A Possible Outbreak by Serratia Marcescens: Genetic Relatedness between Clinical and Environmental Strains

Serratia marcescens (SM) is a Gram-negative bacterium that is frequently found in the environment. Since 1913, when its pathogenicity was first demonstrated, the number of infections caused by SM has increased. There is ample evidence that SM causes nosocomial infections in immunocompromised or critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs), but also in newborns admitted to neonatal ICUs (NICUs). In this study, we evaluated the possible genetic correlation by PFGE between clinical and environmental SM strains from NICU and ICU and compared the genetic profile of clinical strains with strains isolated from patients admitted to other wards of the same hospital. We found distinct clonally related groups of SM strains circulating among different wards of a large university hospital. In particular, the clonal relationship between clinical and environmental strains in NICU and ICU 1 was highlighted. The identification of clonal relationships between clinical and environmental strains in the wards allowed identification of the epidemic and rapid implementation of adequate measures to stop the spread of SM

Depressive symptoms, vascular risk factors and mild cognitive impairment. The Italian longitudinal study on aging.

Aims: We evaluated the impact of depressive symptoms on the rate of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) after a 3.5-year follow-up, and we assessed the interaction between depressive symptoms and vascular risk factors for incident MCI. Methods: A total of 2,963 individuals from a sample of 5,632 65- to 84-year-old subjects were cognitively and functionally evaluated at the 1st and 2nd surveys of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a prospective cohort study with a 3.5-year follow-up. MCI and dementia were classified using current clinical criteria. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale. Results: Among the 2,963 participants, 139 prevalent MCI cases were diagnosed at the 1st survey. During the 3.5-year follow-up, 105 new events of MCI were diagnosed. We did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI (RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.85–1.84, 2 = 1.30, p ! 0.25). No sociodemographic variables or vascular risk factors modified the relationship between depressive symptoms and incident MCI. Conclusion: In our population, depressive symptoms were not associated with the rate of incident MCI. Our findings did not support a role of sociodemographic variables or vascular risk factors in the link between depressive symptoms and incident MCI

Metabolic syndrome, mild cognitive impairment, and progression to dementia. The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Weinvestigatedtherelationshipofmetabolicsyndrome(MetS)anditsindividualcomponentswithincidenceofmildcognitiveimpairment (MCI) anditsprogressiontodementiainalargelongitudinalItalianpopulation-basedsamplewitha3.5-yearfollow-up.Atotalof2097 participants fromasampleof563265–84-year-oldsubjectsfromtheItalianLongitudinalStudyonAgingwereevaluated.MetSwasdefined according totheThirdAdultsTreatmentPaneloftheNationalCholesterolEducationProgramcriteria.MCI,dementia,Alzheimer’sdisease (AD), andvasculardementia(VaD)wereclassifiedusingcurrentpublishedcriteria.AmongMCIpatientsthosewithMetS(N = 49)hada higher riskofprogressiontodementia(HR,4.40;95%CI,1.30–14.82)comparedwiththosewithoutMetS(N = 72).Afteramultivariate adjustment, theriskinMCIpatientswithMetSapproximatelydoubled(multivariateadjustedHR,7.80,95%CI1.29–47.20)comparedwith those MCIwithoutMetS.Finally,amongnon-cognitivelyimpairedindividualstherewerenosignificantdifferencesinrisksofdeveloping MCI inthosewhowereaffectedbyMetS(N = 608)incomparisonwiththosewithoutMetS(N = 837),aswellasexcludingthoseindividuals with undernutritionorlowinflammatorystatuswithorwithoutundernutrition.Inourpopulation,amongMCIpatientsthepresenceofMetS independently predictedanincreasedriskofprogressiontodementiaover3.5yearsoffollow-up