DPT lock therapy demonstrated good in vivo efficacy in LT-CRBI caused by coagulase negative staphylococci and Enterococcus species.

Since the first description in 1982, totally implanted venous access ports have progressively improved patients’ quality of life and medical assistance when a medical condition requires the use of long-term venous access. Currently, they are part of the standard medical care for oncohematologic patients. However, apart from mechanical and thrombotic complications, there are also complications associated with biofilm development inside the catheters. These biofilms increase the cost of medical assistance and extend hospitalization. The most frequently involved micro-organisms in these infections are gram-positive cocci. Many efforts have been made to understand biofilm formation within the lumen catheters, and to resolve catheter-related infection once it has been established. Apart from systemic antibiotic treatment, the use of local catheter treatment (ie, antibiotic lock technique) is widely employed. Many different antimicrobial options have been tested, with different outcomes, in clinical and in in vitro assays. The stability of antibiotic concentration in the lock solution once instilled inside the catheter lumen remains unresolved. To prevent infection, it is mandatory to perform hand hygiene before catheter insertion and manipulation, and to disinfect catheter hubs, connectors, and injection ports before accessing the catheter. At present, there are still unresolved questions regarding the best antimicrobial agent for catheter-related bloodstream infection treatment and the duration of concentration stability of the antibiotic solution within the lumen of the port.

An optimal electrode position and interventricular (VV) delay in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves its success. However, the precise quantification of cardiac dyssynchrony and magnitude of resynchronization achieved by biventricular (BiV) pacing therapy with mechanical optimization strategies based on computational models remain scant. The maximum circumferential uniformity ratio estimate (CURE) was used here as mechanical optimization index, which was automatically computed for 6 different electrode positions based on a three-dimensional electromechanical canine model of heart failure (HF) caused by complete left bundle branch block (CLBBB). VV delay timing was adjusted accordingly. The heart excitation propagation was simulated with a monodomain model. The quantification of mechanical intra- and interventricular asynchrony was then investigated with eight-node isoparametric element method. The results showed that (i) the optimal pacing location from maximal CURE of 0.8516 was found at the left ventricle (LV) lateral wall near the equator site with a VV delay of 60 ms, in accordance with current clinical studies, (ii) compared with electrical optimization strategy of E RMS, the LV synchronous contraction and the hemodynamics improved more with mechanical optimization strategy. Therefore, measures of mechanical dyssynchrony improve the sensitivity and specificity of predicting responders more. The model was subject to validation in future clinical studies.

Candida osteomyelitis is a well recognized but infrequent entity. We describe an interesting case of iliac bone C. albicans osteomyelitis as a result of a surgical trauma of an iliac bone for the auto-grafting of a fracture in the lumbar spine. The peri-operative acquisition of Candida was by the inoculation of a yeast colonizing the skin. Remarkably, several risk factors described for Candida infection and candidemia were absent. The patient also presented with a local fistula. The iliac crest was the only bone affected and local pain was the only symptom present in our case. Diagnosis was made by multiple-specimen biopsy obtained by surgery. Treatment with fluconazole was successful.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern. Over the past few years, considerable efforts and resources have been expended to detect, monitor, and understand at the basic level the many different facets of emerging and increasing resistance. Development of new antimicrobial agents has been matched by the development of new mechanisms of resistance by bacteria. Current antibiotics act at a variety of sites within the target bacteria, including the cross-linking enzymes in the cell wall, various ribosomal enzymes, nucleic acid polymerases, and folate synthesis. Ceftobiprole is a novel parenteral cephalosporin with high affinity for most penicillin-binding proteins, including the mecA product penicillin-binding protein 2a, rendering it active against methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Its in vitro activity against staphylococci and multiresistant pneumococci, combined with its Gram-negative spectrum comparable to that of other extended-spectrum cephalosporins, its stability against a wide range of beta-lactamases, and its pharmacokinetic and safety profiles make ceftobiprole an attractive and well tolerated new antimicrobial agent. The US Food and Drug Administration granted ceftobiprole medocaril fast-track status in 2003 for the treatment of complicated skin infections and skin structure infections due to methicillin-resistant staphylococci, and subsequently extended this to treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia, including ventilator-associated pneumonia due to suspected or proven methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.