OBJECTIVES Much scientific evidence indicates a positive association between moldy environments and respiratory illnesses and/or symptoms (e.g., asthma). Recently, submicron fungal fragments (<1.0 μm) have been suggested as a potential contributor to adverse health effects due to their biological composition (e.g., antigens, mycotoxins, and (1,3)-β-D-glucan) as well as their small size. However...

Two surveys of private nursing homes, designated geriatric wards, and a sample of social service part III homes were carried out in the Brighton Health District using questionnaires supplemented (in the second survey) by some interviews. The dependency of old people in the private nursing homes was more like that of long stay hospital patients rather than that of residents in social services ho...

OBJECTIVE Recerntly, the role of the healthcare network, defined as a set of hospitals linked by patient transfers, has been increasingly considered in the control of antimicrobial resistance. Here, we investigate the potential impact of nursing homes on the spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens across the healthcare network and its importance for control strategies. METHODS Based on pati...

CONTEXT The use of outdoor wood furnaces (OWFs) is common in many parts of the United States. Little published information exists on the concentrations of outdoor and indoor fine particulates found near OWFs. OBJECTIVE To compare PM2.5 (cts) and PM0.5 (cts) particle concentrations inside four Connecticut homes located 30.5-259 m from OWFs, and inside six Connecticut control homes located more...

BACKGROUND Most of the institutional outbreaks of norovirus in Hong Kong occur in elderly homes, the proportion being 69% in 2006. Residents in elderly homes are a special population seriously affected by norovirus infections, it is necessary to investigate the risk factors of the norovirus outbreaks in Hong Kong elderly homes at the facility level. METHODS A cohort of 748 elderly homes was f...