Management, outcomes and predictors of mortality of Cryptococcus infection in patients without HIV: a multicentre study in 46 hospitals from Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Limited data exist regarding outcomes of cryptococcosis in patients without HIV with few studies having compared outcomes of Cryptococcus gattii, versus C. neoformans, infection.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in 46 Australian and New Zealand hospitals to determine the outcomes of cryptococcosis in patients without HIV diagnosed between 2015 and 2019, and compared outcomes of C.

Degree of Contamination of Gutta-Percha Points by (MRSA/MSSA) Strains.

Unlabelled: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is considered one of the most harmful bacteria to human health. Dentistry, like all healthcare disciplines, places great emphasis on preventing scenarios that may result in cross-infection. Although various tested and already used materials are suitable for filling the root canal system, Gutta-Percha (GP) remains the preferred and widely accepted gold standard.

A severe case of swimmer's itch in Victoria, Australia with bullous eruption.

We describe a severe case of swimmer's itch in Victoria with widespread bullous eruption, which is a rare manifestation of this condition and presented a diagnostic challenge. This is the first case reported in Victoria, having been previously reported in more northern parts of Australia; with climate change trends, swimmer's itch is likely to become increasingly common in southern parts of the region.

Pre-extensively Drug-Resistant Congenital Tuberculosis in an Extremely Premature Baby.

We describe a case of congenital tuberculosis in an extremely premature baby, with rapid molecular detection of a pre-extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pattern of drug resistance. The baby was treated successfully with a regimen including bedaquline and delamanid, drugs not previously described in the treatment of congenital tuberculosis (TB).

P2/N95 fit testing and the risk of COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers.

Background: Guidelines recommend healthcare workers (HCWs) undertake fit testing of P2/N95 respirators to mitigate the risk of infectious aerosols, however few studies have assessed whether fit testing reduces COVID-19 infection.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted amongst HCWs across two tertiary health services in Melbourne, Australia during a period of low community transmission. Institution-wide quantitative fit testing and detailed questionnaires assessing COVID-19 acquisition risk factors were undertaken from September 2020.

Longer-term Mortality and Kidney Outcomes of Participants in the Combination Antibiotics for Methicillin-Resistant (CAMERA2) Trial: A Post Hoc Analysis.

Background: The Combination Antibiotic Therapy for Methicillin-Resistant (CAMERA2) trial ceased recruitment in July 2018, noting that a higher proportion of patients in the intervention arm (combination therapy) developed acute kidney injury (AKI) compared to the standard therapy (monotherapy) arm. We analyzed the long-term outcomes of participants in CAMERA2 to understand the impact of combination antibiotic therapy and AKI.

Methods: Trial sites obtained additional follow-up data.

Ankle sprain and podoscopic footprint pattern in female volleyball players.

Ankle sprain (AS) is the most common sports injury that can be complicated by chronic joint instability. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between foot types and the ankle sprain events suffered during the sport career in female volleyball players. In this retrospective study, we randomly selected 98 female volleyball players competing in several divisions.

Current Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Cryptococcus Infection in Patients Without Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Multicenter Study in 46 Hospitals in Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Patients without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are increasingly recognized as being at risk for cryptococcosis. Knowledge of characteristics of cryptococcosis in these patients remains incomplete.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of cryptococcosis in 46 Australian and New Zealand hospitals to compare its frequency in patients with and without HIV and describe its characteristics in patients without HIV.

Successful expanded clinic network collaboration and patient tracing for retention in HIV care.

Background: There are more than 7,800 people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Victoria, Australia. Crucial in maximising the individual and population level benefits from antiretroviral therapy (ART) is understanding how to achieve patient retention in care and the factors that drive it. This study was an expansion of a 2015 assessment of HIV-care retention in Victoria, which sought out to determine whether the inclusion of a broader range of HIV-healthcare sites would yield more accurate estimates of retention in HIV-care.

MicroRNAs as biomarkers in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: A systematic review of recent clinical evidence.

Objectives: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) is a subtype of stroke associated with high mortality and devastating disabilities. Therefore, identifying non-invasive biomarkers for SICH would have a tremendous clinical impact. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding single-stranded RNAs containing 21-23 nucleotides that control the activity of various protein-coding genes through post-transcriptional repression.

Cerebral Perfusion and Brain Oxygen Saturation Monitoring with: Jugular Venous Oxygen Saturation, Cerebral Oximetry, and Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography.

Accumulating evidence indicates that cerebral desaturation in the perioperative period occurs more frequently than recognized. Combining monitoring modalities that reflect different aspects of cerebral perfusion status, such as near-infrared spectroscopy, jugular bulb saturation, and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, may provide an extended window for prevention, early detection, and prompt intervention in ongoing hypoxic/ischemic neuronal injury and, thereby, improve neurologic outcome. Such an approach would minimize the impact of limitations of each monitoring modality, while individual components complement each other, enhancing the accuracy of acquired information.

Control of Hemodynamic Responses and Perioperative Outcomes in Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery: A Qualitative Systematic Review of the Available Evidence.

Transnasal transsphenoidal (TNTS) pituitary surgery is associated with short-lived but intense nociceptive stimuli which cause substantial hemodynamic perturbations that may increase blood loss and impair visualization of the surgical field. This systematic review aimed to critically appraise the clinical evidence for the efficacy and safety of various anesthetic techniques, other pharmacological modalities, and supplementary interventions by assessing intraoperative systemic hemodynamics, use of adjunct medications, quality of the surgical field, intraoperative blood loss, and recovery profiles in patients undergoing TNTS pituitary surgery. Relevant randomized clinical trials and observational studies were identified in a systematic literature search; 16 studies (13 randomized clinical trials, 3 observational studies) enrolling a total of 907 patients were identified for inclusion in this review.

Effect of Vancomycin or Daptomycin With vs Without an Antistaphylococcal β-Lactam on Mortality, Bacteremia, Relapse, or Treatment Failure in Patients With MRSA Bacteremia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia is associated with mortality of more than 20%. Combining standard therapy with a β-lactam antibiotic has been associated with reduced mortality, although adequately powered randomized clinical trials of this intervention have not been conducted.

Objective: To determine whether combining an antistaphylococcal β-lactam with standard therapy is more effective than standard therapy alone in patients with MRSA bacteremia.

DiGeorge syndrome chromosome region deletion and duplication: Prenatal genotype-phenotype variability in fetal ultrasound and MRI.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess genotype-phenotype correlation of prenatally diagnosed fetal DGS and dup22q11 syndrome by fetal molecular genetic analysis, fetal ultrasound, and/or MRI.

Methods: In this retrospective consecutive case series, pregnant women were screened for fetal anomalies during a period of 10 years. Fetal genotype was assessed in 72 cases upon the occurrence of five prenatal fetal phenotypic features: cardiac anomalies, hypo/aplastic thymus, craniofacial malformations, urinary abnormalities, or IUGR; genotype-phenotype correlation was tested to potentially improve prenatal diagnosis of fetal DGS and dup22q11 syndrome.

Combination of first trimester serum afamin levels and three-dimensional placental bed vascularization as a possible screening method to detect women at-risk for adverse pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus in low-risk pregnancies.

Objective: Aim of the study was to assess the correlation of first trimester serum afamin levels with three-dimensional placental bed vascularization in pregnant women and its prognostic value for predicting pre-eclampsia and future fetal and maternal complications during pregnancy.

Methods: In this nested case-control study all pregnant women registered for delivery during a period of 3 years were routinely screened in the first trimester. Serum afamin levels were assessed in 764 women and correlated to 5 pregnancy outcome groups: gestational hypertension (n = 76), pre-eclampsia (n = 33), intrauterine growth restriction (n = 91), pre-term birth (n = 39), gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 170); In addition, measurements of first trimester myometrial vascularization index were performed and, in combination with afamin tested as a possible screening method to detect women at-risk for the development of adverse complications in low-risk pregnancies at the time of the first trimester.

First trimester serum afamin concentrations are associated with the development of pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women.

Objective: Aim of this study was to assess the prognostic capability of afamin to predict pregnancy complications.

Method: First-trimester screening was consecutively performed in 4948 pregnant women, of whom 474 women developed pregnancy complications [gestational hypertension (n=84), pre-eclampsia (n=30), intrauterine growth restriction (n=107), preterm birth (n=44), and gestational diabetes mellitus (n=209)]. To each woman with pregnancy complications an uncomplicated pregnancy was matched for body mass index.

Laser biostimulation effects on invertebral disks: histological evidence on intra-observer samples. Retrospective double-blind study.

The intervertebral disk degeneration is a pathological process determined by a decrease of mucopolysaccharides in the nucleus pulposus with the consequent dehydration and degeneration of the elastic fibers in the annulus fibrosus of the disk. The laser is a therapeutic tool that has, on the treated tissues, biostimulation effects with an increase of oxidative phosphorylation and production of ATP with an acceleration of the mucopolysaccharides synthesis with a consequent rehydration, biostimulation and production of new elastic fibers. The goal of this project is studying whether the laser stimulation may treat degenerated intervertebral disks.

Effectiveness and safety of bedaquiline-containing regimens in the treatment of MDR- and XDR-TB: a multicentre study.

Large studies on bedaquiline used to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR-) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of bedaquiline-containing regimens in a large, retrospective, observational study conducted in 25 centres and 15 countries in five continents.428 culture-confirmed MDR-TB cases were analysed (61.

A Retrospective Review: Significance of Vegetation Size in Injection Drug Users with Right-Sided Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Previously described prognostic markers in right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) include vegetation size ≥1cm, fever for more than three weeks, cardiac failure and severe sepsis. This study aimed to evaluate effectiveness of medical therapy for vegetations ≥1cm and explore determinants of outcome in a representative population of intravenous drug users (IDUs) at a metropolitan Australian health service.

Methods: Retrospective review of consecutive IDUs presenting to our institution with native-valve RSIE (by modified Duke criteria) over seven years (2005-2011).

A case report of typhoidal acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Introduction. Acalculous cholecystitis in the setting of typhoid fever in adults is an infrequent clinical encounter, reported sparsely in the literature. In this case report we review the presentation and management of enteric fever involving the biliary system and consider the literature surrounding this topic.