Cytokines profile in cystic fibrosis patients with nasal polyps.

UNLABELLED: Nasal polyposis often complicates the progress of patients with cystic fibrosis and there has been little study about the importance of cytokines in the polyps of such individuals. OBJECTIVE: To assess RNAm expression for interleukins 4, 5, 6, 8, GM-CSF and IFN-gamma by RT-PCR in eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic polyps of patients with cystic fibrosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 124 persons were evaluated, of which thirteen patients with cystic fibrosis and nasosinusal polyps were selected--three were eosinophilic and ten were non-eosinophilic. The control group was composed of eleven individuals with normal otorhinolaryngological exam and the mean age was 18 years (3-57). The middle turbinate mucosa and nasal polyps were biopsied from the control group and the cystic fibrosis group respectively, and these were analyzed with RT-PCR. The middle turbinate mucosa was biopsied in the control group and in the cystic fibrosis group polyps that was analyzed to RT-PCR. The polyps of cystic fibrosis patients were also further anaylsed for subjected to a second biopsy in order to determine the percentage of eosinophils. IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-gamma and GM-CSF transcriptions were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no difference in IL-5, IL-8 and GM-CSF when compared to the eosinophilic, non-eosinophilic and control groups (p>0.05). When compared to the eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic groups, higher IL-4 and IL-6 values (p=0.01 and p=0.01 respectively) were observed. When analyzed separately with the control group, IL-4 (p=0.01) expression was higher in the eosinophilic group, while IFN-gamma (p=0.03) was lower in the non-eosinophilic group. IL-5, IL-8, GM-CSF are non-specific cytokines present in the nasosinusal sinonasal polyps of cystic fibrosis patients. IL-4 and IL-6 are important mediators in the eosinophilic sinonasal polyps, while low IFN-gamma may be related to lower eosinophils in non-eosinophilic polyps.

Prevalência e perfil de sensibilidade de microrganismos em infecções do trato urinário / Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility in urinary tract pathogens

Infecções bacterianas do trato urinário são um problema muito comum tanto em infecções nosocomiais quanto na comunidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a prevalência de patógenos responsáveis por infecções no trato urinário, relacionando-os com a sua susceptibilidade frente aos antimicrobianos utilizados. Durante o período de janeiro de 1998 a dezembro de 2001 foram analisados resultados de 2378 culturas de urinas positivas de pacientes ambulatoriais, sem restrições de sexo e idade, de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Escherichia coli foi o microrganismo isolado mais prevalente: 74,3 porcento, seguido de Proteus mirabilis com 8,0 porcento e Enterobacter aerogenes com 4,88 porcento. Nitrofurantoína (NIT) apresentou altos índices de atividade frente ao Cocos Gram-positivos, enquanto que o Norfloxacin foi o antimicrobiano que apresentou a maior atividade frente aos Bacilos Gram-negativos.

Sepse relacionada ao uso de cateter intravascular / Intravascular catheter - related sepsis

O objetivo deste trabalho foi relacionar de forma retrospectiva, o uso de cateteres intravasculares em pacientes hospitalizados em Unidades de Tratamento Intensivo (UTIs) com a incidência de bacteremia e sepse. Os cateteres (n = 250) foram semeados em ágar suplementado com 5% de sangue de carneiro. A cultura foi semi-quantitativa e, considerada positiva, quando encontrou-se o crescimento de 15 ou mais colônias em placa de agar. As hemoculturas foram incubadas e monitoradas pelo sistema Bact Alert (Organon Teknika). A identificação microbiana foi realizada através de provas convencionais ou sistemas automatizados. Do total de 250 cateteres, 12,4% tiveram cultura positiva (31/250), com maior frequência para Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negativa (49%). Foram realizadas hemoculturas de 13 pacientes que tiveram cultura positiva para o cateter intracath, sendo que 7 (58,8%) foram positivas e 4 dessas hemoculturas apresentaram o mesmo microorganismo encontrado no cateter, sinalizando uma bacteremia devida ao cateter (30,7%). Dos 7 pacientes, 4 (57%) evoluíram clinicamente para sepse e chegaram ao óbito. Esse achado, demonstra uma relação importante entre a implantação de cateteres intravasculares e o desenvolvimento de bacteremia e sepse.

The aim of this paper was to analyze a retrospective way from the use of catheters in patient hospitalized in Intensive Care Units, with bacteraemia incidence and sepsis. The catheters (n=250) were sowed in agar blood (5% of sheep blood). The culture was semi-quantitative and considered positive, when were found the growth 15 or more colonies in agar plate...

Prevalence and impact of chronic otitis media in school age children in Brazil. First epidemiologic study concerning chronic otitis media in Latin America.

OBJECTIVE: The first epidemiological study carried out in Latin America to investigate the prevalence of otological disease and its impact in a representative random sample of the school children population. METHODS: A cross sectional epidemiological survey to investigate the epidemiology of otitis in a representative random sample of 1119 children and adolescents from a total of 486166 elementary and high-school students, aged 6-18 years, regularly registered in one of the 521 public and private schools of the city of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, southern Brazil. The interviews were conducted individually, in the school, by an otolaryngologist or a pediatrician. The interview included all of the personal data and also detailed questions regarding otological disorders and hearing. The otological examination was carried out with Mini-Heine otoscopes and the audiometric evaluation with the AudioScope 3 with 25dB intensity. The questionnaire and basic procedures for medical examination had been previously tested through a pilot test in two schools. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic otitis media was 0.94%. Impacted wax was found in 12.3% of the students. The prevalence of abnormalities (excluding wax) in the otoscopy examination was 10.5%. It was found that 8.3% of students had a past history of otitis and 7.7% had a past history of otorrhea. These two special groups presented statistically significant associations with chronic otitis media, hearing loss and otolaryngological surgeries (when compared with the other school children). Parents and school children seemed significantly able to identify a special group of children with past history of otitis during childhood.