Clinical Predictors of Recurrence After Primary Clostridioides difficile Infection: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major public health threat. While clinical prediction tools exist, they do not incorporate the newest Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines. METHODS: This was a prospective longitudinal study of patients experiencing their first episode of uncomplicated CDI. Patients were followed from diagnosis through 8 weeks post-completion of their anti-CDI therapy to assess recurrence. Stool was collected at diagnosis and weekly for 8 weeks following treatment. Recurrence was defined as diarrhea as well as a positive stool test by toxin EIA (EIA) for C. difficile. Fisher's exact test for binary variables and Student's t test for continuous variables were performed. Cox regression was performed to assess for predictors of CDI recurrence. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients were enrolled between August 1, 2015, and September 1, 2018. Mean age 58.1 years ± 15.5, 69.3% female, 74.7% were white, 11.3% had baseline irritable bowel syndrome, and 54.7% were actively using PPIs. Over the 8-week follow-up period, 22 patients developed a confirmed CDI recurrence. Univariate predictors of recurrence included treatment with metronidazole (40.9% vs 15.1%, p = 0.03), initially diagnosis by EIA (77.3% vs 43.4%, p = 0.007) and platelet count (206 ± 72.1 vs 270.9 ± 114.8, p = 0.03). A Cox regression model revealed primary diagnosis by EIA (HR 3.39, 95% CI 1.23, 9.31, p = 0.018) and treatment with metronidazole (HR 3.27 95% CI 1.31-8.19, p = 0.01) remain predictors for CDI recurrence. CONCLUSION: In a large prospective longitudinal cohort of uncomplicated CDI patients, treatment with metronidazole and diagnosis via EIA were the most robust predictors of CDI recurrence.

Predictors of Clinical Response and Remission at 1 Year Among a Multicenter Cohort of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treated with Vedolizumab.

BACKGROUND: Vedolizumab (VDZ) has demonstrated long-term efficacy in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in phase III trials. AIMS: Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of VDZ at week 54 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a multicenter cohort of patients. METHODS: Adult patients completing induction therapy with VDZ were eligible for this study. Clinical response and remission was assessed using the Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI) for CD, the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index for UC and physician assessment. RESULTS: Among 136 total patients (96 CD and 40 UC), 76 (56%) demonstrated clinical response or remission at week 54. In univariate analysis, for patients with CD concomitant initiation of immunomodulator therapy (2.71, 95% CI 1.11-6.57), the addition of an immunomodulator (OR 11.49, 3.16-41.75) and CRP < 3 (4.92, 95% CI 1.99-12.15) was associated with increased odds of clinical response or remission at week 54. For UC patients, hospitalization after VDZ induction was associated with decreased odds of response or remission at week 54 (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.05-0.88). On multivariate analysis in CD, addition of an immunomodulator (OR 8.33, 95% CI 2.15-32.26) remained significant predictors of clinical response or remission at week 54. CONCLUSIONS: Among a multicenter cohort of patients with IBD demonstrating primary response to VDZ, the addition of combination therapy with an immunomodulator is a significant predictor of clinical response or remission at week 54 in patients with CD.

Occupational and environmental risk factors for chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent and disabling paranasal sinus disease, with a likely multifactorial etiology potentially including hazardous occupational and environmental exposures. We completed a systematic review of the occupational and environmental literature to evaluate the quality of evidence of the role that hazardous exposures might play in CRS. METHODS: We searched PubMed for studies of CRS and following exposure categories: occupation, employment, work, industry, air pollution, agriculture, farming, environment, chemicals, roadways, disaster, and traffic. We abstracted information from the final set of articles across 6 primary domains: study design; population; exposures evaluated; exposure assessment; CRS definition; and results. RESULTS: We identified 41 articles from 1080 manuscripts: 37 occupational risk papers, 1 environmental risk paper, and 3 papers studying both categories of exposures. None of the 41 studies used a CRS definition consistent with current diagnostic guidelines. Exposure assessment was generally dependent on self-report or binary measurements of exposure based on industry of employment. Only grain, dairy, and swine operations among farmers were evaluated by more than 1 study using a common approach to defining CRS, but employment in these settings was not consistently associated with CRS. The multiple other exposures did not meet quality standards for reporting associations or were not evaluated by more than 1 study. CONCLUSION: The current state of the literature allows us to make very few conclusions about the role of hazardous occupational or environmental exposures in CRS, leaving a critical knowledge gap regarding potentially modifiable risk factors for disease onset and progression.