F-waves persistence in peripheral sensory syndromes.

Background: The distinction between sensory neuronopathies (SN), which is by definition purely sensory, and sensory polyneuropathies (SP) and sensory multineuropathies (SM) is important for etiologic investigation and prognosis estimation. However, this task is often challenging in clinical practice. We hypothesize that F-wave assessment might be helpful, since it is able to detect subtle signs of motor involvement, which are found in SP and SM, but not in SN.

A-waves are associated with neuropathic pain in leprosy.

Introduction/aims: The A-wave is a late response related either to demyelination or early axonal regeneration. It may be helpful in the evaluation of some peripheral neuropathies. In leprosy, previous studies suggested that A-waves could be a neurophysiological marker of pain in patients during reactions.

Diagnosis and management of Aspergillus diseases: executive summary of the 2017 ESCMID-ECMM-ERS guideline.

The European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, the European Confederation of Medical Mycology and the European Respiratory Society Joint Clinical Guidelines focus on diagnosis and management of aspergillosis. Of the numerous recommendations, a few are summarized here. Chest computed tomography as well as bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients with suspicion of pulmonary invasive aspergillosis (IA) are strongly recommended.

Correction to: Catheter retention as a consequence rather than a cause of unfavorable outcome in candidemia.

In the original publication the members of the FUNGINOS network were provided in such a way that they could not be indexed as collaborators on PubMed.

Fluconazole non-susceptible breakthrough candidemia after prolonged low-dose prophylaxis: a prospective FUNGINOS study.

Objectives: Breakthrough candidemia (BTC) on fluconazole was associated with non-susceptible Candida spp. and increased mortality. This nationwide FUNGINOS study analyzed clinical and mycological BTC characteristics.

End-to-side versus end-to-end neurorrhaphy at the peroneal nerve in rats.

Purpose: To evaluate three different kinds of neurorrhaphy of the peroneal nerve.

Methods: Eigthy rats were divided into 5 groups. Control: nerve had no intervention.

Efficacy of anidulafungin in 539 patients with invasive candidiasis: a patient-level pooled analysis of six clinical trials.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of anidulafungin for the treatment of candidaemia and invasive candidiasis in a large dataset, including patients with deep-seated tissue candidiasis, neutropenia and infection due to non- albicans Candida species.

Methods: Data were pooled from six prospective, multicentre, multinational studies: four open-label, non-comparative studies of anidulafungin and two double-blind, double-dummy, randomized studies of anidulafungin versus caspofungin (clinical trial registrations: NCT00496197, NCT00548262, NCT00537329, NCT00689338, NCT00806351 and NCT00805740; ClinicalTrials.gov).

Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial Investigating Decompression for Leprous Neuropathy (The DELN Protocol).

Objectives: An expert group of peripheral nerve surgeons, reconstructive surgeons, and immunologists who have extensive experience with Hansen’s Disease convened to discuss the status of nerve decompression as a treatment for leprous neuropathy. The expert group recommended an international, multi-center randomised controlled trial (RCT). Subsequently, a study protocol called Decompression for Leprous Neuropathy (DELN) was designed and further refined by multiple investigators worldwide.

Assessing nerves in leprosy.

Leprosy neuropathy is dependent on the patient's immune response and expresses itself as a focal or multifocal neuropathy with asymmetric involvement. Leprosy neuropathy evolves chronically but recurrently develops periods of exacerbation during type 1 or type 2 reactions, leading to acute neuropathy. Nerve enlargement leading to entrapment syndromes is also a common manifestation.

Assessment of panobacumab as adjunctive immunotherapy for the treatment of nosocomial Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.

The fully human anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) immunoglobulin M (IgM) monoclonal antibody panobacumab was developed as an adjunctive immunotherapy for the treatment of O11 serotype Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We evaluated the potential clinical efficacy of panobacumab in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia. We performed a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter phase IIa trial (NCT00851435) designed to prospectively evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of panobacumab.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotypes in nosocomial pneumonia: prevalence and clinical outcomes.

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa frequently causes nosocomial pneumonia and is associated with poor outcome. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and clinical outcome of nosocomial pneumonia caused by serotype-specific P. aeruginosa in critically ill patients under appropriate antimicrobial therapy management.

Candida species distribution and antifungal susceptibility testing according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and new vs. old Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute clinical breakpoints: a 6-year prospective candidaemia survey from the fungal infection network of Switzerland.

We analyzed the species distribution of Candida blood isolates (CBIs), prospectively collected between 2004 and 2009 within FUNGINOS, and compared their antifungal susceptibility according to clinical breakpoints defined by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) in 2013, and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) in 2008 (old CLSI breakpoints) and 2012 (new CLSI breakpoints). CBIs were tested for susceptiblity to fluconazole, voriconazole and caspofungin by microtitre broth dilution (Sensititre® YeastOne™ test panel). Of 1090 CBIs, 675 (61.

Primary neural leprosy: systematic review.

The authors proposed a systematic review on the current concepts of primary neural leprosy by consulting the following online databases: MEDLINE, Lilacs/SciELO, and Embase. Selected studies were classified based on the degree of recommendation and levels of scientific evidence according to the "Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine". The following aspects were reviewed: cutaneous clinical and laboratorial investigations, i.

The safety and efficacy of high-dose daptomycin combined with rifampicin for the treatment of Gram-positive osteoarticular infections.

Purpose: Treatment of Gram-positive osteoarticular infections requires an adequate surgical approach combined with intensive antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a combined regimen of high-dose daptomycin and rifampicin, in patients with various types of Gram-positive osteoarticular infections.

Methods: This single centre, non-comparative, prospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of a combined regimen of intravenous daptomycin (8 mg/kg/day) and oral rifampicin (600 mg/day) in patients with Gram-positive osteoarticular infections, with a minimal follow-up of one year.

Double muscle innervation using end-to-side neurorrhaphy in rats.

Context And Objective: One of the techniques used for treating facial paralysis is double muscle innervation using end-to-end neurorrhaphy with sectioning of healthy nerves. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether double muscle innervation by means of end-to-side neurorrhaphy could occur, with maintenance of muscle innervation.

Design And Setting: Experimental study developed at the Experimental Research Center, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Unesp.

ESCMID* guideline for the diagnosis and management of Candida diseases 2012: patients with HIV infection or AIDS.

Mucosal candidiasis is frequent in immunocompromised HIV-infected highly active antiretroviral (HAART) naive patients or those who have failed therapy. Mucosal candidiasis is a marker of progressive immune deficiency. Because of the frequently marked and prompt immune reconstitution induced by HAART, there is no recommendation for primary antifungal prophylaxis of mucosal candidiasis in the HIV setting in Europe, although it has been evidenced as effective in the pre-HAART era.

ESCMID* guideline for the diagnosis and management of Candida diseases 2012: adults with haematological malignancies and after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT).

Fungal diseases still play a major role in morbidity and mortality in patients with haematological malignancies, including those undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although Aspergillus and other filamentous fungal diseases remain a major concern, Candida infections are still a major cause of mortality. This part of the ESCMID guidelines focuses on this patient population and reviews pertaining to prophylaxis, empirical/pre-emptive and targeted therapy of Candida diseases.

ESCMID* guideline for the diagnosis and management of Candida diseases 2012: prevention and management of invasive infections in neonates and children caused by Candida spp.

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a relatively common syndrome in neonates and children and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. These guidelines provide recommendations for the prevention and treatment of IC in neonates and children. Appropriate agents for the prevention of IC in neonates at high risk include fluconazole (A-I), nystatin (B-II) or lactoferrin ± Lactobacillus (B-II).

ESCMID* guideline for the diagnosis and management of Candida diseases 2012: non-neutropenic adult patients.

This part of the EFISG guidelines focuses on non-neutropenic adult patients. Only a few of the numerous recommendations can be summarized in the abstract. Prophylactic usage of fluconazole is supported in patients with recent abdominal surgery and recurrent gastrointestinal perforations or anastomotic leakages.

ESCMID* guideline for the diagnosis and management of Candida diseases 2012: diagnostic procedures.

As the mortality associated with invasive Candida infections remains high, it is important to make optimal use of available diagnostic tools to initiate antifungal therapy as early as possible and to select the most appropriate antifungal drug. A panel of experts of the European Fungal Infection Study Group (EFISG) of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) undertook a data review and compiled guidelines for the clinical utility and accuracy of different diagnostic tests and procedures for detection of Candida infections. Recommendations about the microbiological investigation and detection of candidaemia, invasive candidiasis, chronic disseminated candidiasis, and oropharyngeal, oesophageal, and vaginal candidiasis were included.

ESCMID* guideline for the diagnosis and management of Candida diseases 2012: developing European guidelines in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

The process to develop a guideline in a European setting remains a challenge. The ESCMID Fungal Infection Study Group (EFISG) successfully achieved this endeavour. After two face-to-face meetings, numerous telephone conferences, and email correspondence, an ESCMID task force (basically composed of members of the Society's Fungal Infection Study Group, EFISG) finalized the ESCMID diagnostic and management/therapeutic guideline for Candida diseases.