Spinal cysticercosis: a case report and its treatment with praziquantel.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Marone.
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Most of the successful non-surgical management of abdominal abscesses is based upon the presence of therapeutic amounts of effective antibiotics within the collection. However few data are currently available concerning antimicrobial levels in human purulent lesions. To study the relationship between serum and pus concentrations of rifampicin, 11 patients with deep-seated abscesses were given 900 mg intravenously of rifampicin daily; after 3, 8 and 20 h from injection, an ultrasound-guided percutaneous aspiration of the collection was performed. Samples were obtained on the first day of therapy in six cases, while in other six the aspiration took place on the third day. Rifampicin levels of therapeutic value were present after 8 h from the first injection. From this time antibiotic amounts in pus, ranging from 1.6 to 5.8 mg/l, were consistent with a long persistence of rifampicin in abscesses, without any evidence of accumulation.
Staphylococcal endocarditis is a condition affecting intravenous drug abusers at increasing rates, and its treatment is still controversial. We used, successfully, high doses of rifampicin, associated with an aminoglycoside, for the treatment of two heroin addicts. In the first we found a left-sided endocarditis with metastatic abscesses in brain, both kidneys, liver and spleen; in the other the finding of bilateral lung abscesses was related to embolic episodes from a diseased tricuspid valve. Since the isolated strains of Staphylococcus aureus were tolerant to methicillin, we used oral rifampicin (20 mg/kg/day) plus an aminoglycoside (amikacin in the former and gentamicin in the latter), after in-vitro testing had proved these combinations to be effective. We achieved, in both cases stable bactericidal concentrations in the serum and a lasting clinical recovery.
The authors consider the presence of streptococcus of group B in the vaginal flora of the medical and paramedical staff who work at the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Clinic and at the Department of Neonatology at the S. Matteo Polyclinic. The identification of fellows (6 cases, 6.8%) colonized by GBS improves the hypothesis of the possibility of a hospital-transmission of the microorganism , and this transmission explains the possible bacterial colonization of newborns, whose mothers are GBS negative. The importance of such a type of transmission has to be referred overall to the possible onset of a neonatal meningitis, in regard to its mortality (20-30%) and to the neurological complications, which can be observed in the child even later on.
The use of intrauterine devices is clearly related to a new aspect of infective pathology: bacterial contamination of the uterine cavity and its repercussions throughout the genital apparatus. Therefore the Authors decided to carry out a study of the vaginal and endocervical flora of 61 IUD users. This study has shown that pathogenic germs are present to a significant extent (82.3%) even when no clinical symptoms can be detected. The Group B streptococcus was detected in a high number of cases (10.6%) in the vaginal (9.8%) or endocervical tampon (11.5%).
In this study we have evaluated the antibacterial activity of six cephalosporins of the first generation (cephacetrile, cephalothin, cefazolin, cephaloridin, cephalexin, cephradine) two cephalosporin of the second generation (cefoxitin and cefuroxime) and two of the third generation (cefotaxime and cefoperazone) against 66 clinical bacterial isolates. Cefotaxime has been highly active against the strains examined in this study with low MICs.
Cefotaxime is a new broad-spectrum injectable cephalosporin which is stable to most beta-lactamases. In this study we have evaluated the antibacterial activity of cefotaxime comparatively with the activity of cephalotin against 66 Gram-negative bacteria and 31 Gram-positive bacteria by using an automated antimicrobial susceptibility determination system. Cefotaxime was markedly more active than cephalotin against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus, Enterobacter, Escherichia coli and Serratia. Against Gram-positive clinical isolates cefotaxime was less active than cephalotin. Regrowth was observed mainly with cephalotin against Gram-negative clinical isolates, therefore the results obtained after a few hours with automated system should be carefully interpreted.
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The authors compared the serum and bronchial concentration of amoxycillin administered alone and in association with carboxymethylcysteine. The determinations were carried out in 10 patients affected with exacerbated acute and chronic bronchopneumopathies, treated first with amoxycillin alone (15 g/day in 3 administrations) and then with amoxycillin at the same dosage and carboxymethylcysteine (450 mg/day in 3 administrations). The bronchial secretions were collected during bronchoscopy performed 2 hours after the last administration of antibiotic. The bronchial secretion values of amoxycillin administered alone varied from 0.92 mcg/ml to 1.88 mcg/ml with a mean value of 1.44 mcg/ml. The percentage ratio between levels in bronchial secretion and levels in the serum varied from 12.7 to 36.1 with a mean value of 23.2. The administration of the amoxycillin-fluidizing agent association determined a statistically significant increase of the antibiotic levels in the bronchial secretions, varying from 1.26 mcg/ml to 6.39 mcg/ml, with a percentage ratio from 19.6 to 103.0.
Alterations of the specific enzymes located in the cell membranes might promote changes of the cyclic nucleotides ratio which is regulatory in growth stimulation of hepatocytes. Bacterial toxins, hormones and drugs affecting cyclic nucleotides system can interfere with this process in liver diseases. The Authors have determined hepatic cAMP concentrations by means of cAMP radioimmunoassay, in vivo, in rats treated with cholera toxin (CT), E. coli endotoxin (LPS) and glucagon. CT (0.15 mg i.v./rat/4th hr) and glucagon (0.8 mg/i.v./10') (significantly p less than 0.01) increase liver cAMP from 1.72 n mol/g wet wt (controls) to 2.62 and 4.13 n mol/g wet/wt respectively. Serum transaminases levels were unmodified. LPS (1.5 mg/hg/i.v./3th hr) significantly (p less than 0.01) raises serum transaminase activity while liver cAMP was not affected. Kinetics study however show that LPS, at lower dosage (0.5 mg/hg i.v.) enhances liver cAMP before cytotoxicity is observed.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preoperative chemoradiation allows downstaging of locally advanced rectal cancer and in selected patients also a sufficient downsizing to ensure sphincter preservation. Selection of patients warranting a preoperative approach is improved by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is able to define the involvement of mesorectal circumferential margin. Similarly it would be crucial to define the response to chemoradiation during the treatment but traditional morphologic imaging techniques may fail in differentiating neoplastic tissue from scarring. PET-FDG has been successfully used in the detection of metastatic colorectal cancer allowing imaging of deposits as small as 0.5 cm and may have a role in evaluating early response to chemoradiation. METHODS: In the present study, in patients with T3-T4 rectal cancer undergoing preoperative chemoradiation PET-FDG and flow cytometry analysis on endoscopic biopsy specimen have been performed before, during and after preoperative chemoradiation. RESULTS: Chemoradiation treatment has been successful in terms of downsizing and downstaging of the tumor. PET-FDG was able to demonstrate local response at only ten-fifteen days after the beginning of neoadjuvant therapy, also identifying non responding patients. CONCLUSIONS: FDG-PET may have a role in defining the response to chemoradiation and modulate the treatments strategy in patients with advanced rectal cancer.
Locally advanced rectal cancer carries out a dismail prognosis despite optimal surgery in terms of local and distant relapses. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation offers good results with tumor downstaging and downsizing and leads to more radical surgery with conservative intent. Selection of patients and an intensive chemotherapy may improve long term results. Our experience with a combined polichemotherapy and radiotherapy for low advanced rectal cancer is presented.
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