J Formos Med Assoc
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The lungs are the most common disease site of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). However, the isolation of NTM in a respiratory specimen does not indicate lung disease (LD). Differentiation between NTM colonization and NTM-LD remains challenging. ⋯ The diagnosis criteria for NTM-LD-including clinical features, radiological presentations, and microbiological evidence-are also reviewed, according to the latest American Thoracic Society (ATS)/Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guideline and the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guideline. However, the diagnosis of NTM-LD does not necessitate the initiation of anti-NTM treatment. Both environmental, host, and bacterial factors should be considered to identify patients that require NTM-LD treatment.
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Great progress has recently been made in methodologies for identifying nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Recommendations for drug susceptibility testing (DST) of NTM have been expanded and updated by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and are crucial in the management of NTM infections. This article summarizes the clinically relevant molecular methods used to discriminate NTM species and updates the information on DST. Furthermore, recent progress on new antimicrobials against NTM infections is reviewed.
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Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are critical emerging global infectious pathogens. Though NTM can be mere colonizers when isolated from human specimens, NTM are also responsible for diverse human infections. NTM-lung disease (NTM-LD) is the most common human disease entity. ⋯ Third, researchers in Taiwan have published valuable research investigating NTM among special patient populations, including patients in intensive care units, with ventilator dependency, with pulmonary tuberculosis, and who are infected with specific NTM species. The largest obstacle to clarifying NTM epidemiology in Taiwan may be the lack of routine NTM species identification in laboratories. Increased awareness of NTM diseases and acknowledgment that NTM species identification is crucial and guides clinical management are essential steps for facilitating the identification of NTM species in laboratories.
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This prospective study evaluated the predictive ability of psychiatric symptoms at initial consultation for the occurrence and remission of Internet addiction during a 1-year follow-up period among college students. Furthermore, it evaluated the predictive ability of changes in psychiatric symptoms for Internet addiction at the initial consultation during the 1-year follow-up period among college students. ⋯ Psychiatric symptoms and Internet addiction exhibited bidirectional relationships in college students during the 1-year follow-up period.
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The optimal loading dose of teicoplanin in patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has never been determined by therapeutic drug monitoring. This study investigated the appropriateness of proposed loading dose regimens of teicoplanin when administered to patients receiving VA-ECMO by using a previously proposed loading dosage and measuring the teicoplanin trough concentration (Ctrough). ⋯ The loading dosage consisting of four doses of teicoplanin administered within the first 72 h at a dose of 12 mg/kg/dose could achieve an adequate therapeutic Ctrough of teicoplanin in patients receiving VA-ECMO.