Epidemiological investigation and typing of Candida glabrata clinical isolates by FTIR spectroscopy.

Candida glabrata has emerged as one of the leading agents of fungal infections and strain typing is essential for epidemiological investigation that is generally achieved by molecular techniques. In this work, we studied twenty-nine C. glabrata strains isolated from different patients, using a phenotypic approach based on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, which has been in a previous study successfully applied as a rapid typing method for Candida albicans. A two-step procedure was used for the analysis. The first step included sixteen strains for the internal validation phase, which aimed at finding the spectral windows that would provide the best differentiation between strains. In this phase, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) carried out using three spectral windows (900-1200, 1540-1800, 2800-3000 cm(-1)) allowed to obtain the best classification, where each patient strains could be clustered together. A genotypic technique based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-analysis (RAPD) confirmed these results. In a second step, the external validation phase, thirteen other clinical strains of C. glabrata isolated from multiple sites in four ICU patients, were tested by FTIR spectroscopy. The analysis was based on the spectral regions previously found in the first step. HCA classification of the strains gave four groups, one group per patient. These results suggest that no inter-human transmission took place. This study shows the potential of FTIR approach for typing of C. glabrata with several advantages compared to other techniques. FTIR typing is fast, effective, and reagent free. Moreover, it is applicable to all micro-organisms and requires a small quantity of biomass.

Improved removal of small proteins using continuous venovenous hemofiltration to treat acute renal failure.

Continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) or hemofiltration conducted with pre- (CVVHpre) or post- (CVVHpost) dilution modes are recommended to treat patients with acute renal failure (ARF) and cardiovascular instability. The efficiency of the three techniques was compared in a study including 18 critically ill patients with ARF. Their mean age was 62.1 +/- 16.7 years, and their mean SAPS II score was 59.5 +/- 14.3. They were treated sequentially with the three techniques for periods of 24 hours each (randomized assignment to one technique the first 24 hours followed by the two others). The PRISMA device and M 100 (AN69S) membrane were used in all instances. Blood and replacement (or dialysis) flow rates were kept at 150 and 25 ml/min, respectively. Urea, creatinine, uric acid, inorganic phosphorus, beta2 microglobulin (beta2m), and retinol binding protein (RBP) were measured every 12 hours in plasma and in 12 hours filtrate collection for 3 days. The results are expressed as filtrate/mean plasma (F/P) ratio for the 12 hour period. Removal of small molecules was 16% higher using CVVHD and CVVHpost than CVVHpre. For beta2m and RBP, CVVHpre was, respectively, 43% and 26% more efficient than CVVHD. CVVHpost gave higher but statistically different removal than CVVHpre only for beta2m. CVVHpost was the most efficient technique for removal of small proteins, but this advantage could be easily counterbalanced using higher volume substitution.

Surgery for mesenteric infarction: prognostic factors associated with early death within 72 hours.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to look for preoperative and postoperative prognostic factors for early mortality, likely to be of use to clinicians in decision making. DESIGN: Prospective multicenter study. SETTING: This study was conducted in 4 university hospitals in Northeast France. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-one patients with mesenteric infarction confirmed by pathologic examination were included. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent surgery and were hospitalized in the intensive care unit. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients (21.3%) underwent exploratory laparotomy only; 103 patients underwent bowel resection with/or without associated revascularization. The overall mortality rate at discharge was 74.8%. In the first 3 days, 60% of deaths occurred. The prognostic factors for death within 72 hours, obtained by logistic regression, were preoperative heart failure, lactate level over 5 mmol/L, aspartate aminotransferase over 200 IU/L, and total cholesterol level below 80 mg/dL, or procalcitonin level over 40 ng/L. From these results, a mortality prognostic score was derived. Probability of mortality within 72 hours was estimated to be 5% for patients with none of these factors and 97% for those with all 4. For deaths occurring after 72 hours, the only mortality prognostic factor was the existence of necrosed areas at the ends of bowel resections. CONCLUSION: When patients have fewer than 3 of the prognostic factors described in the score, aggressive medical and surgical strategies could be appropriate. If necrosis is recorded at the ends of the resection, renewed surgery should be undertaken as soon as signs of new disturbances appear.