This randomized clinical trial examines the effectiveness of combining an internet support group with an online computerized cognitive behavioral therapy provided via a collaborative care program for treating depression and anxiety vs computerized cognitive behavioral therapy alone, and whether providing computerized cognitive behavioral therapy in this manner is more effective than primary care physicians’ usual care.

Background In total knee arthroplasty (TKA) periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), irrigation debridement (I&D) with component retention is a treatment option with a wide variation in reported failure rates. The purpose of this study was to determine failure rates, outcomes, and factors that predict failure in I&D for TKA PJI. Methods A multicenter observational study of patients with a TKA PJI and subsequently undergoing an I&D with retention of components was conducted. The primary outcome was failure rate of I&D, where failure was defined as any subsequent surgical procedures. Results 216 cases of I&D with retention of components performed on 206 patients met inclusion criteria. The estimated long-term failure rate at 4 years was 57.4%. Time-to-event analyses revealed that the median survival time was 14.32 months. Five-year mortality was 19.9%. Multivariable modeling revealed that time symptomatic and organism were independent predictors of I&D failure. Culture negative status had a higher hazard for failure than culture positive patients. When primary organism and time symptomatic were selected to produce an optimized scenario for an I&D, the estimated failure rate was 39.6%. Conclusions I&D with retention of components has a high failure rate, and there is a high incidence of more complex procedures after this option is chosen. The patient comorbidities we investigated did not predict I&D success. Our results suggest that I&D has a limited ability to control infection in TKA and should be used selectively under optimum conditions.

Background We studied humoral responses after COVID-19 vaccination across varying causes of immunodeficiency. Methods Prospective study of fully-vaccinated immunocompromised adults (solid organ transplant (SOT), hematologic malignancy, solid cancers, autoimmune conditions, HIV infection) versus non-immunocompromised healthcare-workers (HCW). The primary outcome was the proportion with a reactive test (seropositive) for IgG to SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain. Secondary outcomes were comparisons of antibody levels and their correlation with pseudovirus neutralization titers. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with seropositivity. Results 1271 participants enrolled: 1,099 immunocompromised and 172 HCW. Compared to HCW (92.4% seropositive), seropositivity was lower among participants with SOT (30.7%), hematological malignancies (50.0%), autoimmune conditions (79.1%), solid tumors (78.7%), and HIV (79.8%) (p<0.01). Factors associated with poor seropositivity included age, greater immunosuppression, time since vaccination, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, and vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer) or adenovirus vector vaccines versus mRNA-1273 (Moderna). mRNA-1273 was associated with higher antibody levels than BNT162b2 or adenovirus vector vaccines, after adjusting for time since vaccination, age, and underlying condition. Antibody levels were strongly correlated with pseudovirus neutralization titers (Spearman r=0.89, p<0.0001), but in seropositive participants with intermediate antibody levels, neutralization titers were significantly lower in immunocompromised individuals versus HCW. Conclusion Antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines were lowest among SOT and anti-CD20 monoclonal recipients, and recipients of vaccines other than mRNA-1273. Among those with intermediate antibody levels, pseudovirus neutralization titers were lower in immunocompromised patients than HCW. Additional SARS-CoV-2 preventive approaches are needed for immunocompromised persons, which may need to be tailored to the cause of immunodeficiency.

Surgical infections are one of the most common types of infections encountered in a hospital. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen associated with this infection. These infections are resilient and difficult to eradicate, as the bacteria form biofilm, a community of bacteria held together by an extracellular matrix. Compared to bacteria that are planktonic, bacteria in a biofilm are more resistant to antibiotics. The mechanism behind how bacteria develop this resistance and establish a chronic infection is unknown. We demonstrate that mazEF, a toxin-antitoxin gene, inhibits biofilm formation and promotes biofilm antibiotic tolerance which allows S. aureus to transition from an acute to chronic infection that cannot be eradicated with antibiotics but is less virulent. This gene not only makes the bacteria more tolerant to antibiotics but makes the bacteria more tolerant to the host.