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Environmental screening of single-occupancy rooms in a nursing home found high levels of circulation and persistence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), according to a study published today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. In the prospective cohort study, researchers screened five high-touch surfaces in a cluster of nine single-occupancy rooms at a nursing home three times a week for 34 weeks. They also screened patients if they agreed to participate. Overall, there were 146 distinct occupancy events captured during the study, with 387 study visits and 4,670 swabs collected. (5/16)

A randomized, controlled trial of 400 adults hospitalized for COVID-19–related respiratory failure suggests that awake prone positioning doesn't significantly reduce the need for endotracheal intubation at 30 days, but the authors caution that the effect size was imprecise and a therapeutic benefit cannot be ruled out. (5/16)

Eleven percent of Canadian patients who were discharged after hospitalization for COVID-19 were readmitted to the hospital or died within 30 days of discharge, according to a study today in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). (Soucheray, 5/16)

Researchers have identified a previously unknown function for the fragile X protein, the loss of which is the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability. The researchers showed that the protein modulates how neurons in the brain's memory center process information, a central part of learning and memory. (Washington University School of Medicine, 5/17)

A new study in JAMA Network Open involved giving wearable sensors to adults during the 2018-19 flu season to monitor physical activity levels and found that participants with influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms were significantly less active than their healthy peers. (Soucheray, 5/13)