Interferon treatment of uterine cervical precancerosis.

Human leukocyte interferon (HLI) was used in a randomized study of patients with precancerous states on the uterine cervix. The daily dose of HLI was 10(6) units and its was applied by the contraceptive pessary technique. In patients how had had only viral alterations on the cervix the treatment lasted 14 days (Singer et al. 1979) and in those with changed cytologic findings 21 days. The cytologic findings of the interferon treated patients showed no progression of the pathologic process during the ensuing 2 years. In the control group, however, they showed the aggravation of the process and the patients were directed to surgical therapy. The control of cytologic findings has been continued and in now performed at 3 month intervals.

Bacteriological nasal flora in newborns indicating health and/or development of infection.

During delivery, a fetus otherwise sterile during the intrauterine life, comes in contact with bacterial flora of the mother's birth canal, and then also with the ward personnel's skin and respiratory system flora. Due to the absence of competitive bacteriological flora, the nasal cavity is gradually colonized by microorganisms, especially those with a capacity of adhesion to epithelial cells of respiratory nasal mucosa. Bacteriological flora of the newborn's nasal flora was observed on days 1 and 3 postpartum, in an attempt to determine whether a finding of pathogenic bacterial flora in newborn's nasal mucosa indicates a localized infection only or points to the possible development of generalized infection. Bacteriological nasal flora was monitored in infants born by spontaneous delivery and in those born by cesarean section. In mothers of infants born by spontaneous delivery, bacteriological flora from the cervix uteri was investigated. Results of the study performed by usual methods revealed Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to prevail in the pathogenic flora. Gram-negative microorganisms were found to be good indicators of local infection of newborn's nasal mucosa, regardless of the absence of clinical symptoms.

Clinical and cytomorphological alterations of nasal mucosa in laryngectomized patients.

A group of laryngectomized patients were rhinoscopically examined. The nasal mucosa was found to become thinner and change its colour over time. The nasal mucosa swabs from the same patients were cytologically examined at various time intervals following laryngectomy, revealing degenerative alterations of the multi-layered epithelium that occurred as a consequence of the nose exclusion from its function due to laryngectomy. Our experience has shown these degenerative changes to be completed within a two-year post operative period, as indicated by the fact that both the clinical and cytological findings obtained after that time point remained practically unchanged.