Internal medicine
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Multicenter Study
Identifying low-risk patients for bacterial meningitis in adult patients with acute meningitis.
To derive and validate a clinical prediction model with high sensitivity for differentiating aseptic meningitis (AM) patients from bacterial meningitis (BM) patients. ⋯ This simple and sensitive model might be useful to safely identify low-risk patients for BM who would not require antibiotic treatment.
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Multicenter Study
Hospital-based study of the prognostic factors in adult patients with acute community-acquired bacterial meningitis in Tokyo, Japan.
Prognostic factors related to community-acquired bacterial meningitis (BM) in adult patients have been evaluated using multivariate analysis in The Netherlands, where the rate of antibiotic resistance was low. However, an evaluation of these factors in countries with a high rate of antibiotic resistance has not yet been done. Thus, we studied the prognostic factors in adults with community-acquired BM in our hospitals, which are located in Tokyo, Japan, where the rate of antibiotic resistance is high. ⋯ Patients with a low GCS at the initiation of antibiotic therapy and low thrombocyte counts had unfavorable outcomes. With appropriate antibiotic administration, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria were not identified as an unfavorable prognostic factor, even in an area with a high rate of antibiotic resistance.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Efficacy of azithromycin in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, including patients with macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae infection.
The growing problem of drug resistance among respiratory pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae, (S. pneumoniae) has complicated initial empiric therapy of CAP. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a 3-day course of azithromycin in adults with mild to moderately severe CAP, and to determine whether in vitro macrolide resistance among strains of S. pneumoniae is related to clinical efficacy/failure. ⋯ Most patients responed well to azithromycin, indicating that azithromycin might be clinically effective for the treatment of CAP with macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae. However, a larger study is necessary to prove the efficacy against macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A cross-sectional survey of chronic kidney disease and diabetic kidney disease in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients at four urban diabetes clinics.
Management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a critical issue in public health in attempt to prevent kidney failure and dialysis dependency. Since 1998, diabetes mellitus has been the leading cause of dialysis dependency in Japan. Previous reports demonstrated that the prevalence of CKD in diabetic patients was high; however albuminuria was not always present. This cross-sectional survey was performed 1) to indicate the prevalence of CKD and co-morbid illness in diabetic patients seen at diabetic clinics, and 2) to demonstrate the relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR). ⋯ Our patients were relatively young and obese, reflecting urban clinical settings. The prevalence of CKD stage 3 patients was high. Clinicians need to check both eGFR and ACR to avoid underdiagnosis of CKD and diabetic kidney disease.