Bivalvular Endocarditis Due to Polymicrobial Coinfection with and : A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Polymicrobial endocarditis is uncommon, and polymicrobial endocarditis in combination with is very rare. We herein describe an extremely rare case of polymicrobial bivalvular endocarditis due to coinfection with and in a 62-year-old male patient, and extensively review the relevant medical literature. To the best of our knowledge, only three similar cases have been previously reported.

Removal of Contaminated Personal Protective Equipment With and Without Supervision. A Randomized Crossover Simulation-Based Study.

Introduction: Personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces the risk of pathogens reaching the skin and clothing of health care personnel. We hypothesize that doffing PPE following verbal instructions by a supervisor is more effective in reducing contamination compared with doffing without verbal instructions. Our primary aim was to determine contamination rates with and without supervised doffing.

Monkeypox DNA levels correlate with virus infectivity in clinical samples, Israel, 2022.

The current monkeypox virus global spread and lack of data regarding clinical specimens' infectivity call for examining virus infectivity, and whether this correlates with results from PCR, the available diagnostic tool. We show strong correlation between viral DNA amount in clinical specimens and virus infectivity toward BSC-1 cell line. Moreover, we define a PCR threshold value (Cq ≥ 35, ≤ 4,300 DNA copies/mL), corresponding to negative viral cultures, which may assist risk-assessment and decision-making regarding protective-measures and guidelines for patients with monkeypox.

Placenta-Derived Cell Therapy to Treat Patients With Respiratory Failure Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objectives: To determine whether placental cell therapy PLacental eXpanded (PLX)-PAD (Pluristem Therapeutics, Haifa, Israel) may be beneficial to treating critically ill patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome due to coronavirus disease 2019.

Design: Retrospective case report of critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients treated with PLacental eXpanded (PLX)-PAD from March 26, 2020, to April 4, 2020, with follow-up through May 2, 2020.

Setting: Four hospitals in Israel (Rambam Health Care Campus, Bnai Zion Medical Center, and Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital), and Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey.

Compassionate use of convalescent plasma for treatment of moderate and severe pneumonia in COVID-19 patients and association with IgG antibody levels in donated plasma.

Background: We assessed outcome of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 following treatment with convalescent plasma (CP) and the association with IgG levels in transfused CP.

Methods: A prospective cohort study. Primary outcome was improvement at day 14 defined as alive, not on mechanical ventilation, and moderate, mild, or recovered from COVID-19.

Novel Orally Administered Recombinant Anti-TNF Alpha Fusion Protein for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: Results From a Phase 2a Clinical Trial.

Background And Objective: OPRX-106 is an orally administered BY2 plant cell-expressing recombinant TNF fusion protein (TNFR). Oral administration of OPRX-106 was shown to be safe and effective in inducing favorable anti-inflammatory immune modulation in humans. The current study was aimed at determining the safety and efficacy of OPRX-106 in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Delirium induced by levofloxacin.

Delirium is the most frequent complication of hospitalization for elders and a potentially devastating problem. It is accompanied by high morbidity and mortality rate, and despite sensitive methods for its detection, delirium often is unrecognized and is missed by clinicians in up to 70% of delirious patients. Medications are considered one of the most common causes of delirium with sedatives, narcotics, dihydroperidines, antihistamines, and anticholinergics are most often implicated in its causation.

Acute Delirium Associated With Levofloxacin.

Delirium is considered as the most common complication afflicting hospitalized elderly patients, accompanied by high morbidity and mortality rate; and despite its high prevalence, it often remains unrecognized. Drug-induced delirium is a well-known entity with sedatives, narcotics and anticholinergics most often implicated in its causation. Delirium attributed to antibiotics, mainly cephalosporins and macrolids, has been infrequently reported, and until yet only seven cases of levofloxacin-induced delirium have been described in the medical literature.

Doxycycline desensitization in chronic Q fever-A critical tool for the clinician.

We present the case of a 45 year old woman with acute Q fever pneumonia who progressed to the chronic phase of the disease despite azithromycin therapy. A trial of doxycycline was halted because of severe allergy and she was put on clarithromycin and later moxifloxacin. Failure of both drugs required desensitization to doxycycline with escalating doses.

Safety and efficacy of two dose levels of taliglucerase alfa in pediatric patients with Gaucher disease.

Taliglucerase alfa is a plant cell-expressed beta-glucocerebrosidase approved in the United States, Israel, Australia, Canada, and other countries for enzyme replacement therapy in adults with Type 1 Gaucher disease (GD), for treatment of pediatric patients in the United States, Australia, and Canada, and for the hematologic manifestations of Type 3 GD in pediatric patients in Canada. This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-dose, 12-month study assessed efficacy and safety of taliglucerase alfa in pediatric patients with GD. Eleven children were randomized to taliglucerase alfa 30U/kg (n=6) or 60U/kg (n=5) per infusion every other week.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia upon hospital admission: risk factors for mortality and influence of inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an uncommon cause of bacteremia upon hospital admission (UHA) and the chosen empirical antimicrobial therapy may not cover it appropriately. In a multicenter prospective study conducted in Israel, we evaluated risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia UHA and determined the influence of delay in adequate empirical antimicrobial therapy on patients' outcome.

[Influence of knowledge and attitude on the uptake of influenza vaccine by healthcare workers].

Background: The compliance of healthcare workers (HCW) with the yearly influenza vaccination campaigns is suboptimal. The reasons behind this low compliance are poorly defined. Actually, nosocomiaL transmission of the virus may cause high morbidity and mortality, especially among the immunocompromised, and vaccines are offered free of charge, but nonetheless, vaccination rates are low.

Perichondritis of the auricle: analysis of 114 cases.

Background: Perichondritis of the auricle is a serious disease that may lead to residual deformity.

Objectives: To assess our experience with perichondritis in a large group of patients hospitalized with this entity.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 114 patients who were admitted with perichondritis during 1987-2004, including their demographic details, medical history, current illness, etiology, pathogens and treatments.

National multicenter study of predictors and outcomes of bacteremia upon hospital admission caused by Enterobacteriaceae producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are pathogens that may lead to a spectrum of clinical syndromes. We aimed to identify predictors and outcomes of ESBL bacteremia upon hospital admission (UHA) in a nationwide prospective study. Thus, a multicenter prospective study was conducted in 10 Israeli hospitals.

Assessment of rabies exposure risk among Israeli travelers.

Background: The decision whether or not to administer rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to travelers visiting endemic areas is a complex one. Paramount for making that decision is knowledge of the risk of animal bites during travel. This study attempts to estimate the risk of bites in travelers, and study the action they took before and after the incident.

[Pneumococcal peritonitis--why women?].

Pneumococcal peritonitis is rare in adults without cirrhosis, ascites or nephrotic syndrome. Women comprise the majority of patients: an ascending genital infection is thought to be the major portal of entry. This is a case study of severe pneumococcal peritonitis in a young woman with no predisposing features.

Are we doing our best to educate travelers about the risks of acute mountain sickness? An on-site prospective study in the Himalayas.

Background: Acute mountain sickness (AMS) affects almost half of those ascending to heights over 3,000 m. The knowledge and practices concerning AMS have not been adequately studied.

Methods: We conducted a prospective on-site study in the Himalayas.

Typhoid fever in travelers: Time for reassessment.

Enteric fever (EF) is the most common bacteremic disease affecting travelers to the tropics. For more than a decade, fluoroquinolones have been considered the drugs of choice for EF. However, recent reports have raised concern about fluoroquinolone resistance.

Leptospirosis masquerading as infectious enteritis.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by a ubiquitous spirochete of the genus Leptospira and is endemic to the tropics. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are important in reducing the morbidity and mortality that can be associated with this illness. We report the case of a 30-year-old Israeli traveler who had returned from Thailand and developed fever, chills, vomiting and diarrhea.