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Objective To compare the effectiveness and safety of aerosolized (AER) plus intravenous (IV) colistin with IV colistin alone in patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of adults with NP who received IV colistin alone or in combination with AER colistin. The primary endpoint was clinical cure at end of therapy. Secondary endpoints included microbiological eradication, in-hospital mortality and nephrotoxicity. Results In total, 135 patients were included in this study: 65 patients received AER plus IV colistin and 70 patients received IV colistin alone. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. Clinical cure was achieved in 42 (65%) patients who received AER plus IV colistin and 26 (37%) patients who received IV colistin alone (P = 0.01). Among a total of 88 patients who were microbiologically evaluable, 27 (42%) patients who received AER plus IV colistin and 12 (17%) patients who received IV colistin alone attained favourable microbiological outcomes (P = 0.022). In-hospital mortality (43% vs 59%, P = 0.072) was higher in patients who received IV colistin alone, but the difference was not significant. Renal injury occurred in 31% of patients who received AER plus IV colistin and in 41% of patients who received IV colistin alone (P = 0.198). Conclusion AER colistin can be considered as salvage therapy as an adjunct to IV administration for the treatment of patients with NP due to MDR Gram-negative pathogens.

Objective To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in a middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) referral hospital during the peak months of the pandemic. Design A single-center case series of hospitalized individuals with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), an academic tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Clinical and biochemical markers were documented. Risks for ventilatory support, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death are presented. Results Out of 12,688 individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) from June 1 to August 31, 2020, 2,683 (21%) were positive for COVID-19. Of the latter, 605 (22%) patients required hospitalization with a median age of 55, 368 (61%) were male. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (43%) and diabetes (42%). Most patients presented with fever (66%), dyspnea (65%), cough (61%), elevated IL-6 (93.5%), D-dimer (90.1%), CRP (86.1%), and lymphopenia (41.7%). No MERS-CoV co-infection was detected. Overall, 91 patients (15%) died; risk factors associated with mortality were an age of 65 years or older OR 2.29 [95%CI 1.43–3.67], presence of two or more comorbidities OR 3.17 [95%CI 2.00–5.02], symptoms duration of seven days or less OR 3.189 [95%CI (1.64 – 6.19]) lymphopenia OR 3.388 [95%CI 2.10–5.44], high CRP OR 2.85 [95%CI 1.1–7.32], high AST OR 2.95 [95%CI 1.77–4.90], high creatinine OR 3.71 [95%CI 2.30–5.99], and high troponin-I OR 2.84 [95%CI 1.33–6.05]. Conclusion There is a significant increase in severe cases of COVID-19. Mortality was associated with older age, shorter symptom duration, high CRP, low lymphocyte count, and end-organ damage.

Purpose To assess the efficacy and safety of topical application of clotrimazole versus others in the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC). Method Four electronic databases, registries of ongoing trials, and manual search were used to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the efficacy of clotrimazole to other antifungal agents in patients who were clinically diagnosed with oral candidiasis up to November 1st, 2019. Primary outcomes were clinical response and mycological cure rates. Secondary outcomes include relapse rate, incidence of systemic infections, and compliance. Adverse effects were also evaluated. Results Sixteen RCTs with a total of 1685 patients were included. Half of the eligible studies were considered at high risk of performance bias and more than a third, at high risk of reporting bias. Our analysis showed no significant difference in clinical response between clotrimazole and all other antifungal agents. However, clotrimazole was less effective in terms of mycologic cure and relapse rate. Sensitivity analysis comparing clotrimazole to other topical antifungal agents only showed no differences in clinical response, microbiologic cure or relapse. Further sensitivity analysis showed significant efficacy of fluconazole over clotrimazole. Conclusion This meta-analysis indicated that clotrimazole is less effective than fluconazole but as effective as other topical therapies in treating OPC. Well-designed high-quality RCT is needed to validate these findings.

OBJECTIVE: Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), manifests with a wide spectrum of presentations. Most reports of COVID-19 highlight fever and upper respiratory symptoms as the dominant initial presentations, consistent with the World Health Organization guidelines regarding suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, atypical presentations of this disease have been evolving since the initial outbreak of the pandemic in December 2019. We report a case of an older male patient who presented at our hospital with an unusual manifestation of COVID-19. DESIGN: Brief report. SETTING: A university hospital in Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANT: A 73-year-old man who presented with confusion in the absence of any respiratory symptoms or fever. INTERVENTION: The patient was initially admitted with delirium and underwent a further work-up. MEASUREMENTS: Given his recent history of domestic travel and the declaration of a global COVID-19 pandemic status, the patient was administered a swab test for SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: The patient's positive test led to a diagnosis of COVID-19. Although he began to experience a spiking fever and mild upper respiratory symptoms, he recovered rapidly with no residual sequela. CONCLUSION: The recognition of atypical presentations of COVID-19 infection, such as delirium, is critical to the timely diagnosis, provision of appropriate care, and avoidance of outbreaks within healthcare facilities during this pandemic. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1382-1384, 2020.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a organized autoimmune disease presented with vascular thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity. The Sapporo classification criteria of APS were revised in 2006 and are used as the main diagnosis guideline, which validity as standard measurements is still in debate. This study observe the clinical and laboratory indices of APS among Saudi patients. This is a retrospective study hospital-based population. The clinical and Laboratory manifestations of diagnosed APS patients from electronical medical records identifies by ICD-9 code 795.79 in the King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 1990 and 2012. We selected patients with ICD-9 code 795.79 as. Sapporo criteria applied to all patients, then divided into cases fulfilled criteria and cases failed the criteria. To notice the difference in clinical and laboratory indices and comorbidities between the two groups, the T-test was performed and Logistic regression for the fulfilled criteria and clinical indices of vascular thrombosis, DVT/PE, recurrent, and pregnancy morbidity. A total of 72 (90%) females and 8 (10%) males, with the female-to-male ratio 9:1. The mean (±SD) age at diagnosis was 28.1 (±8.7) years (range 11–63 years). There were 22 patients (27.5%) attained the revised criteria (APS confirmed) and no significant difference between the two groups was observed (p > 0.2). However, we found Sapporo confirmed APS cases had significantly higher percentage of serological manifestation presence than clinically diagnosed APS cases. Though there is no statistically significance, Sapporo confirmed APS cases had advanced odds of undergoing vascular thrombosis (OR = 1.61, 95%CI) and DVT/PE (OR = 1.53, 95%CI) and lesser odds of undergoing recurrent DVT/PE (OR = 0.67, 95%CI) and pregnancy morbidity (OR = 0.63, 95%CI) than the clinically diagnosed APS cases. Over 70% of the study population with diagnosed APS did not accomplish the revised Sapporo criteria due to negative laboratory manifestations, which reflects heterogeneous but not degreed disease severity profiles.

The authors report interim results of the WHO Solidarity trial of four repurposed antiviral drugs - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon beta-1a - in patients hospitalized with Covid-19. Effects on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay are compared. Background World Health Organization expert groups recommended mortality trials of four repurposed antiviral drugs - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon beta-1a - in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Methods We randomly assigned inpatients with Covid-19 equally between one of the trial drug regimens that was locally available and open control (up to five options, four active and the local standard of care). The intention-to-treat primary analyses examined in-hospital mortality in the four pairwise comparisons of each trial drug and its control (drug available but patient assigned to the same care without that drug). Rate ratios for death were calculated with stratification according to age and status regarding mechanical ventilation at trial entry. Results At 405 hospitals in 30 countries, 11,330 adults underwent randomization; 2750 were assigned to receive remdesivir, 954 to hydroxychloroquine, 1411 to lopinavir (without interferon), 2063 to interferon (including 651 to interferon plus lopinavir), and 4088 to no trial drug. Adherence was 94 to 96% midway through treatment, with 2 to 6% crossover. In total, 1253 deaths were reported (median day of death, day 8; interquartile range, 4 to 14). The Kaplan-Meier 28-day mortality was 11.8% (39.0% if the patient was already receiving ventilation at randomization and 9.5% otherwise). Death occurred in 301 of 2743 patients receiving remdesivir and in 303 of 2708 receiving its control (rate ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81 to 1.11; P=0.50), in 104 of 947 patients receiving hydroxychloroquine and in 84 of 906 receiving its control (rate ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.59; P=0.23), in 148 of 1399 patients receiving lopinavir and in 146 of 1372 receiving its control (rate ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.25; P=0.97), and in 243 of 2050 patients receiving interferon and in 216 of 2050 receiving its control (rate ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.39; P=0.11). No drug definitely reduced mortality, overall or in any subgroup, or reduced initiation of ventilation or hospitalization duration. Conclusions These remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon regimens had little or no effect on hospitalized patients with Covid-19, as indicated by overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay. (Funded by the World Health Organization; ISRCTN Registry number, ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, .)

Coronavirus disease-2019 is currently causing a world pandemic. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reported its first case on March 2, 2020. Due to its potential rapid dissemination within the public and a large probability of a countrywide outbreak, along with the country's experience in battling another similar coronavirus (the Middle East respiratory syndrome–coronavirus), the KSA was among the leading bodies in the world for its swift community action and hospital preparedness.

Carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by renal tubular acidosis, osteopetrosis, recurrent bone fractures, renal stones, growth failure, and mental retardation. Several cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia with homozygous mutations in CA2 consistent with a high degree of consanguinity. We report a case of carbonic anhydrase II deficiency with short stature, mixed renal tubular acidosis, recurrent bone fractures due to trivial trauma, recurrent renal stones and cerebral calcification. This patient was compound heterozygous for a novel CA2 mutation and a previously reported mutation in Arabs.

Hydatid disease is one of the most geographically widespread zoonoses with substantial disease burden. In this report we are discussing an unusual case of intra-abdominal HD that was ongoing for 22 years despite two surgical interventions. Significant symptomatic relief was achieved within the first two months of combination therapy with albendazole and praziquantel. HD is still of public health concern in the Middle East that needs optimized care.