Sequence Type 5 (ST5) as a Possible Predictor of Bacterial Persistence in Adult Patients with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia Treated with Vancomycin.

Vancomycin remains the mainstay of treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. This study assessed risk factors for vancomycin failure in 63 patients with MRSA pneumonia through detailed clinical, microbiological, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic, and genetic analyses of prospective multicenter studies conducted from February 2012 to July 2018. Therapeutic drug monitoring was performed during vancomycin treatment, and the 24-h area under the curve (AUC) was calculated.

A Prospective Multicenter Clinical Observational Study on Vancomycin Efficiency and Safety With Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Background: Vancomycin is a first-line antibiotic used for the treatment of severe gram-positive bacterial infections. Clinical guidelines recommend that the vancomycin trough concentration be 10-15 mg/L for regular infections and 15-20 mg/L for severe infections. We investigated whether increasing the vancomycin concentration would result in better clinical outcomes with sustainable adverse effects (AEs) in the Chinese population.

Labetalol Prevents Intestinal Dysfunction Induced by Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Beta-adrenergic blockade has been hypothesized to have a protective effect on intestinal dysfunction and increased intestinal permeability associated with the epinephrine surge after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Wister rats were subjected to either a weight drop TBI, and intraperitoneally injected or not with labetalol, or a sham procedure (18 rats per group). After 3, 6, or 12h (6 rats per subgroup), intestinal permeability to 4.

Combined Autodock and comparative molecular field analysis study on predicting 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of flavonoids isolated from Spatholobus suberectus Dunn.

5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) plays a key role in the pathway of leukotriene biosynthesis. To predict the inhibitory activity of flavonoid inhibitors against 5-LOX from Spatholobus suberectus Dunn, Autodock 4.2 and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) were employed.

Increased plasma levels of heparin-binding protein in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Introduction: Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is an antimicrobial protein stored in neutrophil granules and plays a role in endothelial permeability regulation. The aim was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of measuring HBP in patients with acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Methods: Plasma HBP was collected from 78 patients with ALI/ARDS, 28 patients with cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) and 20 healthy volunteers at enrollment.

Pentraxin 3 in the assessment of ventilator-associated pneumonia: an early marker of severity.

Objectives: The aim was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of measuring pentraxin 3 (PTX3) together with C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Background: The PTX3 values increase rapidly during multiple inflammatory conditions, but little is known about its characteristics in VAP.

Methods: Measurement of PTX3 and CRP levels in plasma from 136 consecutive patients receiving mechanical ventilation > 48 h in a prospective single center study.

Copeptin in the assessment of acute lung injury and cardiogenic pulmonary edema.

Backgrounds: Copeptin has been studied as an excellent predictor of outcome in a variety of diseases, its value is even superior to that of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in heart failure, but little is known about its characteristics in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI). We sought to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of copeptin together with N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) in patients with ARDS/ALI or cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE).

Methods: Measurement of copeptin and NT-proBNP levels in plasma from 121 consecutive patients with either ARDS/ALI or CPE enrolled in a prospective single center study.