Diagnostic Value of JC Polyomavirus Viruria, Viremia, Serostatus and microRNA Expression in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Undergoing Immunosuppressive Treatment

Markers of JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) activity can be used to evaluate the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in treated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The presence of JCPyV DNA and microRNA (miR-J1-5p), the anti-JCV index and the sequence of the non-coding control region (NCCR) in urine and plasma were determined in 42 MS subjects before treatment (T0), 6 months (T6) and 12 months (T12) after natalizumab, ocrelizumab, fingolimod or dimethyl-fumarate administration and in 25 healthy controls (HC). The number of MS patients with viruria increased from 43% at T0 to 100% at T12, whereas it remained similar for the HC group (35–40%). Viremia first occurred 6 months after treatment in MS patients and increased after 12 months, whereas it was absent in HC. The viral load in urine and plasma from the MS cohort increased over time, mostly pronounced in natalizumab-treated patients, whereas it persisted in HC. The archetypal NCCR was detected in all positive urine, whereas mutations were observed in plasma-derived NCCRs resulting in a more neurotropic variant. The prevalence and miR-J1-5p copy number in MS urine and plasma dropped after treatment, whereas they remained similar in HC specimens. Viruria and miR-J1-5p expression did not correlate with anti-JCV index. In conclusion, analyzing JCPyV DNA and miR-J1-5p levels may allow monitoring JCPyV activity and predicting MS patients at risk of developing PML.

The Efficacy of a Suppository Based On Phenolmicin P3 And Bosexil (Mictalase®) In Control of Irritative Symptoms in Patients Undergoing Thulium Laser Enucleation of Prostate: A Single-Center, Randomized, Controlled, Open Label, Phase III Study

Background: Several studies described post-operative irritative symptoms after laser enucleation of prostate, sometimes associated with urge incontinence, probably linked to laser-induced prostatic capsule irritation, and potential for lower urinary tract infections We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a suppository based on Phenolmicin P3 and Bosexil (Mictalase®) in control of irritative symptoms in patients undergoing thulium laser enucleation of prostate (ThuLEP).Methods: In this single-center, prospective, randomized, open label, phase-III study, patients with indication to ThuLEP were enrolled (Dec2019-Feb2021 - Institutional ethics committee STS CE Lazio approval no.1/N-726 - ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05130918). The report conformed to CONSORT 2010 guidelines. Eligible patients were 1:1 randomized. Randomization defined Group A: patients who were administered Mictalase® suppositories twice a day for 5 days, then once a day for other 10 days; Group B: patients who did not receive Mictalase® (“controls”). Study endpoints were evaluated at 15 and 30 days postoperation. Primary endpoint included evaluation of effects of the suppository on irritative symptoms by administering IPSS+QoL questionnaire. Secondary endpoint included evaluation of effects on urinary tract infections by performance of urinalysis with urine culture.Results: 111 patients were randomized: 56 in Group A received Mictalase®. Baseline and perioperative data were comparable. At 15-days, no significant differences were found in terms of IPSS+QoL scores and urinalysis parameters. A significant difference in the rate of positive urine cultures favored Group A (p=0.04). At 30-days follow-up, significant differences were found in median IPSS score (6 [IQR 3–11] versus 10 [5–13], Group A vs B, respectively, p=0.02). Urinalysis parameters and rate of positive urine cultures were not significantly different.Conclusions: The present randomized trial investigated the efficacy of Mictalase® in control of irritative symptoms and prevention of lower urinary tract infections in patients undergoing ThuLEP. IPSS improvement 30-days postoperation was more pronounced in patients who received Mictalase®. Lower rate of positive urine culture favored Mictalase® group 15-days postoperatively. The clinical trial has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on November 23rd, 2021 – Registration number NCT05130918.

Risk factor analysis of intravesical recurrence after retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Background One of the major concerns of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) treated with nephroureterectomy is intravesical recurrence (IVR). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictive risk factors for IVR after retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy (RNU) for UTUC. Methods Clinicopathological and surgical information were collected from the medical records of 73 patients treated with RNU for non-metastatic UTUC, without a history of or concomitant bladder cancer. The association between IVR after RNU and clinicopathological and surgery-related factors, including preoperative urine cytology and pneumoretroperitoneum time, was analyzed using the Fisher exact test. Results During the median follow-up time of 39.1 months, 18 (24.7%) patients had subsequent IVR after RNU. The 1- and 3-year IVR-free survival rates were 85.9% and 76.5%, respectively. The Fisher exact test revealed that prolonged pneumoretroperitoneum time of ≥ 210 min was a risk factor for IVR in 1 year after RNU (p = 0.0358) and positive urine cytology was a risk factor for IVR in 3 years after RNU (p = 0.0352). Conclusions In UTUC, the occurrences of IVR in 1 and 3 years after RNU are highly probable when the pneumoretroperitoneum time is prolonged (≥ 210 min) and in patients with positive urine cytology, respectively. Strict follow-up after RNU is more probable recommended for these patients.

Mexiletine and False Positive Urine Drug Screen for Amphetamine: A Case Review

Advanced heart failure patients commonly suffer from ventricular arrhythmias which can be managed by antiarrhythmic drugs like mexiletine. These ventricular arrhythmias can be complicated by illicit drug use which alter outcomes and can potentially impact the patient-physician relationship through countertransference. However, mexiletine can lead to false positive urine drug screen testing for amphetamine, and these false-positive urine drug screen test results can affect the decision-making process. Health care providers should be aware of this fact and should either use confirmatory testing or look for confounding compounds in patients who deny using illicit substances and have a positive urine drug screen. Our patient is 64 years old who arrived at the emergency department after experiencing a shock by his intracardiac defibrillator. The patient tested positive for amphetamine on his urine drug screen and was later ruled out by confirmatory quantitative testing.

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia as the Most Common Bacteria Causing Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection

Background: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are the result of a reaction between taint agents that infected the patient when the patient is hospitalized. A Study from The Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that most HAIs in hospital are urinary tract infection, most of the infection incident in patient are caused by catheter. Catheter indwelling is notable in medical sphere. This study aimed to inquire case number of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) in Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, the feature of CAUTI patients, the type of bacteria that cause CAUTI, and what is the relation among sex and bacteria colony.Materials and Methods: An analytic observational study with the population of pediatric hospitalized patients of Dr. Soetomo General Hospital was conducted in January-December 2017. Samples collected were positive urine culture from pediatric hospitalized patients. Information regarding the bacteria that cause CAUTI, gender, and length of catheter usage were collected.Results: There were total 140 samples of positive urine culture in pediatric patient, and 38.5% was diagnosed as CAUTI. Overall CAUTI was often found in male subjects (51.9 %), and similar with ≤1-year old patients which also often found in male subjects (60.8%). The highest length of catheter usage was 3-5 days (42.5%). All subjects had fever as a clinical sign and 83.3% had suprapubic pain. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae infections were highly discovered. There was an association between gender and urine culture colony count (p=0.02).Conclusion: CAUTI is commonnly found in Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, and two bacteria that cause the most infection were E. coli and K. pneumoniae.Keywords: catheter, urinary tract infection, healthcare associated infection

The Impact of Differences in Surveillance Definitions of Hospital Acquired Urinary Tract Infections (HAUTI)

Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (HAUTI) are common and most cases are related to catheters (CAUTI). HAUTI and CAUTI surveillance is mandatory in many countries as a measure to reduce the incidence of infections and appropriately direct the allocation of preventable resources. The surveillance criteria issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health (IMOH), differ somewhat from that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our study aims were to query and quantify the impact of these differences. In a retrospective cohort study conducted at Shamir Medical Center, for calendar year 2017, the surveillance criteria of both IMOH and CDC were applied on 644 patient-unique adults with “positive” urine cultures (per similar definitions). The incidence of HAUTI per IMOH was significantly higher compared to CDC (1.24/1000 vs. 1.02/1000 patient-days, p = 0.02), with no impact on hospitalization’s outcomes. The agreement rate between methods was high for CAUTI (92%), but much lower for all HAUTI (83%). The major error rate, i.e., patients diagnosed with HAUTI per IMOH but had no UTI per CDC, was 31%. To conclude, in order for surveillance to reflect the relative situation and direct allocation of preventable resources based on scientific literature, the process should be uniform worldwide.

Predictive Value of Preoperative Positive Urine Cytology for Development of Bladder Cancer After Nephroureterectomy in Patients With Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Prognostic Nomogram Based on a Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study and Systematic Meta-Analysis

BackgroundUpper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUT-UC) is a rare and severe urinary malignancy. Several studies have explored the relationship between preoperative urine cytology and intravesical recurrence (IVR) in patients with UUT-UC. However, the results of these studies are controversial or even contradictory, and investigations with UUT-UC patients in northeast China are rare.MethodsWe first estimated the prognostic significance of preoperative urine cytology in the outcomes of intravesical recurrence in 231 UUT-UC patients (training cohort = 142, validation cohort = 89) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) by the nomogram model. Subsequently, we quantitatively combined our results with the published data after searching several databases to assess whether preoperative positive urine cytology was associated with poor intravesical recurrence-free survival and a high risk of tumor malignant biological behavior.ResultsFirstly, the multicenter retrospective cohort study demonstrated that preoperative positive urine cytology correlated with poor intravesical recurrence-free survival and can serve as significant independent predictors of IVR by Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. The construction of the nomogram demonstrated that predictive efficacy and accuracy were significantly improved when preoperative urine cytology was combined. Meanwhile, meta-analysis showed that preoperative positive urine cytology was associated with a 49% increased risk of IVR. In the subgroup analysis by region, study type, and sample size, the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) were statistically significant for the Japan subgroup (HR 1.32), China subgroup (HR 1.88), cohort study subgroup (HR 1.45), and the single-arm study subgroup (HR 1.63).ConclusionsPreoperative urine cytology was validated as a potential predictor of intravesical recurrence in patients with UUT-UC after RNU, although these results need to be generalized with caution. Large, prospective trials are required to further confirm its significance in prognosis and tumor malignant biological behavior.

25 Role of the urinalysis in managing infants less than 60 days old with a positive urine culture

Primary Subject area Hospital Paediatrics Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in infants less than 60 days of age, often lead to hospitalization and intravenous antibiotic treatment. There are currently no national recommendations for the diagnosis and management of UTIs in this population. Historically, the urine culture alone was thought to be sufficient for diagnosing UTI due to concerns regarding the sensitivity of urinalysis (UA) in young infants. However, there is evidence that in children of all ages, the absence of pyuria in children with UTIs is rare. The role of the UA in influencing the current management of infants aged less than 60 days, with a positive urine culture, remains unclear. Objectives The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of infants aged less than 60 days old with a positive urine culture. Specifically, we sought to: 1) determine the differences in clinical and biochemical characteristics of infants with a positive UA versus a negative UA; and 2) determine if UA result was associated with length of intravenous antibiotic treatment. Design/Methods We completed a retrospective cohort study of infants aged 0 to 60 days with a positive urine culture, cared for in a Canadian tertiary care children’s hospital between April 2016 and March 2019. Patients with a history of prematurity and those with a concomitant bacteremia or meningitis were excluded. A positive urine culture was defined as greater than 10,000 CFU/ml of a single organism obtained from a catheter specimen. A positive UA was defined by positive nitrites and/or a positive leukocyte esterase screen, and/or pyuria (greater than 5 white blood cells per high power field). Clinical and biochemical characteristics of infant groups with a positive UA, versus negative UA, were compared. Linear regression analysis was used to understand the association between UA result and length of intravenous antibiotic treatment. Results A total of 718 charts were screened. Eighty-nine patients met inclusion criteria, of which 52 (58%) had a positive UA and 37 (42%) had a negative UA. Of the 89 included infants, the average age was 32.5 days (SD 16.7), 31.5% were female, 79.8% had fever at presentation, and the average length of stay was 5.6 days (SD 2.9). Patients with a positive UA were more often febrile at presentation (90.3% vs. 64.9%, p = 0.006), and had a higher CRP (51.0, SD 56.1 vs. 8.1, SD 13.0), p < 0.001), higher white blood cell count (15.2, SD 6.0 vs. 11.0, SD 5.7, p= 0.002), and more often had urine culture growth of E. Coli (96.2% vs. 62.9%, p < 0.001). UA result was not associated with length of intravenous antibiotic treatment (p= 0.15). Conclusion This study demonstrates that infants with a positive urine culture and a positive UA result had more characteristics of infection, including fever, elevated CRP, elevated white blood cell count, and growth of E. Coli uropathogen, compared to infants with a negative UA. Despite this difference, there was no significant difference in length of intravenous antibiotic treatment between UA-positive versus UA-negative groups. This study suggests that infants with clinical and biochemical findings supportive of a UTI more often had a positive UA, along with a positive culture, and that the UA should be used as a screening test for UTI in infants aged less than 60 days.