Bmc Infect Dis
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Interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) serve as immunodiagnostics of tuberculosis (TB) infection to identify individuals with latent TB infection (LTBI) eligible for preventive anti-TB therapy. In this longitudinal study of HIV-infected LTBI patients we have observed for possible progression to active TB as well as evaluated repeated IGRA testing in a TB low-endemic setting. ⋯ The prevalence of LTBI is high among HIV-patients, but the risk of developing active TB seems to be low in patients with high CD4 counts in this TB low-endemic setting. In several patients, especially with baseline IFN-γ levels close to cut-offs, the QFT tests reverted to negative independent of preventive anti-TB treatment indicating possibly false positive tests. This highlights the importance of defining reliable cut-offs for immunodiagnostic tests and deferring preventive therapy in selected patients. Randomized studies with longer follow-up time are needed to identify HIV-patients that would benefit from LTBI treatment in a TB low-endemic setting.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Burden of herpes zoster-associated chronic pain in Italian patients aged 50 years and over (2009-2010): a GP-based prospective cohort study.
Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication in herpes zoster (HZ) patients. ⋯ These results suggest that HZ and PHN represent an important burden of disease in the elderly. There is a need for interventions that can prevent and reduce the burden of HZ to help improve the quality of life of the elderly. These data may be useful as baseline epidemiology data for the assessment of the impact of the VZV vaccine in Italy, after its implementation.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
ARIZONA study: is the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia and its burden increased in the most elderly patients?
In a context of change in the demographic profile of the older population, to identify an age threshold for increased risk and burden of herpes zoster (HZ) in 70+ patients. ⋯ This study did not show in 70+ patients a clear and significant age threshold at which disease burden increased, although for some domains the impact seemed higher among the oldest patients; the cut-off of 70 years remains thus relevant for clinical and epidemiological studies. However, at individual level, assessment of the burden of HZ and HZ-related pain appears necessary to improve management and prevent functional decline in the most vulnerable 70+ patients.
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Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are frequent in ICU and is a prognostic factor of severe sepsis. Community acquired BSIs usually due to susceptible bacteria should be clearly differentiated from healthcare associated BSIs frequently due to resistant hospital strains. Early adequate treatment is key and should use guidelines and direct examination of samples performed from the infectious source. ⋯ Given the negative impact of useless antimicrobials, maximal effort should be done to decrease the antibiotic selection pressure. De-escalation from a broad spectrum to a narrow spectrum antimicrobial decreases the antibiotic selection pressure without negative impact on mortality. Duration of therapy should be shortened as often as possible especially when organism is susceptible, when the infection source has been totally controlled.
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Comparative Study
External validation of the CURSI criteria (confusion, urea, respiratory rate and shock index) in adults hospitalised for community-acquired pneumonia.
For patients hospitalised due to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), mortality risk is usually estimated with prognostic scores such as CRB-65 or CURB-65. For elderly patients, a new score referred to as CURSI has been proposed which uses shock index (SI) instead of the blood pressure (B) and age (65) criteria. The new score has not been externally validated to date. ⋯ In our study, the CURSI-defined low-risk group had a higher 30-day mortality than the low-risk groups defined by CURB-65 and CRB-65. Lowering the cut-off value for the CURSI low-risk group would result in a mortality comparable to the CURB-65-defined low risk group. Even then, however, CURSI does not perform better than the established risk scores.