Clostridium difficile Infection: Risk and Poor Prognostic Factors at a Tertiary Hospital in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background:   () is a common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. It is associated with significantly higher mortality and morbidity in addition to the cost-effectiveness burden on the healthcare system. The primary risk factors for infection (CDI) are past exposure, proton pump inhibitors, and antibiotic usage.

Evaluation of efficacy of microwave irradiation in disinfecting dental gypsum casts: an ex vivo study.

The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of microwave irradiation in disinfecting gypsum casts and also to compare its efficacy with validated method of chemical disinfection. The present study is an ex vivo study conducted on a sample of five irreversible hydrocolloid impressions in vitro and on ten patients gypsum casts in vivo following standard impression techniques to check the efficacy of microwave oven irradiation and compare its efficacy with standard chemical method of disinfection. Results were analysed using Mann-Whitney test and Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Clinico-microbiological profile of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis from a tertiary care centre in southern India.

Background: Pulmonary aspergillosis is commonly seen in immunocompromised individuals. A significant rise has been seen in these cases in the past decade, owing to growing number of patients with impaired immune status.

Aim: This study includes the detailed clinical and microbiological profiles of all the culture positive cases of pulmonary aspergillosis, detected in three years, from Jan 2008-Dec 2010, at our tertiary care centre.

Hepatitis viruses in heamodialysis patients: an added insult to injury?

Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are the most important causes of chronic liver disease in patients with end stage renal disease on hemodialysis. The prevalence of hepatitis infection among hemodialysis patients is high and varies between countries and between dialysis units within a single country. This case-control study was undertaken to estimate the occurrence of HBV and HCV infections in patients undergoing hemodialysis in our tertiary care center.

Significance of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in children and young adults with febrile neutropenia during chemotherapy for cancer: a prospective study.

Objectives: We evaluated the usefulness of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at the onset of febrile neutropenia and 72 hours later, in identifying risk groups and assessing response to antibiotic therapy.

Methods: All episodes of febrile neutropenia were divided in 3 study groups-microbiologically documented infection (MDI), clinically documented infection (CDI), and fever of unknown origin (FUO). Three outcome groups were defined as those responding to first-line antibiotics (R1), those responding to second-line antibiotics (R2), and those requiring antifungal therapy (RAF).