Bacterial infections are frequent complications in cancer patients. Among them, those caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria increase morbidity and mortality mainly because of limited therapeutic options. Current knowledge regarding MDR infections in patients with solid tumors is limited. We assessed the epidemiology and risk factors of increased mortality in these patients. In this retrospective five-year single cohort observational study, we included all oncological patients with MDR infections. Cancer-related parameters, comorbidities, prior use of antibiotics, previous surgical interventions and hospitalization, as well as the use of invasive procedures were investigated as potential risk factors causing adverse outcomes. Seventy-three patients with MDR infection were included: 37% with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, 24% with oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 21% with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanni. Previous colonization with MDR bacteria was detected in 14% patients, while 20% of the patients presented MDR colonization or infection at ward admission. Mortality during the infection episode was 32%. Duration of hospitalization and CRP were statistically significant risk factors of mortality, whereas administration of guided antibiotics was a protective factor. Knowledge of local epidemiology of MDR bacteria can help physicians promptly identify cancer patients at risk of MDR infections and initiate timely effective empirical antibiotic treatment that can eventually improve the overall therapeutic management.

Sleep apnea is associated with cardiovascular risk, work productivity, occupational/traffic accidents, and quality-of-life (QoL); however uncertainty exists regarding optimal treatment. We performed a systematic review on the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for adults with sleep apnea. We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Virtual-Health-Library and Web-of-Science through June 2023 for parallel/cross-over randomized trials on adults with sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea-index>5 events/hour). Study selection, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment were performed in duplicate, followed by frequentist network meta-analyses. Ultimately, 197 unique trials were included (15,931 patients; mean age 51.4 years; 78.9 % male) assessing 25 treatments. Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) (alone or combined with health behaviour modification) consistently improved more apnea-hypopnea-index or daytime sleepiness and physical/mental QoL in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients compared to all other interventions but was not always well-tolerated. Mandibular advancement devices (MAD) yielded the greatest improvement in depression, while also improving objective/subjective apnea-outcomes, and physical/mental QoL-albeit less than PAP and less for moderate/severe cases. Acupuncture, health behaviour modifications, surgical maxillomandibular advancement, minor oral surgery, oropharyngeal training, oxygen supplementation, or electrical neurostimulation might improve apnea-related outcomes, but weak evidence exists. Finally, electrical neurostimulation performed best for central sleep apnea and PAP performed best for positional OSA. Confidence in the network meta-analysis estimates was low due to non-adherence issues that was rarely directly assessed in included trials with objective measures. PAP (alone or with co-interventions) performed best for the treatment of adult OSA patients regardless of disease severity. For patients not tolerating PAP, MADs might be a good alternative, but confer smaller improvements overall. However, adherence issues and the heterogenous response increase the complexity of OSA treatment.

Background: we designed a prospective study of diagnostic accuracy that compared pelvic MRI and 3D-EAUS with pelvic MRI alone in the preoperative evaluation and postoperative outcomes of patients with perianal fistulas. Methods: the sample size was 72 patients and this was divided into two imaging groups. MRI alone was performed on the first group. Both MRI and 3D-EAUS were performed in parallel on the second group. Surgical exploration took place after two weeks and was the standard reference. Park’s classification, the presence of a concomitant abscess or a secondary tract, and the location of the internal opening were recorded. All patients were re-evaluated for complete fistula healing and fecal incontinence six months postoperatively. All of the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: the MRI group included 36 patients with 42 fistulas. The MRI + 3D-EAUS group included 36 patients with 46 fistulas. The adjusted sensitivity and negative predictive value were 1.00 for most fistula types in the group that underwent combined imaging. The adjusted specificity improved for intersphincteric fistulas in the same group. The adjusted balanced accuracy improved for all fistula types except rectovaginal. The combination of imaging methods showed improved diagnostic accuracy only in the detection of a secondary tract. The healing rate at six months was 100%. Fecal incontinence at six months did not present a statistically significant difference between the two groups (Fisher’s exact test p-value > 0.9). Patients with complex perianal fistulas had a statistically significant higher probability of undergoing a second surgery (x² test p-value = 0.019). Conclusions: the combination of pelvic MRI and 3D-EAUS showed improved metrics of diagnostic accuracy and should be used in the preoperative evaluation of all patients with perianal fistulas, especially those with complex types.

Introduction Hypocapnia may be one of the several factors predefining the need for intubation of patients needing hospitalization for COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods A retrospective evaluation of patient files hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia from October 2020 until January 2021. Univariate and multivariate regression was used, as well as a multinomial regression to account for multiple endpoints (discharge, intubation, death). Results Hypocapnia was strongly associated with intubation (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.97). Additionally, last pCO2 (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.16), baseline FiO2 (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.07) as well as last FiO2 (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.46), total severity score on admission (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.37) and last pO2 (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85, 0.92) were found to have a significant impact on intubation. Incorporation of deceased patients withheld the negative association with pCO2 levels (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.98). Conclusion The dissociation between respiratory failure and a clinically comfortable patient is partly due to decreased carbon dioxide levels and clinicians should bare it in mind when handling patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Hypocapnia seems to be a determinant factor of intubation in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in this study.