Current usefulness of Credé's method of preventing neonatal ophthalmia.

The conjunctiva's bacterial profile at birth and 1 week after Credé's gonoccocal ophthalmic prophylaxis was evaluated over a 3-month period using culture and direct immunofluorescence. Thirty-four neonates received 10% silver vitellinate and 42 sterile saline. Chlamydia trachomatis was recovered in 7/34 and 9/42 neonates receiving silver vitellinate and saline at birth and in 8/34 and 12/42 after 1 week, respectively. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was not identified. Credé's may not be the ideal prophylactic method in areas with a low prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae.

Anti-inflammatory properties of copper, gold and silver, individually and as mixtures.

It has been previously demonstrated that the mixture of Cu, Au and Ag impaired significantly the clinical and biochemical disorders induced by adjuvant arthritis in the rat. The efficiency of this mixture and of each component was tested on the same animal model. Treated rats were injected daily with either 22.8 micrograms of copper gluconate, 0.2 micrograms of gold thioglucose, 6.8 micrograms of silver proteinate or the blended solution over a period of 29 d. The treatment with the one component solutions was found to have a little or no effect on the plasma levels of fibrinogen, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, prostaglandin E2, thromboxane B2, total proteins, Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Co and Ni, and no significant decrease was observed in the paw oedema resulting from the Freund's adjuvant injection. The treatment with the mixture had a significant preventive effect. Therefore it seems that the administration of low doses of each of the three trace elements have no anti-rheumatic property in the rat. The results indicate an enhanced effect of the metal mixture in the model studied.

Utilizaçäo da Técnica do AgNOR em patologia óssea / Utilization of AgNOR Technique in osseous pathology

A técnica da prata coloidal para a identificaçäo das regiöes organizadoras nucleolares (AgNOR) foi aplicada em 20 espécimes parafinizados de lesöes ósseas dos maxilares, sendo 05 osteossarcomas, 05 osteoblastomas, 05 osteomas e 05 fibromas ossificantes centrais. Foram realizadas análises quantitativas, através do método visual e computadorizado das regiöes organizadoras nucleolares (NORs). Os valores obtidos para a contagem do número de NORs por núcleo, através desses métodos foram os seguintes recpectivamente: osteossarcoma 3,11 e 3,25; osteoblastoma 1,64 e 1,79; osteoma 1,33 e 1, 58 e fibroma ossificante central 2,18 e 2,11. Para esses resultados, a análise estatística revelou significância na diferença entre o número médio de NORs por núcleo dos osteossarcomas em relaçäo às demais entidades estudadas. A análise dos valores obtidos para área, perímetro e forma das NORs, através do método computadorizado, demonstrou os seguintes valores médios respectivamente: osteossarcoma 2,37µm², 6,02µm e 0,70; osteoblasma 1,39µm², 4,60µm e 0,71; osteoma 0,56µm², 2,78µm e 0,74 e fibroma ossificante central 1,76µm², 5,69µm e 0,79. Foi estatisticamente significante a diferença entre os tumores estudados foi significante entre osteossarcoma e osteoma, para área; entre osteossarcoma e osteoma e entre osteoma e fibroma ossificante central, para perímetro; entre osteossarcoma e fibroma ossificante central e entre osteoblastoma e fibroma ossificante central, para forma. Nossos resultados mostraram a eficiência da Técnica do AgNOR em patologia óssea, salientando as vantagens do método computadorizado, no que diz respeito a possibilitar uma precisa análise morfodimensional. Com base nesses achados sugerimos a utilizaçäo de tal técnica como coadjuvante no diagnóstico histopatológico de neoplasias ósseas

Corneal argyrosis: histologic, ultrastructural and microanalytic study.

The clinical, histopathological, ultrastructural and microanalytic features of a case of iatrogenic ocular argyrosis are reported. The case, in a 63-year-old woman with long-standing herpetic keratitis, was unusual in that it occurred after apparently only one treatment with eyedrops consisting of a 1% solution of "mild silver protein" (Argyrol). Another unusual feature was that the silver deposited in the cornea was mainly conjugated to sulfur; selenium, which commonly demonstrates a high affinity for silver in tissues, was detectable in only trace amounts.

Antimicrobial preparation of the eye for surgery.

An important source of postoperative eye infection is the indigenous flora in and around the eye. Therefore, proper preparation of the operative field is crucial. Through an international survey we determined that ophthalmic surgeons used widely varying techniques in the pre-operative antimicrobial preparation of the eye. On the basis of these survey responses we have studied to date the effect on the bacterial flora of the conjunctiva of three regimens. Irrigation of the conjunctiva with saline tended to increase the ocular flora; instillation of silver protein solution had no significant effect. Povidone-iodine drops (5%) significantly reduced both colony and species counts.

Profilaxia da oftalmia neo-natorum / Prophylaxis of ophthalmia neonaturum

A oftalmia neonatorum provocada pelo gonococo é uma inflamçäo destrutiva que costuma levar a cegueira suas vítimas. A situaçäo começou a melhorar com a adoçäo de medidas higiênicas como a lavagem das mäos das mäes, recém-natos e obstetras e a incidência caiu de 20% para 0,2% com o método de Credé que utiliza o nitrato de prata a 2,5%, depois diminuído para 1%. Outros agentes profiláticos säo o Protargol e o Argirol e as sulfas e antibióticos. Para as condiçöes existentes no nosso País a adoçäo de instilaçäo de antibiótico ou pomada oftálmica de antibiótico parece ser a melhor forma de instituir a profilaxia de oftalmia neonatorum

Chemical preparation of the eye in ophthalmic surgery. II. Effectiveness of mild silver protein solution.

Although a mild silver protein solution (Argyrol) has been used for a number of years and is still used by many ophthalmic surgeons, its efficiency as an antibacterial agent on the conjunctiva has not been scientifically evaluated as part of the preoperative chemical preparation of the eye. We studied the effectiveness of a mild silver protein solution on the conjunctival flora of 32 patients in a masked fashion. By bacteriologic analysis, the mild silver protein solution was found to be no more effective in reducing the number of species and colonies in the treated eye than in the untreated eye. While the mild silver protein solution does stain mucus and other debris on the eye to facilitate irrigation, this study did not demonstrate a significant bactericidal effect.

The prophylaxis of gonorrhea.

The current level of the gonorrhea epidemic supports the need for additional measures for gonorrhea control. In the absence of evidence that prophylactic availability enhances promiscuity, a strong case can be made for venereal disease prophylaxis. This paper reviews the efficacy and acceptability of prophylactic techniques. In the military, acceptability and efficacy have been demonstrated for systemic antibiotics, and probably a postcoital prophylactic kit. These measures are either inappropriate or unavailable for general civilian use. The condom and vaginal spermicides offer promise of partial protection; further studies of efficacy and utilization are needed.