Autoimmune Hepatitis in a Patient With Common Variable Immunodeficiency.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is characterized by defective immunoglobulin synthesis because of impaired B-cell function. Liver abnormalities including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) have been described in up to 10% of patients. We report a 27-year-old woman with CVID who presented with liver dysfunction secondary to AIH.

Investigation of oral, gastric, and duodenal microbiota in patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms.

Disease-associated alterations of the intestinal microbiota composition, known as dysbiosis, have been well described in several functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Several studies have described alterations in the gastric microbiota in functional dyspepsia, but very few have looked at the duodenum.Here, we explored the upper GI tract microbiota of inpatients with upper GI dyspeptic symptoms, and compared them to achalasia controls, as there is no indication for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy in healthy individuals.

Segmental Withdrawal During Screening Colonoscopy Does Not Increase Adenoma Detection Rate.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare a standard versus segmental withdrawal during screening colonoscopy and its effect on the adenoma detection rate (ADR).

Methods: We performed a single-center clinical trial of average-risk patients 50 years of age and older undergoing screening colonoscopy. Patients were randomized into four groups: a standard withdrawal of at least 6 or 8 minutes and a segmental withdrawal, in which ≥3 or ≥4 minutes were dedicated to the right side of the colon, with a minimum withdrawal time of at least 6 or 8 minutes, respectively.

Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency: What the Proceduralist Needs to Know.

Pseudocholinesterase deficiency is a rare genetic as well as an acquired disorder that affects the body's ability to metabolize choline esters such as succinylcholine and mivacurium. It can be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, occurring in approximately 1 in 3,200 to 1 in 5,000 people. In most cases of pseudocholinesterase deficiency, no signs or symptoms of the condition exist.

Changing Epidemiology of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections in Cancer Patients.

We compared the etiologic organisms of bloodstream infections (BSIs) in cancer patients with central venous catheters (CVCs) between 2 cohorts separated by more than a decade.Gram-negative organisms have become the predominant etiologic organisms of BSIs (52%); they now contribute to 41% of catheter-related BSIs (CRBSIs).Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:727-729.

Usefulness of left ventricular mass change to predict progression of renal dysfunction in Hispanics.

There is a strong relation between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and left ventricular (LV) mass in Hispanic patients. This population also tends to have a higher incidence of kidney disease, with progression to dialysis. We analyzed the change in LV mass in 982 Hispanic patients with MetS and used these data to anticipate the progression of renal dysfunction.

Author Correction: Procalcitonin Guiding Antimicrobial Therapy Duration in Febrile Cancer Patients with Documented Infection or Neutropenia.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Procalcitonin Guiding Antimicrobial Therapy Duration in Febrile Cancer Patients with Documented Infection or Neutropenia.

In this analysis, we identified febrile cancer patients with documented infections or neutropenia, whose procalcitonin levels are low at baseline or decrease on antibiotics. These patients had similar outcomes in terms of mortality and relapse of infection regardless of the duration of antimicrobial therapy (less or more than 7 days).

Comparing catheter-related bloodstream infections in pediatric and adult cancer patients.

Objective: Central venous catheters (CVCs) are essential to treatment of children with cancer. There are no studies comparing catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) in pediatric cancer patients to those in adults, although current guidelines for management of CRBSI do not give separate guidelines for the pediatric population. In this study, we compared CRBSIs in both the pediatric and adult cancer population.

The influence of using antibiotic-coated peripherally inserted central catheters on decreasing the risk of central line-associated bloodstream infections.

The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) has increased over the past few years due to their less serious insertion complications. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether patients receiving PICCs impregnated with minocycline and rifampin had a lower rate of CLABSI compared with a concurrent control group of patients receiving uncoated PICCs.