Objective:Multiple myeloma is a common haematological malignancy and immune dysfunction is the hallmark of the disease. It leads to an increased infection risk, which is still a major cause of mortality. The infection spectrum and characteristics have evolved with the introduction of novel agents. An understanding of risk factors that increase susceptibility to infections is critical in fighting them. This retrospective investigation aimed to establish the incidence and main characteristics of infections in non-transplanted hospitalised myeloma patients in our department over a 3-year period, as well as factors associated with infections.Materials and Methods:A total of 240 hospitalised patients with multiple myeloma (120 males and 120 females; average age: 69 years, range: 41-89 years) who were diagnosed or treated in our department from January 2008 to December 2010 were included in this study and their data were retrospectively analysed.Results:Infections were identified in 17.9% of hospitalised patients. The most common pathogen found was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The frequency of gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens was similar. In 37.2% of cases, the agent was not isolated. The most common sites of infections were the urinary system and the blood (septicemia). The frequency of infection increased with duration of disease and the rate of reinfection was 41.9%. The patients treated with bortezomib had the highest infection occurrence. Fatal outcome occurred in 9.3% of cases.Conclusion:The factors associated with infections in this investigation were female sex, 3B clinical stage of disease, increased serum creatinine and ferritin levels, neutropenia, poor general condition, and presence of catheters. Myeloma patients with one or more of these mentioned risk factors should be monitored with particular care in order to decrease the incidence and severity of infective complications.

Objective To assess the association between vaginal microbiome (VMB) composition and recurrent early spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB)/preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM). Design Nested case–control study. Setting UK tertiary referral hospital. Sample High‐risk women with previous sPTB/PPROM <34+0 weeks’ gestation who had a recurrence (n = 22) or delivered at ≥37+0 weeks without PPROM (n = 87). Methods Vaginal swabs collected between 15 and 22 weeks’ gestation were analysed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and 16S quantitative PCR. Main outcome measure Recurrent early sPTB/PPROM. Results Of the 109 high‐risk women, 28 had anaerobic vaginal dysbiosis, with the remainder dominated by lactobacilli (Lactobacillus iners 36/109, Lactobacillus crispatus 23/109, or other 22/109). VMB type and diversity were not associated with recurrence. Women with a recurrence, compared to those without, had a higher median vaginal bacterial load (8.64 versus 7.89 log10 cells/mcl, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.90, 95% CI 1.01–3.56, P = 0.047) and estimated Lactobacillus concentration (8.59 versus 7.48 log10 cells/mcl, aOR 2.35, (95% CI 1.20–4.61, P = 0.013). A higher recurrence risk was associated with higher median bacterial loads for each VMB type after stratification, although statistical significance was reached only for L. iners domination (aOR 3.44, 95% CI 1.06–11.15, P = 0.040). Women with anaerobic dysbiosis or L. iners domination had a higher median vaginal bacterial load than women with a VMB dominated by L. crispatus or other lactobacilli (8.54, 7.96, 7.63, and 7.53 log10 cells/mcl, respectively). Conclusions Vaginal bacterial load is associated with early sPTB/PPROM recurrence. Domination by lactobacilli other than L. iners may protect women from developing high bacterial loads. Future PTB studies should quantify vaginal bacteria and yeasts. Tweetable abstract Increased vaginal bacterial load in the second trimester may be associated with recurrent early spontaneous preterm birth.

Objective The QUiPP algorithm combines cervical length, quantitative fetal fibronectin (qfFN) and medical history to quantify risk of preterm birth. We assessed the utility of QUiPP to inform preterm birth prevention treatment decisions. Design A prospective cohort study with a subsequent impact assessment using the QUiPP risk of birth before 34 weeks’ gestation. Setting A UK tertiary referral hospital. Sample In all, 119 women with previous spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) before 34 weeks’ gestation. Methods Cervical length and qfFN were measured at 19+0 to 23+0 weeks’ gestation. Clinical management was based on history and cervical length. After birth, clinicians were unblinded to qfFN results and QUiPP analysis was undertaken. Main outcome measures Predictive statistics of QUiPP algorithm using 10% risk of sPTB before 34+0 weeks as treatment threshold. Results Fifteen of 119 women (13%) had PPROM or sPTB before 34 weeks. Of these, 53% (8/15) had QUiPP risk of sPTB before 34+0 weeks above 10%. Applying this treatment threshold in practice would have doubled our treatment rate (20 versus 42%). QUIPP threshold of 10% had positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 1.3 (95% CI 0.76–2.18), and negative LR of 0.8 (95% CI 0.45–1.40) for predicting sPTB before 34+0 weeks. Conclusions Use of the QUiPP algorithm in this population may lead to substantial increase in interventions without evidence that currently available treatment options are beneficial for this particular group. Tweetable abstract Independent study finds that the QUiPP algorithm could lead to substantial increases in treatment without evidence of benefit.