Food production and service in UK hospitals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply value stream mapping holistically to hospital food production/service systems focused on high-quality food. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple embedded case study of three (two private-sector and one public-sector) hospitals in the UK. Findings – The results indicated various issues affecting hospital food production including: the menu and nutritional considerations; food procurement; food production; foodservice; patient perceptions/expectations. Research limitations/implications – Value stream mapping is a new approach for food production systems in UK hospitals whether private or public hospitals. Practical implications – The paper identifies opportunities for enhancing hospital food production systems. Originality/value – The paper provides a theoretical basis for process enhancement of hospital food production and the provision of high-quality hospital foo

Genome-wide association and functional follow-up reveals new loci for kidney function

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important public health problem with a genetic component. We performed genome-wide association studies in up to 130,600 European ancestry participants overall, and stratified for key CKD risk factors. We uncovered 6 new loci in association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the primary clinical measure of CKD, in or near MPPED2, DDX1, SLC47A1, CDK12, CASP9, and INO80. Morpholino knockdown of mpped2 and casp9 in zebrafish embryos revealed podocyte and tubular abnormalities with altered dextran clearance, suggesting a role for these genes in renal function. By providing new insights into genes that regulate renal function, these results could further our understanding of the pathogenesis of CKD

Antimicrobial Resistance with Streptococcus pneumoniae

From November 1997 to April 1998, 1,601 clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae were obtained from 34 U.S. medical centers. The overall rate of strains showing resistance to penicillin was 29. 5%, with 17.4% having intermediate resistance. Multidrug resistance, defined as lack of susceptibility to penicillin and at least two other non-ss-lactam classes of antimicrobial drugs, was observed in 16.0% of isolates. Resistance to all 10 ss-lactam drugs examined in this study was directly related to the level of penicillin resistance. Penicillin resistance rates were highest in isolates from middle ear fluid and sinus aspirates of children ambulatory-care settings. Twenty-four of the 34 medical centers in this study had participated in a similar study 3 years before. In 19 of these 24 centers, penicillin resistance rates increased 2.9% to 39.2%. Similar increases were observed with rates of resistance to other antimicrobial drugs

In Vitro Activity of ABT-773, a New Ketolide, against Recent Clinical Isolates of <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> , <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> , and <i>Moraxella catarrhalis</i>

ABSTRACT The in vitro activity of ABT-773 was evaluated against Streptococcus pneumoniae , Haemophilus influenzae , and Moraxella catarrhalis isolates. ABT-773 was the most active antimicrobial tested against S. pneumoniae . ABT-773 and azithromycin were equivalent in activity against H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis and more active than either clarithromycin or erythromycin. </jats:p

Food production and service in UK hospitals

 Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply value stream mapping holistically to hospital food production/service systems focused on high-quality food. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple embedded case study of three (two private-sector and one public-sector) hospitals in the UK. Findings – The results indicated various issues affecting hospital food production including: the menu and nutritional considerations; food procurement; food production; foodservice; patient perceptions/expectations. Research limitations/implications – Value stream mapping is a new approach for food production systems in UK hospitals whether private or public hospitals. Practical implications – The paper identifies opportunities for enhancing hospital food production systems. Originality/value – The paper provides a theoretical basis for process enhancement of hospital food production and the provision of high-quality hospital food </p