Clinical and Biomedical Research

I am very pleased to introduce to researchers, medical and all healthcare-associated professionals, and to all readers potentially interested in the field, the first issue of the scientific journal Clinical and Biomedical Research (CBR). CBR is the former Revista HCPA, a 33 year-old scientific publication of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul that is now largely reformulated in order to reach a broader range of readers and researchers.

The crisis in science, the editors’ fault, and the role of emerging journals

It has been increasingly recognized by universities, journals’ editors and, probably in a less degree, by publishers, that there is a crisis in science. This is so important that recently, the Editor-in-Chief of Lancet, Richard Horton, stated that “much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue.”

Challenges of Internationalization

The Revista HCPA has been prepared for a new challenge in the next years: its internationalization. This broad term, in the context of scientific journals, actually means that the periodic ultimately sought to be a vehicle for publishing scientific content on all fields of medical sciences including, basic, pharmacological and clinical research, from and to a worldwide readers and researchers community

Evaluation of the characteristics of infection prevention and control programs and infection control committees in Brazilian hospitals : a countrywide cross-sectional study

Objective: Data are scarce regarding hospital infection control committees and compliance with infection prevention and control (IPC) recommendations in Brazil, a country of continental dimensions. We assessed the main characteristics of infection control committees (ICCs) on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Brazilian hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in ICCs of public and private hospitals distributed across all Brazilian regions. Data were collected directly from the ICC staff by completing an online questionnaire and during on-site visits through face-to-face interviews. Results: In total, 53 Brazilian hospitals were evaluated from October 2019 to December 2020. All hospitals had implemented the IPC core components in their programs. All centers had protocols for the prevention and control of ventilator-associated pneumonia as well as bloodstream, surgical site, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Most hospitals (80%) had no budget specifically allocated to the IPC program; 34% of the laundry staff had received specific IPC training; and only 7.5% of hospitals reported occupational infections in healthcare workers. Conclusions: In this sample, most ICCs complied with the minimum requirements for IPC programs. The main limitation regarding ICCs was the lack of financial support. The findings of this survey support the development of strategic plans to improve IPCs in Brazilian hospitals

Colistin-sparing regimens against Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae isolates: Combination of tigecycline or doxycycline and gentamicin or amikacin

AbstractBackground/PurposeIn vitro studies of the combination of an aminoglycoside with tigecycline or doxycycline against Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae isolates are rarely published. The goal of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the combination regimens.MethodsThirteen genetically different KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates were randomly selected. Drug concentrations of amikacin, gentamicin, tigecycline, and doxycycline were adjusted to 1-, 1/2-, and 1/4-fold of respective minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Each drug alone or the combinations of amikacin or gentamicin with tigecycline or doxycycline were tested by combination studies.ResultsTreatment with the 1× MIC concentration in combinations of amikacin or gentamicin and tigecycline or doxycycline for 24 hours resulted in bactericidal activity of 84–100% in the isolates. Treatment with 1/2× MIC combinations resulted in synergism of 69–100% in the isolates. Notably, doxycycline plus gentamicin or amikacin was synergistic for all tested isolates. However, bactericidal or synergistic effect was barely evident following 1/4× MIC combinations. There was no antagonism in any of the combination regimens.ConclusionEnhanced activity was noted following treatment with doxycycline combined with gentamicin or amikacin against KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates, warranting further in vitro and animal investigations before clinical application