Kenneth Bender, PharmD, MA

Study finds optimal timing of annual COVID-19 booster depends on regional transmission patterns and if/when breakthrough infection has occurred.

Study finds antibiotic selection generally follows CAP guidelines but identifies determinants of frequently longer treatment durations.

Reactogenicity of mRNA COVID-19 with inactivated influenza vaccine was similar whether given at same time or separated by 1-2 weeks.

Women were found more likely than men to die following Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in both a national cohort study and a meta-analysis.

Investigators propose limiting initial use of antibiotics for group A streptococcal pharyngitis in children after finding placebo noninferior in reducing symptoms.

Forty percent of the dose of the PCV 13 vaccine, but not of the PCV 10 or lower dose, was found noninferior to full doses when immunizing infants in Kenya.

In the second installment of a 2-part series on this form of guided therapy, the lead investigator describes findings and the potential of biomarkers in antibiotic stewardship.

In part 1 of a 2-part story, an investigator discusses the use of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein guided protocols for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Mass distribution of azithromycin twice yearly to infants and children did not comply with WHO recommendation but reduced all-cause mortality.

Largest randomized trial of povidone iodine vs chlorhexidine gluconate could prompt WHO to recommend either over latter.

Individual antibiotics are ranked by risk for C difficile infection in an analysis of both randomized controlled trials and national adverse event reports.

4-way trial assesses non-prescription interventions, including 2 nasal sprays, for reducing seasonal respiratory illness and related antibiotic use.

Investigators found that 10 days of antibiotics is common for acute otitis media despite that 5 to 7 days is advised by US and international guidelines.

Proposed alternative to "unsustainable" wide use of broad spectrum antibiotic prophylaxis in surgeries confronts antimicrobial resistance.

A new study demonstrates that the continuous infusion of β-lactam antibiotics could offer better clinical outcomes in treating sepsis, despite the nuanced statistical results.

Meta-analysis revealing higher 90-day mortality with intermittent than continuous infusion of ß-lactams for sepsis prompts call for latter to be standard of care.

Purportedly higher sepsis mortality in safety-net hospitals reflects less a difference in acute care than opportunities to discharge to hospice.

Piperacillin-tazobactam was associated with higher mortality than cefepime for empiric treatment of sepsis among patients without indication of anaerobic infection.

Antimicrobial stewardship to reduce multidrug resistance and opportunistic Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) could also guide shorter treatment.

The INSPIRE trials find prompts within computerized provider ordering improves antibiotic utilization for pneumonia and urinary tract infections.

Incidence of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection differed between hospitals that implemented the CDC prevention strategies and those that did not, but not necessarily because of the strategies.

A large trial supports de-escalation from empiric, broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment for Enterobacterales bacteremia to a non-antipseudomonal agent.

Community acquired pneumonia is often inappropriately diagnosed in hospital admissions, particularly among older adults with dementia, and can lead to in-hospital antibiotic-associated adverse events, such as Clostridioides difficile.

Investigators find that bacteremia rarely develops from asymptomatic bacteriuria, and that empiric antibiotic treatment should be reserved for those at risk.

New analysis indicates that children treated at 3 years of age for perinatally acquired HCV will live longer, with less liver morbidity and lower health care costs than if treated at 6 years of age.

Patients hospitalized for suspected community-acquired pneumonia received targeted treatment more quickly with PCR testing than with culture-based diagnostics.

Inhaled nanoparticles deliver antibiotic and antimicrobial peptides through mucus and biofilm barriers in animal model of infection-exacerbated COPD.

ePOCT+, a digital clinician decision support tool, reduced outpatient antibiotic prescribing without adverse health outcomes, potentially mitigating development of antimicrobial resistance.

New vancomycin dosing regimens are proposed to improve outcome and minimize toxicity in overweight and obese patients with renal insufficiency.

Myopathy, with metabolic disturbances and amyloid deposits, is discovered in persons with Long COVID who experience post-exertional malaise.