In Vitro Activity of Ampicillin Plus Ceftriaxone Against Non- and Non- Enterococcal Isolates With/Without VanC Phenotype: Clinical Implications for Infective Endocarditis.

(1) Background: Alternative antibiotics are needed to treat infective endocarditis (IE) caused by non-/non- enterococci; we aimed to assess the in vitro activity of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (AMP + CTR) against these enterococci and to describe its clinical efficacy in IE cases. (2) Methods: Time-kill curves with standard (ISI) and high (IHI) inocula were performed to test isolates [3 (ECAS) and 1 (EGALL)] and non- isolates [1 (EDUR), 1 (EHIR) and 1 (ERAF)]. The narrative literature review of IE cases treated with AMP + CTR was analyzed alongside three study cases.

[Leg acute compartment syndrome after Streptococcus pyogenes infection].

Compartment syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus) has rarely been documented. We report the case of a 53-year-old male, hypertensive, who developed compartment syndrome and myositis in the right lower limb. The patient underwent emergency fasciotomies of the anterior, lateral, superficial posterior and deep posterior compartments of the leg and two subsequent surgical debridements, in addition to receiving antibiotic treatment and delayed closure of the fasciotomies with grafts.

Gel nail polish does not have a negative impact on the nail bacterial burden nor on the quality of hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub.

Background: We evaluated the microbial burden on gel polished nails (GPN), standard polished nails (SPN) and unpolished nails (UPN) before and after an alcohol-based hand rub (HHAB).

Methods: Three GPN, two SPN and five UPN in both hands were analyzed in 46 health-care workers volunteers. Nail length was maintained ≤2mm during the study.

Surgical Treatment of Persistent Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteraemia After n-Butyl-2-cyanoacrylate for Gastric Bleeding Varices.

n-Butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NCBA) is an effective therapeutic option for bleeding gastric varices but can sometimes be associated with adverse effects. Persistent bacteraemia is an unusual complication with a high mortality rate. We report the case of a 34-year-old man with history of cirrhosis due to Wilson's disease and severe portal hypertension who was hospitalized as a result of upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to fundic varices that were treated with NCBA.

Antimicrobials in polymethylmethacrylate: from prevention to prosthetic joint infection treatment: basic principles and risk of resistance.

Background: Excellent revisions about antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) have been recently published. In the present article, we review the principles and limitations of local antibiotic delivery in the context of recent advances in the pathogenesis of prosthetic joint infections (PJI), with particular attention paid to the potential association between ALBC and antimicrobial resistance.

Main Body: Recalcitrance of PJI is related to the ability of pathogens to adapt to particular environments present in bone tissue and protect themselves from host immunity in different ways.

Bloodstream Infection, Resistance, and Mortality: Do Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Do Better or Worse?

Background: The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance of () in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients is higher than that of the general population. However, the literature supporting this statement is scarce. Identifying patients at risk of carbapenem resistance (CR) is of great importance, as CR strains more often receive inappropriate empiric antibiotic therapy, which is independently associated with mortality in bloodstream infections (BSIs).

Influenza A-Associated In-Hospital Mortality in Very Older People: Does Inflammation Also Play a Role?

Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical manifestations and outcome of the oldest old (people aged ≥85 years) who were admitted to the hospital with a confirmed influenza A virus infection in comparison with younger patients and to assess the role of inflammation in the outcome of influenza infection in this population.

Methods: This is an observational prospective study including all adult patients with influenza A virus infection hospitalized in a tertiary teaching hospital in Madrid, in 2 consecutive influenza seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18).

Results: Five hundred nine hospitalized patients with influenza A infection were included, of whom 117 (23%) were older than 85 years (median age: 89.

Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction: Use of All-Suture Anchors for Patellar Fixation and a Dynamic Femoral Attachment.

The medial patellofemoral ligament is one of the most relevant structures preventing patellar dislocation. Numerous surgical techniques have been described to reconstruct this structure and patellar biomechanics. Complications after this procedure concern both patella and femur.

Screening for trisomies 21 and 18 in a Spanish public hospital: from the combined test to the cell-free DNA test.

Objective: To describe our experience in first-trimester screening for trisomies 21 and 18 firstly by the combined test alone and secondly by cell-free (cf) DNA testing contingent on the results from a previously performed combined test.

Methods: Women with singleton pregnancies attending Torrejon University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, from November 2011 to January 2016, were screened for trisomy (T)21 and T18 by the combined test at 11-13 weeks. Before the introduction of cfDNA testing, women at high risk (>1 in 250) were offered invasive testing (IT) and from January 2015 they were offered cfDNA test as well as IT.

Visual function versus visual acuity in older people.

Purpose: To determine visual function (VF) status in older people, to establish its degree of correlation with visual acuity (VA), and to assess its association with other physical and mental functional limitations.

Participants: A sample of 1,160 persons aged 65 years or over were selected by simple randomization.

Methods: The participants' VF (The Visual Function Index - VF-14), VA, self-reported vision, mental and physical function (Katz Index, Pfeiffer's test, and Geriatric Depression Scale), and socio-demographic data were determined.

The Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities Scale to evaluate impact of hearing loss in older people.

Purpose: We wanted to design and validate the Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities (HDDA) Scale as a means of identifying the impact of hearing loss in older persons by measuring capacity to carry out hearing-dependent activities.

Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional, observational study to validate a scale administered during a personal interview with 1,160 participants aged 65 years and older. When using the instrument to identify patients with hearing impairment, sensitivity and specificity were determined using an audiogram with Ventry and Weinstein criteria as the criterion standard.

Functional status in the elderly with insomnia.

Background: Insomnia causes psychological distress in the elderly. Besides primary insomnia (PI), illness, medications and psychosocial factors contribute to development of sleep disorders. Although elderly insomniacs usually complain of poorer daytime functioning, it is unknown whether the disorder affects capacity to carry out activities.