Early changes of procalcitonin may advise about prognosis and appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy in sepsis.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to define if early changes of procalcitonin (PCT) may inform about prognosis and appropriateness of administered therapy in sepsis.

Methods: A prospective multicenter observational study was conducted in 289 patients. Blood samples were drawn on day 1, that is, within less than 24 hours from advent of signs of sepsis, and on days 3, 7, and 10.

In vitro elution of moxifloxacin from cancellous bone allografts.

The characteristics of cancellous bone allografts as carriers of moxifloxacin are described. Particles of cancellous bone were compressed into a wire-mesh cylinder and impregnated into a solution of moxifloxacin for different time periods. Five replicas were impregnated for 1 h; another five for 24 h; and another five for 48 h.

The value of chemoprophylaxis against Enterococcus species in elective cholecystectomy: a randomized study of cefuroxime vs ampicillin-sulbactam.

Hypothesis: Cephalosporins are widely used and considered to be effective as prophylaxis in biliary surgery. Nevertheless, they lack activity against enterococci. We conducted a study to compare the efficacy of ampicillin-sulbactam vs cefuroxime in preventing surgical site infections following elective cholecystectomy.

Multidrug resistance to antimicrobials as a predominant factor influencing patient survival.

The impact of multidrug resistance to antimicrobials was assessed in a cohort of 243 patients with microbiologically documented infections by a variety of susceptible and multidrug-resistant (MDR) species. Multidrug resistance was defined as resistance to more than two antimicrobial agents of different chemical structure. Cox regression analysis was performed to define differences and the significance of any predisposing factors.