Appropriate prescribing of azithromycin for community-acquired pneumonia.

Azithromycin is prescribed for atypical antimicrobial cover in severe community-acquired pneumonia. Inappropriate azithromycin administration incurs unnecessary financial costs, exacerbates antimicrobial resistance and risks QTc interval prolongation leading to cardiac arrhythmias. The present study demonstrated that a majority of patients were prescribed azithromycin without having electrocardiograms to assess the QTc interval and without meeting criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia based on CURB-65 score.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae positivity in clients presenting as asymptomatic contacts of gonorrhoea at a sexual health centre.

Unlabelled: Background Previous guidelines at the Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC) recommended empirical antibiotic treatment for asymptomatic contacts of Neisseria gonorrhoeae at the time of testing. With increasing concerns around gonorrhoea antibiotic resistance, it has been suggested that asymptomatic contacts should only be treated based on test results.

Methods: This retrospective study of data from the SSHC electronic medical record included a total of 295 gonorrhoea contacts from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2018.

Regional brain metabolism with cytochrome c oxidase histochemistry in a PS1/A246E mouse model of autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease: correlations with behavior and oxidative stress.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and brain metabolic alteration are early neurofunctional aspects in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Regional brain metabolism was analyzed by cytochrome c oxidase (COX) histochemistry in PS1-A246E mouse mutants, a model of autosomal dominant AD overexpressing beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide without amyloidosis or cell degeneration. Immunohistochemical samples were analyzed on adjacent sections for regional Abeta1-42 levels, as well as DNA oxidative damage with 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG).