This preliminary analysis should prompt further investigation by mapping genomic virulence determinants among A. baumannii ST457 lineage compared with other strains.

Highlights Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients may demonstrate elevated NGAL levels reflecting chronic impairment condition. We evaluated plasma NGAL level for identification of AKI superimposed on CKD vs. “de novo” AKI among (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI. NGAL is a useful tool for the identification of patients with CKD in high risk for AKI following primary PCI. However, Different cutoff values of plasma NGAL for “de novo” AKI and AKI superimposed on CKD may be necessary for Table 1 , Table 2 , Table 3 diagnosis.

C-reactive protein velocity (CRPv), defined as the change in wide-range CRP concentration divided by time, is an inflammatory biomarker associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous intervention (PCI). However, data regarding CRPv association with echocardiographic parameters assessing left ventricular systolic and diastolic function is lacking. Echocardiographic parameters and CRPv values were analyzed using a cohort of 1059 patients admitted with STEMI and treated with primary PCI. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to their CRPv. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate CRPv optimal cut-off values for the prediction of severe systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Patients with high CRPv tertiles had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (49% vs. 46% vs. 41%, respectively; p < 0.001). CRPv was found to independently predict LVEF ≤ 35% (HR 1.3 CI 95% 1.21–1.4; p < 0.001) and grade III diastolic dysfunction (HR 1.16 CI 95% 11.02–1.31; p = 0.02). CRPv exhibited a better diagnostic profile for severe systolic dysfunction as compared to CRP (area under the curve 0.734 ± 0.02 vs. 0.608 ± 0.02). In conclusion, For STEMI patients treated with primary PCI, CRPv is a marker of both systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Further larger studies are needed to support this finding.

Objective. As members of a gender minority, transgender individuals face many challenges. Many experience distress, depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation related to gender nonconformity and transphobia. Stress and trauma may contribute to the development of fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome, characterised by widespread pain and fatigue. The prevalence of FM among transgenders is not known. Methods. Transgender participants were recruited at a specialised clinic. Questionnaires included the Widespread Pain Index (WPI), the Symptom Severity Score (SSS) and the SF-36. Data concerning hormonal treatment protocols was retrieved from charts. The current prevalence of FM was determined, as well as the prevalence before and after testosterone treatment among TM. Pearson correlations were calculated between all measures. Results. 115 participants were recruited, 62.6% transgender men (TM), 37.4% transgender women (TW). 17 individuals (14.8%) fulfilled the 2011 modified ACR FM criteria, for a rate of 19.4% among TM and 6.98% among TW. Among TM, FM was associated with younger age, smoking and SF-36 sub-scales related to physical functioning, role limitation due to physical pain, fatigue, pain and general health. Among TW, FM was associated with social status, employment, depression, existing medical treatment and substance abuse, as well as SF-36 subscales related to role limitations affected due to pain. Conclusion. Fibromyalgia symptoms are highly prevalent among Israeli transgender individuals and may be related to psychological distress and gender dysphoria. Healthcare professionals treating transgenders should remain vigilant for the occurrence of chronic pain, fatigue and other FM-related symptoms and be prepared to treat and/or refer such patients accordingly.

Background: Among patients with rhabdomyolysis, the leakage of intracellular skeletal muscle content such as creatine phosphokinase (CPK) into the bloodstream has been associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). We evaluated the possible relationship between serum CPK levels and AKI occurrence among patients with myocyte injury secondary to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: We retrospectively included 2794 patients with STEMI. Patients were stratified according to peak serum CPK levels into mild (<1000 U/L, n = 1603), moderate (1000–5000 U/L, n = 1111), and severe (>5000 U/L, n = 80) categories. The occurrence of AKI was defined by the KDIGO criteria as an increase in serum creatinine (sCR) ≥0.3 mg/dL within 48 h following PCI. The predictive value of CPK for the risk of AKI occurrence was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models. Results: The overall occurrence of AKI was 10.4%. Incidence of AKI showed a gradual increase between patients with mild, moderate, and severe serum CPK level elevations (7.8% vs. 11% vs. 26% respectively; p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression models, both moderate or higher (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.2; p = 0.01) and severe (OR 2.8 95% CI 1.4–5.6; p = 0.004) serum CPK level elevations were independently associated with AKI. Conclusions: Among STEMI patients, elevated CPK levels were associated with AKI. This association is presumably independent; however, it remains unclear whether it is due to direct toxic (myoglobin-related) or hemodynamic effects (poor left ventricular function). Further studies are required to reveal the underlying mechanism.

BackgroundHealth care–associated infection (HcAI) is a term frequently used to describe community-onset infections likely to be caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). The most frequently used definition was developed at Duke University Medical Center in 2002 (Duke-2002). Although some professional societies have based management recommendations on Duke-2002 (or modifications thereof), neither Duke-2002 nor other variations have had their performance measured.MethodsA case–control study was conducted at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center (AHMC) of consecutive adult bloodstream infections (BSIs). A multivariable model was used to develop a prediction score for HcAI, measured by the presence of MDRO infection on admission. The performances of this new score and previously developed definitions at predicting MDRO infection on admission were measured.ResultsOf the 504 BSI patients enrolled, 315 had a BSI on admission and 189 had a nosocomial BSI. Patients with MDRO-BSI on admission (n = 100) resembled patients with nosocomial infections (n = 189) in terms of epidemiological characteristics, illness acuity, and outcomes more than patients with non-MDRO-BSI on admission (n = 215). The performances of both the newly developed score and the Duke-2002 definition to predict MDRO infection on admission were suboptimal (area under the receiver operating characteric curve, 0.76 and 0.68, respectively).ConclusionsAlthough the term HcAI is frequently used, its definition does not perform well at predicting MDRO infection present on admission to the hospital. A validated score that calculates the risk of MDRO infection on admission is still needed to guide daily practice and improve patient outcomes.

Introduction. Despite the advances in modern anesthesiology, it is impossible to guarantee a safe course of anesthesia, and even with planned surgical interventions, there is a risk of death. At present, there is no unanimity in approaches to assessing perioperative risk, and many systems for determining this risk have not been validated in Russia. The question of the contribution of pre-operative factors to the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome also remains open, which requires large multicenter national studies. Objectives. To assessment the predictive value of preoperative factors in determining the risk of death and complications based on the analysis of data obtained during the first year of the STOPRISK study. Materials and methods. An analysis of data on perioperative indices of 3002 patients operated on the abdominal and pelvic organs from 30 centers in 21 cities of Russia participating in the STOPRISK study is presented. Results. The mortality rate in the study was 0.47 %, the rate of postoperative complications was 3.9 %. Most often, an unfavorable outcome developed after upper abdominal and colorectal surgery. Despite the fact that the severity of surgery and the ASA class are independent predictors of an unfavorable outcome, the use of these parameters allows to predict postoperative mortality (AUROC = 0.85) and (with age) postoperative complications (AUROC = 0.77) with limited accuracy. Conclusions. Thus, the probability of an unfavorable outcome can be estimated using factors such as the severity of surgery and the initial physical status, but their predictive value for determining the risk of mortality is clearly insufficient, and even less is their ability to assess the risk of postoperative complications. As shown by literature data, inclusion in model additional risk factors allows to increase the accuracy of the forecast, however, given the peculiarities of the structure of comorbidities and their impact on outcome in the studied population, we need further evaluation of their contribution to perioperative risk. Also, taking into account the peculiarities of the occurrence of some concomitant diseases, further research is required to identify a significant impact on mortality and postoperative complications.

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) and anemia have been extensively studied in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), yet the precise nature of their reciprocal relationship has not been elucidated in STEMI patients. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 2096 consecutive patients admitted for STEMI between January 2008 and December 2018 and treated with primary coronary intervention. Patients were stratified into four groups according to the presence of baseline anemia and occurrence of AKI: without anemia or AKI, baseline anemia without AKI, AKI without baseline anemia and acute cardiorenal anemia syndrome (CRAS), defined as the occurrence of AKI in patients with baseline anemia. Patients’ medical records were reviewed for in-hospital complications, 30-day and long-term mortality. Results The mean age was 61 ± 13 years and 1682 patients (80%) were men. Ten percent of patients had baseline anemia without AKI, 7% had AKI without baseline anemia and 3% were classified as CRAS. We found increments between the four groups for occurrence of new onset atrial fibrillation and heart failure rates, presence of a critical state, and both 30-day and long-term mortality (P < 0.001 for all). Logistic regression models demonstrated that as compared to AKI alone, CRAS was associated with a higher risk for long-term mortality (HR 10.49; 95% CI 6.5–17.1) as compared to anemia (HR 3.32, 95% CI 2.1–5.2) and AKI (HR 7.71, 95% CI 5.1–11.7) alone (P < 0.001 for all). Conclusions Among STEMI patients, the interaction between anemia and AKI is associated with worse short and long-term outcomes and reflects the reciprocity of cardiac and renal exacerbations.