Fungal neuroinfections and fungaemia: unexpected increase of mortality from invasive fungal infections in 2005-2011 in comparison to 1989-1998: analysis of 210 cases.

OBJECTIVE: In this short communication we compared the data of fungaemia cases in Slovak hospitals from 1989-1998 published in 1999-2000 with data from 2005-2011. METHODS: Risk factors, etiology and outcome of fungaemia between two periods (1989-1998 vs. 2005-2011) were compared and risk factors for death assessed by univariate analysis (CDC 2006 Statistical Package). RESULTS: In comparison to 1989-1998 when only amphotericin B and fluconazole has been used (55%), in 2005-2011 only 35.2% patients received FLU, but 26.4% received voriconazole, 22% caspofungin and anidulafungin and about 6.6% lipid formulations of Amphotericin B. In etiology, while in 1989-1998 only 37.1% (115/310) represented non-albicans Candida (NAC) and non-Candida yeasts in 2005-2011 already reached 63.7%. The significant increase of breakthrough fungaemia may be a sign of inappropriate empiric therapy.

Invasive Rhino-Orbito-Cerebral Mucormycosis in Pediatric Patient with Acute Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infections are a life-threatening complication of cancer treatments, especially in hemato-oncological patients. Mucormycosis is the third leading cause of invasive fungal infections after Aspergillus and Candida infections. The first clinical symptoms are usually non-specific, which can lead to a late diagnosis and delayed therapy. PURPOSE: The objective of this report is to summarize data in the literature about mucormycosis and to present a case report of a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who developed this infection at our center. Risk factors for the development of mucormycosis, clinical symptoms, radiology, laboratory results, and outcome were retrospectively evaluated. CASE: We describe a 6-years-old female patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. During the induction phase of therapy, the patient developed febrile neutropenia and did not respond to therapy with a combination of antibiotics and supportive treatment. Pansinusitis and orbitocellulitis developed. Examination of the biological material revealed that the etiological agent was a Rhizopus sp. The patient was treated with a combination of antimycotic drugs, but the infection disseminated to the central nervous system. She underwent radical surgical resection of the affected tissue. At this time, she is still under treatment with antimycotic and oncology agents, but is in remission of the main diagnosis and in good clinical condition. CONCLUSION: Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection with high morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and initiation of effective therapy using a combination of amphotericin B administration and surgery are necessary to obtain a favorable outcome. The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE recommendation for biomedical papers.

Quality of Life Following Prestige LP Cervical Disc Arthroplasty in a Prospective Multicountry Study.

BACKGROUND: To describe routine surgical practice using Prestige LP Cervical Disc (Prestige disc) and patient outcomes for degenerative cervical disc disease in a multicenter 2-year prospective, observational study. METHODS: Patient demographics and intraoperative data were collected; quality of life (QoL) (EQ-5D, EQ-VAS, and neck disability index), average disc height, and adverse events were assessed pre- and postoperatively at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-four patients were enrolled (190 patients implanted; female: 67%; mean age: 44.0 years; mean body mass index: 25.6). Disc herniation was the most frequent indication for cervical arthroplasty (80.5%). Thirty-seven percent of patients experienced pain for >1 year prior to baseline assessment. Mean procedure duration was 87.1 minutes, and mean blood loss was 43.8 mL. The majority (71.0%) of Prestige discs were implanted at level C5 to C6, while 16.3% of patients received implants at 2 levels. There was a significant improvement from baseline to 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up in all QoL assessments. After implantation, the mean disc height at the affected level increased by 0.19 from baseline (0.22) to 3 months (0.41) and remained constant up to 24 months (P < .001). Mean disc height of levels above and below the implant remained comparable at baseline and follow-up. A total of 63 adverse events (44 patients) was recorded, of which 7 (11.1%) were related to the Prestige disc, instrumentation, or procedure; 41 (65.1%) were unrelated; and 15 (23.8%) had an unknown relation. CONCLUSIONS: In line with published findings, our study shows significant improvement in outcomes in the first 3 months after Prestige disc implantation with improvements maintained throughout the study.