Severe odontogenic infections

Background : Severe odontogenic infections are serious potentially lethal conditions. Following the death of a patient in the authors' institution this study was initiated to determine the risk factors, management and outcome of a consecutive series of patients.
Methods : All patients admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital under the care of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit with odontogenic infections in calendar year 2003 were investigated. Detailed information relative to their pre-presentation history, surgical and anaesthetic management and outcome was obtained and analysed.
Results : Forty-eight patients, 32M, 16F, average age 34.5, range 19 to 88 years were treated. All presented with pain and swelling, with 21 (44 per cent) having trismus. Forty-four (92 per cent) were as a result of dental neglect and four (8 per cent) were regular dental patients having endodontic treatment which failed. Of those known to have been treated prior to presentation, most had been on antibiotics. Most patients had aggressive surgical treatment with extraction, surgical drainage, high dose intravenous antibiotics and rehydration. The hospital stay was 3.3 (range 1–16) days. Patients requiring prolonged intubation and high dependency or intensive care (40 per cent) had longer hospitalization. No patient died and all fully recovered.
Conclusion : Severe odontogenic infections are a serious risk to the patient's health and life. Management is primarily surgical with skilled anaesthetic airway management. Antibiotics are required in high intravenous doses as an adjunct and not as a primary treatment.     

支气管肺蠊缨滴虫病的临床诊治进展

支气管肺蠊缨滴虫感染是一种新的寄生虫疾病,1993年至2008年国内共确诊48例,临床诊断和治疗有一定进展,但蠊缨滴虫感染病例的临床表现缺少特征性,蠊缨滴虫自然宿主、传播途径、流行区域及致病机制等多个方面也尚不明确,其生物学分类地位也有争议,国内还没有建立抗原抗体检测或分子生物学鉴定方法.     

In vitro anti‐adhesive activity of green tea extract against pathogen adhesion

Camellia sinensis polysaccharide has been reported to possess anti‐adhesive activity against pathogens. The present study was designed to investigate whether hot water extracts obtained from green tea leaves might inhibit pathogen adhesion to human or mouse cell lines. Green tea extract‐4 (CSI‐4) with the maximum yield of 4% (w/v) is composed of a major proportion of carbohydrates containing 40% uronic acids, but lack of catechins. It showed strong inhibitory activities against hemagglutination mediated by pathogens Helicobacter pylori, Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus with the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.01‐0.5 mg/mL. CSI‐4 further demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the adhesion of these pathogens to host cell lines with the IC₅₀ values (50% inhibition of adhesion) of 0.14–2.3 mg/mL. It exhibited the highest activity against P. acnes, but no inhibitory effects were observed against Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Escherichia coli, or Staphylococcus epidermidis. Our results suggest that CSI‐4 may exert a selective anti‐adhesive effect against certain pathogenic bacteria with no adverse effects against beneficial or commensal bacteria. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Necrotizing soft tissue infections

Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) represent a spectrum of diseases characterized by extensive rapidly progressive necrosis that may involve the skin, subcutaneous tissues, fascia or muscle. Their progress is extremely fast, leading often to sepsis and septic shock that ends up in multiple organ failure with abrupt and high mortality. A variety of classification systems have been developed based on parameters such as anatomic location of the disease or microbiology. There are a number of factors that predispose to the spread of these soft tissue infections, such as delays in recognition, immune suppression, diabetes mellitus and advanced age. The use of broad‐spectrum antibiotics tends to mask the severity of the underlying infection, modulates the clinical presentation, and even delays hospital admission. The most important factor affecting outcome in NSTI is early diagnosis and aggressive radical surgical treatment. The medical records of 13 patients who had been treated for NSTI from 1996 to 2005 were reviewed, retrospectively. There were eight men (61.5%) and five (38.5%) women. Mean age was 56 years (range 27–73). Seven cases of infection involved the perineal region (54%), two the lower limb, one the upper limb and three the abdominal wall/trunk. The most common associated comorbidity was diabetes mellitus in five patients (38.5%). A single organism was identified in two (15%) and multiple organisms in 11 (85%) patients. Necrotizing aponeurositis Type I was the most common of the polymicrobial necrotizing infections. Overall survival was 85%, and the mean hospital stay for survivors was 35 days (range 17–92).     

自拟消咳贴穴位贴敷治疗小儿反复呼吸道感染的临床研究

[目的 ]探讨自拟消咳贴穴位贴敷治疗小儿反复呼吸道感染 (RRI)的临床效果。 [方法 ]选择 15 0例RRI患儿 ,随机分为观察组和对照组 ,观察组在对因对症治疗基础上应用自拟消咳贴穴位贴敷 ,对照组采用对因对症治疗 ;另选 3 0例正常儿童 ,观察血浆内皮素 (ET -1)、一氧化氮 (NO)变化及临床疗效。 [结果 ]观察组治疗后血浆ET -1、NO含量明显下降 (P <0 .0 1) ,而对照组治疗前后则无统计学意义 ;观察组临床总有效率高于对照组 (P <0 .0 1) ,且每月发病次数及天数也明显降低。 [结论 ]应用自拟消咳贴穴位贴敷能有效地降低RRI患儿血浆ET -1、NO水平 ,从而提高临床疗效     

Brucella phagotypes : Their relation to the spread of infection in Italy

The spread of Brucella infection in man in Italy during the last three years is briefly reviewed with reference to the Brucella strains collected and typed.The strains were tested by H₂S production, dye-inhibition, agglutination by monospecific sera, and sensitivity to a phage set. From 108 tested strains, 91 have been identified by means of the traditional tests as Br. melitensis, sometimes with some irregularities, 10 as Br. abortus, while 7 were not typable.It was possible to recommend some phage sensitivity patterns of Br. melitensis for epidemiological purposes: one phagotype is much more frequent in the north, another in the south of Italy.However, the currently recommended phagotypes must be considered provisional and will be modified in the light of more extensive studies.Corresponding author.     

Systematic review of methods to diagnose infection in foot ulcers in diabetes.

AIM: To undertake a systematic review of the diagnostic performance of clinical examination, sample acquisition and sample analysis in infected foot ulcers in diabetes. METHODS: Nineteen electronic databases plus other sources were searched. To be included, studies had to fulfil the following criteria: (i) compare a method of clinical assessment, sample collection or sample analysis with a reference standard; (ii) recruit diabetic individuals with foot ulcers; (ii) present 2 x 2 diagnostic data. Studies were critically appraised using a 12-item checklist. RESULTS: Three eligible studies were identified, one each on clinical examination, sample collection and sample analysis. For all three, study groups were heterogeneous with respect to wound type and a small proportion of participants had foot ulcers due to diabetes. No studies identified an optimum reference standard. Other methodological problems included non-blind interpretation of tests and the time lag between index and reference tests. Individual signs or symptoms of infection did not prove to be useful tests when assessed against punch biopsy as the reference standard. The wound swab did not perform well when assessed against tissue biopsy. Semiquantitative analysis of wound swab might be a useful alternative to quantitative analysis. The limitations of these findings and their impact on recommendations from relevant clinical guidelines are discussed. CONCLUSION: Given the importance of this topic, it is surprising that only three eligible studies were identified. It was not possible to describe the optimal methods of diagnosing infection in diabetic patients with foot ulceration from the evidence identified in this systematic review.     

老年护理院医院感染病原菌及其耐药特征分析

目的探讨目前老年护理医院院内感染病原菌及其耐药特征。方法对2000年4月-2004年3月徐汇区两家老年护理院出院病人的病史进行统计分析。结果两家老年护理院共计发生医院感染939例次，医院感染率12．86％，检出病原菌284株，阳性率30．28％；病原菌以革兰阴性菌为主，占44．65％，其次为真菌、革兰阳性菌，分别为29．12％、25．92％，位于前3位的病原菌分别为其他真菌（14．36％）、白色念珠菌（12．23％）、铜绿假单胞菌（8．69％）；除嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌外，革兰阴性菌以亚胺培南最敏感，敏感率87％，对氨苄西林、阿莫西林的耐药率〉51％，对头孢哌酮、哌拉西林的耐药率〉33％；MRSA和MRSE的检出率高达86．76％和76．32％；混合感染率34．51％。结论老年护理院医院感染率高．真菌所占的比例高；细菌对抗菌药物的耐药性相当严重。     

干扰素治疗小儿呼吸道感染的研究

目的观察干扰素治疗小儿呼吸道感染的疗效。方法将90例呼吸道感染的小儿随机分成3组,在对症治疗基础上,A组静脉点滴利巴韦林10mg/(kg·d),B组肌注干扰素10μg,1次/d,C组空气压缩泵雾化吸入干扰素10μg,1次/d,观察3组的病情变化。结果C组咳嗽、发热、喘憋及肺部体征好转时间均较A组明显缩短(P<0.01),B组与C组疗效无显著性差异。结论干扰素治疗小儿呼吸道感染疗效确切,值得推广。     

黄连解毒汤对高胆固醇兔血液流变学和动脉粥样硬化干预作用

目的:观察黄连解毒汤对肺炎衣原体(Cpn)感染后高胆固醇饮食兔血液流变学和动脉粥样硬化的影响.方法:造模前60只新西兰兔经采血检测Cpn IgG均为阴性.随机选取8只兔作正常组,其余52只以含2.5 g·kg~(-1)胆固醇的饲料喂养并接种Cpn.经检测血清Cpn IgG阳性者随机分为4组:黄连解毒汤高、低剂量(3.34,1.67 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1))组、阳性药阿奇霉素(20 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1))组和模型组(生理盐水),每组11只,灌胃给药6周;Cpn IgG阴性者作高胆固醇组,不予药物干预.治疗结束后采血测定高、中、低全血黏度、血浆黏度和红细胞压积,并计算RBC聚集指数、变形指数和刚性指数;取主动脉弓近左颈总动脉分叉处血管,测定和计算最大血管内膜厚度(MIT)、动脉粥样硬化病变占管周百分比(P_(LCI))、动脉粥样硬化斑块面积指数(Ⅰ_(PA)).结果:高胆固醇组和模型组血液流变学均显著紊乱,主动脉均有典型的动脉粥样硬化病理变化,后者最大MIT(23.65±8.19 vs 12.76±4.06)μm、动脉粥样硬化病变P_(LCI)(41.08±12.51 vs 22.43±9.45)%、动脉粥样硬化斑块Ⅰ_(PA)(9.57±1.82 vs 2.84±0.25)%显著较前者高(均P＜0.01);黄连解毒汤高、低剂量组、阿奇霉素组血液流变学紊乱和动脉粥样硬化病理变化与模型组比较显著改善,其中黄连汤高剂量组MIT(6.45±1.27 vs 23.65±8.19),(P＜0.01),P_(LCI),(22.39±6.74 vs41.08±12.51),(P＜0.05);Ⅰ_(PA)(1.44±0.33 vs 9.57±1.82),(P＜0.01)显著降低.结论:Cpn感染加重高胆固醇饮食兔血液流变学紊乱和动脉粥样硬化损害,黄连解毒汤可减轻Cpn感染所致高胆固醇饮食兔的血液流变学紊乱和动脉粥样硬化损害.