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Investigators used procalcitonin (PCT) levels to guide antibiotic recommendations in pediatric intensive care units. PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship decreased the number of antibiotic days without leading to therapy failure.

The investigational vaccine's findings from their phase 1/2 clinical trial were reported at the World Vaccine Congress.

One study, presented this week at the Critical Care Congress, conducted a thorough analysis of all reported cases of myocarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.

What are the clinical characteristics of children under 1 year old who are hospitalized with COVID-19 infection?

In a mouse model, the product protected against C difficile without eliminating the antibiotic’s presence in the blood.

The company says its first bivalent investigational vaccine, mRNA-1273.211, was efficacious against the Beta, Delta, and Omicron strains. They have identified another bivalent booster, mRNA-1273.214, which the company sees as its leading candidate for a fall 2022 scheduled dosing.

The Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics launched today. The CDC intends the CFA to predict future infectious disease pandemics and assist leaders in coordinating a response.

Critical care pharmacists and PGY2CC residents made fewer antimicrobial stewardship interventions on the Mondays following weekends they worked.

One study, presented at the Critical Care Congress, found that initiating remdesivir (Veklury) earlier did not significantly reduce the recovery time of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

An analysis of readmissions after hospitalization with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in France found that few readmissions were avoidable, supporting criticism that the measure may lead to unfair penalties under pay-for-performance programs.

The greatest risk factors for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) were age of at least 65 years, severe primary CDI, and use of non-CDI antibiotics. Patients with these risk factors should be prioritized for bezlotoxumab therapy.

Advanced age and comorbidities were more accurate predictors of severe COVID-19 disease than innate immune response.

The meta-analysis included 6 studies, of which 5 were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, showed that the diagnostic accuracy for Xpert testing was similar to the former symptom screening and rapid test format.

The technology platform could speed up the development of novel therapeutics to combat virulence.

The InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer test detects chemical compounds in breath samples associated with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Antimicrobial stewardship efforts, such as education for healthcare providers, significantly decreased community-acquired pneumonia antibiotic prescriptions in COVID-19 patients.

Concomitant antibiotic (CA) use for infection treatment is a major risk factor for recurrent C difficile infection. One SHEA 2022 study examined whether fidaxomicin or vancomycin would be more beneficial for CA patients.

The 36-fold increase in Omicron neutralizing titers in children between 5-11 years old is providing data for the companies to be able to file for an FDA EUA in this age group.

A study presented at the SHEA 2022 conference determined how common and severe breakthrough infections were for Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen COVID-19 vaccine recipients.

The investigational shots utilizing their mRNA technology platform are being studied in adults in the US.

Merck announced today that their investigational 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, V116, was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA.

Selecting initial antibiotic for ventilator-associated pneumonia from Gram staining and resistance records could reduce broad spectrum agents.

An examination of COVID-19 infections by occupation found that most cases occurred in people who worked in management and healthcare, and COVID-19 death rates were highest among building/grounds cleaning and maintenance employees.

A study found that hospital providers who prescribe unnecessarily high rates of antibiotics are likely to continue doing so over time.

In a small retrospective study, 7 of 11 patients experienced clinical improvement.

A large veterans health administration study estimated antibiotic use during the last 6 months of life for patients under hospice or palliative care.

The risk of a community-acquired C difficile infection was 7-fold higher for outpatients with antibiotic exposure.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, use of community-acquired pneumonia antibiotics increased significantly, while relative utilization of carbapenems decreased.