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Bhuiyan, Mejbah Uddin, Thomas L. Snelling, Rachel West, Jurissa Lang, Tasmina Rahman, Caitlyn Granland, Camilla de Gier, et al. "The contribution of viruses and bacteria to community-acquired pneumonia in vaccinated children: a case–control study." Thorax 74, no. 3 (October 18, 2018): 261–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-212096.
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IntroductionRespiratory pathogens associated with childhood pneumonia are often detected in the upper respiratory tract of healthy children, making their contribution to pneumonia difficult to determine. We aimed to determine the contribution of common pathogens to pneumonia adjusting for rates of asymptomatic detection to inform future diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies.MethodsA case–control study was conducted among children <18 years in Perth, Western Australia. Cases were children hospitalised with radiologically confirmed pneumonia; controls were healthy children identified from outpatient and local immunisation clinics. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and tested for 14 respiratory viruses and 6 bacterial species by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For each pathogen, adjusted odds ratio (aOR; 95% CI) was calculated using multivariate logistic regression and population-attributable fraction (95% CI) for pneumonia was estimated.ResultsFrom May 2015 to October 2017, 230 cases and 230 controls were enrolled. At least one respiratory virus was identified in 57% of cases and 29% of controls (aOR: 4.7; 95% CI: 2.8 to 7.8). At least one bacterial species was detected in 72% of cases and 80% of controls (aOR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.4 to 1.2). Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detection was most strongly associated with pneumonia (aOR: 58.4; 95% CI: 15.6 to 217.5). Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the only bacteria associated with pneumonia (aOR: 14.5; 95% CI: 2.2 to 94.8). We estimated that RSV, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza, adenovirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae were responsible for 20.2% (95% CI: 14.6 to 25.5), 9.8% (5.6% to 13.7%), 6.2% (2.5% to 9.7%), 4% (1.1% to 7.1%) and 7.2% (3.5% to 10.8%) of hospitalisations for childhood pneumonia, respectively.ConclusionsRespiratory viruses, particularly RSV and HMPV, are major contributors to pneumonia in Australian children.
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W Smith, David. "Influenza diagnosis and management." Microbiology Australia 27, no. 4 (2006): 161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ma06161.
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Influenza is already an important cause of illness and death each year in Australia and the impact of future pandemics will be many times greater. Compared with other respiratory viral illnesses, influenza is more severe in itself as well as being more likely to result in complications. These range from milder conditions such as otitis media and sinusitis to acute bronchitis, viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia. There are also a number of less common non-respiratory complications, including myocarditis, encephalitis, rhabdomyolysis and nephritis. In addition, a substantial component of severe disease and death from influenza is due to exacerbations of pre-existing cardiac conditions, respiratory disease or diabetes. Accurate diagnosis is the basis of the proper management of patients, understanding of the epidemiology of this virus, and detecting the entry and spread of new influenza strains.
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MacINTYRE, C. R., P. B. McINTYRE, and M. CAGNEY. "Community-based estimates of incidence and risk factors for childhood pneumonia in Western Sydney." Epidemiology and Infection 131, no. 3 (December 2003): 1091–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268803001365.
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The aim was to estimate the community incidence and risk factors for all-cause pneumonia in children in Western Sydney, Australia. A cross-sectional randomized computer-assisted telephone interview was conducted in July 2000, in Western Sydney. Parents of 2020 children aged between 5 and 14 years were interviewed about their child's respiratory health since birth. No verification of reported diagnosis was available. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors for pneumonia. A lifetime diagnosis of pneumonia was reported in 137/2020 (6·8%) children, giving an estimated incidence in the study sample of 7·6/1000 person-years. Radiological confirmation was reported in 85% (117/137). Hospitalization was reported in 41% (56/137) and antibiotic therapy in 93% (127/137) of cases. Using logistic regression modelling, statistically significant associations with pneumonia were a reported history of either asthma, bronchitis or other lung problems and health problems affecting other systems. In most cases, the diagnosis of asthma preceded the diagnosis of pneumonia. The community incidence of all causes of pneumonia is not well enumerated, either in adults or in children. This study provides community-based incidence data. The incidence of hospitalization for pneumonia in this study is comparable to estimates from studies in comparable populations, suggesting that retrospective parental report for memorable events is likely to be valid. We found a relationship between pneumonia and childhood respiratory diseases such as asthma, which has implications for targeted vaccination strategies.
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Boots, R. J., J. Lipman, R. Bellomo, D. Stephens, and R. F. Heller. "The Spectrum of Practice in the Diagnosis and Management of Pneumonia in Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation. Australian and New Zealand Practice in Intensive Care (ANZPIC II)." Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 33, no. 1 (February 2005): 87–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0310057x0503300115.
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This study of ventilated patients investigated current clinical practice in 476 episodes of pneumonia (48% community-acquired pneumonia, 24% hospital-acquired pneumonia, 28% ventilator-associated pneumonia) using a prospective survey in 14 intensive care units (ICUs) within Australia and New Zealand. Diagnostic methods and confidence, disease severity, microbiology and antibiotic use were assessed. All pneumonia types had similar mortality (community-acquired pneumonia 33%, hospital-acquired pneumonia 37% and ventilator-associated pneumonia 24%, P=0.15) with no inter-hospital differences (P=0.08–0.91). Bronchoscopy was performed in 26%, its use predicted by admission hospital (one tertiary: OR 9.98, CI 95% 5.11–19.49, P<0.001; one regional: OR 6.29, CI 95% 3.24–12.20, P<0.001), clinical signs of consolidation (OR 3.72, CI 95% 2.09–6.62, P<0.001) and diagnostic confidence (OR 2.19, CI 95% 1.29–3.72, P=0.004). Bronchoscopy did not predict outcome (P=0.11) or appropriate antibiotic selection (P=0.69). Inappropriate antibiotic prescription was similar for all pneumonia types (11–13%, P=0.12) and hospitals (0–16%, P=0.25). Blood cultures were taken in 51% of cases. For community-acquired pneumonia, 70% received a third generation cephalosporin and 65% a macrolide. Third generation cephalosporins were less frequently used for mild infections (OR 0.38, CI 95% 0.16–0.90, P=0.03), hospital-acquired pneumonia (OR 0.40, CI 95% 0.23–0.72, P<0.01), ventilator-associated pneumonia (OR 0.04, CI 95% 0.02–0.13, P<0.001), suspected aspiration (OR 0.20, CI 95% 0.04–0.92, P=0.04), in one regional (OR 0.26, CI 95% 0.07–0.97, P=0.05) and one tertiary hospital (OR 0.14, CI 95% 0.03–0.73, P=0.02) but were more commonly used in older patients (OR 1.02, CI 95% 1.01–1.03, P=0.01). There is practice variability in bronchoscopy and antibiotic use for pneumonia in Australian and New Zealand ICUs without significant impact on patient outcome, as the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescription is low. There are opportunities for improving microbiological diagnostic work-up for isolation of aetiological pathogens.
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Inglis, Timothy JJ. "Melioidosis in Australia." Microbiology Australia 42, no. 2 (2021): 96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ma21027.
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Melioidosis is a potentially fatal bacterial infection caused by the Gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei following contact with a contaminated environmental source, normally soil or water in tropical and subtropical locations. The disease spectrum varies from rapidly progressive bacteraemic infection with or without pneumonia, to focal lesions in deep soft tissues and internal organs to superficial soft tissue infection and asymptomatic seroconversion with possible long-term dormancy. Most infections occur with a background of chronic illness such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease and alcoholic liver disease. Improvements in diagnosis, targeted antimicrobial treatment and long term follow up have improved clinical outcomes. Environmental controls following rare point source case clusters and heightened awareness of melioidosis appear to have reduced the disease burden in some parts of northern Australia. However, the impact of climate change on dispersal of environmental B. pseudomallei, and changing land use in tropical Australia is expected to change the epidemiology of melioidosis in future.
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Bhuiyan, Mejbah Uddin, Thomas L. Snelling, Rachel West, Jurissa Lang, Tasmina Rahman, Meredith L. Borland, Ruth Thornton, et al. "Role of viral and bacterial pathogens in causing pneumonia among Western Australian children: a case–control study protocol." BMJ Open 8, no. 3 (March 2018): e020646. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020646.
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IntroductionPneumonia is the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally. Introduction of the conjugateHaemophilus influenzaeB and multivalent pneumococcal vaccines in developed countries including Australia has significantly reduced the overall burden of bacterial pneumonia. With the availability of molecular diagnostics, viruses are frequently detected in children with pneumonia either as primary pathogens or predispose to secondary bacterial infection. Many respiratory pathogens that are known to cause pneumonia are also identified in asymptomatic children, so the true contribution of these pathogens to childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unclear. Since the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines, very few comprehensive studies from developed countries have attempted to determine the bacterial and viral aetiology of pneumonia. We aim to determine the contribution of bacteria and viruses to childhood CAP to inform further development of effective diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies.Methods and analysisWe are conducting a prospective case–control study (PneumoWA) where cases are children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) and controls are healthy children identified from PMH outpatient clinics and from local community immunisation clinics. The case–control ratio is 1:1 with 250 children to be recruited in each arm. Nasopharyngeal swabs are collected from both cases and controls to detect the presence of viruses and bacteria by PCR; pathogen load will be assessed by quantitative PCR. The prevalence of pathogens detected in cases and controls will be compared, the OR of detection and population attributable fraction to CAP for each pathogen will be determined; relationships between pathogen load and disease status and severity will be explored.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the human research ethics committees of PMH, Perth, Australia (PMH HREC REF 2014117EP). Findings will be disseminated at research conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
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Adler, N. R., H. M. Weber, I. Gunadasa, A. J. Hughes, and N. D. Friedman. "Adherence to Therapeutic Guidelines for Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Australian Hospitals." Clinical Medicine Insights: Circulatory, Respiratory and Pulmonary Medicine 8 (January 2014): CCRPM.S17978. http://dx.doi.org/10.4137/ccrpm.s17978.
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Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in elderly patients, and is associated with a considerable economic burden on the healthcare system. The combination of high incidence and substantial financial costs necessitate accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of patients admitted with CAP. This article will discuss the rates of adherence to clinical guidelines, the use of severity scoring tools and the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing for patients diagnosed with CAP. The authors maintain that awareness of national and hospital guidelines is imperative to complement the physicians’ clinical judgment with evidence-based recommendations. Increased use of pneumonia severity assessment tools and greater adherence to therapeutic guidelines will enhance concordant antimicrobial prescribing for patients with CAP. A robust and multifaceted educational intervention, in combination with antimicrobial stewardship programs, may enhance compliance of CAP guidelines in clinical practice in Australia.
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Lemoh, Chris N., Samia Baho, Jeffrey Grierson, Margaret Hellard, Alan Street, and Beverley-Ann Biggs. "African Australians living with HIV: a case series from Victoria." Sexual Health 7, no. 2 (2010): 142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh09120.
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Background: This research aimed to describe the characteristics of African-born Victorians living with HIV, identify associations with delayed HIV diagnosis and describe their response to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Methods: A case series of African-born adults living with HIV in Victoria was conducted. Data was collected in interviews and reviews of case notes. Associations with delayed HIV diagnosis (CD4 below 200 cells µL–1 at diagnosis and/or AIDS within 3 months of HIV diagnosis) were explored using univariate regression. AIDS-defining illnesses and response to cART were described. Results: Fourteen males and six females were included. Ten were born in the Horn of Africa (nine in Ethiopia). Sixteen had sexual exposure (12 heterosexual; four male-to-male sex). Seven reported acquiring HIV in Australia. Median CD4 count at diagnosis was 145 cells µL–1. Ten had delayed HIV diagnosis, of whom eight were born in the Horn of Africa. Delayed HIV diagnosis was associated with birth in the Horn of Africa (odds ratio: 11.56). Nine had a diagnosis of AIDS, including three cases of tuberculosis, three of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia and two of cerebral toxoplasmosis. Eighteen had received cART, of which 16 achieved virological suppression and 15 achieved a CD4 count above 200 cells µL–1. Clinical failure and virological failure occurred in seven and five cases, respectively. Conclusions: HIV prevention strategies for Victoria’s African communities should address HIV exposure in Australia. Ethiopian-born Victorians with HIV appear to be at particular risk of delayed diagnosis. Response to cART in this series was comparable to that observed in other industrialised countries.
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Bakker, Michael, Michaela E. Johnson, Lauren Corre, Deanna N. Mill, Xingzhuo Li, Richard J. Woodman, and Jacinta L. Johnson. "Identifying rates and risk factors for medication errors during hospitalization in the Australian Parkinson’s disease population: A 3-year, multi-center study." PLOS ONE 17, no. 5 (May 4, 2022): e0267969. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267969.
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Background Admission to hospital introduces risks for people with Parkinson’s disease in maintaining continuity of their highly individualized medication regimens, which increases their risk of medication errors. This is of particular concern as omitted medications and irregular dosing can cause an immediate increase in an individual’s symptoms as well as other adverse outcomes such as swallowing difficulties, aspiration pneumonia, frozen gait and even potentially fatal neuroleptic malignant type syndrome. Objective To determine the occurrence and identify factors that contribute to Parkinson’s medication errors in Australian hospitals. Methods A retrospective discharge diagnosis code search identified all admissions for people with Parkinson’s disease to three tertiary metropolitan hospitals in South Australia, Australia over a 3-year period. Of the 405 case notes reviewed 351 admissions met our inclusion criteria. Results Medication prescribing (30.5%) and administration (85%) errors during admission were extremely common, with the most frequent errors related to administration of levodopa preparations (83%). A higher levodopa equivalent dosage, patients with a modified swallowing status or nil by mouth order during admission, and patients who did not have a pharmacist led medication history within 24 hours of admission had significantly higher rates of medication errors. Conclusions This study identified 3 major independent factors that increased the risk of errors during medication management for people with Parkinson’s disease during hospitalization. Thus, targeting these areas for preventative interventions have the greatest chance of producing a clinically meaningful impact on the number of hospital medication errors occurring in the Parkinson’s population.
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Stephenson, Tamsyn, Ken Lee, Joanna E. Griffith, David J. McLelland, Anthony Wilkes, Philip S. Bird, Darren J. Trott, K. Natasha Speight, Farhid Hemmatzadeh, and Lucy Woolford. "Pulmonary Actinomycosis in South Australian Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)." Veterinary Pathology 58, no. 2 (January 19, 2021): 416–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0300985820973459.
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Pneumonia has been reported in both free-ranging and captive koalas and a number of causative agents have been described. Between 2016 and 2019, 16 free-ranging and 1 captive koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus) from the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia were identified with pyogranulomatous lobar pneumonia, which involved the left caudal lobe in 14/17 (82%) cases. Within lesions, numerous gram-positive or gram-variable, non-acid-fast filamentous bacteria were observed in association with Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon. Culture yielded growth of anaerobic bacteria, which were unidentifiable by MALDI-TOF-MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry) analysis in 5/5 cases. Sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene identified a novel Actinomyces species in 4 samples, confirming a diagnosis of pulmonary actinomycosis. Concurrent examination of resin lung casts from healthy koalas suggested greater laminar flow of air to the left caudal lung lobe in koalas. Actinomyces spp. have been reported as commensals of the oral microbiome in other species, and an association with similar pulmonary lesions in other species. Considering the predilection for involvement of the left caudal lung lobe, aspiration is suggested as the likely cause in some cases of pulmonary actinomycosis in koalas. Pulmonary actinomycosis has not been previously described in koalas and further work needs to be undertaken in order to classify this organism within the Actinomyces genus.
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Horwood, C. M., P. Hakendorf, and C. H. Thompson. "Comparison of specialist and generalist care." Australian Health Review 42, no. 5 (2018): 579. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah17197.
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Objective The choice of whether to admit under a specialist or a generalist unit is often made with neither clear rationale nor understanding of its consequences. The present study compared the characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia to either a general medicine or respiratory unit. Methods This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study using data from public hospitals in Adelaide, South Australia. Over 5 years there were 9775 overnight, unplanned appropriate adult admissions. Patient length of hospital stay, in-patient mortality rate and 30-day unplanned readmission rate were calculated, with and without adjustment for patient age and comorbidity burden. Results Over 80% of these patients were cared for by a general medicine unit rather than a specialist unit. Patients admitted to a general medicine unit were, on average, 4 years older than those admitted to a respiratory unit. Comorbidity burdens were similar between units at the same hospital. Length of in-patient stay was >1 day shorter for those admitted to a general medicine unit, without significant compromise in mortality or readmission rates. Between each hospital, general medicine units showed a range of mortality rates and length of hospital stay, for which there was no obvious explanation. Conclusions Compared with speciality care, general medicine units can safely and efficiently care for patients presenting to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia. What is known about the topic? Within the narrow range of any specific disease, generalist medical services are often cited as inferior in performance compared with a speciality service. This has implications for hospital resourcing, including both staffing and ward allocation. What does this paper add? This paper demonstrates that most patients admitted with a principal diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia were admitted to a generalist unit and did not apparently fare worse than patients admitted to a specialist service; patients admitted to a generalist unit spent less time in hospital and there was no difference in mortality or readmission rate compared with patients admitted to a specialist service. What are the implications for practitioners? The provision of generalist services at urban hospitals in Australia provides a safe alternative admission option for patients presenting with pneumonia, and possibly for other common acute medical conditions.
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Chaber, Anne-Lise, Martina Jelocnik, and Lucy Woolford. "Undiagnosed Cases of Human Pneumonia Following Exposure to Chlamydia psittaci from an Infected Rosella Parrot." Pathogens 10, no. 8 (July 30, 2021): 968. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10080968.
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This report describes two cases of occupational exposure to Chlamydia psittaci following dissection of an infected Rosella (Platycercus elegans). The C. psittaci infections (with one of them resulting in diagnosed pneumonia and hospitalisation) were undiagnosed during routine medical investigations but later established due to epidemiological and clinical evidence, and molecular testing of the archived Rosella’ specimens. This case report stresses the importance of correct application and interpretation of diagnostic tests and the need to raise awareness about this zoonotic pathogen among medical practitioners and people exposed to potential animal carriers. Our findings suggest other infected individuals might be misdiagnosed and that C. psittaci (psittacosis) is likely to be underreported in Australia. This case highlights the need to operationalise the One Health concept. We call for improved communication between human and animal health service providers to allow accurate and rapid diagnosis of this zoonotic disease and raised awareness among medical practitioners. Further targeted surveys of wild birds (and other animals) should be conducted to improve assessment of risks to the general population and people working with or exposed to wild birds.
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Rachmawati, Faidah, Hastuti Handayani S. Purba, and Susan M. Noor. "Anticipation of Emerging Disease Mycoplasma bovis: Control and Countermeasures." Indonesian Bulletin of Animal and Veterinary Sciences 29, no. 4 (December 7, 2019): 205. http://dx.doi.org/10.14334/wartazoa.v29i4.2018.
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Mycoplasma bovis is one of the pathogens, causes respiratory, reproductive, mastitis and arthritis disorders in cattle. Due to the economic impact of this disease, Mycoplasma bovis must be free on farms. There are no pathognomonic symptoms of Mycoplasma infection, so it needs laboratory confirmation to diagnose. Many countries have routinely examined M. bovis on cases of mastitis, arthritis, pneumonia and reproductive disorders. There was no cases of respiratory disorder in cattle related to M. bovis infection reported in Indonesia. The fact that, in many countries almost that cases related to the presence of M. bovis. The presence of M. bovis in Indonesia should be investigated, considering that Indonesia imports cattle from Australia and New Zealand that expose to M. bovis. This paper discusses the incidence of M. bovis infection in many countries including its economic impact, clinical symptoms, and method of diagnosis and control of disease to anticipate the emergence of this disease in Indonesia.
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Shrestha, Anil, Andrew Georgiou, and Nasir Wabe. "Timeliness of Microbiology Test Result Reporting and Association with Outcomes of Adults Hospitalised with Unspecified Pneumonia: A Data Linkage Study." International Journal of Clinical Practice 2022 (July 20, 2022): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9406499.
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Background. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Microbiology tests play a critical role in the diagnosis of pneumonia. Our study aimed to determine microbiology result reporting times and evaluate their association with outcomes of adult patients (≥18 years) hospitalised with pneumonia. Methods. This is a 3-year (2016–2018) retrospective cohort study in six hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. The study data were obtained by linking hospital and laboratory system databases. Result reporting times including time from admission to the first and the last microbiology test results were determined. The outcome measures were hospital length of stay (LOS) and in-hospital mortality. We fit median and logistic regression to evaluate the association of time-to-first microbiological result with hospital LOS and in-hospital mortality, respectively. Results. A total of 6,298 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 85.3% (n = 5,375) ordered at least one microbiology test. The top 5 microbiology tests were blood culture, urine culture, respiratory polymerase chain reaction (PCR), urine antigen, and sputum culture. The median time-to-first microbiology result was 26 hrs while the median time-to-last test result was 144 hrs. The rate of in-hospital mortality was 5.9% (n = 371). After adjusting for confounders, every 5 hrs increase in the time-to-first microbiology test was associated with an increase of 3.9 hrs in the median hospital LOS [95% Confidence Interval (CI), 3.5 to 4.3; P ≤ 0.001 ]. There was no association between time-to-first microbiology result and in-hospital mortality (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1.00–1.02; P = 0.122 ). Conclusion. Time-to-first microbiology result reporting was significantly associated with hospital LOS but not with in-hospital mortality. Further research should be conducted to understand if improving result reporting times can reduce the length of hospital stay of patients.
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Dobler, Claudia C., Maryam Hakim, Sidhartha Singh, Matthew Jennings, Grant Waterer, and Frances L. Garden. "Ability of the LACE index to predict 30-day hospital readmissions in patients with community-acquired pneumonia." ERJ Open Research 6, no. 2 (April 2020): 00301–2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00301-2019.
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Background and objectiveHospital readmissions within 30 days are used as an indicator of quality of hospital care. We aimed to evaluate the ability of the LACE (Length of stay, Acuity of admission, Comorbidities based on Charlson comorbidity score and number of Emergency visits in the last 6 months) index to predict the risk of 30-day readmissions in patients hospitalised for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study a LACE index score was calculated for patients with a principal diagnosis of CAP admitted to a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia. The predictive ability of the LACE score for 30-day readmissions was assessed using receiver operator characteristic curves with C-statistic.ResultsOf 3996 patients admitted to hospital for CAP at least once, 8.0% (n=327) died in hospital and 14.6% (n=584) were readmitted within 30 days. 17.8% (113 of 636) of all 30-day readmissions were again due to CAP, followed by readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure and chest pain. The LACE index had moderate discriminative ability to predict 30-day readmission (C-statistic=0.6395) but performed poorly for the prediction of 30-day readmissions due to CAP (C-statistic=0.5760).ConclusionsThe ability of the LACE index to predict all-cause 30-day hospital readmissions is comparable to more complex pneumonia-specific indices with moderate discrimination. For the prediction of 30-day readmissions due to CAP, the performance of the LACE index and modified risk prediction models using readily available variables (sex, age, specific comorbidities, after-hours, weekend, winter or summer admission) is insufficient.
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Dawood, Fatimah S., Shikha Garg, Rebecca V. Fink, Margaret L. Russell, Annette K. Regan, Mark A. Katz, Stephanie Booth, et al. "Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes of Hospitalizations for Acute Respiratory or Febrile Illness and Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Among Pregnant Women During Six Influenza Seasons, 2010–2016." Journal of Infectious Diseases 221, no. 10 (December 26, 2019): 1703–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz670.
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Abstract Background Pregnant women are at increased risk of seasonal influenza hospitalizations, but data about the epidemiology of severe influenza among pregnant women remain largely limited to pandemics. Methods To describe the epidemiology of hospitalizations for acute respiratory infection or febrile illness (ARFI) and influenza-associated ARFI among pregnant women, administrative and electronic health record data were analyzed from retrospective cohorts of pregnant women hospitalized with ARFI who had testing for influenza viruses by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in Australia, Canada, Israel, and the United States during 2010–2016. Results Of 18 048 ARFI-coded hospitalizations, 1064 (6%) included RT-PCR testing for influenza viruses, 614 (58%) of which were influenza positive. Of 614 influenza-positive ARFI hospitalizations, 35% were in women with low socioeconomic status, 20% with underlying conditions, and 67% in their third trimesters. The median length of influenza-positive hospitalizations was 2 days (interquartile range, 1–4), 18% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15%–21%) resulted in delivery, 10% (95% CI, 8%–12%) included a pneumonia diagnosis, 5% (95% CI, 3%–6%) required intensive care, 2% (95% CI, 1%–3%) included a sepsis diagnosis, and <1% (95% CI, 0%–1%) resulted in respiratory failure. Conclusions Our findings characterize seasonal influenza hospitalizations among pregnant women and can inform assessments of the public health and economic impact of seasonal influenza on pregnant women.
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INGARFIELD, S. L., A. CELENZA, I. G. JACOBS, and T. V. RILEY. "The bacteriology of pneumonia diagnosed in Western Australian emergency departments." Epidemiology and Infection 135, no. 8 (February 5, 2007): 1376–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268807007844.
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SUMMARYWe used Western Australian emergency department data linked to hospital morbidity, death and microbiology data to describe the bacteriology of pneumonia according to age. The ‘atypical’ organisms and viruses were not assessed. A total of 6908 patients over a 3-year period were given an emergency department diagnosis of pneumonia, 76·9% were admitted and 6·3% died in hospital. Blood was cultured from 52·9% of patients with 6·4% growing potential pathogens. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common organism isolated and accounted for 92% of pathogens in those aged <15 years. Isolation of Enterobacteriaceae species tended to increase with age and accounted for around 25% of isolates from the elderly. Sputum was cultured from 25·3% of patients and bacteria were isolated from 30·3% of samples, commonly Haemophilus influenzae and S. pneumoniae. Isolates from sputum showed no distinct trend across age groups. These patterns question the value of routine blood and sputum cultures and have implications for empiric therapy for the elderly.
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Vinayan, Sruthi, and U. Pratibha Bhat. "Clinical, Epidemiological and Microbiological Profile of A Potentially Pathogenic Environmental Saprophyte, Burkholderia pseudomallei; at A Tertiary Care Hospital in Coastal India." Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology 16, no. 1 (January 7, 2022): 193–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.22207/jpam.16.1.09.
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Melioidosis is a severe systemic infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a gram-negative bacillus with bipolar staining. It is an environmental saprophyte endemic to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. The disease can have varying manifestations. This is a retrospective study of the clinical and microbiological profile of culture-proven cases of melioidosis who presented to a tertiary care hospital in Coastal Karnataka between January 2018 and December 2020. The epidemiological, demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics were studied and analyzed. A total of 27 cases were seen during the study period. All patients were from the western coastal areas of India. Fever was the most common presenting complaint. Analysis of the clinical manifestations showed 11 (40.74%) with bacteremia. Pneumonia was the most common primary clinical presentation with 11 cases (40.74%). 9 (33.3%) patients had an abscess in some part of the body on presentation. Secondary foci were seen in 5 (18.5%) patients. The prominent risk factors seen were history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, age >40 years, alcoholism and smoking. 13 (48.15%) were started with the treatment regimen for melioidosis. Only 8 (29.63%) were prescribed the eradication treatment regimen. One case which was inadequately treated came back with reactivation of melioidosis. Varied clinical presentation of melioidosis makes the specific clinical diagnosis difficult. Due to the high mortality and morbidity rate, early diagnosis and prompt management is warranted, this requires clinical vigilance and an intensive microbiological workup. Lack of adherence to the treatment protocol can lead to reactivation.
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Bhandary, Satheesh Kumar, Ivan Paraekulam Mani, Rajeshwary Aroor, and Vadisha Bhat. "A Case Report of Meilodosis." Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU 08, no. 03 (September 2018): 034–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1708761.
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AbstractMeilodosis is an infection caused by a gram negative bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei associated with high fatality rates. This organism is a widely distributed environmental saprophyte found in soil and stagnant water in the endemic regions of south East Asia and 1 Australia. It was first diagnosed in Burma by Captain Alfred Whitmore, and his assistant, C.S. 2 Krishnaswami in 1911. Meilodosis is an emerging pathogen in South India predominantly due to negligent management and a delayed diagnosis.The majority of the cases of B. pseudomallei infections are subclinicalwith the primary modality of transmission being through broken skin. The disease predominantly manifests in individuals 3 with diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease and alcoholism. The majority of patients present 4 with pyrexia and localized skin ulcerations or abscesses. There is a high incidence of 5 pneumonia and septic shock following contamination. Transmission from a patient by droplet 6 spread is rare even with the presence of pulmonary melioidosis. Meliodosis of the head and neck region is not common, however it accounts for 40% of the cases of supportive parotitis in 7 children in Thailand and Cambodia. Diagnosis can be challenging due to its close symptomatic resemblance to tuberculosis. Isolation of the organism is difficult; this leads to poor identification of the causative agent and mismanagement.
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Malek, Alexandre, Hiba Dagher, Ray Y. Hachem, Ying Jiang, Anne-Marie Chaftari, and Issam I. Raad. "357. A Comparison of Chest CT Findings in Cancer and Non-Cancer Patients with COVID-19." Open Forum Infectious Diseases 8, Supplement_1 (November 1, 2021): S282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofab466.558.
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Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to compare chest computed tomography (CT) scan findings in cancer versus non-cancer patients with COVID-19 infection. We sought to assess the correlation between radiologic patterns of COVID-19 pneumonia, clinical course, and outcomes. Methods We performed a retrospective study of COVID-19 positive cancer and non-cancer pts who had chest CT scans at the time of diagnosis, at our hospital and 16 other centers in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, between March, 2020 and November, 2020. Patients’ age, underlying diseases, symptoms, laboratory studies, and radiologic findings consisting of bilateral ground-glass opacities (GGOs), multifocal organizing pneumonia (MOP) were collected in association with clinical outcomes. Results We identified 426 pts with cancer and 622 non-cancer pts. Thereafter, cancer pts were analyzed into 3 distinct groups and similar to non-cancer pts: GGOs group (n=224, 54%), GGOs+MOP group (n=61, 14.6%), and a third group of neither GGOs or MOP (n=131, 31.4%) in cancer pts, and in non-cancer pts: GGOs group (n=387, 62.8%), GGOs +MOP group (n=100, 16.2%), and a third group of neither GGOs or MOP (n=129, 21%). The median patients’ age was 54 in non-cancer pts vs 62 in cancer pts (p< 0.001) and there were more males in the non-cancer group 57% vs 47% (p=0.001). Cough was more prevalent in non-cancer pts, 71% vs 59% (p< 0.001) and similar to fever (73% vs 57%, p< 0.001). Neutropenia < 0.5 k/µL and lymphocytopenia < 1 k/µL were more frequent in cancer pts (p< 0.001). In cancer pts, there was no statistically significance difference between the 3 groups (hospital admission, mechanical ventilation, readmission within 30 days, and mortality), except pts who required non-invasive (NI) ventilation were more frequent in the GGOs group, 55% (p=0.005). In non-cancer, pts with GGOs +MOP have higher hospital admission, ICU transfer, NI- and mechanical ventilation compared to the 2 other groups (p< 0.001). While readmission to hospital or mortality rate within 30 days were similar between the 3 groups. Conclusion This study reveals that non-cancer pts tended to have more radiologic findings on chest CT scan compared to cancer pts at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis and were associated with more worrisome COVID-19-related clinical outcomes. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures
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Hachem, Ray Y., Tarcila Datoguia, Bilal Siddiqui, Ana Fernandez Cruz, Nobuyoshi Mori, Suha Fakhreddine, Dong-Gun Lee, et al. "372. Comparing the Outcome of COVID-19 in Cancer and Non-Cancer Patients: an International Multicenter Study." Open Forum Infectious Diseases 7, Supplement_1 (October 1, 2020): S256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.567.
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Abstract Background Our objective was to describe the clinical course, risk factors and outcomes of patients infected with COVID-19 around the globe comparing cancer to non-cancer patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 confirmed cases through an international multicenter collaboration including 17 centers around the world including the United States of America, Brazil, Europe, Far East, Middle East and Australia from January to date. We evaluated the patients’ clinical characteristics, clinical course of the disease, hospitalization and outcome. Death was considered to be COVID-associated if it occurred within 30 days from the time of diagnosis. Results Preliminary data on 571 patients included 186 cancer patients and 385 non-cancer patients. Cancer patients were more likely to have COPD and received steroids but were less likely to have COVID-related symptoms compared to non-cancer patients (84% vs 97%, p< 0.0001). The rate of pneumonia with hypoxia, non-invasive ventilation and mechanical ventilation were similar in both groups. Despite the fact that hospital admissions were significantly higher in non-cancer patients (70% vs 56%, p< 0.001), promising antiviral and immune-related therapy including remdesivir, convalescent plasma and immunomodulators were more commonly used in cancer patients compared to non-cancer patients (P=0.04). Cancer patients had a higher COVID-associated mortality rate compared to non-cancer patients (20% vs 11%, p=0.006). Conclusion Despite the fact that cancer patients received more frequent antiviral and immune-related therapy, the mortality rate among cancer patients was significantly higher than non-cancer patients. Disclosures Roy F. Chemaly, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, Chimerix (Consultant, Research Grant or Support)Clinigen (Consultant)Merck (Consultant, Research Grant or Support)Novartis (Research Grant or Support)Oxford Immunotec (Consultant, Research Grant or Support)Shire/Takeda (Research Grant or Support)Viracor (Research Grant or Support) Issam I. Raad, MD, Citius (Other Financial or Material Support, Ownership interest)Cook Medical (Grant/Research Support)Inventive Protocol (Other Financial or Material Support, Ownership interest)Novel Anti-Infective Technologies (Shareholder, Other Financial or Material Support, Ownership interest)
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Franklin, Donna, Deborah Shellshear, Franz E. Babl, Luregn J. Schlapbach, Ed Oakley, Meredith L. Borland, Tobias Hoeppner, et al. "Multicentre, randomised trial to investigate early nasal high—flow therapy in paediatric acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial—a Paediatric Acute respiratory Intervention Study (PARIS 2)." BMJ Open 9, no. 12 (December 2019): e030516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030516.
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IntroductionAcute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF) in children is the most frequent reason for non-elective hospital admission. During the initial phase, AHRF is a clinical syndrome defined for the purpose of this study by an oxygen requirement and caused by pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infections, asthma or bronchiolitis. Up to 20% of these children with AHRF can rapidly deteriorate requiring non-invasive or invasive ventilation. Nasal high-flow (NHF) therapy has been used by clinicians for oxygen therapy outside intensive care settings to prevent escalation of care. A recent randomised trial in infants with bronchiolitis has shown that NHF therapy reduces the need to escalate therapy. No similar data is available in the older children presenting with AHRF. In this study we aim to investigate in children aged 1 to 4 years presenting with AHRF if early NHF therapy compared with standard-oxygen therapy reduces hospital length of stay and if this is cost-effective compared with standard treatment.Methods and analysisThe study design is an open-labelled randomised multicentre trial comparing early NHF and standard-oxygen therapy and will be stratified by sites and into obstructive and non-obstructive groups. Children aged 1 to 4 years (n=1512) presenting with AHRF to one of the participating emergency departments will be randomly allocated to NHF or standard-oxygen therapy once the eligibility criteria have been met (oxygen requirement with transcutaneous saturation <92%/90% (dependant on hospital standard threshold), diagnosis of AHRF, admission to hospital and tachypnoea ≥35 breaths/min). Children in the standard-oxygen group can receive rescue NHF therapy if escalation is required. The primary outcome is hospital length of stay. Secondary outcomes will include length of oxygen therapy, proportion of intensive care admissions, healthcare resource utilisation and associated costs. Analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained in Australia (HREC/15/QRCH/159) and New Zealand (HDEC 17/NTA/135). The trial commenced recruitment in December 2017. The study findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences. Authorship of all publications will be decided by mutual consensus of the research team.Trial registration numberACTRN12618000210279
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Mendizabal, Adys, Jennifer M. Diaz, Arturo V. Bustamante, and Yvette Bordelon. "Health Services in Huntington Disease." Neurology: Clinical Practice 13, no. 1 (January 11, 2023): e200108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/cpj.0000000000200108.
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Purpose of ReviewClinical trials for Huntington disease (HD) have primarily focused on managing chorea and, more recently, the development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Nonetheless, understanding health services among patients with HD is essential for assessing new therapeutics, development of quality metrics, and overall quality of life of patients and families with HD. Health services assess health care utilization patterns, outcomes, and health care–associated costs, which can help shape the development of therapeutics and aid in policies that affect patients with a specific condition. In this systematic literature review, we analyze data of published studies looking at causes of hospitalization, outcomes, and health care costs in HD.Recent FindingsThe search yielded 8 articles published in the English language and comprising data from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. The most common cause of hospitalization among patients with HD was dysphagia or dysphagia-related complications (e.g., aspiration pneumonia or malnutrition), followed by psychiatric or behavioral symptoms. Patients with HD had more prolonged hospitalizations than non-HD patients, and it was most prominent among those with advanced disease. Patients with HD were more likely to be discharged to a facility. A small percentage received inpatient palliative care consultation, and behavioral symptoms were a primary cause of discharge to another facility. Interventions such as gastrostomy tube placement had associated morbidity, and it was common among patients with HD with a diagnosis of dementia. Palliative care consultation and specialized nursing care were associated with more routine discharges and fewer hospitalizations. In terms of cost, patients with HD with private and public insurances had the highest expenditure with more advanced disease, and expenses were associated with hospitalization and medication costs.SummaryIn addition to DMTs, HD clinical trial development should also consider the leading causes of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality in patients with HD, including dysphagia and psychiatric disease. No research study, to our knowledge, has systematically reviewed health services research studies in HD. Evidence from health services research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacologic and supportive therapies. This type of research is also critical in understanding health care costs associated with the disease and to better advocate and shape policies that can benefit this patient population.
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Murali, Aarya, Stephen Boyle, Peter Mollee, and Greg Hapgood. "Management and Outcomes of Testicular Lymphoma in the Rituximab Era at an Australian Tertiary Centre." Blood 136, Supplement 1 (November 5, 2020): 25–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-138440.
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INTRODUCTION Testicular lymphoma accounts for <5% of all testicular neoplasms and 1-2% of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Historically, outcomes for testicular lymphoma have generally been inferior to systemic diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with a higher incidence of central nervous system (CNS) relapse. Although intrathecal methotrexate is currently considered standard of care for testicular lymphoma, there has been significant debate about its efficacy in preventing CNS relapse. Due to the rarity of testicular lymphoma, prospective data in this field is lacking. Our study aims to examine treatment practices and outcomes for all newly diagnosed patients with testicular lymphoma in a large tertiary centre in Australia since the introduction of rituximab. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with primary testicular lymphoma (PTL) between 2003 and 2019 at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Human Research Ethics Approval: LNR/2019/QMS/56644). RESULTS During this period, 18 patients were diagnosed with PTL; all patients had DLBCL histology. The median follow-up period for living patients was 6.5 years (range 1.3-13.4 years). The median age was 61.3 years (interquartile range: 58.3 - 71.1 years). All patients were HIV negative. The majority of patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of zero (n = 13; 72.2%) with no B symptoms (n = 14; 77.7%) and a normal LDH (n = 11; 61.1%). 50% of patients had Stage IV disease (Table 1). 17 patients (94.4%) underwent an orchidectomy (unilateral: 16, bilateral: 1) at diagnosis. Following on, as first-line systemic therapy, 14 patients (77.7%) received R-CHOP chemotherapy. Other regimens used were CHOP (n=1), modified HyperCVAD (n=1), R-HyperCVAD (n=1) and R-CVP (n=1). 17 patients (94.4%) received CNS prophylaxis with intrathecal chemotherapy; one patient declined intrathecal therapy and was given high dose intravenous methotrexate instead. 15 (83.3%) patients received loco-regional radiation therapy. Outcomes to first-line treatment were: 13 patients (72.2%) achieved complete remission (CR); one patient (5.5%) achieved partial remission (PR) (Deauville score 4 on interim PET assessment, prompting escalation to salvage therapy); three patients (16.6%) had progressive disease (and were subsequently managed with salvage chemotherapy) and one patient elected for palliation after a single cycle of R-CVP. Among the four patients who received salvage therapy, two patients (50%) achieved CR and two patients had progressive disease and were palliated. Among the 15 patients who achieved CR (n=13 R-CHOP; n=2 salvage chemotherapy), two patients relapsed, and both had CNS involvement (n=1 CNS only relapse; n=1 CNS and systemic relapse). Despite intrathecal prophylaxis, the CNS relapse rate was 12% (n=2/17). Of note, the patient who did not receive intrathecal chemotherapy remained in CR at the date of last follow-up. In total, there were seven deaths. The causes of death were: lymphoma (n=4), treatment-related mortality (n=2) and other (n=1; due to aspiration pneumonia after stroke). The 2-year and 5-year progression free survival (PFS) rates were 77.8% and 52.4%, respectively (Figure 1A). The 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 83.3% and 56.8%, respectively (Figure 1B). CONCLUSION With the practice of R-CHOP, intrathecal prophylaxis for CNS disease and loco-regional radiation therapy, our outcomes are comparable to the literature (5y OS ~50%). Despite intrathecal prophylaxis, our CNS relapse rate was 12%. Better strategies are required to improve the control of systemic disease and reduce the incidence of CNS relapse in patients with testicular lymphoma. Disclosures Mollee: Janssen:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding;BMS/Celgene:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Amgen:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Takeda:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Pfizer:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Caelum:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
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Jee, Adelle S., Matthew J. S. Parker, Jane F. Bleasel, Lauren K. Troy, Edmund M. Lau, Helen E. Jo, Alan K. Y. Teoh, Stephen Adelstein, Susanne Webster, and Tamera J. Corte. "Baseline Characteristics and Survival of an Australian Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune Features Cohort." Respiration 100, no. 9 (2021): 853–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000515396.
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<b><i>Background and objective:</i></b> The research term “interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features” (IPAF) encompasses interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients with autoimmune features not meeting diagnostic criteria for a defined connective tissue disease (CTD). It remains unclear if IPAF is a distinct disease entity with implications for management and prognosis. We describe an Australian IPAF population and compare their baseline characteristics and outcomes with distinct cohorts of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), CTD-ILD, and unclassifiable ILD. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Review of 291 consecutive patients attending a specialist ILD clinic was performed. Patients with a diagnosis of IIP, CTD-ILD, and unclassifiable ILD by ILD-multidisciplinary meeting (ILD-MDM) were included. Patients meeting the IPAF criteria were identified. Baseline clinical data, survival, and progression were compared between ILD groups. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 226 patients were included, 36 meeting the IPAF criteria. IPAF patients demonstrated a high prevalence of autoantibodies to tRNA synthetase (35.3%), Ro52 (27.8%), and neutrophilic cytoplasmic antigens (ANCA; 20.0%). IPAF and CTD-ILD patients demonstrated similar clinical characteristics (mean age 66.6 and 63.7 years, respectively, female predominant, frequent CTD-manifestations). Lung function did not differ between ILD groups. Disease severity, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and ILD-MDM diagnosis were strong predictors of worse transplant-free survival (TFS). Meeting the IPAF criteria was not associated with TFS. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> We identified IPAF as a heterogeneous phenotype that overlaps considerably with CTD-ILD. Disease severity, PH, and ILD-MDM diagnosis were more powerful predictors of survival outcomes than meeting the IPAF criteria.
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Troy, Lauren K., Keith K. H. Wong, and David J. Barnes. "Prevalence and Utility of Positive Pneumococcal Urinary Antigen Tests in Australian Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia." ISRN Infectious Diseases 2013 (September 9, 2013): 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.5402/2013/518205.
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Background and Objectives. The pneumococcal urinary antigen test (UAT) has superior sensitivity to other investigations in determining the aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but data specific to Australian populations is limited. This study aimed to establish the prevalence and clinical utility of positive UAT in patients admitted to hospital with CAP, as well as associations with positive testing. Methods. A prospective, cross-sectional, single-centre study was performed. Urine antigen tests were performed on all adult patients admitted to hospital with the diagnosis of CAP. Sputum and blood culture results, CURB-65 score of severity, current and prior antibiotics, comorbidities, mortality, and length of hospital stay were recorded. Results. There was a positive test prevalence of 13/170 [7.6% (95% confidence intervals 4.3–13%)]. The overall prevalence of pneumococcal pneumonia was 19/170 (11%), including 8 patients confirmed on positive UAT alone. Patients with a positive UAT result had a higher mean CURB-65 score compared with those with a negative result (P=0.01), and a greater likelihood of requiring intensive care support (P=0.006). Conclusions. The prevalence of positive UAT was low. Positive results were more often recorded in those with greater severity pneumonia. The clinical utility of the test in this cohort of patients was low.
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Boots, R. J., J. Lipman, R. Bellomo, D. Stephens, and R. F. Heller. "Predictors of Physician Confidence to Diagnose Pneumonia and Determine Illness Severity in Ventilated Patients. Australian and New Zealand Practice in Intensive Care (ANZPIC II)." Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 33, no. 1 (February 2005): 112–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0310057x0503300117.
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The manner in which elements of clinical history, physical examination and investigations influence subjectively assessed illness severity and outcome prediction is poorly understood. This study investigates the relationship between clinician and objectively assessed illness severity and the factors influencing clinician's diagnostic confidence and illness severity rating for ventilated patients with suspected pneumonia in the intensive care unit (ICU). A prospective study of fourteen ICUs included all ventilated admissions with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. Data collection included pneumonia type – community-acquired (CAP), hospital-acquired (HAP) and ventilator-associated (VAP), clinician determined illness severity (CDIS), diagnostic methods, clinical diagnostic confidence (CDC), microbiological isolates and antibiotic use. For 476 episodes of pneumonia (48% CAP, 24% HAP, 28% VAP), CDC was greatest for CAP (64% CAP, 50% HAP and 49% VAP, P<0.01) or when pneumonia was considered “life-threatening” (84% high CDC, 13% medium CDC and 3% low CDC, P<0.001). “Life-threatening” pneumonia was predicted by worsening gas exchange (OR 4.8, CI 95% 2.3–10.2, P<0.001), clinical signs of consolidation (OR 2.0, CI 95% 1.2–3.2, P<0.01) and the Sepsis-Related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score (OR 1.1, CI 95% 1.1–1.2, P<0.001). Diagnostic confidence increased with CDIS (OR 16.3, CI 95% 8.4–31.4, P<0.001), definite pathogen isolation (OR 3.3, CI 95% 2.0–5.6) and clinical signs of consolidation (OR 2.1, CI 95% 1.3–3.3, P=0.001). Although the CDIS, SOFA Score and the Simplified Acute Physiologic Score (SAPS II) were all associated with mortality, the SAPS II Score was the best predictor of mortality (P=0.02). Diagnostic confidence for pneumonia is moderate but increases with more classical presentations. A small set of clinical parameters influence subjective assessment. Objective assessment using SAPS II Scoring is a better predictor of mortality.
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O’Grady, KF, JB Carlin, AB Chang, PJ Torzillo, TM Nolan, A. Ruben, and RM Andrews. "Effectiveness of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against radiologically diagnosed pneumonia in Indigenous infants in Australia." Bulletin of the World Health Organization 88, no. 2 (February 1, 2010): 139–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/blt.09.068239.
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Porter, Paul, Scott Claxton, Joanna Brisbane, Natasha Bear, Javan Wood, Vesa Peltonen, Phillip Della, Fiona Purdie, Claire Smith, and Udantha Abeyratne. "Diagnosing Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease on a Smartphone Using Patient-Reported Symptoms and Cough Analysis: Diagnostic Accuracy Study." JMIR Formative Research 4, no. 11 (November 10, 2020): e24587. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24587.
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Background Rapid and accurate diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is problematic in acute care settings, particularly in the presence of infective comorbidities. Objective The aim of this study was to develop a rapid smartphone-based algorithm for the detection of COPD in the presence or absence of acute respiratory infection and evaluate diagnostic accuracy on an independent validation set. Methods Participants aged 40 to 75 years with or without symptoms of respiratory disease who had no chronic respiratory condition apart from COPD, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema were recruited into the study. The algorithm analyzed 5 cough sounds and 4 patient-reported clinical symptoms, providing a diagnosis in less than 1 minute. Clinical diagnoses were determined by a specialist physician using all available case notes, including spirometry where available. Results The algorithm demonstrated high positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) with clinical diagnosis for COPD in the total cohort (N=252; PPA=93.8%, NPA=77.0%, area under the curve [AUC]=0.95), in participants with pneumonia or infective exacerbations of COPD (n=117; PPA=86.7%, NPA=80.5%, AUC=0.93), and in participants without an infective comorbidity (n=135; PPA=100.0%, NPA=74.0%, AUC=0.97). In those who had their COPD confirmed by spirometry (n=229), PPA was 100.0% and NPA was 77.0%, with an AUC of 0.97. Conclusions The algorithm demonstrated high agreement with clinical diagnosis and rapidly detected COPD in participants presenting with or without other infective lung illnesses. The algorithm can be installed on a smartphone to provide bedside diagnosis of COPD in acute care settings, inform treatment regimens, and identify those at increased risk of mortality due to seasonal or other respiratory ailments. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001521213; http://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=375939
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Chew, Rusheng, Meiwen Zhang, Arjun Chandna, and Yoel Lubell. "The impact of pulse oximetry on diagnosis, management and outcomes of acute febrile illness in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review." BMJ Global Health 6, no. 11 (November 2021): e007282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007282.
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BackgroundAcute fever is a common presenting symptom in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) and is strongly associated with sepsis. Hypoxaemia predicts disease severity in such patients but is poorly detected by clinical examination. Therefore, including pulse oximetry in the assessment of acutely febrile patients may improve clinical outcomes in LMIC settings.MethodsWe systematically reviewed studies of any design comparing one group where pulse oximetry was used and at least one group where it was not. The target population was patients of any age presenting with acute febrile illness or associated syndromes in LMICs. Studies were obtained from searching PubMed, EMBASE, CABI Global Health, Global Index Medicus, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science and DARE. Further studies were identified through searches of non-governmental organisation websites, snowballing and input from a Technical Advisory Panel. Outcomes of interest were diagnosis, management and patient outcomes. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool for Cluster Randomised Trials and Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tools, as appropriate.ResultsTen of 4898 studies were eligible for inclusion. Their small number and heterogeneity prevented formal meta-analysis. All studies were in children, eight only recruited patients with pneumonia, and nine were conducted in Africa or Australasia. Six were at serious risk of bias. There was moderately strong evidence for the utility of pulse oximetry in diagnosing pneumonia and identifying severe disease requiring hospital referral. Pulse oximetry used as part of a quality-assured facility-wide package of interventions may reduce pneumonia mortality, but studies assessing this endpoint were at serious risk of bias.ConclusionsVery few studies addressed this important question. In LMICs, pulse oximetry may assist clinicians in diagnosing and managing paediatric pneumonia, but for the greatest impact on patient outcomes should be implemented as part of a health systems approach. The evidence for these conclusions is not widely generalisable and is of poor quality.
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Ferhanoglu, Burhan, Tae Min Kim, Amado Karduss, David Brittain, Gayane Tumyan, Mubarak Al Mansour, Marta Zerga, et al. "Results from the International, Multi-Center, Retrospective B-Holistic Study: Describing Treatment Pathways and Outcomes for Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma." Blood 136, Supplement 1 (November 5, 2020): 32–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-134885.
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Background: Despite therapeutic advances in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), only half of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) cHL are cured with salvage chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation (SCT). Most studies to date have been undertaken in Europe or North America and data on treatment patterns and clinical outcomes from other regions are limited. We present the results from the B-CD30+ HOdgkin Lymphoma International Multi-center Retrospective Study of Treatment PractIces and OutComes (B-HOLISTIC), which assessed cHL treatment pathways, clinical outcomes and healthcare resource utilization across East Asia, Latin America, Middle East, South Africa, Australia and Russia (data as of 04 March 2020). Methods: Data were collected retrospectively for patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with stage IIB-IV cHL or R/R cHL between 01 January 2010 and 31 December 2013, until death or last follow-up (whichever occurred first) across 13 countries. Patients with initial diagnosis of cHL and subsequent progression to R/R cHL were included in both groups, provided R/R cHL was diagnosed within the study period. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with R/R cHL. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), best clinical response, and adverse events (AEs). Results: In total, 1703 patients were enrolled from East Asia (n=426), Latin America (n=366), Middle East and South Africa (n=694), Australia (n=56) and Russia (n=161): 1598 and 426 patients were eligible for the cHL and R/R cHL groups (321 patients in the cHL group progressed to R/R cHL and were included in both groups). Median study follow-up was 65.2 and 53.2 months for the cHL and R/R cHL groups. Baseline patient characteristics are shown in Table 1. All patients in the cHL group received first-line chemotherapy: the most common regimens were ABVD (1363/1598; 85.3%) and BEACOPP (104/1598; 6.5%). First-line radiotherapy was given to 357/1598 (22.3%) patients in the cHL group. For R/R cHL, intensive chemotherapy was used as first-line salvage in 372/426 (87.3%) patients: the most common regimens were ESHAP (98/372; 26.3%) and DHAP (65/372; 17.5%), with an overall response rate of 62.0% (complete remission in 30.8% and partial remission in 31.2%). Of the 426 patients with R/R cHL, 292 (68.5%) were eligible for SCT at relapse/refractory diagnosis; 10 patients who were initially ineligible for SCT subsequently became eligible. In total, 222/302 (73.5%) eligible patients underwent SCT; 63/222 (28.4%) patients relapsed after SCT. Median PFS (95% CI) for the R/R cHL group was 13.2 (9.9-20.2) months following initial therapy (Figure 1), with estimated 1-, 3- and 5-year PFS rates of 51.2%, 38.7%, and 33.9%, respectively (Table 2). Median PFS was not reached for the first-line cHL group. Factors for PFS in the R/R cHL group are shown in Table 3. Median OS was not reached for both groups. All-cause, any grade AEs were reported by 783/1598 (49.0%) patients with cHL and by 233/426 (54.7%) patients with R/R cHL. Serious AEs were reported by 303/1598 (19.0%) patients with cHL and by 103/426 (24.2%) patients with R/R cHL: the most common (≥2.0%) were febrile neutropenia, pneumonia and pyrexia for cHL, and febrile neutropenia and pyrexia for R/R cHL. Conclusion: Results from B-HOLISTIC show that PFS rates remain low in patients with R/R cHL receiving salvage therapy; the greatest risk was among patients with inadequate response to salvage chemotherapy. The low PFS rates highlight the importance of considering novel targeted therapies to address unmet medical needs. PFS rates in patients with cHL were comparable with previous studies from Italy, Spain, and Israel (Avigdor A et al. EHA 2020) and the ECHELON-1 study (Bartlett NL et al. ASH 2019). The higher OS rates compared to PFS rates may be related to the effect of modern salvage regimens. Approximately half of patients with R/R cHL underwent SCT which may support the use of targeted therapies. Overall, these results from 2010-2013 show that despite the differences in healthcare systems, ethnicities and treatment patterns in B-HOLISTIC, clinical outcomes remain consistent. The authors note that given that the management of high-risk cHL has changed dramatically since 2013, further investigation in diagnostic criteria, response assessment and treatment patterns is needed. Study support: Data analysis (IQVIA) and medical writing (Synergy Vision) funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Disclosures Ferhanoglu: Takeda: Other: Advisory Board; Abbvie: Other: Advisory Board; Roche: Other: Advisory Board; Janssen: Other: Advisory Board. Kim:Novartis: Consultancy; AstraZeneca and Korea Health Industry Development Institute: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd/Genentech, Inc.: Consultancy; Voronoi: Consultancy; Boryung: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Karduss:Takeda: Honoraria. Rivas-Vera:Takeda: Current Employment, Other: Steering Committee in Clinical Research; Roche: Consultancy. Lim:National Cancer Centre Singapore: Current Employment. Yeh:AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astex: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Abdillah:Takeda: Current Employment. Huang:Takeda: Current Employment. Dalal:Takeda: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan:Takeda: Current Employment. Hertzberg:Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Support of parent study and funding of editorial support; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
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Farrell, D. J., G. Daggard, and T. K. S. Mukkur. "Nested Duplex PCR To Detect Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis and Its Application in Diagnosis of Pertussis in Nonmetropolitan Southeast Queensland, Australia." Journal of Clinical Microbiology 37, no. 3 (1999): 606–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jcm.37.3.606-610.1999.
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A duplex PCR to detect Bordetella pertussis andBordetella parapertussis was developed with the insertion sequences IS481 (B. pertussis) and IS1001 (B. parapertussis) and evaluated with specimens from 520 consecutive patients presenting with possible pertussis. No culture-positive–PCR-negative results occurred, giving the method a sensitivity of 100%. For B. pertussis, 58 of 520 patients (11.2%) were positive by PCR compared to 17 of 520 patients positive (3.3%) by culture. For B. parapertussis, 7 of 520 patients (1.3%) were positive by PCR compared to 2 of 520 patients positive (0.4%) by culture. Two patients were positive for both B. pertussis and B. parapertussis. Patient records were reviewed to determine the validity of PCR-positive–culture-negative results. Forty-two of 49 patients who could be evaluated fulfilled the criteria for a case definition of pertussis, with 32 patients being <1 year of age and having classical pertussis symptoms. The seven patients who did not fulfil the criteria were aged 7 to 55 years and had a persistent cough for >2 weeks. The method was also used to investigate a classroom outbreak in whichB. pertussis culture was positive for 5 of 28 patients. All five culture-positive specimens were confirmed by PCR, and an additional eight were positive by PCR. Of 25 patients from a suspected pertussis outbreak in a girls’ dormitory, seven of seven specimens were negative for B. pertussis, although 13 of 25 patients were positive for B. pertussis immunoglobulin M (IgM) (2 of which produced equivocal IgA results, with 23 of 25 patients being negative). Five symptomatic patients were subsequently found to be positive (by IgM and particle agglutination assays) forMycoplasma pneumoniae, demonstrating the value of PCR in rapidly excluding B. pertussis infection in an outbreak situation. Twenty-two of 71 (30.1%) throat swabs were positive by PCR compared to 2 of 71 (2.8%) throat swabs positive by culture, indicating that a reassessment of the use of throat swabs should be considered, particularly for older patients, in contact tracing, and in situations in which specimen collection is difficult.
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Watson, Kirsty, Luke J. Heales, Jeremy Fernando, Josephine Reoch, Elise Tan, Karen Smith, David Austin, and Anestis Divanoglou. "Incidence and characteristics of ventilator-associated pneumonia in a regional non-tertiary Australian intensive care unit: protocol for a retrospective clinical audit study." BMJ Open 8, no. 9 (September 2018): e021733. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021733.
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IntroductionVentilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a medical complication associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation. Most studies looking at VAP originate from major, tertiary intensive care units (ICUs). Our understanding of VAP in regional hospitals is limited. Given that patient characteristics often differ between metropolitan and regional centres, it is important to investigate VAP in a regional non-tertiary ICU. This project will establish and report the incidence, case characteristics and outcomes including mortality and length of stay related to VAP in a regional non-tertiary Australian ICU. Furthermore, it will compare the incidence of VAP in accordance with consultant diagnosed cases in the medical record, and by a post hoc screening of all cases against a list of previously published diagnostic criteria.Methods and analysisThis retrospective clinical audit study will screen medical records from the period 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2016. All cases requiring mechanical ventilation for ≥72 hours will be screened against previously reported diagnostic criteria for VAP. At the same time, their medical records will be screened for a documented diagnosis of VAP.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been granted ethical approval from the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service (CQHHS) Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/17/QCQ/11) and the Central Queensland University Human Research Ethics Committee (H17/05-102). This study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and presented at internal workshops (within Queensland Health) and national and/or international scientific conferences.
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Zygmunt, Michel S., Isabelle Jacques, Nelly Bernardet, and Axel Cloeckaert. "Lipopolysaccharide Heterogeneity in the Atypical Group of Novel Emerging Brucella Species." Clinical and Vaccine Immunology 19, no. 9 (July 3, 2012): 1370–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/cvi.00300-12.
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ABSTRACTRecently, novelBrucellastrains with phenotypic characteristics that were atypical for strains belonging to the genusBrucellahave been reported. Phenotypically many of these strains were initially misidentified asOchrobactrumspp. Two novel species have been described so far for these strains, i.e.,B. microtiandB. inopinata, and other strains genetically related toB. inopinatamay constitute other novel species as well. In this study, we analyzed the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (smooth LPS [S-LPS] and rough LPS [R-LPS]) of these atypical strains using different methods and a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against several epitopes of theBrucellaO-polysaccharide (O-PS) and R-LPS. Among the most striking results,Brucellasp. strain BO2, isolated from a patient with chronic destructive pneumonia, showed a completely distinct S-LPS profile in silver stain gels that looked more similar to that of enterobacterial S-LPS. This strain also failed to react with MAbs againstBrucellaO-PS epitopes and showed weak reactivity with anti-R-LPS MAbs.B. inopinatareference strain BO1 displayed an M-dominant S-LPS type with some heterogeneity relative to the classical M-dominantBrucellaS-LPS type. Australian wild rodent strains belonging also to theB. inopinatagroup showed a classical A-dominant S-LPS but lacked the O-PS common (C) epitopes, as previously reported forB. suisbiovar 2 strains. Interestingly, some strains also failed to react with anti-R-LPS MAbs, such as theB. microtireference strain andB. inopinataBO1, suggesting modifications in the core-lipid A moieties of these strains. These results have several implications for serological typing and serological diagnosis and underline the need for novel tools for detection and correct identification of such novel emergingBrucellaspp.
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Bepary, Sujala, Md Mostafijur Rahman, Md Saidur Rahman, Shib Shankar Saha, Md Shah Alam, Md Royhan Gofur, Mst Ismat Ara Begum, and Khondoker Jahengir Alam. "Macroscopic and microscopic characterization of mycoplasmosis in commercial chickens in Barishal, Bangladesh." Asian-Australasian Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology 6, no. 3 (January 30, 2022): 153–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/aajbb.v6i3.57718.
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Avian mycoplasmosis in commercial chicken is a serious problem around the world, and responsible for high economic losses and decreased poultry productivity. This study aimed to characterize the mycoplasma infection macroscopically and microscopically in commercially important poultry like broiler and layer in Barishal, Bangladesh. Diagnosis of mycoplasmosis was made on the basis of history, clinical signs, necropsy findings and histopathology of the suspected organs. The study was conducted on a total no. of 460 birds (broiler n=237; layer n=223) of 20 different farms of three different upazillas of Barishal district in Bangladesh. The overall prevalence of micoplasmosis was 26.52%. Layer chicken (30.04%) was more susceptible to mycoplasmosis than broiler chicken (23.20%). The highest prevalence of mycoplasmosis was observed in 3-6 weeks-aged chicken in both broiler (54.55%) and layer (35.82%) chicken. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed in mycoplasmosis prevalence rate among the seasons. The highest prevalence rate of mycoplasmosis was in winter season followed by rainy and seasons. Major necropsy findings of mycoplasmosis include catarrhal hemorrhage and mucus exudation on tracheal mucosa and severe congestion, consolidation and reddish gelatinous mass over the lung surface. Mycoplasmosis caused severe tracheitis, bronchitis, air sacculitis, and pneumonia in chickens. Mycoplasma affected different organs in the chicken and hinder the production through morbidity and mortality. Present study will provide the baseline data for future in-depth research on mycoplasmosis to draw an effective policy for controlling and eradicating mycoplasmosis from commercial poultry. Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2021, 6 (3), 153-160
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Coiffier, Bertrand, Barbara Pro, H. Miles Prince, Francine M. Foss, Lubomir Sokol, Matthew Greenwood, Dolores Caballero, et al. "Final Results From a Pivotal, Multicenter, International, Open-Label, Phase 2 Study of Romidepsin In Progressive or Relapsed Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (PTCL) Following Prior Systemic Therapy." Blood 116, no. 21 (November 19, 2010): 114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.v116.21.114.114.
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Abstract Abstract 114 Background: Romidepsin is a potent HDAC inhibitor approved by the FDA for patients (pts) with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma who have received at least 1 prior systemic therapy. Durable clinical benefit and tolerability of romidepsin in pts with recurrent or refractory PTCL have been previously observed in a phase 2 trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute. The aim of this phase 2, single-arm, open-label registration study was to evaluate the activity of romidepsin in a larger number of pts with progressive or relapsed PTCL. Methods: Pts with histologically confirmed PTCL (PTCL NOS, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, ALCL [ALK-1 negative], other subtypes) who failed or were refractory to ≥ 1 prior systemic therapy, and had measurable disease and ECOG performance status 0–2 were eligible. Exclusions included inadequate bone marrow or other organ function and significant cardiovascular abnormalities. Pts received romidepsin 14 mg/m2 as a 4-h IV infusion on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days for up to 6 cycles; treatment could be extended for stable disease (SD) or response. The primary endpoint was rate of complete response (CR + CRu) as evaluated by a central Independent Review Committee (IRC) using International Working Criteria for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. IRC assessment consisted of a 2-step process, with initial radiographic review of images (CT, MRI) followed by an overall clinical assessment based on the radiology evaluations, photographs, and relevant clinical parameters. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR): CR + CRu + partial response (PR), investigator-assessed responses, duration of response, time to response, and safety. Results: 131 pts from 48 US, European, and Australian sites were enrolled and received at least 1 dose of romidepsin (as-treated population); 130 patients had histologically confirmed PTCL by central review. Mean age of all pts was 59.4 y (range, 20–83) and median time since diagnosis was 1.25 y (range, 0–17). Median number of prior systemic therapies was 2 (range, 1–8). 21 pts (16%) had failed a prior stem cell transplant. Responses assessed by the IRC are noted in the table below. Longest duration of response is 26+ mo and 16 (94%) of the 17 pts with a CR had not progressed as of the data cutoff (March 31, 2010). Investigator-assessed responses included 21 pts (16%) with CR + CRu, 18 pts (14%) with PR for an ORR of 30%. Currently, 13 pts continue to receive treatment (range, 10–36 cycles). Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 126 of 131 pts (96%). AEs reported in ≥ 20% of pts were nausea (59%), fatigue (41%), vomiting (38%), thrombocytopenia (38%), diarrhea (35%), pyrexia (34%), neutropenia (30%), anorexia (28%), constipation (28%), anemia (23%), and dysgeusia (21%). AEs ≥ grade 3 were reported for 86 pts (66%), with the most common (≥ 5%) being pneumonia (5%), pyrexia (5%), sepsis (5%), and vomiting (5%). 60 pts (46%) had at least 1 serious AE: the most frequently reported (≥ 5%) were pyrexia (7%), pneumonia (5%), vomiting (5%), and sepsis (5%). 22 pts (17%) withdrew due to AEs. 8 pts (6%) died within 30 days of the last dose of romidepsin; 1 death, due to sepsis, was assessed as possibly related to treatment. Conclusions: Complete and durable responses were observed with single agent romidepsin in pts with relapsed PTCL. These data support the therapeutic potential for romidepsin in relapsed PTCL and suggest that romidepsin is a strong candidate for inclusion in future novel regimens for these diseases. As of the data cutoff (March 31, 2010), the median duration of follow-up for CR is 8.2 mo. Disclosures: Coiffier: Gloucester: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Off Label Use: Romidepsin is indicated for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. Romidepsin is not currently approved for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). Pro:Celgene: Research Funding. Prince:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Foss:Celgene: Consultancy; Eisai: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Speakers Bureau; Allos: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Cephalon: Speakers Bureau. Sokol:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Caballero:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Morschhauser:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bayer: Honoraria. Padmanabhan:Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Shustov:Celgene: Research Funding. Nichols:Celgene: Employment. Carroll:Celgene: Employment. Balser:Gloucester Pharmaceutical: Consultancy. Horwitz:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria.
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Lim, Sueh-li, John Reynolds, Hang Quach, Anna Hutchinson, Ian H. Kerridge, Jane Estell, Wojt Janowski, et al. "Preliminary Analysis of the MM21 Trial: Response Adaptive Salvage Treatment with Daratumumab-Lenalidomide-Dexamethasone (DRd) for Newly Diagnosed Transplant Eligible Multiple Myeloma Patients Failing Front-Line Bortezomib-Based Induction Therapy." Blood 138, Supplement 1 (November 5, 2021): 1665. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2021-152102.
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Abstract BACKGROUND Bortezomib-based induction (V-IND) approaches are used in >90% of Australian newly diagnosed transplant eligible multiple myeloma (NDTE MM) patients (pts) with a maximum of 4 cycles of V-IND therapy available via the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS) prior to a planned autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). However, NDTE MM patients failing V-IND (defined as best response < partial response [PR]) demonstrate shortened survival and continue to represent a sub-group of MM where a clear unmet medical need persists. The ALLG MM21 was designed to evaluate the efficacy of an early response adapted approach with a switch to an intensive Daratumumab-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (DRd)-based salvage-ASCT- consolidation strategy in patients failing V-IND. METHOD We present the results of a planned interim analysis of the multi-centre single arm study MM21 (ACTRN12618001490268). Eligible pts were NDTE MM who had received V-IND pre-ASCT and demonstrated either a sub-optimal response (SOR - defined as <minimal response [MR] after 2 cycles or <PR after 4 cycles of V-IND) or primary refractoriness (1REF - defined as disease progression while on or within 60 days of completing V-IND). Pre-ASCT DRd was DARA 16mg/kg IV days 1, 8, 15 and 22 for cycles 1 (C1) and 2, and on days 1 and 15 of C3 and C4; Lenalidomide 25mg OD D1-21; and, dexamethasone 40mg PO on D 1, 8, 15 and 22 of each 28-day cycle for C1 to C4. Anti-thrombotic and anti-viral prophylaxis was as per individual institutional practice. Between C3 and C4, patients underwent a G-CSF mobilised PBSC collection with a melphalan 200mg/m2 conditioned ACST after C4. Patients underwent D100 post-ASCT disease response assessment including EuroFlow minimal residual disease (MRD) testing. In the absence of disease progression, patients then received 12, 28-day cycles of consolidation comprising DARA IV 16mg/kg on D1, 15 of C1 and C2 and on D1 of C3 to C12, lenalidomide 25mg PO on D1-21 of C1 and C2 and 10mg OD on days 1-28 of C3 to C12; dexamethasone 40mg was weekly from C1 to C12. RESULTS Fifty patients were recruited from 7 Australian sites between March 2019 and July 2020. Median age was 61 years with 66% males. Disease status at study entry was SOR in 72% (<MR n = 9, <PR n = 27) and 1REF in 28%. Data cut-off date was June 30 2021. 45 patients (90%) received 4 complete cycles of salvage DRd. 11/50 (22%) patients did not undergo ASCT and 4 patients failed stem cell collection. Two pts were withdrawn due to treatment related gastrointestinal toxicity - persistent oesophagitis (n =1) and recurrent colitis (n=1). There were two deaths, due to COVID-19 pneumonia (n =1) and septic shock (n =1). Pre-ASCT response was evaluable in 43 patients, overall response rate (ORR) was 70% - complete response (CR) 6%, very good partial response (VGPR) 18%, partial response (PR) 46%, clinical benefit rate (CBR) 83% - MR 11% and stable disease (SD) 2% on Intention to Treat (ITT n = 50) analysis. 33 patients were assessed for MRD - MRD negative 6% on ITT (3/33 9%). Pre-consolidation disease assessment was evaluable in 37 pts, both ORR and CBR were 72% - stringent complete response (sCR) 4%, CR 14%, VGPR 24%, PR 30% ITT analysis. 31 pts were evaluated for MRD - MRD negative 28% ITT (14/31 45%). In 6 patients, MRD was omitted or could not be performed due to pre-analytical issues. Post-C2 consolidation assessment was evaluable in 37 pts, ORR 72% - sCR 2%, CR 24%, VGPR 26%, PR 20%, CBR 74% - SD 2% ITT analysis. To date, 22 patients have been evaluated for MRD with 4 patients awaiting results, MRD negative rate of 38% ITT (10/22 45%). MRD sample collection at this time-point was omitted in 7 patients, potentially skewing MRD negativity on ITT analysis. CONCLUSION Preliminary analysis of the MM21 trial demonstrates early response-adaptive escalation to DRd facilitated ASCT in the majority patients with robust ORR post-autologous stem cell transplant and substantial improvement in disease control, as reflected in improved rates of MRD and disease response to treatment. At both post-ASCT time-points there was significant drop off in MRD testing due to testing omission, potential skewing results of MRD analysis. MRD and duration of response analysis following C12 consolidation is planned and will be of interest. Current data suggests this drug combination shows potential for substantial benefit in the study population. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Lim: BMS: Honoraria; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria. Reynolds: Abbvie: Research Funding; Alcon: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Novartis AG: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Quach: Janssen/Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Antengene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CSL: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Estell: Janssen-Cilag: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Janowski: Astrazeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Regeneron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kalff: Sandoz: Honoraria; CSL: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria. Spencer: Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; STA: Honoraria.
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Nguyen, Hoang Bach, Thi Khanh Linh Nguyen, Thi Thuy Ung, Thi Thao Nhi Mai, Thi Nhu Hoa Tran, Viet Quynh Tram Ngo, and Van An Le. "Case of misdiagnosed melioidosis from Hue city, Vietnam." Iranian Journal of Microbiology, June 20, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v14i3.9796.
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Melioidosis is an emerging infection, a potentially fatal tropical disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei in humans and animals, endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Diagnosis remains problematic due to its similarity to many other infections. The lack of clinical awareness and correct microbiological diagnosis contributes to the misidentification of melioidosis. We present a melioidosis case, which was misdiagnosed with pneumonia and septicemia due to Aeromonas salmonicida, leading to ineffective prolonged-course antibiotic treatment for the patient.
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Moore, Hannah, Tasmin Abdalla, Christopher Blyth, Ruth Gilbert, and Pia Hardelid. "Trends in admissions for acute respiratory infections in children: an inter-country comparison between Western Australia and England." International Journal of Population Data Science 1, no. 1 (April 13, 2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v1i1.66.
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ABSTRACTObjectiveAcute respiratory infections (ARI) including bronchiolitis, pneumonia and influenza are a major cause of hospital admissions in children worldwide. Linkage of administrative health datasets provides a platform to investigate temporal and seasonal trends in large populations over many years. We examined the similarities and differences in ARI admissions using linked datasets in Western Australia and England. ApproachThrough the availability of common data items in each jurisdiction, identical coding and data cleaning principles were applied to both datasets. Hospital admissions for ARI in children aged <5 years between 2000 and 2012 were identified using International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes. Admission rates per 1000 child-years by age, gender and admission year were calculated in each jurisdiction. A total population birth cohort was available in Western Australia and the denominator was person time at risk whereas for England, all hospitalisations were used with the mid-year population as the denominator. ResultsThe overall incidence of ARI was 18.3/1000 child-years in Western Australia and 14.4/1000 in England. In both countries, the highest incidence of ARI was observed in infants (47.9/1000 child-years in Western Australia and 42.1/1000 child-years in England). Bronchiolitis was the most common primary diagnosis in infants in both countries, accounting for 79.7% of ARI admissions in Western Australia and 78.3% in England. The most common primary diagnosis in 1-4 year olds was unspecified lower respiratory tract infections in England (48.8% of ARI admissions in this age group) and pneumonia in Western Australia (43.9% of ARI admissions in 1-4-year-olds). The annual incidence rate for ARI hospitalisations declined in Western Australia from 2000 to 2006 and since remained steady. ARI admission rates increased in England throughout the study period. Admission rates across all age groups were 1.1-1.5 times higher in boys than girls in both countries. ConclusionThe availability of similar datasets in two economically similar countries in different hemispheres has afforded the opportunity to characterise and compare the epidemiology of paediatric respiratory infections over a 13 year period. Future analyses will allow us to assess differences in coding practices, seasonality and risk factors such as socio-economic deprivation and prematurity. Furthermore the availability of linked laboratory data for respiratory pathogens in each jurisdiction will allow for comparisons of pathogen-specific epidemiology and the impact of universal vaccination programs.
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Waller, Claire, Kevin Freeman, Shereen Labib, and Rob Baird. "Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of legionellosis in Northern Australia, 2010–2021." Communicable Diseases Intelligence 46 (June 23, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2022.46.34.
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Objective This study describes characteristics of the legionellosis cases occurring between 2010 and 2021 in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 53 cases of legionellosis during the defined period and documented patient and clinical characteristics, diagnostics, and seasonality of infection. Results All cases were sporadic. The incidence rate in the NT was higher than the Australian median rate (2.1 and 1.5 per 100,000 population per year respectively). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients presented at a younger age than did non-Indigenous patients (median 41 and 60 years of age respectively), and overall there was a male preponderance. There was a higher proportion of legionellosis in the months with increased humidity, with a greater number of L. longbeachae infections detected overall (59%) than of L. pneumophila (41%). The majority of cases were diagnosed serologically (57% of L. pneumophilia and 93% of L. longbeachae ). Conclusions Legionellosis in the NT is more common, seasonal, and may be underreported due to current reliance on serological testing for diagnosis. The higher incidence of legionellosis, and the younger age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients of the NT, have public health implications, given that the clinical presentation of legionellosis is indistinguishable from other forms of pneumonia.
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Baikunje, Nandakishore, Suresh Gangaramajalu, and Giridhar Belur Hosmane. "Melioidosis: A Fulminant Infection in a Patient with Uncontrolled Diabetes." Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU, December 2, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1721232.
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AbstractMelioidosis is an endemic infection in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia commonly manifesting with pneumonia and localized skin infection. Though most exposures do not lead to severe illness, a fulminant infection can occur among patients with risk factors. A 59-year-old male presented with cough with expectoration and fever for 1 week. He had diabetes for 10 years with poorly controlled blood sugars. Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CECT) of thorax showed right upper lobe consolidation with diffuse ground-glass opacities in right upper lobe along with microabscesses in liver and spleen. Sputum culture and Xpert mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and resistance to rifampin (MTB/RIF) for tuberculosis were negative. Bronchoalveolar lavage culture grew Burkholderia pseudomallei. He was treated with initial intensive therapy with injection amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for 2 weeks and subsequently started on eradication therapy with tablet trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Diagnosis of melioidosis should be considered in a patient of pneumonia with multiorgan involvement in an endemic area, especially with underlying risk factors.
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Walsh, S., and M. Mulroy. "250 AUDIT INTO THE USE AND COMPLICATIONS OF MAINTENANCE INHALER THERAPY IN MEDICALLY ADMITTED PATIENTS OVER THE AGE OF 65 YEARS." Age and Ageing 51, Supplement_3 (October 25, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac218.219.
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Abstract Background Adequate maintenance inhaler use is associated with improved symptom control and reduced exacerbation rates, however, cognitive impairment and limitations in dexterity can be a barrier to inhaled therapy. Methods Between the 20th of April and 30th May 2022 patients admitted to our ward over the age of 65 years had their maintenance inhaler technique assessed using the National Asthma Council of Australia checklist. Symptom control was assessed by either the Asthma Control Test (ACT) or the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) assessment tool (CAT). The 4 AT score was used to screen for neurocognitive impairment. Results 20 patients were recruited to the study. 40% were male. Mean age 81.5 years +- 6.8years. The respiratory diagnosis was COPD in 70%, Asthma 20%, Interstitial Lung Disease 5% and bronchiectasis 5%. 65 % had pulmonary function testing performed. Asthma symptom control was within target in 75% of the asthma patients (ACT score >20). Mean score 21 +- 2.5. COPD symptom control was within target in 31% of patients (CAT score <10) . Mean CAT score of 19.3 +- 8. 4. 20% had a pre-admission diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment. The mean 4AT score of the cohort was 1.2. 35% had audible wheeze at the time of review. 80% of inhalers were prescribed for the licensed indication. 35% had potential complications of inhaler therapy – 25% pneumonia and 10% oral candidiasis. Notably all pneumonias were associated with fluticasone. Inhaler technique was associated with errors in almost a quarter of all patients (24%). Increasing 4AT score correlated with high likelihood of inhaler errors, R = 0.63. Conclusion Poor inhaler technique is correlated with neurocognitive impairment. Pneumonia is a potential complication of inhaler therapy and represents an opportunity for deprescribing in patients with COPD.
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Desmond, Lucy A., Melanie A. Lloyd, Shelley A. Ryan, Edward D. Janus, and Harin A. Karunajeewa. "Respiratory viruses in adults hospitalised with Community-Acquired Pneumonia during the non-winter months in Melbourne: Routine diagnostic practice may miss large numbers of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infections." Communicable Diseases Intelligence 43 (April 15, 2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2019.43.12.
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Background Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is one of the highest health burden conditions in Australia. Disease notifications and other data from routine diagnosis suffers from selection bias that may misrepresent the true contribution of various aetiological agents. However existing Australian prospective studies of CAP aetiology have either under-represented elderly patients, not utilised Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) diagnostics or been limited to winter months. We therefore sought to re-evaluate CAP aetiology by systematically applying multiplex PCR in a representative cohort of mostly elderly patients hospitalised in Melbourne during non-winter months and compare diagnostic results with those obtained under usual conditions of care. Methods Seventy two CAP inpatients were prospectively enrolled over 2 ten-week blocks during non-winter months in Melbourne in 2016-17. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were obtained at admission and analysed by multiplex-PCR for 7 respiratory viruses and 5 atypical bacteria. Results Median age was 74 (interquartile range 67-80) years, with 38 (52.8%) males and 34 (47.2%) females. PCR was positive in 24 (33.3%), including 12 Picornavirus (50.5% of those with a virus), 4 RSV (16.7%) and 4 influenza A (16.7%). CAP-Sym questionnaire responses were similar in those with and without viral infections. Most (80%) pathogens detected by the study, including all 8 cases of influenza and RSV, were not otherwise detected by treating clinicians during hospital admission. Conclusion One third of patients admitted with CAP during non-winter months had PCR-detectable respiratory viral infections, including many cases of influenza and RSV that were missed by existing routine clinical diagnostic processes. Keywords: Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI), Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus
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Porter, Paul, Joanna M. Brisbane, Udantha Abeyratne, Javan Wood, Vesa Peltonen, Natasha Bear, Claire Smith, Phillip Della, and Scott Claxton. "Diagnosing Community-Acquired Pneumonia: diagnostic accuracy study of a cough-centred algorithm for use in primary and acute-care consultations." British Journal of General Practice, December 14, 2020, BJGP.2020.0750. http://dx.doi.org/10.3399/bjgp.2020.0750.
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Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an essential consideration in patients presenting to primary care with respiratory symptoms; however, accurate diagnosis is difficult when clinical and radiologic examinations are not possible, such as during telehealth consultations. Aim: To develop and test a smartphone-based algorithm for diagnosing CAP without need for clinical examination or radiology inputs. Design and Setting: A prospective cohort study using data from subjects aged over 12 years presenting with acute respiratory symptoms to a hospital in Western Australia. Method: Five cough audio-segments were recorded and four patient-reported symptoms (fever, acute cough, productive cough, age) were analysed by the smartphone-based algorithm to generate an immediate diagnostic output for CAP. We recruited independent cohorts to train and test the accuracy of the algorithm. Diagnostic agreement was calculated against the confirmed discharge diagnosis of CAP by specialist physicians. Specialist radiologists reported medical imaging. Results: The algorithm had high percent agreement (PA) with the clinical diagnosis of CAP in the total cohort (n=322, Positive PA=86%, Negative PA=86%, AUC=0.95); in subjects 22-65 years (n=192, PPA=86%, NPA=87%, AUC=0.94) and in subjects >65 years (n=86, PPA=86%, NPA=87.5%, AUC=0.94). Agreement was preserved across CAP severity: 85% (80/94) of subjects with CRB-65 scores 1-2, and 87% (57/65) with a score of 0, were correctly diagnosed by the algorithm. Conclusion: The algorithm provides rapid and accurate diagnosis of CAP. It offers improved accuracy over current protocols when clinical evaluation is difficult. It provides increased capabilities for primary and acute care, including telehealth services, required during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"BIOBOARD." Asia-Pacific Biotech News 19, no. 04n05 (April 2015): 5–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219030315000257.
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AUSTRALIA – Potential of Anisina to become major new chemotherapy. AUSTRALIA – Phylogica peptide fusion kills aggressive breast cancer cells. INDIA – South Asia running out of groundwater. JAPAN – Fruit fly studies shed light on adaptability. KOREA – Hanmi Pharm begins phase 2 clinical trials on new long-acting human growth hormone drug. MALAYSIA – Researchers discover breakthrough treatment for depression. MALAYSIA – New diagnosis tool pushed to cope with diabetes in Asia. SINGAPORE – Scientists discover gene that allows a peek into the future on eye disease. SINGAPORE – Babies from moms with hepatitis have better immune systems. THE PHILIPPINES – Debate persists on pneumonia vaccine in the Philippines. VIETNAM – Second hookworm genome hoped to lead to vaccines. AFRICA – Shop-based malaria kit boosts testing for disease. BRAZIL – Prospective Chagas vaccine proves effective in trials. EUROPE – Vaccine against placental malaria to start human tests in Germany and Benin. SRI LANKA – Sri Lankan farmers told to adapt to changing climate. UNITED STATES – Genetic markers play a role in who benefits from aspirin, NSAIDs to lower colon cancer risk. UNITED STATES – Potential Ebola treatment mechanism discovered. UNITED STATES – Researchers develop new potential drug for rare leukemia. UNITED STATES – Researchers find new link between neurodegenerative diseases and abnormal immune responses.
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Liu, Bette, Paula Spokes, Maria Alfaro-Ramirez, Kate Ward, and John Kaldor. "Hospital outcomes after a COVID-19 diagnosis from January to May 2020 in New South Wales Australia." Communicable Diseases Intelligence 44 (December 24, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2020.44.97.
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Objective: To describe hospitalisation rates following COVID-19 infection in NSW. Design, setting and participants: Analysis of all confirmed COVID-19 cases diagnosed in NSW from 1 January to 31 May 2020 extracted from the NSW Notifiable Conditions Information Management System and linked to routinely collected hospitalisation data. Outcome measures: In-patient hospitalisations and hospital service utilisation details. Results: There were 3,101 COVID-19 cases diagnosed between 1 January and 31 May 2020 in NSW: mean age 46.7 years, 50.5% were females. Overall, 12.5% (n = 389) had a record of inpatient hospitalisation, 4.2% (n = 130) were admitted to ICU and 1.9% (n = 58) received ventilation. Among adult cases, hospital and ICU admission rates increased with increasing age: 2.9% of those aged 20–29 years were hospitalised, increasing to 46.6% of those aged 80–89 years; 0.6% of those aged 20–29 years were admitted to ICU, increasing to 11.2% of those aged 70–79 years. The median time from symptoms to hospitalisation was seven days (IQR 4–11). The median time in hospital was nine days (IQR 4–20), and in ICU six days (IQR 2–15); the median time in hospital increased with older age. Almost half (49.4%) of those hospitalised with a diagnostic code had pneumonia/lower respiratory tract infection and another 36.6% had an upper respiratory tract infection or other known COVID-19 symptoms. Conclusion: COVID-19 is a serious infection particularly in older adults. During January to May of 2020, 1 in 8 of those diagnosed in NSW were hospitalised. While this partly reflects the cautious approach to case management in the initial phase of the pandemic, it also demonstrates the large potential impact of COVID-19 on Australian health services and need for continuing mitigation strategies.
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Cappetta, Kara, Luise Lago, Jan Potter, and Lyn Phillipson. "Under-coding of dementia and other conditions indicates scope for improved patient management: A longitudinal retrospective study of dementia patients in Australia." Health Information Management Journal, January 23, 2020, 183335831989792. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1833358319897928.
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Background: Under-coding of dementia during hospitalisation results in an inability to identify all patients with dementia using hospital administrative data. Clinical coding can be viewed as a proxy for management; therefore, under-coding indicates dementia was not considered in the patient’s management. While under-coding of dementia is well established, there is sparse evidence on whether dementia is coded in subsequent hospitalisations among patients with a known diagnosis. Objective: (a) To describe patterns of dementia coding over 5 years after a first-coded (i.e. index) admission for dementia; (b) to identify factors associated with clinical coding of dementia; and (c) to identify patient subgroups at risk of not being coded to inform future interventions to improve hospital identification and management of dementia. Method: Retrospective study of longitudinal hospital data from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2015 for 7919 patients hospitalised during the 5 years’ post-index admission for dementia in a regional local health district of New South Wales, Australia. Results: Dementia was coded in 63.9% of admissions in the 12 months following index admission for dementia; this decreased to 53.7% after 5 years. Patients were 20% more likely to have dementia actively managed when it co-occurred with delirium. Under-coding varied across conditions, with dementia more likely to be coded in admissions for falls and pneumonitis, and less likely for heart failure, pneumonia and urinary tract infection (UTI). Conclusion: The frequency with which dementia was not coded highlights opportunities to improve identification and management of dementia through dementia-specific care, enhanced clinical protocols, and interventions focused around heart failure, pneumonia and UTI admissions.
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Swaminathan, Priyadharshini, Sankavi SB, Indumathi K DCP, and Theranirajan Theranirajan. "MEILIODOSIS - AN ENIGMA WITH VARYING ANTIBIOTIC RESPONSE." GLOBAL JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH ANALYSIS, December 15, 2021, 19–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.36106/gjra/0800575.
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Melioidosis or Whitmore's disease is an infection of humans and animals caused by aerobic gram negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei. This infection with a wide clinical spectrum is predominantly present in tropical climates, mainly Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. The clinical manifestations include pneumonia, skin ulcers or abscesses, osteomyelitis, prostatitis, encephalomyelitis and fulminant septic shock. The denitive diagnosis is made by a positive culture of Burkholderia pseudomallei. The bacteria is innately resistant to 6 classes of commonly used antibiotics. CDC recommends an intensive phase of intravenous antibiotics for 10 to 14 days followed by eradication therapy with oral antibiotics for 3 – 6 months. The intravenous agents effective against the bacteria are meropenem and ceftazidime. Trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid are the oral antimicrobial agents used. Here we present two cases of Melioidosis, at opposite ends of the spectrum with varying antibiotic response. One patient is a young non immunocompromised female and the second an elderly immunocompromised (T2DM) male, both presented with skeletal melioidosis.
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Weber, Courtney, Joseph Hung, Siobhan Hickling, Ian Li, Kevin Murray, and Tom Briffa. "Unplanned 30-day readmissions, comorbidity and impact on one-year mortality following incident heart failure hospitalisation in Western Australia, 2001–2015." BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 23, no. 1 (January 16, 2023). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12872-022-03020-x.
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Abstract Background Readmissions within 30 days after heart failure (HF) hospitalisation is considered an important healthcare quality metric, but their impact on medium-term mortality is unclear within an Australian setting. We determined the frequency, risk predictors and relative mortality risk of 30-day unplanned readmission in patients following an incident HF hospitalisation. Methods From the Western Australian Hospitalisation Morbidity Data Collection we identified patients aged 25–94 years with an incident (first-ever) HF hospitalisation as a principal diagnosis between 2001 and 2015, and who survived to 30-days post discharge. Unplanned 30-day readmissions were categorised by principal diagnosis. Logistic and Cox regression analysis determined the independent predictors of unplanned readmissions in 30-day survivors and the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of readmission on mortality within the subsequent year. Results The cohort comprised 18,241 patients, mean age 74.3 ± 13.6 (SD) years, 53.5% males, and one-third had a modified Charlson Comorbidity Index score of ≥ 3. Among 30-day survivors, 15.5% experienced one or more unplanned 30-day readmission, of which 53.9% were due to cardiovascular causes; predominantly HF (31.4%). The unadjusted 1-year mortality was 15.9%, and the adjusted mortality HR in patients with 1 and ≥ 2 cardiovascular or non-cardiovascular readmissions (versus none) was 1.96 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.80–2.14) and 3.04 (95% CI, 2.51–3.68) respectively. Coexistent comorbidities, including ischaemic heart disease/myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial disease, pneumonia, chronic kidney disease, and anaemia, were independent predictors of both 30-day unplanned readmission and 1-year mortality. Conclusion Unplanned 30-day readmissions and medium-term mortality remain high among patients who survived to 30 days after incident HF hospitalisation. Any cardiovascular or non-cardiovascular readmission was associated with a two to three-fold higher adjusted HR for death over the following year, and various coexistent comorbidities were important associates of readmission and mortality risk. Our findings support the need to optimize multidisciplinary HF and multimorbidity management to potentially reduce repeat hospitalisation and improve survival.
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Gassiep, I., M. Armstrong, and R. Norton. "Human Melioidosis." Clinical Microbiology Reviews 33, no. 2 (March 11, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00006-19.
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SUMMARY The causative agent of melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei, a tier 1 select agent, is endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, with increased incidence associated with high levels of rainfall. Increasing reports of this condition have occurred worldwide, with estimates of up to 165,000 cases and 89,000 deaths per year. The ecological niche of the organism has yet to be clearly defined, although the organism is associated with soil and water. The culture of appropriate clinical material remains the mainstay of laboratory diagnosis. Identification is best done by phenotypic methods, although mass spectrometric methods have been described. Serology has a limited diagnostic role. Direct molecular and antigen detection methods have limited availability and sensitivity. Clinical presentations of melioidosis range from acute bacteremic pneumonia to disseminated visceral abscesses and localized infections. Transmission is by direct inoculation, inhalation, or ingestion. Risk factors for melioidosis include male sex, diabetes mellitus, alcohol abuse, and immunosuppression. The organism is well adapted to intracellular survival, with numerous virulence mechanisms. Immunity likely requires innate and adaptive responses. The principles of management of this condition are drainage and debridement of infected material and appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Global mortality rates vary between 9% and 70%. Research into vaccine development is ongoing.