control or epidemiology program in a hospital or healthcare facility. ICHE is ranked 24th out of 94 Infectious Disease Journals in the latest Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports from Thomson Reuters.

About the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) 

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) is a professional society representing more than 2,000 physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world who possess expertise and passion for healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship. The society’s work improves public health by establishing infection-prevention measures and supporting antibiotic stewardship among healthcare providers, hospitals, and health systems. This is accomplished by leading research studies, translating research into clinical practice, developing evidence-based policies, optimizing antibiotic stewardship, and advancing the field of healthcare epidemiology. SHEA and its members strive to improve patient outcomes and create a safer, healthier future for all. Visit SHEA online at shea-online.org, facebook.com/SHEApreventingHAIs and twitter.com/SHEA_Epi.

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JOURNAL

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Strategies to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission and Infection in Acute Care Hospitals

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jun-2023

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