Plos One
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Clarithromycin was considered the cornerstone for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infections. Genetic resistance mechanisms have been described and many experts propose amikacin as an alternative. Nevertheless, clarithromycin has several advantages; therefore, it is necessary to identify the non-functional erm(41) allele to determine the most suitable treatment. The aims of this study were to characterize the molecular mechanisms of clarithromycin resistance in a collection of Mycobacterium abscessus complex isolates and to verify the relationship between these mechanisms and the antibiogram. ⋯ Most clinical isolates of M. abscessus complex had inducible resistance to clarithromycin and total absence of constitutive resistance. Our findings showed that the acquisition of resistance mutations in rrl gene was associated with functional and non-functional erm(41) gene. Caution is needed when using erm(41) sequencing alone to identify M. abscessus subspecies. This study reports an acquired mutation at position 2057 of rrl gene, conferring medium-low clarithromycin constitutive resistance.
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We examined the use of clinical trials registries in published systematic reviews and meta-analyses from clinical neurology. A review of publications between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014 from five neuroscience journals (Annals of Neurology, Brain, Lancet Neurology, Neurology, and The Neuroscientist) was performed to identify eligible systematic reviews. The systematic reviews comprising the final sample were independently appraised to determine if clinical trials registries had been included as part of the search process. ⋯ Of those, five acknowledged the use of a specific clinical trials registry: four reviewed unpublished trial data and two incorporated unpublished trial data into their results. Based on our sample of systematic reviews, there was no increase in the use of trials registries in systematic review searches over time. Few systematic reviews published in clinical neurology journals included data from relevant clinical trials registries.
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The present study investigated whether hope and hopelessness are better conceptualized as a single construct of bipolar spectrum or two distinct constructs and whether hope can moderate the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation. ⋯ Hope and hopelessness are two distinct but correlated constructs. Hope can act as a resilience factor that buffers the impact of hopelessness on suicidal ideation. Inducing hope in people may be a promising avenue for suicide prevention.
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Clinical risk stratification has an important function in preoperative evaluation of patients at risk for cardiac events prior to non-cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to determine whether the combined measurement of pre-operative N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) could provide useful prognostic information about postoperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) within 30 days in patients aged over 60 years undergoing emergent non-cardiac surgery. ⋯ Preoperative plasma NT-proBNP and cTnI are both independently associated with an increased risk of MACE in elderly patients after emergent non-cardiac surgery. The combination of these biomarkers provides better prognostic information than using either biomarker separately.
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Aspiration of oral or gastric contents into the larynx and lower respiratory tract is a common problem in acute stroke patients, which significantly increases the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, little is known about the clinical characteristics of aspiration-related ARDS in acute stroke patients. ⋯ Aspiration-related ARDS frequently occurs in acute stroke patient with impairment consciousness. It is advisable that performing chest CT timely may identify disease early and prompt treatment to rescue patients.