Renal actinomycosis with muscular invasion post-nephrostomy tube placement.

Perinephric abscesses are a rare complication of nephrostomy tube placement. There are several aerobic bacteria that are common culprits of abscess formation. Here we describe a novel report of a perinephric abscess due to We describe the presentation of illness, imaging and clinical findings, and the prolonged treatment course needed for this medically complex patient.

A case of infection in South Carolina: A possible challenge to known endemicity.

In the United States, is considered to be endemic to the Pacific Northwest and although uncommon, additional cases have been documented in other regions including the Southeastern United States. While it has been hypothesized in the past that may be endemic to the Southeastern United States, there remains a paucity of evidence. Here, we present a patient with no history of HIV/AIDS and no organ transplant and document the course of his disease and presentation.

Association between vancomycin-resistant Enterococci bacteremia and ceftriaxone usage.

Objective: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become a public health concern with implications for patient mortality and costs. Hospital antibiotic usage may impact VRE incidence, but the relationship is poorly understood. Animal investigations suggest that ceftriaxone may be associated with VRE proliferation.

A quality assessment tool for tuberculosis control activities in resource limited settings.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant problem, infecting nearly 9 million new patients per year and killing about 2 million a year. The primary means with which to affect TB globally are to decrease transmission locally, mainly by effective identification, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious TB patients. Therefore, quality assurance of TB control efforts at the local level is essential.

Cryptococcal lung disease.

Purpose Of Review: Cryptococcosis is an important opportunistic fungal infection, especially in the immunocompromised patient. Meningitis is the most common manifestation of cryptococcosis; however, cryptococcal lung disease is probably underdiagnosed, and knowledge of epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment is necessary.

Recent Findings: Cryptococcal lung disease ranges from asymptomatic colonization or infection to severe pneumonia with respiratory failure.

A prospective evaluation of an algorithm incorporating routine preoperative endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in suspected pancreatic cancer.

Background: Whether tissue diagnosis is required in the preoperative evaluation of patients with suspected pancreatic cancer remains controversial. We prospectively evaluated the accuracy, safety, and potential impact on surgical intervention of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the preoperative evaluation of suspected pancreatic cancer.

Methods: All patients who underwent EUS-FNA at our institution (n = 547) over a 4.