Clinical outcomes of intensive care unit patients infected with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria treated with ceftazidime/avibactam and ceftolozane/tazobactam.

In intensive care units (ICUs), infection rates range from 18 to 54%, which is five to ten times higher than those observed in other hospital units, with a mortality rate of 9% to 60%. In recent decades, the susceptibility pattern has changed and Gram-Negative Bacteria (GNB) have become a threat due to their high frequency of multidrug resistance associated with a scarcity of therapeutic options. However, the drugs Ceftolozane/Tazobactam (C/T) and Ceftazidime/Avibactam (C/A) are demonstrating good clinical and microbiological response in the treatment of severe nosocomial infections.

Levels of soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) increase with clinical worsening of patients and are related to COVID-19 mortality.

The present study aimed to inspect the serum levels of the soluble receptors, sTNFR1 and sTNFR2, in patients with COVID-19. The large production of inflammatory cytokines is an essential process in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. TNF is a multifaceted proinflammatory cytokine which has soluble and membrane receptors.

TST conversions and systemic interferon-gamma increase after methotrexate introduction in psoriasis patients.

Background: Tuberculosis screening in psoriasis patients is complex due to the immunological alterations associated with psoriasis, the presence of comorbidities, and the effect of immunosuppressive treatment. However, it is not established whether the results of screening tests are affected by these factors in psoriasis patients.

Objectives: To determine whether there is a change in the results of the tuberculin skin test (TST) or the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) in psoriasis patients living in tuberculosis (TB)-endemic area after 12 weeks of methotrexate (MTX) treatment and to investigate the association of the test results with clinical and inflammatory markers.

HTLV 1/2 Prevalence and risk factors in individuals with HIV/AIDS in Pernambuco, Brazil.

Introduction: Apart from masking the diagnosis of AIDS in patients with HIV/AIDS, human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV), when present, also increases the risk of myelopathies and neurological disease in these patients.

Methods: Disease prevalence was estimated by ELISA and confirmed by Western blot.

Results: The coinfection rate was 1.

Role of moxifloxacin-dexamethasone in cardiac histomorphometric findings among Wistar rats from infected mothers.

Purpose: To investigate cardiac changes in young rats, whose mothers underwent autogenic fecal peritonitis, during organogenesis phase and to evaluate the role of intravenous administration of moxifloxacin and dexamethasone in preventing infection-related cardiac changes.

Methods: A prospective histomorphometric study was performed on 29 hearts of Wistar four-month old rats. Animals were divided into three groups: Negative Control Group (NCG) included 9 subjects from healthy mothers; Positive Control Group (PCG) included 10 subjects from mothers with fecal peritonitis (intra-abdominal injection of 10% autogenic fecal suspension in the gestational period) and did not receive any treatment; and Intervention Group (IG), with 10 animals whose infected mothers received moxifloxacin and dexamethasone treatment 24 hours after induction of fecal peritonitis.

Factors associated with treatment for latent tuberculosis in persons living with HIV/AIDS.

The aim was to identify factors associated with non-initiation of prophylactic treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBi) in persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA), based on a prospective cohort study of PLWA ≥ 18 years of age in two referral services for HIV/AIDS. Of the 232 patients eligible for treatment of LTBi, 69.8% initiated treatment.

Predictive factors for repetition of the tuberculin test after a nonreactive test in patients with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: The outcome of interest was repetition of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the objectives were to estimate the rate of TST repetition, the probability of no TST repetition after 1 year, and the probability of no TST repetition at the end of the follow-up period in patients whose initial test was nonreactive. The study also set out to analyze factors associated with the time until TST repetition at two HIV/AIDS referral services that carry out the TST on a routine basis in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Methods: A cohort of HIV-positive patients who initially tested nonreactive on the TST were followed from November 2007 to February 2010.

An evaluation of factors associated with taking and responding positive to the tuberculin skin test in individuals with HIV/AIDS.

Background: The tuberculin skin test (TST) is still the standard test for detecting latent infection by M tuberculosis (LTBI). Given that the Brazilian Health Ministry recommends that the treatment of latent tuberculosis (LTBI) should be guided by the TST results, the present study sets out to describe the coverage of administering the TST in people living with HIV at two referral health centers in the city of Recife, where TST is offered to all patients. In addition, factors associated with the non-application of the test and with positive TST results were also analyzed.

Profile of patients with hypertension included in a cohort with HIV/AIDS in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Background: Hypertension (HBP) is modifiable risk factor, whose control may reduce cardiovascular disease in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of hypertension and describe the characteristics of patients with hypertension infected by HIV/AIDS.

Methods: A cross-sectional study aligned to a cohort of patients with HIV/AIDS.

Risk factors related to hypertension among patients in a cohort living with HIV/AIDS.

Introduction: Studies disagree as to whether there is a greater prevalence of hypertension among HIV/AIDS patients and the role of antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of hypertension and risk factors in a cohort of HIV-infected patients, with emphasis on antiretroviral therapy.

Method: Case-control study conducted at baseline of a cohort, between June/2007 and December/2008 in Pernambuco/Brazil.