Rhodomyrtone: a new anti- agent against resistant strains.

Background: Rhodomyrtone is a novel plant-derived antibiotic compound originally isolated from leaf extract.

Objectives: To evaluate the activity of rhodomyrtone against a group of MRSA strains, including isolates with reduced susceptibility or resistance to vancomycin, daptomycin, linezolid and ceftaroline.

Methods: Broth microdilution testing was used to determine the MICs and MBCs of rhodomyrtone, fosfomycin, vancomycin, daptomycin, linezolid and ceftaroline.

Predictors of prolonged length of stay in adult patients with respiratory syncytial virus infections - a multi-center historical cohort study.

Objectives: Several studies have reported risk factors for severe disease and mortality in hospitalized adults with RSV infections. There is limited information available regarding the factors that affect the duration of a patient's hospital length of stay (LOS).

Methods: This was a multicenter historical cohort study of adult patients hospitalized for laboratory-confirmed RSV in Southeast Michigan between January 2017 and December 2021.

Determining if the prognostic nutritional index can predict outcomes in community acquired bacterial pneumonia.

Background: The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) uses albumin levels and total lymphocyte count to predict the relationship between immune-nutritional state and prognosis in a variety of diseases, however it has not been studied in community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). We conducted a historical cohort study to determine if there was an association between PNI and clinical outcomes in patients with CABP.

Methods: We reviewed 204 adult patients with confirmed CABP, and calculated admission PNI and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR).

A comparison of strategies for identifying patients at risk for carbapenem-resistant or extended β-lactam-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Objectives: To assess risk factors for carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CR) and extended-β-lactam-resistant P. aeruginosa (EBR) infection/colonization, and to develop and compare tools for predicting isolation of CR and EBR from clinical cultures.

Methods: This retrospective study analysed hospitalized patients with positive P.

Using the Electronic Medical Record to Address Code Status Documentation: A Quality Improvement Project.

Code status (CS) is often overlooked while admitting patients to the hospital. This is important for patients with end-stage disease. This quality improvement project investigated whether a CS pop-up alert in the electronic medical record, combined with provider education, improved addressing CS.

Epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 by vaccination status: a multicenter historical cohort study.

Introduction: COVID-19 disease resulted in over six million deaths worldwide. Although vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated efficacy, breakthrough infections became increasingly common. There is still a lack of data regarding the severity and outcomes of COVID-19 among vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals.

Cervical Health in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: A health disparity exists for African American (AA) women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who have increased prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and cervical neoplasia. We used a self-sampling brush to obtain cervical cells to assess cytology, HPV infection, and vaginal cytokine production in AA women with SLE.

Methods: Thirty AA women with SLE ages 18-50 years consented to participate.

Trends in Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the United States From 2004-2018: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Based Study.

The incidence and mortality data for patients with breast cancer in the United States are important to healthcare administrators for planning healthcare measures such as screening mammograms. In this study, we examined breast cancer incidence and incidence-based mortality in the United States from 2004-2018 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We reviewed 915,417 cases of breast cancer diagnosed between 2004 and 2018.

Incidence of bloodstream infections in patients with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study of risk factors and outcomes.

Introduction: Prior evidence found that bloodstream infections (BSIs) are common in viral respiratory infections and can lead to heightened morbidity and mortality. We described the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of BSIs in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of adults consecutively admitted from March to June 2020 for COVID-19 with BSIs.

In vitro activity of fosfomycin alone and in combination against Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility or resistance to methicillin, vancomycin, daptomycin or linezolid.

Objectives: To evaluate the activity of fosfomycin against a group of MRSA strains, including isolates with reduced susceptibility or resistance to vancomycin, daptomycin, linezolid and ceftaroline and to determine the effect of combining various combinations of antimicrobial agents used in the therapy of serious Gram-positive infections.

Methods: Broth microdilution testing was used to determine the MICs of fosfomycin, vancomycin, daptomycin, linezolid, ceftaroline and cefazolin. Isolates were selected for further evaluations to determine in vitro synergy between fosfomycin and select antimicrobial agents using chequerboard broth microdilution testing.

Do risk factors at the time of hospital admission differ by sex for in-hospital mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

Background: Sex-disaggregated data for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported higher hospitalized fatality rates among men than women.

Objective: To determine whether the risk factors for in-hospital mortality from COVID-19, present at the time of hospital admission, differed by patient sex.

Design And Setting: Single-center, retrospective cohort study at a tertiary-care urban academic center.

Rethinking the "Pan-Culture": Clinical Impact of Respiratory Culturing in Patients With Low Pretest Probability of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.

Background: Respiratory cultures are often obtained as part of a "pan-culture" in mechanically ventilated patients in response to new fevers or leukocytosis, despite an absence of clinical or radiographic evidence suggestive of pneumonia.

Methods: This was a propensity score-stratified cohort study of hospitalized mechanically ventilated adult patients between 2014 and 2019, with a new abnormal temperature or serum white blood cell count (NATW), but without radiographic evidence of pneumonia, change in ventilator requirements, or documentation of purulent secretions. Two patient groups were compared: those with respiratory cultures performed within 36 hours after NATW and those without respiratory cultures performed.

Clinical predictors and outcomes for Legionnaire's disease versus bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia.

Background: Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a serious sometimes fatal pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila. The clinical manifestations of LD may be similar to those by caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. As both conditions can be serious illnesses but requiring different antimicrobial therapies, factors that can help differentiate these types of pneumonias can be helpful in the clinical management of hospitalized patients with bacterial pneumonia.

Molnupiravir and Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir: Oral Coronavirus Disease 2019 Antiviral Drugs.

At a crucial time with rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant globally, the United States Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for 2 oral antivirals, molnupiravir (in persons aged ≥18 years) and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) (in persons aged ≥12 years weighing ≥40 kg), for the outpatient treatment of patients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who are at risk for progression. Molnupiravir is a nucleoside analogue, whereas nirmatrelvir is a SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor, and ritonavir is a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease inhibitor. Drug interactions are a major concern for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.

Tocilizumab: A retrospective multi-center cohort study of critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) can have a severe presentation characterized by a dysregulated immune response requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Immunomodulatory treatments like tocilizumab were found to improve inflammatory markers and lung injury over time. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of tocilizumab treatment on critically ill patients with severe COVID-19.

High rate of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs) among COVID-19 patients presenting with bacteremia upon hospital admission.

We investigated the clinical implications of bacteremia among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Higher rates (52.1%) of multidrug resistant organisms (MDRO) were noted on hospital admission compared to nosocomial acquisition (25%).

Serum Metabolic Profile in Patients With Long-Covid (PASC) Syndrome: Clinical Implications.

Many patients who have been suffering by Covid-19 suffer of long-Covid syndrome, with symptoms of fatigue and muscular weakness that characterize post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). However, there is limited knowledge about the molecular pathophysiology, and about the serum profile of these patients. We studied the blood serum profile of 75 selected patients, with previous confirmed Covid-19, 2 months after hospital discharge, who reported new-onset fatigue, muscle weakness and/or dyspnea not present prior to the virus infection and independently from concomitant diseases and/or clinical conditions.

A comparison of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) versus influenza during the pandemic: Can we distinguish COVID-19 from flu?

We conducted a retrospective chart review examining the demographics, clinical history, physical findings, and comorbidities of patients with influenza and patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Older patients, male patients, patients reporting fever, and patients with higher body mass indexes (BMIs) were more likely to have COVID-19 than influenza.

Predicting QT interval prolongation in patients diagnosed with the 2019 novel coronavirus infection.

Introduction: 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients frequently develop QT interval prolongation that predisposes them to Torsades de Pointes and sudden cardiac death. Continuous cardiac monitoring has been recommended for any COVID-19 patient with a Tisdale Score of seven or more. This recommendation, however, has not been validated.

How Can Malnutrition Affect Autophagy in Chronic Heart Failure? Focus and Perspectives.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a disease with important clinical and socio-economic ramifications. Malnutrition and severe alteration of the protein components of the body (protein disarrangements), common conditions in CHF patients, are independent correlates of heart dysfunction, disease progression, and mortality. Autophagy, a prominent occurrence in the heart of patients with advanced CHF, is a self-digestive process that prolongs myocardial cell lifespan by the removal of cytosolic components, such as aging organelles and proteins, and recycles the constituent elements for new protein synthesis.

Clinical Features and Risk Factors for In-Hospital Mortality From COVID-19 Infection at a Tertiary Care Medical Center, at the Onset of the US COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Mortality from COVID-19 has been associated with older age, black race, and comorbidities including obesity, Understanding the clinical risk factors and laboratory biomarkers associated with severe and fatal COVID-19 will allow early interventions to help mitigate adverse outcomes. Our study identified risk factors for in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19 infection at a tertiary care center, in Detroit, Michigan.

Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study at a 776-bed tertiary care urban academic medical center.