[What to expect from whitening toothpaste?].

To assess the whitening effect of whitening toothpastes, their ingredients were studied. These toothpastes turned out to have an influence articularly on the extrinsic discoloration of teeth caused by staining. To a large extent, the effectiveness of the whitening toothpastes relies on removing these extrinsic stains, preventing new stains from developing and on certain optical effects.

Detection of Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium spp. and Entamoeba histolytica in clinical stool samples by using multiplex real-time PCR after automated DNA isolation.

Diagnosis of intestinal parasites in stool samples is generally still carried out by microscopy; however, this technique is known to suffer from a low sensitivity and is unable to discriminate between certain protozoa. In order to overcome these limitations, a real-time multiplex PCR was evaluated as an alternative approach for diagnosing Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium spp. and Entamoeba histolytica in stool samples.

Azole resistance in Aspergillus: an emerging problem?

Reports of Aspergillus' azole resistance are emerging, and resistance is now recognised as a cause of treatment failure. The scope of this article is to describe the problem of resistance in Aspergillus: the epidemiology, clinical impact and the underlying molecular mechanisms. In patients with acute invasive aspergillosis, the probability that the patient harbours a resistant strain depends on the emergence of resistant strains in the environment (acquired resistance due to CYP51A mutations and/or natural resistant Aspergillus species).

Continuous infusion of antibiotics in the critically ill: The new holy grail for beta-lactams and vancomycin?

The alarming global rise of antimicrobial resistance combined with the lack of new antimicrobial agents has led to a renewed interest in optimization of our current antibiotics. Continuous infusion (CI) of time-dependent antibiotics has certain theoretical advantages toward efficacy based on pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic principles. We reviewed the available clinical studies concerning continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics and vancomycin in critically ill patients.