Comparative study of single-dose cefotaxime and multiple doses of cefoxitin and cefazolin as prophylaxis in gynecologic surgery.

In this comparative, randomized, multicenter trial, 273 patients scheduled for gynecologic surgery were studied: 87 received a single 1-g dose of cefotaxime 30 minutes before surgery; 81 were given a 1-g dose of cefoxitin 30 minutes before surgery and 1 g every 6 hours for 24 hours after surgery (total dose 4 g); and 105 received a 1-g dose of cefazolin 30 minutes before surgery, followed by 1 g every 8 hours for 48 hours (total dose 6 g). Patients who received cefotaxime had a significantly lower incidence of postoperative fever compared with those treated with cefoxitin or cefazolin (p < 0.01). The incidence of positive urinary cultures was lower in the cefotaxime and cefazolin groups when compared with the cefoxitin group (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). The results of this study confirm the efficacy of cefotaxime as prophylaxis in surgical infections and demonstrate that single-dose cefotaxime is more effective than a four-dose regimen of cefoxitin.

Symmetrical fetal growth retardation after gestational cocaine exposure in the rat.

Cocaine use during pregnancy results in an increase in different maternal and perinatal complications. The fetal effects of cocaine could be mainly related to the disturbances in the brain development, microcephaly being the most common brain abnormality. The aim of this study was to analyze maternal outcome and fetal somatic effects of cocaine and to evaluate the hypothesis that maternal cocaine exposure would specifically impair fetal global brain development. Fifty-four timed-pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats were daily injected with 15 or 40 mg/kg per day from gestational day (GD) 1 or 8 and sacrificed at gestational day 20. By analyzing different maternal and fetal outcomes, it could be suggested that the cocaine exposure in pregnant rats decreased maternal weight gain without significant maternal mortality, did not affect the mean number of fetuses by litter, although notably increased stillbirths, reduced fetal birth weight, and reduced the fetal central nervous system weight. Present results are globally in agreement with the literature and underline a possible selective effect of cocaine on the fetal CNS resulting in symmetrical intrauterine fetal growth retardation in contrast to the asymmetrical retardation of undernutrition.

Lewis phenotypes and secretor character in the "Castilla la Nueva"-region (Spain). ABH and Lewis antigen levels in salivary secretion.

In 1980 blood and saliva samples were taken from Spanish students of the University of Madrid. Red cells were analysed for A1B2BO and Lewis blood groups. Saliva samples were tested to detect the specific group substances ABH, Lea and Leb. A slightly higher frequency of the "le" gene (0.419) was found in our sample as compared to other Spanish samples. The phenotype frequencies of ABH secretors (77.2%) and non-secretors (22.8%) are in the range of other European populations. The levels of A and B antigens of individuals belonging to these blood groups were similar, whereas the average titration of the H substance showed the relation O greater than A2 greater than A1 greater than A1B greater than B. Analysis of variance proved this heterogeneity to be statistically significant. The amount of Lea substance in non-secretors was higher than in secretors. This shows again that the ABH secretor status has some influence on the quantity of this antigen. The average titration of the Leb substance in secretors was higher than that of Lea in individuals belonging to O, A and AB blood groups, but not in those with blood group B.

[Risk factors linked to the transmission of papilloma virus in the school environment. Alicante, 1999]. / Factores de riesgo asociados a la transmisión de papilomavirus en un ámbito escolar. Alicante, 1999.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe an outbreak of plantar warts and to analyse the risk factors wich determining the transmission. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A school of Alicante. PARTICIPANTS: 1,620 students. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Description and analysis of the outbreak. We studied the magnitude and the association between risk factors (sports activities and hygiene habits) and disease by logistic regression model. We estimated the crudes and adjusted odds ratio (OR) and the confidence intervals (CI) of 95%. We carry out environmental study and active search of cases. The global rate of answer to the cross-secctional survey was 70.86%. Reported cases were 221, the global attack rate was 19.25%. The outbreak occurred over 16 months. We did not find statistical significal difference either by sex (P=.138) or age (P=.233). The hygiene conditions of the swimming pool and the changing room were adapted. The risk of disease increased with the number of activities taking place (P=.001). The OR adjusted for hygiene habits was: use of changing room 0.95 (95% CI, 0.38%-2.41%), use of shower rooms 1.06 (95% CI, 0.70%-1.62%), walking barefoot in the changing room 1.97 (95% CI, 1.39%-2.79%) and showering barefoot 0.97 (95% CI, 0.58%-1.64%). CONCLUSIONS: Outbreak of person to person transmission, the floor of the changing rooms was the prime cause of transmission. We did not find any association between the use of public swimming pool and the disease

[Prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies and efficacy of pre-vaccine detection at institutions for mentally retarded of the city of Alicante]. / Prevalencia de anticuerpos anti-VHA y eficiencia de la detección prevacunal en instituciones de deficientes psíquicos de la ciudad de Alicante.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and efficacy of the anti-HAV antibodies detection in institucions for mentally retarded people in the city of Alicante. DESIGN: Prevalence study. SETTING: Two institucions for mentally retarded people in the city of Alicante. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and seven residents and seventy seven in care of them. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We have investigated the anti-HAV antibodies prevalence by enzymeinmunoanalysis of microparticle test. The efficacy of the anti-HAV antibodies detection before the vaccination has been studied by calculating the threshold of prevalence with the following formula: unit cost of detection + (1 - X) x unit cost vaccination anti-HAV negative subjects = unit cost vaccination. RESULTS: The global prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies was 56.5% (95% CI, 49-63.7). The prevalence of the residents was 55.1% (95% CI, 45.2-64.7) and 58.4% in care of them (95% CI, 46.6-69.5). Among the sociodemographic variables evaluated only the age was associated with the prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies (p < 0.001). The unit cost of prevaccination detection of anti-HAV antibodies was calculated as 998 pesetas and the unit cost of the vaccination as 3595, obtaining a prevalence anti-HAV threshold of 27.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in this collective studied is similar to the prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies of the spaniard population. The direct vaccination without a previous marker study is recommended to people under the age of 31 in this population group.