Strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in hospital: a guideline by the German Society for Infectious Diseases.

Introduction: In the time of increasing resistance and paucity of new drug development there is a growing need for strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in German and Austrian hospitals. An evidence-based guideline on recommendations for implementation of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programmes was developed by the German Society for Infectious Diseases in association with the following societies, associations and institutions: German Society of Hospital Pharmacists, German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology, Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy, The Austrian Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Austrian Society for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Austrian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Robert Koch Institute.

Materials And Methods: A structured literature research was performed in the databases EMBASE, BIOSIS, MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library from January 2006 to November 2010 with an update to April 2012 (MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library).

Impact of Stereotactic Biopsy in HIV Patients.

Objective: During their disease a significant number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients develop neurologic symptoms due to intracerebral pathologies. Entities commonly found are toxoplasmosis, lymphomas, or progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. In some patients, diagnosis is not feasible with imaging alone, requiring biopsy.

Evolution and function of the HCV NS3 protease in patients with acute hepatitis C and HIV coinfection.

Little is known about the importance of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease in acute hepatitis C. In this prospective study, 82 consecutive patients with acute hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection were enrolled. Individuals were infected with highly related HCV strains and the baseline NS3 quasispecies diversity and complexity was higher compared to a chronic hepatitis C control group (P<0.

A 2009 cross-sectional survey of procedures for post-mortem management of highly infectious disease patients in 48 isolation facilities in 16 countries: data from EuroNHID.

Purpose: The handling of human remains may pose a risk for transmission of highly infectious agents. The use of appropriate biosafety measures is very important in case of management of patients deceased from highly infectious diseases (HIDs), such as Ebola virus disease. This paper presents the capabilities and resources in this field in 16 European countries, and suggests indications for the safe post-mortem management of HID patients.

Management of Microbiological Samples in a Confirmed Case of Ebola Virus Disease: Constraints and Limitations.

In light of the recent Ebola virus outbreak, it has to be realized that besides medical treatment, precise algorithms for the management of complicating microbial infections are mandatory for Ebola virus disease (EVD) patients. While the necessity of such diagnostics is apparent, practical details are much less clear. Our approach, established during the treatment of an EVD patient at the University Hospital in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, provides a roadmap for reliable and safe on-site microbiological testing.

[Specialized clinical facilities for the treatment of highly contagious, life-threatening infectious diseases : a comparison between Germany and 15 European nations].

Background: Patients suffering from highly contagious, life-threatening infections should be treated in specialized clinical facilities that follow the highest infection control standards. Consensus statements defining technical equipment and operational procedures have been published in recent years, but the level of adherence to these has not been evaluated.

Methods: Data summarized here comparing German and European isolation facilities are the partial results of a cross-sectional analysis conducted by the "European Network for Highly Infectious Diseases" that included 48 clinical care facilities in 16 European nations.

The Frankfurt Ebola patient.

Unlabelled: Since the Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, the largest outbreak to date is the ongoing epidemic in West Africa based on the number of cases. The number of infected people is high among aid workers, some of whom have been treated at intensive care units in specialized centers in Europe and the USA. A 38-year-old patient who got infected with the Ebola virus was treated in a special isolation ward at the Frankfurt University Hospital from 10/3/14 to 11/19/14.

Rapid regression of Kaposi's sarcoma of the hard palate under therapy with boosted elvitegravir-containing fixdose antiretroviral combination therapy.

Introduction: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a rare vascular tumor that may occur in a severe, rapidly progressive form, namely in HIV/AIDS patients. HIV-associated KS mainly affects the skin and mucous membranes.

Case Presentation: We report about an HIV-positive patient who presented with an exophytic growing tumor in the region of the hard palate and severe problems regarding his dental status.

Severe Ebola virus disease with vascular leakage and multiorgan failure: treatment of a patient in intensive care.

Background: In the current epidemic of Ebola virus disease in western Africa, many aid workers have become infected. Some of these aid workers have been transferred to specialised hospitals in Europe and the USA for intensified treatment, providing the potential for unique insight into the clinical course of Ebola virus disease under optimised supportive measures in isolation units.

Methods: A 38-year-old male doctor who had contracted an Ebola virus infection in Sierra Leone was airlifted to University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany, on day 5 after disease onset.

Depression in HIV-positive women is associated with changes in antiretroviral treatment regimens.

Introduction: Depression is a co-morbidity of clinical significance in HIV-positive patients with an estimated prevalence of more than 20%. Sex and gender-related differences in depression are well described in HIV-negative populations, demonstrating that more women are being affected. So far little is known about frequency and characteristics of depression in HIV-positive men and women.

Proton 1H- and Phosphorus 31P-MR spectroscopy (MRS) in asymptomatic HIV-positive patients.

Introduction: HIV infection is accompanied by a variety of neurological disorders. Depression of cell-mediated immunity is followed by the development of central nervous system opportunistic infections/tumours, and frequently by the occurrence of the AIDS dementia complex (ADC). However, the pathophysiology of the emergence of neuro-AIDS is still unknown.

Isolation facilities for highly infectious diseases in Europe--a cross-sectional analysis in 16 countries.

Background: Highly Infectious Diseases (HIDs) are (i) easily transmissible form person to person; (ii) cause a life-threatening illness with no or few treatment options; and (iii) pose a threat for both personnel and the public. Hence, even suspected HID cases should be managed in specialised facilities minimizing infection risks but allowing state-of-the-art critical care. Consensus statements on the operational management of isolation facilities have been published recently.

Improved virological and immunological efficacy of resistance-guided switch in antiretroviral therapy: a Frankfurt HIV cohort analysis.

To evaluate the treatment outcome of antiretroviral therapy, depending on the use and utility of a concept of resistance-guided switch, patients from the Frankfurt HIV cohort have been followed for 24 weeks. If available, prior resistance data have been evaluated and patients were grouped into their expected viral response. The data of 354 patients were thus analysed, taking into account the genotypic sensitivity score of the administered medication (> or ≤2).

Durability of protective antibody titres is not enhanced by a two-dose schedule of an ASO3-adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine in adult HIV-1-infected patients.

The immune response after influenza vaccination is impaired in HIV-infected individuals and can be enhanced by a second dose. The durability of the antibody protection and its clinical benefit is not known. We investigated clinical symptoms and antibody titres against H1N1 influenza A following no dose, 1 dose, or 2 doses of an ASO3-adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine in HIV-infected patients.

Transportation capacity for patients with highly infectious diseases in Europe: a survey in 16 nations.

Highly infectious diseases (HIDs) are defined as being transmissible from person to person, causing life-threatening illnesses and presenting a serious public health hazard. In most European Union member states specialized isolation facilities are responsible for the management of such cases. Ground ambulances are often affiliated with those facilities because rapid relocation of patients is most desirable.

[Changing spectrum of renal disease in HIV infection].

Background And Objective: Renal disease is a common complication in HIV-infected patients. The causes and spectrum of kidney disease among these patients is extensive, including HIV-related and HIV unrelated causes. Our objective was to assess the changes in distribution of renal disease under antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Acute kidney injury caused by tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and diclofenac co-administration.

Objectives: The renal elimination of tenofovir (TFV) may be subject to renal drug-drug interactions that may increase the risk of kidney injury. Case reports indicated that diclofenac might increase TFV-associated nephrotoxicity via a drug-drug interaction, leading to an increased intracellular TFV concentration in proximal tubular cells.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of data for all patients from the Frankfurt HIV Cohort (FHC) who had diclofenac prescriptions between January 2008 and June 2012 was carried out.

Immune response after a single dose of the 2010/11 trivalent, seasonal influenza vaccine in HIV-1-infected patients and healthy controls.

Background: Immune response rates following influenza vaccination are often lower in HIV-infected individuals. Low vitamin D levels were correlated with weak immune response in cancer patients and are known to be lower in HIV-infected patients.

Methods: Diagnostic study to determine immune response against the H1N1v component after a single, intramuscular dose of the 2010/11 seasonal, trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in adult HIV-infected and healthy controls scheduled for influenza vaccination (ClinicalTrials.

Cohort profile: Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC).

The advent of effective combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1996 resulted in fewer patients experiencing clinical events, so that some prognostic analyses of individual cohort studies of human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals had low statistical power. Because of this, the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC) of HIV cohort studies in Europe and North America was established in 2000, with the aim of studying the prognosis for clinical events in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the mortality of adult patients treated for HIV-1 infection. In 2002, the ART-CC collected data on more than 12,000 patients in 13 cohorts who had begun combination ART between 1995 and 2001.

Delay in the administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection: a prospective multicenter hospital-based cohort study.

Objectives: Early broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment reduces mortality in patients with septic shock. In a multicenter, prospective observational study, we explored whether delayed appropriate antimicrobial therapy (AAT) influences outcome in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SAB).

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-six patients with SAB from ten German study centers were enrolled and followed for 3 months.

Spindle-shaped CD163+ rosetting macrophages replace CD4+ T-cells in HIV-related classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Combination antiretroviral therapy is highly effective in HIV infection, leading to decreased incidences of AIDS-defining neoplasms. However, HIV patients still have a 10-fold increased risk of developing classical Hodgkin lymphoma compared with the general population. As Hodgkin- and Reed-Sternberg cells represent only a minority in the tumor infiltrate, the aim of the present study was to characterize the microenvironment of HIV-related classical Hodgkin lymphoma and compare it with classical Hodgkin lymphoma cases of immunocompetent individuals.

Tuberculosis skin test, but not interferon-γ-releasing assays is affected by BCG vaccination in HIV patients.

Objective: Of this study was to compare the results of tuberculin skin test (TST) with two interferon-γ releasing-assays (IGRA) in a cohort of HIV positive patients, to analyze impact of prior Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-vaccination.

Methods: Prospective cross sectional study, enrolling only asymptomatic adult HIV infected outpatients from a large German University hospital clinic. All participants were simultaneously tested for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) by QuantiFERON-TB Gold, T-SPOT.