Biomedical subjects
W Zimmerli
Publications and source records attributed to W Zimmerli.
Effect of strenuous physical activity upon reaction time.
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[Simple plastic grafting of digital pulp injuries].
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Cervical lymphadenitis--a rare case of focal listeriosis.
Cervical lymphadenopathy is a condition with a broad differential diagnosis. Malignant tumors, allergic reactions, autoimmune diseases as well as various infectious agents can be the cause. We report the case of a 75-year-old man who had a cervical lymphadenopathy without symptoms of infection. The draining lymph nodes were excised. Histology revealed a granulomatous abscess and culture yielded pure growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Because food is occasionally contaminated with L. monocytogenes, the pathogenesis of this condition may be similar to that of lymph node tuberculosis.
Infectious complications in drug addicts: seven-year review of 269 hospitalized narcotics abusers in Switzerland.
In a retrospective survey of patients hospitalized in the Department of Medicine of the University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, from 1980 to 1986, we found 269 patients with history of past or current drug abuse. The charts of these patients were analyzed for infectious complications according to defined criteria. Heroin was the principal drug consumed by 95%. In 127 patients (47%) at least one infectious complication was diagnosed. In 125 (31%) of 404 admissions, the infectious problem was the main reason for hospitalization. Among the 269 patients, 217 infective episodes occurred. Pulmonary infections were the most frequently occurring (52 episodes). There were 44 cases of viral hepatitis, 30 of human immunodeficiency virus infection, and 25 of minor genital infections. Bone and joint infections and sepsis/endocarditis were diagnosed in seven cases each. The overall mortality was 4.1%; however, only three of the 11 deaths were attributed to infections. Intravenous drug addiction is complicated by a high morbidity because of infections that were seldom lethal during the observed period.
Short-term administration of rifampin in the prevention or eradication of infection due to foreign bodies.
Short-term administration of rifampin was evaluated as a means of preventing or eradicating infection due to foreign bodies. Tissue cages were implanted into guinea pigs and subsequently infected with 10(3) colony-forming units of Staphylococcus aureus Wood 46. Infection developed in all tissue cages. Rifampin was administered thereafter intraperitoneally at a dosage of 7.5 mg/kg every 12 hr for 48 hr, and the tissue-cage fluid was monitored for possible development of infection by quantitative bacteriologic methods for 15 days. In all cases rifampin prevented or eradicated tissue-cage infection if treatment was initiated either 3 hr before or less than or equal to 12 hr after inoculation of microorganisms but was ineffective if initiated greater than 12 hr after inoculation. In cases of failure of treatment, rifampin-resistant variants could be demonstrated. Rifampin seems to prevent or eradicate tissue-cage infection only if given early after bacterial inoculation.
[Postpartum amaurosis in patients with pre-eclampsia].
Cortical blindness without retinal changes is a rare complication in preeclampsia. We report two patients, both of whom developed cortical blindness one and two days post partum. In one of these patients, the blindness occurred following eclamptic seizure. In both patients the total blindness recovered fully after two and three days respectively following treatment for hypertension and cerebral edema. Spasm of small vessels in the occipital cortex is assumed to be the cause of this complication.
Management of infected hip arthroplasty.
1. Infected hip arthroplasties can be successfully managed with the appropriate surgical treatment and a long-term antimicrobial therapy. 2. The type of surgical treatment must be based on considerations of various prognostic indications such as the infective agent, the duration of the infection, the stability of the implant component, and the quality of the bone stock and the soft tissue. 3. The majority of infections in artificial hip joints occur by direct inoculation during surgery or by contamination of a local hematoma that arose after surgery.