Antibiotic treatment of sinusitis in general practice. A double-blind study comparing ofloxacin and erythromycin.

The present study compared ofloxacin and erythromycin in a double-blind study with parallel groups for clinical efficacy and the number and severity of adverse reactions in patients treated in general practice for acute or chronic sinusitis. All patients lived in medium-sized to large towns and rural districts in the northern and western parts of Sealand, Funen and eastern Jutland, Denmark. Three hundred and nineteen patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 280 were clinically evaluable. From this total number, 136 patients were treated with ofloxacin (31 males and 105 females) and 144 patients were treated with erythromycin (40 males and 104 females). Following administration of either ofloxacin 400 mg once daily or erythromycin 500 mg twice daily for 7-14 days, 94.9% of the ofloxacin-treated group and 94.4% of the erythromycin-treated group were cured of their infections. There was no difference in clinical efficacy. Complications occurred in 18 of 155 patients in the ofloxacin-treated group and 32 of 164 in the erythromycin-treated group (P < 0.05), corresponding to 27 and 45 symptoms respectively (P < 0.01). This difference in adverse reactions principally involved gastrointestinal symptoms, i.e. 19 in the ofloxacin-treated group and 41 in the erythromycin-treated group (P < 0.01). Present findings show that the two antibiotics are comparable as to clinical efficacy, but the frequency of adverse reactions is significantly higher in the erythromycin-treated group due to the greater incidence of gastrointestinal adverse reactions.

Problems in cerebral blood flow calculation using xenon-133 in patients with pulmonary diseases.

We used the end-tidal concentration of xenon-133 (air curve) to estimate the profile of its arterial concentration in calculating cerebral blood flow. We examined the effects of pulmonary disease and artificial ventilation on the air curve and the calculated cerebral blood flow. We studied the relation between arterial and end-tidal xenon activities in 19 subjects, of whom 15 had pulmonary dysfunction. The t 1/2 of the declining phases of the arterial and air curves were used to express their shapes. The mean +/- SD reference t 1/2 from 15 normal volunteers was 26.8 +/- 8.4 seconds. The mean +/- SD t 1/2 s of the air and arterial curves from the 15 patients with pulmonary dysfunction were 10.4 +/- 2.9 and 33.8 +/- 10.9 seconds. The degree of pulmonary dysfunction (expressed as the pulmonary shunt percentage) correlated with distortion of the air curve. Substituting the arterial for the air curve, mean calculated cerebral blood flow (as the initial slope index) increased from 40 to 61 for the 12 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The degree of underestimation of cerebral blood flow using the air curve correlated with the pulmonary shunt percentage. Our work confirms the problems of estimating cerebral blood flow in subjects with pulmonary dysfunction.

A comparative study of ofloxacin and pivmecillinam in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

In a double-blind study in 84 patients with chronic bronchitis and purulent exacerbations, ofloxacin 200 mg b.i.d. and pivampicillin 700 mg t.i.d., were compared with respect to efficacy and safety. Both treatments resulted in a uniform and very high bacteriological elimination rate (94.1% to 97.2%) and clinical cure rate (97.4% to 97.6%). There were, however, signs of fewer adverse reactions and a better patient acceptance in the ofloxacin group.

A clinical comparative study of ofloxacin and pivampicillin in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

A controlled clinical study employing a double-blind, double-dummy technique was carried out on 84 patients with purulent exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Ofloxacin (200 mg x 2 daily) and pivampicillin (700 mg x 3 daily), were compared for efficacy, safety, and adverse reactions. Both regimens had high bacteriological elimination rates (94.1, 97.2%) and clinical cure rates (97.4, 97.6%). However, there were fewer adverse reactions and a greater patient acceptance in the ofloxacin treated group.

Familial partial 7q monosomy resulting from segregation of an insertional chromosome rearrangement.

A family with an insertional type of chromosome rearrangement involving chromosomes 7 and 13 is reported. An interstitial deletion of a segment of chromosome 7 (7q32 leads to 34) had been inserted into the long arm of chromosome 13 at breakpoint q32. Segregation of this chromosome rearrangement gave rise to three subjects who were monosomic for the involved segment of chromosome 7. The karyotypes were: 46,XX, or XY,der(7)ins(13;7) (q32;q32q34). All three subjects were mentally retarded and had minor dysmorphic features. The Kidd, Colton, and Kell blood group systems were investigated, but were not informative.