No abstract available.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Background: Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is the most important means of preventing rabies. Intradermal PEP was developed to improve compliance, still, many recipients fail to complete this regimen Objective: To determine the non-monetary factors contributing to non-compliance to PEP among patients in the Animal Bite Treatment Center (ABTC) of San Lazaro Hospital (SLH). Methods: This was an analytical, cross-sectional study. The authors randomly reviewed patient records of SLH-ABTC for one-year period. We characterized the cases according to World Health Organization (WHO) parameters. They determined the day intervals between exposure, first consultation, PEP initiation and follow-up visits. Statistical analyses used were descriptive statistics, χ2 test for independence and binary logistic regression. Results: The authors evaluated 667 records. Patients mostly had Category III exposures (76.91%, 95%CI: 73.92%80.62%). The chances of completing active immunization were more likely among patients exposed to unvaccinated animals (OR=1.85, 95%CI: 1.21-2.84, p=0.004). The chances of receiving passive immunization were higher for injuries on the head/neck regions (OR=8.18, 95%CI: 2.4-27.9, p=0.001). Overall, compliance to PEP was 70.21% and 40.70% for Categories II and III exposures, respectively. PEP compliance was moderately dependent on the exposure category (χ2=38.14, df=1, p<0.001, φ=0.25. Conclusion Category II exposure patients had better compliance than Category III, since rabies immunoglobulins are not required. The authors did not identify any factors that significantly affected Category II regimen compliance. Among Category III patients, compliance was better if the injuries were bite-inflicted while those who were exposed from “healthy”looking animals were less likely to comply.
Rabies ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

Objectives: Leprosy is an infectious disease affecting the skin and nerves caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Closer physical distance was found to increase risk transmission. Thus, targeted provision of prophylactic medications to household contacts of patients with leprosy could possibly aid in decreasing its incidence in a cost-effective manner. This study aimed to determine the attitudes towards disclosure of the diagnosis of leprosy and acceptance of immuno- and chemoprophylaxis for household contacts of patients undergoing treatment in a dermatology outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in the Philippines. Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-center, cross-sectional and mixed methods study at a dermatology clinic of a tertiary hospital. All diagnosed leprosy patients, household contacts of leprosy patients, and individuals with no leprosy and no known contact with a leprosy case were invited. Eligible participants who gave consent were included in the cross-sectional survey, followed by in-depth interviews of selected participants. STATA 12 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize information. Chi-square was computed to obtain a measure of association of important variables. The field notes and the verbatim transcriptions of the interviews and narratives were filed using an analytic memo system. Results: Fifty-five participants (22 Hansen’s disease patients, 13 household contacts, and 20 individuals unaffected by and unexposed to leprosy) were enrolled. Mean age of respondents was 38 years, 60% were female, and 85% were living in an urban setting. Majority of the patients with leprosy were borderline lepromatous (45%) to lepromatous type (27%) with mean treatment duration of 13 months. Overall, the respondents were willing to disclose the diagnosis of leprosy to their household members to facilitate provision of prophylaxis. They were also generally willing to receive prophylaxis despite potential side effects, expense, incomplete protection, and the need for yearly assessment for the development of leprosy. All respondents felt hopeful about the availability of medications that can prevent the development of leprosy and its complications, with some feeling anxious and only a few being embarrassed about receiving them. Conclusions Prophylactic medications were found to be generally acceptable despite some concerns. There is also a willingness to disclose the diagnosis of leprosy to facilitate the targeted provision of prophylaxis to household contacts.
Leprosy ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Attitude

Domestic human hydrophobia has not been reported since the one case of 2004 in South Korea, but still a few animal rabies occur persistently since the reemerging stage of rabies from 1993. The government has made efforts to control animal rabies in many aspects, but whether prophylactic strategy for human hydrophobia is performed adequately is in question. The rate of proper post-exposure prophylaxis for animal bite case in 'high-risk region' of rabies is very low with 20% between 2011 and 2013. The National Animal Bite Patient Surveillance targeting 'high-risk region' is missing out animal bite cases who visit directly to hospitals in 'suspect-risk region' of rabies. Little data seems to exist for pre-exposure prophylaxis of domestic hydrophobia. Danger of reoccurrence of human hydrophobia always remain in South Korea. The medical personnel needs to have greater interest on the matter and the government strengthen the management system.
Animals ; Humans ; Korea ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Rabies*

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Humans ; Intraoperative Care

Background. Preterm infants with very low birth weight are at increased risk of invasive fungal infections. Preventive strategies are needed to improve their clinical course and survival.

Objectives. To assess the efficacy and safety of antifungal agents as prophylaxis in controlling invasive fungal infection and mortality in very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants in neonatal intensive care units.

Methods. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane databases, Google Scholar, Trip database, Herdin, and ClinicalTrials.gov without language restriction and publications from January 1988 to May 2021. We included randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials that compared the effect of prophylactic oral or systemic antifungal agents versus placebo in preterm infants < 37 weeks age of gestation and with birth weight lower than 1500 grams. We conducted a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4.1 and certainty of evidence rating using GRADEpro software.

Results. A total of 14 studies (including 3,001 preterm infants with VLBW) were included. We found that prophylactic use of nystatin significantly reduced the incidence of invasive fungal infections (IFI) (pooled RR 0.16; 95% CI 0.11, 0.23; 4 RCTs, N = 1295; P < 0.00001; moderate certainty evidence) in preterm infants compared to placebo but had no significant effect on the mortality (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.62, 1.23; 4 RCTs, N = 1295; P = 0.43; low certainty evidence). Similarly, fluconazole decreased the incidence of IFI (RR 0.38; 95% CI 0.28, 0.53; P = 0.02) and showed statistically significant reduction in mortality (RR 0.78; 95% CI 0.61, 0.99; RCTs, N = 1484; P = 0.04; high certainty evidence). The comparison of the two antifungals showed a trend favoring fluconazole, however the difference was not statistically significant in decreasing IFI (RR 1.60; 95% CI 0.68, 3.77; P = 0.28) and mortality (RR 1.62; 95% CI 0.76, 3.45; P = 0.21).

Conclusion. Administration of antifungal prophylaxis proves to be beneficial and can probably decrease invasive fungal infection and mortality. The evidence showed that Fluconazole is superior as antifungal prophylaxis compared to placebo while there is no significant difference between fluconazole and nystatin in decreasing fungal infection and mortality among preterm neonates.

Background and Objective: Antibiotic prophylaxis is used to prevent bacterial infections and rebleeding in cirrhosis patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). However, the effects of various antibiotics on patients with UGIB are still being considered. This study aims to evaluate the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis on cirrhosis patients with UGIB. Methods: The studies were searched through databases of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, and CENTRAL from 2013 to 2023. We used Revman 5.4 to perform a meta-analysis. I2 statistics measured the heterogeneity test. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis. Results: Twelve studies involving 14,825 cirrhosis patients were included in this study. Based on the meta-analysis, antibiotic prophylaxis significantly lowered the bacterial infection rate (OR: 0.29, 95%CI: 0.10 to 0.84, P = 0.02), and the incidence of serious adverse events (SAE) (OR: 0.50, 95%CI: 0.28 to 0.88, P = 0.02) in cirrhosis patients with UGIB. Conclusions Administration of antibiotics demonstrated a significant reduction in bacterial infection rates and SAEs. Broad-spectrum non-absorbable antibiotics can be used in cirrhosis patients with UGIB. The appropriate use of antibiotics is important to prevent resistance.
Antibiotic ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; prophylaxis ; prevention & ; control ; Cirrhosis ; Fibrosis

Humans ; HIV Infections/prevention & control* ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

There are many evidence-based methods to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. This review describes recent updates on the prevention of HIV infection via sexual contact, mother-to-child transmission, and occupational exposure. The use of antiretroviral therapy to prevent HIV has been a major accomplishment. Successful strategies for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV include the implementation of treatment for prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and microbicides. Mother-to-child HIV transmission can be minimized by screening and administering pre-, intra-, and postpartum prophylaxis. Adherence to universal precautions and post-exposure prophylaxis are effective preventive measures for occupational exposure. The implementation of prevention strategies based on scientific evidence should decrease the spread of this epidemic.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Anti-Infective Agents ; HIV Infections* ; HIV* ; Mass Screening ; Occupational Exposure ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Postpartum Period ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Universal Precautions

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the antiplaque and antigingivitis effectiveness of aqueous single-phase and oil-water two-phase mouthrinses, containing bamboo salt, magnolia bark, and Centella asiatica extracts, in Korean adults. METHODS: In this double-blinded clinical trial, a total of thirty-four participants aged over 19 years were randomly allocated to three experimental groups: 1) control group; 2) aqueous single-phase mouthrinse (ASM) group, and; 3) oil-water two-phase mouthrinse (OTM) group. The experimental mouthrinses all contained sodium fluoride, and the ASM and OTM contained additional ingredients of bamboo salt, magnolia bark, and Centella asiatica extracts. For the OTM, 50% essential oil was added to create an oil-water two-phase mouthrinse. A two-week randomized crossover design with a two-week washout period was applied. Following a complete dental prophylaxis, participants were instructed to use the prescribed mouthrinse twice daily for two weeks as an adjunct to their usual mechanical oral hygiene procedures. Pre- and post-experiment clinical examinations were performed to measure the plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) for the full mouth. Paired t-test was applied to compare the intergroup differences for all clinical variables. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, ASM showed a significantly reduced BOP (P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the effects of the three mouthrinses on reducing the PI. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the use of an aqueous, single-phase mouthrinse containing bamboo salt, magnolia bark and Centella asiatica extracts could help alleviate gingivitis.
Adult ; Centella* ; Cross-Over Studies ; Dental Prophylaxis ; Gingivitis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnolia* ; Mouth ; Oral Hygiene ; Sodium Fluoride