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Biomedical subjects

D Mihalache

Publications and source records attributed to D Mihalache.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Clinical and biological study of acute diarrhea with mixed etiology in 48 patients].

OBJECTIVES: The study of incidence, clinical manifestation and treatment of acute diarrhea with mixed etiology. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Study of 48 patients with acute diarrhea with mixed etiology admitted in the Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Iaşi during 1995-1998. RESULTS: 12 cases (24%) were mixed bacterial infections with the following microorganisms associations: Salmonella + Shigella (10 cazuri); Salmonella + Yersinia enterocolitica (1 case); Salmonella + Rotavirus (1 case). 16 cases (44%) had mixed digestive infections with parasites, in double or triple associations: Giardia intestinalis + Ascaris lumbricoides (10 cases); Giardia intestinalis + Ascaris lumbricoides + Entamoeba coli (1 case); Giardia intestinalis + Enterobius vermicularis (3 cases); Ascaris lumbricoides + Trichiuris trichiura (2 cases). The rest of 20 cases presented mixed infections with bacteria and parasites: Salmonella + Rotavirus + Giardia (2 cases), Salmonella + Shigella + Giardia intestinalis or Ascaris lumbricoides (6 cases), Salmonella + Giardia intestinalis (8 cases); Salmonella + Entamoeba coli (3 cases); Shigella + Trichiura trichiuris + Entamoeba coli (1 case). The majority was male patients from rural areas with age between 5 month and 56 years, the majority being children, 4 cases were found in immunosupressed patients. The clinical symptomatology was dominated by diarrheal syndrome (100%) and the diagnosis was established by clinical characters and confirmed by coproculture and parasitologic exam. The ethiological therapy was guided by antibiogram, in the majority of cases we used fluorochinolones (associated with ceftriaxone in severe cases), together with antiparasitic medications. CONCLUSIONS: In this study predominated the bacterial and parasitic infections, most frequently being isolated Salmonella, Shigella and Giardia intestinalis; the therapy associated fluorochinolones with antiparasitic medication.

Adolescent↗

Spinal epidural abscess.

In a retrospective study, 68 patients with Spinal Epidural Abscess (SEA) were reviewed. Of these, 66% had different predisposing factors such as staphylococcal skin infections, surgical procedures, rachicentesis, trauma, spondilodiscitis. Abscess had a lumbar region location in 53% of cases. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent etiological agent (81%). The overall rate of mortality in SEA patients was 13.2%.

Adolescent↗

A possible correlation between unscheduled DNA repair and cholesterolemia in Wistar rat, modulated by vitamin E.

Cholesterol plays a critical role not only in modulating membrane structure and dynamics but also in its metabolic pathway, to interfere with cell growth and proliferation processes. Having this aim in mind, we have suggested an investigation, by radioisotopic techniques, of the effect of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol, 3 mg/kg b.w. in daily doses, for 7 days) on the unscheduled DNA biosynthesis, induced by Romanian cytostatic Lomustin (Nipalkin or CCNU at the dose of 10 mg/kg b.w in acute administration, for 24 h), both on normally fed animals and on rats having a hypercholesterolemic diet, for 30 days. Considering the scientific data from the literature, according to which there is an inverse correlation between the serum cholesterol level and the risk of developing cancer, we tried to investigate the possible influence of Wistar rat cholesterolemic background on the nuclear unscheduled DNA biosynthesis, essential for the conservation of the cell genome integrity. So, it has been noticed that: 1) the DNA lesions induced by the alkylant and tested by the uptake of 3H-Thymidine (200 microCi/100 g b.w.) are reduced after vitamin E treatment, suggesting a protective effect of the antioxidant on the genetic material. 2) on a hypercholesterolemic background the administration of Lomustin produces a decrease of cholesterolemia, suggesting the development of a "facilitating environment" for CCNU action, which appears to confirm the data from the biographical sources. 3) using 3H-Cholesterol (150 microCi/100 g b.w.) to estimate its intracellular liver incorporation suggests a possible displacement of cholesterol from the tissue compartment to the serum one and reverse, event which appears to be correlated with unscheduled DNA biosynthesis. This sustains the idea of the intracellular cholesterol necessity during the nucleic acid biosynthesis as well as in genome aggression.

Animals↗

Detection of soluble antigens by the reverse passive haemagglutination assay.

A series of parameters that influence coupling of antibodies to the surface of erythrocytes with Cr3+ as well as the sensitivity and specificity of the reverse passive haemagglutination (RPH) assay in various antigen-antibody systems have been studied. The optimum coating of erythrocytes with antibodies was achieved at a final concentration of 30 micrograms CrCl3/ml with a protein antibody/CrCl3 ratio of 3.66 for most antibody IgG tested (anti-human IgG, anti-human albumin, anti-human hemoglobin and anti-rabbit IgG) and of 3.16 for anti-human myoglobin. The temperature and incubation time were of 30 degrees C and 60 min, respectively. Five soluble antigens were assayed by RPH: myoglobin, hemoglobin, IgG, human albumin and rabbit IgG. The minimum detectable analyte amount ranged between 1.75 ng/ml for human myoglobin and 17.16 ng/ml for human albumin. The reaction specificity was demonstrated by the absence of cross-reactions against heterologous antigens and the RPH inhibition reaction with immune sera. By stabilization with glutaraldehyde of antibody-coated erythrocytes the shelf-life was prolonged from seven days (non-stabilized erythrocytes) up to 300 days. The reverse passive haemagglutination assay is quite simple, rapid, easy in execution and by its high sensitivity is comparable to RIA and ELISA.

Animals↗

[Effectiveness of repeated antibiotic or chemotherapeutic treatments on Shigella carrier states].

A group of 39 former dysentery patients, who continued to excrete Shigella bacteria after a first cure of antibiotics when full clinical recovery was obtained, were treated differentially under bacteriological control. The carrier state was still extent in 7% of the cases after three antibiotic or chemotherapeutical cures. No direct relation was found between the sensitivity of Shigella to chemotherapeutics and the level of the carrier state. Although treated already in the acute stage with adequate antibiotics, resistance to a second therapeutical attempt was recorded in a proportion of 33%. It is considered useless to repeat the antibiotic or chemotherapeutical cures in the treatment of convalescent carriers because of the low efficiency and the biological and economical disadvantages.

Adolescent↗

Detection of Bacteroides fragilis group by immunofluorescence.

The following strains: B. fragilis subspecies thetaiotaomicron (A); B. fragilis subspecies fragilis strain E-1, E-2, M, St., Se., Ni., 8, 16; B. fragilis subspecies distasonis 145 (D) were serologically studied by immunofluorescence as compared to agglutination. Anti-B. fragilis sera titration by immunofluorescence (IF) reaction, as compared to agglutination reaction in tube, was more sensitive (2-16 times higher titers), specific and reproducible. Among the organisms from B. fragilis group, species, subspecies and even train specificity was noticed. Also, the possibility for rapid identification of anaerobic organisms, belonging to B. fragilis group, in pathologic products obtained from experimentally infected animals (mice and rats), by IF reaction, in comparison with classic methods (anaerobic cultures and biochemical determinations) was studied. Of 87 studied animals, 61 proved positive by cultures and 59 by IF; 56 animals were shown positive and 23 animals proved negative by both methods (intermethods concordance in 79 cases). Statistical analysis of IF results provided the following: method sensitivity (detection capacity of real-positive cases)-91.80%; method specificity (detection capacity of real-negative cases)-88.46%; false-positive cases-11.53%; false-negative cases-8.19%. Immunofluorescence proved specific, sensitive, practical and rapid method detection of non-sporulated anaerobic organisms species and subspecies belonging to Bacteroides fragilis group.

Agglutination Tests↗

Simultaneous investigation of the rat serum and liver response in an acute toxic substances exposure.

Some biochemical parameters were simultaneously investigated in serum and hepatic homogenate in acute experiment with three pesticides in rat. The one-dose exposure response was relatively well correlated with the chemical toxicity and showed the statistically significant values, preferentially placed 48 hours after dosing. The liver morphological alteration might be associated with the serum and tissue comportment of the bioenzymological factors. The various genotoxicity induced by the three pesticides, appreciated by the frequency of micronucleus induction in the bone marrow cells, completes the data about the one-dose exposure effects of the chemical in rat.

Animals↗

Micronucleus test applied in patients with acute leukemia, before and at different intervals during the cytostatic treatment.

The micronucleus test was applied in a group of 36 patients with malignant disease of the blood (acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL, and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, ANLL) in order to evaluate to what extent it may be relevant for the efficiency of the cytostatic treatment. To this end, the test was applied at the onset of the disease (when diagnosed) and at different intervals after initiating the cytostatic therapy. Determination of the incidence of micronucleated cells and immature cells (blasts) at the two moments of the study established a correlation between the frequency of micronucleated cells and blast cells, the response to the anticancerous treatment and survival duration, the data obtained reflecting the prognostic value of the test in some malignant hemopathies.

Acute Disease↗

[Bacterial liver abscess cured by nonsurgical treatment. Comments on 8 cases].

Eight cases (3 children aged 7-15 years and 5 adults aged 16-46 years) of hepatic abscess in whom a cure was obtained by medical therapy are presented. The abscess occurred during septicemia (2 cases), cutaneous staphylococcosis (2 cases) and pyocholecystitis (1 case). In 3 patients the abscess remained cryptogenic. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by scintigraphy, ultrasonography and in one case by radiography with contrast substance in the abscess. The microorganisms, isolated in 3 patients from the abscess and in one patient from hemoculture, were S. aureus (3 cases) and gram negative bacilli (1 case). The systemic antibiotic therapy consisted in the administration of gentamicin and oxacillin or rifampicin in 4 cases and gentamicin and chloramphenicol or ampicillin and metronidazole in other 4 cases for an average interval of 39 days. The associated local therapy (3 cases) consisted in one or more punctures, followed by the injection of gentamicin.

Adolescent↗