Clinical Impact of Rapid Species Identification From Positive Blood Cultures With Same-day Phenotypic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing on the Management and Outcome of Bloodstream Infections.

Background: Timely availability of microbiological results from positive blood cultures is essential to enable early pathogen-directed therapy. The Accelerate Pheno system (ADX) is a novel technology using fluorescence in situ hybridization for rapid species identification (ID) and morphokinetic bacterial analysis for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), with promising results. Yet the impact of this technology on clinical management and patient outcome remains unclear.

Mortality in patients with HIV-1 infection starting antiretroviral therapy in South Africa, Europe, or North America: a collaborative analysis of prospective studies.

Background: High early mortality in patients with HIV-1 starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa, compared to Europe and North America, is well documented. Longer-term comparisons between settings have been limited by poor ascertainment of mortality in high burden African settings. This study aimed to compare mortality up to four years on ART between South Africa, Europe, and North America.

Low-grade proteinuria is highly prevalent in HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral treatment.

Objectives: HIV-positive patients are at an increased risk for chronic kidney disease. However, these data mainly derive from cohorts with a high percentage of African-American patients, representing a specific ethnical risk group for chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors specifically for early signs of kidney dysfunction in a large, predominantly white cohort of HIV patients.

[Unexplained chronic hypokalaemia in a young woman].

History And Clinical Findings: The 27 year old female patient presented with chronic hypokalaemia known for 6 years and current potassium values of 1.8 mmol/l. She reported having diarrhea for a few days, fever was denied.

Massive hypercoagulable state despite full-dose anticoagulant treatment in a patient with occult malignancy: considerations concerning chemotherapy without definitive diagnosis.

A 55-year-old female patient presented with recurrent deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism while on oral anticoagulant treatment using the vitamin K antagonist phenprocoumon. Hypercoagulable state was regarded to be paraneoplastic, but no underlying malignancy could be identified despite extensive screening for cancer, including gastroscopy and colonoscopy, a bone marrow biopsy, thoracoabdominal CT scans with subsequent biopsies of possibly malignant findings, octreotide scintigraphy, skeletal scintigraphy and gynaecological screening. In the course of her hospital stay she developed progressive right cardiac insufficiency due to the formation of new thromboses despite aggressive anticoagulant treatment and died of right-sided heart failure.