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Abstract Background Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections are one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections and have high mortality rates due to difficulties in treatment. In this study, the in vitro synergistic interactions of the colistin (CT)–meropenem (MEM) combination and patient clinical outcomes were compared in CRAB-infected patients that receive CT–MEM antimicrobial combination therapy. In addition, in vitro synergistic interactions of MEM–ertapenem (ETP), MEM–fosfomycin (FF) and CT–FF antimicrobial combinations were investigated. Finally, the epsilometer (E) test and checkerboard test results were compared and the compatibility of these two tests was evaluated. Methods Twenty-one patients were included in the study. Bacterial identification was performed with MALDI–TOF, and antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed with an automated system. Synergy studies were performed using the E test and checkerboard method. Results For the checkerboard method, the synergy rates for CT–MEM, MEM–FF, MEM–ETP and CT–FF were 100%, 52.3%, 23.8% and 28.5%, respectively. In the E test synergy tests, synergistic effects were detected for two isolates each in the CT–MEM and CT–FF combinations. Microbial eradication was achieved in nine (52.9%) of the 17 patients that received CT–MEM combination therapy. The agreement between the E test and the checkerboard test was 6.5%. Conclusions A synergistic effect was found with the checkerboard method for the CT–MEM combination in all isolates in our study, and approximately 70% of the patients benefited from treatment with this combination. In addition, more than half of the isolates showed a synergistic effect for the MEM–FF combination. Combinations of CT–MEM and MEM–FF may be options for the treatment of CRAB infections. However, a comprehensive understanding of the potential of the microorganism to develop resistant mutants under applied exposures, as well as factors that directly affect antimicrobial activity, such as pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, is essential for providing treatment advice. We found a low rate of agreement between the E test method and the checkerboard test method in our study, in contrast to the literature. Comprehensive studies that compare clinical results with methods are needed to determine the ideal synergy test and interpretation method.

Objective: We aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and behavior of university students regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS, gonorrhea and genital herpes. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the online questionnaire consisted of three parts and a total of 38 questions. For comparison of two groups, Mann-Whitney U test was used and for comparison of three or more groups, Kruskal-Wallis and one-way ANOVA tests were used. Results: A total of 207 students participated in the study. The rates of participants correctly answering the questions about HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, and genital herpes were 42.9%, 40.9%, and 17.5%, respectively. The correct answer rates of health science students, students aged 20-24 years, third-year university students, students receiving sex education classes, and students who believe they take precautions against sexually transmitted diseases (STD) were significantly higher (p

O vírus Epstein-Barr (EBV) é um conhecido vírus carcinogênico. A associação entre EBV e alguns tumores sugere que também pode haver correlação entre carcinoma de laringe e EBV. OBJETIVO: O presente estudo pretende determinar o papel do EBV na etiologia do carcinoma de laringe. MÉTODO: Estudo prospectivo sobre EBV por reação em cadeia da polimerase em tempo real em tecidos tumorais de 25 pacientes com carcinoma de laringe e 17 pacientes com lesões benignas de laringe; análise da relação entre presença de DNA viral e tabagismo, etilismo, localização e diferenciação tumoral. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos de controle e de estudo para positividade da PCR para EBV (p > 0,05). Não foi identificada relação estatisticamente significativa entre positividade para EBV e diferenciação tumoral, localização da neoplasia, tabagismo ou etilismo (p > 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Nossos resultados sugerem que, a despeito de sua identificação em alguns carcinomas espinocelulares de laringe, a presença de EBV não teve qualquer influência na patogenia do carcinoma de laringe.