Cultures for acid-fast bacilli: are we being good stewards?

Objective: To describe the use of cultures for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and situations in which AFB cultures are unlikely to be of clinical benefit.

Design: Retrospective descriptive study of AFB cultures submitted to Sentara Health microbiology laboratory from December 1, 2021, to December 1, 2023. Data were collected from the electronic medical record and included patient demographics, the service line that ordered the culture, specimen source, and culture results.

Obesity Paradox and the Effect of NT-proBNP on All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality.

Background: In heart failure patients, obesity is associated with better outcomes as compared to normal weight, a phenomenon called the obesity paradox.

Objective: To examine if obesity modifies the relationship between NT-proBNP and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in adults without coronary artery disease or heart failure history.

Methods: We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 1999 to 2004 and linked it with mortality through December 31, 2019.