Postmortem histological freeze-thaw artifacts: a case report of a frozen infant and literature review.

Freezing and thawing have the potential to alter the gross and histologic appearance of tissues, causing damage to individual cells and disrupting the overall architecture. In forensic investigations, freezing and thawing can play a crucial role in cases of unknown cause of death. Perpetrators may use freezing preservation to conceal the body or obscure the time of death.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on ICU nurses' mental health. An Italian multicenter study.

Aim: AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate variations in ICU nurses ' mental health status over the COVID-19 outbreak by quantifying the extent of symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD over time.

Methods: METHODS: This study was an Italian multicenter prospective cohort study assessing caseness of anxiety, depression and PTSD at 6 and 12 months from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

Results: RESULTS: A total of 359 nurses, 233 (64.

Active screening of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis with serum beta-glucan and endotracheal aspirates galactomannan and fungal culture.

Background: Since February 2021 active screening of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has been implemented in our institution.

Objectives: To evaluate CAPA incidence in our centre and evaluate performance of our screening protocol.

Methods: We screened once per week, collecting endotracheal aspirates for fungal culture and galactomannan (GM) and serum for 1,3-ß-D-glucan (BG).

Fulminant Sepsis and Perinatal Death at 23 Weeks Due to .

is a gram-negative anaerobe, a constituent of the oral microflora, responsible for chronic periodontal diseases. We describe a preterm infant with premature rupture of membranes at 23 weeks of gestational age due to . The newborn died soon after birth.

Frontoparietal network activation is associated with motor recovery in ischemic stroke patients.

Strokes cause lesions that damage brain tissue, disrupt normal brain activity patterns and can lead to impairments in motor function. Although modulation of cortical activity is central to stimulation-based rehabilitative therapies, aberrant and adaptive patterns of brain activity after stroke have not yet been fully characterized. Here, we apply a brain dynamics analysis approach to study longitudinal brain activity patterns in individuals with ischemic pontine stroke.

Co-infections in critically ill adults with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: an Italian multi-center prospective study.

Background: To date, few studies have described Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) during COVID-19 outbreak. To examine the incidence of HAIs in critically ill adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and to observe risk factors, and the impact on outcome of HAI.

Methods: A prospective multicenter study was conducted that included adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to 18 Italian Intensive Care Units from September 2020 to November 2021.

Second Trimester Fetal Loss Due to Infection: A Rare Cause of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM).

is a facultative anaerobic, motile, non-spore-forming Gram-negative bacillus, which belongs to the family of Enterobacteriaceae. Severe infections due to spp. have been reported in the urinary tract, respiratory airways, intra-abdominal organs, skin and soft tissue, eye, bone, bloodstream, and central nervous system.

[Burnout syndrome among Italian nursing staff during the COVID 19 emergency. Multicentric survey study].

Aim: To analyze the prevalence of Burnout defined by the MBI-GS among Italian nursing staff during the COVID-19 emergency.

Introduction: The recent health emergency which in the first half of 2020 has seen Italy involved in the management of patients with COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease 19), has led to further stress for hospitals both in terms of beds and in terms of workload for healthcare workers.

Method: A multicenter study was conducted.

Intrauterine Infection: An Unusual Cause of Chorioamnionitis and Miscarriage in a Patient with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease.

is a Gram-negative coccobacillus belonging to the family. In children less than 4 years old, invasive infection can induce septic arthritis and osteomyelitis, and more rarely endocarditis, meningitis, ocular infections, and pneumonia. In adults, it may be a cause of endocarditis.

Chorioamnionitis: An Underrecognized Cause of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes in the Second Trimester.

is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, responsible for hospital and community acquired pneumonia, urinary tract and wound infections, and bloodstream dissemination. infection in pregnancy, leading to acute chorioamnionitis (AC), preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and early pregnancy loss in the second trimester, has been rarely reported. Herein, we present a case of AC that caused intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) at 19 weeks + 5 days.

Excisional penetrating keratoplasty for fungal interface keratitis after endothelial keratoplasty: surgical timing and visual outcome.

Purpose: In this paper, we describe two cases of fungal interface infectious keratitis (IIK) developed after endothelial keratoplasty (EK) who underwent delayed therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TPK) with a poor visual outcome. Furthermore, we conducted a review of the literature and analyzed the visual outcomes of TPK in relation to the time from IIK diagnosis.

Methods: We searched the literature for fungal IIK cases occurred after EK and treated by TPK.

REAL-Time Smartphone Activity Classification Using Inertial Sensors-Recognition of Scrolling, Typing, and Watching Videos While Sitting or Walking.

By developing awareness of smartphone activities that the user is performing on their smartphone, such as scrolling feeds, typing and watching videos, we can develop application features that are beneficial to the users, such as personalization. It is currently not possible to access real-time smartphone activities directly, due to standard smartphone privileges and if internal movement sensors can detect them, there may be implications for access policies. Our research seeks to understand whether the sensor data from existing smartphone inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors (triaxial accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers) can be used to classify typical human smartphone activities.

Clinical Validation of SensiTest Colistin, a Broth Microdilution-Based Method To Evaluate Colistin MICs.

The global spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria has led to the return of colistin for treating severe infections. Recently, different plasmid-mediated genes conferring resistance to this drug were described and reported worldwide. International committees (EUCAST/CLSI) reevaluated inconsistencies surrounding colistin antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), concluding that broth microdilution (BMD) should serve as the reference method for AST.

Evaluation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in an Italian setting: report from the trench.

The spread of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has recently become a matter of concern in public health, mainly due to the wide distribution of carbapenemase genes. Italy is a country considered endemic for the spread of blaKPC Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP). The aim of this study was to depict the epidemiological trend of CRE in one Italian hospital over a long period (3 years surveillance, from May 2011 to April 2014).

[Treating Clostridium difficile infection with faecal transplantation: donor microbiological testing].

Clostridium difficile associated diseases (CDADs) or C. difficile infections (CDIs) are increasing in incidence, severity and mortality. Among patients with CDIs, those with recurrent disease are less responsive to traditional therapies with commonly used drugs, such as metronidazole and vancomycin.

Comparative study of the in vitro activity of various antifungal drugs against Scedosporium spp. in aerobic and hyperbaric atmosphere versus normal atmosphere.

Introduction: Scedosporium spp. have been observed with increasing frequency over the last decade in immunocompromised patients and trauma patients. This mould is often multi-drug resistant and its mortality rate remains very high.

Comparison of the Staphylococcus QuickFISH BC test with the tube coagulase test performed on positive blood cultures for evaluation and application in a clinical routine setting.

Many studies demonstrate that delayed proper therapy in bloodstream infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus increases the mortality rate, emphasizing the need to shorten the turnaround time for positive blood cultures. Different techniques are currently available, from phenotypic methods to more complex tests such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), real-time PCR (RT-PCR), and fluorescence in situ hybridization using peptide nucleic acid probes (PNA FISH). This study evaluated the performance of the Staphylococcus QuickFISH BC test (QFT), a novel FISH methodology, compared with the direct tube coagulase test (DTCT) on blood cultures exhibiting Gram-positive cocci in clusters.

Laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea and molecular characterization of clinical isolates.

We evaluated a three-step algorithm for laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD). First, stool specimens were screened using an EIA test for glutamate dehydrogenase detection. Screen-positive specimens were tested by a rapid cytotoxintoxin A/B assay and subjected to stool culture.

Microarray technology for yeast identification directly from positive blood cultures. A multicenter Italian experience.

The authors evaluated the performance of the MycArray™ Yeast ID (Myconostica Ltd, UK) assay in the identification of a total of 88 yeast isolates recovered in culture as compared to that obtained through routine methods. The turn-around time for species identification directly from cultures by the MycArray was 6 hours, much quicker than classical methods and all yeasts were correctly identified. In two cases a double identification including Saccharomyces cerevisiae was noted, but it was not confirmed by culture.

In vitro activity effects of twelve antibiotics alone and in association against twenty-seven Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from Italian patients with infective endocarditis: high in vitro synergistic effect of the association ceftriaxone-fosfomycin.

Background: In 2004-2008, the epidemiological and clinical Infective Endocarditis Study Group (SEI) evaluated 852 cases of infective endocarditis. Staphylococcus aureus was the main involved pathogen (24.5%) and Enterococcus faecalis etiology was described in 11% of the cases.

In vitro activity of Amphotericin B against zygomycetes isolated from deep mycoses: a comparative study between incubation in aerobic and hyperbaric atmosphere.

Many case reports suggest that the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy associated with surgical and medical approaches may contribute to restricting the growth of zygomycetes in patient tissue. The primary aim of this study was to obtain data concerning the in vitro susceptibility of 22 zygomycetes to antifungals such as amphotericin B and posaconazole, and to compare the in vitro development of these fungi in aerobic normobaric versus hyperoxic normobaric and hyperbaric atmosphere. None of the zygomycetes grew after 24-hour and 72-hour incubation in a hyperoxic hyperbaric (2 or 3 ATA) atmosphere.