Objective To evaluate risk factors for severe outcomes in patients with seasonal and pandemic influenza.Design Systematic review.

Results: We identified 6 clinical studies (3 RCTs, 1 cohort study and 2 case-control studies) and 23 surrogate exposure studies. In the metaanalysis of the clinical studies, we found no significant difference between N95 respirators and surgical masks in associated risk of (a) Interpretation: Although N95 respirators appeared to have a protective advantage over surgical masks in laboratory settings, our metaanalysis showed that there were insufficient data to determine definitively whether N95 respirators are superior to surgical masks in protecting health care workers against transmissible acute respiratory infections in clinical settings. Abstract

Viral infections are common in adults with pneumonia. Easily transmissible viruses such as influenza, hMPV, and RSV were the most common, raising concerns about infection control. Routine testing for respiratory viruses may be warranted for adults who have been hospitalized with pneumonia.

Microbial populations of the upper respiratory tract in mid-aged adults and the elderly differ; it is possible that these differences contribute to the increased risk of respiratory infections experienced by the elderly.

Little is known about the long-term sequelae of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Therefore, we describe the long-term morbidity and mortality of patients after pneumonia requiring hospitalization. We specifically hypothesized that the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI), designed to predict 30-day pneumonia-related mortality, would also be associated with longer-term all-cause mortality. Between 2000 and 2002, 3415 adults with CAP admitted to 6 hospitals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, were prospectively enrolled in a population-based cohort. At the time of hospital admission, demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected and the PSI was calculated for each patient. Postdischarge outcomes through to 2006 were ascertained using multiple linked administrative databases. Outcomes included all-cause mortality, hospital admissions, and re-hospitalization for pneumonia over a maximum of 5.4 years of follow-up. Follow-up data were available for 3284 (96%) patients; 66%were > or =65 years of age, 53% were male, and according to the PSI fully 63% were predicted to have greater than 18% 30-day pneumonia-related mortality (that is, PSI class IV-V). Median follow-up was 3.8 years. The 30-day, 1-year, and end of study mortality rates were 12%, 28%, and 53%, respectively. Overall, 82(19%) patients aged <45 years died compared with 1456 (67%) patients aged > or =65 years (hazard ratio [HR], 5.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.06-6.34). Male patients were more likely to die than female patients during follow-up (971 [56%] vs. 767 [49%], respectively; HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.13-1.37). Initial PSI classification predicted not only 30-day mortality, but also long-term postdischarge mortality, with 92 (15%) of PSI class I-II patients dying compared with 616 (82%) PSI class V patients (HR, 11.80; 95% CI, 4.70-14.70). Of 2950 patients who survived the initial CAP hospitalization, 72% were hospitalized again (median, 2 admissions over follow-up) and 16% were re-hospitalized with pneumonia. In conclusion, long-term morbidity and mortality are high following hospitalization for pneumonia and are strongly correlated with initial PSI class. This suggests that patients with pneumonia, especially those with PSI class IV and V at admission, might need better attention paid to preventive strategies and much closer follow-up due to their elevated risk of subsequent adverse events and increased health resource utilization.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells are increased with age and elevated in donors with a history of cancer; an age-related effect has never been shown in humans.

BACKGROUNDPrior data suggest that vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) bacteremia is associated with worse outcomes than vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus (VSE) bacteremia. However, many studies evaluating such outcomes were conducted prior to the availability of effective VRE therapies.OBJECTIVETo systematically review VRE and VSE bacteremia outcomes among hospital patients in the era of effective VRE therapy.METHODSElectronic databases and grey literature published between January 1997 and December 2014 were searched to identify all primary research studies comparing outcomes of VRE and VSE bacteremias among hospital patients, following the availability of effective VRE therapies. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality, while total hospital length of stay (LOS) was a secondary outcome. All meta-analyses were conducted in Review Manager 5.3 using random-effects, inverse variance modeling.RESULTSAmong all the studies reviewed, 12 cohort studies and 1 case control study met inclusion criteria. Similar study designs were combined in meta-analyses for mortality and LOS. VRE bacteremia was associated with increased mortality compared with VSE bacteremia among cohort studies (odds ratio [OR], 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38–2.35; I2=0%; n=11); the case-control study estimate was similar, but not significant (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 0.97–3.82). LOS was greater for VRE bacteremia patients than for VSE bacteremia patients (mean difference, 5.01 days; 95% CI, 0.58–9.44]; I2=0%; n=5).CONCLUSIONSDespite the availability of effective VRE therapy, VRE bacteremia remains associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality and LOS when compared to VSE bacteremia.Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;37(1):26–35

NCT01517191.