Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with intracorporeally constructed Y-shaped orthotopic ileal neobladder using nonabsorbable titanium staples exclusively.

Increasing evidence in published reports has suggested that titanium staples may be well tolerated inside the urinary tract. Recently, the Italian Group from Piedmont described an "easy, fast, and reliable" technique of a Y-shaped ileal neobladder that was created during open surgery with nonabsorbable mechanical staples. They observed an acceptable 6% rate of stone formation at a median follow-up of 20 months (range 8 to 47). We describe our initial experience with laparoscopic Y-shaped orthotopic ileal neobladder constructed entirely intracorporeally using titanium staples exclusively in an attempt to mitigate the time-consuming and skill-intensive task of freehand suturing required during laparoscopic creation of continent reservoirs.

Evaluation of Etest and macrodilution broth method for antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida sp strains isolated from oral cavities of AIDS patients.

A comparison of the Etest and the reference broth macrodilution susceptibility test for fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole and amphotericin B was performed with 59 of Candida species isolated from the oral cavities of AIDS patients. The Etest method was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and the reference method was performed according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards document M27-A guidelines. Our data showed that there was a good correlation between the MICs obtained by the Etest and broth dilution methods. When only the MIC results at +/- 2 dilutions for both methods were considered, the agreement rates were 90.4% for itraconazole, ketoconazole and amphotericin B and 84.6% for fluconazole of the C. albicans tested. In contrast, to the reference method, the Etest method classified as susceptible three fluconazole-resistant isolates and one itraconazole-resistant isolate, representing four very major errors. These results indicate that Etest could be considered useful for antifungal sensitivity evaluation of yeasts in clinical laboratories.

Evaluation of Etest and macrodilution broth method for antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida sp strains isolated from oral cavities of AIDS patients

A comparison of the Etest and the reference broth macrodilution susceptibility test for fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole and amphotericin B was performed with 59 of Candida species isolated from the oral cavities of AIDS patients. The Etest method was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and the reference method was performed according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards document M27-A guidelines. Our data showed that there was a good correlation between the MICs obtained by the Etest and broth dilution methods. When only the MIC results at ± 2 dilutions for both methods were considered, the agreement rates were 90.4 percent for itraconazole, ketoconazole and amphotericin B and 84.6 percent for fluconazole of the C. albicans tested. In contrast, to the reference method, the Etest method classified as susceptible three fluconazole-resistant isolates and one itraconazole-resistant isolate, representing four very major errors. These results indicate that Etest could be considered useful for antifungal sensitivity evaluation of yeasts in clinical laboratories

Cryptococcus neoformans isolados de pacientes com AIDS / Cryptocococcus neoformans in patients with AIDS

Criptococose é considerada a infecçäo fúngica sistêmica oportunista mais comum em pacientes com AIDS. Nestes pacientes tem predominado como agente etiológico Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans, e muito raramente relata-se C. neoformans var. gattiii, mesmo nas regiöes onde se verifica a sua prevalência. Foram estudados 50 pacientes com lesöes de criptococose meningoencefálica associada com AIDS. Os isolados foram identificados através de características microscópicas e macroscópicas exibidas em meios de ágar Sabouraud, ágar niger e Christensen. As variedades de C. neoformans foram determinadas pela reaçäo de coloraçäo obtida em meio de L-canavanina glicina-azul de bromotimol (CGB). Em todos os pacientes examinados foram isolados C. neoformans, sendo identificados C. neoformans var. neoformans em 47 isolados e C. neoformans var. gattii em 3. Os resultados encontrados mostram que a criptococose em pacientes com AIDS pode também ser causada por C. neoformans var. gatti, apesar de haver predominância de C. neoformans var neoformans nesta populaçäo