Search

COVID-19 is a severe infectious complication in patients with underlying medical conditions such as having undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). This prospective survey reports outcome on 272 COVID-19 patients from 19 countries having undergone allogeneic (n = 175) or autologous (n = 97) HCT reported to the EBMT registry or to the GETH. All patients had the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 documented by PCR. Patients were included in this analysis if COVID-19 diagnosis was before April 10, 2020. The overall survival was estimate by using the Kaplan Meier methods, considering the death due to any cause as an event and the time from COVID-19 infection to the latest follow-up as survival time; difference between groups were tested by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate risk factor analysis for overall survival were performed with the Cox regression model. The median age was 54.4 years (1.0 - 80.3) for allogeneic and 60.9 years (7.7 - 73.4) for autologous HCT patients. 20 patients were children (< 18 years of age; median age 11.3 (1.0 - 16.9)). The median time from HCT to diagnosis of COVID-19 was 13.7 months (0.2 - 254.3) in allogeneic and 25.0 months (-0.9 - 350.3) in autologous recipients. Lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) developed in 84.8% and 21.5% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). At the time of analysis, 68/238 (28.6%) patients had died (47/155 allogeneic patients; 21/83 autologous patients). No follow-up had been received on 34 patients. The median time from infection to death was 19 days (0-102). Five patients were reported to have other primary causes of death than COVID-19. Of the patients reported to be alive, the median follow-up was 44 days. 144 (84.7%) patients (93 allogeneic; 51 autologous) had virologic resolution of the COVID-19 infection having at least one negative PCR. 26 patients were alive and known to be still COVID-19 positive (15 allogeneic; 11 autologous). For 34 patients the resolution status was unknown. Factors influencing the likelihood of resolution in multivariate analysis were underlying diagnosis (p=.01) and longer time from transplant to diagnosis of COVID-19 (p=.035). Overall survival at 6 weeks from COVID-19 diagnosis was 76.8% and 83.8% in allogeneic and autologous HCT recipients (p =ns), respectively (figure 1). Children (n=20) tended to do better with a 6-week survival of 95.0% although the difference was not significantly different (p =.12). In multivariate analysis of the total population older age (HR 1.26; 95% CI 1.05 - 1.51; p = .01) increased the risk and better performance status decreased the risk for fatal outcome (HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.69 - 0.90; p = .0003). The same factors had significant impact on overall survival in allogeneic HCT recipients (age HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.05 - 1.55; p=.01; performance status HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.68 - 0.92); p=.002) while only age impacted survival among autologous HCT patients (data not shown). Other transplant factors such as underlying diagnosis, time from HCT to diagnosis of COVID-19, graft-vs-host disease, or ongoing immunosuppression did not have a significant impact on overall survival. We conclude that HCT patients are at an increased risk compared to the general population to develop LRTD, require admission to ICU, and have increased mortality in COVID-19. Figure 1 Disclosures Duarte: Incyte Corporation: Other: Has received speaker and advisor fees. Kwon:Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria. Mielke:Novartis: Honoraria, Other: received via my institution, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Other: received via my institution , Speakers Bureau; Bellicum: Honoraria, Other: received via my institution, Speakers Bureau; Kite/Gilead: Honoraria, Other: received via my institution , Speakers Bureau; Miltenyi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: received via my institution , Speakers Bureau; KIADIS Pharma: Honoraria, Other: received via my institution , Speakers Bureau; DNA Prime: Honoraria, Other: received via my institution , Speakers Bureau. López Jiménez:MSD: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

WOS: 000388326300001, PubMed: 27401586, Background: Drug resistance development is an expected problem during treatment with protease inhibitors (PIs), this is largely due to the fact that Pls are low-genetic barrier drugs. Resistance-associated variants (RAVs) however may also occur naturally, and prior to treatment with Pls, the clinical impact of this basal resistance remains unknown. In Turkey, there is yet to be an investigation into the hepatitis C (HCV) drug associated resistance to oral antivirals. Materials and methods: 178 antiviral-naive patients infected with HCV genotype 1 were selected from 27 clinical centers of various geographical regions in Turkey and included in the current study. The basal NS3 Pls resistance mutations of these patients were analyzed. Results: In 33 (18.5%) of the patients included in the study, at least one mutation pattern that can cause drug resistance was identified. The most frequently detected mutation pattern was T54S while R109K was the second most frequently detected. Following a more general examination of the patients studied, telaprevir (TVR) resistance in 27 patients (15.2%), boceprevir (BOC) resistance in 26 (14.6%) patients, simeprevir (SMV) resistance in 11 (6.2%) patients and faldaprevir resistance in 13 (7.3%) patients were detected. Our investigation also revealed that rebound developed in the presence of a Q80K mutation and amongst two V55A mutations following treatment with TVR, while no response to treatment was detected in a patient with a R55K mutation. Conclusion: We are of the opinion that drug resistance analyses can be beneficial and necessary in revealing which variants are responsible for pre-treatment natural resistance and which mutations are responsible for the viral breakthrough that may develop during the treatment. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases., Department of Scientific Research Project of Kocaeli University; Turkish Society of Clinic Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, This study was funded by Department of Scientific Research Project of Kocaeli University and Turkish Society of Clinic Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Fluoroquinolones are the most commonly used antibiotics for the treatment and prophylaxis of patients with malignancies. But resistance development is a big problem.With the aim of identifying the epidemiological data about the local fluoroquinolone resistance of the patients with malignancies followed up in the hospital or on outpatient basis, fluoroquinolone resistance of gram negative bacteria isolated from different materials of these patients was investigated. In our hospital, from January 2013 to August 2014, gram negative isolates that were isolated from the samples of patients with malignancies followed-up by Hematology and Oncology Departments were retrospectively analyzed. Within a period of one and a half years, 227 Gram negative bacteria were isolated from the materials of the patients hospitalized in our hospital. Quinolone resistance rates were 63% for E.coli, 49% for Klebsiella pneumoniae, 34% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 72% for Acinetobacter baumannii , with a mean of 52% for all Gram negatives. When patients who received and who did not receive quinolone prophylaxis were compared, resistance rate was 57% (26/61) for those receiving prophylaxis and 50 %( 83/166) for those who did not. In conclusion, fluoroquinolone resistance rates were considerably high and it was higher in the patients who received quinolone prophylaxis, but it wasn't statistically significant. In the oral treatment of febrile neutropenic patients, empirical treatment aims at Gram negative pathogens and considers quinolones as the first choice; however this data raises a suspicion about the efficacy and adequacy of quinolones. [Med-Science 2016; 5(3.000): 805-8]

Neutropenic enterocolitis or typhlitis is one of the rare but high mortality acute complications of neutropenia that develops in immunosuppressed patients due to chemotherapy. It is a segmental cecal and ascending colon inflammation that can progress to necrosis and perforation. Although it is mostly observed in myelosupressed and immunosuppressed patients, like those who have leukemia and lymphoma, it can also be observed in malignancies treated with myelosupressive chemotherapy. It has been reported particularly in patients with solid tumors treated with taxane-based chemotherapy. In this article, a 40-year-old patient with invasive ductal breast carcinoma is presented, who was diagnosed with neutropenic enterocolitis and colonic perforation that developed 6 days after chemotherapy (Docetaxel 75 mg/m 2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m 2 ). If neutropenic fever, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and tenderness develops in a patient under t axane-based chemotherapy, neutropenic enterocolitis is a condition that must definitely be considered. It should be noted that it is possible to reduce mortality and morbidity by means of appropriate antibiotics and a timely surgical intervention.

Objectives We describe the molecular characteristics of colistin resistance and its impact on patient mortality. Methods A prospective cohort study was performed in seven different Turkish hospitals. The genotype of each isolate was determined by MLST and repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR). Alterations in mgrB were detected by sequencing. Upregulation of pmrCAB, phoQ and pmrK was quantified by RT-PCR. mcr-1 and the genes encoding OXA-48, NDM-1 and KPC were amplified by PCR. Results A total of 115 patients diagnosed with colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae (ColR-Kp) infection were included. Patients were predominantly males (55%) with a median age of 63 (IQR 46-74) and the 30 day mortality rate was 61%. ST101 was the most common ST and accounted for 68 (59%) of the ColR-Kp. The 30 day mortality rate in patients with these isolates was 72%. In ST101, 94% (64/68) of the isolates had an altered mgrB gene, whereas the alteration occurred in 40% (19/47) of non-ST101 isolates. The OXA-48 and NDM-1 carbapenemases were found in 93 (81%) and 22 (19%) of the total 115 isolates, respectively. In multivariate analysis for the prediction of 30 day mortality, ST101 (OR 3.4, CI 1.46-8.15, P = 0.005) and ICU stay (OR 7.4, CI 2.23-29.61, P = 0.002) were found to be significantly associated covariates. Conclusions Besides ICU stay, ST101 was found to be a significant independent predictor of patient mortality among those infected with ColR-Kp. A significant association was detected between ST101 and OXA-48. ST101 may become a global threat in the dissemination of colistin resistance and the increased morbidity and mortality of K. pneumoniae infection.

Introduction: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is the most commonly identified causative agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Since immunosuppression is a significant risk factor in febrile neutropenic patients who complain of diarrhea, investigation of toxin A/B is recommended. In this study we aimed at investigating the frequency of C. difficile toxin A or B in stools of patients with malignancies who developed diarrhea during the febrile neutropenic period and to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of toxin-positive patients. Materials and Methods: We analyzed stool samples of patients who were admitted to our hospital. These patients either had hematological malignancies or solid organ tumors and they had developed diarrhea during the febrile neutropenic period. The frequency of C. difficile toxin A and B was identified with chromatographic immunoassay method by using a commercial kit (MonlabTest, Spain) that allowed for qualitative identification of C. difficile toxins A and B at the same time. Results: From January 1, 2012 to August 15, 2015, 197 stool samples were analyzed. C. difficile toxin A+B positivity was identified in 9 samples (4.6%), Ascaris eggs were detected in 14 samples (7%) and Salmonella spp. were found in one sample. The mean age of the toxin-positive patients (6 female, 3 male) was 63.5 years; seven had hematological malignancies (78%) and two had solid organ tumors (22%). All the cases had a history of multiple antibiotic treatments. Seven patients had a history of quinolone prophylaxis, two patients had a history of intensive care admission and all the patients had long-term hospitalization with a mean length of 46 days hospitalization. Conclusion: In febrile neutropenic patients with diarrhea, the rate of C. difficile toxin A+B positivity was 4.6%. Having a history of chemotherapy, quinolone prophylaxis, carbapenem use, long-term hospitalization, and use of multiple antimicrobials were found to be common epidemiological characteristics.

Study Group for Viral Hepatitis of the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases set up a task force to develop a consensus report focused on chronic hepatitis B in pregnancy, a complex issue for both the mother with an advanced liver disease and the unborn child who is under the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission. Relevant literature and international guidelines were reviewed, and recommendations agreed are presented in the report. An algorithm adapted from actual publications is also proposed for management of chronic hepatitis B in the pregnant patient. Since many women of childbearing age are in the immune tolerant phase of infection, there is generally no need for therapy and no indication to start therapy during the early stages of pregnancy. Initiation of antiviral therapy in the beginning of the third trimester in highly viremic (HBV DNA > 200 000 IU/mL) pregnant women can prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HBV despite postnatal passive and active immunoprophylaxis provided. Given its potency and its high genetic barrier to resistance, tenofovir might be an appropriate option for mothers who might need to continue their treatment for active hepatitis B after delivery.

AIM: To investigate the effect of curcumin on bacterial translocation and oxidative damage in an obstructive jaundice model and compare the results to glutamine, an agent known to be effective and clinically used. METHODS: Twenty-four female Wistar-Albino rats, weighing 200-250 g, were randomly divided into three groups (8 in each group). After ligation of the common bile duct in all animals, Group I received oral normal saline, Group II received oral glutamine and Group III received oral curcumin for seven days. Blood samples via cardiac puncture, tissue samples (terminal ileum, liver and mesenteric lymph node) and peritoneal fluid were obtained from the animals at the time of death to investigate bacterial translocation and oxidative damage. RESULTS: We observed that both glutamine and curcumin reduced bacterial translocation in blood, hepatocellular damage, plasma cytokine levels, oxidative tissue damage and apoptosis significantly compared to the control group. Additionally, glutamine showed protective effects on ileal epithelium and reduced villus atrophy. CONCLUSION: On the basis of these findings, both curcumin and glutamine are thought to be effective in preventing or reducing bacterial translocation and oxidative damage in obstructive jaundice.