Surgical wound infection by Aspergillus fumigatus in liver transplant recipients.

Cutaneous aspergillosis is generally associated with immunosuppression, burns, and major trauma. Most cases are acquired by direct inoculation, although cutaneous involvement does occasionally occur with disseminated disease. Surgical wound infections caused by Aspergillus species are very unusual and to our knowledge have not been described in the setting of organ transplantation. We describe two liver transplant recipients who developed wound aspergillosis during a nosocomial outbreak of Aspergillus infection. Infection developed in the second and fourth postoperative week respectively, and in both cases wound appearance mimicked necrotizing fasciitis. Both patients died despite local debridement and antifungal therapy with amphotericin B. Aspergillus must be added to the list of potential pathogens of surgical wounds, especially in the setting of organ transplantation.     

Interleukin-1 in alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver: the influence of nutrition.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a cytokine produced by the macrophage-monocyte system that has important effects on immunological responses and inflammatory reactions. Several clinical studies have shown that severe protein energy malnutrition adversely effects cell-mediated immune responses and the functional state of macrophages. The objective of this study was to analyse IL-1 production by adherent cells stimulated in vitro with lipopolysaccharide B (LPS) from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver and its possible relationship with nutritional states. Forty-five patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 28 healthy donors were investigated. A combined index of nine anthropometric and biochemical parameters was used to evaluate nutritional status of cirrhotic patients, allowing a distinction to be made between those patients with acceptable nutrition (group I: 40%), those with slight malnutrition (group II: 37.7%), and those with severe malnutrition (group III: 22.3%). IL-1 activity was significantly lower in the cirrhosis patients than in the controls (P less than 0.001). This activity also was significantly lower in samples obtained from cirrhotics with severe malnutrition than in those with acceptable nutrition (P less than 0.05); the combined index and the sole anthropometric index gave the same results, suggesting that malnutrition may play a role in the immunoregulatory disturbances in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease.     

Evidence of somatotopic organization of the sensory thalamus based on infarction in the nucleus ventralis posterior.

BACKGROUND: This is to describe a restricted sensory syndrome of unique distribution due to thalamic infarct. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a case of pure sensory disturbance involving the left intraoral and perioral regions and the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a small infarct in the contralateral thalamus, presumably affecting the nucleus ventralis posterior. CONCLUSIONS: This patient provides an excellent correlation between clinical findings and thalamic representation of body surface as established during stereotactic procedures.     

The distribution of the tumour photosensitizers Zn(II)-phthalocyanine and Sn(IV)-etiopurpurin among rabbit plasma proteins.

Zn-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and Sn-etiopurpurin (SnET2) incorporated in unilamellar liposomes or solubilized in a Cremophor-EL emulsion have been incubated in vitro with rabbit plasma or intravenously administered to rabbits. Ultracentrifugation and chromatographic analysis of the plasma showed that ZnPc and SnET2 are mainly released to lipoproteins; within the lipoprotein family, both dyes are preferentially bound by low-density (LDL) and high-density (HDL) lipoproteins. The amount of dye bound with these two lipoprotein classes was related to their relative concentration in the plasma; in most cases a larger amount of photosensitizer was bound to HDL as compared to LDL on a protein concentration basis.     

Factors influencing fluorescence spectra of free porphyrins

We recorded fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of uro- and coproporphyrin under different experimental conditions, to see how these conditions influence quantifications based on measurement of fluorescence intensity. We found that, for bands alpha and beta of the emission spectra and the main peak of the excitation spectra, fluorescence depends on pH and is minimal near pH 5 and near pH 7-7.5 for copro- and uroporphyrin, respectively. For band gamma of the emission spectra there was a constant decrease of fluorescence with increasing alkalinity of the solution. The intensity of porphyrin fluorescence also depends on ionic strength, reaching sharp maxima at 0.1 mol/L (for uroporphyrin) and 1 mol/L (for coproporphyrin). The organic mixture ethyl acetate:acetic acid (4:1 by vol), commonly used to extract porphyrins from biological samples, markedly diminishes the fluorescence of both porphyrins as compared with the same concentration of each porphyrin in aqueous acidic solvent. Furthermore, when we measured different ratios of uro:copro mixture at three distinct pHs and buffers, we found that at pH 10.5 (in carbonate buffer) the measured units of fluorescence depend only on total porphyrin concentration and not on the composition of the mixture.     

Effects of the antimigraine compound zolmitriptan ('Zomig') on psychomotor performance alone and in combination with diazepam in healthy volunteers

Zolmitriptan (Zomig^TM) is a 5HT_1B/1D agonist which has the ability to cross the intact blood-brain barrier to access central as well as peripheral receptors. Because of the potential for central nervous system side effects, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-period crossover study evaluated the effects of 2.5 and 5 mg doses of zolmitriptan on psychomotor performance and investigated any pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic interaction with diazepam. Twelve healthy volunteers received the following "treatments" as single doses: zolmitriptan 2.5 mg, zolmitriptan 5 mg, diazepam 10 mg, zolmitriptan 2.5 mg+diazepam 10 mg, zolmitriptan 5 mg+diazepam 10 mg and placebo. Pre-dose and at 1, 4, 8, and 24 h post-dose, the following validated battery of psychomotor tests was performed: Bond-Lader visual analogue scales (calmness, contentedness, and alertness factors), critical flicker fusion test, choice reaction time (recognition, motor, and total reaction times), finger-tapping test, number cancellation test and digit symbol substitution test. Plasma concentrations of zolmitriptan, its active metabolite, and diazepam and its active metabolites were measured at the same timepoints. Zolmitriptan 2.5 and 5 mg had no effect on psychomotor function when given alone. In contrast, diazepam 10 mg had profound effects, consistent with its sedative properties, but there was no synergism on concomitant administration of either dose of zolmitriptan. Plasma concentrations of zolmitriptan, diazepam, and their respective active metabolites were similar when the two drugs were given alone or in combination.