Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) prostheses - biofilm formation and antibiotic effects.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a percutaneous catheter-based treatment of aortic stenosis as an alternative to open heart valve surgery. In cases of TAVI endocarditis, the treatment possibilities may be limited as surgical removal of the infected valve may be associated with a high risk in elderly, comorbid or frail patients. The propensity of bacteria to form a biofilm on foreign material is assumed to be of importance part of the disease process in TAVI endocarditis, but no studies on biofilm formation on TAVI valves have been conducted.

M protein ectodomain-specific immunity restrains SARS-CoV-2 variants replication.

Introduction: The frequent occurrence of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein, with up to dozens of mutations, poses a severe threat to the current efficacy of authorized COVID-19 vaccines. Membrane (M) protein, which is the most abundant viral structural protein, exhibits a high level of amino acid sequence conservation. M protein ectodomain could be recognized by specific antibodies; however, the extent to which it is immunogenic and provides protection remains unclear.

Ultrapotent class I neutralizing antibodies post Omicron breakthrough infection overcome broad SARS-CoV-2 escape variants.

Background: The spread of emerging SARS-CoV-2 immune escape sublineages, especially JN.1 and KP.2, has resulted in new waves of COVID-19 globally.

Antibiotic Susceptibility of Aerobic and Facultative Anaerobic Gram-Negative Rods in Hong Kong and Implications on Usefulness of Ceftazidime-Avibactam and Ceftolozane-Tazobactam.

Due to the increasing resistance of aerobic and facultative anaerobic Gram-negative rods, ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam have been launched in the market in the last few years. In this study, we analyzed the susceptibility pattern of the major aerobic and facultative anaerobic Gram-negative rods in Hong Kong for ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, four other broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used in Hong Kong and colistin. For 300 isolates collected from January to December 2021, non-ESBL-producing Enterobacterales, ESBL-producing Enterobacterales and were highly susceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam (all 100%) and ceftolozane-tazobactam (98.

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance of Bacteroides fragilis isolated from blood cultures, Europe, 2022 (ReSuBacfrag).

Objectives: Bacteroides fragilis is the most frequent cause of anaerobic bacteraemia. Although recent data suggest a rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of this and other anaerobic bacteria, surveillance remains limited due to a lack of both data availability and comparability. However, a newly introduced standardised method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of anaerobic bacteria has made larger scale surveillance possible for the first time.

Regional variations in antimicrobial susceptibility of community-acquired uropathogenic in India: Findings of a multicentric study highlighting the importance of local antibiograms.

Objectives: Evidence-based prescribing is essential to optimize patient outcomes in cystitis. This requires knowledge of local antibiotic resistance rates. Diagnostic and Antimicrobial Stewardship (DASH) to Protect Antibiotics (https://dashuti.

Rapid Diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia and Respiratory Tract Colonization by Next-Generation Sequencing.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and colonization diagnosed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and explore the usefulness of the number of P. jirovecii sequence reads for the diagnosis of P. jirovecii pneumonia.

Nontyphoidal salmonella septic arthritis in A patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report.

We report a case of septic arthritis in a 43-year-old female patient. Despite initial treatment with ceftriaxone for Nontyphoidal Salmonella based on blood and joint fluid culture results, the shoulder joint pain worsened. Suspected systemic lupus erythematosus associated synovitis did not respond to immunosuppressive therapy including methylprednisolone, hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate.

Lower Specificity of the European Society of Cardiology 2023 Diagnostic Criteria for Infective Endocarditis When Spondylodiscitis Is Regarded as a Vascular Phenomenon.

The ESC diagnostic criteria for infective endocarditis (IE) added spondylodiscitis as a minor criterion. This resulted in that 11 of 1807 patients with Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcal, or Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia, were reclassified from possible to definite IE, of whom only two were treated as IE.

The risk factors associated with post-transplantation BKPyV nephropathy and BKPyV DNAemia: a prospective study in kidney transplant recipients.

Background: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) infection after kidney transplantation can lead to serious complications such as BKPyV-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) and graft loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of BKPyVAN after implementing a BKPyV screening program, to map the distribution of BKPyV genotypes and subtypes in the Uppsala-Örebro region and to identify host and viral risk factors for clinically significant events.

Methods: This single-center prospective cohort study included kidney transplant patients aged ≥ 18 years at the Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden between 2016 and 2018.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium: impact of ending screening and isolation in a Danish University hospital.

Background: Substantial resources are used in hospitals worldwide to counteract the ever-increasing incidence of vancomycin-resistant and vancomycin-variable Enterococcus faecium (VREfm and VVEfm), but it is important to balance patient safety, infection prevention, and hospital costs.

Aim: To investigate the impact of ending VREfm/VVEfm screening and isolation at Odense University Hospital (OUH), Denmark, on patient and clinical characteristics, risk of bacteraemia, and mortality of VREfm/VVEfm disease at OUH. The burden of VREfm/VVEfm bacteraemia at OUH and the three collaborative hospitals in the Region of Southern Denmark (RSD) was also investigated.

Performance of the 2023 Duke-International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Criteria for Infective Endocarditis in Relation to the Modified Duke Criteria and to Clinical Management-Reanalysis of Retrospective Bacteremia Cohorts.

Background: Revised diagnostic criteria for infective endocarditis (IE), the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria, were recently presented and need validation. Here, we compare the 2000 modified Duke criteria for IE with Duke-ISCVID among patients with bacteremia and relate the diagnostic classification to IE treatment.

Methods: We reanalyzed patient cohorts with Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, non-β-hemolytic streptococci, Streptococcus-like bacteria, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, and HACEK (Haemophilus, Aggregatibacter, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, Kingella) bacteremia.

Case report: Occult invasion leading to prosthetic hip joint infection in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis taking tofacitinib.

It has been suggested that targeted therapy may potentially increase the risk of listeriosis. However, no reported cases of prosthetic joint infection have been documented during Janus Kinase (JAK) pathway inhibitor use. Herein, we present a 70-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis who had undergone bilateral hip joint replacement and subsequently developed prosthetic joint infection following tofacitinib therapy.

Infectivity of exhaled SARS-CoV-2 aerosols is sufficient to transmit covid-19 within minutes.

Exhaled SARS-CoV-2-containing aerosols contributed significantly to the rapid and vast spread of covid-19. However, quantitative experimental data on the infectivity of such aerosols is missing. Here, we quantified emission rates of infectious viruses in exhaled aerosol from individuals within their first days after symptom onset from covid-19.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide impacts HIV-1 infection by modulating immune activation in T lymphocytes and humanized mice.

Background: HIV-1-associated immune activation drives CD4 T cell depletion and the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. We aimed to determine the role of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), the direct precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) co-enzyme, in CD4 T cell modulation during HIV-1 infection.

Methods: We examined HIV-1 integrated DNA or transcribed RNA, intracellular p24 protein, and T cell activation markers in CD4 T cells including in vitro HIV-1-infected cells, reactivated patient-derived cells, and in HIV-1-infected humanized mice, under NMN treatment.

Investigation of air dispersal during a rhinovirus outbreak in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Background: While airborne transmission of rhinovirus is recognized in indoor settings, its role in hospital transmission remains unclear.

Methods: We investigated an outbreak of rhinovirus in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to assess air dispersal. We collected clinical, environmental, and air samples, and staff's surgical masks for viral load and phylogenetic analysis.

Humoral and cellular immunity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Humoral and cellular immunity from prior infection or vaccination are important for protection, but the neutralizing antibody (nAb) response against SARS-CoV-2 variants is impaired. We investigated the variant-specific nAb and T cell immunity among CKD patients.

miR-455-5p promotes pathological cardiac remodeling via suppression of PRMT1-mediated Notch signaling pathway.

Pathological cardiac remodeling plays an essential role in the progression of cardiovascular diseases, and numerous microRNAs have been reported to participate in pathological cardiac remodeling. However, the potential role of microRNA-455-5p (miR-455-5p) in this process remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we focused on clarifying the function and searching the direct target of miR-455-5p, as well as exploring its underlying mechanisms in pathological cardiac remodeling.

A follow-up study: 6-year cART-free virologic control of rhesus macaques after PD-1-based DNA vaccination against pathogenic SHIV challenge.

Efficient strategies for HIV-1 cART-free virologic control are critical for ending the AIDS pandemic. The essential role of effector-memory CD8 T cells in controlling viremia and eliminating virus-infected cells has made them a promising target for vaccine development. It has been previously reported that PD-1-based DNA vaccination was effective in inducing polyfunctional effector-memory CD8 T cells for AIDS virus control for 2 years in rhesus monkeys.

P21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1)-mediated cytoskeleton rearrangement promotes SARS-CoV-2 entry and ACE2 autophagic degradation.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has had a significant impact on healthcare systems and economies worldwide. The continuous emergence of new viral strains presents a major challenge in the development of effective antiviral agents. Strategies that possess broad-spectrum antiviral activities are desirable to control SARS-CoV-2 infection.