HIV and Chagas Disease Coinfection, a Tractable Disease?

We present 2 patients born in Argentina who were newly diagnosed with advanced HIV disease and Chagas disease reactivation with central nervous system involvement. The patients received concurrent benznidazole treatment and antiretroviral therapy, showing good response. Improvement in morbidity and mortality due to early treatment makes this treatment appropriate for coinfected patients.

Validated Risk Score for Predicting 6-Month Mortality in Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Host factors and complications have been associated with higher mortality in infective endocarditis (IE). We sought to develop and validate a model of clinical characteristics to predict 6-month mortality in IE.

Methods And Results: Using a large multinational prospective registry of definite IE (International Collaboration on Endocarditis [ICE]-Prospective Cohort Study [PCS], 2000-2006, n=4049), a model to predict 6-month survival was developed by Cox proportional hazards modeling with inverse probability weighting for surgery treatment and was internally validated by the bootstrapping method.

Pandemic 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients; a multicenter observational study.

Background: During March 2009 a novel Influenza A virus emerged in Mexico. We describe the clinical picture of the pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Influenza in cancer patients during the 2009 influenza season.

Methods: Twelve centers participated in a multicenter retrospective observational study of cancer patients with confirmed infection with the 2009 H1N1 Influenza A virus (influenza-like illness or pneumonia plus positive PCR for the 2009 H1N1 Influenza A virus  in respiratory secretions).

Influence of the timing of cardiac surgery on the outcome of patients with infective endocarditis and stroke.

Background: The timing of cardiac surgery after stroke in infective endocarditis (IE) remains controversial. We examined the relationship between the timing of surgery after stroke and the incidence of in-hospital and 1-year mortalities.

Methods: Data were obtained from the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study of 4794 patients with definite IE who were admitted to 64 centers from June 2000 through December 2006.

Recommendations for management of Chagas disease in organ and hematopoietic tissue transplantation programs in nonendemic areas.

The substantial immigration into Spain from endemic areas of Chagas disease such as Latin America has increased the number of potential donors of organs and tissues. In addition, an increasing number of patients with advanced Chagas heart disease may eventually be eligible to receive a heart transplant, a universally accepted therapeutic strategy for the advanced stages of this disease. Therefore, it is necessary to establish protocols for disease management.

Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus infection in solid organ transplant recipients: a multicenter study.

Background: The 2009 novel influenza A/H1N1 virus pandemic did not spare solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. We aimed to describe the behavior of pandemic influenza infection in a group of SOT recipients in Argentina.

Methods: Data from 10 transplant (Tx) centers were retrospectively collected for SOT that presented with a respiratory illness compatible with pandemic influenza A infection, between May and September 2009.

Health care-associated native valve endocarditis: importance of non-nosocomial acquisition.

Background: The clinical profile and outcome of nosocomial and non-nosocomial health care-associated native valve endocarditis are not well defined.

Objective: To compare the characteristics and outcomes of community-associated and nosocomial and non-nosocomial health care-associated native valve endocarditis.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii spread in an adult intensive care unit under an endemic setting.

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) clones I, III, and IV were recovered in several Buenos Aires City hospitals. We investigated the prevalence of these clones with epidemic behavior (EB) in our intensive care unit (ICU) under an endemic setting and its spread.

Methods: A 10-week prospective cohort study including surveillance cultures of newly admitted patients was conducted.

A controlled clinical trial comparing the safety and immunogenicity of a new adjuvanted hepatitis B vaccine with a standard hepatitis B vaccine.

A randomised trial was conducted in 285 adults not immune to hepatitis B (HB) to compare the safety and immunogenicity of a commercial aluminium-adjuvanted HB vaccine with and without an additional new adjuvant (AgB/RC-210-04 or AgB study groups, respectively). The additional adjuvant RC-529 is a fully synthetic monosaccharide mimetic of monophosphoryl lipid A. Subjects in the AgB/RC-210-04 (n=136) and AgB (n=149) groups were vaccinated intramuscularly on days 0, 30, and 180, according to the standard vaccination schedule for hepatitis B vaccines.

Pneumococcal bacteremia in a single center in Argentina.

Objective: To determine the clinical and microbiologic characteristics of pneumococcal bacteremia at Sanatorio Mitre, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Methods: One-hundred-and-seven episodes of pneumococcal bacteremia were prospectively analyzed from 1993 to 1998. Demographics, clinical and microbiological variables were studied.