In the three years between November 1989 and October 1992, an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) affected 990 patients at a university hospital. The distribution of patients with carriage, colonization or infection was investigated prospectively. Nosocomial acquisition was confirmed in at least 928 patients, 525 of whom were identified from clinical specimens as being infected (n = 418) or colonized (n = 107) by MRSA. An additional 403 patients were identified from screening specimens, of whom 58 subsequently became infected and 18 colonized. Screening of the nose, throat and perineum detected 98% of all carriers. Of the 580 infections in 476 patients, surgical wound, urinary tract and skin infections accounted for 58% of the infections. Of the 476 infected patients, death was attributable to MRSA infection in 13%. Colonization with MRSA was found in 127 patients and 42% of 165 colonized sites were the skin. Auto-infection from nasal carriage or cross-infection, probably via staff hands, seemed to be the most common mode of acquisition of MRSA infections.

Outcomes of transplants from non-heart-beating donors and younger heart-beating donors are similar, and results for transplants from non-heart-beating donors improved compared with those from older heart-beating donors. On the basis of these results, the authors encourage other transplant units to adopt the use of type I and type II non-heart-beating donors.

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The one-year prevalence of migraine in Spain is 12.6%, with a prevalence of migraine with and without aura of 8.4% and probable migraine of 4.2%. These findings add data to the current understanding of migraine.

Rationale: Refractory angina constitutes a clinical problem.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and the feasibility of transendocardial injection of CD133+ cells to foster angiogenesis in patients with refractory angina. Methods and Results:In this randomized, double-blinded, multicenter controlled trial, eligible patients were treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, underwent an apheresis and electromechanical mapping, and were randomized to receive treatment with CD133 + cells or no treatment. The primary end point was the safety of transendocardial injection of CD133 + cells, as measured by the occurrence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event at 6 months. Secondary end points analyzed the efficacy. Twenty-eight patients were included (n=19 treatment; n=9 control). At 6 months, 1 patient in each group had ventricular fibrillation and 1 patient in each group died. One patient (treatment group) had a cardiac tamponade during mapping. There were no significant differences between groups with respect to efficacy parameters; however, the comparison within groups showed a significant improvement in the number of angina episodes per month (median absolute difference, −8.