Aims  Trimethyllysine (TML) serves as a nutrient precursor of the gut microbiota-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and is associated with incident cardiovascular (CV) events in stable subjects. We examined the relationship between plasma TML levels and incident CV events in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods and results  Plasma levels of TML were quantified in two independent cohorts using mass spectrometry, and its relationship with CV events was investigated. In a Cleveland Cohort (N = 530), comprised of patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and suspected ACS, TML was associated with major adverse cardiac events (MACE, myocardial infarction, stroke, need for revascularization, or all-cause mortality) over both 30 days [3rd tertile (T3), adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–3.01; P < 0.05] and 6 months (T3, adjusted OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.15–3.32; P < 0.05) of follow-up independent of traditional CV risk factors and indices of renal function. Elevated TML levels were also associated with incident long-term (7-year) all-cause mortality [T3, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.52, 95% CI 1.50–4.24; P < 0.001], and MACE even amongst patients persistently negative for cardiac Troponin T at presentation (e.g. 30-day MACE, T3, adjusted OR 4.49, 95% CI 2.06–9.79; P < 0.001). Trimethyllysine in combination with TMAO showed additive significance for near- and long-term CV events, including patients with ‘negative’ high-sensitivity Troponin T levels. In a multicentre Swiss Cohort (N = 1683) comprised of ACS patients, similar associations between TML and incident 1-year adverse cardiac risks were observed (e.g. mortality, adjusted T3 HR 2.74, 95% CI 1.28–5.85; P < 0.05; and MACE, adjusted T3 HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.04–2.31; P < 0.05). Conclusion  Plasma TML levels, alone and together with TMAO, are associated with both near- and long-term CV events in patients with chest pain and ACS.

Introduction: Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections are difficult to treat and pose a serious threat to solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. At our institute we observed an infection burden in 2012. Methods:In order to contain the spread of CRE infections, we established a taskforce to implement guidelines suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for this type of outbreak. Here, we describe the epidemiology of the outbreak in our SOT population, and the effectiveness of such interventions, by comparing levels of CRE hospital-acquired infection (HAI) pre-and post-task force intervention (, respectively) through a linear regression model. Results:In this study, we included 933 patients who underwent a total of 1017 SOT procedures, 286 of whom had a CRE-positive culture (28.8%), of which 65 (22.7% of CRE positive) developed infection. One-year mortality post-SOT was significantly higher in patients with CRE infection. After the taskforce intervention, the CRE HAI rate in SOT showed a significant inverse trend (event rate: −1.28, CI −1.70 to 0.86; P < 0.01). Conclusion:In the paucity of treatment options, the application of CDC measures in our SOT institute contributed significantly to containing CRE infections. K E Y W O R D S carbapenem resistant, enterobacteriaceae, infection outbreak, infectious diseases, solid organ transplantation

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Background The role of minimally invasive surgery in trauma has continued to evolve over the past 20 years. Diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) has become increasingly utilized for the diagnosis and management of both blunt and penetrating injuries. Objective While the safety and feasibility of laparoscopy has been established for penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma, it remains a controversial tool for other injury patterns due to the concern for complications and missed injuries. We sought to examine the role of laparoscopy for the initial management of traumatic injuries at our urban Level 1 trauma center. Methods All trauma patients who underwent DL for blunt or penetrating trauma between 2009 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data, indications for DL, injuries identified, rate of conversion to open surgery, and outcomes were evaluated. Results A total of 316 patients were included in the cohort. The mean age was 34.9 years old (± 13.7), mean GCS 14 (± 3), and median ISS 10 (4-18). A total of 110/316 patients (35%) sustained blunt injury and 206/316 patients (65%) sustained penetrating injury. Indications for DL included evaluation for peritoneal violation (152/316, 48%), free fluid without evidence of solid organ injury (52/316, 16%), evaluation of bowel injury (42/316, 13%), and evaluation for diaphragmatic injury (35/316, 11%). Of all DLs, 178/316 (56%) were negative for injury requiring intervention, which was 58% of blunt cases and 55% of penetrating cases. There were no missed injuries noted. Average hospital length of stay was significantly shorter for patients that underwent DL vs conversion to open exploration (2.2 days vs. 4.5 days, p < 0.05). Conclusion In this single institution, retrospective study, the high volume of cases appears to show that DL is a reliable tool for detecting injury and avoiding potential negative or non-therapeutic laparotomies. However, when injuries were present, the high rate of conversion to open exploration suggests that its utility for therapeutic intervention warrants further study.