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We optimized and prospectively evaluated a simple MALDI-TOF MS-based method for direct detection of third-generation oxymino-cephalosporin resistance (3rd CephR) in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. from blood cultures (BC). In addition, we assessed the performance of a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIC) for detecting extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) (NG-Test CTX-M MULTI assay) using bacterial pellets from BC. A total of 168 BCs from unique patients were included. A pre-established volume of BC flagged as positive was transferred in brain heart infusion with or without ceftriaxone (2 mg/ml). After 2-h incubation, intact bacterial pellets were used for MALDI-TOF MS testing. Identification of bacterial species (index score > 2) in the presence of CRO was considered marker of 3rd CephR. The LFIC assay was evaluated in 141 BC. Bacteremia episodes were caused by E. coli (n = 115) or Klebsiella spp. (n = 53). A total of 49 strains were 3rd CephR by broth microdilution, of which 41 were ESBL producers, seven expressed ESBL and OXA-48 type D carbapenemase, and one harbored a plasmid-mediated AmpC. The MALDI-TOF MS method yielded four very major errors (false susceptibility) and two major errors (false resistance). The overall sensitivity of the assay was 91.8% and the specificity 98.3%. Concordance between the LFIC assay and the MALDI-TOF MS method for detection of ESBL-mediated 3rd CephR was 100%. Both evaluated methods may prove useful for early adjustment of empirical therapy in patients with E. coli and Klebsiella spp. bloodstream infections. Whether their use has a beneficial impact on patient outcomes is currently under investigation.

AIMS: Lymphopenia after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) correlates with deleterious cardiac consequences and worse prognosis. An in-depth examination of genes implicated in lymphocyte proliferation, activation and regulation and their association with short- and long-term cardiac structure and function is therefore of great interest. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 10 control subjects and 64 patients with a first STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention and submitted to cardiac magnetic resonance after 1week and 6months. mRNA expression of genes implicated in lymphocyte activation (CD25 and CD69) and regulation [programmed death (PD)-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4] were determined by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: In comparison to controls, STEMI patients showed heightened mRNA expression of CD25 and lower PD-1 and CTLA-4 96h after coronary reperfusion. Patients with extensive infarctions (>30% of left ventricular mass) at 1week displayed a notable reduction in CD25, CD69, PD-1, and CTLA-4 expression (p

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Microvascular obstruction (MVO) is negatively associated with cardiac structure and worse prognosis after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), involved in epithelium adhesion, is an understudied area in the MVO setting. We aimed to determine whether EpCAM is associated with the appearance of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived MVO and long-term systolic function in reperfused STEMI. METHODS: We prospectively included 106 patients with a first STEMI treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, quantifying serum levels of EpCAM 24hours postreperfusion. All patients underwent CMR imaging 1 week and 6 months post-STEMI. The independent correlation of EpCAM with MVO, systolic volume indices, and left ventricular ejection fraction was evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 59±13 years and 76% were male. Patients were dichotomized according to median EpCAM (4.48 pg/mL). At 1-week CMR, lower EpCAM was related to extensive MVO (P=.021) and larger infarct size (P=.019). At presentation, EpCAM values were significantly associated with the presence of MVO in univariate (OR, 0.58; 95%CI, 0.38-0.88; P=.011) and multivariate logistic regression models (OR, 0.55; 95%CI, 0.35-0.87; P=.010). Although MVO tends to resolve at chronic phases, decreased EpCAM was associated with worse systolic function: reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (P=.009) and higher left ventricular end-systolic volume (P=.043). CONCLUSIONS: EpCAM is associated with the occurrence of CMR-derived MVO at acute phases and long-term adverse ventricular remodeling post-STEMI.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the potential added value of rapid MALDI-TOF MS-based identification of bacteria in positive blood cultures to the information provided by Gram staining for adequate empirical antibiotic treatment adjustments in patients with bloodstream infections (BSI).; METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, single-center, pre-post quasi-experimental study. In the pre-MALDI-TOF MS phase of the study antibiotic adjustments were made on the basis of Gram stain results, whereas in the MALDI-TOF MS phase they were based on information provided by Gram staining and MALDI-TOF MS results. No antimicrobial stewardship program for BSI was in place within the study period. Antibiotic regimens were categorized as correct, improvable or incorrect.; RESULTS: Cohorts were matched for demographics, clinical characteristics of patients and bacterial species involved. Enterobacteriales were the most represented in both study periods (67%), followed by Non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli and Gram-positive cocci. The number of patients receiving correct, improvable and incorrect empirical antibiotic treatments was comparable for both study periods (P=0.45, P=0.57, P=0.87, respectively). The percentage of patients who ended up receiving correct treatment following modified empirical antibiotic regimens was significantly higher (P=0.008) in the MALDI-TOF MS phase (27 patients/38.6%) than in the pre-MALDI-TOF MS phase of the study (11 patients/15.7%), although overall adequate coverage of the bacteria causing the infection was comparable across the study periods (90%).; CONCLUSION: Gram stain results offer valuable information for early adjustment of empirical antibiotic therapies for BSI. Nevertheless, rapid identification of bacteria involved in BSI by MALDI-TOF MS provides added value to achieve this aim. Copyright © 2020 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The potential impact of routine real-time PCR testing of respiratory specimens from patients with presumptive tuberculosis in terms of diagnostic accuracy and time to tuberculosis treatment inception in low-prevalence settings remains largely unexplored. We conducted a prospective intervention cohort study. Respiratory specimens from 1,020 patients were examined by acid-fast bacillus smear microscopy, tested by a real-time Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex PCR assay (Abbott RealTime MTB PCR), and cultured in mycobacterial media. Seventeen patients tested positive by PCR (5 were acid-fast bacillus smear positive and 12 acid-fast bacillus smear negative), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was recovered from cultures for 12 of them. Patients testing positive by PCR and negative by culture (n = 5) were treated and deemed to have responded to antituberculosis therapy. There were no PCR-negative/culture-positive cases, and none of the patients testing positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria (n = 20) yielded a positive PCR result. The data indicated that routine testing of respiratory specimens from patients with presumptive tuberculosis by the RealTime MTB PCR assay improves the tuberculosis diagnostic yield and may reduce the time to antituberculosis treatment initiation. On the basis of our data, we propose a novel mycobacterial laboratory algorithm for tuberculosis diagnosis.