Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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Review Meta Analysis
Procalcitonin to guide duration of antimicrobial therapy in intensive care units: a systematic review.
Can the use of serum procalcitonin levels safely reduce antimicrobial use in intensive care unit (ICU) patients? We performed a systematic literature review that identified 6 published randomized controlled trials comparing PCT-guided antimicrobial therapy to usual care in ICU patients, extracting data on ICU and patient characteristics, PCT guideline content, intensity of antimicrobial exposure, ICU length of stay, infection relapse, and mortality. Procalcitonin guidance was associated with significantly reduced antimicrobial exposure (effect sizes, 19.5%-38%) in all 5 studies assessing its impact on treatment duration but did not significantly impact antimicrobial exposure in the study assessing treatment initiation only. ⋯ Neither infection relapse nor mortality varied significantly in any of the studies. Procalcitonin guidance of antimicrobial duration appears to decrease antimicrobial use in the ICU safely and significantly and may also decrease the length of stay in the ICU.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Ocular manifestations of candidemia.
Ocular candidiasis is a major complication of candidemia. The incidence, risk factors, and outcome of eye involvement during candidemia are largely unknown. We prospectively studied the ocular manifestations of candidemia in a large, worldwide, randomized multicenter trial that compared voriconazole with amphotericin B followed by fluconazole for the treatment of candidemia. ⋯ Ocular involvement occurred in 16% of patients with candidemia; however, endophthalmitis was uncommon (1.6%). Treatment with either voriconazole or amphotericin B followed by fluconazole was successful for ocular candidiasis in most cases with follow-up.
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Glucocorticoids increase the risk of developing critical disease from viral infections. However, primary care practitioners in China use them as antipyretics, potentially exposing hundreds of millions to this risk. ⋯ Early use of parenteral glucocorticoids therapy for fever reduction and pneumonia prevention increases the risk for critical disease or death from pH1N1 infection. We recommend that guidelines on glucocorticoid use be established and enforced.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Brain swelling and mannitol therapy in adult cerebral malaria: a randomized trial.
Coma is a frequent presentation of severe malaria in adults and an important cause of death. The role of cerebral swelling in its pathogenesis, and the possible benefit of intravenous mannitol therapy to treat this, is uncertain. ⋯ Brain swelling on CT scan is a common finding in adult patients with cerebral malaria but is not related to coma depth or survival. Mannitol therapy as adjunctive treatment for brain swelling in adult cerebral malaria prolongs coma duration and may be harmful.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Superiority of 3 over 2 doses of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for the prevention of malaria during pregnancy in mali: a randomized controlled trial.
In 2003, Mali introduced intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy (ITPp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for the control of malaria in pregnancy, consisting of 2 doses of SP given in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. This widely used regimen, although very effective, leaves many women unprotected from malaria during the last 4-to-8 weeks of gestation, which is a pivotal period for fetal weight gain. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of 3-dose versus 2-dose IPTp-SP for the prevention of placental malaria and associated low birth weight (LBW). ⋯ ISRCTN 74189211.