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Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a common organism in hospitals worldwide and is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the prevalence in palliative care patients. Furthermore, there is no standardized screening protocol or treatment for patients for whom therapy concentrates on symptom control.
Aim: Examining the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in palliative care patients as well as the level of morbidity and mortality.
Design: We performed a prospective study where methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening was undertaken in 296 consecutive patients within 48 h after admission to our palliative care unit. Medical history was taken, clinical examination was performed, and the Karnofsky Performance Scale and Palliative Prognostic Score were determined. Prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was compared to data of general hospital patients.
Results: In total, 281 patients were included in the study having a mean age of 69.7 years (standard deviation = 12.9 years) and an average Karnofsky Performance Scale between 30% and 40%. The mean length of stay was 9.7 days (standard deviation = 7.6 days). A total of 24 patients were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus positive on the first swab. Median number of swabs was 2. All patients with a negative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus swab upon admission remained Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus negative in all subsequent swabs.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients in an in-hospital palliative care unit is much higher than in other patient populations.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269216316637772 | DOI Listing |
Laryngoscope
September 2025
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
We report the case of a 3-month-old infant with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) necrotizing fasciitis of the neck and chest complicated by bacteremia, pneumonia, and mediastinitis, which required multiple surgical debridements, including median sternotomy. The case is unsual given the patient's age and causative pathogen, and underscores the importance of early diagnosis, timely surgical intervention, and multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmBio
September 2025
The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
Unlabelled: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a leading cause of endovascular infections, where interactions with endothelial cells play a critical role in pathogenesis. Gp05, a prophage-encoded protein, has previously been implicated in promoting antibiotic persistence by modulating MRSA cellular physiology and evading neutrophil-mediated killing. In this study, we investigated the role of Gp05 in MRSA-endothelial cell interactions, focusing on its impact on bacterial adhesion, invasion, cytotoxicity, and the host inflammatory response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIDCases
August 2025
Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Background: Dyspnea is a common clinical symptom and cause of outpatient and inpatient presentations to the clinic. Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges appear, when additional diseases appear that are themselves associated with subjectively perceptible dyspnea. We report on a young woman with orthopnea as a trigger of a diagnostic cascade of various diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNPJ Biomed Innov
September 2025
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B9 Canada.
We report a synthetic tetrahedral DNA nanocarrier (TDN) for treating bone defects and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) infection using in vitro studies. We successfully synthesized TDNs and demonstrated their excellent cytocompatibility with blood cells and immune cells. Zoledronic acid-loaded TDN displayed increased efficacy compared to free drugs in regulating bone remodeling, while vancomycin-loaded TDN showed an increased antibacterial effect against MRSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Eng Lett
September 2025
Department of Electrical & Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 01897 Republic of Korea.
Purpose: This study investigates the antibacterial and anticancer activity of previously reported iron oxide (FeO)-based nanoparticles (NPs) conjugated with chlorin e6 and folic acid (FCF) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a human bladder cancer (BC) (T-24) cell line and three bacterial strains.
Method: To investigate the potential applicability of the synthesized NPs as therapeutic agents for image-based photodynamic BC therapy, their photodynamic anticancer activity was analyzed and the mechanisms of cell death in T-24 cells treated with these NPs were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively through atomic absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, and transmission electron microscopy.
Results: The effective localization of FCF NPs in T-24 cells were confirmed, validating their excellent cellular fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging capabilities.