The problems of urinary tract infections with Candida spp. aetiology in women

Clinical evaluation of the perception of post-trauma paresthesia in the mandible, using a biomimetic material: A preliminary study in humans

There is a great effort from numerous research groups in the development of materials and therapeutic strategies for the functional recovery of patients who have suffered peripheral nerve injuries (PNI). In an article in vivo, the formation of a nerve bridge was observed, reconnecting the distal and proximal stumps, in the sciatic nerve of rats, indicating the effective participation of the biomaterial in the recovery of peripheral nerve injuries. For the current pilot study, 15 cases of multiple fractures of the mandible, with involvement of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) were selected and studied: JC (control cases) n = 6 with conventional treatment, and JT (treated cases) n = 9, with the use of biomimetic biomaterial. The evaluation of the return to sensitivity was measured through a self-assessment, where the patients assigned scores from 0 to 10, where zero (0) represented the complete absence of sensitivity and ten (10) the normality of the perception of local sensitivity. Patients were evaluated from the preoperative period to the 360th day. The statistical results obtained by the t-Student, Shapiro-Wilk normality and non-parametric One-Way ANOVA tests indicated statistically significant differences (p < 0.005; 0.005 e 0.5 respectively), between the two treatments, which were reflected in the clinical results observed, we also calculate the size of the effect represented by ϵ², calculated by Cohen's d. The results indicate a great difference between the treatments performed,ϵ² = 1.00. In the 6 cases followed up in the JC group, four remained with a significant deficit until the end of the evaluations and two indicated the remission of the lack of sensitivity in this period. In the JT group, in 28 days, all cases indicated complete remission of the lack of sensitivity with healing concentration. In one of the cases where there was a complete rupture of the mental nerve, the (score-10) was observed in 60 days. The observed results indicate the existence of a statistical significance between the groups and an important relationship when using the biomimetic biomaterial during the recovery of the perception of sensitivity in polytraumatized patients, compatible with the results observed in laboratory animals, which may indicate its clinical feasibility in the reduction of sequelae in PNI.

Candiduria-Study of Virulence Factors and Its Antifungal Susceptibility Pattern in Tertiary Care Hospital

Background The increased incidence of candiduria in hospitalized patients is due to the use of indwelling devices, long-term antibiotics, parenteral nutrition, and immunocompromised status of the patient. In this study, an attempt was made to speciate, characterize, and determine the antifungal susceptibility pattern of Candida isolated from urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Materials and Methods A total of 70 Candida isolates were obtained from urine samples. The isolated Candida species were studied for the production of virulence factors like phospholipase, protease activities, hemolysin, and biofilm production. Antifungal susceptibility testing of the isolated yeasts was done using Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with 0.5 mg/mL methylene blue by E-test method for amphotericin B, fluconazole, caspofungin, and voriconazole.

Results Out of 70 isolates, Candida tropicalis was the most frequently isolated species (65.7%), followed by Candida albicans (14.3%), Candida glabrata (7.1%), Candida krusei (5.7%), Candida parapsilosis (4.3%), and Candida dubliniensis (2.9%). A total of 37.1% were biofilm producers, 62.9% showed proteinase activity, 38.6% were phospholipase positive, and 58.6% isolates showed hemolytic activity. Antifungal susceptibility profile of Candida species showed 38.6, 25.7, 15.7, and 12.9% resistance to amphotericin B, fluconazole, caspofungin, and voriconazole, respectively.

Conclusion A rising trend in isolation of non-albicans Candida from urinary isolates was noticed, which was statistically significant when comparing catheterized and noncatheterized urinary isolates from our study. However, there was no statistically significant difference when different virulence factor expressions were compared among Candida spp. isolated from catheterized and noncatheterized urinary samples. Due to this rise in non-albicans Candida species causing UTI that are intrinsically resistant to certain antifungal agents like azoles and increasing incidence of antifungal resistance, it is essential to monitor the antifungal susceptibility profile of Candida species causing candiduria.

Spectrum of uropathogens and their susceptibility to antimicrobials in pregnant women: a retrospective analysis of 5-year hospital data

OBJECTIVE

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common during pregnancy. Identification of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of microorganisms in pregnant women is important to select the most appropriate antimicrobial. We assessed common uropathogens in pregnant women with UTI and antimicrobial susceptibility, to guide empirical antibiotic selection.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, we analyzed mid-stream urine culture and antibiotic susceptibility data from pregnant women who attended Jordan University Hospital during 2014 to 2018. Data were collected from patients' charts and urine cultures, and sensitivity results were extracted from the laboratory electronic system. We calculated descriptive statistics and determined correlations among pathogens and antibiotics.

RESULTS

We examined 612 positive urine cultures from 559 pregnant women, including 163 (29.2%) inpatients. Escherichia coli (29.4%) was the most frequently identified microorganism, followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (21.6%). All bacterial isolates were sensitive to aztreonam, chloramphenicol, fosfomycin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, piperacillin, and colistin sulfate; 87.5% were sensitive to amikacin. Only 15.79%, 18.93%, and 17.91% were sensitive to oxacillin, nalidixic acid, and erythromycin, respectively.

CONCLUSION

E. coli and CoNS were the most commonly identified microorganisms in this study. We found increased antibiotic resistance in Enterobacter species. The chosen antimicrobial therapy in pregnancy should be determined by sensitivity/resistance and fetomaternal safety.

Urinary tract infections and Candida albicans

Introduction

Urinary tract candidiasis is known as the most frequent nosocomial fungal infection worldwide. Candida albicans is the most common cause of nosocomial fungal urinary tract infections; however, a rapid change in the distribution of Candida species is undergoing. Simultaneously, the increase of urinary tract candidiasis has led to the appearance of antifungal resistant Candida species. In this review, we have an in depth look into Candida albicans uropathogenesis and distribution of the three most frequent Candida species contributing to urinary tract candidiasis in different countries around the world.

Material and methods

For writing this review, Google Scholar –a scholarly search engine– (http://scholar.google.com/) and PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) were used. The most recently published original articles and reviews of literature relating to the first three Candida species causing urinary tract infections in different countries and the pathogenicity of Candida albicans were selected and studied.

Results

Although some studies show rapid changes in the uropathogenesis of Candida species causing urinary tract infections in some countries, Candida albicans is still the most important cause of candidal urinary tract infections.

Conclusions

Despite the ranking of Candida albicans as the dominant species for urinary tract candidiasis, specific changes have occurred in some countries. At this time, it is important to continue the surveillance related to Candida species causing urinary tract infections to prevent, control and treat urinary tract candidiasis in future.