The Impact of Directly Observed Therapy on Preventive Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Students in Dalian, China

Preventive treatment has an essential effect on latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)[purified protein derivative(PPD)induration≥15 mm].Between2010 and 2013,there were 6 tuberculosis(TB)outbreaks in the universities in Dalian,China.So far,in Dalian,the directly observed therapy(DOT)and

Experimental Study on Treatment of SIV Infection by Zhongyan No. II In Monkeys

Objective: To investigate the curative effect of Zhongyan No. II (ZY II ) in treating SIVmac251 infection in macaques monkeys and evaluate the anti-viral effect of the drug as well as its protection on organism. Methods: Using SIVmac251 infected monkey model to detect the plasma SIVP 27 antigen level by viral isolation and ELISA; determine the T-lymphocyte subsets CD4 and CD8 by indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, and investigate the serum content of neopterin and B2-mi-croglobulin B2-MG)by ELISA. The pathological examination was conducted as well. Results: ZY II

Latent tuberculosis infection in health-care workers in the government sector in Brunei Darussalam:A cross-sectional study

Objective:Health-care workers(HCWs)are known to be at high risk for occupational biological hazards,and this includes exposure to mycobacterium tuberculosis(TB)which can result in either active or latent TB infection(LTBI).This study aims to provide an overview of the incidence of LTBI among HCWs in Brunei Darussalam,to examine associated risk factors,and to evaluate LTBI treatment compliance.Materials and Methods:This is a retrospective cross-sectional study which was conducted using data from January 2018 to December 2021,on notified cases of LTBI in HCWs which identified 115 cases.Demographic data,underlying medical conditions,and compliance to treatment were assessed through reviews of their electronic health records.Results:The incidence of LBTI was 14.6/year/1000 HCWs.The incidence rate reached a high of 24.6/1000 in 2020,and majority of cases were in the older age groups.There was good treatment acceptance and compliance(82.6%),and this was observed to be significantly higher in females than males(P=0.02).Conclusion:This study showed an average incidence of LTBI of 14.6/1000 HCWs over 4 years and high LTBI treatment acceptance(82.6%)and compliance.Emphasis on infection prevention and control measures in health-care settings and actions to increase awareness of LTBI are crucial interventions toward reducing the burden of LTBI.

WOUND INFECTION AFTER SCOLIOSIS SURGERY:AN ANALYSIS OF 15 CASES

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the causes and treatments of wound infections after scoliosis surgery. METHODS: Nine hundred and twenty-four caes of scoliosis were reviewed, and the clinical data of 15 cases of postoperative infection were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: All 15 cases underwent spinal posterior fusion with autologous bone graft using instrumentations. Seven were diagnosed as early infection, and 8 were delayed infection. Radical debridement was performed in all 15 cases. The duration of antibiotics administration was 10 to 34 days with continuous closed irrigation for 2 to approximately 4 weeks and primary closure for the wounds. All patients were followed up for an average of 3.5 years (2 to 7.5 years) with good outcomes and no recurrence. CONCLUSION: Wound infection following surgical correction of scoliosis primarily results from intraoperative seeding, although host-related and operation-related factors may contribute to its development. Once the infections are diagnosed, good results can be achieved by prompt surgical debridement, irrigation and reasonably administered antibiotics. Removal of hardware may be necessary in deep infections.

Clinical analysis of valvuloplasty on treatment of infective endocarditis

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of valvuloplasty on infective endocarditis ( IE) . Methods antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by K - B paper disk method. All the cases were treated with valvuloplasty. Results Totally 28 cases ( 43. 8% ) showed positive results by blood culture,and the main pathogens

Baseline HBV Load Increases the Risk of Anti-tuberculous Drug-induced Hepatitis Flares in Patients with Tuberculosis

Hepatitis associated anti-tuberculous treatment（HATT） has been a main obstacle in managing patients co-infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and hepatitis B virus（HBV）. Therefore, we evaluated the factors related to the severity of adverse effects during HATT, especially those associated with liver failure. A retrospective study was carried out at Tongji Hospital from 2007 to 2012. Increases in serum transaminase levels of 〉3, 5, and 10 times the upper limit of normal（ULN） were used to define liver damage as mild, moderate, and severe, respectively. Patients with elevated total bilirubin（TBil） levels that were more than 10 times the ULN（〉171 μmol/L） with or without decreased（〈40%） prothrombin activity（PTA） were diagnosed with liver failure. A cohort of 87 patients was analyzed. The incidence of liver damage and liver failure was 59.8%（n=52） and 25.3%（n=22）, respectively. The following variables were correlated with the severity of hepatotoxicity： albumin（ALB） levels, PTA, platelet counts（PLT）, and the use of antiretroviral therapies（P〈0.05）. Hypo-proteinemia and antiretroviral therapy were significantly associated with liver failure, and high viral loads were a significant risk factor with an odds ratio（OR） of 2.066. Judicious follow-up of clinical conditions, liver function tests, and coagulation function, especially in patients with high HBV loads and hypoalbuminemia is recommended. It may be advisable to reconsider the use of antiviral drugs failure during the course of anti-tuberculous treatment of HBV infection patients to avoid the occurrence of furious liver failure.

Treatment of Recurrent Respiratory Infection with Chinese Drug Therapy of Tonifying-Shen(肾) and Solidifying Superficiality—A Clinical Case Report

Children recurrent respiratory infection （CRRI） indicates that children suffer from frequent infections along the upper or lower respiratory tract for a certain number of times. It is not an independent disease but a clinical syndrome mostly brought about by some basic diseases such as nonspecific immunity, specific immune suppression or deficiency disease, congenital bronchopulmonary dysplasia, vitamin or microelement deficiency, or is induced by some factors such as smoking, cross infection, and nursing errors.（2） Clinically, CRRI is commonly treated by anti-infective agents, symptomatic and supportive treatment, and immune-regulatory therapy. However, the therapeutic effectiveness is always imperfect, which could even lead to a premium on asthma, or nephritis, etc.

Epidemiological study of community- and hospital-acquired intraabdominal infections

Purpose： To investigate and analyze the clinical and etiological characteristics of community-acquired intraabdominal infections （CIAIs） and hospital-acquired or nosocomial intraabdominal infections （NIAIs） in a comprehensive hospital, to understand the characteristics, pathogen composition, and drug resistance of CIAls as well as NIAIs, and to provide a reference for clinical treatment. Methods： We collected the clinical data of patients with intraabdominal infections admitted to our hospital from June 2013 to June 2014. In vitro drug sensitivity tests were conducted to separate pathogens, and the data were analyzed using the WHONET 5.4 software and SPSS 13.0 software. Results： A total of 221 patients were enrolled in the study, including 144 with CIAls （55 mild-moderate and 89 severe） and 77 with NIAIs. We isolated 322 pathogenic strains, including 234 strains of gramnegative bacteria, 82 strains of gram-positive bacteria, and 6 strains of fungi. Based on clinical features, NIAIs and severe ClAls presented significantly higher values in age, length of hospital stay, mortality, and the incidence of severe intra-abdominal infection than mild-moderate CIAIs （p 〈 0.05）. There was no significant difference in the prognosis between NIAIs and severe CIAIs. Primary diseases leading to CIAIs and NIAIs mostly were hepatobiliary diseases and gastrointestinal diseases respectively. Bacteria isolated from various types of IAls mainly were Enterobacteriaceae; mild-moderate CIAIs mostly were mono-infection of gram-negative bacteria; NIAIs mostly were mixed infections of gram-negative and grampositive bacteria; and severe CIAls were from either type of infection. The rate of Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase-producing Escherichia coil and Klebsiella pneurnoniae was much higher in NIAIs than in CIAIs （p 〈 0.05）. The antimicrobial drug sensitivity of gram-negative bacteria isolated from NIAIs was significantly lower than that of CIAIs. Conclusion： CIAIs and NIAIs have their own unique clinical features and epidemiological features of pathogens which should be considered during the initial empiric therapy for the rational use of anti- microbial drugs. Regional IAls pathogenic bacteria have their own features in drug resistance, slightly different from some recommendations of 2010 Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.

Microbial diversity in failed endodontic root-filled teeth

Background Persistent/secondary infections of human root canals play an important role in the failure of endodontic treatment. This study used 16S rRNA sequencing to assess microbial diversity in root-filled teeth associated with failed endodontic treatment. Methods DNA was extracted from 15 teeth with persistent intraradicular infections, and the 16S rRNA of all present bacteria were amplified by PCR, followed by cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA amplicons. Results All sample extracts were positive for PCR amplification using the universal 16S rRNA gene primers. Negative control reactions yielded no amplicons. Sixty-five phylotypes belonging to seven phyla were identified from 760 clones; a mean of 9.4 phylotypes were detected in each sample （range 3-15）. Twenty-eight phylotypes were detected in more than one sample, revealing a high inter-sample variability. Parvimonas micra （60%, 9/15）, Solobacterium moore （47%, 7/15）, Dialister invisus （33%, 5/15）, Enterococcus faecalis （33%, 5/15）, Filifactor alocis （27%, 4/15）, and Fusobacterium nucleatum （27%, 4/15） were the prevalent species. Nineteen as-yet-uncultivated phylotypes were identified, comprising a substantial proportion of the bacteria in many cases. Conclusions Persistent intraradicular infections were present in all root-filled teeth associated with failed endodontic treatment. The current observations reveal new candidate endodontic pathogens, including as-yet-uncultivated bacteria and phylotypes that may participate in the mixed infections associated with post-treatment apical periodontitis.