Shortened Courses of Antibiotics for Bacterial Infections: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Hanretty Alexandra M,Gallagher Jason C Pharmacotherapy Commonly prescribed durations of therapy for many, if not most, bacterial infections are not evidence-based. Misunderstandings by clinicians and patients alike influence perspectives on antibiotic use, including duration of therapy and its role in antibiotic resistance. To demonstrate that shorter durations of antibiotic therapy are as efficacious as longer durations for many infections, a systematic review was undertaken of English-language articles by using PubMed to identify articles for inclusion. Additionally, infection-specific guidelines were identified for review of recommendations. Search terms included specific infection types, randomized controlled trial (RCT), duration of therapy, treatment duration, short course, and long course. Only RCTs of single-agent antibiotic therapy for the treatment of bacterial infections in adults were included. Independent data extraction of articles was conducted by two authors by using predefined guidance for article inclusion. In total, 23 RCTs met our criteria for inclusion. All trials compared single-agent antibiotics for a short and long antibiotic course in six common infections: community-acquired pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, intraabdominal infections, skin and soft tissue infections, uncomplicated cystitis, and complicated cystitis or pyelonephritis. Clinicians can decrease net antibiotic use by recommending shorter courses where evidence supports them. Antimicrobial stewardship programs that systematically address treatment duration may significantly affect institutional antibiotic use without negatively affecting patient care. 10.1002/phar.2118

Efficacy of Ceftriaxone 1 g daily Versus 2 g daily for The Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Telles João Paulo,Cieslinski Juliette,Gasparetto Juliano,Tuon Felipe Francisco Expert review of anti-infective therapy : Ceftriaxone has been recommended as a first-line treatment for various infections; however, the doses for pneumonia have not been a consensus in randomized clinical trials. To compare ceftriaxone 1 g daily efficacy to other ceftriaxone dosing regimens in community-acquired pneumonia. : We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and LILACS. Randomized controlled trials of ceftriaxone in community-acquired pneumonia were included. Outcomes included clinical cure in modified intention-to-treatment, clinically and microbiologically evaluable patients. : Ceftriaxone dosages of 1 g daily are as safe and effective as other antibiotic regimens for community-acquired pneumonia. Twenty-four articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Twelve studies evaluated ceftriaxone regimens at a dosage of 2 g daily and 12 studies evaluated ceftriaxone at a dosage of 1 g daily. The odds-ratio of clinical cure in the modified intention-to-treatment patients administered either ceftriaxone (4666 patients) or a comparator (4411 patients) was 0.98 (95% CI [0.82-1.17]). Comparator regimens showed similar efficacy to ceftriaxone regimens of 1 g daily, with an odds ratio of 1.03 (95% CI [0.88-1.20]). Dosages higher than ceftriaxone 1 g daily did not result in improved clinical outcomes for community-acquired pneumonia patients (OR 1.02, 95% CI [0.91-1.14]). 10.1080/14787210.2019.1627872

Randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial for integrated treatment of community-acquired pneumonia based on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation. Li Jiansheng,Yu Xueqing,Li Suyun,Wang Haifeng,Bai Yunping,Wang Minghang,Sun Zikai,Zhang Wei,Zhou Zhaoshan,Jia Xianhua,Zhou Qingwei Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment based on syndrome differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS:A total of 240 CAP patients were randomly divided into the following two groups: the control group was treated by anti-infection plus conventional medicine treatment; and the trial group was treated by TCM plus the above-mentioned treatment given to the controls. The course of treatment was 14 days, and the patients were followed up for 7 days. RESULTS:Of the 240 patients, 235 accomplished the whole process of treatment. The five patients who withdrew from the study were brought into an intent-to-treat analysis. The therapeutic effects of the trial group were superior to those of the control group (P < 0.01). The trial group took less time to become clinically stable, with a higher score in the quality of life (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in mortality rate (P > 0.05), white blood cell count (P > 0.05), bacterial clearance rate (P > 0.05), and adverse reactions between the two integrated groups. CONCLUSION:Treatment based on TCM syndrome differentiation for CAP has the advantages of resulting in less time to achieve a stable clinical condition, improvement of clinical symptoms and quality of life, and is comparatively safe. 10.1016/s0254-6272(13)60070-9

Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance. Monserrat-Martinez Ana,Gambin Yann,Sierecki Emma International journal of molecular sciences Since their discovery in the early 20th century, antibiotics have been used as the primary weapon against bacterial infections. Due to their prophylactic effect, they are also used as part of the cocktail of drugs given to treat complex diseases such as cancer or during surgery, in order to prevent infection. This has resulted in a decrease of mortality from infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy in the last 100 years. However, as a consequence of administering antibiotics broadly to the population and sometimes misusing them, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have appeared. The emergence of resistant strains is a global health threat to humanity. Highly-resistant bacteria like (methicillin-resistant) or (vancomycin-resistant) have led to complications in intensive care units, increasing medical costs and putting patient lives at risk. The appearance of these resistant strains together with the difficulty in finding new antimicrobials has alarmed the scientific community. Most of the strategies currently employed to develop new antibiotics point towards novel approaches for drug design based on prodrugs or rational design of new molecules. However, targeting crucial bacterial processes by these means will keep creating evolutionary pressure towards drug resistance. In this review, we discuss antibiotic resistance and new options for antibiotic discovery, focusing in particular on new alternatives aiming to disarm the bacteria or empower the host to avoid disease onset. 10.3390/ijms20061255