Article
Immunology
Wandong Hong, Qin Chen, Songzan Qian, Zarrin Basharat, Vincent Zimmer, Yumin Wang, Maddalena Zippi, Jingye Pan
Summary: This study investigated clinical features and laboratory findings between critically ill and non-critically ill COVID-19 pneumonia patients. It was found that older patients with higher interleukin-6 levels were more likely to develop critical illness. Interleukin-6 was identified as a superior predictor of disease severity.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Filipa Loureiro Neves, Mariana Nunes Goncalves Afonso Amaral, Sandra Filomena Duraes da Silva, Isabel Maria Melo Silva, Paula Margarida dos Santos Laranjeira, Carla Regina de Jesus Pinto, Artur Augusto Paiva, Andrea Sofia da Silva Dias, Maria Leonor Almeida Carvalho Vieira Coelho
Summary: Immunoparalysis is associated with poorer outcomes in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) setting. This study aimed to identify the group of patients with higher chances of immunoparalysis and correlate this status with increased risks of nosocomial infection and adverse clinical parameters. The findings suggest that a reduction in classical monocytes HLA-DR expression with lower frequencies of monocytes producing TNF-alpha and IL-6 during the first week of critical illness may serve as a good marker of immunoparalysis, which is associated with an increased risk of nosocomial infection and deleterious outcomes. The increased frequency of non-classical monocytes in patients with sepsis/septic shock is suggestive of a better prognosis.
Article
Microbiology
Olguta Lungu, Ioana Grigoras, Olivia Simona Dorneanu, Catalina Lunca, Teodora Vremera, Stefania Brandusa Copacianu, Iuliu Ivanov, Luminita Smaranda Iancu
Summary: Health care-associated infections are a major cause of inpatient complications, with rapid pathogen detection and identification being a key challenge in sepsis management. Current microbiological identification methods rely on bacterial culture, but have limitations. Gene sequencing research has developed culture-independent techniques for improved etiological diagnosis and outcomes in sepsis.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Scott C. Brakenridge, Uan- Chen, Tyler Loftus, Ricardo Ungaro, Marvin Dirain, Austin Kerr, Luer Zhong, Rhonda Bacher, Petr Starostik, Gabriella Ghita, Uros Midic, Dijoia Darden, Brittany Fenner, James Wacker, Philip A. Efron, Oliver Liesenfeld, Timothy E. Sweeney, Lyle L. Moldawer
Summary: This study developed a novel metric based on whole-blood multivalent host-messenger RNA expression to accurately assess the risk of bacterial infection and 30-day mortality. The performance of this metric was comparable to or better than other commonly used biomarkers and clinical parameters at admission, and it provided additional information over time.
Article
Immunology
Paolo Gaibani, Federica D'Amico, Michele Bartoletti, Donatella Lombardo, Simone Rampelli, Giacomo Fornaro, Simona Coladonato, Antonio Siniscalchi, Maria Carla Re, Pierluigi Viale, Patrizia Brigidi, Silvia Turroni, Maddalena Giannella
Summary: The gut microbiota (GM) of COVID-19 patients showed severe dysbiosis, reduced diversity, loss of health-associated microorganisms, and enrichment of potential pathogens, particularly Enterococcus.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Tobias Lahmer, Gonzalo Batres Baires, Roland M. Schmid, Johannes R. Wiessner, Joerg Ulrich, Maximilian Reichert, Wolfgang Huber, Fritz Soergel, Martina Kinzig, Sebastian Rasch, Ulrich Mayr
Summary: Fungal peritonitis is a life-threatening condition that is challenging to diagnose and treat. Research shows that isavuconazole can penetrate into ascites and may be helpful in managing Candida spp. infections.
Review
Biology
Carmelo Biondo, Elena Ponzo, Angelina Midiri, Giuseppe Bernardo Ostone, Giuseppe Mancuso
Summary: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially serious acute respiratory infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This review aims to assess the incidence of bacterial co-infections and superinfections in patients with COVID-19, highlight the importance of rational antibiotic use, and discuss alternative antimicrobial agents to counter multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Article
Respiratory System
Anno Saris, Tom D. Y. Reijnders, Esther J. Nossent, Alex R. Schuurman, Jan Verhoeff, Saskia van Asten, Hetty Bontkes, Siebe Blok, Janwillem Duitman, Harm-Jan Bogaard, Leo Heunks, Rene Lutter, Tom van der Poll, Juan J. Garcia Vallejo
Summary: The study reveals significant differences in immune responses between the lungs and peripheral blood in severe COVID-19 patients, with a unique local profile in pulmonary immune response. Macrophages and T cells are abundant in the lungs of critically ill patients, and T cell activation levels are associated with disease severity.
Review
Microbiology
Francesca Raffaelli, Eloisa Sofia Tanzarella, Gennaro De Pascale, Mario Tumbarello
Summary: Patients with COVID-19 in the ICU often develop respiratory fungal infections, including CAPA, CAPM, and PCP. Multiple risk factors promote these infections, such as epithelial damage, mechanical ventilation, and immunosuppression. Differentiating between colonization and infection in COVID-19 patients is challenging, and reliable diagnostic approaches are limited. Although several antifungal drugs are available, the development of more effective and less toxic drugs is needed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romain Hernu, Marie Simon, Thomas Baudry, Jean-Sebastien Casalegno, Bruno Lina, Martin Cour, Laurent Argaud
Summary: Despite the increased focus on influenza since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the true burden of influenza-associated critical illness remains poorly understood. Factors influencing the burden of influenza on ICUs were investigated, with severity of the disease identified as a major determinant. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm infections were not significantly associated with longer hospitalization or higher mortality rates, with the SOFA score found to be the only independent factor significantly associated with prolonged hospitalization.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pablo Amend, Patricia Mester, Stephan Schmid, Martina Mueller, Christa Buechler, Vlad Pavel
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association between plasma chemerin levels and underlying diseases as well as causes of severe illness. The results showed that plasma chemerin levels were related to inflammation in patients with liver cirrhosis but not to severe infections and other diseases. This suggests that plasma chemerin may serve as an early biomarker for the diagnosis of Gram-positive infections in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tiziana Gasperetti, Rene Welte, Herbert Oberacher, Jana Marx, Ingo Lorenz, Peter Schellongowski, Thomas Staudinger, Karin Burgmann, Philipp Eller, Tobias Santner, Andrea Griesmacher, Hartwig Pfisterer, Stephan Eschertzhuber, Maria Aigner, Michael Joannidis, Romuald Bellmann
Summary: This study measured the concentrations of echinocandins in wound secretion and plasma of critically ill patients, finding a high inter-individual variability in echinocandin penetration into wound secretion and sub-therapeutic concentrations in some patients. The relevance of sub-therapeutic concentrations remains unknown, but the data suggest the importance of surgical debridement in treating fungal wound infections.
Article
Pediatrics
Mark W. Hall, Joseph A. Carcillo, Timothy Cornell
Summary: This study evaluated the criteria for immune system dysfunction in critically ill children and their associations with adverse outcomes, and developed consensus criteria for the diagnosis of immune system dysfunction in critically ill children.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tung-Lin Tsui, Ya-Ting Huang, Wei-Chih Kan, Mao-Sheng Huang, Min-Yu Lai, Kwo-Chang Ueng, Chih-Chung Shiao
Summary: The study proposed a novel PCT-based score that performs better in detecting sepsis than serum PCT levels alone, C-reactive protein, and infection probability score. The score showed good performance in detecting sepsis in critically ill patients and was validated in an independent cohort.
Article
Immunology
Jiaxing Qiu, Alex N. Zimmet, Taison D. Bell, Shrirang Gadrey, Jackson Brandberg, Samuel Maldonado, Amanda M. Zimmet, Sarah Ratcliffe, Pavel Chernyavskiy, J. Randall Moorman, Gilles Clermont, Teague R. Henry, N. Rich Nguyen, Christopher C. Moore
Summary: This study compared the responses to bloodstream infection (BSI) in critically ill transplant and non-transplant recipients and modified the criteria for transplant recipients. The results showed that both transplant and non-transplant recipients had similar responses to BSI.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Dhruv Sarma, Jacob C. Jentzer
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Gurleen Kaur, David D. Berg
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Leon Zhou, Brandon M. Wiley
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Emily K. Zern, Rachel C. Frank, Evin Yucel
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Damien Smith, Benjamin B. Kenigsberg
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Gozde Demiralp, Robert T. Arrigo, Christopher Cassara, Maryl R. Johnson
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Katie P. Truong, James N. Kirkpatrick
Summary: The increasing use of MCS in advanced heart failure patients has led to a greater need for end-of-life management, including MCS device withdrawal and advance care planning. Preparedness planning and palliative care services are important in ensuring a smooth transition to the end of life. Ethical dilemmas can complicate end-of-life care, and withdrawal/deactivation should follow a set protocol that addresses psychosocial/spiritual needs and patient comfort.
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Brent Klinkhammer, Taya V. Glotzer
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Jacob B. Pierce, Willard N. Applefeld, Balimkiz Senman, Daniel B. Loriaux, Patrick R. Lawler, Jason N. Katz
Summary: Due to the increasing medical complexity of patients, heterogeneity of treatment effects in broad clinical syndromes, and significant competing risks for morbidity and mortality, future clinical trials in the CICU are likely to benefit from innovative approaches to trial design, analysis, and execution, such as incorporating novel trial endpoints, Bayesian analysis strategies, trial networks and clinical registries, adaptive platform trials, and comprehensive research programs. It will be crucial for the authors as a field to articulate priorities for future research and embrace these novel techniques that will ultimately help take better care of patients in the contemporary CICU.
CRITICAL CARE CLINICS
(2024)
