The Journal of infection
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The Journal of infection · May 2018
Observational StudyIncidence and costs of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in German adults aged ≥50 years: A prospective study.
Herpes zoster (HZ) mainly affects elderly people and immunocompromised individuals. HZ is usually characterized by a unilateral painful skin rash. Its most common complication, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), may cause chronic debilitating pain. This study aimed to estimate the HZ incidence in individuals aged ≥50 years in Germany, the proportion of PHN and the economic burden. ⋯ The study confirmed previous findings that HZ causes a substantial clinical and economic burden in older German adults. It also confirmed the age-related increasing risk of HZ and PHN.
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The Journal of infection · Apr 2018
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyIntravenous plus inhaled versus intravenous colistin monotherapy for lower respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
To evaluate whether intravenous plus inhaled combination (IV/INHCC) compared to intravenous monotherapy (IVCM) was associated with patient outcomes and identify factors influencing study outcomes. ⋯ Overall, low quality data suggest that IV/INHCC did not lower mortality in patients with MDR Gram negative infections unless low IV colistin dose was administered.
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The Journal of infection · Mar 2018
Meta AnalysisEarly Warning Scores do not accurately predict mortality in sepsis: A meta-analysis and systematic review of the literature.
Early Warning Scores are used to evaluate patients in many hospital settings. It is not clear if these are accurate in predicting mortality in sepsis. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of multiple studies in sepsis. Our aim was to estimate the accuracy of EWS for mortality in this setting. ⋯ Early Warning Scores are not sufficiently accurate to rule in or rule out mortality in patients with sepsis, based on the evidence available, which is generally poor quality.
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The Journal of infection · Mar 2018
Observational StudyUsefulness of midregional pro-adrenomedullin as a marker of organ damage and predictor of mortality in patients with sepsis.
Midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is a prognostic biomarker in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and sepsis. In this paper, we examined the ability of MR-proADM to predict organ damage and long-term mortality in sepsis patients, compared to that of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein and lactate. ⋯ MR-proADM is a good biomarker in the early identification of high risk septic patients and may contribute to improve the predictive capacity of SOFA scale, especially when scores are low.
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The Journal of infection · Mar 2018
Contact reductions from live poultry market closures limit the epidemic of human infections with H7N9 influenza.
An early steep increase in the number of humans infected with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus was observed in China, raising great public concern domestically and internationally. Little is known about the dynamics of the transmission contacts between poultry and human populations, although such understanding is essential for developing effective strategies to control this zoonosis. In this study, we evaluated the effects of contact reductions from live poultry markets (LPMs) closures on the transmission of H7N9 virus during epidemics in Guangdong Province, China. ⋯ The results showed that periodic intervention strategies can greatly reduce the magnitude of outbreaks, and the earlier interventions for policy are implemented, the smaller is the outbreak. The control efforts for LPMs to decrease the contact quantity are critical in preventing epidemics in the long term. This model should provide important insights for the development of a national intervention strategy for the long-term control of avian influenza virus epidemics.