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Aims: To measure nurses' compliance with standard precautions during the COVID‐19 pandemic, compare findings with previous assessments and describe the barriers affecting nurses' compliance. Background: Healthcare providers' compliance with standard precautions is still limited worldwide. Implementation of infection control policies in hospitals is needed internationally, especially during a pandemic. Surprisingly, studies exploring nurses' compliance with standard precautions are lacking during COVID‐19. Methods: A multicenter cross‐sectional study was adopted in two Italian hospitals. Nurses' compliance with standard precautions was measured through The Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (Italian version). An open‐ended question explored the barriers to nurses' compliance with standard precautions. Reporting, followed the STROBE guidelines. Results: A total of 201 nurses were enrolled in 2020. Nurses' compliance with standard precautions was suboptimal. A statistically significant improvement in the compliance rate with standard precautions was observed between pre‐ and during COVID‐19 assessments. High compliance was found in the appropriate use of surgical masks, gloves and sharps disposal. Nurses perceived personal, structural and organizational barriers to standard precautions adherence. Conclusion: Nurses' compliance with standard precautions was not 100%, and different factors impeded nurses to work safely. Our findings provide institutional leaders and educators with the basis for implementing policies to optimize nurse safety, well‐being and patient care. Implications for nursing and health policies: Nurses have the right to work safely, and when the shortage of personal protective equipment and nurses during an emergency threatens healthcare quality worldwide, policymakers are challenged to act by establishing an effective allocation of resources for consistent compliance with standard precautions. Moreover, nurses should actively engage in the implementation of infection control policies to improve safe behaviours among citizens and students accessing hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scant data are available on the link between armed conflicts and the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. We performed a systematic review with the aim to summarize the available data on the prevalence and features of antibiotic resistance and the causes of antibiotic resistance development during armed conflicts in the 21st century. Data sources: PubMed and SCOPUS databases were searched from 1 January 2000 to 30 November 2023. Study eligibility criteria: Original articles reporting data on armed conflicts and antimicrobial resistance were included in this systematic review. No attempt was made to obtain information from unpublished studies. No language restriction was applied. Methods of data synthesis: Both quantitative and qualitative information were summarized by means of textual descriptions. Participants: Patients or soldiers deployed in armed conflict zones. Tests: culture-dependent antibiotic sensitivity testing or molecular detection of the genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance after a confirmed diagnosis of bacterial infection. Assessment of risk of bias: To evaluate the quality of the included studies, we adapted the tool recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Thirty-four studies were identified, published between November 2004 and November 2023. The quality of included studies was high and medium in 47% and 53% of the studies, respectively. The included studies reported high infection and colonization rates of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Studies performed during the Eastern Ukraine conflict reported high rates of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase producers. Our findings confirm that wars lead to a large pool of multidrug-resistant infections that could potentially spread. Infection control in healthcare facilities in conflict zones and proper antimicrobial stewardship are crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Monitoring antibody response following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is strategic, and neutralizing antibodies represent the gold standard. The neutralizing response to Beta and Omicron VOCs was evaluated versus the gold standard by a new commercial automated assay. Methods: Serum samples from 100 healthcare workers from the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Biomedico and the Pescara Hospital were collected. IgG levels were determined by chemiluminescent immunoassay (Abbott Laboratories, Wiesbaden, Germany) and serum neutralization assay as the gold standard. Moreover, a new commercial immunoassay, the PETIA test Nab (SGM, Rome, Italy), was used for neutralization evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed with R software, version 3.6.0. Results: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers decayed during the first ninety days after the vaccine second dose. The following booster dose significantly (p < 0.001) increased IgG levels. A correlation between IgG expression and neutralizing activity modulation was found with a significant increase after the second and the third booster dose (p < 0.05. Compared to the Beta variant of the virus, the Omicron VOC was associated with a significantly larger quantity of IgG antibodies needed to achieve the same degree of neutralization. The best Nab test cutoff for high neutralization titer (≥1:80) was set for both Beta and Omicron variants. Conclusion: This study correlates vaccine-induced IgG expression and neutralizing activity using a new PETIA assay, suggesting its usefulness for SARS-CoV2 infection management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously demonstrated that natural product‐inspired 3,4‐dihydropyrrolo[1,2‐a]pyrazin‐1(2H)‐ones derivatives delivered potent and selective PIM kinases inhibitors however with non‐optimal ADME/PK properties and modest oral bioavailability. Herein, we describe a structure‐based scaffold decoration and a stereoselective approach to this chemical class. The synthesis, structure–activity relationship studies, chiral analysis, and pharmacokinetic data of compounds from this inhibitor class are presented herein. Compound 20c demonstrated excellent potency on PIM1 and PIM2 with exquisite kinases selectivity and PK properties that efficiently and dose‐dependently promoted c‐Myc degradation and appear to be promising lead compounds for further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In this article we describe the identification of unprecedented ATP-competitive ChoKα inhibitors starting from initial hit NMS-P830 that binds to ChoKα in an ATP concentration-dependent manner. This result is confirmed by the co-crystal structure of NMS-P830 in complex with Δ75-ChoKα. NMS-P830 is able to inhibit ChoKα in cells resulting in the reduction of intracellular phosphocholine formation. A structure-based medicinal chemistry program resulted in the identification of selective compounds that have good biochemical activity, solubility and metabolic stability and are suitable for further optimization. The ChoKα inhibitors disclosed in this article demonstrate for the first time the possibility to inhibit ChoKα with ATP-competitive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]