Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC), formerly Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), is a 597-bed non-profit major teaching hospital located in Livingston, New Jersey. An affiliate of RWJBarnabas Health (formerly known as Barnabas Health and Saint Barnabas Health Care System), it is the oldest and largest nonprofit, nonsectarian hospital in New Jersey.
Invasive Group A Streptococcus infections are on the rise at both the United States and international levels. Recent strains continue to progress to invasive disease with high rates of morbidity and mortality despite early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. This increase post-COVID pandemic may be related to altered immunity from lack of exposure, rising antimicrobial resistance, increased prevalence of risk factors like obesity, diabetes, and IV drug use, or the “triple-demic” with COVID, Influenza, and RSV spiking at the same time each year. All of these factors breed potential for invasive spread and outbreaks.Table 1:Clinical characteristics of patients with invasive GAS infectionsFigure 1:Invasive Cases in New Jersey by County (North to South) This is a retrospective review of 35 pediatric and 239 adult confirmed invasive Group A Strep infections from January 2022 through December 2024 across 12 Emergency Departments within a single healthcare system in New Jersey, USA. Invasivity was defined in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control Emerging Infections program. Descriptive analysis was performed for clinical presentations, epidemiology, morbidity, mortality, and antimicrobial susceptibility.Table 2:Manifestations of invasive Group A Strep infection The mortality rate was 11.8% (32/274 patients); 29 adults and 3 children. The most frequently identified risk factors in adults were diabetes, chronic skin lesions, IV drug use, and having >1 underlying condition. Most pediatric patients did not have any underlying conditions. The most common presentations were bacteremia without focus (33.2%), skin and soft tissue infections associated with bacteremia (13.1%), and osteomyelitis (11%). Highest rates of infection were recorded in Somerset County (58.7%). Two cases of macrolide resistance and one case of penicillin resistance were observed. There should be a high clinical suspicion for invasive disease in older adults with history of hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes and current or recent Group A Strep infection. Children with no underlying medical conditions should still be considered at risk. Clinicians should consider cultures with susceptibility testing and track antibiotic resistance. Penicillin remains the optimal treatment. All Authors: No reported disclosures
Background:Identifying and addressing long-term health and societal challenges after COVID-19 is a research priority. Objectives:To create an international, multidisciplinary COVID-19 database, and synthesise long-term outcomes, predictors and costs. Design:Systematic identification of COVID-19 data sets and meta-analysis of individual participant data on long-term outcomes after COVID-19. Setting:Contributed data were collected in clinical, community and research settings. Interventions:Interventions from original studies were included as covariates in models. Data sources:MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycInfo® (American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, World Health Organization Global Index Medicus, Epistemonikos, LitCOVID; World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform; ClinicalTrials.gov and supplementary searches for studies (November 2019-November 2021) were searched for studies on > 10 people from cohort, case-control, survey or randomised controlled trial studies, across any setting, describing validated assessment instruments, symptoms, hospitalisation, discharge destination or mortality beyond 28-days after COVID-19 onset. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Methods:Principal investigators contributed fully anonymised individual participant data. Demography, equity and symptoms were described. Assessment instruments were mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Factors associated with outcomes at 3-6 months, 9-12 months and beyond 12 months of index infection, for n > 500 individual participant data and > 1 data set were described using ratio of difference, point estimates, odds ratio and 95% confidence interval, as appropriate. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool described study quality; models were appraised using a Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-informed approach; heterogeneity was described using I2. Outcome measures:Included overall perception of health, multidomain cognitive function, anxiety, depression, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, fatigue, strength, walking ability, mobility, coping with daily life, breathlessness, mortality, later hospitalisation and health-related quality of life. Results:PRECIOUS collated 116 data sets from 40 countries (individual participant data = 62,849), comprising 20 randomised controlled trials, 13 case-control, 60 cohort 2 longitudinal, 1 survey and 20 other study types. Participants' median age was 58 years interquartile range (45-68); 34,185 (54.4%) were female; 158 unique symptoms and 137 unique assessment instruments were captured, predominantly describing International Classification of Function, Disability and Health-body functions. Women had poorer outcomes across 30/37 models, compared with men. In 15/37 models, pre-existing lung disease and increasing age were associated with poorer outcomes; hospitalisation, diabetes and chronic kidney disease were each associated with poorer outcomes in 8/37 models. Initial hospitalisation resulted in lower health-related quality of life that did not recover for up to 2 years after initial infection. Heterogeneity was low in 34/37 models; 22/37 models were of moderate and 11/37 were of low quality. Limitations:Use of secondary data limits available covariates, outcomes and time points to those included in primary data sets; evidence was primarily based on high-income countries. There was a lack of data on longer-term healthcare resource use to estimate the costs to the healthcare system. Conclusions:PRECIOUS contributes to the overall picture of long-term COVID-19 outcomes beyond the long-COVID condition and highlights poorer long-term outcomes in women and people with pre-existing comorbidities. Future work:Evidence gaps included healthcare resource use, isolation, loneliness, societal participation and return to work outcomes. Data are needed on the role of health inequity on long-term outcomes. Study registration:This study is registered as PROSPERO (CRD42020224323, IRAS ID: 293578). Funding:This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR132895) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 14, No. 29. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.
189 Background: TAS102 (trifluridine/tipiracil hydrochloride) is approved for use alone or with bevacizumab in late line metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), with overall survival benefit in phase 3 trials (RECOURSE and SUNLIGHT). Oxaliplatin is frequently reintroduced after progression, resolution of limiting neuropathy, or disease recurrence post adjuvant therapy. In preclinical studies, oxaliplatin combined with TAS102 has shown synergism. We hypothesized TASOX may be an option for patients who have progressed/recurred after FOLFOX. Methods: We assessed safety and efficacy of TAS102 with oxaliplatin, enrolling patients with metastatic CRC progressed on ≥2 lines of therapy including 5FU, oxaliplatin and irinotecan. Patients with recurrence during or within 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy were allowed. Exclusion: Prior TAS102 exposure, functional impairing peripheral neuropathy, ≥Grade 3 hypersensitivity to oxaliplatin, or uncontrollable grade 1-2 hypersensitivity to oxaliplatin. Treatment continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients received oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 and TAS-102 35 mg/m2 bid days 1-5 every two weeks, and bevacizumab per MD choice. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) by RECIST (by independent radiologists). Secondary endpoints included disease control rate (DCR), safety and tolerability. Results: 54 patients enrolled; 53 received treatment on study and 48 had ≥1 disease assessment (median age 59, 58 % male, tumor RAS mutated 69%). Median time on study was 4 months (8 cycles; range 1-37 cycles). ORR was 6% (n=3), with average change in target lesions -45% (range -35 to -67%). 71% (n=34) had SD defined on study, with average change in target lesions -3% (range -29% to +20%). In those treated with bevacizumab (59%; n=28 ), 79% (n=22) had disease control vs. 75% (n=15). The most common reason for study discontinuation was progressive disease (23%, n=11). 68% (n=36) had a treatment-related adverse event (TRAE) ≥Grade 3 at any point during therapy. The most common G3 TRAEs were anemia 19% (n=10) and leukopenia 28% (n=15) at any time. Two (4%) developed grade 3 neuropathy. Conclusions: TASOX is effective as a 3rd line therapy for patients with mCRC. In our study, overall disease control rate was 77% with up to 19 months on study. Anemia and leukopenia are common but manageable. Bevacizumab did not seem to have as great an effect in our trial as observed in SUNLIGHT. Future studies would warrant TASOX in combination to bevacizumab in randomized trials in candidates for oxaliplatin retreatment. Clinical trial information: NCT02848079 .
