Background: The treatment of severe bloodstream infections (sepsis, endocarditis, and infections of vascular prostheses) caused by Gram-positive microorganisms is made even more difficult by the emergence of resistant strains. The introduction of new antibiotics with activity against these strains has created new opportunities, but many controversial issues remain.
Controversial Issues: The aim of this GISIG (Gruppo Italiano di Studio sulle Infezioni Gravi) working group - a panel of multidisciplinary experts - was to define recommendations for some controversial issues using an evidence-based and analytical approach. The controversial issues concerned the duration of therapy and role of aminoglycosides and teicoplanin in the treatment of Gram-positive bacterial endocarditis, the optimal use of the new antibiotics in the treatment of bloodstream infections caused by resistant Gram-positive strains, and the use of microbiological techniques (i.e., bactericidal serum testing and synergy testing) and of pharmacokinetic data (e.g., monitoring of plasma levels of antibiotics) in the treatment of difficult-to-treat Gram-positive bloodstream infections.
Methods: A systematic literature search of randomized controlled trials and/or non-randomized studies was performed mainly using the MEDLINE database. A matrix was created to extract evidence from original studies using the CONSORT method to evaluate randomized clinical trials and the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for non-randomized studies. The GRADE method for grading the quality of evidence and strength of recommendation was applied.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2010.05.006 | DOI Listing |
Ann Thorac Surg
January 2025
Thoracic Surgery Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
Background: The use of local consolidative therapy (LCT) in patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is rapidly evolving, with a preponderance of data supporting the benefits of such therapeutic approaches incorporating pulmonary resection for appropriately selected candidates. However, practices vary widely institutionally and regionally, and evidence-based guidelines are lacking.
Methods: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons assembled a panel of thoracic surgical oncologists to evaluate and synthesize the available evidence regarding the role of pulmonary resection as LCT.
J Law Med
November 2024
Barrister, Castan Chambers, Melbourne, Australia; Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry, University of Melbourne; Honorary Professor of Forensic Medicine, Monash; Adjunct Professor, Southern Cross University.
This editorial reviews the changes over two decades in the United States and Australia in relation to the law governing access to drugs enabling medical termination of pregnancy. It also scrutinises three contentious decisions by the United States Supreme Court between 2022 and 2024 in relation to abortion. It argues that the receptive environment in the United States Supreme Court, as it is currently constituted, to challenges to the lawfulness of terminations of pregnancy and abortion medications is likely to inspire comparable challenges as part of the "Abortion Wars" in other countries, including Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: For patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), recurrence can lead to worsening conditions and increased mortality. Statins have neuroprotective benefits and might help prevent ICH recurrence. However, the effectiveness of statins remains controversial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHist Philos Life Sci
January 2025
University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The goal of this paper is to explore a set of epistemological and ontological issues regarding the historical and philosophical role of placebos in the contested history of antidepressants. Starting from an account of the dual nature of the placebo as both an epistemic and a therapeutic tool, and against the background of the heated debates on the efficacy of second-generation antidepressants, I propose two related arguments. First, I argue that placebos as controls played a crucial but paradoxical role in the rise of so-called evidence-based approaches to depression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Surg
December 2024
Department of Urology, The Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Background: Kidney stone disease is a common surgical disease and significant public health issue, may be influenced by environmental factors such as domestic water hardness and its related minerals. Previous studies have shown inconsistent and controversial results regarding the impact of domestic water hardness on kidney stone formation.
Methods: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 288,041 participants in the UK Biobank with no prior history of kidney stones from 2006-2024.
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