Deciphering factors linked with reduced SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Factors influencing susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 remain to be resolved. Using data of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) on 6,270 people with HIV (PWH) and serologic assessment for SARS-CoV-2 and circulating-human-coronavirus (HCoV) antibodies, we investigated the association of HIV-related and general parameters with SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 PCR-tests, COVID-19 related hospitalizations, and deaths reported to the SHCS between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and HCoVs were determined in pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic (2020) bio-banked plasma and compared to HIV-negative individuals. We applied logistic regression, conditional logistic regression, and Bayesian multivariate regression to identify determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection and Ab responses to SARS-CoV-2 in PWH. RESULTS: No HIV-1-related factors were associated with SARS-CoV-2 acquisition. High pre-pandemic HCoV antibodies were associated with a lower risk of subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection and with higher SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses upon infection. We observed a robust protective effect of smoking on SARS-CoV-2-infection risk (aOR= 0.46 [0.38,0.56], p=2.6*10-14), which occurred even in previous smokers, and was highest for heavy smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings of two independent protective factors, smoking and HCoV antibodies, both affecting the respiratory environment, underscore the importance of the local immune milieu in regulating susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2.

Weight, anthropometric and metabolic changes after discontinuing antiretroviral therapy containing tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) in people with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART)-related weight gain is of particular concern in people with HIV (PWH). While weight gain was observed among PWH receiving tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), little is known about the potential reversibility after TAF discontinuation. We evaluated weight and metabolic changes 12 months after TAF discontinuation in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. METHODS: We included participants who received at least six months of TAF-containing ART between January 2016 and March 2023. Using multivariable mixed-effect models, changes in weight and lipid levels were compared between individuals who continued TAF and those who switched to one of the following TAF-free regimens: TDF-based ART, dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC), or long-acting cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV). RESULTS: Of 6555 participants (median age 54 years, 24.3% female, 13% Black), 5485 (83.7%) continued and 1070 (16.3%) stopped TAF. Overall, discontinuing TAF was associated with an adjusted mean weight change of -0.54 kg (95% CI -0.98 to -0.11) after 12 months. In stratified analyses, switching from TAF to TDF led to an adjusted mean weight decrease of -1.84 kg (CI -2.72 to -0.97), and to a decrease in mean total cholesterol (-0.44 mmol/L) and triglycerides (-0.38 mmol/L) after 12 months. Switching from TAF-based ART to DTG/3TC (-0.17 kg, CI -0.82 to 0.48) or long-acting CAB/RPV (-0.64 kg, CI -2.16 to 0.89) did not lead to reductions in weight. CONCLUSIONS: Replacing TAF with TDF in PWH led to a decrease in body weight and an improved lipid profile within one year. Weight changes were not observed among individuals who switched to DTG/3TC or long-acting CAB/RPV.

Impact of hormonal therapy on HIV-1 immune markers in cis women and gender minorities.

BACKGROUND: Although sex hormones are recognized to induce immune variations, the effect of hormonal therapy use on immunity is only poorly understood. Here, we quantified how hormonal therapy use affects HIV-1 immune markers in cis women (CW) and trans women and non-binary people (TNBP) with HIV. METHODS: We considered CD4, CD8 and lymphocyte measurements from cis men (CM), CW and TNBP in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. We modelled HIV-1 markers using linear mixed-effects models with an interaction between 'gender' (CW, TNBP) and 'hormonal therapy use' (yes/no). Models were adjusted on age, ethnicity, education level, time since start of antiretroviral therapy and use of intravenous drugs. We assessed the inflammatory effect of hormonal therapy use in 31 TNBP using serum proteomics measurements of 92 inflammation markers. RESULTS: We included 54 083 measurements from 3092 CW and 83 TNBP, and 147 230 measurements from 8611 CM. Hormonal therapy use increased CD4 count and CD4:CD8 ratio in TNBP more than in CW (pinteraction = 0.02 and 0.007, respectively). TNBP with hormonal therapy use had significantly higher CD4 counts [median = 772 cells/µL, interquartile range (IQR): 520-1006] than without (617 cells/µL, 426-892). This was similar to the effect of CW versus CM on CD4 T cells. Hormonal therapy use did not affect serum protein concentrations in TNBP. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the potential role of hormonal therapy use in modulating the immune system among other biological and social factors, especially in TNBP with HIV.

Long-term trends in hepatitis C prevalence, treatment uptake and liver-related events in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections changed dramatically in the last decade. We assessed changes in the prevalence of replicating HCV infection, treatment uptake and liver-related morbidity and mortality in persons with HIV (PWH) and hepatitis C in the Swiss HIV cohort study. METHODS: We included all cohort participants between 2002 and 2021. We assessed yearly prevalence of replicating HCV infection, overall and liver-related mortality, as well as the yearly incidence of liver-related events in persons with at least one documented positive HCV-RNA. RESULTS: Of 14 652 participants under follow-up, 2294 had at least one positive HCV-RNA measurement. Of those, 1316 (57%) ever received an HCV treatment. Treatment uptake increased from 8.1% in 2002 to a maximum of 32.6% in 2016. Overall, prevalence of replicating HCV infection declined from 16.5% in 2004 to 1.3% in 2021. HCV prevalence declined from 63.2% to 7.1% in persons who inject drugs, and from 4.1% to 0.6% in men who have sex with men. Among the 2294 persons with replicating HCV infection, overall mortality declined from a maximum of 3.3 per 100 patient-years (PY) to 1.1 per 100 PY, and incidence of liver-related events decreased from 1.4/100 PY to 0.2/100 PY. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of DAA therapy was associated with a more than 10-fold reduction in prevalence of replicating HCV infection in PWH, approaching the estimates in the general population. Overall mortality and liver-related events declined substantially in persons living with HIV and hepatitis C.

Comparison of ciprofloxacin versus fosfomycin versus fosfomycin plus trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for preventing infections after transrectal prostate biopsy.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate antibiotic prophylaxis in transrectal prostate biopsies due to the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA): We describe our single center experience switching from ciprofloxacin to fosfomycin trometamol (FMT) alone and to an augmented prophylaxis combining fosfomycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). METHODS: Between 01/2019 and 12/2020 we compared three different regimes. The primary endpoint was the clinical diagnosis of an infection within 4 weeks after biopsy. We enrolled 822 men, 398 (48%) of whom received ciprofloxacin (group-C), 136 (16.5%) received FMT (group-F) and 288 (35%) received the combination of TMP/SMX and FMT (group-BF). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. In total 37/398 (5%) postinterventional infections were detected, of which 13/398 (3%) vs 18/136 (13.2%) vs 6/288 (2.1%) were detected in group-C, group-F and group-BF respectively. The relative risk of infectious complication was 1.3 (CI 0.7-2.6) for group-C vs. group-BF and 2.8 (CI 1.4-5.7) for group-F vs. group-BF respectively. CONCLUSION: The replacement of ciprofloxacin by fosfomycin alone resulted in a significant increase of postinterventional infections, while the combination of FMT and TMP/SMX had a comparable infection rate to FQ without apparent adverse events. Therefore, this combined regimen of FMT and TMP/SMX is recommended.

Quantifying and Predicting Ongoing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Transmission Dynamics in Switzerland Using a Distance-Based Clustering Approach.

BACKGROUND: Despite effective prevention approaches, ongoing human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) transmission remains a public health concern indicating a need for identifying its drivers. METHODS: We combined a network-based clustering method using evolutionary distances between viral sequences with statistical learning approaches to investigate the dynamics of HIV transmission in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study and to predict the drivers of ongoing transmission. RESULTS: We found that only a minority of clusters and patients acquired links to new infections between 2007 and 2020. While the growth of clusters and the probability of individual patients acquiring new links in the transmission network was associated with epidemiological, behavioral, and virological predictors, the strength of these associations decreased substantially when adjusting for network characteristics. Thus, these network characteristics can capture major heterogeneities beyond classical epidemiological parameters. When modeling the probability of a newly diagnosed patient being linked with future infections, we found that the best predictive performance (median area under the curve receiver operating characteristic AUCROC = 0.77) was achieved by models including characteristics of the network as predictors and that models excluding them performed substantially worse (median AUCROC = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the utility of molecular epidemiology-based network approaches for analyzing and predicting ongoing HIV transmission dynamics. This approach may serve for real-time prospective assessment of HIV transmission.

Impact of Integrase Inhibitors on Cardiovascular Disease Events in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Starting Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) have been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. We investigated the impact of starting INSTI-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) on CVD events among treatment-naïve people with human immunodeficiency virus using a target trial framework, which reduces the potential for confounding and selection bias. METHODS: We included Swiss HIV Cohort Study participants who were ART-naïve after May 2008, when INSTIs became available in Switzerland. Individuals were categorized according to their first ART regimen (INSTI vs other ART) and were followed from ART start until the first of CVD event (myocardial infarction, stroke, or invasive cardiovascular procedure), loss to follow-up, death, or last cohort visit. We calculated hazard ratios and risk differences using pooled logistic regression models with inverse probability of treatment and censoring weights. RESULTS: Of 5362 participants (median age 38 years, 21% women, 15% of African origin), 1837 (34.3%) started INSTI-based ART, and 3525 (65.7%) started other ART. Within 4.9 years (interquartile range, 2.4-7.4), 116 CVD events occurred. Starting INSTI-based ART was not associated with an increased risk for CVD events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], .46-1.39). Adjusted risk differences between individuals who started INSTIs and those who started other ART were -0.17% (95% CI, -.37 to .19) after 1 year, -0.61% (-1.54 to 0.22) after 5 years, and -0.71% (-2.16 to 0.94) after 8 years. CONCLUSIONS: In this target trial emulation, we found no difference in short- or long-term risk for CVD events between treatment-naïve people with human immunodeficiency virus who started INSTI-based ART and those on other ART.

Call, chosen, HA2T2, ANDC: validation of four severity scores in COVID-19 patients.

PURPOSE: To externally validate four previously developed severity scores (i.e., CALL, CHOSEN, HA2T2 and ANDC) in patients with COVID-19 hospitalised in a tertiary care centre in Switzerland. METHODS: This observational analysis included adult patients with a real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction or rapid-antigen test confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection hospitalised consecutively at the Cantonal Hospital Aarau from February to December 2020. The primary endpoint was all-cause in-hospital mortality. The secondary endpoint was disease progression, defined as needing invasive ventilation, ICU admission or death. RESULTS: From 399 patients (mean age 66.6 years ± 13.4 SD, 68% males), we had complete data for calculating the CALL, CHOSEN, HA2T2 and ANDC scores in 297, 380, 151 and 124 cases, respectively. Odds ratios for all four scores showed significant associations with mortality. The discriminative power of the HA2T2 score was higher compared to CALL, CHOSEN and ANDC scores [area under the curve (AUC) 0.78 vs. 0.65, 0.69 and 0.66, respectively]. Negative predictive values (NPV) for mortality were high, particularly for the CALL score (≥ 6 points: 100%, ≥ 9 points: 95%). For disease progression, discriminative power was lower, with the CHOSEN score showing the best performance (AUC 0.66). CONCLUSION: In this external validation study, the four analysed scores had a lower performance compared to the original cohorts regarding prediction of mortality and disease progression. However, all scores were significantly associated with mortality and the NPV of the CALL and CHOSEN scores in particular allowed reliable identification of patients at low risk, making them suitable for outpatient management.

The Role of HbA1c as a Positive Perioperative Predictor of Surgical Site and Other Postoperative Infections: An Explorative Analysis in Patients Undergoing Minor to Major Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) inhere impaired peripheral insulin action leading to higher perioperative morbidity and mortality rates, with hospital-acquired infections being one important complication. This post hoc, observational study aimed to analyze the impact of surgical and metabolic stress as defined by the surrogate marker hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), in relation to self-reported DM2, on perioperative infection rates in a subcohort of the Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Trial population. METHODS: All patients of the SSI study were screened for HbA1c levels measured perioperatively for elective or emergency surgery and classified according to the American Diabetes Association HbA1c cutoff values. SSI and nosocomial infections, self-reported state of DM2 and type of surgery (minor, major) were assessed. RESULTS: HbA1c levels were measured in 139 of 5175 patients (2.7%) of the complete SSI study group. Seventy patients (50.4%) self-reported DM2, while 69 (49.6%) self-reported to be non-diabetic. HbA1c levels indicating pre-diabetes were found in 48 patients (34.5%) and diabetic state in 64 patients (46%). Forty-five patients of the group self-reporting no diabetes (65.2%) were previously unaware of their metabolic derangement (35 pre-diabetic and 10 diabetic). Eighteen infections were detected. Most infections (17 of 18 events) were found in patients with HbA1c levels indicating pre-/diabetic state. The odds for an infection was 3.9-fold (95% CI 1.4 to 11.3) higher for patients undergoing major compared to minor interventions. The highest percentage of infections (38.5%) was found in the group of patients with an undiagnosed pre-/diabetic state undergoing major surgery. CONCLUSIONS: These results encourage investment in further studies evaluating a more generous and specific use of HbA1c screening in patients without self-reported diabetes undergoing major surgery. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01790529.

Effect of Bedside Compared With Outside the Room Patient Case Presentation on Patients' Knowledge About Their Medical Care : A Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Trial.

BACKGROUND: Although bedside case presentation contributes to patient-centered care through active patient participation in medical discussions, the complexity of medical information and jargon-induced confusion may cause misunderstandings and patient discomfort. OBJECTIVE: To compare bedside versus outside the room patient case presentation regarding patients' knowledge about their medical care. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, parallel-group trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03210987). SETTING: 3 Swiss teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Adult medical patients who were hospitalized. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned to bedside or outside the room case presentation. MEASUREMENTS: The primary endpoint was patients' average knowledge of 3 dimensions of their medical care (each rated on a visual analogue scale from 0 to 100): understanding their disease, the therapeutic approach being used, and further plans for care. RESULTS: Compared with patients in the outside the room group (n = 443), those in the bedside presentation group (n = 476) reported similar knowledge about their medical care (mean, 79.5 points [SD, 21.6] vs. 79.4 points [SD, 19.8]; adjusted difference, 0.09 points [95% CI, -2.58 to 2.76 points]; P = 0.95). Also, an objective rating of patient knowledge by the study team was similar for the 2 groups, but the bedside presentation group had higher ratings of confusion about medical jargon and uncertainty caused by team discussions. Bedside ward rounds were more efficient (mean, 11.89 minutes per patient [SD, 4.92] vs. 14.14 minutes per patient [SD, 5.65]; adjusted difference, -2.31 minutes [CI, -2.98 to -1.63 minutes]; P < 0.001). LIMITATION: Only Swiss hospitals and medical patients were included. CONCLUSION: Compared with outside the room case presentation, bedside case presentation was shorter and resulted in similar patient knowledge, but sensitive topics were more often avoided and patient confusion was higher. Physicians presenting at the bedside need to be skilled in the use of medical language to avoid confusion and misunderstandings. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Swiss National Foundation (10531C_ 182422).

Cohort-Derived Machine Learning Models for Individual Prediction of Chronic Kidney Disease in People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether data-driven machine learning models, which are trained on large epidemiological cohorts, may improve prediction of comorbidities in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). METHODS: In this proof-of-concept study, we included people living with HIV in the prospective Swiss HIV Cohort Study with a first estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >60 mL/minute/1.73 m2 after 1 January 2002. Our primary outcome was chronic kidney disease (CKD)-defined as confirmed decrease in eGFR ≤60 mL/minute/1.73 m2 over 3 months apart. We split the cohort data into a training set (80%), validation set (10%), and test set (10%), stratified for CKD status and follow-up length. RESULTS: Of 12 761 eligible individuals (median baseline eGFR, 103 mL/minute/1.73 m2), 1192 (9%) developed a CKD after a median of 8 years. We used 64 static and 502 time-changing variables: Across prediction horizons and algorithms and in contrast to expert-based standard models, most machine learning models achieved state-of-the-art predictive performances with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve and precision recall curve ranging from 0.926 to 0.996 and from 0.631 to 0.956, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In people living with HIV, we observed state-of-the-art performances in forecasting individual CKD onsets with different machine learning algorithms.

Association of endothelial activation assessed through endothelin-I precursor peptide measurement with mortality in COVID-19 patients: an observational analysis.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) has been linked to thrombotic complications and endothelial dysfunction. We assessed the prognostic implications of endothelial activation through measurement of endothelin-I precursor peptide (proET-1), the stable precursor protein of Endothelin-1, in a well-defined cohort of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: We measured proET-1 in 74 consecutively admitted adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 and compared its prognostic accuracy to that of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (n = 876) and viral bronchitis (n = 371) from a previous study by means of logistic regression analysis. The primary endpoint was all-cause 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Overall, median admission proET-1 levels were lower in COVID-19 patients compared to those with pneumonia and exacerbated bronchitis, respectively (57.0 pmol/l vs. 113.0 pmol/l vs. 96.0 pmol/l, p < 0.01). Although COVID-19 non-survivors had 1.5-fold higher admission proET-1 levels compared to survivors (81.8 pmol/l [IQR: 76 to 118] vs. 53.6 [IQR: 37 to 69]), no significant association of proET-1 levels and mortality was found in a regression model adjusted for age, gender, creatinine level, diastolic blood pressure as well as cancer and coronary artery disease (adjusted OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0009 to 14.7). In patients with pneumonia (adjusted OR 25.4, 95% CI 5.1 to 127.4) and exacerbated bronchitis (adjusted OR 120.1, 95% CI 1.9 to 7499) we found significant associations of proET-1 and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to other types of pulmonary infection, COVID-19 shows only a mild activation of the endothelium as assessed through measurement of proET-1. Therefore, the high mortality associated with COVID-19 may not be attributed to endothelial dysfunction by the surrogate marker proET-1.

Changes in Renal Function After Switching From TDF to TAF in HIV-Infected Individuals: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Replacing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) with tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) improves renal tubular markers in HIV-infected individuals but the impact on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) remains unclear. METHODS: In all participants from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study who switched from TDF to TAF-containing antiretroviral regimen or continued TDF, we estimated changes in eGFR and urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) after 18 months using mixed-effect models. RESULTS: Of 3520 participants (26.6% women, median age 50 years), 2404 (68.5%) switched to TAF. Overall, 1664 (47.3%) had an eGFR <90 mL/min and 1087 (30.9%) an UPCR ≥15 mg/mmol. In patients with baseline eGFR ≥90 mL/min, eGFR decreased with the use of TDF and TAF (-1.7 mL/min). Switching to TAF was associated with increases in eGFR of 1.5 mL/min (95% confidence interval [CI], .5-2.5) if the baseline eGFR was 60-89 mL/min, and 4.1 mL/min (95% CI, 1.6-6.6) if <60 mL/min. In contrast, eGFR decreased by 5.8 mL/min (95% CI, 2.3-9.3) with continued use of TDF in individuals with baseline eGFR <60 mL/min. UPCR decreased after replacing TDF by TAF, independent of baseline eGFR. CONCLUSIONS: Switching from TDF to TAF improves eGFR and proteinuria in patients with renal dysfunction.

The Shapiro-Procalcitonin algorithm (SPA) as a decision tool for blood culture sampling: validation in a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Blood cultures (BC) are the gold standard for bacteremia detection despite a relatively low diagnostic yield and high costs. A retrospective study reported high predictive values for BC positivity when combining the clinical Shapiro score with procalcitonin (PCT). METHODS: Single-center, prospective cohort study between 01/2016 and 02/2017 to validate SPA algorithm, including a modified Shapiro score ≥ 3 points (S) PLUS admission PCT > 0.25 µg/l (P), or presence of overruling safety criteria (A) in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome. The diagnostic yield of SPA compared to non-standardized clinical judgment in predicting BC positivity was calculated and results presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of 1438 patients with BC sampling, 215 (15%) had positive BC which increased to 31% (173/555) in patients fulfilling SP criteria (OR for BC positivity 9.07 [6.34-12.97]). When adding 194 patients with overruling safety criteria (i.e., SPA), OR increased to 11.12 (6.99-17.69), although BC positivity slightly decreased to 26%. With an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.742, SPA indicated better diagnostic performance than its individual components. Positive BC in 689 patients not fulfilling SPA (sampling according to non-standardized clinical judgment) were rare (3%; OR for BC positivity 0.09 [0.06-0.14]). Eight out of 21 missed pathogens were still identified by sampling the primary infection focus. CONCLUSIONS: This study validates the high predictive value of SPA for bacteremia, increasing true BC positivity from 15 to 26%. Restricting BC sampling to SPA would have reduced BC sampling by 48%, while still detecting 194/215 organisms (90%), which makes SPA a valuable diagnostic stewardship tool.

Use of Contemporary Protease Inhibitors and Risk of Incident Chronic Kidney Disease in Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) Study.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether use of contemporary protease inhibitors pose a similar risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) as use of older protease inhibitors. METHODS: Participants in the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study were followed up until the earliest occurrence of CKD, the last visit plus 6 months, or 1 February 2016. Adjusted Poisson regression was used to assess associations between CKD and the use of ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r) or ritonavir-boosted darunavir (DRV/r). RESULTS: The incidence of CKD (10.0/1000 person-years of follow-up; 95% confidence interval, 9.5-10.4/1000 person-years of follow-up) increased gradually with increasing exposure to ATV/r, but the relation was less clear for DRV/r. After adjustment, only exposure to ATV/r (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.6), but not exposure to DRV/r (1.0; .8-1.3), remained significantly associated with CKD. CONCLUSION: While DRV/r use was not significantly associated with CKD an increasing incidence with longer ATV/r use was confirmed.

Rates and predictors of switching to tenofovir alafenamide-containing ART in a nationwide cohort.

BACKGROUND: Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-containing combinations were introduced in Switzerland after October 2016 and are recommended over tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in patients with osteoporosis or impaired renal function. METHODS: We included all participants of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study on TDF-containing antiretroviral therapy with follow-up visits after January 2016. We determined the proportion of switches from TDF to TAF overall, and among patients with risk factors for TDF toxicity, including osteoporosis, impaired renal function or marked proteinuria. We used multivariable logistic regression to explore predictors of switching from TDF to TAF. RESULTS: We included 5'012 patients, of whom 652 (13.0%) had risk factors for TDF toxicity. A switch from TDF to TAF was undertaken in 2'796 (55.8%) individuals overall, and in 465 (71.3%) with risk factors. Predictors of switching to TAF were male sex (adjusted odds ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.50), age > 50 years (1.43, 1.23-1.66) and the presence of risk factors for TDF toxicity (2.21, 1.77-2.75). In contrast, patients with a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based single-pill regimen (0.11, 0.09-0.13), those treated in non-tertiary care centers (0.56, 0.46-0.70), as well as those with CD4 cell counts below 500/µL (0.77, 0.66-0.90) and with chronic hepatitis C infection (0.66, 0.54-0.80) were most likely to stay on TDF. CONCLUSIONS: Over 50% of patients on TDF-containing therapy, including the majority of patients at risk for TDF toxicity, were switched to TAF within two years of its introduction in Switzerland. Individuals on NNRTI-based single-pill regimens were most likely to remain on TDF.

A high C-reactive protein/procalcitonin ratio predicts Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Background Discriminating Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) and viral etiologies of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is challenging but has important implications regarding empiric antibiotic therapy. We investigated patient parameters upon hospital admission to predict MP infection. Methods All patients hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital between 2013 and 2017 for CAP with a confirmed etiology were analyzed using logistic regression analyses and area under the receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curves (AUC) for associations between demographic, clinical and laboratory features and the causative pathogen. Results We analyzed 568 patients with CAP, including 47 (8%) with MP; 152 (27%) with SP and 369 (65%) with influenza or other viruses. Comparing MP and SP by multivariate logistic regression analysis, younger age (odds ration [OR] 0.56 per 10 years, 95% CI 0.42-0.73), a lower neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (OR 0.9, 0.82-0.99) and an elevated C-reactive protein/procalcitonin (CRP/PCT) ratio (OR 15.04 [5.23-43.26] for a 400 mg/µg cut-off) independently predicted MP. With a ROC curve AUC of 0.91 (0.80 for the >400 mg/µg cutoff), the CRP/PCT ratio was the strongest predictor of MP vs. SP. The discriminatory value resulted from significantly lower PCT values (p < 0.001) for MP, while CRP was high in both groups (p = 0.057). Comparing MP and viral infections showed similar results with again the CRP/PCT ratio providing the best information (AUC 0.83; OR 5.55 for the >400 mg/µg cutoff, 2.26-13.64). Conclusions In patients hospitalized with CAP, a high admission CRP/PCT ratio predicts M. pneumoniae infection and may improve empiric management.

Implementation of an infection prevention bundle is associated with reduced surgical site infections in cranial neurosurgery.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to quantify surgical site infection (SSI) rates after cranial neurosurgery in a tertiary care hospital, identify risk factors for SSI, and evaluate the impact of standardized surveillance and an infection prevention bundle (IPB). METHODS: The authors compared SSI rates during 7 months before and after the intervention. The IPB included standardized patient preparation, perioperative antibiotic/antiseptic use, barrier precautions, coaching of surgeons, and the implementation of a specialized technical operation assistant team. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-two unselected consecutive patients were evaluated before the IPB, and 296 were evaluated after implementation. Infection rates after 1 year decreased from 7.8% (25/322) to 3.7% (11/296, p = 0.03) with similar mortality rates (14.7% vs 13.8%, p = 0.8). The isolated bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus (42%), Cutibacterium acnes (22%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (14%). Organ/space infections dominated with 67%, and mostly consisted of subdural empyema and meningitis/ventriculitis. Among the 36 SSIs, 13 (36%) occurred during hospitalization, and 29 (81%) within the first 3 months of follow-up. In multivariable analysis including established risk factors described in the literature, non-CNS neoplasia (odds ratio [OR] 3.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39-10.53), postoperative bleeding (OR 4.09, 1.44-11.62), operations performed by or under supervision of a senior faculty surgeon (OR 0.38, 0.17-0.84), and operations performed after the implementation of standardized surveillance and an IPB (OR 0.38, 0.17-0.85) significantly influenced the infection rate. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of an IPB combined with routine surveillance and personal feedback was associated with a 53% reduced infection rate. The lower infection rates of senior faculty and the strong association between postoperative bleeding and infection underline the importance of both surgical experience as well as thorough supervision and coaching of younger surgeons.

Associations of Hospital Length of Stay with Surgical Site Infections.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSI) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. Postoperative and total hospital length of stay (LOS) are known to be prolonged by the occurrence of SSI. Preoperative LOS may increase the risk of SSI. This study aims at identifying the associations of pre- and postoperative LOS in hospital and intensive care with the occurrence of SSI. METHODS: This observational cohort study includes general, orthopedic trauma and vascular surgery patients at two tertiary referral centers in Switzerland between February 2013 and August 2015. The outcome of interest was the 30-day SSI rate. RESULTS: We included 4596 patients, 234 of whom (5.1%) experienced SSI. Being admitted at least 1 day before surgery compared to same-day surgery was associated with a significant increase in the odds of SSI in univariate analysis (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.25-2.21, p < 0.001). More than 1 day compared to 1 day of preoperative hospital stay did not further increase the odds of SSI (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.77-1.50, p = 0.658). Preoperative admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) increased the odds of SSI as compared to hospital admission outside of an ICU (OR 2.19, 95% CI 0.89-4.59, p = 0.057). Adjusting for potential confounders in multivariable analysis weakened the effects of both preoperative admission to hospital (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.99-1.93, p = 0.061) and to the ICU (OR 1.89, 95% CI 0.73-4.24, p = 0.149). CONCLUSION: There was no significant independent association between preoperative length of stay and risk of SSI while SSI and postoperative LOS were significantly associated.