Prevalence of alcohol-tolerant and antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens on public hand sanitizer dispensers.

BACKGROUND: Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers (HSDs) have been installed in most public and clinical settings for hygiene purposes and convenient application. AIM: To determine whether sanitizer-tolerant bacterial pathogens can colonize HSDs, spreading diseases and antibiotic resistance. METHODS: Sampling was conducted from operational automatic HSDs, specifically the dispensing nozzle in direct contact with sanitizer. Culture-dependent cultivation of bacteria and MALDI-TOF were employed to assess microbiological contamination. Bacterial isolates were selected for rapid killing and biofilm eradication assays with alcohol treatment. Antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentration assays were performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Virulence potential of bacterial isolates was evaluated in the Caenorhadbitis elegans infection model. FINDINGS: Nearly 50% of HSDs from 52 locations, including clinical settings, food industry, and public spaces, contain microbial contamination at 103-106 bacteria/mL. Bacterial identification revealed Bacillus cereus as the most frequent pathogen (29%), while Enterobacter cloacae was the only Gram-negative bacterial pathogen (2%). Selecting B. cereus and E. cloacae isolates for further evaluation, these isolates and associated biofilms were found to be tolerant to alcohol with survival up to 70%. They possessed resistance to various antibiotic classes, with higher virulence than laboratory strains in the C. elegans infection model. CONCLUSION: HSDs serve as potential breeding grounds for dissemination of pathogens and antibiotic resistance across unaware users. Proper HSD maintenance will ensure protection of public health and sustainable use of sanitizing alcohols, to prevent emergence of alcohol-resistant pathogens.

Supportive care in the acute phase of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: an international, multidisciplinary Delphi-based consensus.

BACKGROUND: Supportive care is the cornerstone of management of adult and paediatric Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). However, consensus on the modalities of supportive care is lacking. OBJECTIVES: Our aim in this international multicentric Delphi exercise was to establish a multidisciplinary expert consensus to standardize recommendations regarding supportive care in the acute phase of SJS/TEN. METHODS: Participants were sent a survey via the online tool SurveyMonkey, consisting of 103 statements organized into 11 topics: multidisciplinary team composition, suspect drug management, infection prevention, fluid resuscitation and prevention of hypothermia, nutritional support, pain and psychological distress management, management of acute respiratory failure, local skincare, ophthalmological management, management of other mucosa, and additional measures. Participants evaluated the level of appropriateness of each statement on a scale of 1 (extremely inappropriate) to 9 (extremely appropriate). The results were analysed according to the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. RESULTS: Forty-five participants from 13 countries (on three continents) participated. After the first round, a consensus was obtained for 82.5% of the 103 initially proposed statements. After the second round, a final consensus was obtained for 102 statements. CONCLUSIONS: We have reached an international Delphi-based consensus on best supportive care practice for SJS/TEN. Our expert consensus should help guide physicians in treating patients with SJS/TEN and thereby improve short-term prognosis and the risk of sequelae.

Interventions for hidradenitis suppurativa: a Cochrane systematic review incorporating GRADE assessment of evidence quality.

More than 50 interventions have been used to treat hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and so therapy decisions can be challenging. Our objective was to summarize and appraise randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence for HS interventions in adults. Searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, LILACS, five trials registers and abstracts from eight dermatology conferences until 13 August 2015. Two review authors independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data and assessed methodological quality. Primary outcomes were quality of life and adverse effects of the interventions. Twelve trials, from 1983 to 2015, investigating 15 different interventions met our inclusion criteria. The median trial duration was 16 weeks and the median number of participants was 27. Adalimumab 40 mg weekly improved the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) by 4·0 points, which equates to the minimal clinically important difference for the scale, compared with placebo (95% confidence interval -6·5 to -1·5 points). Evidence quality was reduced to 'moderate' because the results are based on only a single study. Adalimumab 40 mg every other week was ineffective in a meta-analysis of two studies comprising 124 participants. Infliximab 5 mg kg(-1) improved the DLQI score by 8·4 points after 8 weeks in a moderate-quality study completed by 33 of 38 participants. Etanercept 50 mg twice weekly was ineffective. Inclusion of a gentamicin sponge prior to primary closure did not improve outcomes. Other interventions, including topical and oral antibiotics, were investigated by relatively small studies, preventing treatment recommendations due to imprecision. More, larger RCTs are required to investigate most HS interventions, particularly oral treatments and surgical therapy. Moderate-quality evidence suggests that adalimumab given weekly and infliximab are effective, whereas adalimumab every other week is ineffective.

Factors associated with pruritic papular eruption of human immunodeficiency virus infection in the antiretroviral therapy era.

BACKGROUND: Pruritic papular eruption (PPE) of HIV is common in HIV-infected populations living in the tropics. Its aetiology has been attributed to insect bite reactions and it is reported to improve with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Its presence after at least 6 months of ART has been proposed as one of several markers of treatment failure. OBJECTIVES: To determine factors associated with PPE in HIV-infected persons receiving ART. METHODS: A case-control study nested within a 500-person cohort from a teaching hospital in Mbarara, Uganda. Forty-five cases and 90 controls were enrolled. Cases had received ART for ≥ 15 months and had an itchy papular rash for at least 1 month with microscopic correlation by skin biopsy. Each case was individually matched with two controls for age, sex and ART duration. RESULTS: Twenty-five of 45 cases (56%) had microscopic findings consistent with PPE. At skin examination and biopsy (study enrolment), a similar proportion of PPE cases and matched controls had plasma HIV RNA < 400 copies mL(-1) (96% vs. 85%, P = 0·31). The odds of having PPE increased fourfold with every log increase in viral load at ART initiation (P = 0·02) but not at study enrolment. CD4 counts at ART initiation and study enrolment, and CD4 gains and CD8(+) T-cell activation measured 6 and 12 months after ART commencement were not associated with PPE. Study participants who reported daily insect bites had greater odds of being cases [odds ratio (OR) 8·3, P < 0·001] or PPE cases (OR 8·6, P = 0·01). CONCLUSIONS: Pruritic papular eruption in HIV-infected persons receiving ART for ≥ 15 months was associated with greater HIV viraemia at ART commencement, independent of CD4 count. Skin biopsies are important to distinguish between PPE and other itchy papular eruptions.

Management of breast cancer with nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel combination regimens: a clinical review.

BACKGROUND: Monotherapy with nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel has demonstrated improved efficacy and safety compared with solvent-based paclitaxel and docetaxel. DESIGN: A comprehensive review of all reported studies of nab-paclitaxel combinations with other agents in all breast cancer settings was undertaken. RESULTS: Most studies reviewed are small, phase II and non-comparative. Combinations studied included nab-paclitaxel plus trastuzumab and/or bevacizumab (with or without additional cytotoxic agents), gemcitabine, capecitabine, carboplatin, or lapatinib. The majority of metastatic and neoadjuvant studies demonstrated satisfactory efficacy and safety for nab-paclitaxel combinations, although conclusions regarding comparison with solvent-based taxane (SBT) regimens are not possible. The two adjuvant studies confirmed the safety of nab-paclitaxel combinations in this setting. CONCLUSIONS: Although results of this review indicate that nab-paclitaxel may be an appropriate substitute for SBTs in combination regimens, additional research is required to confirm the place and cost effectiveness of these combinations before nab-paclitaxel could be recommended routinely in all settings.

Intrathecal chemotherapy alone is inadequate central nervous system prophylaxis in patients with intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Central nervous system (CNS) relapse of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is usually fatal despite therapy and effective prophylaxis is desirable. Patients at high-risk usually receive intrathecal (i.t.) prophylaxis, although its efficacy is unproven. We therefore analyzed the outcome of all patients with newly diagnosed "intermediate-grade" NHL receiving i.t. prophylaxis from 1991 to 1999. Twenty-six patients were identified and analyzed. All were free of CNS involvement at diagnosis with negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology. Disease stage was IE in 7, and IV in 19, with a median of two extranodal sites involved. Serum lactate dehydrogenase was elevated in 65%, and the median International Prognostic Factors Index score was 3 (range 0-5). Anthracycline-based chemotherapy was used in all cases and included high-dose methotrexate +/- ara-C in six patients. The median number of i.t. treatments was 5 (range 1-12) and comprised methotrexate +/- steroid in 15, together with ara-C in 11. The actuarial 3-year CNS-relapse rate was 26 +/- 10%. Six CNS-relapses were observed and involved the spinal cord or brain parenchyma in two cases each, and the leptomeninges in four patients. Treatment-related variables associated with higher CNS-relapse rates (34-50%) were: delay of > or = 14 days from diagnosis to first i.t. injection, < 5 i.t. treatments, delay of i.t. prophylaxis until after attaining CR and systemic treatment lacking high-dose methotrexate +/- ara-C (each P < or = 0.17). I.t. CNS prophylaxis, as used here, was inadequate. Alternative approaches should be pursued.

Deafness from eighth cranial nerve involvement in a patient with large-cell transformation of mycosis fungoides.

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement by mycosis fungoides (MF) is rare and is usually seen in advanced stages with lymph node or visceral involvement. We describe a patient with advanced stage MF in large-cell transformation who presented with profound hearing loss after chemotherapy. Despite an initial differential diagnosis of vincristine-related neurotoxicity based on clinical, audiometric, and MRI investigations, CSF examination revealed lymphomatous leptomeningeal involvement. This case illustrates the importance of an awareness of the possibility of CNS involvement by MF and underlines the need for a complete neurologic evaluation including CSF examination in a patient with underlying MF who presents with a new neurological problem.

Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnostic management of diseases of the knee.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee is fast assuming a major role in evaluating disorders of the knee. The major advantage of MRI is that it is a totally non-invasive procedure with superior soft tissue contrast resolution and multi-planar capabilities. In contrast to arthrography, intra-articular as well as extra-articular structures in the knee can be evaluated by MRI. Indications include studying abnormalities of the menisci, ligament, patella and quadriceps mechanisms, articular cartilage, bone, bursa and other soft tissue. A review of the literature comparing MRI to arthrography and arthroscopy of the knee, especially in relation to meniscal injuries and anterior cruciate ligament tears, shows wide ranges in the accuracy rates of MRI. There are pitfalls in the interpretation of meniscal tears on MRI like normal variants, tears at the free edge and healed or previously repaired tears. Arthrography remains a useful diagnostic modality in some of these settings.

Use of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of nasopharyngeal cancer.

Computerised tomographic (CT) scanning is an established modality in the diagnosis and evaluation of tumours of the nasopharynx. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a newer tool which has rapidly gained acceptance in the same regard due to its innate ability to better characterise and detail soft tissue structures, and its multiplanar scanning ability. This study reviews our experience, in a series of 30 cases, with the use of MR imaging in lesions of the nasopharynx, in particular nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Most of our patients showed involvement of the pharyngeal mucosal and parapharyngeal spaces, as expected. A large number also had intracranial extension. Our sample was probably biased as patients with neurological involvement are more likely to be assessed by MR than CT. Soft tissue infiltration, particularly intracranial extension, was very clearly delineated, especially when intravenous contrast (gadolinium DTPA) was administered. Bone erosion was not well demonstrated. In current clinical practice where radiotherapy is the most common form of treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma however, there does not in general, appear to be any clear advantage of MR over CT in the imaging of this particular disease, although there are some exceptions.

Magnetic resonance imaging of leptomeningeal metastases to the spine.

Neurologic complications of malignancy can result from paraneoplastic manifestations, cerebral metastases or leptomeningeal involvement. Radiologic evaluation by computerised tomography (CT) has proven to be an invaluable tool in cancer patients with neurologic symptoms. Myelography and CT myelography have been the main modalities for evaluating leptomeningeal metastases. The advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast has provided an alternative modality for evaluation of leptomeningeal disease. MRI as compared to CT myelography is non-invasive and at least as sensitive. The findings in two patients with leptomeningeal involvement are reported to illustrate the value of MRI.