Epidemiological insights into seasonal, sex­specific and age­related distribution of bacterial pathogens in urinary tract infections.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent and recurrent bacterial infections that affect individuals worldwide, posing a significant burden on healthcare systems. The present study aimed to explore the epidemiology of UTIs, investigating the seasonal, gender-specific and age-related bacterial pathogen distribution to guide clinical diagnosis. Data were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records and laboratory reports of 926 UTIs diagnosed in Fuding Hospital (Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuding, China). Bacterial isolates were identified using standard microbiological techniques. χ2 tests were performed to assess associations between pathogens and the seasons, sex and age groups. Significant associations were found between bacterial species and seasons. Enterococcus faecium exhibited a substantial prevalence in spring (χ2, 12.824; P=0.005), while Acinetobacter baumannii demonstrated increased prevalence in autumn (χ2, 16.404; P=0.001). Female patients showed a higher incidence of UTIs. Gram-positive bacteria were more prevalent in males, with Staphylococcus aureus showing significant male predominance (χ2, 14.607; P<0.001). E. faecium displayed an age-related increase in prevalence (χ2, 17.775; P<0.001), whereas Escherichia coli tended to be more prevalent in younger patients (χ2, 12.813; P=0.005). These findings highlight the complex nature of UTIs and offer insights for tailored diagnostic and preventive strategies, potentially enhancing healthcare outcomes.

Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as diagnostic biomarkers in COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 sepsis patients: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess and compare procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 sepsis patients. Additionally, we evaluated the diagnostic efficiency of PCT and CRP in distinguishing between Gram-positive (GP) and Gram-negative (GN) bacterial infections. Moreover, we explored the associations of PCT with specific pathogens in this context. METHODS: The study included 121 consecutive sepsis patients who underwent blood culture testing during the COVID-19 epidemic. PCT and CRP were measured, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed for the detection of COVID-19 nucleic acid. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare PCT and CRP between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to compare PCT and CRP levels in the GN group versus the GP group for assessing the diagnostic efficiency. The kruskal-Wallis H test was applied to assess the impact of specific pathogen groups on PCT concentrations. RESULTS: A total of 121 sepsis patients were categorized into a COVID-19 group (n = 25) and a non-COVID-19 group (n = 96). No significant differences in age and gender were observed between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups. The comparison of biomarkers between these groups showed no statistically significant differences. The optimal cut-off values for PCT and CRP in differentiating between GP and GN infections were 1.03 ng/mL and 34.02 mg/L, respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.689 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.591-0.786) for PCT and 0.611 (95% CI 0.505-0.717) for CRP. The diagnostic accuracy was 69.42% for PCT and 58.69% for CRP. The study found a significant difference in PCT levels among specific groups of pathogens (P < 0.001), with the highest levels observed in Escherichia coli infections. The frequency of Staphylococcus spp. positive results was significantly higher (36.0%) in COVID-19 compared to non-COVID-19 sepsis patients (P = 0.047). CONCLUSION: Sepsis patients with COVID-19 revealed a significantly higher culture positivity for staphylococcus spp. than the non-COVID-19 group. Both PCT and CRP showed moderate diagnostic efficiency in differentiating between GP and GN bacterial infections. PCT showed potential utility in identifying E. coli infections compared to other pathogens.

Correlation of procalcitonin and c-reactive protein levels with pathogen distribution and infection localization in urinary tract infections.

Aimed to explore the relationships between infection localization, bacterial species, and procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in urinary tract infections (UTIs). A retrospective study included 314 UTI hospitalized patients divided into two groups (268 with lower UTI, 46 with upper UTI) in a tertiary care hospital. PCT and CRP were performed. Bacterial isolates were identified using standard microbiological techniques, and statistical analyses were performed to assess associations between infection localization, bacterial species, PCT, and CRP levels. Age and gender showed no significant differences between the lower and upper UTIs. Escherichia coli dominated as the leading UTI pathogen. A positive correlation (r = 0.646, P < 0.001) between PCT and CRP levels was found. The subgroup with ureteritis in the upper UTI category exhibited the highest PCT and CRP levels. PCT and CRP exhibited favorable diagnostic potential in predicting upper UTIs, with AUCs of 0.644 and 0.629, respectively. The optimal cutoff values were 0.21 ng/mL for PCT and 60.77 mg/L for CRP. Sensitivities were 69.03% and 77.99%, while specificities were 56.52% and 47.83%, respectively. E. coli emerged as the predominant bacterium in UTIs. PCT and CRP demonstrated moderate diagnostic efficacy in distinguishing between upper and lower UTIs. Notably, PCT and CRP exhibited enhanced utility in identifying ureteritis.

Impact of COVID-19 on the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in the lower respiratory tract of the elderly.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the distribution of bacterial pathogens of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in hospitalized elderly patients during the COVID-19 epidemic and to explore the influence of COVID-19 on the distribution of bacterial pathogens, to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis. METHODS: Specimens of sputum from elderly LRTIs patients at Fuding Hospital of China were consecutively collected from October 2022 to January 2023. Cultures and identification were done, and RT-PCR was employed to detect SARS-Cov-2 nucleic acid. RESULTS: A total of 195 isolates were characterized in 163 sputum samples of consecutive hospitalized elderly patients, of which 11.3% were Gram-positive bacteria and 88.7% were Gram-negative. The top of frequently isolated pathogens was Klebsiella pneumonia (30.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.0%), Acinetobacter baumannii (12.8%), Stenotrophomonas maltophili, (7.7%), Escherichia coli (7.2%). According to the results of novel coronavirus nucleic acid detection, the 163 patients were divided into COVID-19 group and non-COVID control (CNT) group. The comparison of bacterial distribution between the groups revealed that Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was lower in the COVID-19 than in the CNT group, while A. baumannii was higher in the COVID-19 group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The major bacteria identified in sputum culture of hospitalized elderly patients were K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii, S. maltophilia, and E. coli. Furthermore, the distribution of S. maltophilia and A. baumannii between the COVID-19 and CNT groups was found to be significantly different (p < .05), while there were no significant differences in the distribution of other bacteria.

Diagnostic values of red cell distribution width, platelet distribution width and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio for sepsis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of red blood cell distribution width (RDW), platelet distribution width (PDW), the neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for the prediction of sepsis. A total of 120 consecutive patients who underwent blood culture testing were included. The PCT and CRP levels, and RDW, PDW and NLCR percentages were determined and compared between patients with positive blood cultures and those without. The PCT, CRP, RDW, PDW and NLCR values were significantly higher in patients with positive blood culture compared with those without. PCT and NLCR each had a high diagnostic performance for the prediction of sepsis, with an area under the curve (AUC) for sepsis of 0.829 and 0.718, respectively. A combination of RDW, PDW and NLCR also exhibited a good diagnostic performance for sepsis (AUC, 0.704). NLCR is easily obtained by automated hematological analysis. Moreover, NLCR was found to have a high diagnostic efficiency for the prediction of sepsis, with greater sensitivity and accuracy than CRP. In conclusion, PCT exhibited the optimal diagnostic performance among the tested markers. The combination of the three parameters of RDW, PDW and NLCR, demonstrated a high diagnostic performance similar to that of PCT.

rs61764370 polymorphism of Kras and risk of cancer in Caucasian population: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Kras is an important oncogene that plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis. Rs61764370 polymorphism in Kras 3'-untranslated region is a candidate factor for contributing susceptibility to cancer. However, the results of emerging studies concerning association between rs61764370 and cancer risk remain elusive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The association between rs61764370 and risk of cancer was evaluated in 30 studies including 14936. cases and 15168 controls. RESULTS: Meta-analysis result showed that genotype. GT/GG of rs61764370 was not associated with cancer in Caucasian population. After stratifying the overall population into cancer type subgroups, no significant association was observed between genotype. GT/GG and ovarian, breast, colorectal, non.-small cell lung cancer or head-neck carcinoma in Caucasian population, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that genotype. GT/GG of rs61764370 was not a genetic susceptible risk factor for cancer, and rs61764370 could not be used as a biomarker for estimating cancer risk in Caucasian population.

Diagnostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen and carcinoma antigen 19-9 for colorectal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) with the tumor markers Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) and Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), in addition to investigating whether CA 19-9 can be used to screen the disease process in patients with CRC who had no elevation of CEA levels. METHODS: Serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 were measured in: 138 patients with CRC; 111 patients with benign colorectal diseases. The diagnostic value was performed using the logistic regression equation and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). RESULTS: The serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 in the patients with CRC were significantly higher than those in the patients with benign colorectal diseases (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) in the patients with CRC versus those with benign colorectal disease yielded the optimal cut-off value of 3.36 ng/ml for CEA and 23.9 U/ml for CA 19-9, respectively. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.789 for CEA, 0.690 for CA 19-9 and 0.900 for the combination of the two tumor markers. The combination resulted in a higher Youden index and a sensitivity of 85.3%. CONCLUSION: The combined detection of serum CEA and CA 19-9 could play a pivotal role in the diagnosis of CRC, and could drastically improve the sensitivity for the diagnosis of CRC. CA 19-9 might be a tumor biomarker in addition to CEA for CRC.

Evaluation of the diagnostic value of alpha-l-fucosidase, alpha-fetoprotein and thymidine kinase 1 with ROC and logistic regression for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the combined analysis of alpha-l-fucosidase (AFU), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1). Serum levels of AFU, AFP and TK1 were measured in: 116 patients with HCC, 109 patients with benign hepatic diseases, and 104 normal subjects. The diagnostic value was analyzed using the logistic regression equation and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). Statistical distribution of the three tested tumor markers in every group was non-normally distributed (Kolmogorov-Sminov test, Z = 0.156-0.517, P < 0.001). The serum levels of AFP and TK1 in patients with HCC were significantly higher than those in patients with benign hepatic diseases (Mann-Whitney U test, Z = -8.570 to -5.943, all P < 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference of AFU between these two groups (Mann-Whitney U test, Z = -1.820, P = 0.069). The levels of AFU were significantly higher in patients with benign hepatic diseases than in normal subjects (Mann-Whitney U test, Z = -7.984, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) in patients with HCC versus those without HCC indicated the optimal cut-off value was 40.80 U/L for AFU, 10.86 µg/L for AFP and 1.92 pmol/L for TK1, respectively. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.718 for AFU, 0.832 for AFP, 0.773 for TK1 and 0.900 for the combination of the three tumor markers. The combination resulted in a higher Youden index and a sensitivity of 85.3%. The combined detection of serum AFU, AFP and TK1 could play a complementary role in the diagnosis of HCC, and could significantly improve the sensitivity for the diagnosis of HCC.

[Variations of annual load of TN and TP in the deep bay watershed, Shenzhen].

The empirical coefficient of sewage disposal, export coefficient model and mean concentration method were respectively used to estimate variations of annual load TN and TP from Shenzhen and Hong Kong areas in the Deep Bay Watershed from 1986 to 2011. The results showed that, the annual average loads of TN and TP were 10 388.2 t, 10 727.9 t, 10 937.3 t, and 2 694.5 t, 1 929.2 t, 1388.7 t, respectively in the whole watershed during three periods, 80s, 90s and years after 2000. With the rapid development of society, economy and the urbanization, annual pollution loading of TN and TP in Shenzhen area showed an obviously increase, 4373.6 t and 195.9 t, by 261.0% and 64.2% for point source, and 1067.2 t and 151.0 t, by 63.4% and 84.9% for non-point source, respectively. Non-point source with high pollution load was mainly caused by the expanding of land for construction and roads. The contribution ratios of TN and TP from Shenzhen area increased from 42.4% and 27.0% to 85.1% and 75.2%. Annual loads of TN and TP in Hong Kong area decreased 3 028.5 t and 1 031.5 t, by 66.3% and 79.0% reduced.