Ocular infections associated with Eikenella corrodens

Eikenella corrodens is a gram-negative, facultative rod-shaped anaerobe that colonizes the human mouth, nasopharynx, gut, and genitourinary tract. We treated a corneal ulcer from which E. corrodens was the primary isolate in an otherwise healthy man. We treated another patient who had recurrent bacterial endophthalmitis from which Eikenella was identified in mixed culture. Named for its ability to form pits in agar, the corroding bacillus is gaining recognition for its role in head and neck infections. Certain E. corrodens strains are mobile on moist surfaces and elaborate an endotoxin, which may destroy human tissues directly and indirectly by means of the immune system. The organism is usually resistant to aminoglycosides and penicillinase-resistant penicillins yet is susceptible to penicillin and some cephalosporins.     

A simple method for the isolation and culture of epithelial and stromal cells from benign and neoplastic prostates

Objectives. Current primary prostate cell culture techniques use an overnight digestion or extensive media preparation. In this report, we describe a method for the culture of benign and neoplastic cells from human prostatectomy specimens that is rapid and contains no undefined factors in the medium.Methods. Characterization of the human cultured prostate cells was performed using immunohistochemical methods and monoclonal antibodies AE1/AE3 and cytokeratin 8, as well as monoclonal antibodies against prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the exclusive epithelial and stromal cell products, c-met and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), respectively. Electron microscopy was performed to assess the cell junctions and morphologic features of epithelial cells. Optimum cell growth in different media was tested using a cell replication assay.Results. Microscopic evidence revealed that the cells demonstrate typical epithelial morphology, with polyhedral cells forming tight junctions in a continuous monolayer. Desmosomes were present in electron micrographs of epithelial cells. The cultured epithelial cells described in this report also demonstrate positive cytokeratin staining. The epithelial cells reacted positively with PSA antibody, indicating that the cells retain their secretory role in cell culture for a limited period. Epithelial cells expressed the HGF receptor, c-met; stromal cells secreted HGF. Insulin, transferrin, and selenium increased the growth of cells in the chemically defined media, compared with minimum essential media (MEM) and Ham's F12.Conclusions. In summary, essentially pure cultures of prostate stromal or epithelial cells have been established using simple isolation and culture methods. These cells will be useful for the investigation of related growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor II, and in understanding the basis for stromal-epithelial cell interactions.     

Enlargement of the blind spot caused by papilledema

Blind spot enlargement in papilledema has been attributed to either mechanical disruption of the integrity of the peripapillary percipient elements by the swollen optic disk or to the Stiles-Crawford effect. We investigated the possibility that blind spot enlargement in papilledema is caused, at least in part, by a refractive scotoma due to peripapillary hyperopia. We reduced the enlarged blind spot in a patient with focal peripapillary hyperopia, without papilledema, to near normal size by using progressively stronger plus lenses. Similarly, with the addition of plus sphere, we reduced the size of the blind spot in five of six patients with papilledema, but in none of our normal subjects.     

Postoperative pulmonary toxicity associated with mitomycin-C therapy.

As more patients survive cancer, and as more sophisticated multidrug antineoplastic protocols are developed, the chances of an anesthesiologist's coming into contact with patients who have been treated with such protocols are increasing. The anesthesiologist who must administer anesthesia to a patient who has had chemotherapy must be cognizant of the particular antineoplastic agents that have the potential for producing occult pulmonary dysfunction. Anesthetic management of these cases must be carefully planned and titrated to prevent further lung injury.     

Ankylosing spondylitis antirheumatic drug trials. III. Setting the delta for clinical trials of antirheumatic drugs--results of a consensus development (Delphi) exercise.

Defining the minimum clinically important difference or delta to be detected in a clinical trial depends on a number of factors including the research hypothesis, patient characteristics, the nature of the intervention and the trial design. In 2 previous studies, we have developed standardized procedures for conducting outcome measurement based on current Food and Drug Administration and European League Against Rheumatism guidelines for clinical trials in ankylosing spondylitis, and thereafter, determined the standard deviation for these outcome measures. In the final component of this series of studies, we have employed a Delphi technique to establish estimates for delta, and calculated the sample size requirements under 2 different conditions of Type I and Type II error probabilities.     

Flaxseed supplementation and early markers of colon carcinogenesis.

Since flaxseed ingestion produces potentially anticarcinogenic lignans in the colon, this study determined whether flaxseed decreases the risk for colon carcinogenesis. Following a single injection of azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body wt.), five groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat (20% corn oil) basal diet with or without supplementation with 5% or 10% flaxseed meal (FM) or flaxseed flour (FF) for four weeks. Upon sacrifice, colons were examined for aberrant morphology and cell proliferation. In the descending colon of supplemented groups, the total number of aberrant crypts and foci were significantly reduced by 41-53% and 48-57%, respectively. The labeling index (LI) was also 10-22% lower in these groups, except for the 5% FM group. While these effects are not linearly related to the level of flaxseed fed, it suggests that flaxseed feeding may reduce the risk for colon carcinogenesis.