Fusidic acid in infections of the external eye

Summary A newly developed 1% eye preparation of the potent antistaphylococcal antibiotic fusidic acid, showed an excellent clinical effect in 206 Egyptian children with external eye infections. The 248 patients included in the study were randomized, in the ratio 5:1, to either fusidic acid or chloramphenicol 0.5% eye drops. Both preparations were given four to six times daily for one week. Bacterial conjunctivitis was diagnosed in 56% of the children. Offending eye pathogens were mainlyStaphylococcus aureus (60%),Haemophilus aegyptius (10%),Streptococcus pneumoniae (13%) andNeisseria gonorrhoeae (6%). The overall clinical success rate in children with bacterial conjunctivitis was 85% with fusidic acid, compared to 48% with chloramphenicol (p < 0.001). The better effect of fusidic acid could be ascribed to a lower frequency ofin vitro resistance (16%) in comparison to chloramphenicol (55%). Both drugs were apparently well tolerated and no side-effects were observed.

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Fusidinsäure zur Behandlung von externen Augeninfektionen

Zusammenfassung Eine neuentwickelte 1%ige ophthalmologische Präparation des gegen Staphylokokken hochwirksamen Antibiotikums Fusidinsäure erwies sich bei 206 ägyptischen Kindern mit externen Augeninfektionen als hervorragend klinisch wirksam. Die im Rahmen der Studie behandelten 248 Kinder erhielten nach Randomverfahren im Verhältnis 5:1 entweder 1%ige Fusidinsäure- oder 0.5%ige Chloramphenicol-Augentropfen. Beide Präparate wurden eine Woche lang vier-bis sechsmal täglich verabreicht. Bei 56% der Kinder wurde eine bakterielle Konjunktivitis diagnostiziert. Die häufigsten pathogenen Erreger der Augeninfektionen warenStaphylococcus aureus (60%),Haemophilus aegyptius (10%),Streptococcus pneumoniae (13%) undNeisseria gonorrhoeae (6%). Mit Fusidinsäure wurde bei 85% der Kinder mit bakterieller Konjunktivitis ein Therapieerfolg erzielt, mit Chloramphenicol in 48% der Fälle (p < 0,001). Die therapeutische Überlegenheit von Fusidinsäure ließ sich darauf zurückführen, daß dieIn vitro-Resistenz der Erreger mit 16% der Isolate in der Fusidinsäure-Gruppe geringer war als in der Chloramphenicol-Therapiegruppe mit einer Resistenzrate von 55% der Isolate. Beide Medikamente wurden offensichtlich gut vertragen, Nebenwirkungen wurden nicht beobachtet.

     

Circadian rhythm of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in normal subjects and neutropenic hospitalised patients

Background  

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), one of the haemopoietic growth factors, has rarely been detected in human serum. It has, therefore, been suggested that a paracrine model can explain its behaviour where the substance is produced and acts locally. An alternative explanation might be due to blood sampling time with GM-CSF concentrations undetectable at the nadir of secretion.     

Two decades of the synthesis of mono- and bis-aminomercapto[1,2,4]triazoles

4-Amino-5-mercapto[1,2,4]triazole and its 3-substituted derivatives have proven to be of biological interest and provide access to a new class of biologically active heterocyclic compounds for biomedical applications. This study will be helpful for scientific researchers interested in the chemistry of bifunctional versatile compounds as it provides a collection of all the methods for the preparation of 3-substituted-4-amino-5-mercapto[1,2,4]triazoles with aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic moieties during the period from 2000 to mid-2020.

4-Amino-5-mercapto[1,2,4]triazole and its 3-substituted derivatives have proven to be of biological interest and provide access to a new class of biologically active heterocyclic compounds for biomedical applications.     

West syndrome associated with Down syndrome: Case report and literature review

West syndrome is the most frequent cause of epilepsy in Down syndrome. West syndrome is often associated with poor long-term prognosis in most of children. We report a girl with West syndrome associated with Down syndrome which occurred at 8 months of age for repetitive flexor spasms and electroencephalography (EEG) showed hypsarrhythmia. She had Down syndrome facies, microcephaly, psychomotor development delay and axial hypotonia. Computed tomography of the brain was normal. Her karyotype was 47, XX, +21. Phenobarbital therapy was immediately effective with good clinical control of seizures, while the EEG monitored after one month was unchanged. At 2 years of age, the patient had hypertonic status epilepticus following a lung infection. The EEG showed a persistence of hypsarrhythmia. Sodium valproate and hydrocortisone therapy was effective with good seizure control but her psychomotor development was severely impaired. After a follow-up of 7 years, the patient presents growth retardation, microcephaly, severe psychomotor development delay, generalized hypotonia and tetraparesis. Knowledge of West syndrome in Down syndrome allows the early detection and prompt management of this neurological complication in order to optimize psychomotor development and improve the quality of life of these children.     

Pharmacokinetics of pentamidine in Sprague-Dawley rats in late pregnancy

To our knowledge, placental transfer of pentamidine has not been previously studied in vivo. In the present study, the pharmacokinetics of pentamidine were analyzed in late gestation (18 days) among Sprague-Dawley rats. Pentamidine's kinetics were assessed in the following maternal compartments over a 12-hour period in 16 timed-pregnant rats: serum, liver, and kidney. Placentas were also analyzed for pentamidine concentration as were fetal brain, liver, and kidney tissues. Significant placental transfer of the drug was found, with pentamidine reaching all fetal compartments studied. Notably, by the twelfth hour fetal brain tissue achieved pentamidine concentrations that were not significantly different from those of maternal serum at the second hour of the experiment. This is an interesting observation because adult mouse and rat brains were found to be unexposed to the drug.     

Evaluating tissue changes with ultrasound during radiofrequency ablation

The purpose of this study was to estimate tissue changes during radiofrequency (RF) ablation by correlating echo frequency shifts and temperature elevations. Experiments were performed on phantoms (tissue mimicking gel) and in-vitro turkey breast. Heating was performed with a modified RF-ablation system. Intermittent RF was applied and the temperature at the electrode tip was continually measured by an embedded thermocouple. Various voltages (10-30V) were applied to achieve a wide range of temperature elevations between 10 and 80 degrees C and ablation sizes between 5 and 27 mm in width. B-mode images and raw data were acquired every 5 s by a modified ultrasound imaging system. The raw data from each line and frame was processed using an algorithm to measure spectral shifts of the echo signals in the power spectrum. The phantom experiments showed positive frequency shifts as the temperature rose, with dependency on the heating rate. A linear relationship (R(2) > 0.96) was found between the RF-applied voltage and the width of the heated area, defined by frequency changes larger than 0.05 MHz. In-vitro experiments showed a correlation (R(2) = 0.84) between the width of the coagulated area and the maximal width of the region with more than 0.12 MHz frequency shifts, but a lower correlation (R(2) = 0.4) between the width of the coagulated area and the temperature elevation. In conclusion, correlation was found between echo frequency shifts and temperature elevations and between echo frequency shifts and the width of the ablated area during intermittent RF ablation. Our results suggest that, with further refinement and validation, ultrasound could be used to measure RF heating and its induced coagulation.     

Integrated SPECT/CT for assessment of haemodynamically significant coronary artery lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Purpose  

Early risk stratification in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) is important since the benefit from more aggressive and costly treatment strategies is proportional to the risk of adverse clinical events. In the present study we assessed whether hybrid single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) technology could be an appropriate tool in stratifying patients with NSTE-ACS.     

Extraction and determination of 2-pyrazoline derivatives using liquid phase microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop

A simple, rapid and efficient microextraction method for the extraction and determination of some 2-pyrazoline derivative compounds in aqueous samples was developed. Microliter volumes of 1-undecanol were delivered to the surface of the aqueous sample and the sample was agitated for a desire time. The sample vial was cooled by inserting it into an ice bath for 5 min. The solidified solvent was transferred into a suitable vial and immediately melted. One microL of the organic solvent was injected into a gas chromatography (GC) for analysis. Several factors affecting the microextraction efficiency such as sampling temperature, stirring rate, pH, nature and volume of the organic solvent and extraction time were investigated and optimized values were obtained as 70 degrees C, ,1250 rpm, 5.0, 8.0 microL (1-undecanol) and 30 min, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, detection limits of the method for determination of the compounds were in the range of 5-10 microgL(-1). The relative standard deviations (RSDs%) for the extraction and determination of the analytes at the concentration level of 250 microgL(-1) were in the range of 3.0-11.4. Dynamic linear ranges of 25-800 microgL(-1) with correlation coefficients in the range of 0.9857相似文献