Key findings in infectious disease Brewer ’ s yeast – Saccharomyces cerevisiae – was named microbe of the year for 2022 by the Association for General and Applied Microbiology ( VAAM ) in Germany , Dr Matthias Fellhauer ( Director of Pharmacy , Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum , Villingen- Schwenningen , Germany ) told the audience . Not only essential for beer , wine and bread , this organism also has important biotechnology functions .
A study by Gariani and colleagues 5 compared three weeks of antibiotic therapy with therapy for six weeks for diabetic foot osteomyelitis and concluded that it was non-inferior to the usual six weeks of treatment .
A systematic review 6 examined the impact of post-operative continuation of antibiotic prophylaxis on the incidence of surgical site infection ( SSI ). The review concluded that when best practice standards were followed , there was no evidence to support continuation of antibiotic prophylaxis after the end of the operation , said Dr Fellhauer . Continuing antibiotic prophylaxis after an operation unnecessarily exposes patients to risks associated with antibiotic use and , for this reason , the WHO recommended discontinuation of antibiotic prophylaxis after surgery in 2016 , he said .
A randomised controlled trial ( RCT ) – ORALEV – examined the impact of pre-operative oral antibiotics on SSI in colon surgery . 7 This was an important landmark as it was the first multicentre RCT to assess the impact of oral antibiotics without mechanical bowel preparation . The results showed that oral antibiotic administration on the day before surgery significantly reduced the risk of SSI .
Trubiano and colleagues described the development and validation of a penicillin allergy clinical decision rule called PEN-FAST . 8 Pharmacists are aware that penicillin allergy is often reported when no true allergy exists . It has been estimated that out of every 100 Americans , 99 have no penicillin allergy , nine have false allergy and one has true allergy . The PEN-FAST tool was designed to separate patients at high- , moderate- and low risks of penicillin allergy . It relies on the use of four simple questions in patients who report penicillin allergy . When evaluated , PEN-FAST accurately identified patients at low-risk of actually being allergic to penicillin . This is important because allergy-reporters were found to be 51 % more likely to suffer from post-operative wound infection , possibly as a result of sub-optimal peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis .
References 1 Chow CK et al . Initial treatment with a single pill containing quadruple combination of quarter doses of blood pressure medicines versus standard dose monotherapy in patients with hypertension ( QUARTET ): a phase 3 , randomised , doubleblind , active-controlled trial . Lancet 2021 ; 398 ( 10305 ): 1043 – 52 . 2 Neal B et al . Effect of salt substitution on cardiovascular events and death . |
N Engl J Med 2021 ; 385:1067 – 77 . 3 Tawbi HA et al . Relatlimab and Nivolumab versus Nivolumab in Untreated Advanced Melanoma . N Engl J Med 2022 ; 386 ( 1 ): 24 – 34 . 4 Tomita Y et al . Association of Probiotic Clostridium butyricum Therapy with Survival and Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Patients with Lung Cancer . Cancer Immunol Res 2020 ; 8 ( 10 ): 1236 – 42 . 5 Gariani K et al . Three Weeks Versus Six |
Weeks of Antibiotic Therapy for Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis : A Prospective , Randomized , Noninferiority Pilot Trial . Clin Infect Dis 2021 ; 73 : e1539 . 6 deJonge SW et al . Effect of postoperative continuation of antibiotic prophylaxis on the incidence of surgical site infection : a systematic review and meta-analysis . Lancet Infect Dis 2020 ; 20:1182 . 7 Basany EE et al . Preoperative oral antibiotics and surgical-site infections in |
colon surgery ( ORALEV ). A multicentre , single-blind , pragmatic , randomised controlled trial . Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020 ; published online 20 April , 2020 . 8 Trubiano JA et al . Development and Validation of a Penicillin Allergy Clinical Decision Rule . JAMA Intern Med 2020 ; 180:745 – 52 . |
Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice ( PG Cert / PG Dip / MSc )
- Open to primary and secondary care pharmacists - Non-medical prescribing option - Distance learning
This part-time distance-learning programme is open to pharmacists in all employment sectors ( MSc entrants must be working in primary / secondary care ).
Our range of module options will help you to progress in your current role or to achieve your career aspirations , whether in hospital pharmacy , community pharmacy or primary care / general practice .
Non-medical prescribing is offered as an option in the second year of the PG Diploma / MSc ( GB residents only & requires participation in 5-day clinical skills residential at QUB ).
MSc includes an Advanced Practice option linked to the RPS Advanced Pharmacy Framework .
For further information :
QUB School of Pharmacy : www . qub . ac . uk / pha E-mail : b . mccaw @ qub . ac . uk
Our next intake will commence September 2022 ( Closing date : 31st July )