Biomedical subjects

V Bach

Publications and source records attributed to V Bach.

75 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

EEG features and epilepsy in patients with autism.

Epileptic seizures are frequently reported (4-32%) in autism. These values are higher than in the normal population of children and adolescents (0.5%). In the literature there is no uniform description of epilepsy in autism. We examined 106 patients with autistic disorder divided into three groups on the basis of presence or absence of EEG paroxysmal abnormalities (PA) and / or epilepsy including febrile convulsions (FG). Our patients presented an autistic syndrome unrelated to clear congenital or acquired encephalopathy. The prevalence of epilepsy and EEG PA was 23.6% and 18.9%, respectively. Significant differences between the three groups appeared for (i) familial antecedents for epilepsy / FC and neurologic and psychiatric diseases (P < 0.004), (ii) a different proportion between the three groups for mental retardation (P < 0.03), (iii) and EEG fast activity (P < 0.04). Our patients showed several types of epilepsy, including idiopathic forms with seizure onset after the age of 10 in 45% of cases. Seizures were mainly partial, not frequent and controllable by anti-epileptic drugs. PA were mostly focal and multifocal and in 45% of cases were typical of benign childhood partial epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes. The higher incidence of epilepsy and EEG PA is apparently not related to organic pre-, peri- and postnatal antecedents or cerebral lesions. On the contrary, genetic factors responsible for autism and epilepsy seem important in the genesis of these two disorders.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cefoxitin therapy for bacterial endocarditis.

Of 22 patients who were suspected of having bacterial endocarditis and who were treated with cefoxitin intravenously (8-12 g per day), 12 were evaluated for responses to therapy. Ten patients had infections due to a single pathogen, and two had polymicrobial infections. Staphylococci were isolated from eight patients, and streptococci from four; both of these pathogens were susceptible to 2-16 micrograms of cefoxitin/ml. Staphylococcus aureus and four strains of anaerobic bacteria, including Bacteroides fragilis (minimal inhibitory concentration, 32 micrograms/ml), were isolated from one patient. The average level of cefoxitin in serum was 32.8 micrograms/ml (range, 14.5-64 micrograms/ml) at 1 hr after an intravenous dose of 2 g; after 5 hr the average level in serum was 8.5 micrograms/ml (range, 2-20 micrograms/ml). The mean (+/- SD) level of cefoxitin in myocardial tissues from eight rabbits at 1 hr following a 250-mg/kg dose of the antibiotic was 4 +/- 0.5 micrograms/g. On the average, patients were treated for 29 days (range, 14-40 days), and they became afebrile in 6.2 days (range, three to 20 days). Both clinical and microbiologic responses to cefoxitin therapy were excellent in 10 patients with monobacterial infections. Both patients with polymicrobial infections were not cured. One, who was infected with a mixed flora of anaerobes, died; the other was cured after surgical valvectomy. These results suggest that cefoxitin is effective in the treatment of endocarditis due to a single susceptible organism but that this antibiotic should be used with caution in patients whose endocarditis is caused by a mixed population of bacterial pathogens.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of aprotinin on postoperative blood loss in off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) enables a reduction in postoperative complications, particularly bleeding and transfusion. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of patients still needs transfusion. The effect of antifibrinolytic therapy on postoperative bleeding as part of OPCAB is still not widely described. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential benefit of aprotinin in OPCAB. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective comparative study with a historical control group. Consecutive patients undergoing off-pump coronary bypass were divided in two groups: 40 patients were operated without any antifibinolytic drug (group C); 40 patients received aprotinin (group A) during surgery. Patients in group A received a bolus of 2 x 10(6) KIU during 30 minutes, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.5 x 10(6) KIU per hour until the end of surgery. The same protocol was used during the whole study period. RESULTS: Preoperative data of the two groups did not differ except for the number of grafts performed, which was higher in group A. Prothrombin time and activated clotting time increased in both groups after surgery. The use of packed red blood cells or fresh frozen plasma was not significantly different between both groups. Postoperative blood loss was significantly reduced in the aprotinin group (540 mL +/- 320 vs. 770 mL +/- 390, p = 0.006). No increase in postoperative troponin values was found in group A. CONCLUSIONS: Aprotinin significantly reduced postoperative blood loss without reducing the transfusion rate. Aprotinin was not associated with any increase in postoperative complications.

Aged↗