Re-evaluation of FDA-approved antibiotics with increased diagnostic accuracy for assessment of antimicrobial resistance.

Accurate assessment of antibiotic susceptibility is critical for treatment of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections. Here, we examine whether antimicrobial susceptibility testing in media more physiologically representative of in vivo conditions improves prediction of clinical outcome relative to standard bacteriologic medium. This analysis reveals that ∼15% of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values obtained in physiologic media predicted a change in susceptibility that crossed a clinical breakpoint used to categorize patient isolates as susceptible or resistant.

A broad-spectrum synthetic antibiotic that does not evoke bacterial resistance.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical threat to public health and disproportionately affects the health and well-being of persons in low-income and middle-income countries. Our aim was to identify synthetic antimicrobials termed conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) that effectively treated AMR infections and whose structures could be readily modified to address current and anticipated patient needs.

Methods: Fifteen chemical variants were synthesized that contain specific alterations to the COE modular structure, and each variant was evaluated for broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and for in vitro cytotoxicity in cultured mammalian cells.

Establishment of blood glycosidase activities and their excursions in sepsis.

Glycosidases are hydrolytic enzymes studied principally in the context of intracellular catabolism within the lysosome. Therefore, glycosidase activities are classically measured in experimentally acidified assay conditions reflecting their low pH optima. However, glycosidases are also present in the bloodstream where they may retain sufficient activity to participate in the regulation of glycoprotein half-lives, proteostasis, and disease pathogenesis.

Assessment of a Smartphone-Based Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Viruses.

Importance: A critical need exists in low-income and middle-income countries for low-cost, low-tech, yet highly reliable and scalable testing for SARS-CoV-2 virus that is robust against circulating variants.

Objective: To assess whether a smartphone-based assay is suitable for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus testing without requiring specialized equipment, accessory devices, or custom reagents.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study enrolled 2 subgroups of participants (symptomatic and asymptomatic) at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Use of pressure-regulated volume control in the first 48 hours of hospitalization of mechanically ventilated patients with sepsis or septic shock, with or without ARDS.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of pressure-regulated volume control (PRVC/VC+) use on delivered tidal volumes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or at risk for ARDS.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective study of mechanically ventilated adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Results: A total of 272 patients were divided into patients with recognized ARDS, patients without ARDS, and patients with unrecognized ARDS.

Healthcare Event and Activity Logging.

The health of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) can change frequently and inexplicably. Crucial events and activities responsible for these changes often go unnoticed. This paper introduces healthcare event and action logging (HEAL) which automatically and unobtrusively monitors and reports on events and activities that occur in a medical ICU room.

Smartphone-based pathogen diagnosis in urinary sepsis patients.

Background: There is an urgent need for rapid, sensitive, and affordable diagnostics for microbial infections at the point-of-care. Although a number of innovative systems have been reported that transform mobile phones into potential diagnostic tools, the translational challenge to clinical diagnostics remains a significant hurdle to overcome.

Methods: A smartphone-based real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification (smaRT-LAMP) system was developed for pathogen ID in urinary sepsis patients.