National expert consensus on the management of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical patients with a penicillin allergy label based on the Delphi method.

Background: Patients with a penicillin allergy label have an increased risk of surgical site infection. Although a decision tree was published in 2019 to define which patients could benefit from direct cephalosporin use in the perioperative setting, this strategy remains unvalidated. This consensus statement aimed to adapt it based on an expert consensus to cover persisting caveats and to adapt it to an environment with poor allergist resources.

Deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery: A combination of 2 distinct infection types, deep incisional surgical-site infection and mediastinitis: Results of a retrospective study.

Introduction: Deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery remains a serious complication associated with a poor prognosis. Deep sternal wound infection is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as deep incisional surgical site-infection and mediastinitis. This study aims to describe the incidence, perioperative characteristics, and outcomes of deep sternal wound infection on the basis of clinical presentations.

Genomic investigation of an antifungal-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus outbreak in a French hospital.

Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with various invasive, chronic, and allergic fungal diseases. The emergence of environmental azole-resistant strains complicates the treatment of these infections. The use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS), which is widely used to study bacterial and viral outbreaks, could be beneficial for characterizing azole-resistant A.

High-Temperature Solid-State Post-Synthetic Modification of Highly Luminescent Cu(I) Metallacycles toward New Luminescent Thermic Tracers.

A new luminescent Cu(I) tetrametallic metallacycle B is reported that features very rare semi-bridging aqua ligands. When heated markedly above room temperature, this compound undergoes a post-synthetic transformation in the solid-state, affording the new luminescent metallacycle C. Thermogravimetric analysis, IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveal that this alteration preserves the gross tetrametallic macrocycle structure, but is caused by the release of the coordinated water molecules with the concomitant formation of cuprophilic interactions.

Impact of penicillin allergy records on antimicrobial prescribing in hospitalised patients.

Background: The overdiagnosis of penicillin allergy and misclassification of non-truly allergic reactions is a growing public health problem, associated with the overuse of broad-spectrum and restricted antimicrobials. We aimed to evaluate the impact of penicillin allergy status on antimicrobial prescribing.

Methods: A retrospective study of inpatients with a documented penicillin allergy receiving antimicrobials was conducted from 1 April to 1 July 2021.

Microbubble-assisted ultrasound for inner ear drug delivery.

Treating pathologies of the inner ear is a major challenge. To date, a wide range of procedures exists for administering therapeutic agents to the inner ear, with varying degrees of success. The key is to deliver therapeutics in a way that is minimally invasive, effective, long-lasting, and without adverse effects on vestibular and cochlear function.

Neutralizing Antibody Levels as a Correlate of Protection Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Modeling Analysis.

Although anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 antibody kinetics have been described in large populations of vaccinated individuals, we still poorly understand how they evolve during a natural infection and how this impacts viral clearance. For that purpose, we analyzed the kinetics of both viral load and neutralizing antibody levels in a prospective cohort of individuals during acute infection with alpha variant. Using a mathematical model, we show that the progressive increase in neutralizing antibodies leads to a shortening of the half-life of both infected cells and infectious viral particles.

Erratum: Considerations for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers - CORRIGENDUM.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/ash.2023.

How have mathematical models contributed to understanding the transmission and control of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare settings? A systematic search and review.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematical models have been widely used to inform public health recommendations regarding COVID-19 control in healthcare settings. The objective of this study was to systematically review SARS-CoV-2 transmission models in healthcare settings, and to summarize their contributions to understanding nosocomial COVID-19. A systematic search and review of published articles indexed in PubMed was carried out.

Potential impact of real-time processing and rapid susceptibility testing of blood samples in Gram-negative bloodstream infections in intensive care patients.

Introduction: Timely and appropriate therapy is critical in patients with Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSI). Most bacteriology laboratories process blood specimen in the daytime, during laboratory operating hours, and use conventional culture for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). We simulated the potential impact of real-time processing and rapid AST (7 hours) on early adaptation of the antibiotic regimen in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with GNBSI.

Considerations for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers.

Three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, better knowledge on the transmission of respiratory viral infections (RVI) including the contribution of asymptomatic infections encouraged most healthcare centers to implement universal masking. The evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology and improved immunization of the population call for the infection and prevention control community to revisit the masking strategy in healthcare. In this narrative review, we consider factors for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers, addressing compliance with the mask policy, local epidemiology, the level of protection provided by medical face masks, the consequences of absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as logistics, costs, and ecological impact.

Rationale and evidence for the use of new beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations and cefiderocol in critically ill patients.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections involving Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) with difficult-to-treat resistance (DTR) phenotype are associated with impaired patient-centered outcomes and poses daily therapeutic challenges in most of intensive care units worldwide. Over the recent years, four innovative β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combinations (ceftolozane-tazobactam, ceftazidime-avibactam, imipenem-relebactam and meropenem-vaborbactam) and a new siderophore cephalosporin (cefiderocol) have been approved for the treatment of certain DTR-GNB infections. The literature addressing their microbiological spectrum, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy and safety was exhaustively audited by our group to support the recent guidelines of the French Intensive Care Society on their utilization in critically ill patients.

Auditory brainstem response: Key parameters for good-quality recording.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) is widely used in ENT to investigate hearing loss. This test evaluates the response of the ascending auditory pathway, from cochlea to mesencephalon, following auditory stimulation. It provides precise analysis of waves numbered I to V according to location on the auditory pathway, in terms of amplitude, latency and inter-wave interval.

Efficacy of vancomycin lock therapy for totally implantable venous access port-related infection due to coagulase-negative staphylococci in 100 patients with cancer.

Objectives: Data on the efficacy of vancomycin catheter lock therapy (VLT) for conservative treatment of totally implantable venous access port-related infections (TIVAP-RI) due to CoNS are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of VLT in the treatment of TIVAP-RI due to CoNS in cancer patients.

Methods: This prospective, observational, multicentre study included adults with cancer treated with VLT for a TIVAP-RI due to CoNS.

Hospital Clonal Outbreak of Fluconazole-Resistant Candida parapsilosis Harboring the Y132F ERG11p Substitution in a French Intensive Care Unit.

We report the first identification of a fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis (FR-) strain in our hospital, which subsequently caused an outbreak involving 17 patients (12 deaths) within a 26-bed French intensive care unit. Microsatellite genotyping confirmed that all FR- isolates belonged to the same clone. Given recent reports of rapid dissemination of these emerging clones, routine testing of azole susceptibility for all Candida parapsilosis isolates should be encouraged, at least in ICU patients.

Impact of Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Surgical Site Infections in Cardiac Surgery.

(1) Background: Cephalosporins (CA) are the first-line antibiotic prophylaxis recommended to prevent surgical site infection (SSI) after cardiac surgery. The combination of vancomycin/gentamicin (VGA) might represent a good alternative, but few studies have evaluated its efficacy in SSI prevention. (2) Methods: A single-centre retrospective study was conducted over a 13-year period in all consecutive adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Dual Monoclonal Antibodies on Sars-Cov-2 Alpha and Delta Variants: Clinical and Virological Efficacy.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) targeting the Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 is a key strategy to prevent severe COVID-19. Here, the efficacy of two monoclonal antibody bitherapies against SARS-CoV-2 was assessed on 92 patients at high risk of severe COVID-19 between March and October 2021 (Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris, France). Nine patients died despite appropriate management.

Cost-effectiveness of strategies to control the spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in hospitals: a modelling study.

Background: Spread of resistant bacteria causes severe morbidity and mortality. Stringent control measures can be expensive and disrupt hospital organization. In the present study, we assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of control strategies to prevent the spread of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in a general hospital ward (GW).