Diagnosis of mucormycosis using an intercalating dye-based quantitative PCR

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Diagnosis of mucormycosis using an intercalating dye-based quantitative PCR Via Laryngologie Med Mycol. 2022 Feb 21:myac015. doi: 10.1093/mmy/myac015. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PCR-based methods applied to various body fluids emerged in recent years as a promising approach for the diagnosis of mucormycosis. In this study, we set up and assess the value of a qPCR to detect a wide variety of Mucorales species in a single tube. A pair of degenerated primers targeting the rDNA operon was used in a qPCR utilizing an intercalating fluorescent dye. Analytical assessment, using a wide variety of both Mucorales strains (8 genera, 11 species) and non-Mucorales strains (9 genera, 14 species), showed 100% sensitivity and specificity rates with a limit of detection at 3 rDNA copy/ qPCR reaction. Subsequently, 364 clinical specimens from 166 at-risk patients were prospectively tested with the assay. All the seven patients classified as proven/probable mucormycosis using the EORTC-MSG criteria had a positive qPCR as well as a patient with a p roven uncharacterized invasive mould infection. In addition, 3 out of 7 patients with possible mould invasive infections had at least one positive qPCR test. Sensitivity was calculated between 73.33% to 100% and specificity between 98.10% to 100%. The qPCR method proposed showed excellent performances and would be an important adjunctive tool for the difficult diagnosis of mucormycosis diagnosis. PMID:35188208 | DOI:10.1093/mmy/myac015 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Cricotracheostomy in a patient with severe kyphosis: A case report

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Cricotracheostomy in a patient with severe kyphosis: A case report Via ear nose throat Ear Nose Throat J. 2022 Feb 21:1455613221077596. doi: 10.1177/01455613221077596. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Cricotracheostomy is a useful surgical procedure for opening the airway in cases where conventional tracheotomy is difficult. This is a safe and easy technique involving removal of the anterior portion of the cricoid cartilage. Herein, we report the case of a patient with difficulty in neck extension due to severe kyphosis, who underwent cricotracheostomy. A 65-ye ar-old woman developed dyspnea and was transported to our hospital. SpO2 was 60% (room air) and endotracheal intubation was performed. She was managed on ventilator. However, weaning off the ventilator was difficult, and endotracheal intubation was prolonged. Subsequently, the patient was referred to us for a tracheostomy. The patient was unable to maintain the supine position due to severe kyphosis, and computed tomography revealed that the brachiocephalic artery was running just below the thyroid gland. Therefore, conventional tracheostomy was difficult to perform, and we performed cricotracheostomy instead. After the cricotracheostomy, there were no tracheal problems, such as tracheal stenosis and stomal hemorrhage. Cricotracheostomy can be performed in cases where multiple anatomical difficulties may be faced in the tracheostomy site, as in this case. Furthermore, cricotracheostomy is beneficial for long-term airway management because it causes fewer complications com pared to conventional tracheotomy. PMID:35188407 | DOI:10.1177/01455613221077596 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.