Purpose Although negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been widely used in complicated wound care, there are still some obstacles regarding its use in the treatment of severe deep fascial space infections in the head and neck. The purpose of this study is to describe a new modified usage of NPWT and investigate the clinical efficacy of this system in a consecutive case series of severe deep fascial space infections. Methods The investigators implemented a new modification of NPWT for the management of severe deep fascial space infections. In this new system, the half-plugged bar-shaped foam material was arranged along with the through-and-through side-holed latex drainage tube, which could maintain negative pressure in the distal part of the spaces, and the tube was easy to remove 5-7 days after surgery. Twelve patients had severe deep fascial space infections in the head and neck with a direct threat to the airway. The median time of removal of the NPWT device, the median amount of drainage fluid and the median healing time were investigated. Results A total of 7 male and 5 female patients with an average age of 63.2 years old were included in this study. The median time of removal of the NPWT device was 6 days (ranging from 4 to 7 days). The median amount of drainage fluid within 3 days after surgery was 420 mL (ranging from 280-760 mL), and the median time for complete wound healing was 12 days (ranging from 10 to 21 days). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the modification of NPWT provides various advantages and leads to excellent clinical outcomes in the treatment of severe deep fascial space infections. Future studies will focus on the safety verification of portable usage and the cost effectiveness analysis of NPWT. © 2020 Cao et al.Purpose Imipenemase (IMP), an Ambler class B metallo-β-lactamase, is an important carbapenemase that confers resistance to almost all β-lactams. In this study, we characterized the genomic feature of an IMP-4-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST1873 strain, a rare sequence type (ST) isolated from an infant with a bloodstream infection in China. Patients and Methods K. pneumoniae strain, BKP19, was collected from a bloodstream infection in an infant who was hospitalized at the department of paediatrics. The whole genome sequence of the strain was sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform and long-read MinION sequencer. Multilocus sequence typing, antimicrobial resistance gene identification, plasmid and phylogenetic relationship analysis of the strain were analysed by various bioinformatics approaches. Results K. pneumoniae BKP19 was resistant to multiple antimicrobials, including carbapenems. Eleven antimicrobial resistance genes corresponding to beta-lactam resistance, quinolone resistance, phenicol resistance and fosfomycin resistance could be identified in the genome. The carbapenem resistance gene bla IMP-4 was located in an IS26-associated class 1 integron of an IncN-type plasmid with 39,033 bp (pIMP-4-BKP19). Sequence alignment revealed that pIMP-4-BKP19 is closely related to the common plasmid carrying IMP-4 in K. pneumoniae (pIMP-HZ1-like plasmid) but is smaller, lacking the quinolone resistance gene qnrS1 and multiple tra gene orthologs. Conjugation experiment revealed that pIMP-4-BKP19 is a non-conjugative plasmid. According to in silico MLST analysis, K. pneumoniae strain BKP19 belongs to a sporadic clone ST1873. Conclusion In summary, our study reports the first genome sequence of a K. pneumoniae ST1873 strain harbouring the class B β-lactamase bla IMP-4 in an IncN-type plasmid recovered from an infant with a bloodstream infection in China. Considering the global emergence of IMP-4 carbapenemase, more attention must be paid to prevent its future prevalence. © 2020 Xu et al.Purpose This study examined patient- and hospital-level predictor variables that contribute to worse clinical and economic outcomes in patients with carbapenem-nonsusceptible respiratory infections. Patients and Methods Electronic data (January 2013 to September 2015) were from 78 US hospitals. Nonduplicate, gram-negative respiratory isolates were considered carbapenem-nonsusceptible if they tested resistant/intermediate to imipenem, meropenem, doripenem, or ertapenem. Potential predictors of outcomes (in-hospital mortality, 30-day readmission, length of stay [LOS], hospital total cost, and net gain/loss per patient) were examined using univariate analysis and generalized linear mixed models.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/h-1152-dihydrochloride.html  Statistical significance and model goodness-of-fit criteria were used to identify significant predictors. Results A total of 1488 carbapenem-nonsusceptible respiratory patients were identified. Overall, the mortality rate was 13.7%, 30-day readmission rate was 20.6%, mean LOS was 20 days, mean total cost was $54,158, and mean net loss was $139 per patient. Our models showed that hospital-onset infection, higher clinical severity, mechanical ventilation/intensive care unit status, polymicrobial infection, and underlying diseases were all significant predictors for mortality, LOS, and total cost. Hospital-onset infections were also associated with a significantly greater net loss (P≤.01), and underlying disease significantly impacted readmissions (P=.03). The number of prior admissions, hospital characteristics, and payer type were also found to significantly impact measured outcomes. Conclusion Carbapenem-nonsusceptible respiratory infections are associated with a considerable clinical and economic burden. The impact of hospital-onset infections on both clinical and economic outcomes highlights the continued need for action on this modifiable risk factor through antimicrobial stewardship and optimal therapy, thereby reducing the burden in this patient population. © 2020 McCann et al.Purpose The emergence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) is a global challenge in the treatment of clinical disease in both humans and animals and is exacerbated by the presence of different PMQR genes existing in the same bacterial strain. Here, we discovered that a natural isoquinoline alkaloid palmatine extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal plants effectively inhibited the activity of PMQR proteins QnrS and AAC(6')-Ib-cr. Methods In total 120 clinical ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) were screened for the presence of qnrS and aac(6')-Ib-cr by PCR. Recombinant E. coli that produced QnrS or AAC(6')-Ib-cr proteins were constructed and the correct expression was confirmed by MALDI/TOF MS analysis and SDS-PAGE. A minimal inhibitory concentration (MICs) assay, growth curve assay and time-kill assay were conducted to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of palmatine and the combination of palmatine and ciprofloxacin. Cytotoxicity assays and mouse thigh infection model were used to evaluate the in vivo synergies.