The interrelations of radiologic findings and mechanical ventilation in community acquired pneumonia patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a multicentre retrospective study

BACKGROUND: We evaluated patients admitted to the intensive care units with the diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) regarding initial radiographic findings. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was held. Chest x ray (CXR) and computerized tomography (CT) findings and also their associations with the need of ventilator support were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 388 patients were enrolled. Consolidation was the main finding on CXR (89%) and CT (80%) examinations. Of all, 45% had multi-lobar involvement. Bilateral involvement was found in 40% and 44% on CXR and CT respectively. Abscesses and cavitations were rarely found. The highest correlation between CT and CXR findings was observed for interstitial involvement. More than 80% of patients needed ventilator support. Noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) requirement was seen to be more common in those with multi-lobar involvement on CXR as 2.4-fold and consolidation on CT as 47-fold compared with those who do not have these findings. Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) need increased 8-fold in patients with multi-lobar involvement on CT. CONCLUSION: CXR and CT findings correlate up to a limit in terms of interstitial involvement but not in high percentages in other findings. CAP patients who are admitted to the ICU are severe cases frequently requiring ventilator support. Initial CT and CXR findings may indicate the need for ventilator support, but the assumed ongoing real practice is important and the value of radiologic evaluation beyond clinical findings to predict the mechanical ventilation need is subject for further evaluation with large patient series

Osteosynthesis-associated infection of the lower limbs by multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: a multicentre cohort study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was the clinical and therapeutic assessment of lower-limb osteosynthesis-associated infection (OAI) by multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), which have been poorly studied to date. Methods: A prospective multicentre observational study was conducted on behalf of ESGIAI (the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group on Implant-Associated Infections). Factors associated with remission of the infection were evaluated by multivariate and Cox regression analysis for a 24-month follow-up period. Results: Patients (n=57) had a history of trauma (87.7 %), tumour resection (7 %) and other bone lesions (5.3 %). Pathogens included Escherichia coli (n=16), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=14; XDR 50 %), Klebsiella spp. (n=7), Enterobacter spp. (n=9), Acinetobacter spp. (n=5), Proteus mirabilis (n=3), Serratia marcescens (n=2) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n=1). The prevalence of ESBL (extended-spectrum β-lactamase), fluoroquinolone and carbapenem resistance were 71.9 %, 59.6 % and 17.5 % respectively. Most patients (n=37; 64.9 %) were treated with a combination including carbapenems (n=32) and colistin (n=11) for a mean of 63.3 d. Implant retention with debridement occurred in early OAI (66.7 %), whereas the infected device was removed in late OAI (70.4 %) (p=0.008). OAI remission was achieved in 29 cases (50.9 %). The type of surgery, antimicrobial resistance and duration of treatment did not significantly influence the outcome. Independent predictors of the failure to eradicate OAI were age &gt;60 years (hazard ratio, HR, of 3.875; 95 % confidence interval, CI95 %, of 1.540–9.752; p=0.004) and multiple surgeries for OAI (HR of 2.822; CI95 % of 1.144–6.963; p=0.024). Conclusions: Only half of the MDR/XDR GNB OAI cases treated by antimicrobials and surgery had a successful outcome. Advanced age and multiple surgeries hampered the eradication of OAI. Optimal therapeutic options remain a challenge.</p

The interrelations of radiologic findings and mechanical ventilation in community acquired pneumonia patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a multicentre retrospective study

Tufan, Zeliha Kocak/0000-0002-3294-014X; Leblebicioglu, Hakan/0000-0002-6033-8543; Karakas, Ahmet/0000-0002-0553-8454; Gungor, Gokay/0000-0003-2294-489XWOS: 000330050000001PubMed: 24400646Background: We evaluated patients admitted to the intensive care units with the diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) regarding initial radiographic findings. Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was held. Chest x ray (CXR) and computerized tomography (CT) findings and also their associations with the need of ventilator support were evaluated. Results: A total of 388 patients were enrolled. Consolidation was the main finding on CXR (89%) and CT (80%) examinations. Of all, 45% had multi-lobar involvement. Bilateral involvement was found in 40% and 44% on CXR and CT respectively. Abscesses and cavitations were rarely found. The highest correlation between CT and CXR findings was observed for interstitial involvement. More than 80% of patients needed ventilator support. Noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) requirement was seen to be more common in those with multi-lobar involvement on CXR as 2.4-fold and consolidation on CT as 47-fold compared with those who do not have these findings. Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) need increased 8-fold in patients with multi-lobar involvement on CT. Conclusion: CXR and CT findings correlate up to a limit in terms of interstitial involvement but not in high percentages in other findings. CAP patients who are admitted to the ICU are severe cases frequently requiring ventilator support. Initial CT and CXR findings may indicate the need for ventilator support, but the assumed ongoing real practice is important and the value of radiologic evaluation beyond clinical findings to predict the mechanical ventilation need is subject for further evaluation with large patient series

Development and preliminary evaluation of a multiplexed amplification and next generation sequencing method for viral hemorrhagic fever diagnostics

<div><p>Background</p><p>We describe the development and evaluation of a novel method for targeted amplification and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based identification of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) agents and assess the feasibility of this approach in diagnostics.</p><p>Methodology</p><p>An ultrahigh-multiplex panel was designed with primers to amplify all known variants of VHF-associated viruses and relevant controls. The performance of the panel was evaluated via serially quantified nucleic acids from Yellow fever virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, Ebola virus, Junin virus and Chikungunya virus in a semiconductor-based sequencing platform. A comparison of direct NGS and targeted amplification-NGS was performed. The panel was further tested via a real-time nanopore sequencing-based platform, using clinical specimens from CCHF patients.</p><p>Principal findings</p><p>The multiplex primer panel comprises two pools of 285 and 256 primer pairs for the identification of 46 virus species causing hemorrhagic fevers, encompassing 6,130 genetic variants of the strains involved. In silico validation revealed that the panel detected over 97% of all known genetic variants of the targeted virus species. High levels of specificity and sensitivity were observed for the tested virus strains. Targeted amplification ensured viral read detection in specimens with the lowest virus concentration (1–10 genome equivalents) and enabled significant increases in specific reads over background for all viruses investigated. In clinical specimens, the panel enabled detection of the causative agent and its characterization within 10 minutes of sequencing, with sample-to-result time of less than 3.5 hours.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Virus enrichment via targeted amplification followed by NGS is an applicable strategy for the diagnosis of VHFs which can be adapted for high-throughput or nanopore sequencing platforms and employed for surveillance or outbreak monitoring.</p></div

A long-term multicenter study: Entecavir versus Tenofovir in treatment of nucleos(t)ide analogue-naive chronic hepatitis B patients

Background: Entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarat (TDF) are the two first-line therapies recommended in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B because of having potent antiviral effect and high genetic barriers against resistance. We aimed to compare efficacy of these drugs and to evaluate predictors of viral suppression

List of the viruses targeted by the ultrahigh-multiplex assay.

<p>List of the viruses targeted by the ultrahigh-multiplex assay.</p

Sensitivity of the designed primers according to the target virus genetic variants referenced in GenBank.

<p>Total number of reference sequences and PCR sensitivity for each virus are indicated on the y-axis. Numbers of mismatches in the primers are encoded with colours.</p

Number of virus-specific amplicons detected via semiconductor sequencing in 1 million total reads with (+) or without (-) amplification with the novel panel (YFV: Yellow fever virus; RVFV: Rift Valley fever virus; CCHFV: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus).

<p>Number of virus-specific amplicons detected via semiconductor sequencing in 1 million total reads with (+) or without (-) amplification with the novel panel (YFV: Yellow fever virus; RVFV: Rift Valley fever virus; CCHFV: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus).</p

Findings of the targeted amplification via the novel panel and real-time nanopore sequencing in patient serum specimens with CCHFV-induced hemorrhagic fever.

<p>Findings of the targeted amplification via the novel panel and real-time nanopore sequencing in patient serum specimens with CCHFV-induced hemorrhagic fever.</p