Adequate antiviral treatment lowers overall complications of cytomegalovirus colitis among inpatients with inflammatory bowel diseases

BACKGROUND

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis significantly complicates the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), frequently leading to severe flare-ups and poor outcomes. The role of antiviral therapy in hospitalized IBD patients with CMV colitis is currently under debate. This retrospective analysis seeks to clarify the influence of antiviral treatment on these patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed IBD patients diagnosed with CMV colitis via immunohistochemistry staining from colonic biopsies at a major tertiary center from January 2000 to May 2021. The study focused on patient demographics, clinical features, risk factors, prognostic indicators, and antiviral treatment outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 118 inpatients, 42 had CMV colitis. Risk factors included hypoalbuminemia and antibiotic use. IBD patients with CMV colitis receiving < 14 days of antiviral therapy had higher complication (72% vs. 43%, p = 0.028) and surgery rates (56% vs. 26%, p = 0.017) compared to those without CMV. Adequate antiviral therapy (≥ 14 days) significantly reduced complications in the CMV group (29% vs. 72%, p = 0.006), especially in Crohn's disease (20% vs. 100%, p = 0.015). Independent predictors of IBD-related complications were CMV colitis (Odds Ratio [OR] 3.532, 90% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.012-12.331, p = 0.048), biological treatment failure (OR 4.953, 95% CI 1.91-12.842, p = 0.001), and adequate antiviral therapy (OR 0.108, 95% CI 0.023-0.512, p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

CMV colitis and a history of biological treatment failure increase complication risks in IBD patients. Adequate antiviral therapy significantly mitigates these risks, highlighting its importance in managing IBD patients with CMV colitis.

Dispersion multiplexing with broadband filtering for miniature spectrometers

We replace the traditional grating used in a dispersive spectrometer with a multiplex holographic grating to increase the spectral range sensed by the instrument. The multiplexed grating allows us to measure three different, overlapping spectral bands on a color digital focal plane. The detector's broadband color filters, along with a computational inversion algorithm, let us disambiguate measurements made from the three bands. The overlapping spectral bands allow us to measure a greater spectral bandwidth than a traditional spectrometer with the same sized detector. Additionally, our spectrometer uses a static coded aperture mask in the place of a slit. The aperture mask allows increased light throughput, offsetting the photon loss at the broadband filters. We present our proof-of-concept dispersion multiplexing spectrometer design with experimental measurements to verify its operation.

Optimal conditions for thermal fixing of volume holograms in Fe:LiNbO3 crystals

We analyze and compare two typical recording and thermal fixing procedures of a volume hologram in a Fe:LiNbO(3) crystal (low-high-low procedure and high-low procedure). We consider the kinetics of the recording, compensating, and developing processes by taking into account the ratio of the conductivities between the protons and the electrons as a function of temperature. From the analysis the optimal environmental conditions (in terms of the fixing temperature and the compensation time) for each fixing procedure can be deduced for a crystal with given material parameters.

Smoking, health knowledge, and anti-smoking campaigns: an empirical study in Taiwan

This paper uses a measure of health knowledge of smoking hazards to investigate the determinants of health knowledge and its effect on smoking behavior. In our analysis, two equations are estimated: smoking participation and health knowledge. The simultaneity problem in estimating smoking behavior and health knowledge is also considered. Overall, the estimated results suggest that anti-smoking campaigns have a significantly positive effect on the public's health knowledge, and this health knowledge in turn, has a significantly negative effect on smoking participation. The health knowledge elasticities of smoking participation are -0.48 and -0.56 for all adults and adult males, respectively.

Vancomycin treatment of bacteremia caused by oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: comparison with beta-lactam antibiotic treatment of bacteremia caused by oxacillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus

The epidemiology and therapy of 29 episodes of bacteremia caused by oxacillin- and aminoglycoside-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (OARSA) were compared with 29 episodes of bacteremia due to oxacillin-sensitive S. aureus (OSSA) that occurred during a 36-month period. Patients with bacteremia due to OSSA were younger (P less than 0.05) and were admitted more frequently with acute traumatic injury (P less than 0.01). The overall survival rate one month after persistent bacteremia was 74% for patients with OARSA bacteremia treated with vancomycin compared with 70% for patients with OSSA bacteremia treated with a beta-lactam antibiotic. The results indicate that vancomycin is an effective antibiotic for the treatment of bacteremia caused by OARSA and suggest that its effectiveness is comparable to that of beta-lactam antibiotic treatment of bacteremia due to OSSA.