Asymptomatic bacteriuria in diabetes mellitus patients in Southwest Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is common in diabetics and predisposes these patients to more severe urinary tract infections (UTIs). Reports on the prevalence and etiology of ASB especially in developing countries appear contradictory. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and etiology of ASB and antimicrobial resistance of urinary isolates in diabetics and non-diabetics. METHODS: The study involved a total of 265 participants including 154 diabetes mellitus patients and 111 non-diabetics in Southwest Cameroon. Mid-stream urine was collected from consented subjects and each sample tested using the dipstick, microscopy and culture techniques. Isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests. RESULTS: ASB was detected in 33.2% of participants; 38.3% in diabetics and 26.1% in non-diabetics (P = 0.03). Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were the predominant organisms (36.3%) isolated from urine in both diabetics and nondiabetics. Other isolates included Klebsiella sp (15.9%), Candida sp (13.7%), E. coli (10.8%) and Serratia sp (10.8%). Candida sp was isolated more from diabetics than non-diabetics (P = 0.01). There was no significant difference in resistance between diabetics and non-diabetics (P > 0.05). Most isolates showed multiple resistance and ciprofloxacin was the most active ingredient against bacterial uropathogens. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a high prevalence of ASB in diabetics than in non-diabetics. A change in the aetiologic spectrum was observed with Staphylococcus sp accounting for majority of ASB. Most isolates showed multiple resistance in both diabetics and non-diabetics; therefore the need to speed up sensitization against antibiotic abuse in Southwest Cameroon.

Anomalous diffusion of erythrocytes in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone.

The diffusion coefficient of erythrocytes was measured using quasi-elastic light-scattering (QELS) techniques. The cells were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline solutions with and without a macromolecule, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP[360]). In the presence of the PVP(360) an anomalously high diffusion coefficient was measured for metabolizing cells with a normal transmembrane potential. The results are in agreement with experiments on rouleau formation by red blood cells and are supportive of the hypothesis of a long-range coherent interaction between metabolically active biological cells.

The state of water in polarized and depolarized frog nerves a proton magnetic resonance study.

The high resolution proton magnetic resonance spectrum of the sciatic nerve of the frog was studied in both the polarized and depolarized states. Paramagnetic salts were introduced into the system in order to separate the signals from the intra- and extracellular environments. It was determined that about 65% of the proton signal from the nerve trunk was accounted for by the intracellular environment in the polarized nerve trunk and that this percentage decreased to about 34% in the depolarized case. The temperature dependence of the line widths of the intracellular proton signal was studied. The enthalpy and entropy of activation for proton exchange between the intra- and extracellular environments were found to be 11.1 kcal/mole and -17.1 cal/deg-mole respectively. The pseudo-first-order rate constant for proton exchange between the intra- and extracellular environments was determined at 20 degrees C and shown to agree with the measured permeability coefficients of similar cells. Data are presented which indicate that the pseudo-first order rate constant for proton exchange between the two environments decreases upon depolarization of the nerve trunk and that the proton spin-spin relaxation time of the protons of intracellular water decreases significantly with depolarization. These results indicate a possibly quite important role of water in neural phenomena.

A proton spin-echo study of the state of water in frog nerves.

A proton spin-echo study of the water in the sciatic nerve trunk of the bullfrog reveals two distinct types of water as distinguished by their spin-spin relaxation times. The relative concentrations of these two types were determined for nerves which had been treated with normal Ringer's solution and also for nerves which had been treated with potassium-doped (0.15 M) Ringer's solution. In both cases the relative concentrations are the same as those previously determined through signal integration of high resolution proton magnetic resonance spectra obtained for the same systems, although the high resolution studies were performed on nerves doped with paramagnetic ions and the spin-echo studies were performed on undoped nerves. The doping procedure would appear to be a valid and very useful way of studying water in this neural system.

Direct evidence from nuclear magnetic resonance studies for bound sodium in forg skeletal muscle.

The recent work of Cope on (23)Na magnetic resonance studies of frog muscle has been repeated with the view of investigating certain objections which can be raised concerning the original studies. The present work leads to the conclusion that Cope's results concerning bound sodium are essentially correct in that a large fraction of the (23)Na present does not contribute normally to a detectable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal. This "missing" signal can be detected at high radio-frequency intensity however, and a signal-saturation study distinctly reveals its presence.

Theory of long-range coherence in biological systems. I. The anomalous behaviour of human erythrocytes.

In this paper, an explicit expression of the interaction potential has been obtained, based on the Fröhlich model of long-range coherence in biological cells. These theoretical expressions are used to correlate with the experimental data obtained from the light scattering and the Brownian motion for the red blood cells (human erythrocytes). The necessary conditions are derived for the formation of rouleaux in human erythrocytes in the presence of long range interactions. The kinetics of rouleaux formation in terms of the properties of the diffusion coefficient has been investigated. It is concluded that both types of experimental data can be interpreted satisfactorily by this model.

Fibrinogen and the ultralong-range interaction of human erythrocytes.

Fibrinogen, purified by a new method, does not transmit the ultralong-range interaction of erythrocytes. It can be converted into a transmitter by the addition of a preparation of clotting factors used clinically in the treatment of hemophilia B. It is suggested that the addition of the clotting factors induces a conformational change in fibrinogen, which can then polymerize.

[Recombinant (IFN-alpha 2b) therapy in hairy cell leukemia]. / Rekombinante (IFN-alpha 2b)-Therapie der Haarzell-Leukämie.

Eighty-five patients with hairy-cell leukemia were treated in a multicentric "open label" study with IFN-alpha 2b and evaluated. Induction therapy was 2 X 10(6) U IFN-alpha 2b/m2, 3 times a week, s.c. The results show this regimen to be highly effective with only a few tolerable and transient side effects consisting mainly of flu-like symptoms. After 6 months of therapy 4% CR, 69% PR, and 16% MR, were noted. In a small group of four patients who had achieved CR or PR, we tested the effect of varying doses for maintenance therapy. Our preliminary results indicate that a relapse caused by interruption of IFN therapy or dose reduction to 3 X 10(6) U given once a week, o.c. could be successfully treated by readministration, or escalating the dosage of IFN. It seems that remission maintenance requires long-term treatment with IFN. In a short-term in vitro test we studied the effect of IFN-alpha 2 on the incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 3H-uridine into hairy cells of five patients. Fort both precursors no appreciable effect was detected. However, after prolonged incubation for 48 h, a significant enhancement of 3H-uridine incorporation was observed, while 3H-thymidine incorporation remained unaffected. Cell marker analysis performed with monoclonal antibodies before and after incubation of hairy cells with IFN-alpha 2 for up to 7 days did not reveal any change of the phenotype of hairy cells.