11 research outputs found

    Impact of previous sepsis on the accuracy of procalcitonin for the early diagnosis of blood stream infection in critically ill patients

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood stream infections (BSI) are life-threatening infections in intensive care units (ICU), and prognosis is highly dependent on early detection. Procalcitonin levels have been shown to accurately and quickly distinguish between BSI and noninfectious inflammatory states in critically ill patients. It is, however, unknown to what extent a recent history of sepsis (namely, secondary sepsis) can affect diagnosis of BSI using PCT.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>review of the medical records of every patient with BSI in whom PCT dosage at the onset of sepsis was available between 1<sup>st </sup>September, 2006 and 31<sup>st </sup>July, 2007.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>179 episodes of either primary (<it>n </it>= 117) or secondary (<it>n </it>= 62) sepsis were included. Procalcitonin levels were found to be markedly lower in patients with secondary sepsis than in those without (6.4 [9.5] vs. 55.6 [99.0] ng/mL, respectively; <it>p </it>< 0.001), whereas the SOFA score was similar in the two groups. Although patients in the former group were more likely to have received steroids and effective antibiotic therapy prior to the BSI episode, and despite a higher proportion of candidemia in this group, a low PCT value was found to be independently associated with secondary sepsis (Odd Ratio = 0.33, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.16–0.70; <it>p </it>= 0.004). Additional patients with suspected but unconfirmed sepsis were used as controls (<it>n </it>= 23). Thus, diagnostic accuracy of PCT as assessed by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROCC) measurement was decreased in the patients with secondary sepsis compared to those without (AUROCC = 0.805, 95% CI: 0.699–0.879, vs. 0.934, 95% CI: 0.881–0.970, respectively; <it>p </it>< 0.050).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In a critically ill patient with BSI, PCT elevation and diagnosis accuracy could be lower if sepsis is secondary than in those with a first episode of infection.</p

    No effect of vancomycin MIC ≥ 1.5 mg/L on treatment outcome in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia

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    International audienceThe vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) has been shown to affect the outcome of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia. In this study, the outcomes of patients with MSSA bacteraemia with a vancomycin MIC ≥ 1.5 mg/L were assessed. A prospective cohort of patients with MSSA bacteraemia in two tertiary-care hospitals was collected. The vancomycin MIC was determined by Etest. Staphylococcus aureus strains were categorised as low (<1.5 mg/L) or high (≥1.5 mg/L) vancomycin MIC. First- and second-line treatments were recorded and classified as optimal, appropriate and inappropriate. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. A total of 250 patients with S. aureus bacteraemia were analysed, of whom 64 (25.6%) had strains with a high vancomycin MIC. History of dialysis (P = 0.001) and ultimately fatal disease (P = 0.005) were associated with strains with a high vancomycin MIC. The 30-day mortality was 24.7% (46/186) in patients with a low vancomycin MIC versus 28.1% (18/64) in patients with a high vancomycin MIC (P = 0.592) and did not differ significantly after adjustment for the appropriateness of the antibiotic treatment. Patients with a high vancomycin MIC were less frequently associated with complicated bacteraemia (15.6% vs. 39.2%; P = 0.001). In conclusion, vancomycin MIC ≥ 1.5 mg/L was not associated with 30-day mortality but was associated with uncomplicated bacteraemia in MSSA bacteraemia, regardless of the first- and second-line treatment

    Microbiologic identification of bleb-related delayed-onset endophthalmitis caused by moraxella species.

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    International audiencePURPOSE: To report the clinical presentation and outcome of delayed-onset endophthalmitis caused by Moraxella species and to evaluate the eubacterial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in aqueous humor samples for the microbiologic diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven patients with bleb-related delayed onset-endophthalmitis caused by Moraxella were included in a prospective multicenter study (FRIENDS group, 2004 to 2005). Eubacterial PCR followed by direct sequencing and conventional cultures were carried out on aqueous humor samples taken before the first intravitreal antibiotic injection and on vitreous samples taken during pars plana vitrectomy. RESULTS: All cases were postoperative (5 after filtering surgery and 2 inadvertent filtering blebs). The mean delay of onset of endophthalmitis was 41.3 months+/-30.4 (SD) (range, 2.4 to 84.8) after surgery. Initial visual acuity was limited to light perception for 3 patients, hand motions for 2 patients, count fingers for 1 patient, and 20/125 for 1 patient. Functional recovery was variable with final visual acuity ranging from no light perception to 20/25. The eubacterial PCR carried out on aqueous humor provided microbiologic identification in all cases, whereas the cultures were negative in 6 of 7 cases. The eubacterial PCR performed on vitreous samples of 3 vitrectomized patients, after 2 intravitreal injections of antibiotics, identified Moraxella in 2 patients, whereas cultures were negative in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed-onset endophthalmitis caused by Moraxella occurs predominantly after a bleb-related infection. PCR is a more sensitive technique for the microbiologic diagnosis in this context than conventional culture

    Analysis of diluted vitreous samples from vitrectomy is useful in eyes with severe acute postoperative endophthalmitis.

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    International audiencePURPOSE: This study was designed to compare the diagnostic yield of microbiological analysis performed on diluted and undiluted vitreous samples from pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in patients with acute postcataract endophthalmitis. DESIGN: Cohort study, evaluation of diagnostic test or technology. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with acute postcataract endophthalmitis (<6 weeks). METHODS: Undiluted and diluted vitreous samples were taken from 34 consecutive patients at the beginning of PPV as part of the multicenter prospective study of the French Institutional Endophthalmitis Study (FRIENDS) group. Vitrectomy was performed after 1 (n = 12) or 2 (n = 22) intravitreous antibiotic injections. McNemar's nonparametric test was used to compare culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results between diluted and undiluted samples. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate of positivity of conventional culture (brain heart infusion broth) and eubacterial PCR tests from undiluted and diluted vitreous samples. RESULTS: The microbiological analysis of both undiluted and diluted vitreous samples detected and identified a bacterial pathogen in 26 out of 34 cases (76.4%). The analysis of undiluted and diluted vitreous at the time of PPV, using eubacterial PCR and conventional culture, gave similar results (P = 0.99; McNemar test). However, eubacterial PCR was more sensitive than culture in detecting bacteria in vitreous at the time of PPV (76% vs 6%; P = 0.001; McNemar test). The difference in sensitivity between the 2 techniques was primarily associated with false-negative culture results for undiluted samples (2/3 of cases), mainly for coagulase-negative staphylococci. CONCLUSIONS: The microbiological results obtained combining PCR and culture techniques were similar for diluted vitreous and undiluted vitreous analysis. When eubacterial PCR is available, sampling diluted vitreous, an easier procedure, may replace sampling undiluted vitreous

    黃牛與荷蘭乳牛換毛期的研究

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      生物受到外在環境極大的影響,特別是身體表面,直接左右於外在環境的部分很多,與生理變化相同、形態上的變化也很顯著。覆蓋的毛髮掌管體溫調節與保護身體的功能,各種動物會依照品種,或者是個體,各自呈現著最適合各自生存環境的狀態。因此,熱帶地區的家畜與溫帶地區的家畜有所不同是極為理所當然的自然現象。與冷熱調節關係密切、依據季節轉變的覆蓋皮毛的換毛狀態亦是如此,不難想見溫帶地區的家畜、與熱帶地區的家畜身上顯現的差異性。本論文即為溫帶產乳牛Holstein與熱帶產牛的黃牛的換毛狀態比較調查。   研究內容如下所述。(1)換毛通常進行於春秋二季。不過,會因為品種的不同而有時期上的差異。Holstein在春天的5月開始換毛,秋天的話在10月以後才會開始。換毛最為明顯的時期是6月。黃牛的狀況是在春天的4月,秋天的9月開始換毛。4月中旬過後、以及9月底至10月初是換毛最為明顯的時期。這個換毛狀態也會因為不同個體而有些許的差異性。(2)除了春秋二季的定期換毛以外,每個月多少都會有一些換毛。將新生毛的比例加以平均的話,則可知Holstein在6月有34%,7月有12%,8月有31%的程度。黃牛則是在6月有12%,7月有16%,8月有26%這樣的程度。(3)只要換成夏毛的話,則其中不會混有冬毛。(4)覆蓋毛髮因應氣溫變化而有長度與粗細的不同,冬天細長,夏天粗短。(5) Holstein與黃牛互相比較,則換毛的顯著時期較遲。這是因為在因應氣候的方面,Holstein的反應程度比黃牛來得低。(6)一般而言,夏毛的生存期比冬毛短,夏毛在經過約略5個月之後轉為冬毛,而冬毛則是經過約略7個月後轉為夏毛。(7)髓質在夏天的時候不太發達。封面、書名頁、印記、目次頁 I 緒言 II 研究材料並ニ研究方法  A)供試動物  B)供試動物ノ飼養管理   i)黄牛ノ状態   ii)ホルスタインノ状態  C)試驗期間及ビ採毛期日  D)採毛方法  E)調査方法 III 實驗結果 IV 實驗結果ノ觀察  A)ホルスタイン  B)黄牛  C)ホルスタイント黄牛ノ比較 V 結論 VI 摘要 参【參】考文献 圖表  (一)  (二) 圖版、印記、封

    Persistent headaches one year after bacterial meningitis: prevalence, determinants and impact on quality of life

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    International audienceBackground: Little is known on headaches long-term persistence after bacterial meningitis and on their impact on patients' quality of life.Methods: In an ancillary study of the French national prospective cohort of community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults (COMBAT) conducted between February 2013 and July 2015, we collected self-reported headaches before, at onset, and 12 months (M12) after meningitis. Determinants of persistent headache (PH) at M12, their association with M12 quality of life (SF 12), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) and neuro-functional disability were analysed.Results: Among the 277 alive patients at M12 87/274 (31.8%), 213/271 (78.6%) and 86/277 (31.0%) reported headaches before, at the onset, and at M12, respectively. In multivariate analysis, female sex (OR: 2.75 [1.54-4.90]; p < 0.001), pre-existing headaches before meningitis (OR: 2.38 [1.32-4.30]; p < 0.01), higher neutrophilic polynuclei percentage in the CSF of the initial lumbar puncture (OR: 1.02 [1.00-1.04]; p < 0.05), and brain abscess during the initial hospitalisation (OR: 8.32 [1.97-35.16]; p < 0.01) were associated with M12 persistent headaches. Neither the responsible microorganism, nor the corticoids use were associated with M12 persistent headaches. M12 neuro-functional disability (altered Glasgow Outcome Scale; p < 0.01), M12 physical handicap (altered modified Rankin score; p < 0.001), M12 depressive symptoms (p < 0.0001), and M12 altered physical (p < 0.05) and mental (p < 0.0001) qualities of life were associated with M12 headaches.Conclusion: Persistent headaches are frequent one year after meningitis and are associated with quality of life alteration

    One-Year Sequelae and Quality of Life in Adults with Meningococcal Meningitis: Lessons from the COMBAT Multicentre Prospective Study

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    Trial registration: ClinicalTrial.Gov identification number NCT01730690.International audienceIntroduction: COMBAT is a prospective, multicentre cohort study that enrolled consecutive adults with community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) in 69 participating centres in France between February 2013 and July 2015 and followed them for 1 year.Methods: Patients aged at least 18 years old, hospitalised with CABM were followed during their hospitalisation and then contacted by phone 12 months after enrolment. Here we present the prevalence of sequelae at 12 months in a subgroup of patients with meningococcal meningitis.Results: Five of the 111 patients with meningococcal meningitis died during initial hospitalisation and two died between discharge and 12 months, leaving 104 patients alive 1 year after enrolment, 71 of whom provided 12-month follow-up data. The median age was 30.0 years and 54.1% of the patients had no identified risk factor for meningitis. More than 30% reported persistent headache, more than 40% were not satisfied with their sleep and 10% had concentration difficulties. Hearing loss was present in about 15% of the patients and more than 30% had depressive symptoms. About 13% of the patients with a previous professional activity had not resumed work. On the SF-12 Health Survey, almost 50% and 30% had physical component or mental component scores lower than the 25th percentile of the score distribution in the French general population. There was a non-significant improvement in the patients' disability scores from hospital discharge to 12 months (p = 0.16), but about 10% of the patients had residual disability.Conclusions: Although most patients in our cohort survive meningococcal meningitis, the long-term burden is substantial and therefore it is important to ensure a prolonged follow-up of survivors and to promote preventive strategies, including vaccination
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