AbstractObjectivesAs people across the world suffer from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), further studies are needed to facilitate evaluating the severity and prognosis of COVID-19 patients. In the study, we aimed to dissect the dynamic profile and clinical implications of hematological findings in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the hematological findings of 72 patients with COVID-19 admitted from January 21 to February 17, 2020. The final date of follow-up was March 20, 2020. Dynamic profile of vital hematological parameters in severe and non-severe patients was presented at different time points (day 1, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 after admission), and the correlation of hematological parameters with hospitalization time was indicated.ResultsOf 72 patients with COVID-19, lymphopenia and leukopenia occurred in 39 (54.2%) and 20 (27.8%) patients with COVID-19, respectively. Fifteen (20.8%) patients were defined as severe cases and 57 (79.2%) were non-severe cases. Compared to non-severe patients, leukocyte count, neutrophil count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were significantly higher, whereas lymphocyte count was declined in severe patients at each time point. A growing trend in platelet count was found in non-severe patients over the follow-up period. In addition, a positive correlation of NLR with hospitalization time was detected from day 5 after admission.ConclusionsDynamic changes in vital hematological parameters from severe and non-severe patients had been characterized in the course of hospitalization. During hospitalization, NLR was found to have certain relevance to the hospitalization days and a role in forecasting disease prognosis for patients with COVID-19.

Nosocomial candidemia extends the length of hospital stay, increases the costs of medical care, and is associated with a high mortality rate. Epidemiological data that assist in the choice of initial therapy may help to improve the prognosis. The present study was undertaken to investigate the epidemiology of nosocomial candidemia and identify risk factors for nosocomial candidemia caused by C. albicans and non-albicans Candida species (NAC). A retrospective chart review was undertaken to analyze cases of nosocomial candidemia treated at the Beijing Friendship Hospital between January 2008 and December 2012. All cases of candidemia were identified using the previously published criteria. Among 106 patients analyzed, 53.8% had nosocomial candidemia caused by NAC. Candida albicans was the most common causative agent, accounting for 46.2% of all cases, followed by C. glabrata (25.5%), C. tropicalis (15.1%), C. parapsilosis (10.4%) and C. Krusei (0.9%). Comparison of nosocomial C. albicans and NAC candidemia by multivariate logistic regression showed that factors independently associated with nosocomial NAC candidemia included exposure to azole agents (odds ratio [OR]: 3.359; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.136-10.154; P = .031) and artificial surgical implants (OR: 37.519; 95% CI: 2.5-562.998; P = .009). A significant risk factor for nosocomial C. albicans candidemia was cancer surgery (OR: 0.075; 95% CI: 0.013-0.437; P = .004). Clinical and epidemiological differences in the risk factors between nosocomial candidemia caused by C. albicans and NAC should be considered when selecting an initial antifungal regimen for the treatment of adult patients. This should be undertaken before the availability of species identification and/or antifungal susceptibility results.

Background Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a serious complication and common cause of death in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study was conducted to compare the microbiological characteristics, drug resistance, and treatment outcomes for nosocomial SBP and community-acquired SBP. Methods A retrospective study was performed on 334 patients with culture-positive SBP at Beijing Youan Hospital, China, between January 2012 and December 2016. The medical records for these patients were reviewed, and their clinical and laboratory data were analyzed. Results A total of 155 (46.4%) patients with nosocomial SBP and 179 (53.6%) with community-acquired SBP were included in this study. From the patients’ ascitic fluids, 334 pathogenic strains, including 178 Gram-negative bacterial strains, 138 Gram-positive bacterial strains and 18 other microbial strains were isolated. E. coli was the major pathogen (24.3%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.0%) and Enterococcus faecium (10.5%). The proportion of Enterococcus was significantly higher in the patients with nosocomial SBP (6.1% vs. 27.7%, P < 0.001) than in the patients with community-acquired SBP. The main pathogens isolated from the nosocomial infections were significantly more resistant to the first-line recommended drug. Compared with community-acquired SBP, nosocomial SBP had a poorer outcome (36.8% vs. 24.6%; P = 0.016). The independent predictors for 30-day mortality included nosocomial infection, Child-Pugh classification, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal failure and hepatic encephalopathy. Conclusion Gram-negative bacteria were the major pathogens involved in SBP in the cirrhotic patients. The strains isolated from the patients with nosocomial SBP displayed higher drug resistance than those isolated from patients with community-acquired SBP. Compared with community-acquired SBP, nosocomial SBP had a poorer outcome. When choosing drug treatments, the acquisition site of infection and the local epidemiological situation should be taken into account.