An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of IgG antibodies to purified sheep hydatic cyst fluid antigen in 56 sera of confirmed cases of hydatidosis. The cut-off value was determined using serum samples from 80 healthy persons, employing two serum dilutions (1:100 and 1:500) with two and three standard deviations (SD). This assay was compared with the indirect hemagglutination test (IHAT). The sensitivity of ELISA-IgG was 94.3% for hepatic cysts and 92.9% for pulmonary cysts, whereas the values for IHAT were 77.1 and 64.3% respectively. According to Mac Nemar test, both method presented statistical significance (p < 0.05). In order to find out the specificity, additional 70 serum samples from individuals with other parasitoses, such as cysticercosis (30), trichinosis (26) and fascioliasis (14) were also tested. IHAT presented a specificity of 92.7% and for ELISA-IgG the specificity using a cut-off of mean + 3 SD was 99.3 and 100.0% with sera dilution of 1:100 and 1:500 respectively when a cut-off of mean + 2 SD was considered, we found a specificity of 91.3 and 97.3% for 1:100 and 1:500 dilutions. The use of ELISA-IgG and purified antigen in the diagnosis of human hydatidosis is discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Treatment of urinary tract infections with a new antibiotic: phosphomycin (author's transl)].

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Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

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[Superiority of pantoprazole over ranitidine in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. Mexican clinical experience. Mexican Study Group of Pantoprazole++ in Duodenal Ulcer].

BACKGROUND: Pantoprazole is a new Proton Pump Inhibitor that has demonstrated to be superior to ranitidine in the healing of the acid related diseases. AIMS: To compare efficacy and tolerability of oral treatment with pantoprazole vs. ranitidine in outpatients with endoscopically confirmed florid duodenal ulcers in Mexican patients. METHODS: Prospective, multicentric, balanced, randomized, double blind, parallel group comparison clinical trial. Each patient received 40 mg pantoprazole plus placebo or 300 mg ranitidine plus placebo once daily for 2 weeks; if patients had not healed endoscopically by then, treatment was continued for two more weeks, with a final endoscopy. RESULTS: 163 protocol-correct patients were analyzed: 82 for pantoprazole group and 81 for ranitidine group. Healing rates at week 2 were 72% for pantoprazole and 51% for ranitidine (p < 0.01) and correspondingly 95 and 86% at week 4. The percentage of patients suffering from pain declined faster in the pantoprazole group. Both products were well tolerated and safe. CONCLUSIONS: Pantoprazole is well tolerated and significantly superior to ranitidine in florid duodenal ulcers healing.

2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Immunodiagnosis in 647 suspected clinical cases of toxoplasmosis].

Though Toxoplasma gondii can cause severe pathology in human, in most of the cases it produces only asymptomatic infection. So, it is important to dispose some methods capables to discriminate between acute and chronic infections. An indirect hemagglutination test (IHAT), dye test (DT) and complement fixation test (CFT) were performed in 647 sera from patients suspected of having toxoplasmosis infection. IHAT and DT titer > or = 4 and CFT > or = 5 were considered positive. Titers were classified as follows: low (4-16), median (64-512) and high (> or = 1000) for IHAT and DT. The pathologies for demanding these serological tests were: adenopathies (58), nephropathies (72), neuropathies (30), obstetrical problems (65), opthalmopathies (147), AIDS (237) and miscellaneous (37). Global positivity of 49.5% and 4.5% for IHAT/DT and CFT respectively were found. The positivity for the different groups were: adenopathies (48.3% and 13.8%), nephropathies (43.1% and 1.4%), neuropathies (26.7% and 3.3%), obstetrical problems (40.0% and 0.0%), ophthalmopathies (59.9% and 8.2%), AIDS (52.1% and 2.5%) and miscellaneous (40.5% and 2.7%) for IHAT/DT and CFT respectively. Low and median titers for IHAT/DT were found in 81.3% of cases. A high agreement in frequency of concordant and discordant titers of IHAT/DT and CFT, indicating a recent or acute infection was observed. This fact was more relevant in adenopathies, ophthalmopathies (uveitis) and AIDS groups.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Monitoring nosocomial infections using a laboratory-based system].

In this paper we report the results of a nosocomial infections surveillance system "Laboratory Based". The system started in August 1995 at San Giovanni Hospital, Rome. All the specimens sent to the Microbiology Laboratory have been registered using a computerized input form. 12,204 forms, attributable to patients between 0 and 97 years (median 43 years) resulted evaluable. The global rate of incidence of nosocomial infection was, in the study period, 16 per one thousand person/day. The rate of incidence, when stratified for the medical, surgical and emergency boards, was, respectively, 19 per one thousand person/day in the medical facilities, 15 per one thousand person/day in surgical and 17 per one thousand person/year in emergency facilities. The nosocomial infections incidence correlated well with the age of the patients and the time of bed stay. The bulk of infections were localized to the respiratory apparatus. Localization to urinary apparatus and sepsis follow. The isolated microbes were (38%) gram-negative microbes; the 38% of the isolates are gram-negative microbes and the 24% are Mycetes. Our data validate the surveillance system in a great hospital of Rome metropolitan area.

Adolescent↗