ABSTRACT
Flubendazole has been given at a daily dosage of 50 mg/kg for 16 months (extremes 10 and 24 months) to 10 patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. Clinical, morphological and immunological evaluations have been performed every 2 months during the treatment, and in 6 patients after discontinuation of the drug for 24 months. Jaundice persisted or occurred in 7 patients; infectious complications were observed in 4 patients; portal hypertension appeared in 5 patients; metastatic spread was suspected in 2 patients. Subjective improvement and weight gain were reported by 6 patients during the first 4 months of treatment. Severe complications occurring during the period of FZ therapy or within 2 months after withdrawal of the drug led to surgery in 6 patients, and death occurred in 3 cases. These observations demonstrate the inefficacy of FZ in this series of 10 patients with alveolar echinococcosis, possibly related to the extremely poor bioavailability of FZ. Higher plasma concentrations obtained with mebendazole and albendazole could explain the better efficacy of these two drugs despite their similar chemical structures and experimental toxicity upon larval cestodes.
Subject(s)
Benzimidazoles/therapeutic use , Echinococcosis, Hepatic/drug therapy , Mebendazole/therapeutic use , Adult , Antibodies/analysis , Echinococcosis, Hepatic/immunology , Echinococcosis, Hepatic/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Mebendazole/administration & dosage , Mebendazole/analogs & derivatives , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Two cases of pneumatosis cystoides coli are reported. The authors present an anatomic and physiopathologic review of the entity and give the list of etiologies with the worse prognosis. The radiologic signs are described and their contribution to an accurate diagnosis is stressed, as it may avoid useless surgical interventions.
Subject(s)
Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis/physiopathology , Adult , Barium Sulfate , Enema , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis/diagnostic imaging , Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis/therapy , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedSubject(s)
Acetaminophen/adverse effects , Dextropropoxyphene/adverse effects , Rectovaginal Fistula/chemically induced , Abdominal Pain/drug therapy , Acetaminophen/administration & dosage , Acetaminophen/therapeutic use , Adult , Dextropropoxyphene/administration & dosage , Dextropropoxyphene/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , SuppositoriesABSTRACT
We present a case of documented acute hepatitis C that occurred in a health care worker who sustained a needlestick injury while caring for an individual who was infected with both hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). According to the findings of third-generation serological assays performed during a follow-up of >1 year, the health care worker, who was treated with interferon-alpha (during weeks 2-6) and ribavirin (during weeks 5-9), did not develop antibodies against HCV, in spite of documentation of an HCV-specific T cell response.