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Biomedical subjects

W H Seto

Publications and source records attributed to W H Seto.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

The significance of Branhamella catarrhalis in bronchopulmonary infection--a case-control study.

Data, including clinical features of bronchopulmonary infections, i.e. cough with purulent sputum, fever, peripheral blood leucocytosis, patchy pulmonary shadows on chest radiographs and the presence of crepitations or dullness on examination of the chest, were prospectively recorded in 107 consecutive adult patients whose expectorated sputum yielded Branhamella-like bacterial colonies in routine cultures. Subsequently, isolates from 26 patients were confirmed to be Branhamella catarrhalis. Of 81 patients (unmatched controls) with confirmed commensal Neisseria species, 40 (matched controls) were age and sex matched with the 26 patients (cases) positive for B. catarrhalis. Clinical features of bronchopulmonary infection were significantly more among cases compared to unmatched controls. Compared with matched controls, significantly more of the cases had three or more clinical features of bronchopulmonary infection (P less than 0.05). This is the first study of the clinical significance of B. catarrhalis in expectorated sputum that included controls to circumvent the confounding effects of oropharyngeal and airway colonisation in patients with bronchopulmonary infections. The isolation of this organism in routine sputum culture was found to be significantly related to clinical infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Educational needs in patient care practices in Hong Kong.

We conducted a survey on staff perceptions of what the educational needs would be for an infection surveillance and control program in patient care practices in 10 hospitals in Hong Kong. Seven hundred twenty nurses were interviewed and were requested to select their needs from six topics: isolation procedures, disinfection of environment and instruments, surgical wound care, urinary catheter care, prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia, and prevention of infusion therapy sepsis. According to their pattern of needs, the clinical units could be divided into three groups. Staff members in the "medically oriented units," consisting of the medical, geriatric, obstetric, and intensive care units, indicated that their greatest needs were in the areas of isolation procedures and disinfection of environment and instruments, whereas nurses in the "surgically oriented units," consisting of surgical, orthopedic, and gynecologic units, indicated that surgical wound care was the area where education was most needed. The pattern in the third group, the pediatric units, was similar to that of medical units in indicating isolation procedures and disinfection of environment and instruments as the greatest needs but differed in having a higher score for prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonias and a lower score for surgical wound care. An effective educational program should take these needs into consideration. We discuss the application of the survey findings in planning in-service education in infection control.

Cross Infection↗
PubMed1986

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia treated by perilesional injection of interferon.

Twelve patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) were studied by colposcopy and cervical smears to elucidate the local response to interferon alpha and beta given by perilesional injections and to assess long-term disease remission. In all patients, local inflammatory response was seen and persisted throughout the treatment period. Selective toxic effect was evident by exfoliation of increasing proportion of degenerate to viable dyskaryotic cells, while the normal epithelial cells appeared unaffected, and by the progressive regression of the lesion. Interferon alpha induced complete remission in six of seven (85.7%) patients but three had recurrence 12 to 24 months later, while interferon beta induced complete remission in only two of five (40%) patients.

Colposcopy↗
PubMed1985

The changing bacteriology of recurrent pyogenic cholangitis in Hong Kong.

When the results of bile cultures of RPC patients, admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in 1973-74 and 1979-80, were analysed together with data obtained from the publication of previous investigators, a change in the bacteriology of the disease was noted. The percentage of RPC patients was affected by E. coli was on the decline while, in contrast, a higher percentage of patients was affected by the other enterobacteriaceae (especially Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp.) and the non-glucose fermenters. Similarly anaerobes and mixed aerobic cultures were more frequent in our series than in earlier ones. Improvement in anaerobic laboratory methods is postulated to be the most probable reason for the rising incidence of anaerobes, while changes in the use of antibiotics could be a major factor for some of the trends noted among the aerobes. Irrespective of the reason for the change in bacteriology, due consideration should be given to its therapeutic implications in the management of patients with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis.

Bile↗
PubMed1984

Septicaemia due to Yersinia enterocolitica biotype I in Hong Kong.

The clinical histories of four patients with septicaemia due to Yersinia enterocolitica biotype I and the biochemical reactions of the isolates are reported. Three of the isolates were serotype 017 and one was non-typable. These are the first reports of Y. enterocolitica septicaemia from Asia and of septicaemia due to biotype I which has previously been postulated to be non-pathogenic. All four patients had an underlying illness (two with metastatic neoplasms and two with burns). All of the patients recovered fully despite the high mortality associated with this condition. It is postulated that biotype I is of low pathogenicity.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Cervical-vaginal bacterial flora in patients with cervical carcinoma treated with irradiation and febrile morbidity during intracavitary radium therapy.

The cervical-vaginal bacterial flora of 57 patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix were found to be identical to those reported in studies of different population groups, except for a lower frequency of anaerobic bacteria. Radiation suppressed significantly both the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Following 4,000 rads of external irradiation, 47.4% of the cervical cultures were bacteriologically sterile. During the first and second radium treatment, 21% and 25.5% of the patients respectively developed fever of 38 degrees C or more, the cause of which could not definitely be established. The significance of fever during radium treatment is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fluoroquinolone resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae in Hong Kong linked to the Spanish 23F clone.

Serotypes 6A/B, 19F, and 23F accounted for 73% of 140 mucosal isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Hong Kong. In pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis, a group of related patterns was shared by 14 of 15 ciprofloxacin-resistant and 12 of 16 ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolates. These strains exhibited capsular switching and were highly similar to the Spanish 23F clone.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exfoliative cytology in the evaluation of interferon treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Local interferon injection in four patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) regularly elicited progressive regression of the lesions. The response was observed with exfoliative cytology after each injection, guided by colposcopic examination. The cytologic changes showed a cytocidal effect mainly on the dyskaryotic cells, preceded by cellular degeneration not unlike that of nonspecific inflammation and accompanied by an increase in neutrophil infiltration. The cytologic response was closely correlated with partial or complete clinical regression based on the absence of viable or degenerated dyskaryotic cells in the cervical smears. Three patients showed complete clinical regression after treatment. One patient showed recurrent viable dyskaryotic cells when the dosage was reduced, and treatment was suspended temporarily although her lesion had regressed completely after five injections. Clinical recurrence was noted one week after viable dyskaryotic cells reappeared in her smears. These observations suggest that cytology may be a useful means of monitoring interferon treatment in CIN.

Adult↗