The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial pathogens (CRGNs) has increased dramatically during the last 10 years, but the optimal treatment for CRGN infections is not well established due to the relative scarcity of robust clinical data. The polymyxins remain the most consistently active agents against CRGNs in vitro. Tigecycline, based on its in vitro antibacterial spectrum, could also be considered as a therapeutic option in the treatment of infections caused by certain CRGNs. Other agents, including aminoglycosides, rifampin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, fosfomycin and fluoroquinolones, could be considered as monotherapy or combination therapy against CRGNs in appropriate contexts, as combination therapy with two or more in vitro active drugs appears to be more effective than monotherapy based on some clinical data. Several promising new agents are in late-stage clinical development, including ceftolozane-tazobactam, ceftazidime-avibactam and plazomicin. Given the shortage of adequate treatment options, containment of CRGNs should be pursued through implementation of adequate infection prevention procedures and antimicrobial stewardship to reduce the disease burden and prevent future outbreaks of CRGNs.
Aminoglycosides ; Colistin ; Containment of Biohazards ; Disease Outbreaks ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Fluoroquinolones ; Fosfomycin ; Polymyxins ; Prevalence ; Rifampin ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Purpose: Total or proximal gastrectomy of the upper-third early gastric cancer (u-EGC) often causes severe post-gastrectomy syndrome, suggesting that these procedures are extremely invasive for patients without pathologically positive lymph node (LN) metastasis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical applicability of a stomach function-preserving surgery, local resection (LR), with prophylactic left gastric artery (LGA)-basin dissection (LGA-BD). Materials and Methods: The data of patients with u-EGC (pathologically diagnosed as T1) were retrospectively analyzed. Total gastrectomy was performed in 30 patients, proximal gastrectomy in 45, and subtotal gastrectomy in 6; the LN status was evaluated assuming that the patients had already underwent LR + LGA-BD. This procedure was considered feasible in patients without LN metastases or in patients with cancer in the LGA basin. The reproducibility of the results was also evaluated using an external validation dataset. Results: Of the 82 eligible patients, 79 (96.3%) were cured after undergoing LR + LGA-BD, 74 (90.2%) were pathologically negative for LN metastases, and 5 (6.1%) had LN metastases, but these findings were only observed in the LGA basin. Similarly, of the 406 eligible tumors in the validation dataset, 396 (97.5%) were potentially curative. Tumors in the lesser curvature, post-endoscopic resection status, and small tumors (<20 mm) were considered to be stronger indicators of LR + LGA-BD as all subpopulation cases met our feasibility criteria. Conclusions More than 95% of the patients with u-EGC might be eligible for LR + LGA-BD.This function-preserving procedure may contribute to the development of u-EGC without pathological LN metastases, especially for tumors located at the lesser curvature.

Metabolic acidosis is one of the most common complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is associated with the progression of CKD, and many other functional impairments. Until recently, only serum bicarbonate levels have been used to evaluate acid-base changes in patients with reduced kidney function. However, recent emerging evidence suggests that nephrologists should reevaluate the clinical approach for diagnosing metabolic acidosis in patients with CKD based on two perspectives; pH and anion gap. Biochemistry and physiology textbooks clearly indicate that blood pH is the most important acid-base parameter for cellular function. Therefore, it is important to determine if the prognostic impact of hypobicarbonatemia varies according to pH level. A recent cohort study of CKD patients showed that venous pH modified the association between a low bicarbonate level and the progression of CKD. Furthermore, acidosis with a high anion gap has recently been recognized as an important prognostic factor, because veverimer, a nonabsorbable hydrochloride-binding polymer, has been shown to improve kidney function and decrease the anion gap. Acidosis with high anion gap frequently develops in later stages of CKD. Therefore, the anion gap is a time-varying factor and renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is a time-dependent confounder for the anion gap and renal outcomes. Recent analyses using marginal structural models showed that acidosis with a high anion gap was associated with a high risk of CKD. Based on these observations, reconsideration of the clinical approach to diagnosing and treating metabolic acidosis in CKD may be warranted.