The American journal of the medical sciences
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Metastatic infections such as infective endocarditis and psoas abscess are serious complications of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia because failure to identify these infections may result in bacteremia relapse or poor prognosis. In the present study, we determined the predictive factors for metastatic infection due to methicillin-sensitive S. aureus bacteremia. ⋯ This study demonstrated that additional diagnostic tests should be conducted to identify metastatic infection, particularly in patients with delayed antimicrobial treatment, persistent fever and persistently high C-reactive protein levels.
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The aim of the study was to determine the serum vitamin D levels in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and compare it with patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and with osteoarthritis (OA), as well as to explore the relationship of the vitamin D level with indices of disease activity and functional ability in a real-life setting in a South-European country. ⋯ In the group of rheumatic patients, a high prevalence of serum vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency was found regardless of the type of arthritis. Patients with PsA might have higher levels of vitamin D than patients with RA, and this was associated with disease activity and functional ability. The results of this study indicate that prophylactic supplementation with vitamin D might be recommended for all rheumatic patients.
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Primary iron overload in African Americans has been reported predominantly from autopsy studies. ⋯ Among 83 adult African Americans who underwent liver biopsy, 3.6% had hepatic iron phenotypes consistent with primary iron overload.