Abstract:
BACKGROUND:This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate whether the serum procalcitonin (PCT) level can be utilized to guide the use of antibiotics in the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma. METHODS:A total of 293 consecutive patients with suspected asthma attacks from February 2005 to July 2010 participated in this study. 225 patients completed the study. Serum PCT levels, and other inflammatory biomarkers of all patients were measured. In addition to the standard treatment, the control group received antibiotics according to the attending physicians' discretions, while the patients in the PCT group were treated with antibiotics according to serum PCT concentrations. Antibiotics usage was strongly discouraged when the PCT concentration was below 0.1 μg/L; discouraged when the PCT concentration was between 0.1 μg/L and 0.25 μg/L; or encouraged when the PCT concentration was above 0.25 μg/L. The primary endpoint was the determination of antibiotics usage. The second endpoints included the diagnostic accuracy of PCT and other laboratory biomarkers the effectiveness of asthma control, secondary ED visits, hospital re-admissions, repeated needs for steroids or dosage increase, needs for antibiotics, WBC count, PCT levels and FEV1%. RESULTS:At baseline, two groups were identical regarding clinical, laboratory and symptom score. Probability of the antibiotics usage in the PCT group (46.1%) was lower than that in the control group (74.8%) (χ2 = 21.97, p < 0.001. RR = 0.561, 95% CI 0.441-0.713). PCT and IL-6 showed good diagnostic significance for bacterial asthma (r = 0.705, p = 0.003). The degrees of asthma control in patients were categorized to three levels and were comparable between the two groups at the six weeks follow-up period (χ2 = 1.62, p = 0.45). There were no significant difference regarding other secondary outcomes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The serum PCT concentration can be used to effectively determine whether the acute asthma patients have bacterial infections in the respiratory tract, and to guide the use of antibiotics in the treatment of acute asthma exacerbations, which may substantially reduce unnecessary antibiotic use without compromising the therapeutic outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ICTRP ChiCTR-TRC-12002534.
journal_name
BMC Infect Disjournal_title
BMC infectious diseasesauthors
Tang J,Long W,Yan L,Zhang Y,Xie J,Lu G,Yang Cdoi
10.1186/1471-2334-13-596subject
Has Abstractpub_date
2013-12-17 00:00:00pages
596issn
1471-2334pii
1471-2334-13-596journal_volume
13pub_type
杂志文章,随机对照试验abstract:BACKGROUND:Pertussis diagnosis may go unrecognized when other pathogens, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulate. METHODS:A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Lima, Peru from January 2009 to September 2010. A total of 596 children under 5 years old admitted with clinical diagnoses of acute ...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-015-1287-z
更新日期:2015-12-02 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Recent studies suggest HIV-1 inter-subtype differences in co-receptor usage. We examined the correlation between HIV-1 subtype and co-receptor usage among treatment-naïve HIV-1 subjects in Singapore. Additionally, we investigated whether the subtype co-receptor association was influenced by stage of infectio...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-13-90
更新日期:2013-02-19 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Evidence has existed for decades that higher doses of rifampin may be more effective, but potentially more toxic, than standard doses used in tuberculosis treatment. Whether increased doses of rifampin could safely shorten treatment remains an open question. METHODS/DESIGN:The HIRIF study is a phase II rand...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1790-x
更新日期:2016-08-27 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Self-reported antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence measures that are associated with plasma viral load (VL) are valuable to clinicians and researchers, but are rarely examined among groups vulnerable to dropping out of care. One-seventh of all those living with HIV pass through incarceration annually and c...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-019-4443-z
更新日期:2019-10-29 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Cryptococcus neoformans causes meningitis and disseminated infection in healthy individuals, but more commonly in hosts with defective immune responses. Cell-mediated immunity is an important component of the immune response to a great variety of infections, including yeast infections. We aimed to evaluate a...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-278
更新日期:2012-10-30 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Brain abscesses, a severe infectious disease of the CNS, are usually caused by a variety of different pathogens, which include Streptococcus intermedius (S. intermedius). Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas (PAVFs), characterized by abnormal direct communication between pulmonary artery and vein, are a rare und...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-020-05092-6
更新日期:2020-05-24 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Various viruses are known to be associated with pneumonia. However, the impact of viral infections on adult pneumonia mortality remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the effect of virus infection on pneumonia mortality among adults stratified by virus type and patient comorbidities. METHODS:This mult...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章,多中心研究
doi:10.1186/s12879-017-2858-y
更新日期:2017-12-06 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Contact lens-related infections are often associated with inadequate contact lens hygiene, and therefore, contact lens care products should be able to sufficiently minimise the amount of pathogens that are responsible for these infections. In 2001, the EN ISO 14729 was introduced to ensure adequate disinfect...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-241
更新日期:2012-10-03 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Mayaro virus is endemic in South America and sporadic outbreaks have been described. It causes a dengue-like febrile illness accompanied by severe and long-lasting polyarthralgias. Outside endemic regions, however, the disease is not well known and can be misdiagnosed as dengue. International travellers are ...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-13-369
更新日期:2013-08-08 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a major communicable disease in children ≤6 years old, particularly in several countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, including Thailand. HFMD impacts public health and the economy, especially in northern Thailand. METHODS:A prospective cohort study was conducted to est...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3560-4
更新日期:2018-12-06 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Antiretroviral therapy markedly reduced mortality in HIV-infected individuals. However, in the previous studies, up to 50% of patients are compelled to modify their regimen in middle and low-income countries where salvage drug is still limited. This cohort study aimed to investigate the incidence and predict...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0565-5
更新日期:2014-10-30 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Large scale administration of the anthelminthic drug praziquantel (PZQ) to at-risk populations is the cornerstone of schistosomiasis control, although persisting high prevalence of infections in some areas and growing concerns of PZQ resistance have revealed the limitations of this strategy. Most studies ass...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章,随机对照试验
doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3554-2
更新日期:2018-12-14 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Viral central nervous system (CNS) infections are common in countries where malaria is endemic but, due to limited laboratory facilities, few studies have systematically examined the prevalence and clinical consequences of the presence of viruses in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from children with suspected CNS ...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0630-0
更新日期:2014-11-26 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as an important comorbidity for the development of tuberculosis (TB). With the increase of DM burden globally, concerns have been raised about the emerging co-epidemics of DM and TB, especially in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS:A facility-based, cross-sectiona...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3519-5
更新日期:2018-11-29 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:During the fifth wave of human H7N9 infections, a novel highly pathogenic (HP) H7N9 variant emerged with an insertion of multiple basic amino acids in the HA cleavage site. Moreover, a neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) resistance (R292K in NA) mutation was found in H7N9 isolates from humans, poultry and the envi...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3302-7
更新日期:2018-08-15 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Despite the considerable efforts made to address the issue of brucellosis worldwide, its prevalence in dairy products continues to be difficult to estimate and represents a key public health issue around the world today. The aim of the present study was to better understand the epidemiology of this disease i...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-020-4946-7
更新日期:2020-03-27 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) contained within envelope protein 2 (E2) gene is the most variable part of HCV genome and its translation product is a major target for the host immune response. Variability within HVR1 may facilitate evasion of the immune response and could affect treatment outcome. The aim of ...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-389
更新日期:2014-07-13 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:In China, there were few studies about the pathogens of acute viral encephalitis and meningitis in children in recent years. The aims of this study were to characterize the etiology and prognosis of acute viral encephalitis and meningitis in Chinese children. METHODS:This was a multicentre prospective study...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章,多中心研究
doi:10.1186/s12879-017-2572-9
更新日期:2017-07-14 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The most frequent pathogen that causes bacterial meningitis is the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae. CCAAT/enhancer binding protein δ is a transcription factor that has recently been hypothesized to play a detrimental role in outcome of meningitis caused by S. pneumoniae. Here, we studie...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1963-7
更新日期:2016-11-11 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:We compared AIDS-related mortality rates in people living with HIV (PLHIV) starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Brazil during 2006-2015 and examined associated risk factors . METHODS:Data on ART use in PLHIV and AIDS mortality in Brazil was analysed with piecewise constant exponential models. Mortality ...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-019-3844-3
更新日期:2019-02-28 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Leptospirosis is becoming a major public health threat in Sri Lanka as well as in other countries. We designed a case control study to determine the factors associated with local transmission of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka, in order to identify major modifiable determinants of leptospirosis. The purpose of th...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-10-332
更新日期:2010-11-19 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Neonatal sepsis is one of the major causes of death during the first month of life and early empirical treatment with injectable antibiotics is a life-saving intervention. Adherence to World Health Organisation guidelines on first line antibiotics is crucial to mitigate the risks of increased antimicrobial r...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-020-05361-4
更新日期:2020-09-10 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Previous controlled studies on the effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) - namely the use of facemasks and intensified hand hygiene - in preventing household transmission of influenza have not produced definitive results. We aimed to investigate efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of NPI in ...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章,随机对照试验
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-26
更新日期:2012-01-26 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Over the last decade, increases in the number of outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) have shifted the disease into the public health spotlight in China. Children under the age of five years are particularly susceptible, with fatalities recorded. However, estimating the burden of HFMD has been di...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-437
更新日期:2014-08-12 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The 2009 revised World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for dengue describe fever as the core symptom. Accordingly, the diagnosis of non-febrile patients is complicated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of fever in patients with dengue according to the 2009 revised WHO classification....
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-016-2128-4
更新日期:2017-01-04 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The objective of this study was to explore effects of khat (Catha edulis) on outcome of rodent malaria infection and its anti-plasmodial activities on Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA). METHODS:Female Swiss albino mice were orally treated with crude khat (Catha edulis) extracts (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg) on a dai...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-015-0911-2
更新日期:2015-04-02 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Respiratory viral diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infections has largely developed through multiplex molecular techniques. Although the sensitivity of different types of upper respiratory tract samples seems to be correlated to the number of sampled cells, this link remains largely unexplored. METHODS:...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1730-9
更新日期:2016-08-09 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Group B Streptococcus (GBS) serotype (Ia, Ib, II-IX) correlates with pathogen virulence and clinical prognosis. Epidemiological studies of seroprevalence are an important metric for determining the proportion of serotypes in a given population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of indi...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-10-336
更新日期:2010-11-24 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:In comparison to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing, variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) typing is easier to perform, faster and yields results in a simple, numerical format. Therefore, this technique has gained recognition as the new international gold standard in typing of Mycobacte...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-13-63
更新日期:2013-02-02 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Leptospirosis has a varied clinical presentation with complications like myocarditis and acute renal failure. There are many predictors of severity and mortality including clinical and laboratory parameters. Early detection and treatment can reduce complications. Therefore recognizing the early predictors of...
journal_title:BMC infectious diseases
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-4
更新日期:2012-01-13 00:00:00