Characteristics and Outcomes of US Veterans With Immunocompromised Conditions at High Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection With or Without Receipt of Oral Antiviral Agents.

Objectives: Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir were the first oral antiviral agents to demonstrate reduced hospitalization or death in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but patients with immunocompromised conditions were not well-represented. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare the clinical outcomes of US veterans with immunocompromised conditions prescribed oral antivirals with those who did not receive oral antivirals for mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 active infection.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, nationwide propensity-matched analysis of US veterans with immunocompromised conditions who developed documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Pharmacological options for Candida albicans Endocarditis at the roadblock with irrecoverable prosthetics and drug interactions: a case report and review of literature.

Background: Candidemia is the fourth most common nosocomial bloodstream infection. Endocarditis from candidemia is a rare but possibly fatal complication. The efficacy of amphotericin and echinocandins for induction and azoles for suppression has been well studied.

Propensity-matched analysis of the protective effect of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel on the risk of developing Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Objective: Recent data indicate that ticagrelor, used in acute coronary syndromes (ACS), has antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus sp. and other effects that may help management of infection. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of ticagrelor in patients who have had an ACS event and the risk of developing Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) compared to a propensity-matched cohort receiving clopidogrel.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia treatment outcomes in patients receiving ticagrelor vs a propensity-matched cohort receiving clopidogrel.

Objectives: Ticagrelor may improve the outcomes in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). However, treatment outcome data for these patients remain limited. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the outcomes of patients with SAB who received ticagrelor compared with a cohort who received clopidogrel.

Characteristics and outcomes of US Veterans at least 65 years of age at high risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection with or without receipt of oral antiviral agents.

Objectives: Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir each became available in the United States (US) through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) in December 2021 after their respective initial prospective randomized controlled trials demonstrated efficacy for patients with mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 active infection considered to be at high risk for progression of disease and hospitalization. Although sufficiently powered for this wide group, the mean age for patients in these studies was only 43 and 46 years of age, respectively. We sought to compare outcomes of US Veterans 65 years and older who received either of these oral antivirals to those who did not receive oral antivirals for mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 active infection.

Development of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic conditions on hydroxychloroquine monotherapy vs. patients without rheumatic conditions: A retrospective, propensity-matched cohort study.

Background: The primary purpose of the current study was to examine whether patients with rheumatologic conditions receiving only chronic hydroxychloroquine therapy for their disease are at less risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection than a comparative group of patients without rheumatologic conditions.

Methods: A retrospective, observational, nationwide stratified propensity analysis was conducted comparing patients only on chronic treatment with hydroxychloroquine for their rheumatologic condition to a random sample of patients without rheumatologic conditions and not receiving hydroxychloroquine, utilizing a Veterans Health Administration nationwide clinical administrative database.

Results: The 1-to-1 stratified propensity analysis was undertaken using a random sample of patients without rheumatoid conditions and not receiving hydroxychloroquine (n  33,081) and patients with rheumatoid conditions receiving hydroxychloroquine as the lone medication for their condition (n  6047).

The Effect of Nomenclature Revision of to on Subsequent Colon Cancer Screening.

Background: Lack of awareness of the taxonomic revision from the familiar to the less familiar may be associated with a decrease in recommended colon cancer screening in patients with bacteremia from this organism. This could subsequently lead to a delay in diagnosis or underdiagnosis of colon cancer and other serious underlying gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether the nomenclature change of to resulted in decreased colon cancer screening.

Bloodstream Infection Associated with a Totally Implanted Subclavian Port in an Adult with Diabetes and History of Colon Cancer.

. is a rapidly growing nontuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM) that was first isolated from soil in 1972 and is ubiquitous in soil, water, and dust. The first reported case of human infection by was published in 1988, presenting as a Hickman catheter-related bacteremia in a patient with ovarian cancer.

Long-term hydroxychloroquine use in patients with rheumatic conditions and development of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Hydroxychloroquine is one of several agents being evaluated in the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We aimed to examine whether patients with rheumatological conditions receiving chronic hydroxychloroquine therapy are at less risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection than those not receiving hydroxychloroquine.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included de-identified information of all veterans in the US Veterans Health Administration clinical administrative database aged 18 years or older with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or associated rheumatological conditions (based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, diagnostic codes) who were alive on March 1, 2020.

Dendritic cell interactions with Histoplasma and Paracoccidioides.

Fungi are among the most common microbes encountered by humans. More than 100, 000 fungal species have been described in the environment to date, however only a few species cause disease in humans. Fungal infections are of particular importance to immunocompromised hosts in whom disease is often more severe, especially in those with impaired cell-mediated immunity such as individuals with HIV infection, hematologic malignancies, or those receiving TNF-α inhibitors.

Clostridium subterminale septicemia in a patient with esophageal cancer.

Clostridium subterminale (C. subterminale) is a pathogenic species of Clostridium that has been infrequently isolated. We report a case of C.