Efficacy of Colistin Therapy in Patients with Hematological Malignancies: What if There is Colistin Resistance?

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and appropriateness of colistin therapy in patients with hematological malignancies. Methods: Age, gender, type of hematologic malignancy, and potential carbapenem-resistant microorganism risk factors were all noted in this retrospective study. In empirical and agent-specific treatment groups, differences in demographic features, risk factors, treatment responses, and side effects were compared. Results: Sixty-three patients were included, 54% were male, and the median age was 49. In the last three months, the hospitalization rate history was 68%, and four patients had a hospitalization history in the ICU. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae colonization was present in 22 patients (35%). Gram-negative microorganisms were isolated in 34 patients (54%). The carbapenem, quinolone, and colistin resistance rates were 82%, 76%, and 4% respectively. Clinical and microbiological response rates were 60% and 69%. 7 and 28-day mortality rates were 17% and 35%. There was no significant difference in demographic data and comorbidities in empirical (n=48) and agent-specific (n=15) treatment groups. The rate of carbapenem and glycopeptide treatments before colistin was higher in the empirical treatment group (p = 0.004; p = 0.001). The rate of starting combined antibiotics was higher in the empirical treatment group (p = 0.016). Two of the patients developed renal failure in the first week after treatment. Conclusion: The use of empirical colistin may be unavoidable given the risk considerations. Shortly, colistin-resistant strains may also be a factor affecting treatment success negatively

A case of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever complicated with acute pulmonary embolism

Background Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is one of the common causes of tick-borne hemorrhagic infections. The study aims to report a case of a female patient with severe CCHF with pulmonary embolism. Case report A 61-year-old woman admitted to the emergency department with complaints of high fever, nausea, and weakness. The patient was dealing with animal husbandry and had a tick bite history. At laboratory findings, bicytopenia, abnormal liver function tests, and elevated coagulation parameters were observed. Real-time plymerase chain reaction confirmed the diagnosis of CCHF. Three sessions of plasmapheresis were performed due to continued fever and worsening in laboratory values. Pulmonary embolism was detected in computerized thorax tomography carried out due to respiratory alkalosis on the 6th day. She was successfully treated with supportive and anticoagulation therapy. Conclusion CCHF demonstrates different types of clinical presentations apart from fever and hemorrhage. Acute pulmonary embolism is a rare complication that has not been reported before

A case of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever complicated with acute pulmonary embolism

Background Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is one of the common causes of tick-borne hemorrhagic infections. The study aims to report a case of a female patient with severe CCHF with pulmonary embolism. Case report A 61-year-old woman admitted to the emergency department with complaints of high fever, nausea, and weakness. The patient was dealing with animal husbandry and had a tick bite history. At laboratory findings, bicytopenia, abnormal liver function tests, and elevated coagulation parameters were observed. Real-time plymerase chain reaction confirmed the diagnosis of CCHF. Three sessions of plasmapheresis were performed due to continued fever and worsening in laboratory values. Pulmonary embolism was detected in computerized thorax tomography carried out due to respiratory alkalosis on the 6th day. She was successfully treated with supportive and anticoagulation therapy. Conclusion CCHF demonstrates different types of clinical presentations apart from fever and hemorrhage. Acute pulmonary embolism is a rare complication that has not been reported before

Ocular Findings Before and After Pegylated Interferon Treatment in Chronic Hepatitis B and C Patients

Objective: Interferons are used in the treatments of chronic hepatitis B and C since they inhibit viral replication and have immunomodulatory effects. Common side effects include: flu-like syndrome, hematologic abnormalities, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal system symptoms, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, pulmonary dysfunction, and suffering from depression. In this study, the development of retinopathy, a rare side effect of interferon, was aimed to be investigated

Retrospective Evaluation of Positive Blood Culture of Bacteremic Cases With Fatal Outcome

Objective: Bloodstream infection (BSI) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis in the world. The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate positive blood cultures in adult patients with fatal outcome, and to evaluate the results of their blood cultures, the etiology of bacteremia and whether they received appropriate antimicrobial therapy or not

Optic nerve and dura mater involvement as the first sign of multiple myeloma

WOS: 000352200400015PubMed ID: 24832040Purpose: To report a case of optic nerve and dura mater involvement as the first sign of multiple myeloma. Methods: Case report. Results: A 43-year-old woman presented with a headache and decreased vision in both eyes. Ophthalmic examination revealed anterior uveitis and subretinal mass around the optic nerves with accompanying disc edema bilaterally. Magnetic resonance imaging showed dural and optic nerve infiltration with tram-track enhancement in the optic nerve sheath. The diagnosis of multiple myeloma was made as a result of systemic investigations. The patient underwent systemic chemotherapy and cranial radiotherapy. After treatment, the patient's headache disappeared, the papilledema regressed, and the ocular findings improved but complete recovery could not be achieved because of fibrous subretinal tissue and degenerative changes of the optic nerve. Conclusions: Neurologic and ophthalmic involvement in multiple myeloma may appear as the first manifestation of disease. The correct diagnosis is important because it can be life-saving

Severe and complicated soft tissue infections: a single-centre case series.

Objective: To assess the demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and economic burden of patients with a diagnosis of complicated skin and soft tissue infection (cSSTI). Method: The demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, surgical interventions, cost of treatment, and outcome of patients diagnosed with cSSTIs between January 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively analysed. Results: A total of 24 patients with cSSTIs were included in the study. The median age was 53 (22-85) years, and 14 (58%) were female. The most common comorbidity was diabetes (54%). On admission, 75% of patients presented with sepsis, and 70% had a high-grade Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotising Fasciitis (LRINEC) score. The causative microorganism was isolated from 21 (87%) patients, and the multidrug resistance rate of Gram-negative bacteria was 50%. The median number of debridements was 3 (1-12). In all, 11 patients were followed up in the intensive care unit, and the mortality rate was 29%. The presence of confusion (p=0.025), causative Gram-negative microorganisms (p=0.009), hyponatraemia (p=0.034), the need for intensive care (p=0.001), anti-meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics (p=0.023) and the rate of antibiotic changes during treatment (p=0.019) were significantly higher in the non-survival patient group. Hyponatraemia was a significant independent risk factor for mortality (p=0.048). The median cost of per-patient treatment was $9453 USD in the non-surviving and$1536 in the surviving group. Conclusion: It is important to know possible factors and local resistance rates at the beginning of empirical antibacterial and surgical treatment. The presence of hyponatraemia, sepsis and a high LRINEC score can be considered to be the mortality predictors

Increased Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness and Retinal Structure Changes on Optical Coherence Tomography in Pediatric Alport Syndrome Patients

Objective. To evaluate optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of pediatric Alport syndrome (AS) patients with no retinal pathology on fundus examination. Materials and Methods. Twenty-one patients being followed up with the diagnosis of AS (Group 1) and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers (Group 2) were prospectively evaluated. All participants underwent standard ophthalmologic examination, retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) analysis, and horizontal and vertical scan macula enhanced depth imaging OCT (EDI-OCT). Statistical analysis of the data obtained in this study was performed with SPSS 15.0. Results. Macula thickness was significantly decreased in the temporal quadrant in Group 1 compared to those of the control group (p=0.013). RNFL measurements revealed statistically significant thinning in the temporal, superior, inferotemporal, and inferonasal quadrants and in average thicknesses in cases with AS compared to the controls (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.022, p=0.016, p<0.001, respectively). The mean subfoveal coronial thickness (SCT) was 362.2 ± 77.8 μm in Group 1 and 256,18 ± 71.7 μm in Group 2. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean CT (p<0.001). Conclusion. OCT provides valuable information in identifying the structural changes and evaluation of ocular findings in patients with AS. Even if no pathological retinal findings were found in the clinical examination, structural changes in the OCT examination begin in early period of AS

Characterization of cancer stem-like cells in chordoma Laboratory investigation

Object. Chordomas are locally aggressive bone tumors known to arise from the remnants of the notochord. Because chordomas are rare, molecular studies aimed at developing new therapies are scarce and new approaches are needed. Chordoma cells and cancer stem-like cells share similar characteristics, including self-renewal, differentiation, and resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, it seems possible that chordomas might contain a subpopulation of cancer stem-like cells. The aim of this study is to determine whether cancer stem-like cells might be present in chordomas