Assessment of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae-plate formula and quality control procedure.

AIMS: To assess a cost-effective in-house selective plate formula for actively screening carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: The in-house formula included CHROMagarTM Orientation, meropenem, and ingredients present in the Mac-Conkey formula, such as bile salts and crystal violet (pH 6.9-7.2). American Type Culture Collection strains and 200 clinical strains were used to validate the plate formula. The CRE plates had a sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 98.8% with ATCC andor clinical strains used in the quality control procedure. A point prevalence survey among the 18 inpatients at Viet-Tiep hospital ICU using fecal swabs plated at the in-house agar plate showed a CRE prevalence of 44.4%. CONCLUSION: The in-house plate had high sensitivity and specificity, particularly for Escherichia coli and the KESC group (Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Serratia marscescens, and Citrobacter spp.), and it may be widely applied as an alternative to other ready-to-use commercial plates. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The formula developed in the present study may facilitate the early detection and isolation of CRE and decrease transmission, particularly in low- and middle-income countries with a high rate of CRE colonization and limited access to ready-to-use commercial plates.

Current Use of Imaging after Primary Treatment of Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE: Data are limited on imaging after primary treatment of localized prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 8,435 men newly diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer in 1995 to 2012 who were enrolled in CaPSURE™. Patients were followed after primary treatment with radical prostatectomy, cryosurgery, brachytherapy, external beam radiation therapy or androgen deprivation therapy. We assessed the use of bone scan, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging after primary treatment. Factors associated with posttreatment outcomes (number of imaging tests, and time to first imaging and salvage treatment) were evaluated with multivariate Poisson regression and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: The incidence of posttreatment bone scan, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging was 20% or less. Last posttreatment log(prostate specific antigen) was associated with multiple posttreatment imaging. Management by radical prostatectomy, cryosurgery, external beam radiation therapy or brachytherapy vs androgen deprivation therapy was associated with a lower likelihood of posttreatment imaging. Of patients who were imaged after treatment 25% with radical prostatectomy and 9% with radiation underwent imaging before prostate specific antigen failure. The 5-year salvage treatment-free survival rate was 81%. Positive findings on posttreatment imaging were associated with a higher risk of salvage treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy for localized disease were most likely to be imaged, primarily by bone scan. Men treated with other therapies were less likely to be imaged and tended to undergo computerized tomography. Imaging may add value to posttreatment prostate specific antigen monitoring to identify disease recurrence and progression. Further studies are needed to establish guidelines for the optimal frequency and imaging type to monitor the treatment response.

Relative renal function does not improve after relieving chronic renal obstruction.

UNLABELLED: Study Type - Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Technetium-99m MAG3 renography can be used to quantify relative renal function (RRF). Deterioration of renal function occurs with chronic obstruction. Small studies have previously shown that RRF is not improved in adult patients after pyeloplasty. Some studies have suggested that patients with higher preoperative RRF are more likely to improve. To our knowledge, these data represent the largest review of cases related to this subject. This study verifies past studies' assertions that RRF does not improve after relief of chronic renal obstruction. Using multivariable analysis, we identify lower age and lower preoperative RRF as predictors of >7% improvement in RRF. These data suggest that the aim of relieving obstruction should be to maintain RRF and alleviate symptoms, but not to seek improvement in overall renal function. OBJECTIVE: To determine the change in relative renal function (RRF) after relief of chronic obstruction in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified 85 adult patients who underwent scintigraphic diuretic renography before and after an intervention to relieve chronic unilateral renal obstruction. Patients were stratified into groups of low (<20%), medium (20-40%) and high (>40%) preoperative RRF in the obstructed kidney. Each group was assessed for change in RRF after relief of obstruction. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine whether age and pre-procedural RRF predicted a >7% improvement in RRF, controlling for medical comorbidities and type of obstruction. RESULTS: The mean (sd) patient age was 43.6 (16.8) years and 66% of patients were female. The mean (sd) pre- and postoperative RRF values were not significantly different (37.6 [12.3] % vs 38.4 [13.6] %; P = 0.31). Patients stratified by low, medium and high preoperative function showed no significant change in postoperative RRF (P = 0.53, 0.39 and 0.77, respectively). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-0.98) and lower preoperative RRF (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.97) predicted improvement in RRF of >7%, after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: RRF does not significantly increase after relief of chronic obstruction. The goals of relieving chronic renal obstruction should be to maintain renal function and relieve symptoms, but not to regain renal function.

Urinary parameters as predictors of primary hyperparathyroidism in patients with nephrolithiasis.

PURPOSE: Serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels are the primary means of evaluating patients for hyperparathyroidism. Whether there are differences in urinary parameters between stone formers with and those without hyperparathyroidism is controversial. In this study we identify urinary parameters that predict primary hyperparathyroidism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2001 to 2010 a total of 1,190 adult, noncystine stone forming patients underwent urinary metabolic stone evaluation. Of these patients 34 (3%) underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Urinary parameters were evaluated as predictors of primary hyperparathyroidism. The most accurate combination of serum and urinary tests and their cutoffs were determined. RESULTS: Stone forming patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were more likely to be women and had higher urinary calcium excretion. Hypercalciuria (aOR 4.38), supersaturation calcium oxalate greater than 10 (aOR 4.27), supersaturation calcium phosphate greater than 2 (aOR 3.64), calcium per kg greater than 4 mg/kg (aOR 8.03) and calcium-to-creatinine ratio greater than 150 mg/gm (aOR 7.07) were significant predictors of primary hyperparathyroidism in separate multivariate models after adjustment. The best accuracy was determined using serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels with our laboratory cutoffs (AUC 0.984) with a sensitivity of 87%, specificity of 99%, positive predictive value of 79% and negative predictive value of 99.5%. No other factor(s) improved diagnostic accuracy or could replace parathyroid hormone level. CONCLUSIONS: Greater urinary calcium excretion predicted primary hyperparathyroidism. Serum calcium with parathyroid hormone level was the most accurate test for primary hyperparathyroidism. No other serum or urinary parameter improved diagnostic accuracy or could replace parathyroid hormone. There were no obvious cutoffs for any of the urinary parameters that reliably differentiated cases of hyperparathyroidism.

Differences in metabolic urinary abnormalities in stone forming and nonstone forming patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

BACKGROUND: Hyperparathyroidism is associated with hypercalciuria and nephrolithiasis. Urine calcium excretion decreases after parathyroidectomy, but whether there is a differential decrease between stone and nonstone formers remains controversial. We evaluated differences between stone formers and non-stone formers in serum and urinary parameters before and after parathyroidectomy. METHODS: 90 patients, 40 with and 50 without a history of nephrolithiasis underwent parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism; 24-hour urine samples were collected before and after parathyroidectomy. Overall, 92% of patients provided samples before parathyroidectomy and 63% after parathyroidectomy. Preoperative, postoperative and changes in urinary parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Preoperative hypercalciuria was present in ∼65% in both groups (P = .68). Parathyroidectomy decreased serum levels of calcium, parathyroid hormone, and urinary calcium, but there were no differences between stone formers and nonstone formers. Stone formers were 12-fold (P = .001) more likely to resolve an increase in supersaturation of calcium oxalate (SSCaOx), and after adjustment for age, sex, and BMI were 46-fold (P = .002) more likely to resolve an increase in SSCaOx. After parathyroidectomy, the rate of stone recurrence was 23% and male sex (aOR 20, P = .032) and increasing BMI (aOR 1.23, P = .038) were the only independent predictors of stone recurrence after adjusting for age. No other factor evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively, or the change after parathyroidectomy differentiated stone and nonstone formers or predicted stone recurrence. CONCLUSION: Metabolic evaluation did not differentiate stone formers from nonstone formers reliably. Stone formers were more likely to resolve an increase in SSCaOx after parathyroidectomy. Male sex and increasing BMI were independently associated with stone recurrence after parathyroidectomy.