Unveiling results and insights from multinational, multicenter Study of Prescribing patterns and Effectiveness of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam Real-world Analysis (SPECTRA).

Objectives: Antibacterial-resistant gram-negative hospital-acquired infections result in significant morbidity and mortality. In clinical trials, ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) has been effective against these infections; however, real-world findings are limited.

Methods: SPECTRA was a global, retrospective, observational inpatient study of adults treated with C/T for ≥48 hours, conducted between 2016 and 2020.

A new approach for assessing the radioecological risk associated with the legacy discharge of oil derived natural radioactivity in the UK North Sea.

Although oil and gas (O&G) derived produced waters and drill cuttings are known to contain enhanced levels of naturally occurring radium-228 (Ra) and radium-226 (Ra), most relevant ecological impact assessments have excluded radiological hazards and focus on other important contaminants, such as hydrocarbons and metals. Also, due to restricted access to the delimiting safety zone around operational O&G platforms, the few previous radioecological risk assessment studies have been conducted using seawater samples collected far from the main discharge point and applying default dilution and transfer factors to estimate concentrations of contaminants in biota. In this case study, sediment cores were collected close to a former O&G platform, Northwest Hutton (NWH), that used to be in the UK North Sea (61.

Reference Values for Water-Specific T1, Intermuscular and Intramuscular Fat Content in Skeletal Muscle at 2.89 T.

Background: MRI offers quantification of proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and tissue characteristics with T1 mapping. The influence of age, sex, and the potential confounding effects of fat on T1 values in skeletal muscle in healthy adults are insufficiently known.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy and repeatability of a saturation-recovery chemical-shift encoded multiparametric approach (SR-CSE) for quantification of T1 and muscle fat content, and establish normative values (age, sex) from a healthy cohort.

Comparison of Piperacillin-tazobactam and Vancomycin (TZP-VAN) with Piperacillin-tazobactam and Teicoplanin (TZP-TEI) for the risk of Acute Kidney Injury (CONCOMITANT): A prospective observational, multinational, multi-centre cohort study.

Objectives: Both vancomycin (VAN) and teicoplanin (TEI) augment the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) when combined with piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP). We aimed to compare the risk of AKI among patients receiving TZP-VAN versus TZP-TEI.

Methods: This was a prospective, multinational, multicentre cohort study conducted in 12 centres from Turkiye, Italy and Spain between June 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.

Pure CO and impure CO-SO-NO-O reactions with carbon storage site underlying seals: Coaly mudstones and carbonate cemented sandstones.

The transition to net zero emissions requires the capture of carbon dioxide from industrial point sources, and direct air capture (DAC) from the atmosphere for geological storage. Dissolved CO has reactivity to rock core, and while the majority of previous studies have concentrated on reservoir rock or cap-rock reactivity, the underlying seal formation may also react with CO. Drill core from the underlying seal of a target CO storage site was reacted at in situ conditions with pure CO, and compared with an impure CO stream with SO, NO and O that could be expected from hard to abate industries.

Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex bloodstream infection in adult patients: changing epidemiology and determinants of poor outcomes.

Purpose: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common cause of hospital- and community-acquired infection and can readily acquire multiple antimicrobial resistance determinants leading to poor health outcomes. We define the contemporary burden of disease, risk factors for antimicrobial resistance, and poor health outcomes for patients with K. pneumoniae bloodstream infection (Kp-BSI).

Establishing clinical research networks for future infectious disease outbreak responses in Southeast Asia: Report of a workshop on challenges and opportunities.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for well-established clinical research networks capable of rapid response during infectious disease outbreaks. In Southeast Asia, the absence of active research networks at the onset of the COVID-19 contributed to gaps in regional preparedness. This manuscript discusses the challenges and opportunities identified during a regional workshop held in Singapore (February 26 to March 1, 2024), which brought together 130 stakeholders from across the region.

Risk of mortality in Fusobacterium species bloodstream infection from a large Australian cohort.

Background: Fusobacterium species are anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli which are uncommon causes of bloodstream infection (BSI). This genus commonly colonises the gastrointestinal tract and can result in significant morbidity.

Methods: All blood cultures with growth of Fusobacterium species among residents of Queensland, Australia (population ≈ 5 million) were retrospectively identified over a 20-year period.

How do residential aged care antibiograms compare with other local resistance data?

Background: Antibiograms can optimize empirical antibiotic prescribing; however, they are not readily available for residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Queensland, Australia. This study aimed to determine whether alternatively available data can be used to approximate resistance patterns for RACFs.

Methods: Annual RACF-specific antibiograms were compared with local hospital antibiograms accessed through pathology providers.

Genomic virulence markers are associated with severe outcomes in patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infection.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) bloodstream infection (BSI) is a common healthcare-associated complication linked to antimicrobial resistance and high mortality. Ongoing clinical trials are exploring novel anti-virulence agents, yet studies on how bacterial virulence affects PA infection outcomes is conflicting and data from real-world clinical populations is limited.

Methods: We studied a multicentre cohort of 773 adult patients with PA BSI consecutively collected during 7-years from sites in Europe and Australia.

Informed consent and risk communication challenges in antimicrobial clinical trials: a scoping review.

Objectives: Randomised trials for the management of drug-resistant infections are challenging to conduct as target patient populations often lack decision-making capacity, and enrolment windows are typically short. Improving informed consent and risk communication in these trials is especially crucial for protecting patient interests and maximising trial efficiency. This study aimed to understand challenges in risk communication and informed consent in antimicrobial clinical trials.

Antibiotic Treatment for 7 versus 14 Days in Patients with Bloodstream Infections.

Background: Bloodstream infections are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Early, appropriate antibiotic therapy is important, but the duration of treatment is uncertain.

Methods: In a multicenter, noninferiority trial, we randomly assigned hospitalized patients (including patients in the intensive care unit [ICU]) who had bloodstream infection to receive antibiotic treatment for 7 days or 14 days.

Induced degradation of SNAP-fusion proteins.

Self-labeling protein tags are an efficient means to visualize, manipulate, and isolate engineered fusion proteins with suitable chemical probes. The SNAP-tag, which covalently conjugates to benzyl-guanine and -chloropyrimidine derivatives is used extensively in fluorescence microscopy, given the availability of suitable SNAP-ligand-based probes. Here, we extend the applicability of the SNAP-tag to targeted protein degradation.

Antibiogram development for Australian residential aged care facilities.

Objective: Knowledge of local antibiotic resistance data, provided by antibiograms (a cumulative summary of in vitro-antimicrobial-susceptibility-test results), can aid prescribing of appropriate empirical antibiotics. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of antibiogram development for residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Design: Retrospective observational study of culture and sensitivity data.

Combination Versus Monotherapy for Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter Species Serious Infections: A Prospective IPTW Adjusted Cohort Study.

Introduction: International guidelines recommend definitive combination antibiotic therapy for the management of serious infections involving carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter (CRAB) species. The commonly available combination options include high-dose sulbactam, polymyxins, tetracyclines, and cefiderocol. Scanty prospective data exist to support this approach.

Transient ischemic dilatation in cardiac amyloidosis.

Myocardial perfusion abnormalities and altered myocardial blood flow have been described in cardiac amyloidosis. Transient ischemic dilatation (TID) on perfusion imaging has been seen in the presence of multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, significant LV systolic dysfunction and hypertensive cardiomyopathy. But to our knowledge this phenomenon has not been described in cardiac amyloidosis.

Migration of depleted uranium from a corroded penetrator in soil vadose zone in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Depleted uranium (DU) from corroded armor penetrators can migrate through the soil vadose zone and cause environmental problems, yet studies on such migration at former theatres of war are scarce. Here, we investigated vertical DU migration in a soil profile due to a penetrator (3-8 cm beneath the soil surface) corroded over 7 years in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The highest concentration of DU was ∼45,300 mg/kg at 6-10 cm, with the concentration decreasing markedly with increasing depth.

Development and validation of supervised machine learning multivariable prediction models for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia using nasopharyngeal swab PCR in adults in a low-HIV prevalence setting.

Background: The global burden of the opportunistic fungal disease Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) remains substantial. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) has high specificity and may be a viable alternative to the gold standard diagnostic of PCR on invasively collected lower respiratory tract specimens, but has low sensitivity. Sensitivity may be improved by incorporating NPS PCR results into machine learning models.