Intensive care unit-related fluconazole use in Spain and Germany: patient characteristics and outcomes of a prospective multicenter longitudinal observational study

Background: Candida spp. are a frequent cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections worldwide. Objective: To evaluate the use patterns and outcomes associated with intravenous (IV) fluconazole therapy in intensive care units in Spain and Germany. Patients and methods: The research reported here was a prospective multicenter longitudinal observational study in adult intensive care unit patients receiving IV fluconazole. Demographic, microbiologic, therapy success, length of hospital stay, adverse event, and all-cause mortality data were collected at 14 sites in Spain and five in Germany, from February 2004 to November 2005. Results: Patients (n = 303) received prophylaxis (n = 29), empiric therapy (n = 140), preemptive therapy (n = 85), or definitive therapy (n = 49). A total of 298 patients (98.4%) were treated with IV fluconazole as first-line therapy. The treating physicians judged therapy successful in 66% of prophylactic, 55% of empiric, 45% of preemptive, and 43% of definitive group patients. In the subgroup of 152 patients with proven and specified Candida infection only, 32% suffered from Candida specified as potentially resistant to IV fluconazole. The overall mortality rate was 42%. Conclusion: Our study informs treatment decision makers that approximately 32% of the patients with microbiological results available suffered from Candida specified as potentially resistant to IV fluconazole, highlighting the importance of appropriate therapy

Cell-cycle arrest biomarkers in urine to predict acute kidney injury in septic and non-septic critically ill patients

Purpose: To analyse the usefulness of the composite index of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) as urinary biomarkers for the early prediction of AKI in septic and non-septic patients. Methods: This is a prospective, observational study including patients admitted to ICU from acute care departments and hospital length of stay 0.8 predicted a rate of AKI of 71% and AKIN >= 2 of 62.9%. Conclusions: In our study, urinary [TIMP-2].[IGFBP7] was an early predictor of AKI in ICU patients regardless of sepsis. Besides, index values < 0.8(ng/mL)(2)/1000 ruled out the need for renal replacement

Fatty acids profile of pulp and nuts of brazilian fruits

Fruits and nuts from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil were collected to determine the fatty acid profile of their oils. The species studied were Brazil (Bertholletia excelsa H. B. K.), Mucaja (Couma rigida M.), Inaja (Maximiliana maripa D.), Jenipapo (Genipa Americana L.), and Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L.) nuts. Fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Brazil nut major fatty acid was 18:3n-3 (alpha-linolenic acid), and Buriti nut had approximately 23 times more 18: 3n-3 than the pulp. Mucaja nut presented high content of 12: 0 (lauric acid) and 16: 0 (palmitic acid), and Mucaja pulp showed significant levels of 18: 2n-6 (linoleic acid). Considering the PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) sum values, almost all fruits and nuts analyzed presented very high levels of these compounds. Regarding n-6/n-3 ratio, only Brazil Nut, Buriti Nut, Inaja pulp, and Jenipapo pulp corresponded to the desired profile. These Brazilian fruits and nuts could be of potential interest due to their high nutritive value and lipid content.31495095

Outcomes of abdominal surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis

Patients suffering from liver cirrhosis (LC) frequently require non-hepatic abdominal surgery, even before liver transplantation. LC is an important risk factor itself for surgery, due to the higher than average associated morbidity and mortality. This high surgical risk occurs because of the pathophysiology of liver disease itself and to the presence of contributing factors, such as coagulopathy, poor nutritional status, adaptive immune dysfunction, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, and renal and pulmonary dysfunction, which all lead to poor outcomes. Careful evaluation of these factors and the degree of liver disease can help to reduce the development of complications both during and after abdominal surgery. In the emergency setting, with the presence of decompensated LC, alcoholic hepatitis, severe/advanced LC, and significant extrahepatic organ dysfunction conservative management is preferred. A multidisciplinary, individualized, and specialized approach can improve outcomes; preoperative optimization after risk stratification and careful management are mandatory before surgery. Laparoscopic techniques can also improve outcomes. We review the impact of LC on surgical outcome in non-hepatic abdominal surgeries required in this cirrhotic population before, during, and after surgery

CoVITEST: A Fast and Reliable Method to Monitor Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Specific T Cells From Whole Blood

Cellular and humoral immune responses are essential for COVID-19 recovery and protection against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. To date, the evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 immune protection has mainly focused on antibody detection, generally disregarding the cellular response, or placing it in a secondary position. This phenomenon may be explained by the complex nature of the assays needed to analyze cellular immunity compared with the technically simple and automated detection of antibodies. Nevertheless, a large body of evidence supports the relevance of the T cell's role in protection against SARS-CoV-2, especially in vulnerable individuals with a weakened immune system (such as the population over 65 and patients with immunodeficiencies). Here we propose to use CoVITEST (Covid19 anti-Viral Immunity based on T cells for Evaluation in a Simple Test), a fast, affordable and accessible in-house assay that, together with a diagnostic matrix, allows us to determine those patients who might be protected with SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells. The method was established using healthy SARS-CoV-2-naïve donors pre- and post-vaccination (n=30), and further validated with convalescent COVID-19 donors (n=51) in a side-by-side comparison with the gold standard IFN-? ELISpot. We demonstrated that our CoVITEST presented reliable and comparable results to those obtained with the ELISpot technique in a considerably shorter time (less than 8 hours). In conclusion, we present a simple but reliable assay to determine cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2 that can be used routinely during this pandemic to monitor the immune status in vulnerable patients and thereby adjust their therapeutic approaches. This method might indeed help to optimize and improve decision-making protocols for re-vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, at least for some population subsets.Copyright © 2022 Egri, Olivé, Hernández-Rodríguez, Castro, De Guzman, Heredia, Segura, Fernandez, de Moner, Torradeflot, Ballús, Martinez, Vazquez, Costa, Dobaño, Mazza, Mazzotti, Pascal, Juan, González-Navarro and Calderón

Surgical site infection in critically ill patients with secondary and tertiary peritonitis: epidemiology, microbiology and influence in outcomes

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) remains a significant problem in the postoperative period that can negatively affect clinical outcomes. Microbiology findings are typically similar to other nosocomial infections, with differences dependent on microbiology selection due to antibiotic pressure or the resident flora. However, this is poorly understood in the critical care setting. We therefore aimed to assess the incidence, epidemiology and microbiology of SSI and its association with outcomes in patients with severe peritonitis in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: We prospectively studied 305 consecutive patients admitted to our surgical ICU from 2010 to 2014 with a diagnosis of secondary or tertiary peritonitis. We collected the following data: SSI diagnosis, demographics, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II score, type of surgery, microbiology, antibiotic treatment and outcomes. Microbiological sampling was done by means of swabs. RESULTS: We identified 269 episodes of SSI in 162 patients (53.1 %) aged 64.4 ± 14.3 years, of which 200 episodes occurred in men (64.6 %). The mean APACHE II and SAPS II scores were 19.7 ± 7.8 and 36.5 ± 16.1 respectively. The mean ICU and hospital stays were 19.8 ± 24.8 and 21.7 ± 30 days respectively. Pseudomonas spp. (n = 52, 19.3 %), Escherichia coli (n = 55, 20.4 %) and Candida spp. (n = 46, 17.1 %) were the most frequently isolated microorganisms, but gram-positive cocci (n = 80, 29.7 %) were also frequent. Microorganisms isolated from SSIs were associated with a higher incidence of antibiotic resistance (64.9 %) in ICU patients, but not with higher in-hospital mortality. However, patients who suffered from SSI had longer ICU admissions (odds ratio = 1.024, 95 % confidence interval 1.010–1.039, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of SSI in secondary or tertiary peritonitis requiring ICU admission is very high. Physicians may consider antibiotic-resistant pathogens, gram-positive cocci and fungi when choosing empiric antibiotic treatment for SSI, although more studies are needed to confirm our results due to the inherent limitations of the microbiological sampling with swabs performed in our research. The presence of SSI may be associated with prolonged ICU stays, but without any influence on overall mortality

Phytosterols and tocopherols content of pulps and nuts of Brazilian fruits

Fruits and nuts from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil were collected to determine their phytosterol and tocopherol content. The species studied were Cotia nut (Aptandra spruceana M.), Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.), Mucaja (Couma rigida M.), Red Acai (Euterpe oleracea M.), Inaja (Maximiliana maripa D.), Jenipapo (Genipa Americana L), Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L) and Uxi (Endopleura uchi C.). Phytosterols were analyzed by GC-FID using beta-cholestanol as an internal standard, while tocopherols were determined by RP-HPLC-DAD. The pulps of Mucaja (26-236 mg 100 g(-1)), Inaja (119-285 mg 100 g(-1)) and Jenipapo (216 mg 100 g(-1)) showed the highest total phytosterol contents. Considering alpha-tocopherol equivalents, the pulps of Buriti (346.72 mu g g(-1)) and Uxi (200.92 mu g g(-1)) contained the highest vitamin E activity. Therefore, the results indicate that these fruits and nuts have great potential to be cultivated and marketed as alternative dietary sources for these bioactive compounds. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.4361603160

Diferencias en el uso de las estrategias de afrontamiento, el catastrofismo y el estado de ánimo en función del tiempo de evolución del dolor crónico

Introduction: preliminary study on the psychological variables and coping strategies in chronic pain related to duration. This study describes chronic pain as a stressor complex that the person using a coping strategies to adapt continuously. Method: the primary objective of this research observes differences in psychological variables and the use of pain coping strategies depending on the time of evolution. The assessment instruments are McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), "Strategies for Coping with Chronic Pain" (CADR), Hopital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), Catastro-phism Scale CSQ (CSQ-C). Participants of this study are patients with chronic pain and are treated in to specialized unit. The results show that duration and patient's age are associated with the use of a passive strategy, the "catharsis". The perception of pain has a positive relationship with catastrophizing, passive strategies, anxiety and depression. Results: results obtained by comparing the average of the two groups, one with 1 to 5 years of evolution, and another 13 to 33 years, show that the group of shorter duration makes greater use of the coping strategy of catharsis and it has scored higher on catastrophizing compared to another group. Conclusion: we observe the relationship between pain and psychological variables of this study and changes that may occur in different stages of duration of pain.Introducción: este estudio describe el dolor crónico como un estresor complejo al que la persona debe adaptarse continuamente usando diferentes estrategias. Método: el objetivo de esta investigación es observar las diferencias que existen en las variables psicológicas y el uso de las estrategias de afrontamiento del dolor en función del tiempo de evolución. Los instrumentos de evaluación son: "Cuestionario del Dolor McGill" (MPQ), "Estrategias de Afrontamiento del Dolor Crónico" (CADR), "Escala Hospitalaria de Ansiedad y Depresión" (HAD), "Escala de Catastrofismo del CSQ" (CSQ-C). Los 60 participantes del estudio son pacientes de una unidad de tratamiento especializada en el ámbito hospitalario. De estos se crearon dos grupos, uno de menor tiempo de evolución (de 1 a 5 años) y el otro de mayor tiempo de evolución (de más de 13 años). Resultados: los resultados muestran que tanto el tiempo de evolución como la edad del paciente se asocian con el uso de una estrategia pasiva, la "catarsis" y la evaluación del dolor tiene una relación positiva con el catastrofismo, las estrategias pasivas, la ansiedad y la depresión. Mediante el análisis de la comparación de medias de los dos grupos se confirma que el grupo de menor tiempo de evolución hace mayor uso de la estrategia de afrontamiento "catarsis" y además presenta puntuaciones más altas en "catastrofismo" en comparación con los componentes del otro grupo. Conclusión: se observa la relación entre del dolor y las variables psicológicas del estudio como también los cambios que pueden aparecer en diferentes etapas de la evolución del dolor