Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Tezepelumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin, an epithelial-cell-derived cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. It was approved by the United States Federal Drug Administration (US FDA) as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients with severe uncontrolled asthma in December 2021. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the safety and efficacy of tezepelumab on forced expiratory volume (FEV₁) (L), the rate of asthma exacerbations, health-related quality of life, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) (ppb), and blood eosinophil count (cells/mL) in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma. Mean changes for efficacy and proportions (safety) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to provide pooled estimates. A total of six randomized controlled trials comprising 2667 patients were included, of whom 1610 were treated with tezepelumab and 1057 received placebo. The pooled analysis showed that tezepelumab treatment resulted in an improvement in FEV₁ of 0.15 L (95% CI: 0.12 to 0.17), a reduction in the asthma exacerbation rate per year of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.51 to 0.70), and a reduction in FeNO of − 12.41 ppb (95% CI: − 14.28 to − 10.53) when compared to placebo. Improvements in FEV₁ and FeNO levels were maintained at 24 and 52 weeks. As for safety, patients did not experience a higher incidence of adverse drug reactions with tezepelumab (0.79 (95% CI: 0.55 to 1.12)) as compared to placebo. As for quality of life, different doses of the tezepelumab intervention group depicted non-significant improvement in the QoL, from 0.15 (95% CI: − 0.09 to 0.38) for 70 mg, 0.18 (95% CI: − 0.10 to 0.46) for 210 mg, 0.08 (95% CI: − 0.16 to 0.32) for 280 mg as compared to the placebo. Tezepelumab significantly reduced exacerbation rates and improved FEV₁ with an acceptable safety profile.

Antimicrobial resistance is continuously increasing. Adding tazobactam to ceftolozane improves the latter's activity spectrum against resistant strains. We aimed to determine the susceptibility of recently collected bacterial isolates to ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) and other antibiotics. This was a prospective cohort study conducted between March 2017 and March 2018. The in-vitro activities of C/T and 14 other antibiotics were assessed against 192 gram-negative bacterial (GNB) isolates (P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, E. coli, and other Enterobacterales) prospectively collected from two hospitals in Saudi arabia; in the laboratories of the International Health Management Associates Inc. Samples were obtained from intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICU locations. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the antibiotics were determined by broth microdilution. Isolates were obtained from different infection sites [urine (31.8%), urinary bladder samples (15.1%), abscess/pus (20.3%), endotracheal aspirates (18.8%)]. Our sample showed substantial drug resistance; 66.1% of the collected isolates showed either multiple or extensive drug resistance. Susceptibility rates of P. aeruginosa (n = 50), E.coli (n = 40), K. pneumoniae (n = 64) and other Enterobacterales (n = 38) to C/T were 74%, 87.5%, 48.4% and 71.1%, respectively. According to MIC50 values (1 µg/mL for both P. aeruginosa and other Enterobacterales, 0.5 µg/mL for E.coli, and 4 µg/mL for K. pneumoniae), C/T was among the most potent antibiotics against these isolates. C/T displayed high potency against all examined bacterial isolates. It was mainly active against E.coli followed by P.aeruginosa and other Enterobacterales and its lowest susceptibility rate was reported against K. pneumoniae.

The prone positioning of patients experiencing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been proven effective in optimizing oxygenation and lung function. However, such patients may be at risk of developing complications due to the prolonged prone position in intensive critical care. A 45-year-old COVID-19 female, not known with cervical spine disease, presented with progressive severe COVID-19-related hypoxemia that required intensive care unit admission for pulmonary care. She was positioned prone and ventilated for several weeks. She developed a rapidly advanced decreased level of consciousness and flaccid quadriparesis. CT and MRI scans of the cervical spine revealed C4/C5 fracture-dislocation with spinal cord compression in asymptomatic ankylosing spondylitis and focal ossification of a posterior longitudinal ligament. In addition, the patient had severe ARDS-SARS-CoV-2 hemodynamic instability. Surgery was not performed due to her critical condition, and the patient died from multi-organ failure. Patients with underlying cervical spine disease or deformity can be subjected to hyperextension and develop fatigue (stress) spinal fracture, leading to spinal cord compression. To our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous cervical spine fracture dislocation in a COVID-19 patient after several weeks in prone position ventilation in ICU. Hence, our case report raises the awareness of the possibility of devastating spinal cord injuries in prone position ventilation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for early screening using plain X-rays of these patients for cervical spine disease.

Aims and objectives: Despite thromboprophylaxis, some severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients develop thrombotic complications with poor prognosis. Our goal is to comprehensively assess the incidence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes associated with thromboembolic events (TE) among adult patients presenting with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).Materials and methods:The study was conducted as an observational and retrospective study across COVID-19 patients (n = 207) in a tertiary care hospital in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Electronic health records were collected from the COVID-19 Database from April 2020 to December 2020 which included clinical history and TE.Results: Fifty-six (27.05%) out of 207 patients (age: 54.42 +/- 15.01 years) developed TE despite the anticoagulant therapy. The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was significantly higher for patients aged >50 years compared to <50 years (73.21% vs 26.79%, p < 0.05). There were no differences in the incidence of VTE between genders (p = 0.561). 165 patients (79.71%) received anticoagulant therapy, yet 48 (29%) developed TE. The most commonly used anticoagulant was low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH, 47.34%). In spite of efficient treatment and medical management, the majority of patients with TE (45 out of 56 patients, 80.35%) experienced mortality. The comorbidities that significantly increase the risk of TE include hypertension (HTN) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). The laboratory parameters that were associated with an increased risk of VTE include ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatinine. Conclusion: The COVID-19 patients develop thrombotic complications. Future studies should clarify the underlying mechanisms of TE and optimize the antithrombotic regimens in COVID-19 patients.