Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Raz

Publications and source records attributed to R Raz.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Pyogenic liver abscess caused by Streptococcus milleri].

Streptococcus milleri is a facultative anaerobic pathogen of the viridans group associated with serious suppurative infections, mainly abscesses. We saw 3 cases of liver abscess due to this organism in 1990 in women aged 43, 59 and 67 years, respectively. The coccus was grown from blood cultures in 2 of the cases and from abscess drainage in the 3rd. The importance of prompt diagnosis of liver abscess by means of CT and ultrasonography is stressed. Conservative treatment consists of CT-guided percutaneous drainage, followed by prolonged antibiotic treatment. Such conservative measures avoid complex and sometimes hazardous surgical procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Different mechanisms generating sequence variability are revealed in distinct regions of the hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein gene from maize and related species.

The sequences of the genes coding for a hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein from two varieties of maize (Zea mays, Ac1503 and W22), a teosinte (Zea diploperennis) and sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) have been obtained and compared. Distinct patterns of variability have been observed along their sequences. The 500 bp region immediately upstream of the TATA box is highly conserved in the Zea species and contains stretches of sequences also found in the sorghum gene. Further upstream, significant rearrangements are observed, even between the two maize varieties. These observations allow definition of a 5' region, which is common to the four genes and is probably essential for their expression. The 3' end shows variability, mostly due to small duplications and single nucleotide substitutions. There is an intron present in this region showing a high degree of sequence conservation among the four genes analyzed. The coding region is the most divergent, but variability arises from duplications of fragments coding for similar protein blocks and from single nucleotide substitutions. These results indicate that a number of distinct mechanisms (probably point mutation, transposon insertion and excision, homologous recombination and unequal crossing-over) are active in the production of sequence variability in maize and related species. They are revealed in different parts of the gene, probably as the result of the different types of functional constraints acting on them, and of the specific nature of the sequence in each region.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Primary abdominal actinomycosis in a diabetic woman--an intractable disease.

Primary abdominal actinomycosis is very unusual. Only five previous cases have been reported in the English literature. We describe the case of a 57-year-old diabetic woman with primary abdominal actinomycosis, refractory to several antimicrobial regimens and surgical procedures. We conclude that primary abdominal actinomycosis in such a diabetic woman is an intractable disease.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1992

Failure of ceftriaxone in the treatment of acute brucellosis.

In an open, multicenter study conducted in Israel in 1989, 18 patients with acute brucellosis were randomized to receive either less than or equal to 2 g of intramuscularly administered ceftriaxone daily for at least 2 weeks or doxycycline for 4 weeks plus streptomycin for 2 weeks. All 10 patients treated with the combination of doxycycline plus streptomycin responded promptly, and their infections did not relapse during 6 months of follow-up. Of eight patients treated with ceftriaxone, six did not respond initially; when ceftriaxone was replaced by the combination of doxycycline and streptomycin, patients responded immediately. No relapses of infection were observed in these patients during follow-up. One patient who received ceftriaxone responded and remained well at the end of 6 months of follow-up, and one patient who initially responded to therapy with this drug experienced relapse of infection within 3 weeks but recovered when the doxycycline/streptomycin regimen was initiated. We conclude that despite encouraging data from in vitro studies and promising clinical studies, 2 g of ceftriaxone administered im daily should not be considered appropriate therapy for brucellosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Once daily cefixime compared with twice daily trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for treatment of urinary tract infection in infants and children.

We conducted a randomized prospective multicenter study to compare the safety and efficacy of once daily oral cefixime (8 mg/kg) to twice daily oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) (8/40 mg/kg/day) for the treatment of acute urinary tract infection in children ages 6 months to 13 years. Seventy-six patients (38 in each group) were studied. Thirty-seven percent were younger than 3 years of age. Escherichia coli was the most common isolate in both groups (85%). Eighty-five percent of all Gram-negative organisms were susceptible to TMP/SMX and all were susceptible to cefixime. Seventy-two percent of all patients were febrile at the time of diagnosis. Both groups were treated for 7 to 10 days. Peripheral white blood cell counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, body temperature and urinalysis returned to normal at the same rate in both groups. No failures were observed and relapse occurred in 3 cases within the 4 weeks after treatment (2 in the cefixime group and one in the TMP/SMX group). Side effects were observed in 14% of the cefixime group and 16% of the TMP/SMX group and were all mild enough not to necessitate discontinuation of therapy. We conclude that the efficacy and safety of cefixime administered once daily compared favorably with TMP/SMX administered twice daily for acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Endocarditis caused by Blastoschizomyces capitatus and taxonomic review of the genus.

Blastoschizomyces capitatus Salkin, Gordon, Samsonoff et Rieder was found to be the etiologic agent of endocarditis in a patient with a prosthetic mitral valve. Cultures inoculated with peripheral blood and portions of the valve yielded B. capitatus. Examination of stained tissue sections revealed the presence of fungal filaments morphologically consistent with this organism. The salient characteristics of B. capitatus and the factors contributing to its recognition as a distinct taxon are described.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Cefonicid versus cefuroxime: an in vitro study of 1,000 Enterobacteriaceae.

Cefuroxime and cefonicid, two common representatives of the second-generation cephalosporins, were compared for their spectrum of activity against 1,000 isolates of gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae. Cefuroxime had an overall advantage of 6.3% over cefonicid. Upon investigation, we found that this was mainly due to Escherichia coli: 11.2% of the E. coli strains proved resistant to cefonicid whilst only 0.4% were cefuroxime resistant.

Cefonicid↗
PubMed1991

[Cutaneous myiasis].

Modern air travel facilitates the importation of tropical diseases. We saw a 24-year-old man who returned from South America with cutaneous myiasis caused by larvae of the human botfly Dermatobia hominis. The larvae were expressed by pressure from 2 lesions, on the neck and the loin, and the pockets were disinfected with alcohol. They closed and healed completely with a day.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A new family of repetitive nucleotide sequences is restricted to the genus Zea.

We have isolated a new family of moderately repetitive nucleotide sequences (about 2500 copies per haploid genome) specific to the genus Zea and absent in other graminaceous species. These sequences are interspersed in the genome and they show the same genomic organization pattern and similar copy number in all the Zea species examined. These two facts, consistency in the copy number and the same organization pattern, would indicate on the one hand that these sequences were amplified before the divergence of Zea species, and on the other hand that maize and all the teosintes could be considered as the same evolutionary population. Independent clones corresponding to the repetitive sequences have been isolated and sequenced from a genomic library of the teosinte, Zea diploperennis. The repeats, flanked by HaeIII sites, are more than 70% G + C-rich, on average 253 bp long and show 78% similarity to each other. These repetitive sequences are in a highly methylated-C context and they present some features resembling those of coding sequences, such as high CpG and low TpA content, and similar codon usage to maize genes in one of the reading frames. Moreover, the repetitive probe hybridizes with RNA extracted from different tissues of maize and from teosinte, indicating that these repeats or similar ones are present in transcribed sequences.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

[Antimicrobial susceptibility of organisms infecting the urinary tract in northern Israel].

Urinary tract infections (UTI), especially in women, are very frequent and require antimicrobial treatment. The choice of drug depends on the susceptibility of the infecting organism. In many cases treatment is begun before the identity and susceptibility of the organism/s cultured are known. Knowledge of the profile of the infecting organisms and their drug susceptibility can improve the treatment of community-acquired UTI. We recorded the distribution and susceptibility of 50,699 positive UTI cultures, during the years 1986-7, in 2 community laboratories in northern Israel serving a population of about 830,000. The sensitivity of organisms to ampicillin was only 32 in the Haifa region and 42 in the Afula region and, respectively, to cotrimoxazole 51 and 76, to cephalexin 60 and 77, to nitrofurantoin 83 and 89, and to nalidixic acid 80 and 92. The differences between the regions were statistically significant. As a result of this study, we suggest that ampicillin should not be used empirically in UTI in these these 2 regions, nor cotrimoxazole in the Haifa region. All women with uncomplicated UTI should be treated with nitrofurantoin or nalidixic acid, provided they are not sensitive to these drugs and tolerate them well. The use of new drugs such as the quinolones and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid must be controlled and monitored to avoid rapid development of resistant strains.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1991

Single-dose ornidazole versus seven-day metronidazole therapy of giardiasis in Kibbutzim children in Israel.

The efficacy of single-dose ornidazole versus seven days metronidazole in the treatment of giardiasis was tested in a randomized study of 75 Kibbutzim children in Israel. All the children treated were clinically cured, and the parasites disappeared from stool examinations after the first follow-up. By the end of the study (21 days after the beginning of treatment), all the patients remained free of symptoms, but cysts of Giardia lamblia were found in the stools of three children from the ornidazole group (p = 0.24). The possibility of treating Giardia lamblia with ornidazole in a single dose, with results similar to those obtained with a seven-day course of metronidazole, makes this drug a good alternative in the treatment of Giardia lamblia in children, especially if compliance is not assured.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Long-term antimicrobial therapy in the prevention of recurrent soft-tissue infections.

Thirty-six patients who had suffered two or more episodes of erysipelas or cellulitis during the previous year were randomly divided into two equal groups; one group received erythromycin base 250 mg b.i.d. for 18 months, while the other group received no prophylaxis for a similar period. No patients in the treated group developed infection during the 18 months' follow-up but eight of the control group (50%) relapsed and required antibiotic treatment. Prolonged antimicrobial prophylaxis is effective and safe in preventing recurrent episodes of soft-tissue infections.

Cellulitis↗
PubMed1991

An outbreak of Shigella sonnei infection due to contamination of a municipal water supply in northern Israel.

An epidemic of more than 8000 cases of Shigella sonnei infection took place in four adjacent urban communities which share the same water supply. The epidemic was caused by massive faecal contamination of the drinking water due to a leak from a broken main sewage pipe into an adjacent drilled well. The infecting organism in most cases was S. sonnei colicine type 6, biotype A, which showed a high rate of multiple resistance to commonly used antibacterial drugs. Most of those affected were children less than 15 years of age. Among adults the attack rates were higher in women. Most cases were mild, only 91 patients being admitted to hospital. One 5-year-old child died.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Long-term prophylaxis with norfloxacin versus nitrofurantoin in women with recurrent urinary tract infection.

A total of 102 women with recurrent urinary tract infections were included in this open randomized study; 55 received 200 mg of norfloxacin daily and 47 received 50 mg of nitrofurantoin daily over 6 months. Fifty-three and 41 women from the norfloxacin- and nitrofurantoin-treated groups, respectively, completed the 6-month follow-up period. Forty-four (81%) of the norfloxacin-treated patients and 27 (65%) of the nitrofurantoin-treated patients remained free of symptoms (P = 0.05), and urine samples from 49 (92.4%) and 29 (70.7%) of the patients, respectively, were sterile (P less than 0.005). Side effects occurred with similar frequencies in both groups (15 and 17%) but were more severe in the women who received nitrofurantoin. Despite the better results obtained with norfloxacin, the difference in the costs of the two agents must be considered.

Female↗
PubMed1991

Comparison of single-dose administration and three-day course of amoxicillin with those of clavulanic acid for treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women.

In a double-blind randomized study we compared a single-dose amoxicillin-clavulanate combination with a regular 3-day regimen in 109 women with cystitis. Clinical cure rates at 7 and 28 days posttreatment were 78 versus 87% and 67 versus 78%, respectively. The 3-day regimen was significantly better (P less than 0.001) only in women with recurrent urinary tract infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Risk factors for infection in fracture war wounds (1973 and 1982 wars, Israel)

The development of post-surgical wound infection was compared in two groups of soldiers who sustained fractures or amputations on the battlefield during the first month of the 1982 and 1973 wars. Risk factors for the development of post-surgical wound infection were sought. In the 1982 group, numbering 184, the four variables independently associated with infection were multiple operations during the follow-up period; drains inserted in the first operation; extensive tissue loss; and blood transfusion during the first operation. For the 1973 group, numbering 130, the significant variables were multiple operations; amputations (highly correlated with extensive tissue loss); injury involving other body systems in addition to the fracture; and open drains. The high risk associated with open drains in both wars raises doubt about their usefulness. The main distinction between injuries of the two wars was the high prevalence (72.3%) of multi-system injuries in 1973 versus low prevalence (29.2%) in 1982. Overall infection rates were similar (30.5% and 31.5%), but infections at the site of the fracture were twice as high in 1982. Pseudomonas was the most common single species of bacteria isolated from infected wounds (26% in 1982, 33.6% in 1973). It appeared in the wounds relatively late, 10-14 days after admission.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Clindamycin in the treatment of an outbreak of streptococcal pharyngitis in a kibbutz due to beta-lactamase producing organisms.

During the winter of 1987-88, an epidemic of streptococcal pharyngitis (SP) affected almost 25% of the 800 inhabitants of a community settlement (kibbutz), and failed to respond to treatment with penicillin and/or erythromycin, despite the fact that the streptococci were highly sensitive to penicillin (minimum inhibitory concentration: MIC less than 0.001 micrograms/ml). We suggested that the concomitant presence of beta-lactamase producing organisms in the pharyngeal cavities of the affected individuals with SP could inactivate the antibiotics, rendering the streptococci resistant to penicillin. Throat swabs were taken and tested for aerobic and anaerobic beta-lactamase producing organisms and for beta-lactamase activity and clindamycin treatment was given to 110 patients with SP. Beta-lactamase activity was detected in 90 cases and the cultures were positive for Staphylococcus aureus (25 cases), Haemophilus sp. (22 cases) and anaerobes, which we did not identify in 68 cases. Ninety-eight patients completed the ten-day course of treatment with clindamycin and 96 were cured clinically and bacteriologically. The epidemic was controlled.

Adolescent↗