Are Prophylactic Systemic Antibiotics Required in Patients with Cataract Surgery at Local Anesthesia?

The reduced use of antimicrobial drugs has been recommended worldwide, according to the global action for antimicrobial resistance published in 2015 by the World Health Organization. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the incidence of surgical site infection in consecutive patients with cataract surgeries at a single hospital in the 6-year process when prophylactic systemic antibiotics were reduced in a step-by-step manner. The entire study period from 2016 to 2022 was divided into five stages, based on the use of systemic antibiotics. In stage 1 with 649 cataract surgeries, an intravenous drip infusion of cefazolin 1 g was given at surgery, followed by oral cefdinir 100 mg in the evening on surgery day and three times for two postoperative days. In stage 2 with 541 cataract surgeries, oral cefdinir 100 mg was given in the late morning before surgery, in the evening, and three times (300 mg in total) for two postoperative days. In stage 3 with 103 cataract surgeries, oral levofloxacin 500 mg was given in the late morning before surgery and once in the morning for two postoperative days. In stage 4 with 545 cataract surgeries, oral levofloxacin 500 mg was given only in the late morning before surgery. In stage 5 with 311 cataract surgeries, no systemic antibiotics were given. As common procedures in all stages, moxifloxacin eye drops were given four times daily as topical antibiotics in the 3 days before surgery and about 2 weeks after surgery. At surgery, the ocular surface was frequently irrigated with saline-diluted povidone iodine at 0.5% working concentration. No postoperative infection was recorded in any stage. This study showed neither harm nor risk in reduced use and, consequently, no use of prophylactic systemic antibiotics in cataract surgery as far as local precautionary measures were secured.

Application of Kampo Medicines for Treatment of General Fatigue Due to Long COVID.

Evidence regarding treatment for the acute phase of COVID-19 has been accumulating, but specific treatment for long COVID/post-COVID-19 condition has not yet been established. Treatment with herbal medicine might be one treatment option for long COVID, but there has been little research on the effectiveness of herbal medicine for long COVID. The aim of this study was to clarify the prescription patterns of Kampo medicines, which are herbal medicines that originated in China and were developed in Japan, for the treatment of general fatigue due to long COVID. A retrospective descriptive study was performed for patients who visited a COVID-19 aftercare clinic established in Okayama University Hospital during the period from Feb 2021 to Dec 2021 with a focus on symptoms accompanying general fatigue and prescriptions of Kampo medicine. Among the clinical data obtained from medical records of 195 patients, clinical data for 102 patients with general fatigue and accompanying symptoms were analyzed. The patients had various symptoms, and the most frequent symptoms accompanying general fatigue were dysosmia, dysgeusia, headache, insomnia, dyspnea, and hair loss. Prescriptions of Kampo medicine accounted for 24.1% of the total prescriptions (n = 609). The most frequently prescribed Kampo medicine was hochuekkito (71.6%) and other prescribed Kampo medicines were tokishakuyakusan, ryokeijutsukanto, juzentaihoto, hangekobokuto, kakkonto, ninjin'yoeito, goreisan, rikkunshito, and keishibukuryogan. Since the pathophysiology of general fatigue after an infectious disease is, in general, considered a qi deficiency in Kampo medicine, treatments with such compensation agents can be the major prescription as a complement for the qi. In conclusion, Kampo medicine can be one of the main pharmacological treatments for long COVID accompanying general fatigue.

Late-Onset Hypogonadism in a Male Patient with Long COVID Diagnosed by Exclusion of ME/CFS.

After the acute phase of COVID-19, some patients have been reported to have persistent symptoms including general fatigue. We have established a COVID-19 aftercare clinic (CAC) to provide care for an increasing number of these patients. Here, we report the case of a 36-year-old man who developed post-COVID fatigue after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. In the acute phase of COVID-19, the patient's fever resolved within four days; however, general fatigue persisted for three months, and he visited our CAC 99 days after the initial infection. Examination revealed a high Aging Male's Symptoms (AMS) score of 44 and low free testosterone (FT) level of 5.5 pg/mL, which meet the Japanese criteria of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) syndrome. Imaging studies revealed an atrophic pituitary in addition to fatty liver and low bone mineral density. Anterior pituitary function tests showed a low follicle-stimulating hormonelevel and delayed reaction of luteinizing hormone (LH) after gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation, indicating the possibility of hypothalamic hypogonadism in addition to primary hypogonadism seen in patients with post-COVID-19 conditions. After the initiation of Japanese traditional medicine (Kampo medicine: hochuekkito followed by juzentaihoto), the patient's symptoms as well as his AMS score and serum FT level were noticeably improved. Furthermore, follow-up tests of GnRH stimulation revealed improvements in LH responsiveness. Although many patients have been reported to meet the criteria of ME/CFS such as our case, we emphasize the possibility of other underlying pathologies including LOH syndrome. In conclusion, LOH syndrome should be considered a cause of general fatigue in patients with post-COVID-19 conditions and herbal treatment might be effective for long COVID symptoms due to LOH (264 words).

Barium appendicitis.

We have presented a case of barium appendicitis, which is a rare complication of barium enema studies. Barium sulfate is used widely for gastrointestinal radiographic studies and is associated with few complications. Clinicians need to be fully aware of this complication.

In Vitro Effectiveness of Meropenem and Cefmetazole Combination Treatment Against KPC-2-Producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Purpose: Optimal treatment regimens are yet to be established for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). We assessed the in vitro efficacy of meropenem (MEM) and cefmetazole (CMZ) combination treatment against blaKPC-2-positive Enterobacteriaceae, in comparison with that of double-carbapenem therapy using ertapenem (ERT). Materials and Methods: We performed checkerboard assay for 10 blaKPC-2-positive clinical isolates and Klebsiella pneumoniae BAA-1705 (possessing blaKPC-2), with synergistic effect being defined by a fractional inhibitory concentration index of ≤0.5. Subsequently, we conducted time-kill assays using K. pneumoniae BAA-1705 with an initial inoculum of 104-107 colony forming unit (CFU)/mL. Bactericidal effect was defined as the reduction of initial bacterial count by ≥103 CFU/mL in 24 hr. Finally, we applied scanning electron microscopy to observe morphological changes induced by the combination of MEM and CMZ. Results: Checkerboard assays revealed a synergistic effect in 7 out of 11 blaKPC-2 -positive Enterobacteriaceae when the MEM and CMZ combination was used, and no effect when the MEM and ERT combination was used. The minimum inhibitory concentration of MEM decreased 4-8-fold when combined with CMZ. Time-kill assays with an initial inoculum of 5 × 105 CFU/mL revealed regrowth under the combination of MEM and ERT (0.25 × minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] each), whereas the combination of 0.25 × MIC each of MEM and CMZ exhibited bactericidal effect. Scanning electron microscopy results demonstrated that the combination of 0.5 × MIC MEM and 0.5 × MIC CMZ facilitated bacterial cell lysis compared with each antibiotic alone. Conclusion: The combination therapy using MEM and CMZ potentially has bactericidal effect against KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Emergence of Daptomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus during Treatment.

A 68-year-old man with persistent bacteremia accompanying a large iliopsoas abscess, vertebral osteomyelitis, discitis and central venous port infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was admitted to our hospital. During the course of treatment, the emergence of a daptomycin (DAP)-resistant MRSA strain was confirmed; the minimum inhibitory concentration was 1 to 2 µg/mL for vancomycin and more than 1 µg/mL for DAP. Although the bacterial cell wall was not significantly thickened, an increased positive surface charge and single-nucleotide polymorphism within mprF have been confirmed in DAP-resistant strains. Still rare, but clinicians need to be cautious of the emergence of DAP-resistant MRSA during treatment.