Pooled prevalence and trends of antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates over the past 10 years in Turkey: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the current prevalence and trends over the past 10 years of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) antimicrobial resistance. Two researches independently searched two national (ULAKBIM, Türk Medline) and two international databases (PubMed, Web of Science) to identify studies on P. aeruginosa resistance to antimicrobials from 2007 to 2017. METHODS: Homogeneity across studies was assessed using Cochrane guidelines, and total variability due to between-study variations was reflected in the I2 index. A random effects model was developed to estimate the antimicrobial resistance rates and their corresponding 95% CI. Pooled antibiotic resistance rates between 2007-2011 and 2012-2016 were compared to calculate the change in antibiotic resistance over time. Electronic searches with MeSH terms and text words identified 1017 papers. After applying exclusion and inclusion criteria, 45 articles were selected. RESULTS: Pooled resistance prevalence of P. aeruginosa to piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, cefepime, meropenem, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, amikacin, tobramycin and colistin were 33.9%, 38.6%, 35.6%, 30.1%, 28.0%, 30.7%, 28.2%, 17.8%, 15.7% and 2.2%, respectively. The resistance rates of piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem, meropenem, amikacin and colistin significantly increased in the second 5 years (P<0.05); however, gentamicin, tobramycin and ciprofloxacin resistance rates significantly decreased (P<0.05). Comparing the resistance rates between the isolates of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and non-ICU patients, meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactam resistance in ICU isolates were significantly higher than non-ICU (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that antibiotic resistance is high in P. aeruginosa and the trends in antimicrobial resistance continue to increase, mainly in carbapenems and penicillins, in Turkey.

Quality of life and related factors among chronic hepatitis B-infected patients: a multi-center study, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Turkey and to study related factors. METHODS: This multicenter study was carried out between January 01 and April 15, 2015 in Turkey in 57 centers. Adults were enrolled and studied in three groups. Group 1: Inactive HBsAg carriers, Group 2: CHB patients receiving antiviral therapy, Group 3: CHB patients who were neither receiving antiviral therapy nor were inactive HBsAg carriers. Study data was collected by face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Hepatitis B Quality of Life (HBQOL). Values equivalent to p < 0.05 in analyses were accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: Four thousand two hundred fifty-seven patients with CHB were included in the study. Two thousand five hundred fifty-nine (60.1 %) of the patients were males. Groups 1, 2 and 3, consisted of 1529 (35.9 %), 1721 (40.4 %) and 1007 (23.7 %) patients, respectively. The highest value of HRQOL was found in inactive HBsAg carriers. We found that total HBQOL score increased when antiviral treatment was used. However, HRQOL of CHB patients varied according to their socio-demographic properties. Regarding total HBQOL score, a higher significant level of HRQOL was determined in inactive HBV patients when matched controls with the associated factors were provided. CONCLUSIONS: The HRQOL score of CHB patients was higher than expected and it can be worsen when the disease becomes active. Use of an antiviral therapy can contribute to increasing HRQOL of patients.

Tuberculous and brucellosis meningitis differential diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: The Thwaites and Lancet scoring systems have been used in the rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). However, brucellar meningoencephalitis (BME) has similar characteristics with TBM. The ultimate aim of this study is to infer data to see if BME should be included in the differential diagnosis of TBM when these two systems suggest the presence of TBM. METHOD: BME and TBM patients from 35 tertiary hospitals were included in this study. Overall 294 adult patients with BME and 190 patients with TBM were enrolled. All patients involved in the study had microbiological confirmation for either TBM or BME. Finally, the Thwaites and Lancet scoring systems were assessed in both groups. RESULTS: The Thwaites scoring system more frequently predicted BME cases (n = 292, 99.3%) compared to the TBM group (n = 182, 95.8%) (P = 0.017). According to the Lancet scoring system, the mean scores for BME and TBM were 9.43 ± 1.71 and 11.45 ± 3.01, respectively (P < 0.001). In addition, TBM cases were classified into "probable" category more significantly compared to BME cases, and BME cases were categorized into the "possible" category more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: When the Thwaites or Lancet scoring systems indicate TBM, brucellar etiology should also be taken into consideration particularly in endemic countries.

[The management of therapeutic failure in a falciparum malaria patient under oral arthemether-lumefantrine therapy]. / Falsiparum sitmali bir vakada oral artemisin-lümefantrin tedavi basarisizliginin yönetimi.

Malaria is a parasitic infection characterized by anemia, splenomegaly and periodic fever. This infection has a tendency to cause serious complications. Falciparum malaria could occur in our country as an imported case due to increasing intercontinental travel opportunities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends arthemether combination treatment as a first line choice. Here we report a Turkish case admitted to the hospital with high fever, sweating and fatigue. He had been in Uganda for 6 months without prophylaxis. Plasmodium falciparum with an intense parasitic load was diagnosed. We started arthemether-lumefantrine combination therapy immediately. 18 days after his discharge he was readmitted with the same complaints and parasitemia was detected once again. This time, we treated him with the quinine-tetracycline combination regime for 7 days. Within 48 hours the patient was afebrile and the blood smear was negative. Falciparum malaria must be considered in infection emergencies for febrile patients especially with any travel history. For an initial therapy, arthemetherlumefantrine combination is a successful choice of treatment. Even with adequate treatment of arthemether-lumefantrine combination, the problems of recurrence (recrudescence or reinfection) could occur due to treatment failure. For the possibility of recurrence, close monitoring of patients is very important in the critical course after adequate treatment.

[A case report: elephantiasis]. / Olgu Sunumu: Elefentiazis.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare disease and a syndrome that is characterized by the triad of congenital port wine stains,venous malformations with or without varicose veins, bone or soft tissue hypertrophy. Lymphatic filariasis is a filarial disease which usually occurs with genital anomalies, pathologies associated with lymphedema or elephantiasis caused by a filarial infectious agent. In this case report, a 20-year-old male patient admitted to our clinic for diagnosis and treatment with right leg edema and lesions compatible with dermatological manifestations. In the list of differential diagnosis, filarial elephantiasis was also thought, consequently KTS was diagnosed. (Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2012; 36: 188-90).