Medicine
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Tigecycline, the first in a new class of glycylcyclines, has been approved for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure and intraabdominal infections in adults. However, clinical data on its safety and effectiveness in cancer patients are lacking. We reviewed the records of all cancer patients treated with tigecycline for more than 48 hours between June 2005 and September 2006 at our institution and identified 110 consecutive cases (median age, 58 yr; range, 18-81 yr). ⋯ No serious adverse events related to tigecycline use were identified. The combination of tigecycline and an antipseudomonal drug may be appropriate for treating refractory infections and multidrug-resistant organisms in cancer patients, including hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Patients with refractory pneumonia had a relatively low clinical response rate in our study.
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Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) generally present with cranial ischemic manifestations that are directly related to vascular involvement. They may also experience strokes in the territory of the carotid or the vertebrobasilar artery. We conducted the current study to assess the frequency and predictors of strokes in general, and of vertebrobasilar stroke in particular, at the time of diagnosis in a series of 287 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven GCA diagnosed over a 27-year period at the single hospital for a well-defined population of northwestern Spain. ⋯ Results of the current study show an increased risk of strokes, in the vertebrobasilar territory in particular, at the time of GCA diagnosis. Patients with biopsy-proven GCA and traditional cardiovascular risk factors or permanent visual loss have an increased risk of suffering strokes. Results also suggest a potential protective role of anemia against the development of these cerebrovascular complications.