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Biomedical subjects

H Gaya

Publications and source records attributed to H Gaya.

84 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1973

Volatile fatty acids in the faeces of patients in 'germ-free' isolation.

Faecal volatile fatty acids represent the end products of the metabolism of the anaerobic flora of the large bowel. The excretion of these volatile acids has been investigated in five leukaemic patients maintained in plastic ;germ-free' isolators. Under ;isolator' conditions there is a pronounced fall in volatile fatty acid excretion. The possibility that the measurement of these acids may be used to monitor anaerobic overgrowth and recolonization in these patients is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1970

Changes in gut flora after cephalexin treatment.

Eighteen patients with urinary tract infection were treated with cephalexin orally. Absorption was variable, between 29 and 89% of the total daily dose being excreted in the urine in 24 hours. A significant number of patients became faecal carriers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared with a control group who received no antibiotics. Four of the cephalexin-treated patients acquired a strain of Ps. aeruginosa known to be present in food from the hospital diet kitchen and one developed a urinary tract infection with this strain.

Aged↗
PubMed1970

Nasal acquisition of Staphylococcus aureus in a subdivided and mechanically ventilated ward: endemic prevalence of a single staphylococcal strain.

An investigation was made of nasal acquisition of Staphylococcus aureus and of staphylococcal wound sepsis in a hospital ward divided into two sections and provided with mechanical ventilation, so that there was no transfer of air from one of the sections to the other. Although the strains of S. aureus found in the air, and those colonizing the noses of patients, in the protected section could seldom be related to patients nursed elsewhere in the ward, the mechanical ventilation did not lead to any significant reduction in the degree of contamination of the air or in the rate of nasal acquisition of S. aureus.Even in the protected section, nearly 20% of the strains of S. aureus recovered from the air could not be related to known nasal carriers. Since this proportion was nearly as great as that found in the absence of directed air-flow, it seems probable that these strains were derived either from undetected sources within the section or were dispersed from the clothes of persons who entered it.Nearly one-third of the nasal acquisitions in the ward could not be related to known nasal carriers, but about one-half of these (16%) were probably ;spurious' and half of the remainder (8%) could be related to strains recovered from patients' lesions or drawsheets, leaving no more than 8% unaccounted for. A short investigation in which both drawsheet and perineal samples were examined showed that drawsheet samples did not give a reliable indication of perineal carriage unassociated with nasal carriage.During the period of the investigation, a single strain of S. aureus that was resistant to a wide range of antibiotics established itself in the ward. The most notable character of this strain was the profuse dispersion of it by carriers. As a consequence, staphylococcal wound sepsis increased, with nearly three-quarters of the infections attributable to this strain, and nasal carrier rates increased with length of stay in the ward, over 20% of patients who stayed 5-6 weeks acquiring the strain.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quinolones in the treatment of serious infections.

The new 4-quinolones have excellent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Pharmacokinetic studies show that they are reliably absorbed when given orally and reach high tissue levels. They are effective in animal models of systemic infections, with activity comparable to that of current antimicrobial regimens. Their use to date in systemic infections in humans has not been extensive, but results in the treatment of severe infections, including bacteremia, osteomyelitis, and pneumonia have been encouraging. The few comparative studies that have been undertaken confirm the efficacy of these agents. The limited experience with these drugs in the treatment of infection in the immunosuppressed host is largely favorable. Emergence of resistance, although demonstrable in vitro, does not appear to pose a clinical problem, although addition of a second agent may be advantageous. These drugs appear to be well tolerated, with gastrointestinal disturbance being the most commonly reported adverse effect.

Acute Disease↗