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Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the previous four months (March-July 2020) SARS-CoV-2 infection rate, seroprevalence and the variables affecting these in HCWs in a university hospital. Methods: The present study is a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study on HCWs working in a tertiary hospital during the first stage (March-July 2020) of the outbreak in Turkey. The presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against the spike structure of the virus was investigated by the chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLIA) method using the commercial antibody kit (COV2T, Siemens®, Tarrytown, NY, US). Participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, health status, lifestyle, risky occupational and social and personal protective equipment (PPE) usage were independent variables of the study. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used in univariate analyzes, and accepted type 1 error value was 0.05. The analyzes were made using the SPSS 23.0 package program. Results: 1177 out of a total of 1702 health workers participated in the study. Participation rate was 69.1% . The mean age of the study group was 35.3 ± 9.8 and 62.7% were females. SARS-CoV-2 infection rate detected by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT-PCR) or antibody test (Elisa) was (18/1177) 1.5%; The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 1.01%. 17% of the entire SARS-CoV-2 cases were asymptomatic. The highest infection prevalence was significantly higher in auxiliary health workers (3.7%) compared to other groups. The presence of symptoms HCW’s and their family members that did not exist before in the last 15 days, being overweight or obese and consulting as contacted person in survelliance unit were significantly related to having SARS-CoV-2 infection (p

Sorption and pervaporation experiments were carried out for pure ethanol, pure ethyl acetate and their binary mixtures using zeolite 13X-filled poly(dimethylsiloxane) membranes prepared by the solu...

The purpose of the present investigation was to prepare pH-sensitive hydrogels from photo-crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA). Rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) was employed to modify the PEG-DA hydrogels. The rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were prepared by direct oxidation of titanium in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) at high temperature. The nanoparticles were characterized by FT-IR, XRD and SEM. The influence of experimental conditions, such as pH, type and amount of photoinitiators on the release profiles of donepezil hydrochloride (active pharmaceutical ingredient for Alzheimer disease) from modified PEG-DA hydrogels, was investigated. The drug release processes were analyzed kinetically using zero-order, first-order, Hixson-Crowell and Peppas models.

Purpose: Reactivation of hepatitis B may be prevented by antiviral therapy in immunosuppressed high risk patients. Entecavir (ETC) and tenofovir disoproksil fumarat (TDF) have been used for a long time and recently introduced tenofovir alafenamid (TAF) seems to be a good alternative with rare side effects. This multicentered study with a large patient population aimed to investigate the effectiveness of tenofovir alafenamid (TAF) in immunsuppressed subjects. Materials and Methods: The records of six training and research hospitals between January 1, 2019 and September 30, 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, and patients who were started antiviral prophylaxis for hepatitis B and followed up for at least 6 months while under immunosuppressive therapy were included in the study. Risk groups were determined according to the immunosuppressive treatment or chemotherapy they received, as well as hepatitis B serology, and were examined in terms of the presence of hepatitis B reactivation and its side effects. Results: The mean age of patients was found as 62.5 +/- 29. Out of 148 patients, 85 (57.4%) received TAF, 63 (42.6%) received either Entecavir (ETC) or tenofovir disoproksil fumarat (TDF). The majority (83.1%) was found as HBsAg (-) antiHBc (+) and 16.9% was HBsAg (+). HBV DNA was traced in 36% of chronic HBV patients. Most of the patients (69.6%) were receiving immunospuppressives for treatment of a haematologic malignancy and 89.2% was in the high risk treatment group. There was no difference between TAF and the other drugs in terms of risks. Reactivation was not seen in any of the treatment groups. Conclusion: TAF is as effective as TDF and ETC when used for prophylaxis in immunosuppressed HBV patients. Side effects on kidney and bone are not seen in TAF treatment groups which will probably play a role in preferring this new drug.

Giriş ve Amaç: Son yıllarda yeni ajanların da kullanıma girmesiyle birlikte antifungal tüketimi giderek artmıştır. Bu durum, direnç gelişimi konusunda endişelere neden olmaktadır. Ülkemizde antifungal tüketimine ait veriler oldukça sınırlıdır. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye’nin batısındaki yedi üniversite hastanesinde yatan hastalarda antifungal kullanımının değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışma ekibi tarafından hazırlanan antifungal kullanım formu, tüm merkezler tarafından, aynı gün içinde, antifungal kullanan tüm hastalar için, nokta prevalans yöntemi ile dolduruldu, elde edilen veriler SPSS programı ile değerlendirildi.Bulgular: Toplam hasta sayısı 4969 idi. Hastaların 112(%2.2) ’si antifungal tedavi almaktaydı. Bu 112 hastanın verileri değerlendirildiğinde; antifungal kullanan hastaların 56 (%50)’sı hematoloji-onkoloji, 20 (%17,8)’si yoğun bakım (YB), 23 (%20,5)’ü dahili bilimler ve 13 (%11,6)’ü cerrahi bilimlerde izlenmekteydi. En sık kullanılan antifungal flukonazol [44(%39,3)] olup %34.1’i profilaksi amacı ile kullanılmaktaydı. Tedavilerin %38’i hedefe yönelik, %26.8’i ampirik ve %18,8’i preemptif olarak tanımlanmıştı. Yattığı kliniğe göre tedavi endikasyonları değerlendirildiğinde en çok pre-emptif antifungal kullanımı hemato-onkoloji kliniğinde %71.4 (15/21) görülürken ampirik tedavi en çok yoğun bakımlarda %50 olmuştur.Sonuç: Çalışmamızda antifungal tüketim oranı %2.2 olup, antifungal ajanlar daha çok hematoloji ve dahili birimlerde kullanılmıştır. Antifungal tedaviye başlama nedeni en fazla 'kanıtlanmış mantar infeksiyonu' olarak gözlenmiştir. En sık izole edilen patojenler Candida türleri olmasına rağmen, antifungal ajan seçimi hastanın yattığı kliniğe bağlıdır. Antifungal tüketim açısından yedi merkez arasında anlamlı fark gözlenmemiştir. Bu durum ülkemizdeki antifungal kullanımı politikası ile açıklanabilir. Bu sonuçlara bağlı olarak her hastane kendi verilerini izlemelidir ve izole edilen fungal patojenlere göre antifungal tedavi politikası geliştirilmelidir., Objective: Antifungal consumption has increased in recent years due to new agents on the market. This increase leads to concern about drug resistance. Data about antifungal prescription in our country is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate antifungal consumption in seven university hospital.Materials and Methods: A form was designed to record patients’ data. The antifungal consumption at the west side of Turkey in seven University Hospital were evaluated by point prevalence. Hospitalized patients with antifungal treatment were determined and the designed forms were filled at the scheduled day. SPSS was used to determine significance of data.Results: There were 4969 hospitalized patients totally and 112 (2.2%) of them were treated with antifungal agents at the day of point-prevalance. Out of 112 patients 56 (50%) were in hematology-oncology, 20 (17.8%) in ICU (intensive care unit), 23 (20.5%) in internal medicine and 13 (11.6%) in surgery clinics. Fluconazole [44 (39.3%)] was the most used antifungal agent, 34% of them had been using oral fluconazole for prophylaxis. All of the treatments, 38% were defined as targeted, 26.8% as empirical and 18.8% as pre-emptive. When the treatment indications were evaluated according to the clinic, the most pre-emptive antifungal usage was in the hemato-oncology clinic, 71.4% (15/21), while the empirical treatment was mostly used as 50% in the intensive care units.Conclusion: In this study antifungal consumption rate was 2.2%. Antifungal agents were mostly used in hematology and internal medicine clinics. The reason of starting an antifungal treatment was ‘proven fungal infection’ mostly. Although the most frequent isolated pathogens were Candida species, the choice of antifungal agent depended on the clinic where the patient was hospitalized. There was no significantly difference between the university hospitals according to antifungal consumption. This may be explained by the antifungal prescription policy in our country. Depending on this results the hospitals should monitor their own fungal pathogens. And according to isolated fungal pathogens antifungal treatment policy should be improved

The aim of the present study is to develop hydroxyapatite modified PEG-DA and PEG-DA/HEMA based hydrogels for release of Donepezil HCl for potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. [2,2-Dimethoxy-2-phenyl-acetophenone] (Irgacure 651), 1 Hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (Irgacure 184) and 2-Hydroxy-4'-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2-methylpropiophenone (Irgacure 2959) were used as photo-initiators in the synthesis of hydrogels and hydroxyapatite was used for modifying hydrogels. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and digital microscope were utilized to investigate the characteristics properties of hydrogels. Photopolymerization technique was selected to synthesize for hydrogels. Swelling and drug release studies have been performed under different pH conditions.

The present study aims to create a controlled release system through the preparation and characterization of hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate (HEMA). In order to investigate the influence of photo-initiators on the drug release behavior of the resulting hydrogels, three different photo-initiators [2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl-acetophenone] (Irgacure 651), 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (Irgacure 184) and 2-hydroxy-4′-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2-methylpropiophenone (Irgacure 2959) were used. In addition, hydroxyapatite (HAp) was employed to modify HEMA hydrogels. The synthesis of hydrogels was confirmed by characterization through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) spectroscopy and digital microscope. The responsive behaviors were investigated by recording swelling ratios under different conditions. In vitro drug release studies were performed for donepezil hydrochloride-loaded hydrogels at pH 1.2, 6.8 and 7.4. The results indicated that hydrogels synthesized using Irgacure 2959 released the maximum amount of donepezil hydrochloride. Moreover, the release rate decreased in the presence of HAp.

In this multicenter prospective cohort study, it was aimed to evaluate the bacterial and viral etiology in community-acquired central nervous system infections by standart bacteriological culture and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Patients hospitalized with central nervous system infections between April 2012 and February 2014 were enrolled in the study. Demographic and clinical information of the patients were collected prospectively. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of the patients were examined by standart bacteriological culture methods, bacterial multiplex PCR (Seeplex meningitis-B ACE Detection (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes, Group B streptococci) and viral multiplex PCR (Seeplex meningitis-V1 ACE Detection kits herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV1), herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus 6 (HHV6)) (Seeplex meningitis-V2 ACE Detection kit (enteroviruses)). Patients were classified as purulent meningitis, aseptic meningitis and encephalitis according to their clinical, CSF (leukocyte level, predominant cell type, protein and glucose (blood/CSF) levels) and cranial imaging results. Patients who were infected with a pathogen other than the detection of the kit or diagnosed as chronic meningitis and other diseases during the follow up, were excluded from the study. A total of 79 patients (28 female, 51 male, aged 42.1 ± 18.5) fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. A total of 46 patients were classified in purulent meningitis group whereas 33 were in aseptic meningitis/encephalitis group. Pathogens were detected by multiplex PCR in 41 patients. CSF cultures were positive in 10 (21.7%) patients (nine S.pneumoniae, one H.influenzae) and PCR were positive for 27 (58.6%) patients in purulent meningitis group. In this group one type of bacteria were detected in 18 patients (14 S.pneumoniae, two N.meningitidis, one H.influenzae, one L.monocytogenes). Besides, it is noteworthy that multiple pathogens were detected such as bacteria-virus combination in eight patients and two different bacteria in one patient. In the aseptic meningitis/encephalitis group, pathogens were detected in 14 out of 33 patients; single type of viruses in 11 patients (seven enterovirus, two HSV1, one HSV2, one VZV) and two different viruses were determined in three patients. These data suggest that multiplex PCR methods may increase the isolation rate of pathogens in central nervous system infections. Existence of mixed pathogen growth is remarkable in our study. Further studies are needed for the clinical relevance of this result.

WOS: 000366655100045, PubMed ID: 26386176, BACKGROUND CONTEXT: No direct comparison between brucellar spondylodiscitis (BSD) and tuberculous spondylodiscitis (TSD) exists in the literature. PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare directly the clinical features, laboratory and radiological aspects, treatment, and outcome data of patients diagnosed as BSD and TSD. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective, multinational, and multicenter study was used. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 641 (TSD, 314 and BSD, 327) spondylodiscitis patients from 35 different centers in four countries (Turkey, Egypt, Albania, and Greece) were included. OUTCOME MEASURES: The pre- and peri- or post-treatment spinal deformity and neurologic deficit parameters, and mortality were carried out. METHODS: Brucellar spondylodiscitis and TSD groups were compared for demographics, clinical, laboratory, radiological, surgical interventions, treatment, and outcome data. The Student t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for group comparisons. Significance was analyzed as two sided and inferred at 0.05 levels. RESULTS: The median baseline laboratory parameters including white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were higher in TSD than BSD (p

Objective: This study was performed to identify risk factors and to determine the attributable mortality and clinical outcomes of nosocomial Acinetobacter bacteremia in our intensive care unit. Methods: A retrospective case-control (1:1) study was conducted in a tertiary, academic hospital composed of 300 beds. The control group consisted of 54 consecutive patients with negative blood cultures, matched by sex, age (±10 years), primary and secondary diagnosis, operative procedures, and date of admission. Results: There was a trend for a longer median duration of hospitalization among the patient group compared with the control group (25.0 versus 8.0 days; p=0.001). Patients with Acinetobacter bacteremia had significantly more hemodynamic instability (hypoxia, shock) (p=0.001). We detected that the presence of risk factors such as mechanical ventilation, central venous catheter, anemia, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia and impairment in creatinine clearance was higher in the patient group than in the control group (p, Amaç: Bu çalışma yoğun bakımda gelişen hastane kökenli Acinetobacter bakteriyemilerinde risk faktörlerinin belirlenmesi, hastalığın klinik sonuçlarının ve bakteriyemiye atfedilen mortalitenin saptanması için yapıldı.Yöntemler: Çalışma, 300 yataklı üçüncü basamak bir üniversite hastanesinde retrospektif vaka kontrollü (1:1) olarak gerçekleştirildi. Kontrol grubu; kan kültürü negatif, yaş (± 10), cins, birincil ve ikincil tanıları, operasyon öyküleri ve başvuru zamanları vaka grubu ile eşleşen 54 ardışık hastadan oluşturuldu.Bulgular: Hasta grubunda ortalama yatış süresi kontrol grubuna göre uzundu (sırasıyla 25.0 ve 8,0 gün, p=0,001). Acinetobacter bakteriyemisi olan hastalarda hemodinamik instabilite (hipoksi, şok) daha sık gözlendi (p=0,001). Mekanik ventilasyon, santral venöz kateterizasyon, anemi, trombositopeni, hipoalbüminemi ve kreatinin klirensinde bozulma gibi risk faktörleri hasta grubunda kontrol grubuna göre fazlaydı (p

Hakyemez, Ismail Necati/0000-0001-6133-9604; Mert, Ali/0000-0001-8945-2385; YILMAZ, Mesut/0000-0001-8022-7325 WOS: 000394632300009 PubMed: 28013184 Aim: To examine the variables associated with mortality in patients with Acinetobacter baumannii-related central nervous system infections treated with intrathecal colistin. Materials and methods: This multi-centre retrospective case control study included patients from 11 centres in Turkey, as well as cases found during a literature review. Only patients with CNS infections caused by multidrug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii treated with intrathecal colistin were included in this study. The variables associated with mortality were determined by dividing the patients into groups who died or survived during hospitalisation, and who died or survived from Acinetobacter meningitis. Results: Among the 77 cases enrolled in the study, 35 were found through a literature review and 42 were cases from our centres. Forty-four cases (57.1%) were male and the median age was 48 years (range: 20-78 years). Thirty-seven patients (48%) died during hospitalisation. The variables associated with increased all-cause mortality during hospitalisation included old age (odds ratio, 1.035; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.004-1.067; p = 0.026) and failure to provide cerebrospinal fluid sterilisation (odds ratio, 0.264; 95% confidence interval, 0.097-0.724; p = 0.01). There is a trend (P=0.062) towards higher mortality with using of meropenem during meningitis treatment. Fifteen cases (19%) died from meningitis. There were no significant predictors of meningitis-related mortality. Conclusions: The mortality rate for central nervous system infections caused by multidrug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is high. Old age and failure to provide CSF sterilisation are associated with increased mortality during hospitalisation. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Background/aim: Broad-spectrum antibiotics have become available for use only with the approval of infectious disease specialists (IDSs) since 2003 in Turkey. This study aimed to analyze the tendencies of doctors who are not disease specialists (non-IDSs) towards the restriction of antibiotics., Materials and methods: A questionnaire form was prepared, which included a total of 22 questions about the impact of antibiotic restriction (AR) policy, the role of IDSs in the restriction, and the perception of this change in antibiotic consumption. The questionnaire was completed by each participating physician., Results: A total of 1906 specialists from 20 cities in Turkey participated in the study. Of those who participated, 1271 (67.5%) had 5 years of occupational experience in their branch expressed that they followed the antibiotic guidelines more strictly than the JSs (P < 0.05) and 755 of physicians (88%) and 720 of surgeons (84.6%) thought that the AR policy was necessary and useful (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: This study indicated that the AR policy was supported by most of the specialists. Physicians supported this restriction policy more so than surgeons did.

Solid organ transplantation (SOT) is a treatment method that improves quality of life and survival of patients with end-stage organ failure. Immunosuppressive treatments given to these patients may predispose to the development of invasive fungal infections (IFI). The incidence of IFI in SOT recipients, which is between 5% and 42%, depends on the organ to be transplanted. Although Candida spp., followed by Aspergillus spp. are the most common microorganisms, among fungal pathogens, this situation varies according to transplant type. The mortality rate associated with these IFI can be high. Therefore, antifungal prophylaxis may be necessary for SOT recipients. Many transplantation centers employ antifungal strategies according to their own experience because of the lack of randomized controlled studies. If the antifungal prophylaxis is given to all patients, antimicrobial resistance and drug-drug interactions may occur. Therefore, it is important to identify patients at a high risk of developing IFI. In this paper, epidemiology, risk factors, literature data and antifungal prophylaxis associated with IFI in liver, kidney, small intestine, pancreas, heart, and lung transplant recipients are reviewed.

Background/aim: Colistin is used as a salvage therapy for multidrug-resistant and extremely drug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections. Our aim was to evaluate colistin efficiency and toxicity in the treatment of these resistant gram-negative bacterial infections. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study carried out in a tertiary care hospital during 2011-2013. Study data were collected from the medical records and consultations of the infectious diseases clinic. Results: The study group included 158 patients with nosocomial infections and 136 (86.1%) of them were hospitalized in the ICU. Respiratory tract infections were the most commonly observed ones (n = 103, 65.2%). The most frequently isolated microorganism was Acinetobacter baumannii (72.2%). A total of 98 (62.0%) patients had clinical cure. There was no statistically significant difference between monotherapy (n = 3/6, 50.0%) and combination therapies (n = 95/152, 62.5%) according to clinical response. Underlying ultimately fatal disease, previous renal disease, and total parenteral nutrition were independent risk factors for poor clinical response. Nephrotoxicity developed in 80 (50.6%) patients and clinical cure was statistically unrelated with nephrotoxicity. Conclusion: Colistin may be used as an effective agent for multidrug-resistant and extremely drug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections with close monitoring of renal functions, especially for older and critically ill patients.

Early and accurate risk prediction is an important clinical demand in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is an independent predictor of worse prognosis in various cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the value of PLR in the prediction of in-hospital mortality among IE patients. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data of 59 adult patients with definite IE and in 40 adult controls. In-hospital mortality occurred in 16 (27%) patients. Vegetation size, levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein and procalcitonin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and PLR were significantly higher in the in-hospital-mortality-positive group than in the in-hospital-mortality-negative group (p = 0.004, p = 0.009, p = 0.030, p = 0.001, and p = 0.008, respectively). Lymphocyte count was, however, significantly lower in the in-hospital-mortality-positive group (p = 0.004). In the receiver-operating characteristic analysis, PLRs over 191.01 predicted in-hospital mortality with 56.3% sensitivity and 81.4% specificity [area under the curve 0.725, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.594–0.833; p = 0.0027]. In the multivariate analysis, PLR was found to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with IE (odds ratio 1.022, 95% CI 1.003–1.042; p = 0.021). In conclusion, higher PLR may predict in-hospital mortality in patients with IE.

The aim of this observational prospective study was to compare the effect of fosfomycin tromethanol (FT) and carbapenems (meropenem or imipenem cilastatin) in the treatment of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli-related complicated lower urinary tract infection (CLUTI). Inclusion criteria were: patients who were aged >18 yr with dysuria or problems with frequency or urgency in passing urine; those with >20 leukocytes/mm³ in urine microscopy and culture-proven ESBL-producing carbapenem or FT-sensitive E. coli in the urine (>10⁵ cfu/mm³); no leukocytosis or fever; and who were treated with ft (oral 3 g sachet x 1 every other night, three times) or carbapenems between march 2005 and January 2006 in our outpatient clinic and hospital. A total of 47 CLUTI attacks in 47 patients (27 FT group, 20 carbapenem group) were observed prospectively. Clinical and microbiological success in the carbapenem and ft groups was similar (19/20 vs 21/27 and 16/20 vs 16/27 p>0.05). Drug acquisition costs were significantly lower in the FT group (p

The aim of this study was a systematic review of the literature related to adult fever of unknown origin (FUO) in Turkey.To find the published series, three national and two international databases were searched.Data for 857 patients with the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin were obtained from 13 articles. FUO was defined as fever over 38.3 degrees C that continues at least for three weeks with no diagnosis reached after one week of inpatient investigation in all series (Petersdorf and Beason criteria). Infections, collagen vascular diseases, and neoplasms were found to be the reason of fever in 403 (47.0%), 137 (15.9%), and 126 (14.7%) of the in all 857 patients. The most common infectious disease was tuberculosis (147/403, 36.4%) followed by brucellosis (51/403, 12.6%) and infective endocarditis (39/403, 9.6%). The most common collagen vascular disease was adult-onset Still's Disease (49/137, 35.7%), followed by systemic lupus erythematosus (23/137, 16.7%). The most common neoplasms were Hodgkin's disease (32/126, 25.3%) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (32/126, 25.3%). The reason of fever could not be defined in 138/857 (16.1%) patients.Tuberculosis and brucellosis remain common causes of FUO in Turkey. In addition, lymphomas and adult-onset Still's disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient admitted with FUO.

WOS: 000251212900010, PubMed ID: 17467321, Objectives: Infectious diseases (ID) trainees should be familiar with duties relevant to consultation practice. In this study we aimed to analyze the ID trainee night/weekend shift consultation process in terms of consultant characteristics, types of recommendations, and compliance with recommendations. Methods: All consultations performed by ID trainees on the night shift and at the weekends between 10 June and 10 August 2004 were recorded prospectively on standardized forms. Infectious diseases specialists assessed the appropriateness of recommendations the day after each consultation. Recommendations were considered complied with if they were carried out within 72 hours of the consultation. Results: Of 440 consultations, 163 were for a clinically diagnosed infection (without specific antibiotic request) and 79 were for treatment continuation. Overall, 152 consultations were for requesting specific antibiotic(s), and 327 antibiotics were recommended or approved in 270 consultations. Eight of these recommendations were inappropriate. Overall compliance to ID recommendations was 75.3% (418/555). In univariate analysis, the compliance rate to non-treatment recommendations (microbiologic cultures, radiology, biochemistry, etc.) was found to be lower than the rate of compliance to antibiotic recommendations (186/308 vs. 232/247, p < 0.05). In addition, compliance to recommendations made by the first-year trainees was lower than to the recommendations made by the other trainees. In logistic regression analysis only recommendations including antibiotic treatment was associated with higher compliance (p = 0.0001, odds ratio = 10.2, 95% CI = 5.7-18.3). Conclusions: ID trainees are capable of evaluating patients and recommending appropriate antibiotics. Methodologies to improve the compliance to non-treatment-based recommendations and optimizing antibiotic selection seem to be necessary. (C) 2007 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.