Recurrent Klebsiella bacteremia due to chronic strongyloidiasis in the context of cirrhotic hepatopulmonary syndrome.

A woman in her 50s with a medical history of cirrhosis, alcohol use disorder, primary biliary cholangitis and extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) Klebsiella presented with weakness, cough and abdominal pain with positive blood cultures for ESBL Klebsiella, and was treated with intravenous meropenem and patient symptoms improved. Testing for Strongyloides antibodies was positive, so she was treated with ivermectin. Strongyloidiasis-associated Gram-negative rod (GNR) bacteremia are rare conditions; however, it is important to consider an underlying strongyloidiasis in recurrent GNR bacteremia to prevent recurrent hospitalisation and morbidity.

Can the type of subjective response to first opioid exposure predict the risk of opioid use disorder? A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Effective identification of individuals at increased risk for developing opioid use disorder (OUD) could reduce the overdose fatalities and mitigate the harm of the opioid epidemic. Early evidence has linked certain subjective experiences during the first substance exposure to subsequent substance misuse. This is consistent with anecdotal evidence that "first response" to opioids may distinguish those who later develop OUD from those who do not, further suggesting individual differences in neural activity and responses to specific substances. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review was to evaluate the evidence on the relationship between the subjective first response to opioids and the risk of developing OUD. METHODS: Ovid MEDLINE search (through 1/29/2021), followed by the search for articles published by the first/senior authors (PubMed) and references citing (Web of Science Citing Reference) identified eligible publications, was focused on studies involving humans, published in English, and describing the initial subjective response to opioid exposure and its association with OUD development or its risk. Systematic data extraction was completed for each eligible study. RESULTS: 3364 title/abstracts and 48 full-text articles were reviewed. Four articles, describing six studies (526 adult participants) were eligible and included. These studies were methodologically heterogeneous, including 2 randomized controlled trials, and 1 case-control, and 3 cross-sectional studies, with small sample sizes, precluding data pooling and meta-analysis. Results suggested that individuals with OUD or at elevated risk for OUD (determined by the validated OUD risk assessment surveys) were more likely to report their "first opioid response" as euphoric compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence suggests that subjectively-reported euphoric response to first opioid exposure could predict the OUD risk. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the utility of assessing first response (e.g., via brief point-of-care screening surveys) for informing clinical decisions when prescribing opioids.

Ketamine normalizes binge drinking-induced defects in glutamatergic synaptic transmission and ethanol drinking behavior in female but not male mice.

Ketamine is a fast acting experimental antidepressant with significant therapeutic potential for emotional disorders such as major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorders. Of particular interest is binge alcohol use, which during intermittent withdrawal from drinking involves depressive-like symptoms reminiscent of major depressive disorder. Binge drinking has been successfully modeled in mice with the Drinking in the Dark (DID) paradigm, which involves daily access to 20% ethanol, for a limited duration and selectively during the dark phase of the circadian light cycle. Here we demonstrate that DID exposure reduces the cell surface expression of NMDA- and AMPA-type glutamate receptors in the prelimbic cortex (PLC) of female but not male mice, along with reduced activity of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Pretreatment with an acute subanesthetic dose of ketamine suppresses binge-like ethanol consumption in female but not male mice. Lastly, DID-exposure reduces spontaneous glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the PLC of both sexes, but synaptic transmission is rescued by ketamine selectively in female mice. Thus, ketamine may have therapeutic potential as an ethanol binge suppressing agent selectively in female subjects.