[Bacteriophages in complex treatment of septic diseases of the hand]. / Ispol'zovanie lekarstvennykh preparatov bakteriofagov v kompleksnom lechenii gnoinykh zabolevanii kisti.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of bacteriophages in complex surgical treatment of septic diseases of the hand. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed treatment outcomes in 111 patients with septic diseases of the hand (septic arthritis, tendovaginitis, phlegmon). Surgical treatment was finished by primary sutures and drainage. They were divided into two groups. Bacteriophages were used in the main group. Other components of treatment were identical. «Pyobacteriophage complex¼ was injected into drainage tubes during dressings. Effectiveness of treatment was evaluated considering elimination of septic process, bacterial flora and healing of surgical wound. In addition, we performed in vitro testing of microorganisms for sensitivity to Pyobacteriophage. RESULTS: Staphylococcus and Streptococcus genus prevailed in hand infections. Pasteurella multocida has been isolated after pet bites. Growth of microflora in drainage tubes was observed in 16.7% and 21.1% of cases, respectively (p=0.02). Wound healing via primary intention was found in 83.6% and 71.4%, respectively (p=0.03). When testing in vitro, we observed lysis of cultures of Staphylococcus aureus in 83.6% of cases, Streptococcus pyogenes - in 33.3% of cases. CONCLUSION: «Pyobacteriophage complex¼ was effective for septic diseases of the hand. However, its partial lytic activity against the most common pathogens makes it advisable to combine phages and antibiotic therapy. Systematic renewal of phages is important due to widespread resistance of bacteria.

Identification of risk factors and development of a predictive model for bloodstream infection in intensive care unit COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors for nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19 and to build a predictive model for BSIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The retrospective case-control study included 236 ICU COVID-19 patients with BSIs group and 234 patients in the control group. Demographic and laboratory data, comorbidities, drug use, invasive procedures and identified pathogens were recorded separately for patients directly admitted and transferred to ICU. Fine and Gray's multi-variate competing risk model was used to build a predictive model for patients transferred to ICU. RESULTS: The risk factors were: interleukin inhibitors (HR = 6.1 (95% CI: 2.0-18.5)) and dexamethasone (HR = 3.0 (95% CI: 1.3-7.1)) use in previous hospitalization, glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (HR = 4.0 (95% CI: 2.1-7.6)) and blood glucose >9 mmol/L (HR = 2.5 (95% CI: 1.4-4.6)) in patients directly admitted to ICU; and dexamethasone use in previous hospitalization (HR = 4.5 (95% CI: 1.8-11)), the total dexamethasone dose before transfer to ICU (HR = 1.2 (95% CI: 1.06-1.37)), diabetes mellitus (HR = 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1-1.9)), alanine transaminase (ALT) ≥35.5 U/L on hospital admission (HR = 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1-2.1)), and the use of low-flow oxygen versus high-flow oxygen therapy or non-invasive mechanical ventilation on admission to ICU ((HR = 2.7 (95% CI: 5.6-11.1)) in patients transferred to ICU. A predictive model had sensitivity of 63-73% and specificity of 71-83% at different times of ICU stay. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may help clinicians detect patients at high risk of developing BSIs.

[Clinical efficacy of the antimicrobial drug furamag in nosocomial urinary tract infections].

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of the combined drug furamag (furasidine potassium and magnesium hydroxycarbonate) in combination with the third-generation cephalosporin cefotaxime versus cephalosporin monotherapy for nosocomial urinary tract infections (NUTI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The randomized open-label comparative parallel group clinical trial enrolled 52 male and female patients aged over 18 years with a documented diagnosis of NUTI. Group 1 (a study group) took oral furamag 300 mg/day in combination with intravenous cefotaxime 6 g/day; Group 2 (a control group) received cefotaxime monotherapy. The duration of therapy in both groups was 7 to 10 days until the efficiency levels were achieved. RESULTS: A final efficiency analysis was made in 24 and 25 patients from Groups 1 and 2 who had different forms of NUTI (catheter-associated NUTI, cystitis, pyelonephritis). On day 3 of treatment, most patients were noted to have a decreased systemic inflammatory response; lower C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels being in the study group patients. The clinical efficiency of antibacterial therapy, which had been evaluated both immediately after treatment termination and during further control, did not substantially differ in the furamag/cefotaxime combination and control groups although there was an obvious tendency towards the more marked effect of combined therapy 7-14 days after treatment (11.8% efficiency differences; p>0.05). Analysis of bacteriological efficacy revealed its most pronounced and clinically significant differences between the groups: the cefotaxime/furamag combination led to higher pathogen eradication in all follow-up periods: after 3 days of treatment (82.6%) and following a complete therapy cycle (95.8%) versus the cefotaxime monotherapy group (43.5 and 70.8%, respectively; p<0.01). Microbiological results showed that the major NUTI pathogens (Escherichia coli, enterococci) were more susceptible to potassium furasidine (furamag) versus cefotaxime. The in vitro higher activity of furamag versus cefotaxime was attended by the significantly higher eradication of one of the two important NUTI pathogens - Enterococcus faecalis. CONCLUSION: Furamag used in combination with the third-generation cephalosporin cefotaxime showed a higher bacteriological efficacy and a rapider reduction in the symptoms of a systemic inflammatory response in patients with NUTI. On the basis of the findings, the above combination of furamag and cefotaxime may be recommended as first-line therapy for NUTI when multidrug- resistant nosocomial infection pathogens are widely distributed now.

[Degradation of purines in leukocytes in acute nonlymphoblastic leukemias]. / O degradatsii purinov v leikotsitakh pri ostrykh nelimfoblastnykh leikozakh.

Activities of the enzymes, responsible for degradation of purine nucleotides in leukocytes, were distinctly dissimilar in M1, M2, M4 and M6 variants of acute non-lymphoblastic leukosis studied in 34 patients. Differentiation of leukemic cells was shown to be due to alterations in activity of adenosine deaminase and purine nucleoside phosphorylase, which were oppositely directed as compared with those observed in lymphoblasts under conditions of acute lymphoblast leukosis. Evaluation of activities of adenosine deaminase, purine nucleoside phosphorylase and 5'-nucleotidase is of importance for characteristics of individual variants of acute non-lymphoblastic leukosis and for elucidation of the state of leukemic clone differentiation, which may affect the efficiency of the therapeutic measures used.