[Community-acquired urinary tract infections in 15 to 65 years old female patients in France. Susceptibility of E. coli according to history: AFORCOPI-BIO network 2003]. / Infections urinaires communautaires de la femme de 15 à 65 ans: sensibilité aux antibiotiques de E. coli en fonction des antécédents: étude AFORCOPI-BIO 2003.

OBJECTIVES: A multicenter study was implemented in order to determine the distribution and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of strains isolated from 15 to 65 year old female patients with community-acquired urinary tract infections. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From October to December 2003, 11 French private laboratories consecutively collected 420 clinical strains with medical data. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on E. coli were determined using the agar dilution method in a coordinating center and interpretation followed the recommendations of the Comité de l'antibiogramme de la Société française de microbiologie. RESULTS: Escherichia coli was the most prevalent pathogen (80%) followed by Proteus mirabilis (4%), Klebsiella spp (2%), other Enterobacteriaceae (4%), Enterococcus spp (3%), Staphylococcus aureus (2%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (2%), and Streptococcus agalactiae (2%). The susceptibility of E. coli strains was 61% for amoxicillin (AMX), 93% for nalidixic acid (NAL), 97% for norfloxacin (NOR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP), 77% for cotrimoxazole (SXT), 99% for fosfomycin, gentamicin and cefotaxime. The susceptibility of E. coli was lower in case of previous treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics for AMX (84 vs 95% p=0.02) and SXT (62 vs 81% p=0.02). In the same way, previous treatment with quinolones was associated with decreased susceptibility for NAL (84 vs 95% p=0.02) and SXT (62 vs 81% p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In 2003, fluoroquinolones, third generation cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and fosfomycin kept a good activity on E. coli collected from community-acquired urinary tract infections in 15 to 65 years old female patients in France.

[Genital infections in women, in community practice. Comparison of two studies, 1987 and 2002]. / Les infections génitales chez la femme en pratique de ville Enquêtes Aforcopi-BIO. Comparaison des résultats 1987 et 2002.

One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six clinical and biological cervico-vaginal flora samples from genital infections in women observed in community practice in 1987 were compared to 368 samples collected in 2001. The diagnosis of sexually transmitted infection (STI) was rarely made. Nonetheless, examining these samples made it possible either to prescribe a specific treatment for a confirmed infection (chlamydia, trichonomiasis, candidiasis, gonococci, vaginosis), or to modify a long-term treatment that was often ineffective and sometimes badly tolerated. Not all vulvar itching, associated or not with pelvic pain, is caused by mycosis. Treatment based on a syndromic approach was often ineffective, because clinical symptoms, whether isolated or associated, even when they were suggestive of an etiology, presented only a minor positive predictive value (the PPV for the association ichting + pelvic pain was only 10% for chlamydia, but 45% for candidiasis). The diagnosis of vaginosis, suggested for the past 10 years as an improvement in the diagnosis of vulvo-vaginitis, was made in only 13% of the cases. The only significant difference in our two studies was a lower number of cases of gonococci, chlamydiae, and ureaplasms in 2001, the settings having remained identical, except for a lower number of patients in 2001.

[Urinary tract infection in an urban population: etiology and antibiotic sensitivity as a function of patient history]. / Infections urinaires en pratique de ville: étiologies et sensibilité aux antibiotiques en fonction des antécédents. l'AFORCOPI-BIO. Association pour la Formation Continue en Pathologie Infectieuse des Biologistes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between etiological factors, bacterial isolates and Escherichia coli susceptibility to antibiotics in ambulatory patients with urinary tract infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in 13 private medical laboratories in France in March 1998. Data were collected on 658 cases involving 679 strains in ambulatory patients with urinary tract infections. Data on age, gender, catheter insertion within the 7 preceding days, and history of hospitalization, urinary infection and antibiotic treatment during the 6 preceding months were recorded. The distribution of the bacterial isolates and Eschericha coli sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, and gentamycin were studied. RESULTS: E. coli was most frequently isolated in women, in patients with no catheter or without a history of antibiotic treatment, hospitalization or urinary infection. There was no difference in E. coli sensitivity according to sex and age in women. In patients with prior antibiotic treatment, all the tested antibiotics except gentamycin were significantly less active. In case of prior hospitalization, the E. coli isolates were more resistant to amoxicillin, quinolones, cotrimoxazole and gentamycin. The level of E. coli suceptibility rose as the delay since hospitalization or urinary infection increased. CONCLUSION: Ambulatory patients comprise a heterogeneous population requiring particular attention to correctly adapt therapeutic strategies.

Usefulness of a computerized expert system associated with systematic O-serotyping for the early detection of outbreaks of hospital acquired infections and for the presumptive antibiotic therapy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.

Over a four-year period, the systematic O-serotyping of all Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in Hôpital de Rodez associated with the use of a computerized expert system, facilitated the early detection of two outbreaks of nosocomial infections with multiresistant serotype O:11 and multiresistant serotype O:12 P. aeruginosa respectively involving ten patients over 16 months and six patients over six months. Over this four-year period, serotype O:12 represented 14% of 404 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa, and most isolates of this serotype were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Combination experiments showed that fosfomycin/amikacin together were active against 86% of O:12 isolates. Fosfomycin/amikacin might be considered as a therapeutic alternative to ceftazime/amikacin for the presumptive antipseudomonal therapy of serotype O:12 infections.

[Capillary electrophoresis: principle and applications]. / L'électrophorèse capillaire: principe et applications.

Capillary Zone Electrophoresis is a new separation technique which is performed in capillaries (ID smaller than 100 microns). The separations are carried out according to several modes which are mainly the Free Solution Capillary Electrophoresis, the Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary Chromatography and the Gel Capillary Electrophoresis. Many detection systems can be used. This technique has many advantages: high separative power, short time of analysis, low cost of operation and very low sample consumption. Capillary electrophoresis and HPLC appear to be complementary because they are based on different physical and chemical properties. Capillary electrophoresis has a great potential of applications for both chemical and biochemical analysis. This new and very efficient analytical technique is of growing interest for biochemical analysis and its use is likely to increase rapidly.

Ontogeny of tyrosine hydroxylase concentration in locus coeruleus of newborn rats: long-term effects of RU24722.

The ontogenetic variations of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) have been studied in locus coeruleus of developing rats. During the first 2 weeks after birth, a large increase in TH content (6.04-23.99 TH units) in the noradrenergic structure was observed, followed by a period of progressive increase of the protein concentration (42 TH units in adult rats). The expression of TH was studied in the same ontogenetic period after treatment by RU24722 (20 mg/kg, i.p.). The long-term increase in TH concentration produced by the drug was found to follow ontogenetic variations. It becomes significant around the middle of the second week after birth and gradually increases until the 24th day of postnatal development, indicating a maturation of the mechanisms involved in the inducing effect.

In vivo monitoring of catecholaminergic metabolism in the C1 region of rat medulla oblongata: a comparative study by voltammetry and intracerebral microdialysis.

In vivo voltammetry or microdialysis was used to monitor catecholaminergic metabolism in the C1 region of the ventrolateral medulla oblongata of anesthetized rats. In vivo voltammetry allowed the recording of a catechol oxidation current (CA.OC) peak in this region. This CA.OC was suppressed after inhibition of monoamine oxidase by pargyline or after inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase by alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine and was markedly increased after blockade of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase by FLA 63. Similar results were found when intracerebral microdialysis coupled with HPLC and electrochemical detection was used to measure the concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the dialysates obtained from the C1 region: The changes in CA.OC and DOPAC concentration in the dialysates exhibited very similar kinetic characteristics in the three pharmacological experiments. These results support the involvement of DOPAC as a major component of the electrochemical signal recorded by voltammetry in the C1 group of adrenergic neurons.

Neuron-glia interactions: effect of serotonin on the astroglial expression of GFAP and of its encoding message.

The trophic effect of serotonin on the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression was investigated in rat brainstem astrocytes in primary culture. GFAP immunolabelling decreased and gliofilaments appeared localized in the cytoplasm periphery. GFAP protein level decreased in parallel with a decrease in its encoding message. Serotonin may act as an inhibitor of GFAP expression either on the transcription or on the stability of the GFAP-mRNA.