Infections review

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Research suggests that treating C. difficile infections (CDI) with fidaxomicin (FDX) is more effective than vancomycin (VAN), with potential cost savings. The objective was to calculate the budget impact of FDX treatment compared to VAN from a German payer perspective. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The analysis used real-world data of patients discharged from University Hospital Cologne between Jan-01-2018 and Dec-31-2019...

OBJECTIVES: During the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, clinicians recommended awake-prone positioning (APP) to avoid the worst outcomes. The objectives of this study were to investigate if APP reduces intubation, death rates and hospital length of stay (HLOS) in acute COVID-19. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort with non-mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in a reference center in Manaus, Brazil, 2020. Participants were stratified into APP and awake-not-prone positioning (ANPP) groups...

OTULIN encodes an eponymous linear deubiquitinase (DUB), which through the regulation of M1-Ub dynamics, is essential for controlling inflammation as a negative regulator of the canonical NF-𝛋B signaling pathway. Biallelic loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in OTULIN cause an autosomal recessive condition named Otulin-Related Autoinflammatory Syndrome (ORAS), also known as Otulipenia or AutoInflammation, Panniculitis, and Dermatosis Syndrome (AIPDS). Monoallelic OTULIN LOF, also known as OTULIN Haploinsufficiency (OHI) or Immunodeficiency 107 (IMD107), has been linked to an incompletely penetrant, dominantly inherited susceptibility to invasive Staphylococcal infections...

UNLABELLED: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is thought to exacerbate risks for bacterial infections, but global evidence for this relationship has not been synthesized. We systematically reviewed the literature for studies describing participants' SES and their risk of colonization or community-acquired infection with priority bacterial pathogens. Fifty studies from 14 countries reported outcomes by participants' education, healthcare access, income, residential crowding, SES deprivation score, urbanicity, or sanitation access...

Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) transmission in temperate Australia has underscored a critical need to characterise transmission pathways and identify probable hosts of infection within the country. This systematic review consolidates existing research on the vertebrate hosts of JEV that are known to exist in Australia. Specifically, we aim to identify probable species for JEV transmission, their potential role as either a spillover or maintenance host and identify critical knowledge gaps. Data were extracted from studies involving experimental infection, seroprevalence, and virus isolation and were available for 22 vertebrate species known to reside in Australia...

BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic disparities in infectious disease burden have been reported in the USA and globally, most recently for COVID-19. It remains unclear whether such disparities also exist for priority bacterial pathogens that are increasingly antibiotic-resistant. We conducted a scoping review to summarize published studies that report on colonization or community-acquired infection with pathogens among different races and ethnicities. METHODS: We conducted an electronic literature search of MEDLINE®, Daily, Global Health, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science from inception to January 2022 for eligible observational studies...

BACKGROUND: Crusted scabies is a rare form of parasitic infection provoked by a massive infestation of the ectoparasite Sarcoptes scabiei varietas hominis on human skin. It is an extremely contagious type of disease and can even lead to a social stigma. In European countries like Greece, many cases remain undiagnosed for long periods, causing extreme distress in the patient's everyday life and social environment. CASE DESCRIPTION: Herein, we present a case of an 86-year-old woman with crusted scabies in Greece, who remained undiagnosed for 5 months...

BACKGROUND: Breast augmentation through the injection of polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) was a popular procedure in the past, but it has since been prohibited due to various complications, including masses, migration, infection, inflammation, and even cancer. However, there were rare cases of granulomatous mastitis with pectoralis major muscle defect following PAAG injection for breast augmentation. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 40-year-old female patient presented with a swollen and suppurative mass in her left breast and was insensitive to antibiotics...

BACKGROUND: In impoverished nations like Ethiopia, neonatal sepsis contributes significantly to neonatal mortality. Despite variations in the specific timing of death and predictors of neonatal mortality associated with sepsis across different settings, there's limited documented information in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of northeastern Ethiopia. Consequently, the aim of this study was to determine time to death and its predictors among neonates with sepsis admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units in comprehensive specialized hospitals in northeastern Ethiopia...

Procalcitonin (PCT) serves as a crucial biomarker utilized in diverse clinical contexts, including sepsis diagnosis and emergency departments. Its applications extend to identifying pathogens, assessing infection severity, guiding drug administration, and implementing theranostic strategies. However, current clinical deployed methods cannot meet the needs for accurate or real-time quantitative monitoring of PCT. This review aims to introduce these emerging PCT immunoassay technologies, focusing on analyzing their advantages in improving detection performances, such as easy operation and high precision...

BACKGROUND: Arboviruses are RNA viruses and some have the potential to cause neuroinvasive disease and are a growing threat to global health. OBJECTIVES: Our objective is to identify and map all aspects of arbovirus neuroinvasive disease, clarify key concepts, and identify gaps within our knowledge with appropriate future directions related to the improvement of global health. METHODS: Sources of Evidence : A scoping review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Hinari...

The current review article provides a comprehensive analysis of nosocomial infections in pediatric and adult intensive care units (ICUs) in Iran. We examine the risk factors and etiology of nosocomial infections, with a particular focus on molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial sensitivity. In this article, we explore a range of prevention strategies, including hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, environmental cleaning, antibiotic stewardship, education, and training. Moreover, we discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infection control measures in ICUs and provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals and policymakers seeking to address this critical public health issue...

INTRODUCTION: Maternal and infant mortality rates in Finland are among the lowest in the world, yet preventable obstetric injuries occur every year. The aim of this study was to describe obstetric claims, their compensation rates, and temporal trends of claims reported to the Patient Insurance Centre. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A nationwide, register-based study was conducted. Data consisted of obstetric claims reported to the Patient Insurance Centre between 2012 and 2022...

OBJECTIVE: A notable research gap exists in the systematic review and meta-analysis concerning the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F vaccine. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search across PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov to retrieve articles related to the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of RSV prefusion F vaccines, published through September 8, 2023...

BACKGROUND: Early prediction of mortality in individuals with HIV (PWH) has perpetually posed a formidable challenge. With the widespread integration of machine learning into clinical practice, some researchers endeavor to formulate models predicting the mortality risk for PWH. Nevertheless, the diverse timeframes of mortality among PWH and the potential multitude of modeling variables have cast doubt on the efficacy of the current predictive model for HIV-related deaths. To address this, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis, aiming to comprehensively assess the utilization of machine learning in the early prediction of HIV-related deaths and furnish evidence-based support for the advancement of artificial intelligence in this domain...

BACKGROUND: The incidence of Talaromyces marneffei (T. marneffei) infection has increased in recent years with the development of organ transplantation and the widespread use of immunosuppressive agents. However, the lack of clinical suspicion leading to delay or misdiagnosis is an important reason for the high mortality rate in non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and non-endemic population. Herein, we report a case of disseminated T. marneffei infection in a non-HIV and non-endemic recipient after renal transplant, who initially presented with skin rashes and subcutaneous nodules and developed gastrointestinal bleeding...

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a common syndrome of multiorgan system dysfunction secondary to the dysregulated inflammatory response to infection. The role of pancreatic stone protein (PSP) in diagnosing sepsis has been investigated in previous studies. The meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively investigate the diagnostic value of PSP in identifying sepsis. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), were systematically searched...

The inguinal region, specifically the femoral vasculature, is a commonly used site of injection for intravenous drug users (IVDU). Repeated puncture of the vessel wall results in breakdown and subsequent arterial pseudoaneurysm- dilatations or outpouching of blood vessels, which, if left untreated, can result in fatal complications such as rupture with hemorrhage, sepsis, or even limb loss. The current modalities for arterial pseudoaneurysms include Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) angiography, both of which play important roles in management and surgical planning...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to present a rare cause of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a patient after kidney transplantation. METHODS: The patient's consent was obtained, and full medical documentation was reviewed. After analyzing the literature, only 3 case reports of post-transplant nephroptosis were found. RESULTS: A 32-year-old woman with a history of type 1 diabetes, after kidney and pancreas transplantation a year earlier, was admitted to the hospital due to another incident of fever, dysuria, and pain in the lower abdomen...

The growing prevalence of fungal infections alongside rising resistance to antifungal drugs poses a significant challenge to public health safety. At the close of the 2000s, major pharmaceutical firms began to scale back on antimicrobial research due to repeated setbacks and diminished economic gains, leaving only smaller companies and research labs to pursue new antifungal solutions. Among various natural sources explored for novel antifungal compounds, antifungal peptides (AFPs) emerge as particularly promising...