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Role of Statins in Venous Thromboembolism Prevention

A large-scale systematic review and meta-analysis found a 15-25% reduction in relative risk for venous thromboembolism in those who used statins vs. those who did not.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

Ebola Preparedness in Hospitals; Meningococcal Vaccine Recommended for HIV+ Persons

Adult Immunizations — 2017 Changes

Significant changes in recommendations for adult immunization for 2017 have been made or influenza, meningococcal infection, human papillomavirus, and hepatitis B.

Listeria Monocytogenes: Maternal-fetal Infection, Bacteremia, and Meningoencephalitis

Infection with Listeria monocytogenes in pregnancy is associated with frequent fetal loss. In others, bacteremia and central nervous system infections are associated with significant mortality.

Antibiotic Treatment in Community-acquired Pneumonia

In patients with newly diagnosed community-acquired pneumonia, basing the duration of antibiotic treatment on clinical stability criteria led to a significant reduction in duration of antibiotic treatment without an increased risk of adverse outcomes.

Does Tonsillectomy Decrease Throat Infections?

For children with recurrent throat infections, tonsillectomy leads to fewer throat infections and less school absence during the first post-operative year (as compared to similar children who did not undergo tonsillectomy). However, beneficial effects of surgery do not persist over time.

Inflammation in HIV Also Is Mediated by CD8+ T-cells and Platelets

CX3CR1+ CD8+ T-cells home to vascular endothelium and are enriched in ART-treated patients with HIV. These cells may play an important role in CVD risk in HIV-infected patients.

Vancomycin Combined with Piperacillin-Tazobactam Increases the Risk for Acute Kidney Injury

A retrospective cohort study found an increased risk of acute kidney injury for patients who received vancomycin in combination with piperacillin-tazobactam compared to those who received vancomycin plus cefepime (hazard ratio = 4.27; 95% confidence interval, 2.73-6.68).

Fatal Infection Resistant to All Antibiotics

Last August a female patient in an acute care hospital in Reno, NV, died of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae that was resistant to 26 antibiotics. The pathogen was Klebsiella pneumoniae that was isolated from a wound specimen. Of note, the patient had recently been hospitalized in India, and the specific enzyme conferring pan resistance was first discovered in that country: New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase.

MRSA Screening Has Collateral Benefits

Lead author Martin E. Evans, MD, an infectious disease physician at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, reports that infection rates fell 80% percent in non-ICUs, and 81% percent in spinal cord injury units.