Urinary Tract Infection(UTI)

The main objective of the proposed research study is to determine in men and women with spinal cord injury/disease and neurogenic bladder whether the dose of coupled gentamicin \& Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG affects the recolonization of the bladder, and whether the rate of success differs by sex. Secondary objectives include determining whether that recolonization lasts 7, 14, or 28 days; and safety of the coupled gentamicin \& Lactobacillus instillations.

As the U.S. population ages, future physicians must be prepared to care for older adults with multiple health conditions and complex needs. This study will test whether cinematic virtual reality (VR)-an immersive, interactive learning tool-is more effective than traditional lectures in helping medical students learn about geriatric care. Students who complete the VR training will experience realistic patient scenarios that show what can go wrong in medical care and learn how to apply osteopathic principles to improve outcomes. Researchers will compare students' performance on a clinical skills assessment and explore their experiences with the VR training. The goal is to determine whether cinematic virtual reality can better prepare students for residency and improve their ability to provide compassionate, high-quality care for older adults.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major problem in intensive care units (ICUs), driven by environmental contamination with multidrug-resistant organisms that persist despite routine manual cleaning. While hydrogen peroxide aerosolization and ultraviolet-C light devices have shown promise in reducing surface contamination, current evidence is inconsistent, mostly derived from single-center studies, and rarely linked to patient-centered outcomes. The investigators will conduct this cluster-randomized, crossover trial in 12 Brazilian ICUs. Each ICU will sequentially implement three strategies: (1) usual surface disinfection; (2) usual surface disinfection followed by hydrogen peroxide aerosolization at 7.9% concentration, applied through a dedicated device inside a protective tent during terminal cleaning of patient beds; and (3) usual surface disinfection followed by automated ultraviolet-C irradiation, also applied under the same tent to shield adjacent occupied beds. The primary outcome will be the antimicrobial utilization, measured as daily defined doses (DDD) of antimicrobials at the ICU level per 100 patient-days, with secondary outcomes including HAI incidence rate, environmental contamination with multidrug-resistant organisms, specific HAIs incidence rate (associated-ventilator pneumonia, central-line associated bloodstream infection, and catheter-associated urinary tract infection), and ICU length of stay costs.

Urine culture is the most common microbiological test in the outpatient setting in the United States. Unfortunately, contamination during collection is prevalent and undermines test accuracy, leading to incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary treatment, wasted laboratory resources, and inflated costs. Unnecessary antibiotic treatment increases the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance, one of the most serious threats to patients and public health. The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a bilingual (English and Spanish) educational intervention, an animated video and pictorial flyer, can reduce urine culture contamination and associated inappropriate antibiotic use in adult patients visiting safety-net primary care clinics. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does providing patients with a bilingual educational intervention reduce urine culture contamination rates? 2. Does the intervention lead to fewer unnecessary urinary antibiotic prescriptions? 3. Does providing patients with a bilingual educational intervention reduce contaminated urinalyses? Researchers will compare patients randomized to receive the educational intervention (video and flyer) to those receiving usual care to see if the intervention improves urine collection accuracy and reduces inappropriate antibiotic use. Participants will watch a short, animated video with step-by-step instructions for proper midstream clean-catch urine (MSCC) collection, receive a pictorial flyer (with stills from the video) reinforcing the instructions, and provide a urine sample for culture. Hypothesis: patients who receive the educational intervention will have: lower urine culture contamination rates (primary outcome), fewer urinary antibiotic prescriptions (secondary outcome), and fewer contaminated urinalyses (secondary outcome). The objectives are to (1) develop educational tools: Create an animated video and pictorial flyer with step-by-step urine collection instructions for women and men, developed through an iterative, stakeholder-engaged process, (2) assess acceptability: Use mixed methods (quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews) to evaluate and refine the tools for usability and cultural/linguistic appropriateness, and (3) test effectiveness: Conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess the intervention's impact on urine contamination rates, antibiotic prescribing, and patient satisfaction.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a common antibiotic called trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children and young adults who recently had a kidney transplant. Most people take TMP-SMX for about 6 months after getting a kidney transplant. In this study, researchers want to see what happens if people keep taking it for 6 more months. The main questions this study is asking are: * Does TMP-SMX lower the number of UTIs in the first year after transplant? * What side effects or problems do participants have while taking TMP-SMX? Researchers will compare TMP-SMX to a placebo (a look-alike pill that does not contain any medication) to see if TMP-SMX works to prevent UTIs. Participants will: * Take either TMP-SMX or a placebo pill by mouth every day for 6 months * Have three visits to touch base with the study team about any issues * Complete short monthly online surveys about any symptoms or side effects * Share blood and urine test results from their regular transplant clinic visits

This project proposes a rigorous investigation into the psychological impact of positive urine culture results and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women, with a particular focus on Interstitial Cystitis and Bladder Pain Syndrome patients. Interstitial cystitis (IC) or bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a poorly understood chronic disorder that has an immense impact on quality of life. Stress has been demonstrated to exacerbate bladder symptoms in IC/BPS patients. Because it is often difficult to differentiate IC/BPS symptoms from UTIs, laboratory tests such as urine cultures are often obtained to rule out infectious etiology. Positive lab results can disrupt emotion regulation and impact a variety of health-related coping and outcomes. Chen et al demonstrated in a cohort of 57 IC/BPS patients that the pain index was associated with anxiety mood status and a tendency to develop a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The impact of positive laboratory results has not been investigated in recurrent UTI patients. Identifying triggers for worsening urinary symptoms is important in the overall management of bladder symptoms therefore it is important to evaluate the impact positive lab results on psychosocial stress level in this population in order provide better patient counseling. By employing validated questionnaires and comprehensive assessments, the study aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for patient counseling and management strategies tailored to address emotional distress and symptom severity. The findings will contribute to improving the overall well-being and quality of life for women affected by recurrent UTIs and associated conditions.