Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Organic-rich substrates such as soil provide an excellent carbon source for bacteria. However, hydrocarbons such as those found in various ignitable liquids can also serve as a source of carbon to support bacterial growth. This is problematic for fire debris analysis as samples may be stored at room temperature for extended periods before they are analyzed due to case backlog. As a result, selective loss of key components due to bacterial metabolism can make identifying and classifying ignitable liquid residues by their chemical composition and boiling point range very difficult. The ultimate goal of this project is to preserve ignitable liquid residues against microbial degradation as efficiently and quickly as possible. Field and laboratory studies were conducted to monitor microbial degradation of gasoline and other ignitable liquids in soil samples. In addition to monitoring degradation in potting soil, as a worst case scenario, the effect of soil type and season were also studied. The effect of microbial action was also compared to the effect of weathering by evaporation (under nitrogen in the laboratory and by the passive headspace analysis of the glass fragments from the incendiary devices in the field studies). All studies showed that microbial degradation resulted in the significant loss of n-alkanes and lesser substituted alkylbenzenes predominantly and quickly, while more highly substituted alkanes and aromatics were not significantly affected. Additionally, the residential soil during the fall season showed the most significant loss of these compounds over the course of 30 days. To combat this problem, a chemical solution is to be immediately applied to the samples as they are collected. Various household and commercial products were tested for their efficacy at low concentrations to eliminate all living bacteria in the soil. Triclosan (2% (w/v) in NaOH) proved to be the most effective at preserving ignitable liquid residues for at least 30 days.

A osteomielite possui elevada prevalência e morbidade. O tratamento depende de apropriada terapia antimicrobiana por tempo prolongado e frequentemente requer cirurgia para remoção de tecidos necróticos. A aderência dos pacientes com osteomielite à prescrição do antibiótico, embora fundamental para o sucesso terapêutico, tem sido pouco estudada. O objetivo deste estudo foi mensurar a aderência à terapia antimicrobiana oral em pacientes adultos com osteomielite; identificar se alguns fatores relacionados na literatura estavam associados com a não aderência; estabelecer o valor preditivo dos fatores associados a não aderência ao tratamento em pacientes com osteomielite. Foi realizado um estudo transversal, fundamentado na avaliação por meio de métodos indiretos da aderência para 83 pacientes. Foram considerados pelo menos 30 dias de uso do antimicrobiano à entrevista e os pacientes foram classificados como aderentes de acordo com o questionário de Morisky, que é constituído por 4 questões com respostas dicotômicas para avaliar a aderência. Os pacientes com < 2 pontos foram considerados de baixa aderência e os que obtiverem > 3 pontos, de alta aderência. O presente estudo identificou uma prevalência de alta aderência de 83,1% (n=63). O ajuste dos modelos de regressão logística múltipla não resultou em variáveis conjuntas influenciando a aderência ao tratamento, porém pacientes do gênero masculino sugeriram apresentar maior frequência de baixa aderência ao tratamento em relação aos pacientes do gênero feminino (p = 0,053). Com relação à idade, a análise dos dados mostrou que os pacientes com idade entre 31 e 59 anos possuíam probabilidade de baixa aderência 68% menor que pacientes com idade entre 18 e 30 anos. A aderência observada foi semelhante à encontrada na literatura. Os fatores sociodemográficos podem interferir na aderência de pacientes em uso de antibióticos orais para tratamento de osteomielite / Osteomyelitis is a highly prevalent disease and a major cause of morbidity. Clinical treatment is based on appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Adherence of patients with osteomyelitis to the prescribed treatment, although critical for successful treatment, has been little studied. The aim of the study was: to measure the adherence to oral antimicrobial therapy in adult patients with osteomyelitis; to identify whether some of the factors listed in health literature were associated with non-adherence; to establish the predictive values associated with non-adherence to antimicrobial therapy in patients with osteomyelitis. We conducted a cross-sectional study, based on evaluation through indirect methods of adherence for 83 patients. We included patients receiving at least 30 days of antimicrobial use. Patients were interviewed and classified as adherent according to the Morisky questionnaire, that consists of 4 questions with dichotomous responses to assess adherence. Patients with 3 points, with high adherence. This study identified a prevalence of high adherence of 83.1% (n = 63). The multivariate logistic regression analysis did not result in multiple variables influencing adherence to treatment. Gender was the only variable with an suggested association with low adherence, male gender was more associated with low adherence than female (p = 0,053). Regarding age, data analysis showed that patients aged between 31 and 59 years had low adherence probability 68% lower than patients aged between 18 and 30 years. The high adherence observed in this study was similar than previous reported in the literature. Social and demographic factors may interfere in the adherence with patients using oral antibiotics for the treatment of osteomyelitis

A osteomielite possui elevada prevalência e morbidade. O tratamento depende de apropriada terapia antimicrobiana por tempo prolongado e frequentemente requer cirurgia para remoção de tecidos necróticos. A aderência dos pacientes com osteomielite à prescrição do antibiótico, embora fundamental para o sucesso terapêutico, tem sido pouco estudada. O objetivo deste estudo foi mensurar a aderência à terapia antimicrobiana oral em pacientes adultos com osteomielite; identificar se alguns fatores relacionados na literatura estavam associados com a não aderência; estabelecer o valor preditivo dos fatores associados a não aderência ao tratamento em pacientes com osteomielite. Foi realizado um estudo transversal, fundamentado na avaliação por meio de métodos indiretos da aderência para 83 pacientes. Foram considerados pelo menos 30 dias de uso do antimicrobiano à entrevista e os pacientes foram classificados como aderentes de acordo com o questionário de Morisky, que é constituído por 4 questões com respostas dicotômicas para avaliar a aderência. Os pacientes com < 2 pontos foram considerados de baixa aderência e os que obtiverem > 3 pontos, de alta aderência. O presente estudo identificou uma prevalência de alta aderência de 83,1% (n=63). O ajuste dos modelos de regressão logística múltipla não resultou em variáveis conjuntas influenciando a aderência ao tratamento, porém pacientes do gênero masculino sugeriram apresentar maior frequência de baixa aderência ao tratamento em relação aos pacientes do gênero feminino (p = 0,053). Com relação à idade, a análise dos dados mostrou que os pacientes com idade entre 31 e 59 anos possuíam probabilidade de baixa aderência 68% menor que pacientes com idade entre 18 e 30 anos. A aderência observada foi semelhante à encontrada na literatura. Os fatores sociodemográficos podem interferir na aderência de pacientes em uso de antibióticos orais para tratamento de osteomielite / Osteomyelitis is a highly prevalent disease and a major cause of morbidity. Clinical treatment is based on appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Adherence of patients with osteomyelitis to the prescribed treatment, although critical for successful treatment, has been little studied. The aim of the study was: to measure the adherence to oral antimicrobial therapy in adult patients with osteomyelitis; to identify whether some of the factors listed in health literature were associated with non-adherence; to establish the predictive values associated with non-adherence to antimicrobial therapy in patients with osteomyelitis. We conducted a cross-sectional study, based on evaluation through indirect methods of adherence for 83 patients. We included patients receiving at least 30 days of antimicrobial use. Patients were interviewed and classified as adherent according to the Morisky questionnaire, that consists of 4 questions with dichotomous responses to assess adherence. Patients with 3 points, with high adherence. This study identified a prevalence of high adherence of 83.1% (n = 63). The multivariate logistic regression analysis did not result in multiple variables influencing adherence to treatment. Gender was the only variable with an suggested association with low adherence, male gender was more associated with low adherence than female (p = 0,053). Regarding age, data analysis showed that patients aged between 31 and 59 years had low adherence probability 68% lower than patients aged between 18 and 30 years. The high adherence observed in this study was similar than previous reported in the literature. Social and demographic factors may interfere in the adherence with patients using oral antibiotics for the treatment of osteomyelitis