Ciprofloxacin versus chloramphenicol in the treatment of salmonella infection

Strains of Salmonella typhi resistant to chloramphenicol and ampicillin have been isolated in several countries. This study compares treatment of Salmonella infection using ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily) for 10 days with chloramphenicol (50 mg/kg per day divided into four doses) for 14 days. The pathogen eradication rates for patients receiving ciprofloxacin was 18/20 (90%), compared with 25/28 (89%) for those who received chloramphenicol. Signs and symptoms in patients receiving chloramphenicol lasted longer and sometimes twice as long as patients treated with ciprofloxacin. In this study, ciprofloxacin was superior to cloramphenicol in the treatment of S. typhi infection and also had fewer side-effects and the convenience of a twice-a-day dosing     

Fall in the number of intracardiac neurons in aging rats

The neurons of whole cardiac atria were stained using a NADH-diaphorase technique in young adult (3 months old) (GI) and aging rats (20 months old) (GII). Light microscopy revealed differences in the appearance of the neurons in the two groups. In GI, most ganglia contained 50-100 neurons while in GII, most ganglia usually contained 20 neurons. The mean total number of neurons in the atria of GII was 245+/-31, i.e. only 23% of the mean value in GI (1086+/-203). The mean size of the ganglionic neurons (area of maximum cell profile) was 702 microm2 in GI and 1065 microm2 in GII. Histological sections of the ganglia revealed that a capsule of collagen fibers sheaths each ganglion in both groups. In GII, the density of collagen fibers increases in the capsule and in the septa within the ganglia; yellow or red, type I collagen fibers predominate in this group. No elastic fibers were present in the cardiac ganglia of either group. It is suggested that in aging rats, structural changes and reorganization of the remnant neurons accompany neuron reduction.     

Myocardial ultrastructure in cardiac hypertrophy induced by thyroid hormone—an acute study in rats

The early responses of the myocardium ultrastructure under thyroid dysfunction conditions, hemodynamic parameters, cardiac hypertrophy and ultrastructural evaluations were performed in hypothyroid and hyperthyroid rats submitted to different doses [T4–25 and T4–100; 0.025 mg and 0.1 mg kg^–1 body weight (BW) ·per day, respectively)]. All groups were treated for 7 days. The animals were sacrificed, the hearts were excised and weighed and the left ventricle tissue samples were processed for transmission election microscopy. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was not altered by administration of T4. An increased heart rate and ratio of heart weight to body weight (HW/BW) were found in the hyperthyroid rats. However, the SBP and HW/BW decreased significantly in hypothyroid rats. No significant ultrastructural alterations were detected when the hypothyroid and T4–25 groups were compared with the control group. Alterations of cardiomyocytes nuclei of these groups were also not detected. Notably, disorganization of intercellular junctions was observed in many cardiomyocytes of T4–100 group. The present results indicate that in the early stages of hyperthyroidism, the cardiac hypertrophy development was mainly due to direct effects of thyroid hormone. Despite cardiac hypertrophy development, there is no ultrastructural evidence of myocardial degeneration.     

Striatal and septal influence on hippocampal theta and spikes in the cat

The experiments studied the modulation exerted by the septum and the caudate nucleus on hippocampal activity in the cat. Injections (i.v.) of sodium penicillin were performed in order to obtain a steady interictal epileptic activity. Hippocampal slow rhythmic activity showed a marked decrease either in duration or in frequency following penicillin activation. Both septal and caudate electrical stimulation inhibited spike frequency through a theta eliciting mechanism. Caudate stimulation failed to determine any sort of effect after medial septum lesions. The importance of the septum as modulation station between basal ganglia and hippocampus is emphasized.     

Role of hyperthermia in the treatment of Peyronie's disease: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: Previous experience in the treatment of plaque with hyperthermia in orthopaedics led the authors to investigate the effectiveness of this approach in patients with Peyronie's disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population comprised 60 patients (aged 36-76 years) with advanced Peyronie's disease. Patients were divided into two groups (A and B), with 30 in each. Group A patients underwent local hyperthermia treatment, with 30-min treatment sessions twice a week for 5 weeks. Patients received a total of 10 applications, which reached a local temperature of 39-40 degrees C. A second cycle was repeated after a 1-month interval for a total of 20 treatment sessions. Group B patients were treated with intra-plaque infiltrations using 10 mg verapamil; they received one infiltration once a week for 3 months. Differences between the two groups, as well as between variables (before and after treatment), were analysed using Student t-test and Fisher test. RESULTS: Hyperthermia significantly reduced plaque size and penile curvature and led to an increase in mean scores of erectile function (EF) domain, while verapamil had no such effects. Haemodynamic parameters were not significantly modified in either group. Hyperthermia caused significantly fewer side effects than verapamil infiltrations and was significantly more effective in preventing disease progression. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of pain reduction during erection. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study stress the efficacy of hyperthermia in the treatment of advanced Peyronie's disease.     

Femoral nerve neuropraxia secondary to repetitive trauma in a patient with juvenile lumbar osteochondrosis: differential diagnosis of an osteolytic lesion with a neurologic deficit. Report of a case

Femoral nerve neuropraxia occurred secondary to repetitive trauma at the second to third lumbar levels in a 17-year-old boy with juvenile lumbar osteochondrosis.