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Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, a multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (GNB), is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. This study assessed the clinical outcomes of GNB infections in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients post-abdominal surgery, focusing on the differences between S. maltophilia and other GNBs, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on SICU patients at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 2010 to 2020, who developed GNB infections following abdominal surgery. Results: Of 442 patients, 237 had S. maltophilia and 205 had non-S. maltophilia GNB infections (including 81 with P. aeruginosa). The overall mortality rate was 44.5%, and S. maltophilia infection emerged as a significant contributor to the mortality rate in patients with GNB infections. S. maltophilia patients had longer mechanical ventilation and SICU stays, with a 30-day mortality rate of 35.4%, higher than the non-S. maltophilia GNB (22.9%) and P. aeruginosa (21%) groups. In-hospital mortality was also higher in the S. maltophilia group (53.2%) compared to the non-S. maltophilia GNB (34.6%) and P. aeruginosa groups (29.6%). Risk factors for acquiring S. maltophilia included a higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and prior broad-spectrum antibiotics use. Older age, polymicrobial infections, and elevated bilirubin were associated with increased 30-day mortality in S. maltophilia patients. Conclusion: S. maltophilia infections in post-abdominal surgery patients are linked to higher mortality than non-S. maltophilia GNB and P. aeruginosa infections, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis and treatment to improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first comprehensive analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates circulating in the Kaohsiung region of southern Taiwan. The major spoligotypes found in the 224 isolates studied were Beijing lineages (n = 97; 43.3%), EAI lineages (n = 72; 32.1%) and Haarlem lineages (n = 18; 8.0%). By 24 MIRU-VNTR typing, 174 patterns were identified, including 24 clusters of 74 isolates and 150 unique patterns. The combination of spoligotyping and 12-MIRU- VNTR revealed that 129 (57.6%) of the 224 isolates were clustered in 18 genotypes. Moreover, 63.6% (7/11) of infected persons younger than 30 years had a Beijing strain, which could suggest recent spread among younger persons by this family of TB strains in Kaohsiung. Among the 94 Beijing family (SIT1, SIT250 and SIT1674) isolates further analyzed for SNPs by mass spectrometry, the most frequent strain found was ST10 (n = 49; 52%), followed by ST22 (n = 17; 18%) and ST19 (n = 11; 12%). Among the EAI-Manila family isolates analyzed by region deletion-based subtyping, the most frequent strain found was RD type 1 (n = 63; 87.5%), followed by RD type 2 (n = 9; 12.5%). In our previous study, the proportion of modern Beijing strains (52.5%) in northern Taiwan was significantly higher than the proportion of EAI strains (11%). In contrast, in the present study, EAI strains comprised up to 32% of Beijing strains in southern Taiwan. In conclusion, both 'modern' (Beijing) and 'ancient' (EAI) M. tuberculosis strains are prevalent in the Kaohsiung region, perhaps suggesting that both strains are somehow more adapted to southern Taiwan. It will be interesting to investigate the dynamics of the lineage composition by different selection pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The enormous job stress of police work may result in depression, which is highly correlated with work disability and poor quality of life. We investigated the quality of life, the probability of depression, and the related risk factors for police officers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Methods: We used the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) and the Disaster-Related Psychological Screening Test (DRPST) to assess the quality of life and prevalence of depression for 832 police officers in Kaohsiung. Results: The estimated rate of probable major depression was 21.6% (180/832). Those with an educational level of university or above and nondepressed police officers had higher scores in every subscale for quality of life. Police officers older than 50 had higher scores in the mental aspects of quality of life. Family problems and job stress related to achievement, peer pressure about performance, and heavy workloads were predictive factors for depression. Conclusion: Police officers might have a higher estimated rate of depression than previously thought, and those with depression have a poorer quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]