High vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration and clinical outcomes in adults with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections: a meta-analysis

SummaryBackgroundPatients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections caused by isolates with a high but ‘susceptible’ minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to vancomycin may suffer poor outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the association of high compared to low vancomycin MICs and clinical outcomes (treatment failure and mortality) in patients with MRSA infections.MethodsPubMed, the Cochrane Library, and electronic abstracts from meetings were queried from January 2000 to July 2010. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts of studies evaluating outcomes of patients with MRSA infections, using broth microdilution (BMD) or the Etest to determine MIC, for full-text review. Patients participating in included studies were classified into two mutually exclusive groups: high MIC or low MIC. High MIC was defined as MIC ≥1mg/l by BMD or ≥1.5mg/l by Etest. Study-defined failure and mortality were assessed in each group.ResultsFourteen publications and six electronic abstracts met the inclusion criteria, with 2439 patients (1492 high MIC and 947 low MIC). There was no evidence of publication bias or heterogeneity. An increased risk of failure was observed in the high MIC group compared to the low MIC group (summary risk ratio (RR) 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–1.71). The overall mortality risk was greater in the high MIC group than in the low MIC group (summary RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.08–1.87). Sensitivity analyses showed similar findings for failure (summary RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.09–1.73) and mortality (summary RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.06–2.01) for patients with bacteremia. The study quality was poor-to-moderate, and study-defined endpoints were variable.ConclusionsA susceptible but high MIC to vancomycin is associated with increased mortality and treatment failure among patients with MRSA infections

New Therapeutic Targets for Mood Disorders

Existing pharmacological treatments for bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are often insufficient for many patients. Here we describe a number of targets/compounds that clinical and preclinical studies suggest could result in putative novel treatments for mood disorders. These include: (1) glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and protein kinase C (PKC), (2) the purinergic system, (3) histone deacetylases (HDACs), (4) the melatonergic system, (5) the tachykinin neuropeptides system, (6) the glutamatergic system, and (7) oxidative stress and bioenergetics. The paper reviews data on new compounds that have shown antimanic or antidepressant effects in subjects with mood disorders, or similar effects in preclinical animal models. Overall, an improved understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of mood disorders is critical in order to develop targeted treatments that are more effective, act more rapidly, and are better tolerated than currently available therapies

An outbreak of Candida spp. bloodstream infection in a tertiary care center in Bogotá, Colombia

Several cases of Candida bloodstream infections were documented from June to October 2004 at a tertiary care center in Bogotá, Colombia. Since no cases of candidemia had occurred during the preceding four months, an outbreak was declared. As a result, a microbiological study, a revision of infection control practices and a case-control study were performed. In all, 18 cases of candidemia were ascertained. Parenteral nutrition (p=0.04), presence of a central line (p=0.03), and severity of illness (p=0.03) were associated with candidemia in bivariate analysis. Diverse Candida species were observed. Candida parapsilosis contamination was found in plastic containers used for transient intravenous (IV) medication storage at the bedside, plastic bags reused for the transportation of IV medicines and cotton used for disinfection of IV ports. Poor infection control practices were widely observed. The outbreak was controlled after elimination of plastic bags used for transportation, instauration of daily disinfection of IV medication containers, acquisition of sterile alcohol swabs for port disinfection and staff education. It was concluded that candidemia was associated with previously-described risk factors and that poor infection-control practices were likely responsible for the outbreak

An outbreak of Candida spp. bloodstream infection in a tertiary care center in Bogotá, Colombia

Several cases of Candida bloodstream infections were documented from June to October 2004 at a tertiary care center in Bogotá, Colombia. Since no cases of candidemia had occurred during the preceding four months, an outbreak was declared. As a result, a microbiological study, a revision of infection control practices and a case-control study were performed. In all, 18 cases of candidemia were ascertained. Parenteral nutrition (p=0.04), presence of a central line (p=0.03), and severity of illness (p=0.03) were associated with candidemia in bivariate analysis. Diverse Candida species were observed. Candida parapsilosis contamination was found in plastic containers used for transient intravenous (IV) medication storage at the bedside, plastic bags reused for the transportation of IV medicines and cotton used for disinfection of IV ports. Poor infection control practices were widely observed. The outbreak was controlled after elimination of plastic bags used for transportation, instauration of daily disinfection of IV medication containers, acquisition of sterile alcohol swabs for port disinfection and staff education. It was concluded that candidemia was associated with previously-described risk factors and that poor infection-control practices were likely responsible for the outbreak