Use of ICD-9-CM coding for identifying antibiotic prescriptions during hospitalization: a Delphi consensus model.

A Delphi consensus-seeking procedure was conducted to validate a list of ICD-9-CM codes that could help identify hospital admissions in which antimicrobials are more likely to be prescribed. The panel agreed to include 2967 codes out of 16229 (18.28%).

Kinetics of hepatitis B virus replication in anti-HBc positive/HBsAg-negative people with HIV switching to tenofovir sparing therapy.

Objectives: To unravel the still unexplored HBV-replicative kinetics in anti-HBc-positive/HBsAg-negative people-with-HIV (PWH) suspending tenofovir disoproxil-fumarate/tenofovir-alafenamide (TDF/TAF).

Methods: A total of 101 anti-HBc-positive/HBsAg-negative PWH switching to TDF/TAF-sparing therapy were included. Serum HBV-DNA and HBV-RNA were quantified by droplet-digital-PCR at switching (T0), within 12 months (T1) and 12-24 months postswitch (T2).

Challenges and opportunities for hepatitis B virus screening in people attending PrEP services: a retrospective prevalence study.

Objectives: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with emtricitabine/tenofovir to prevent HIV in individuals with hepatitis B virus (HBV) raises concerns about HBV reactivation when stopping event-driven PrEP or redundancy in HBV treatment for continuous PrEP (since tenofovir alone would be enough for HBV). Real-world data from PrEP services could provide useful epidemiological information on HBV prevalence in PrEP attendees in low-prevalence countries.

Methods: A retrospective analysis on PrEP attendees of three services in northern Italy were conducted to assess HBV prevalence among PrEP attendees and the need for primary cycle/booster dose HBV vaccination despite previous vaccination during childhood (at birth or 12 years).

Cefiderocol-Based Regimen for Acinetobacter NDM-1 Outbreak.

Variable outcomes have been reported with cefiderocol in infections due to carbapenem-resistant (CRAB). Nonetheless, it may be the only option for metallo-beta-lactamase-producing strains. We describe an outbreak of NDM-CRAB infections treated with cefiderocol.

Oral HPV infection clearance and acquisition after nonavalent vaccination in men who have sex with men and transgender women: a prospective analysis.

Oral HPV infection is the main risk factor for the development of oropharyngeal carcinoma. Men who have sex with men (MSM), especially if living with HIV (PLWH), are at increased risk of infection and consequently of cancer development. Aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of nonavalent vaccine on oral HPV infection in a cohort of MSM and transgender women (TGW).

Association between markers of hepatitis B virus infection and risk of virological rebound in people with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Objectives: The aim of this analysis was to investigate the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection on the risk of HIV viral rebound (VR) after achieving suppression for the first time following initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the real-world setting.

Design: Patients living with HIV (PLWH) who were enrolled in the ICONA Foundation Study cohort and achieved viral suppression ≤50 copies/mL for the first time after starting ART were prospectively evaluated and divided in three exposure groups according to serology test results: (a) HIV-monoinfected; (b) HIV-positive/HBcAb-positive/HBsAg-negative; (c) HIV-positive/HBsAg-positive. The occurrence of VR, defined as two consecutive HIV-RNA values >50 copies/mL after achieving viral suppression for the first time (baseline), was investigated.

A holistic evaluation of patients with chronic Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection enrolled in the Italian PITER-B and delta cohort.

Background And Aims: We aimed to characterize the epidemiologic and comorbidities profiles of patients with chronic Hepatitis D (CHD) followed in clinical practice in Italy and explored their interferon (IFN) eligibility.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of the PITER cohort consisting of consecutive HBsAg-positive patients from 59 centers over the period 2019-2023. Multivariable analysis was performed by logistic regression model.

Reduction of the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma over Time Using Direct-Acting Antivirals: A Propensity Score Analysis of a Real-Life Cohort (PITER HCV).

The treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) leads to high sustained virological response (SVR) rates, but hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk persists in people with advanced liver disease even after SVR. We weighted the HCC risk in people with cirrhosis achieving HCV eradication through DAA treatment and compared it with untreated participants in the multicenter prospective Italian Platform for the Study of Viral Hepatitis Therapies (PITER) cohort. Propensity matching with inverse probability weighting was used to compare DAA-treated and untreated HCV-infected participants with liver cirrhosis.

Cerebral Infectious Opportunistic Lesions in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia: The Challenge of Diagnosis and Clinical Management.

Central nervous system (CNS) lesions, especially invasive fungal diseases (IFDs), in immunocompromised patients pose a great challenge in diagnosis and treatment. We report the case of a 48-year-old man with acute myeloid leukaemia and probable pulmonary aspergillosis, who developed hyposthenia of the left upper limb, after achieving leukaemia remission and while on voriconazole. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed oedematous CNS lesions with a haemorrhagic component in the right hemisphere with lepto-meningitis.

Meropenem-Vaborbactam for the Treatment of Post-Neurosurgical Meningitis Caused by KPC Producer Klebsiella Pneumoniae: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Meningitis and ventriculitis, due to carbapenem-resistant , are frequently associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In the case of multi-drug-resistant pathogens, it is necessary to consider the limited susceptibility profile as well as the penetration of the antimicrobials into the brain. Limited data are available regarding the treatment of central nervous system infections caused by carbapenem-resistant .

Durability of doravirine with dolutegravir dual regimen compared with other dolutegravir-based dual combinations.

Objectives: The availability of doravirine (DOR) allowed clinicians to prescribe a dolutegravir (DTG)-based two-drug regimen (2DR) in individuals not eligible to receive lamivudine (3TC) or rilpivirine (RPV). The aims of this study were to describe the durability of DTG + DOR compared with DTG/3TC and DTG/RPV and the rate of virological failure and target not-detected maintenance over time.

Methods: This retrospective, monocentric analysis included all subjects who started a DTG-based 2DR from 2018 to 2022 as a simplification.

Determinants of worse liver-related outcome according to HDV infection among HBsAg positive persons living with HIV: Data from the ICONA cohort.

Objectives: We aimed to study hepatitis D virus (HDV) prevalence and risk of progression to severe liver-related events (SLRE) in HBsAg positive people living with HIV (PLWH) in Italy; role of HDV-RNA copy levels, HCV coinfection and nadir CD4 counts were also investigated.

Methods: People living with HIV (PLWH) from Italian Foundation cohort Naïve antiretrovirals (ICONA) with available HBsAg and HDV Ab were enrolled. HBsAg, HDV Ab, HDV-RNA and HDV genotypes were tested.

A case of chronic bacterial prostatitis due to .

(MG) is a common cause of non-gonococcal urethritis, but a role in acute or chronic prostatitis has not been described. We describe the case of a 42-year-old man with recurrent urinary tract infections since 2018 who developed chronic prostatitis despite several and prolonged antibiotic courses. Multiparametric prostatic magnetic resonance showed peripheral inflammatory alterations.

Serological response and breakthrough infection after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with cirrhosis and post-liver transplant.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy and lack of access remain major issues in disseminating COVID-19 vaccination to liver patients globally. Factors predicting poor response to vaccination and risk of breakthrough infection are important data to target booster vaccine programs. The primary aim of the current study was to measure humoral responses to 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Efficacy and Safety of Reparixin in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

Introduction: Polymorphonuclear cell influx into the interstitial and bronchoalveolar spaces is a cardinal feature of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), principally mediated by interleukin-8 (IL-8). We sought to determine whether reparixin, a novel IL-8 pathway inhibitor, could reduce disease progression in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Methods: In this Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia were randomized 2:1 to receive oral reparixin 1200 mg three times daily or placebo for up to 21 days or until hospital discharge.

Tixagevimab and cilgavimab use in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder during anti-CD20 treatment: A single-center experience.

Background: B-cell-depleting treatments, such as ocrelizumab and rituximab (anti-CD20), reduce humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) and are associated with an increased risk of a more severe course of COVID-19 disease. The combination of tixagevimab and cilgavimab was authorized for COVID-19 prevention in immunocompromised subjects at high risk of severe COVID-19 disease, including patients treated with anti-CD20. Few real-world studies are available regarding the use of tixagevimab/cilgavimab in pwMS/NMOSD.

A territory-wide opportunistic, hospital-based HCV screening in the general population from northern Italy: The 1969-1989 birth-cohort.

Background And Aim: The World Health Organization (WHO) goal of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) elimination by 2030 rose awareness about the need of screening plans, worldwide. In Italy, graduated screening starting from people born in 1969-1989 might be the most-effective strategy. We performed an opportunistic HCV screening study in the general population attending health facilities in Lombardy region, Northern Italy.

Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic RNA as a surrogate marker for viral infectivity: Comparison between culture isolation and direct sgRNA quantification.

Detection of subgenomic (sg) SARS-CoV-2 RNAs are frequently used as a correlate of viral infectiousness, but few data about correlation between sg load and viable virus are available. Here, we defined concordance between culture isolation and E and N sgRNA quantification by ddPCR assays in 51 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from SARS-CoV-2 positive hospitalized patients. Among the 51 samples, 14 were SARS-CoV-2 culture-positive and 37 were negative.

Is HCV elimination among persons living with HIV feasible? Data from the NoCo study in the setting of the ICONA cohort.

Background And Aims: Whether the HCV test-and-treat strategy impacted on the rate of new HCV infections among PLWH in Italy is unknown.

Methods: Prospective study of PLWH in the ICONA network. At baseline, PLWH were tested for HCV-Ab; HCV-RNA (if HCV-Ab positive) and, if positive, treated with DAA.

Analysis of Patients' Characteristics and Treatment Profile of People Who Use Drugs (PWUDs) with and without a Co-Diagnosis of Viral Hepatitis C: A Real-World Retrospective Italian Analysis.

Purpose: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) spreads from contact with blood of an infected person. HCV infections are common among people who use drugs (PWUDs), when sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment for injected drugs. The advent of pangenotypic direct-antiviral agents (DAA) in 2017 transformed the treatment landscape for HCV, but PWUDs remain a complex and hard-to-treat population with high risk of HCV reinfection.