European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jul 2020
ReviewAnalysis of the susceptibility to COVID-19 in pregnancy and recommendations on potential drug screening.
To analyze the susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy and the drugs that can be used to treat pregnancy with COVID-19, so as to provide evidence for drug selection in clinic. By reviewing the existing literature, this paper analyzes the susceptibility of pregnant women to virus, especially to SARS-CoV-2, from the aspects of anatomical, reproductive endocrine and immune changes during pregnancy and screens effective and fetal-safe treatments from the existing drugs. The anatomical structure of the respiratory system is changed during pregnancy, and the virus transmitted by droplets and aerosols is more easily inhaled by pregnant women and is difficult to remove. ⋯ Particularly, drugs that show superior maternal and fetal safety are worthy of consideration for pregnant women with COVID-19, such as chloroquine, metformin, statins, lobinavir/ritonavir, glycyrrhizic acid, and nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery (NMDD), etc. Pregnant women are susceptible to COVID-19, and special attention should be paid to the selection of drugs that are both effective for maternal diseases and friendly to the fetus. However, there are still many deficiencies in the study of drug safety during pregnancy, and broad-spectrum, effective and fetal-safe drugs for pregnant women need to be developed so as to cope with more infectious diseases in the future.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jun 2020
ReviewSearching therapeutic strategy of new coronavirus pneumonia from angiotensin-converting enzyme 2: the target of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV.
Since December 2019, the infection of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) caused an outbreak of new coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China, and caused great public concern. Both COVID-19 and SARS-CoV belong to the coronavirus family and both invade target cells through ACE2. ⋯ In addition, ACE2 is a potential therapeutic target. This article will summarize the role of ACE2 in multiple organ damage caused by COVID-19 and SARS-CoV, targeted blocking drugs against ACE2, and drugs that inhibit inflammation in order to provide the basis for subsequent related research, diagnosis and treatment, and drug development.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jun 2020
ReviewThe epidemiology and clinical information about COVID-19.
In December 2019, pneumonia of unknown cause occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. On 7 January 2020, a novel coronavirus, named as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified in the throat swab sample of one patient. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the epidemic disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ China, with a huge burden of this disease, has taken strong measures to control the spread and improve the curative rate of COVID-19. In this review, we summarized the epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of COVID-19. A comprehensive understanding will help to control the disease.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Feb 2020
Evaluation of Bio-Rad® discs for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disc diffusion and the ADAGIO™ system for the automatic reading and interpretation of results.
The disc diffusion test is used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing worldwide. In this study, the performance of both Bio-Rad® antibiotic discs (as compared with Oxoid® discs) and the ADAGIO™ automated system for the reading of disc diffusion test results was evaluated with American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) quality control (QC) and wild strains of bacteria. Inhibition zones of both disc brands were read manually and through use of the ADAGIO™ system. ⋯ For the same number of antibiotic/bacteria combinations, five minor errors and one major error (0.42% and 0.08%, respectively) were detected with the Bio-Rad® discs read by the ADAGIO™ system. In addition, the number of times the automatic reading needed manual edition with Bio-Rad® discs was statistically lower than it did with Oxoid® discs (3.7% vs. 5.7%, p < 0.05). These findings support the hypothesis that Bio-Rad discs are not inferior to Oxoid® discs, and the performance of the ADAGIO™ system is comparable to that of manual readings with both disc brands.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Feb 2020
Antimicrobial Stewardship in Hematological Patients at the intensive care unit: a global cross-sectional survey from the Nine-i Investigators Network.
A global cross-sectional survey was performed to gather data on the current treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria among hematological patients admitted to ICUs worldwide. The survey was performed in April 2019 using an electronic platform (SurveyMonkey®) being distributed among 83 physicians and completed by 48 (57.8%) responders. ESBL Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae and carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa were the main concerns. ⋯ Infectious Disease consultation and AMS interventions were not determining factors for de-escalation decisions (more than 50% of responders). Infection control and educational programs were valued as necessary measures for implementation by ICU practitioners. These findings should guide future efforts on collaborative team working, improving compliance with adequate treatment protocols, implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs in critically ill hematological patients, and educational activities.