Invasive Fungal Infections in Low-Risk Liver Transplant Recipients: A Multi-Center Prospective Observational Study

Prevention of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients utilizing postoperative systemic antifungal prophylaxis, typically with fluconazole, is justified among those at high risk for IFI. Use of postoperative antifungal prophylaxis for low-risk OLT recipients is widely practiced but not universally accepted nor supported by data. We conducted a prospective observational study among 200 OLT recipients who were at low risk for IFI and did not receive postoperative antifungal prophylaxis. Patients were considered low risk if they had /=units of 40 blood products or return to the operating room for intra-abdominal bleeding; return to the operating room for anastomotic leak or vascular insufficiency; preoperative serum creatinine of >/=2 mg/dL; and perioperative Candida colonization. Patients were followed 100 d post-transplantation for evidence of IFI. Of 193 eligible patients, 7 (4%) developed an IFI. Three (2%) IFIs were due to Candida spp. and potentially preventable by standard fluconazole prophylaxis. Three patients developed invasive aspergillosis; one developed late onset disseminated cryptococcosis. Liver transplant recipients at low risk for IFI can be identified utilizing pre-determined criteria, and post-transplantation antifungal prophylaxis can be routinely withheld in these patients.     

Coccidioidomycosis After Renal Transplantation in an Endemic Area

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic fungal infection of the desert southwestern United States of particular concern for immunosuppressed renal transplant recipients. The clinical course of coccidioidomycosis can be severe in immunosuppressed patients, with high rates of dissemination and mortality, and antifungal prophylaxis is routinely administered to high-risk patients. We sought to determine the impact of coccidioidomycosis on patients who received their renal transplant at our hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. A retrospective records review of the first 205 patients who received a renal transplant between June 1999 and December 2003 identified 6 patients (3%) who had contracted coccidioidomycosis after transplantation. All six cases occurred more than 6 months after transplantation. Two of these six patients had disseminated coccidioidomycosis. Two patients, one with pulmonary infection and one with disseminated infection, died. None of the six patients with coccidioidomycosis after transplantation had identified risk factors before transplantation. No high-risk patient who received targeted antifungal prophylaxis had a reactivation of coccidioidomycosis after transplantation. Treatment for acute rejection and induction with antithymocyte globulin did not appear to increase the risk of subsequent coccidioidomycosis.     

Development and evaluation of a new PCR assay for detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa D genotype

This report describes a new PCR-based assay for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa genotype D in occupational saturation diving systems in the North Sea. This genotype has persisted in these systems for 11 years (1993-2003) and represents 18% of isolates from infections analysed during this period. The new PCR assay was based on sequences obtained after randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR analysis of a group of isolates related to diving that had been identified previously by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The primer set for the D genotype targets a gene that codes for a hypothetical class 4 protein in the P. aeruginosa PAO1 genome. A primer set able to detect P. aeruginosa at the species level was also designed, based on the 23S-5S rDNA spacer region. The two assays produced 382-bp and 192-bp amplicons, respectively. The PCR assay was evaluated by analysing 100 P. aeruginosa isolates related to diving, representing 28 PFGE genotypes, and 38 clinical and community P. aeruginosa isolates and strains from other species. The assay identified all of the genotype D isolates tested. Two additional diving-relevant genotypes (TP2 and TP27) were also identified, as well as three isolates of non-diving origin. It was concluded that the new PCR assay is a useful tool for early detection and prevention of infections with the D genotype.     

^13碳尿素呼气试验在诊断慢性腹痛儿童幽门螺杆菌感染中的应用

目的 探讨^13碳尿素呼气试验（^13C-UBT)在诊断慢性反复腹痛儿童幽门螺杆菌感染中的应用。方法 116例反复腹痛患儿均作^13碳尿素呼气试验。结果 116例儿童HP感染阳性率37.9%，且显示随着年龄的增加，HP感染率递增，结论 ^13C-UBT试验是一种简便，安全可行的无创性诊断方法。     

衣原体、支原体引起的难治性支气管—肺部感染分析

目的 探讨难治性支气管—肺部感染(难治组)衣原体、支原体两种病原体的表达。方法 应用ELISA法检测了29例难治性支气管—肺部感染两种非典型病原体急性感染指标，衣原体抗体IgM、支原体抗体IgM及冷凝集实验，并常规细菌学检查，与同期住院的普通性下呼吸道感染(普通组)40例，门诊及住院的急性上呼吸道感染(上感组)30例进行比较。结果 难治组衣原体急性感染率68．9％，显著高于普通组、上感组，上感组最低；支原体急性感染率难治组34、5％，显著高于普通组、上感组；衣原体混合支原体、衣原体混合其他致病菌感染均显著高于普通组和上感组。结论 难治性下呼吸道感染中衣原体、支原体感染率较高，且易与多种病原体混合感染，衣原体的慢性感染可能是难治感染的重要原因。     

阜新矿区1990～1995年传染病发病趋势

依据阜新矿区１９９０～１９９５年传染病发病情况的调查资料，对此５年间该地区常见传染病发病趋势进行了分析。结果表明，由于增大了预防力度，各种常见传染病发病率基本呈下降趋势，百分构成顺位居后。     

护理工作中院内感染相关问题与对策

目的 :提出护理工作与院内感染相关问题与对策。方法 :通过监测 ,找出护理工作引起院内感染存在的问题及薄弱环节 ,并制定相应对策。结果 :建立严格的控制感染的管理制度 ,层层落实把关 ,主动和独立地判断出行之有效的预防措施。结论 :在感染管理工作中严格认真执行消毒、灭菌、无菌操作 ,最大限度地避免因护理工作失误而引起的医院内感染     

Partner- and partnership-related risk factors for preterm birth among low-income women in Lima,Peru

A woman's partner and the characteristics of their partnership can play an important role in the health of her pregnancy. Yet, with the notable exception of intimate partner violence, there has been little previous research addressing the associations between partner- or partnership-related factors and birth outcomes. This analysis tested the hypothesis that risk factors related specifically to partner or partnership characteristics increased the risk for preterm birth. Between 2003 and 2005, a total of 580 preterm cases (20–36 weeks gestational age at delivery) and 633 term controls (≥37 weeks) were selected from women delivering at an obstetric hospital in Lima, Peru. Each woman completed a confidential, structured interview and provided biological specimens within 48 h after delivery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between partner and partnership characteristics and preterm birth. After adjustment for behavioral, demographic, and obstetric risk factors, ever having had a partner with a history of drug use (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.22–2.99), ever having had anal sex (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.07–1.84), having a current partner with a history of visiting prostitutes (aOR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.22–2.33), and perceiving one's current partner as a “womanizer” (aOR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.02–1.77) were significantly associated with an elevated risk of preterm birth when tested in separate models. These four factors were then used to create a composite partnership risk score, which showed an increasing dose-response relationship with preterm birth risk (per additional partner risk factor: aOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.16–1.49). These results highlight the importance of considering a broader set of risk factors for preterm birth, specifically those related to a woman's partner and partnership characteristics. Further research could clarify the specific mechanisms through which these partner and partnership characteristics may increase the risk of preterm birth.