Introduction Information on healthcare-associated C.difficile infection (HA-CDI) in COVID-19 patients is limited. We aimed to assess the characteristics of HA-CDI acquired during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital, in which since March 2020 exclusively COVID-19 patients are hospitalized. We compared HA-CDI adult patients hospitalized in March 2020-February 2021 with those hospitalized during the same period in 2017-2018. Results We found 51 cases during 2020-2021 (COVID-19 group), incidence 5.6/1000 adult discharge and 99 cases during 2017-2018 (pre-COVID-19 group), incidence 6.1/1000 adult discharge (p=0.6). The patients in COVID-19 group compared to pre-COVID-19 group were older (median age 66 vs 62 years), with similar rate of comorbidities, but with higher rate of cardiovascular diseases (62.7% vs 42.4%) and less immunosuppression (21.6% vs 55.6%), they had a higher proton pump inhibitors use (94.1% vs 32.3%), and a longer hospitalization (median 19 vs 14 days). Eighty-five (85.9%) patients in pre-COVID-19 group versus 44 (86.3%) patients in COVID-19 group received antimicrobial treatment – mainly cephalosporins (34,1%), quinolones (22,3%) and glycopeptides (21,1%) in pre-COVID-19 group and mainly cephalosporins and macrolides (63,6% each) in COVID-19 group. We found four HA-CDI-related deaths in pre-COVID-19 group and none in the COVID-19 group. Conclusions The HA-CDI incidence in COVID-19 group did not change versus the same period of time during 2017-2018. The antibiotic use was the most important factor associated with HA-CDI. We identified a high use of broad-spectrum antibiotics despite the lack of empirical antimicrobial recommendations in COVID-19. What is important: Information on healthcare-acquired C.difficile in COVID-19 patients is limited, but not only C.difficile infection remains a worrying issue, but is also an emerging topic. We found that antibiotic use seems to be the most important factor associated with CDI and our data emphasize the need for rational use of antibiotics and for ongoing attention regarding CDI in COVID-19 patients.

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Range throughout Turkey in this paper, the author trained the continuous neural networks, and used a total of 4,000 fundus images, including images with different degrees of fundus disorders and images without disorders, so that CNN can detect whether the patient has hypertension and arteriosclerosis according to macular degeneration in the fundus images. In order to obtain more effective results from the deep learning structure using convolutional neural network, this paper prepared more data sets on the basis of Turkey, combined with the local data sets to educate the deep learning model, so as to integrate the data globally, which can help standardize the results and improve the accuracy. The system is used to diagnose retinal vascular degeneration, such as fundus vascular disease and macular edema disease. Based on this basic understanding, the research has been used for the detection and classification of hypertensive retinopathy that has similar causes. The author also points out the limitations of the system. Among them, the most important limitation is the need for long-term financial sustainability.

Thermodynamic properties, thermal expansion and electrical resistivity of the Ag-28% Cu nanopowders processed by the mechanical alloying route have been investigated in the temperature range from ambient to 1048 K. The thermodynamic properties represented by the relative enthalpy, the specific heat capacity, the relative entropy and the Gibbs energy function obtained from drop calorimetric measurements have been used to reveal the occurrence of the micro-relaxation process, as well as of the correlative effects of decomposition and growth processes. On the basis of the results, the parameters that favour stable nanostructured systems in Ag-28% Cu powders synthesized by the mechanical alloying route have been identified. The correlation of the energetic parameters with thermal expansion and electrical resistivity in mechanical alloyed nanocrystalline powders with the eutectic composition is discussed.