Audit for antifungal treatment usage in adults with invasive fungal infection: A prospective observational study.

Objective: The antifungal audit aimed to evaluate antifungal usage in a tertiary care center. It focused on patient profiles, the appropriateness of antifungal use, associated adverse drug reactions, reasons for suboptimal usage, and the economic burden caused by prolonged non-optimal antifungal use.

Methodology: Conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India from January 2019 to December 2020, the study evaluated systemic antifungal use in 100 hospitalized adults with invasive fungal infections.

Infections following chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy: 2018-2022.

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an emerging therapeutic modality for relapsed and refractory hematological malignancies. Infectious complications following CAR T-cell therapy are not well defined.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of data on patients who received CAR T-cell therapy between April 2018 and December 2022 at the Karmanos Cancer Center, Detroit.

Early organism identification by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) decreases the time to appropriate antibiotic modifications for common bacterial infections.

Objective: MALDI-TOF-MS facilitates the identification of microorganisms from positive cultures in a timely and accurate manner. It eliminates the necessity for the application of biochemicals and operates on the principle of proteomics. It decreases the time required to report culture results.

Advances in pharmacotherapies for cytomegalovirus infection: what is the current state of play?

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a serious opportunistic infection in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) and solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Traditional anti-CMV drugs are limited by toxicities and the development of resistance. Letermovir and maribavir are newly approved antivirals for the prevention and treatment of CMV.

False-Positive Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleic Acid Amplification Test After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy With Ciltacabtagene Autoleucel.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as a novel therapeutic option for hematologic malignancies. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) amplifying 5' long terminal repeat and genes cross-react with lentiviral vector-based CAR T-cell products. Cross-reactivity between CAR T-cell products and HIV NAATs may lead to false-positive test results.

Polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis: approaches for appropriate use.

Detection of aspergillus by PCR is a helpful tool for early diagnosis. The test has excellent sensitivity and specificity with a high negative predictive value. Well-accepted, standardized method for DNA extraction for PCR testing is to be adopted for all commercial assays and conclusive validation data are awaited in varied clinical settings.

Mitochondrial toxicity induced by linezolid causing lactic acidosis.

Linezolid-induced lactic acidosis is a rare, but life-threatening complication of a commonly used drug. Patients present with persistent lactic acidosis, hypoglycaemia, high central venous oxygen saturation and shock. Linezolid causes mitochondrial toxicity due to impaired oxidative phosphorylation.

Novel Scoring Systems to Predict the Need for Oxygenation and ICU Care, and Mortality in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Risk Stratification Tool.

Introduction: A rapid surge in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic can overwhelm any healthcare system. It is imperative to triage patients who would require oxygen and ICU care, and predict mortality. Specific parameters at admission may help in identifying them.

Pilot study on burden of fungal contamination in face masks: need for better mask hygiene in the COVID-19 era.

Risk factors which led to the outbreak of COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis still remains elusive. Face masks can become contaminated by fungal spores that are present ubiquitously in the environment. However the exact burden of such contamination is not known.

Endotipsitis: An Underdiagnosed Complication of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts.

Recurrent hematemesis and ascites due to portal hypertension are treated by Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) to decompress the portal system. Many causes can be attributed to fever in such patients, one of them being, endotipsitis. Awareness among the clinicians about the existence of such a condition needs to be enhanced to avoid underdiagnosis.

Fungal carriage on healthcare workers' hands, clothing, stethoscopes and electronic devices during routine patient care: a study from a tertiary care center.

Background: Invasive fungal infections are a constant threat to immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Healthcare workers caring for such patients act as conduits of transmission through their contaminated hands and belongings causing nosocomial infections. Although bacterial contamination of healthcare workers is known, our knowledge about fungal carriage is sparse.

Assessment of healthcare worker's hand hygiene and infection prevention practices of their personal belongings in a healthcare setting: a survey in pre COVID-19 era and literature review on standard disinfection practices.

Background: Healthcare workers' (HCW) hands and personnel belongings are vehicles of transmission of nosocomial infections. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of hand hygiene have been extensively studied suggesting adequate knowledge but poor compliance. Similar data on aprons, mobile phone and stethoscope disinfection practices are lacking.

Clinico-pathological features in fatal COVID-19 infection: a preliminary experience of a tertiary care center in North India using postmortem minimally invasive tissue sampling.

Objectives: To study the histopathology of patients dying of COVID-19 using post-mortem minimally invasive sampling techniques.

Methods: This was a single-center observational study conducted at JPNATC, AIIMS. Thirty-seven patients who died of COVID-19 were enrolled.

Intricate interplay between Covid-19 and cardiovascular diseases.

Covid-19 disease can involve any organ system leading to myriad manifestations and complications. Cardiovascular manifestations are being increasingly recognised with the improved understanding of the disease. Acute coronary syndrome, myocarditis, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy; heart failure and thromboembolic disease have all been described.

Persistent Laparoscopic Port-site Discharging Sinus: A Rare Case of Mycobacterium senegalense Infection.

Laparoscopic port-site infections, though infrequent, undermine the advantages provided by minimally invasive surgeries. Persistent nonhealing discharging sinuses, not responding to conventional antibiotic therapy, pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Sizeable number of these infections is caused by rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and diagnosing these requires a high index of suspicion.

Severe Immune Thrombocytopenia in a Patient with HIV-HCV Co-infection: Challenges in Management.

Immune thrombocytopenia is a well-known complication of both HIV and Hepatitis C virus infections. Management becomes challenging when a patient with HCV-HIV co-infection presents with severe thrombocytopenia. Adverse drug reactions and drug interactions has to be considered while choosing treatment options for such patients.

Tuberculosis masquerading as metastasis in liver: a rare and an unusual presentation.

Hepatosplenic space occupying lesions are usually labelled as metastasis. This case highlights the importance of thinking beyond malignancy and the importance of adopting a systematic approach when dealing with such lesions that have a plethora of close differentials. Hepatosplenic tuberculosis is a rare form of extra pulmonary tuberculosis.

B Cell ALL with Pyrexia of Unknown Origin, Masquerading as Inflammatory Arthritis.

We present a young male, with long standing fever, weight loss, bone pains, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias and severe joint pains. With normal peripheral smear and predominant joints involvement, he was started on corticosteroids. The partial response prompted the physician to continue the steroids.