Characteristics of nontyphoidal Salmonella gastroenteritis in Taiwanese children: A 9-year period retrospective medical record review.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella is among the most common causes of acute pediatric gastroenteritis in Taiwan. It is important to study antibiotic resistance patterns in nontyphoidal Salmonella isolated from children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of serogroups and susceptibility to antimicrobial nontyphoidal Salmonella isolated from Taiwanese children with gastroenteritis.

The Effect of Renal Function Impairment on the Mortality of Cirrhotic Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based 3-Year Follow-up Study.

Renal function impairment (RFI) contributes to poor prognosis in cirrhotic patients. However, there have been no studies that seek to identify the effect of different types of RFI on the mortality of cirrhotic patients. We used the National Health Insurance Database, derived from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program, to identify 44365 cirrhotic patients between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007.

A fourfold increase of oesophageal variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients with a history of oesophageal variceal bleeding.

Introduction: Large, recent population-based data for evaluating the predictors of oesophageal variceal bleeding (OVB) among cirrhotic patients is still lacking. This study aimed to determine the cumulative incidence of OVB among cirrhotic patients and identify the predictors of OVB occurrence.

Methods: Patient information on 38,172 cirrhotic patients without a history of OVB, who were discharged between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2007, was obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database for this study.

Increased occurrence of native septic arthritis in adult cirrhotic patients: a population-based three-year follow-up study in Taiwan.

Introduction: Due to impairment of immunity and metabolism, cirrhotic patients are prone to infection, osteoporosis, and osteonecrosis. However, it is unknown if cirrhotic patients are prone to native septic arthritis (NSA).

Aim: To assess the occurrence of NSA between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients.

The effect of tuberculosis on the mortality of cirrhotic patients: a population-based 3-year follow-up study.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is still unknown if TB, like other infectious diseases contributes a poor prognosis in cirrhotic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of TB on the mortality of cirrhotic patients.

Epidural abscess caused by Veillonella parvula: Case report and review of the literature.

Veillonella parvula, an anaerobic, Gram-negative coccus is part of the normal flora of the oral, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genitourinary tracts in humans and animals. We herein present a case of epidural abscess caused by V. parvula in a 68-year-old man with sinus squamous cell carcinoma who presented with a 3-week history of low back pain.

Different clinical characteristics among Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria and Aeromonas caviae monomicrobial bacteremia.

This study aimed to compare the clinical presentations of Aeromonas hydrophila, A. veronii biovar sobria and A. caviae monomicrobial bacteremia by a retrospective method at three hospitals in Taiwan during an 8-yr period.

Septic arthritis caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium abscessus in a prosthetic knee joint: case report and review of literature.

Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) is an infrequent cause of prosthetic knee joint infections. Simultaneous infection with different NTM species in a prosthetic knee joint has not been previously reported. A case of prosthetic knee joint infection caused by Mycobacterium abscessus and M.

Risk factors for delayed diagnosis of scabies in hospitalized patients from long-term care facilities.

Background: Delayed diagnosis of scabies can cause an institutional outbreak, which causes considerably economic burden to control. This study was to find the risk factors for delayed diagnosis of scabies in hospitalized patients from long-term care facilities.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the hospitalized patients from long-term care facilities, diagnosed to have scabies between January 2006 and December 2008.

Prognostic factors of candidemia among nonneutropenic adults with total parenteral nutrition.

Background: Immediate removal of central venous catheters (CVCs) is not possible in patients with candidemia requiring total parenteral nutrition (TPN). This study analyzed the possible prognostic factors for survival time after onset of candidemia among nonneutropenic adults requiring TPN.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis from September 2003 to August 2005.

Intravenous minocycline versus oral doxycycline for the treatment of noncomplicated scrub typhus.

Background: Scrub typhus is an acute febrile disease for which synthetic tetracycline antibiotics are efficacious. However, no clinical studies have compared oral doxycycline with intravenous minocycline for treatment of scrub typhus.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis in patients diagnosed with noncomplicated scrub typhus by serologic or molecular methods from August 2001 to July 2007.

Different clinical characteristics between polymicrobial and monomicrobial Aeromonas bacteremia--a study of 216 cases.

Background: Part of Aeromonas bacteremia is polymicrobial infection. However, a clinical comparison of monomicrobial and polymicrobial Aeromonas bacteremia has not hitherto been reported.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records of patients with Aeromonas bacteremia at three large referral hospitals in Taiwan for an 8-year period (2001-2008) was conducted.

Levofloxacin versus tetracycline antibiotics for the treatment of scrub typhus.

Background: Scrub typhus is an important febrile disease in Southeast Asia and is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. Fluoroquinolones have proved to be effective for scrub typhus in an animal model. However, it is unclear whether they are also effective clinically.

Epidural abscess caused by Haemophilus aphrophilus misidentified as Pasteurella species.

Haemophilus aphrophilus is one of the normal oropharyngeal flora and rarely implicated as a pathogen of spinal infection. A case of H. aphrophilus bacteremia complicated with epidural abscess, psoas muscle abscess, and spondylodiscitis is described in this report.

Impact of the 1997 revised Centers for Disease Control criteria on case rates of legionellosis in Taiwan: review of 38 cases at a teaching hospital, 1998-2002.

In 1997, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published revised case definitions for legionellosis which eliminated the previously used category of "probable case" based on a single indirect fluorescence antibody (IFA) titer. This study evaluated the influence of revision on the case rates of legionellosis in Taiwan. From 1988 to 2002, 4615 patients with pneumonia were tested for legionellosis in our hospital.