Socioeconomic burden of pneumonia due to multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Korea.

We aimed to estimate the socioeconomic burden of pneumonia due to multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPA). We prospectively searched for MRAB and MRPA pneumonia cases and matched them with susceptible-organism pneumonia and non-infected patients from 10 hospitals. The matching criteria were: same principal diagnosis, same surgery or intervention during hospitalisation, age, sex, and admission date within 60 days. We calculated the economic burden by using the difference in hospital costs, the difference in caregiver costs, and the sum of productivity loss from an unexpected death. We identified 108 MRAB pneumonia [MRAB-P] and 28 MRPA pneumonia [MRPA-P] cases. The estimated number of annual MRAB-P and MRPA-P cases in South Korea were 1309-2483 and 339-644, with 485-920 and 133-253 deaths, respectively. The annual socioeconomic burden of MRAB-P and MRPA-P in South Korea was $64,549,723-122,533,585 and $15,241,883-28,994,008, respectively. The results revealed that MRAB-P and MRPA-P occurred in 1648-3127 patients, resulted in 618-1173 deaths, and caused a nationwide socioeconomic burden of $79,791,606-151,527,593. Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) impose a great clinical and economic burden at a national level. Therefore, controlling the spread of MDRO will be an effective measure to reduce this burden.

Antibacterial activities of polyphenols against foodborne pathogens and their application as antibacterial agents.

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced in higher plants. They are known to possess various functional properties in the human body. Polyphenols also exhibit antibacterial activities against foodborne pathogens. Their antibacterial mechanism is based on inhibiting bacterial biofilm formation or inactivating enzymes. Food-derived polyphenols with such antibacterial activity are natural preservatives and can be used as an alternative to synthetic preservatives that can cause side effects, such as allergies, asthma, skin irritation, and cancer. Studies have reported that polyphenols have positive effects, such as decreasing harmful bacteria and increasing beneficial bacteria in the human gut microbiota. Polyphenols can also be used as natural antibacterial agents in food packaging system in the form of emitting sachets, absorbent pads, and edible coatings. We summarized the antibacterial activities, mechanisms and applications of polyphenols as antibacterial agents against foodborne bacteria.

Risk factors associated with an increase in the size of ground-glass lung nodules on chest computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The detection rate of ground-glass nodules (GGNs) in the lung has increased with the increased use of low-dose computed tomography (CT) of the chest for cancer screening; however, limited data is available on the natural history, follow-up, and treatment of GGNs. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with an increase in the size of GGNs. METHODS: A total of 338 patients (mean ages, 59.8 years; males, 35.5%) with 689 nodules who underwent chest CT at our institute between June 2004 and February 2014 were included in this study. The cut-off date of follow-up was August 2018. We analyzed the size, solidity, number, and margins of the nodules compared with their appearance on previous chest CT images. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify risk factors associated with nodule growth. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 21.8 months. Of the 338 patients, 38.5% had a history of malignancy, including lung cancer (8.9%). Among the 689 nodules, the median size of the lesions was 6.0 mm (IQR, 5-8 mm), and the proportion of nodules with size ≥10 mm and multiplicity was 17.1% and 66.3%, respectively. Compared to the nodules without an increase in size, the 79 nodules with an increase in size during the follow-up period were initially larger (growth group, 7.0 mm vs. non-growth group, 6.0 mm; P = 0.027), more likely to have a size ≥10 mm (26.6% vs. 15.9%; P = 0.018), and had less frequent multiplicity (54.4% vs. 67.9%, P = 0.028). In the multivariate analysis, nodule size ≥10 mm (hazard ratio [HR], 2.044; P = 0.005), a patient history of lung cancer (HR: 2.190, P = 0.006), and solitary nodule (HR: 2.499, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for nodule growth. CONCLUSION: Careful follow-up of GGNs is warranted in patients with a history of malignancy, a large , or a solitary nodule.

Comparison of pyogenic postoperative and native vertebral osteomyelitis.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Postoperative vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) after spinal surgery is a clinical challenge. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the most likely etiologic organisms to guide the choice of empirical antibiotic therapy, and previous reports of treatment outcomes for PVO are scarce. PURPOSE: To compare the microbiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of pyogenic PVO with native vertebral osteomyelitis (NVO). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. PATIENT SAMPLE: Patients with microbiologically proven vertebral osteomyelitis from three university-affiliated hospitals in South Korea between January 2005 and December 2015 with follow-up of at least 12 months after completion of antibiotics or until the patient was transferred. Patients who had a spine operation in the same location within 1 year of diagnosis, and all patients with remnant implants at the time of the vertebral osteomyelitis diagnosis, were defined as having PVO. The remainder of the patients was considered to have NVO. Spinal operations included discectomy, laminectomy, arthrodesis, and instrumentation for stabilization of the spine. OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall mortality, neurologic outcomes, treatment failure, and relapse of infection. METHODS: Demographic data, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, microbiological data, radiographic characteristics, laboratory data (including white blood cell counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein), surgical treatment, and neurologic outcomes for each patient were reviewed from electronic medical records and analyzed. Mortality rate, treatment failure, and relapse of infection were calculated for the two groups. Factors associated with treatment outcome were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The study evaluated 104 patients with PVO and 441 patients with NVO. In PVO, the most common isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (34%, n=35), followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (31%, n=32). In NVO, the most common isolates were S. aureus (47%, n=206) and streptococci (21%, n=94). Of the staphylococci, the proportion of methicillin-resistant strains was significantly higher in PVO than that in NVO (75% vs. 39%, p<.001). The proportion of patients with gram-negative bacilli was 14% in PVO and 20% in NVO. Pre-existing or synchronous nonspinal infection was observed more frequently in NVO than in PVO (33% vs. 13%, p<.001). Although the duration of antibiotic use was similar in both groups, surgery for infection control was performed more frequently in PVO. The mortality rate was similar in both groups. However, the treatment failure and relapse rates at 12 months were higher in the PVO group (23% vs. 13%, p=.009; 14% vs. 7%, p=.028, respectively). Methicillin-resistant S.aureus was significantly associated with treatment failure or relapse via logistic regression (odds ratio 3.01, 95% confidence interval [1.71-5.32], p<.001; odds ratio 2.78, 95% confidence interval [1.40-5.49], p=.003). CONCLUSIONS: Coverage of methicillin-resistant staphylococci should be considered when prescribing empirical antibiotics for PVO. Although surgery was performed more often in PVO than NVO, the treatment failure and relapse rates at 12 months were higher in PVO.

Risk factors for poor outcome in community-onset Clostridium difficile infection.

Background: A substantial portion of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) cases occur in communities, and community-onset CDI (CO-CDI) can lead to serious complications including mortality. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for a poor outcome in CO-CDI. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all inpatients with CDI, in a 1300-bed tertiary-care hospital in Korea, from 2008 through 2015. CO-CDI was defined as CDI occurring within 48 h of admission. Poor outcome was defined as follows: 1) all-cause 30-day mortality, 2) in-hospital mortality, or 3) surgery due to CDI. Results: Of a total 1256 CDIs occurring over 8 years, 152 (12.1%) cases were classified as CO-CDI and 23 (15.1%) had a poor outcome, including 22 (14.5%) cases of mortality and 2 (1.3%) cases of surgery. Patients with a poor outcome had a higher mean age than those without a poor outcome (75.8 vs. 69.6 years, p = 0.03). The proportion of men and prior proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use were significantly higher in the poor outcome group (65.2% vs. 41.9%, p = 0.04; 39.1% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.02, respectively). Multivariate binary logistic model showed that PPI use and anemia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL) at presentation were significantly associated with a poor outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.76; 95% confidence interval [95CI], 1.26-11.21, aOR, 4.67; 95CI, 1.52-14.34, respectively). Conclusions: Clinicians should not only be aware of the possibility of CDI in the community setting but also pay more attention to PPI-using elderly patients with anemia in consideration of a poor outcome.

Early Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Posaconazole Oral Suspension in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of posaconazole is usually performed 1 week after starting the drug because of its long half-life. However, previous studies showed that measuring the posaconazole plasma concentration (PPC) on day 3 is effective for predicting steady-state levels. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relevance of early TDM (day 3) of posaconazole for achieving an optimal PPC. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted from September 2014 to August 2016. A total of 148 patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes received a 200 mg posaconazole oral suspension 3 times daily for fungal prophylaxis. During the period from September 2014 to December 2015 (control group), no dose adjustment was performed on day 3. During the period from January 2016 to Aug 2016 (early TDM group), the frequency of posaconazole 200-mg administration was increased to 4 times daily in patients whose PPC on day 3 was <400 ng/mL. The cutoff value for optimal PPC on day 8 was defined as 500 ng/mL. RESULTS: In 21 of 107 patients (20%) in the control group, PPC was <400 ng/mL on day 3. In 15 (71%) of these 21 patients, the PPC was suboptimal on day 8. In the early TDM group, the PPC was <400 ng/mL on day 3 in 4 of 41 patients (10%). After increasing the posaconazole administration frequency in these 4 patients, PPC was suboptimal on day 8 in 1 patient (25%). In both groups, 104 patients had a PPC of ≥500 ng/mL on day 3, but 7% (7/104) of these had a suboptimal level on day 8. CONCLUSIONS: Early TDM on day 3 for posaconazole suspension may help more patients achieve optimal drug levels on day 8, although TDM on day 8 is needed even in patients with optimal levels on day 3.

Identification of distinctive clinical significance in hospitalized patients with endoscopic duodenal mucosal lesions.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Duodenitis is not infrequent finding in patient undergoing endoscopy. However, hospitalized patients have a higher incidence of secondary duodenal mucosal lesions that might be related with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, tuberculosis, immunologic disorders, or other rare infections. We aimed to identify clinicopathologic features of duodenal mucosal lesions in hospitalized patients. METHODS: All hospitalized patients having duodenal mucosal lesions were identified by endoscopic registration data and pathologic data query from 2011 to 2014. The diagnostic index was designed to be sensitive; however, a detailed review of medical record and endoscopic findings was undertaken to improve specificity. Secondary duodenal lesion was defined as having specific reason to explain the duodenal lesion. RESULTS: Among 6,334 hospitalized patients have undergone upper endoscopy, endoscopic duodenal mucosal lesions was detected in 475 patients. Secondary duodenal lesions was 21 patients (4.4%) and the most frequent secondary cause was IBD (n = 7). The mean age of secondary group was significantly lower than that in primary group (42.3 ± 18.9 years vs. 58.5 ± 16.8 years, p = 0.00), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were less frequently used in secondary group, but there was no differences of gender or presence of Helicobacter pylori. The involvement of distal part of duodenum including postbulbitis or panduodenitis was more frequently detected in secondary group than in primary group. By multivariate regression analysis, younger age of 29 years and the disease extent were significant predictors for the secondary mucosal lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary duodenal mucosal lesions with different pathophysiology, such as IBD or CMV infection, are rare. Disease extent and age seems the most distinctive feature of secondary duodenal mucosal lesions.