Validity of central pain processing biomarkers for predicting the occurrence of oncological chronic pain: a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Despite recent improvements in cancer detection and survival rates, managing cancer-related pain remains a significant challenge. Compared to neuropathic and inflammatory pain conditions, cancer pain mechanisms are poorly understood, despite pain being one of the most feared symptoms by cancer patients and significantly impairing their quality of life, daily activities, and social interactions. The objective of this work was to select a panel of biomarkers of central pain processing and modulation and assess their ability to predict chronic pain in patients with cancer using predictive artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. METHODS: We will perform a prospective longitudinal cohort, multicentric study involving 450 patients with a recent cancer diagnosis. These patients will undergo an in-person assessment at three different time points: pretreatment, 6 months, and 12 months after the first visit. All patients will be assessed through demographic and clinical questionnaires and self-report measures, quantitative sensory testing (QST), and electroencephalography (EEG) evaluations. We will select the variables that best predict the future occurrence of pain using a comprehensive approach that includes clinical, psychosocial, and neurophysiological variables. DISCUSSION: This study aimed to provide evidence regarding the links between poor pain modulation mechanisms at precancer treatment in patients who will later develop chronic pain and to clarify the role of treatment modality (modulated by age, sex and type of cancer) on pain. As a final output, we expect to develop a predictive tool based on AI that can contribute to the anticipation of the future occurrence of pain and help in therapeutic decision making.

Expanded library of novel 2,3-pyrrolidinedione analogues exhibit anti-biofilm activity.

Herein we report a new library of 2,3-pyrrolidinedione analogues that expands on our previous report on the antimicrobial studies of this heterocyclic scaffold. The novel 2,3-pyrrolidinediones reported herein have been evaluated against S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) biofilms, and this work constitutes our first report on the antibiofilm properties of this class of compounds. The antibiofilm activity of these 2,3-pyrrolidinediones has been assessed through minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) and minimum biofilm inhibition concentration (MBIC) assays. The compounds displayed antibiofilm properties and represent intriguing scaffolds for further optimization and development.

Exploring the performance of the topological energy method for object and damage detection from noisy and poor databases.

In this work, we study the performance of numerical methods based on the computation of topological energies to process data from synthetic and real experiments where only noisy limited-view data corresponding to a few frequencies are available. We show numerical experiments in two problems of practical interest. The first one corresponds to experimental measurements of the electromagnetic scattering produced by different objects extracted from the Fresnel database. The second one is related to synthetic experiments in a simplified model where steel welding joints are acoustically tested to identify possible flaws (air bubbles and inclusions) produced during the welding process. This article is part of the theme issue 'Non-smooth variational problems with applications in mechanics'.

Math anxiety and the shifting function: An event-related potential study of arithmetic task switching.

Why is math anxiety usually related to less efficient math processing? According to attentional control theory, anxiety leads to reduced attentional control, which often entails a greater investment of resources (e.g., more time or effort) to carry out a cognitive task. The executive functions mainly affected by anxiety are inhibition and shifting. Previous studies suggest that math anxiety may impair the inhibitory function. In the present study, the relationship between math anxiety and shifting efficiency when switching between two-digit additions and subtractions was examined. Twenty highly math-anxious and 20 low math-anxious individuals participated in an event-related potential (ERP) transition-cueing experiment. Math anxiety was expected to delay the shifting process, leading to a larger switch cost in response time and no centroparietal cue-locked switch-specific positivity registered in the electroencephalogram during the cue-target interval. Highly math-anxious individuals showed a larger switch cost than their low math-anxious peers. Asymmetrical switch effects between operations in response time were found in both groups, which might be due to larger sequential difficulty effects after subtractions than after additions. The cue-locked switch-specific positivity was present only in the low math-anxious group. The present results suggest that highly math-anxious individuals take longer to shift task sets. Additionally, the highly math-anxious group showed a more positive frontal P2 after the cue that announced a switch to subtraction, probably indicating stronger attentional capture by this cue, because the most threatening condition is anticipated. Taken together, these data suggest that math anxiety also impairs attentional control when switching between arithmetic tasks.

Elevated complement C3 and increased CD8 and type 1 helper lymphocyte T populations in patients with post-COVID-19 condition.

BACKGROUND: Biological markers associated to post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) have not been clearly identified. METHODS: Eighty-two patients attending our post-COVID-19 outpatient clinic were recruited and classified as fully recovered (40.2%) or presenting with PCC (59.8%). Clinical and radiological data, laboratory markers, cytokines, and lymphocyte populations were analyzed. RESULTS: Median number of days after hospitalization was 78.5 [p25-p75: 60-93] days. PCC was significantly more frequent in women, in patients with a previously critical COVID-19, and in those with two or more comorbidities. No differences were found in lymphocyte counts, ferritin, C-reactive protein, D-dimer or sCD25, IL-1ß, IL-1Ra, IL-6, CXCL8, IL-17A, IL-18, IL-22, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-10 cytokines levels. PCC patients showed significantly higher levels of complement factor C3 than fully recovered patients: median C3 128 mg/dL [p25-p75:107-135] vs 111 mg/dL [p25-p75: 100-125] (p =.005), respectively. In the flow cytometry assessment of peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations, PCC patients showed significantly increased CD8 populations compared to fully recovered patients: median CD8: 529 [p25-p75: 384-683] vs 370/mm3 [p25-p75:280-523], p =.007. When type 1, 2, 17/22, and 17.1 helper and follicular T lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed, the frequency of Th1 was significantly higher in PCC patients compared to fully recovered patients (30% vs 38.5%, p =.028). CONCLUSION: Patients with a post-COVID-19 condition showed significantly increased immunological parameters of inflammation (complement factor C3 and CD8 and Th1 T lymphocyte populations) compared to fully recovered patients. These parameters could be used as biological markers of this condition.

Leveraging Marine Natural Products as a Platform to Tackle Bacterial Resistance and Persistence.

Antimicrobial resistance to existing antibiotics represents one of the greatest threats to human health and is growing at an alarming rate. To further complicate treatment of bacterial infections, many chronic infections are the result of bacterial biofilms that are tolerant to treatment with antibiotics because of the presence of metabolically dormant persister cell populations. Together these threats are creating an increasing burden on the healthcare system, and a "preantibiotic" age is on the horizon if significant action is not taken by the scientific and medical communities. While the golden era of antibiotic discovery (1940s-1960s) produced most of the antibiotic classes in clinical use today, followed by several decades of limited development, there has been a resurgence in antibiotic drug discovery in recent years fueled by the academic and biotech sectors. Historically, great success has been achieved by developing next-generation variants of existing classes of antibiotics, but there remains a dire need for the identification of novel scaffolds and/or antimicrobial targets to drive future efforts to overcome resistance and tolerance. In this regard, there has been no more valuable source for the identification of antibiotics than natural products, with 69-77% of approved antibiotics either being such compounds or being derived from them.Our group has developed a program centered on the chemical synthesis and chemical microbiology of marine natural products with unusual structures and promising levels of activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens. As we are motivated by preparing and studying the biological effects of these molecules, we are not initially pursuing a biological question but instead are allowing the observed phenotypes and activities to guide the ultimate project direction. In this Account, our recent efforts on the synoxazolidinone, lipoxazolidinone, and batzelladine natural products will be discussed and placed in the context of the field's greatest challenges and opportunities. Specifically, the synoxazolidinone family of 4-oxazolidinone-containing natural products has led to the development of several chemical methods to prepare antimicrobial scaffolds and has revealed compounds with potent activity as adjuvants to treat bacterial biofilms. Bearing the same 4-oxazolidinone core, the lipoxazolidinones have proven to be potent single-agent antibiotics. Finally, our synthetic efforts toward the batzelladines revealed analogues with activity against a number of MDR pathogens, highlighted by non-natural stereochemical isomers with superior activity and simplified synthetic access. Taken together, these studies provide several distinct platforms for the development of novel therapeutics that can add to our arsenal of scaffolds for preclinical development and can provide insight into the biochemical processes and pathways that can be targeted by small molecules in the fight against antimicrobial-resistant and -tolerant infections. We hope that this work will serve as inspiration for increased efforts by the scientific community to leverage synthetic chemistry and chemical microbiology toward novel antibiotics that can combat the growing crisis of MDR and tolerant bacterial infections.

Long-term outcomes and quality of life assessment after posterior component separation with transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR).

BACKGROUND: Although transversus abdominis release (TAR) to treat large incisional hernias has shown favorable postoperative outcomes, devastating complications may occur when it is used in suboptimal conditions. We aimed to evaluate postoperative outcomes and long-term follow-up after TAR for large incisional hernias. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients undergoing TAR for complex incisional hernias between 2014 and 2019 with a minimum of 6 month follow-up was included. Demographics, operative and postoperative variables were analyzed. Postoperative imaging (CT-scan) was also evaluated to detect occult recurrences. The HerQLes survey for quality of life (QoL) assessment was performed preoperatively and 6 months after the surgery. RESULTS: A total of 50 TAR repairs were performed. Mean age was 65 (35-83) years, BMI was 28.5 ± 3.4 kg/m2, and 8 (16%) patients had diabetes. Mean Tanaka index was 14.2 ± 8.5. Mean defect area was 420 (100-720) cm2, average defect width was 19 ± 6.2 cm, and mesh area was 900 (500-1050) cm2; 78% were clean procedures, and in 60% a panniculectomy was associated. Operative time was 252 (162-438) minutes, and hospital stay was 4.5 (2-16) days. Thirty-day morbidity was 24% (12 patients), and 16% (8 patients) had surgical site infections. Overall recurrence rate was 4% (2 patients) after 28.2 ± 20.1 months of follow-up. QoL showed a significant improvement after surgery (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The TAR technique is an effective treatment modality for large incisional hernias, showing an acceptable postoperative morbidity, a significant improvement in QoL, and low recurrence rates at long-term follow-up.

Active and sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improved quality of life in female patients with fibromyalgia.

PURPOSE: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome with a strong impact on quality of life (QoL). Treatment of this condition remains a challenge, due to the scarce evidence for the effectiveness of the therapeutic approaches available. Current attention is focused on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which has yielded promising results for pain treatment. Rather than focusing only on pain relief, in this study, we aimed to determine how active or sham tDCS (over three cortical targets -the primary motor cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the operculo-insular cortex-) affect QoL in patients with FM. METHODS: Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, we applied fifteen tDCS sessions of 20' to initial 130 participants (randomized to any of the four treatment groups). We evaluated the QoL (assessed by SF-36) and the symptoms' impact (assessed by FIQ-R) in baseline, after treatment and at 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: All groups were comparable as regards age, medication pattern and severity of symptoms before the treatment. We found that QoL and symptoms' impact improved in all treatment groups (including the sham) and this improvement lasted for up to 6 months. However, we did not observe any group effect nor group*treatment interaction. CONCLUSIONS: After the intervention, we observed a non-specific effect that may be due to placebo, favoured by the expectations of tDCS efficacy and psychosocial variables inherent to the intervention (daily relationship with therapists and other patients in the clinic). Therefore, active tDCS is not superior to sham stimulation in improving QoL in FM.

Api m 6 and Api m 10 as Major Allergens in Patients With Honeybee Venom Allergy.

BACKGROUND: Component-resolved diagnosis plays a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of honeybee venom allergy (HVA). Our aim was to study whether any of the allergens not included in the usual diagnostic platforms are relevant in our population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The allergenic sensitization profile of Spanish patients who experienced a systemic reaction after a honeybee sting and were diagnosed with HVA was studied by immunoblotting based on raw autochthonous Apis mellifera venom characterized using SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry and a commercial assay (ImmunoCAP). RESULTS: Allergens in the International Union of Immunological Societies database were detected in the raw A mellifera venom extract used, except Api m 12. Sera from 51 patients with a median (IQR) age of 46.2 years (35.6-54.6) were analyzed. ImmunoCAP revealed Api m 1 and Api m 10 to be major allergens (88.2% and 74.5%, respectively). Moreover, Api m 6 (85.4%) was detected by immunoblotting. CONCLUSION: Api m 1, Api m 6, and Api m 10 are major A mellifera venom allergens in our population.

Efficacy and Safety of Tranexamic Acid for the Control of Surgical Bleeding in Patients Under Liposuction.

Liposuction remains one of the most frequently performed cosmetic surgical procedures and its popularity is increasing every year. However, since its inception, justified concerns regarding patient safety have placed limits on the volume of fat that can be aspirated, influenced by hemodynamic fluctuations and blood loss during liposuction. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic agent that competitively inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, thus preventing the binding and degradation of fibrin. Despite the existence of evidence of the effectiveness of TXA in orthopedic and cardiac surgeries, there is little evidence of its use in liposuction. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid in the control of surgical bleeding in patients undergoing liposuction, through a prospective, open, randomized and controlled clinical trial. Two groups of 25 participants each were formed to whom the application of TXA in a tumescent solution prior to liposuction or liposuction with the traditional technique was randomly assigned. The results showed a decrease in blood loss reflected by the differences in the final hematocrit values, as well as decrease in the same per aspirated volume (p = 0.003). No adverse events were found related with the TXA application and no blood transfusions were required in this group, in contrast to the control group where the need for blood transfusion was present in 20% of the intervened participants. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE II: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Predictors of mortality and clinical characteristics among carbapenem-resistant or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream infections in Spanish children.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are an emerging problem in the paediatric population worldwide with high mortality rates in bloodstream infection (BSI). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate predictors of 30 day mortality in CRE BSI in a paediatric cohort. METHODS: A retrospective observational single-centre study (December 2005-August 2018) was conducted. Cases of CRE BSI in children 0 to 16 years were included. Microbiological identification (MALDI Biotyper) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (Vitek2® and MicroScan panel NBC44) according to EUCAST breakpoints were performed. PCR OXVIKP® was used to confirm carbapenemase genes (OXA-48, VIM, KPC, NDM). Demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, source of bacteraemia, antimicrobial therapy and outcomes were collected from medical records. Survival analysis to establish predictors of 30 day mortality was performed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight cases were included; 76.3% were hospital-acquired infections and 23.7% related to healthcare. All patients had at least one underlying comorbidity and 52.6% were recipients of an organ transplant. VIM carbapenemase was the predominant mechanism (92.1%). Previous CRE colonization or infection rate was 52.6%. Intestinal tract (26.3%) and vascular catheter (21.1%) were the most common sources of infection. Crude mortality within 30 days was 18.4% (7/38); directly related 30 day mortality was 10.5%. Conditions associated with an increment in 30 day mortality were intensive care admission and inadequate empirical therapy (P < 0.05). Combination-antibiotic targeted treatment and a low meropenem MIC were not related to improved survival. CONCLUSIONS: CRE BSI mortality rate is high. The most important factor related to 30 day survival in our CRE BSI cohort in children was empirical treatment that included at least one active antibiotic.

The change of teeth color, whiteness variations and its psychosocial and self-perception effects when using low vs. high concentration bleaching gels: a one-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Dental bleaching in traditional concentrations generates greater sensitivity. In this respect, new systems of lower concentration of hydrogen peroxide for tooth bleaching appeared, with color stability unknown over time. The aim of this study was to compare the change and stability of color with low-concentration (6%) hydrogen peroxide gel in an in-office bleaching setting relative to conventional 37.5% gel, including their effects on psychosocial and esthetic self-perception, after 1 year. METHODS: Patients (n = 25) were assessed at 12 months post bleaching treatment (whitening with 6% chemo-activated alkaline formula gel versus 37.5% traditional concentration gel). Color changes were measured objectively using total variation in color (ΔE), and subjectively using Vita Classical and Vita Bleached scale (ΔSGU) by calibrated evaluators (Kappa = 0.85). The Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) aesthetic questionnaires were used to measure the self-perception and the psychosocial impact of the bleaching protocols. RESULTS: The effect (ΔE) of 37.5% HP (8.37 ± 2.73) was significantly better than that of 6% HP (5.27 ± 2.53) in terms of color rebound after 1 year of follow-up. There were significant differences in psychosocial impact and esthetic self-perception measurements prior to bleaching versus one-year post-whitening time points; positive effects were maintained. CONCLUSIONS: Low concentration (6%) achieved effective bleaching with good stability after 1 year, accompanied by a positive psychosocial impact and enhanced self-perception at follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03217994 (before enrollment of the first participant). Data register: July 14, 2017.

[Avoidable adverse events in primary care. Retrospective cohort study to determine their frequency and severity]. / Eventos adversos evitables en atención primaria. Estudio retrospectivo de cohortes para determinar su frecuencia y gravedad.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of avoidable adverse events (AAEs) in Primary Care (PC). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. LOCATION: Family medicine and paediatric clinics in Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Madrid, Navarre, and Valencia. PARTICIPANTS: A review was performed on a designated sample of 2,397 medical records (95% confidence level and 2% accuracy). The sample was stratified by age group as regards the frequency of physician consultations and considering equal distribution of male and female patients. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Number and severity of identified AAEs from February 2018 to September 2019. RESULTS: A total of 2,557 medical records were reviewed (1,928, 75.4% of adult patients, and 629, 24.6% paediatrics). A total of 182 (7.1%, 95% CI 6.1-8.1%) AAEs that affected 168 patients were identified, which included 7.6% (95% CI 6.4-8.8%) in adults and 5.7% (95% CI 3.9-7.5%) in paediatric patients. The number of AAEs in women was higher than in men (P = 0.006). The incidence of AAEs in boys and girls was similar (P = 0.3). Permanent damage was caused by AAEs in 6 (4.1%) adult patients. CONCLUSIONS: Seeking formulas to increase patient safety in PC should remain a priority objective, particularly in female patients and in paediatrics. One in 24 AAEs causes serious and permanent damage in adults.

Impact of 5 fluorouracil chemotherapy on gut inflammation, functional parameters, and gut microbiota.

Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota may influence the response to chemotherapy. We sought to characterize the effects of 5 fluorouracil (5FU) chemotherapy on colon inflammation and functional measures in colorectal cancer (CRC) and to further determine whether gut microbiota can influence this response. 50 C57BL/6 were randomized into four groups; Control + Vehicle (n = 10), Control + 5FU (n = 10), AOM/DSS + Vehicle (n = 15), and AOM/DSS + 5FU (n = 15). CRC was induced chemically by a single 10 mg/kg injection of azoxymethane (AOM) followed by two cycles (2% and 1%) of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Mice were then treated with 3 cycles of vehicle or 5FU (cycle 1: 40 mg/kg, cycle 2 + 3: 20 mg/kg). Functional tests (grip strength and run-to-fatigue) were performed prior to 5FU treatment (baseline) and at the completion of the second cycle of 5FU. Following the third 5FU cycle, mice were euthanized and the colon was evaluated for expression of inflammatory genes using RT-qPCR and stool samples were profiled using 16S rRNA sequencing. A second experiment used fecal microbiota transplantation from 5FU treated mice to control mice (n = 10-15/group) to determine whether 5FU associated changes in the microbiota could influence functional measures and colon inflammation. 5FU reduced grip strength (p < 0.05) and caused a trending decrease in run-to-fatigue performance in cancer mice (p = 0.06). Select intestinal inflammatory genes were significantly elevated with 5FU treatment and this was further exacerbated with cancer (p < 0.05). Microbiota analysis revealed increased dissimilarity and alterations in bacterial taxonomy in 5FU and AOM/DSS-treated mice (p < 0.05). Fecal transplant from 5FU treated mice reduced functional performance (p < 0.05) and altered select colon inflammatory markers (p < 0.05). This study provides evidence of an effect of 5FU on inflammatory responses and functional measures in a mouse model of CRC and suggests that gut microbes may play a role in some, but not all, 5FU related perturbations.

The rheumatic heart disease healthcare paradox: disease persistence in slums despite universal healthcare coverage-a provider perspective qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable disease frequently recognized in urban slums. Disease rates in Brazilian slums are incommensurate with the country's economic status and the existence of its universal healthcare system. Our study aimed to investigate what system issues may allow for disease persistence, focusing on issues surrounding access and utilization of primary and specialized healthcare services. STUDY DESIGN: This was a two-part (formative phase followed by implementation phase) qualitative study based on interviews and focus groups and analyzed via content analysis. METHODS: One focus group and 17 in-depth interviews with community health workers, primary care providers, and cardiologists who serve slum residents in Brazil and six interviews with key informants (community health researchers and cardiologists) were performed. Interviews with community health workers and primary care providers were from a single heath post in the neighborhood of Liberdade, a populous and previously unstudied slum in Salvador. Cardiologists were recruited from tertiary care referral hospitals in Salvador. RESULTS: Our findings revealed six major chronological categories/themes of issues and twenty subthemes that patients must overcome to avoid developing RHD or to have it successfully medically managed. Major themes include the effects of living in a slum (1), barriers to access and utilization of primary healthcare services (2), treatment in primary healthcare services (3), access/utilization of specialized healthcare services (4), treatment in specialized healthcare services (5), and certain systemic issues (6). CONCLUSION: Slums make residents sick in a manner of ways, and various bottlenecks impeding medical access to both primary care and specialty care exist, requiring multifaceted interventions. We detail major themes and finally suggest interventions that can allow for the health system to successfully eliminate RHD as a public health concern for slum residents.

Mechanisms leading to in vivo ceftolozane/tazobactam resistance development during the treatment of infections caused by MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Objectives: Characterization of the mechanisms driving ceftolozane/tazobactam resistance development in 5 of 47 (10.6%) patients treated for MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in a Spanish hospital. Methods: Five pairs of ceftolozane/tazobactam-susceptible/resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were studied. MICs were determined by broth microdilution, clonal relatedness was assessed by MLST and resistance mechanisms were investigated by phenotypic and genotypic methods, including WGS. ampC variants were cloned to assess their impact on resistance. Results: In all five cases, the same clone was detected for the susceptible/resistant pairs; the widespread ST175 high-risk clone in four of the cases and ST179 in the remaining case. Genomic analysis of the four initial ST175 isolates revealed the characteristic OprD mutation (Q142X) responsible for carbapenem resistance and the AmpR mutation (G154R) responsible for AmpC overexpression and ß-lactam resistance. The final isolates had developed ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam resistance, and each additionally showed a mutation in AmpC: E247K in one of the isolates, T96I in two isolates and a deletion of 19 amino acids (G229-E247) in the remaining isolate. The cloned AmpC variants showed greatly increased ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam MICs compared with WT AmpC, but, in contrast, yielded lower MICs of imipenem, cefepime and particularly piperacillin/tazobactam. On the other hand, ceftolozane/tazobactam resistance development in ST179 was shown to be driven by the emergence of the extended-spectrum OXA ß-lactamase OXA-14, through the selection of an N146S mutation from OXA-10. Conclusions: Modification of intrinsic (AmpC) and horizontally acquired ß-lactamases appears to be the main mechanism leading to ceftolozane/tazobactam resistance in MDR P. aeruginosa.

Ceftolozane/tazobactam for the treatment of multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa: experience from the Balearic Islands.

A prospective, descriptive observational study of consecutive patients treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam in the reference hospital of the Balearic Islands (Spain), between May 2016 and September 2017, was performed. Demographic, clinical, and microbiological variables were recorded. The later included resistance profile, molecular typing, and whole genome sequencing of isolates showing resistance development. Fifty-eight patients were treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam. Thirty-five (60.3%) showed respiratory tract infections, 21 (36.2%) received monotherapy, and 37 (63.8%) combined therapy for ≥ 72 h, mainly with colistin (45.9%). In 46.6% of the patients, a dose of 1/0.5 g/8 h was used, whereas 2/1 g/8 h was used in 41.4%. In 56 of the cases (96.6%), the initial Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates recovered showed a multidrug resistant (MDR) phenotype, and 50 of them (86.2%) additionally met the extensively drug resistant (XDR) criteria and were only susceptible colistin and/or aminoglycosides (mostly amikacin). The epidemic high-risk clone ST175 was detected in 50% of the patients. Clinical cure was documented in 37 patients (63.8%) and resistance development in 8 (13.8%). Clinical failure was associated with disease severity (SOFA), ventilator-dependent respiratory failure, XDR profile, high-risk clone ST175, negative control culture, and resistance development. In 6 of the 8 cases, resistance development was caused by structural mutations in AmpC, including some mutations described for the first time in vivo, whereas in the other 2, by mutations in OXA-10 leading to the extended spectrum OXA-14. Although further clinical experience is still needed, our results suggest that ceftolozane/tazobactam is an attractive option for the treatment of MDR/XDR P. aeruginosa infections.

Glycated hemoglobin and sleep apnea syndrome in children: beyond the apnea-hypopnea index.

PURPOSE: Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) are frequent conditions in pediatrics. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) is a useful homeostatic biomarker of glycemia and may reflect alterations deriving from sleep breathing disorders. The aim of this study was to relate the severity of OSA with blood HbA1C levels in children. METHODS: A descriptive observational study in snoring patients was performed. All patients underwent a sleep study and classified either as simple snorers (apnea-hypopnea index; AHI ≤ 1 episodies/h) or as OSA patients (AHI > 1 episodes/h). In the following morning, a blood glycemic profile (fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1C, and the HOMA index) was performed to every individual. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients were included. HbA1C levels were shown to be increased in the moderate OSA (AHI > 5 episodes/h) group (5.05 ± 0.25 vs. 5.24 ± 0.29%; p = 0.019). Significant correlations were found between HbA1C values and AHI (r = 0.345; p = 0.016) and also with oxygen desaturation index (r = 0.40; p = 0.005). Correlations remained significant after adjusting by age and body mass index. The AHI-associated change in HbA1C was 13.4% (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: In the pediatric population, HbA1C is a biomarker associated with OSA severity, and this relationship is age- and obesity-independent. The fact that this association was observed in snoring patients could help the physician in the distinction between those patients affected with OSA and those with simple snoring. Therefore, HbA1C measurement could play a major role in the diagnosis and the management of the syndrome.