Navigating the 2021 update to the IDSA/SHEA guidelines: An ethical approach to equitable patient care.

The 2021 focused update to the Infections Diseases Society of America/Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (IDSA/SHEA) guidelines for management of infection (CDI) prioritizes the use of fidaxomicin over vancomycin for the treatment of initial and recurrent CDI. These recommendations have significant clinical and financial ramifications for hospitals and patients with CDI. Antimicrobial stewardship programs must balance the needs, goals, and barriers faced by patients and health systems when determining the best treatment strategy for CDI.

Impact of Education and Data Feedback on Antibiotic Prescribing for Urinary Tract Infections in the Emergency Department: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often misdiagnosed or treated with exceedingly broad-spectrum antibiotics, leading to negative downstream effects. We aimed to implement antimicrobial stewardship (AS) strategies targeting UTI prescribing in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental prospective AS intervention outlining appropriate UTI diagnosis and management across 3 EDs, within an academic and 2 community hospitals, in North Carolina, United States.

Prostatic Abscess in the Setting of Prolonged Bacteremia.

rarely causes prostatic abscess. We report five cases of prostatic abscess in the setting of bacteremia at our institution that occurred between 12/2018 and 05/2019. Three of the cases were caused by MRSA, and four of the patients underwent drainage of the prostatic abscess.

Risk Factors Associated With Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Program Failure Among Intravenous Drug Users.

Sixty-one percent of intravenous drug users (IVDUs) who received outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) failed treatment. Hospital readmission and adverse drug reactions occurred in 25%. By multivariate analysis, time since last IVDU was associated with failure ( = .

Loss of imprinting of IGF2 and the epigenetic progenitor model of cancer.

Among the hypotheses discussing cancer formation, the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory is one receiving widespread support. One version of this theory states that changes in otherwise healthy cells can cause formation of tumor- initiating cells (TICs), which have the potential to create precancerous stem cells that can lead to CSC formation. These CSCs can be rare, in contrast to their differentiated progeny, which give rise to the vast majority of the tumor mass in most cancers.