High‐dose cefazolin on consecutive hemodialysis in anuric patients with Staphylococcal bacteremia

Methicillin‐sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia is a leading cause of infection in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Cloxacillin, cefazolin, and vancomycin are the mainstay antimicrobials. Cloxacillin administration leads to frequent drug dosing, longer length of stay (LOS), and higher cost, while resistance and poorer outcomes are associated with vancomycin use. Dosing cefazolin during HD allows for prolonged blood therapeutic levels. We assessed the outcomes and safety of a strategy of treating MSSA bacteremia with 2–3 g cefazolin on HD only. All HD patients with MSSA bacteremia admitted in June–December 2009 at our center and receiving this regime were compared with historical controls who received cloxacillin. Demographic characteristics and outcome measures like mortality, LOS, cost, recrudescence, and adverse drug reactions were assessed. Of 27 consecutive episodes reviewed, 14 and 13 patients received cefazolin and cloxacillin, respectively. Baseline demographics were comparable between the 2 treatment groups. More than one‐third of the bacteremia was related to tunneled catheter infection. The 30‐day mortality of cloxacillin‐ and cefazolin‐treated patients was 15% and 7%, respectively (P=0.14). Two of the 11 survivors treated with cloxacillin (18%) had recrudescent bacteremia while none was observed in cefazolin‐treated survivors. Cefazolin was associated with shorter LOS (10 vs. 20 days, P<0.05) and lower cost (US$8262.00 vs. US$15,367.00, P<0.05). Cefazolin use resulted in 3 idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions. Cefazolin dosed on each HD in MSSA bacteremia leads to earlier discharge and less cost. Larger prospective studies are, however, warranted to fully assess its safety and efficacy.     

Indirect land use change for biofuels: Testing predictions and improving analytical methodologies

Current practices for estimating indirect land use change (iLUC) due to United States biofuel production rely on assumption-heavy, global economic modeling approaches. Prior iLUC studies have failed to compare their predictions to past global historical data. An empirical approach is used to detect evidence for iLUC that might be catalyzed by United States biofuel production through a “bottom-up”, data-driven, statistical approach. Results show that biofuel production in the United States from 2002 to 2007 is not significantly correlated with changes in croplands for corn (coarse grain) plus soybean in regions of the world which are corn (coarse grain) and soybean trading partners of the United States. The results may be interpreted in at least two different ways: 1) biofuel production in the United States through 2007 (the last date for which information is available) probably has not induced any indirect land use change, and 2) this empirical approach may not be sensitive enough to detect indirect land use change from the historical data. It seems clear that additional effort may be required to develop methodologies to observe indirect land use change from the historical data. Such efforts might reduce uncertainties in indirect land use change estimates or perhaps form the basis for better policies or standards for biofuels.     

Supporting browsing-specific information needs: Introducing the Citation-Sensitive In-Browser Summariser

Practitioners and researchers need to stay up-to-date with the latest advances in their fields, but the continual growth in the amount of literature available makes this task increasingly difficult. In this article, we describe the Citation-Sensitive In-Browser Summariser (CSIBS), a new research tool to help manage the literature browsing task. The design of CSIBS was based on a user requirements analysis which identified the information needs that biomedical researchers commonly encounter when browsing through academic literature. CSIBS supports researchers in their browsing tasks by presenting both a generic and a tailored preview about a citation at the point at which they encounter it. This information is aimed at helping the reader determine whether or not to invest the time in exploring the cited article further, thus alleviating information overload. Feedback from biomedical researchers indicates that CSIBS facilitates this relevance judgement task, and that the interface and previews are informative and easy to use.     

Inverting an image does not improve drawing accuracy.

It has been suggested that inverting an image will increase drawing accuracy. However, perceptual evidence suggests that inverting an image inhibits processing of spatial information. D. J. Cohen and S. Bennett (1997) theorized that perceptual distortions will lead to drawing errors. In the present experiment, the authors test whether inverting an image improves drawing accuracy, as suggested by art educators, or results in distorted drawings, as predicted by Cohen and Bennett. The present data reveal that inverting an image inhibits the drawing accuracy of spatial relations thus supporting Cohen and Bennett's (1997) theory of drawing accuracy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)