Relation between periodontal disease and arterial stiffness.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Periodontal disease has been described as playing a role in the atherosclerosis process, and its relation with intimal thickness and vascular endothelial function (EF) has been investigated. The present study sought to determine whether there are differences in parameters of arterial stiffness and EF between patients with and without severe periodontal disease (SPD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients referred to the School of Dentistry University of Buenos Aires, were assessed. Demographic characteristics, atherogenic risk factors and concomitant pathologies were recorded. Patients with known cardiovascular pathology were excluded. Using carotid Doppler ultrasound an operator assessed arterial stiffness parameters: compliance, elastic modulus (EM), ß stiffness index (ßSI) and vascular EF by brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation. The patients were divided into two groups: with and without SPD. RESULTS: Forty patients were included; 60% were women; 15 were in the SPD group and 25 in the group without SPD. Respective results of the studied variables were: age 56.53 ± 17.58 vs. 51.12 ± 12.97 years (NS); probing depth 2.53 ± 1.30 (95% CI 1.81-3.25) vs. 1.25 ± 0.51 (95% CI 1.31-1.73) p = 0.02; clinical attachment level 4.80 ± 2.00 (95% CI 3.69-5.91) vs. 1.72 ± 0.93 (95% CI 1.33-2.11) p = 0.001; intimal thickness 0.10 ± 0.17 (95% CI 0.095-0.11) vs. 0.82 ± 0.18 (95% CI 0.074-0.98) (NS); EM 48.33 ± 12.53 vs. 38.86 ± 7.69 (p = 0.005); ßSI 4.21 ± 1.03 vs. 3.64 ± 1.02 (p = 0.004); EF 16.13 ± 5.02 vs. 22.76 ± 4.50 (p = 0.0003). Correlation between: EM and clinical attachment level r = 0.58 (p < 0.001), ßSI and clinical attachment level r = 0.66 (p < 0.001), EF and clinical attachment level 0.59 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Parameters of arterial stiffness and EF were worse in patients with SPD and correlated moderately with clinical attachment level. Correlation with compliance and EF was negative.

Safety cost management in construction companies: A proposal classification.

BACKGROUND: Estimating health and safety costs in the construction industry presents various difficulties, including the complexity of cost allocation, the inadequacy of data available to managers and the absence of an accounting model designed specifically for safety cost management. Very often, the costs arising from accidents in the workplace are not fully identifiable due to the hidden costs involved. OBJECTIVE: This paper reviews some studies of occupational health and safety cost management and proposes a means of classifying these costs. METHODS: We conducted an empirical study in which the health and safety costs of 40 construction worksites are estimated. RESULTS: A new classification of the health and safety cost and its categories is proposed: Safety and non-safety costs. CONCLUSIONS: The costs of the company's health and safety policy should be included in the information provided by the accounting system, as a starting point for analysis and control. From this perspective, a classification of health and safety costs and its categories is put forward.

Cavitary pneumonia caused by nocardia otitidiscaviarum

We report a case of cavitary pneumonia caused by N. otitidiscaviarum in a man with diabetes mellitus and thrombocytopenia treated with systemic corticosteroid. Taxonomic identification involved phenotypic testing and molecular identification that was carried out by DNA sequencing of the 16SrRNA gene.

Cavitary pneumonia caused by Nocardia otitidiscaviarum.

We report a case of cavitary pneumonia caused by N. otitidiscaviarum in a man with diabetes mellitus and thrombocytopenia treated with systemic corticosteroid. Taxonomic identification involved phenotypic testing and molecular identification that was carried out by DNA sequencing of the 16SrRNA gene.

Prophylactic therapy with valgancyclovir in high-risk (cytomegalovirus D+/R-) liver transplant recipients: a single-center experience.

A retrospective study was performed in liver transplant patients with high risk to develop cytomegalovirus infection (CMV D+/R-) who were treated with valgancyclovir for 3 months as prophylactic therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of prophylactic therapy with valgancyclovir. Weekly CMV antigenemia was routinely assessed during the first 3 months posttransplantation, twice a month to month 6, and monthly until the end of the first year, as well as when clinically indicated. The follow-up period was 1 year. From January 2003 to February 2007, 199 liver transplantations were performed at our institution, including 23 (11%) high-risk patients for CMV infection. Median age was 47 +/- 11.6 years. Nineteen patients (70.4%) were men. Five subjects (21.7%) developed CMV infections. Three patients with positive CMV antigenemia at 3, 4, or 6 months posttransplantation were asymptomatic, while 2 (8.7%) showed gastrointestinal CMV disease at 2 months posttransplantation or CMV hepatitis at 1 month after the end of the prophylactic therapy. Treatment with intravenous gancyclovir followed by oral valgancyclovir was successful in both patients. No opportunistic infections were observed and only 1 patient developed leukopenia as an adverse event related to valgancyclovir.

Salmonella enteríca portadora de betalactamasas de espectro extendido (blee) aisladas en Zaragoza durante los años 2001-2005 / No disponible

No disponible

Caracterización de enterobacterias portadoras de Blee aisladas de muestras invasivas / No disponible

No disponible

Mecanismos de resistencia a quinolonas / No disponible

No disponible

Genetic relatedness and antimicrobial resistance determinants among clinical isolates of enterococci from Cuba.

This study describes the genetic relationships and antimicrobial resistance determinants found among 99 clinical isolates of enterococci from 15 different hospitals in Cuba. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis SmaI analysis demonstrated a high degree of genetic diversity. A limited number of multiresistant Enterococcus faecalis clones, showing resistance to three or more families of antimicrobial agents, were detected simultaneously in different institutions, suggesting inter-hospital circulation of selected clones, and/or selection of particular clones following their introduction into the hospital environment. Antimicrobial resistance determinants, including erm(B), aac(6')-aph(2'), aph(3'), ant(6), vanB (E. faecalis) and vanA (Enterococcus faecium) were detected by PCR in various isolates.

Aines en inflamación ocular / NSAIDs in ocular inflammation treatment

No disponible

Smoking habits of parents and male: female ratio in spermatozoa and preimplantation embryos.

BACKGROUND: Previous observations have addressed a decreased male:female ratio associated with smoking. Our aim was to assess whether this effect is observed at the spermatozoa or at the early embryo development. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed smoking intake habits of 56 couples included in our preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) program. Three groups were established according to male or female cigarette consumption per day: non-smokers, smokers (1-19 cigarettes per day) and heavy smokers (> or =20 cigarettes per day). Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) was performed on ejaculated sperm samples to analyse chromosomes X and Y. On day 3, embryos were also analysed. Additionally, sperm samples from four heavy smoking and four non-smoking donors were prospectively analysed before and after capacitation. RESULTS: FISH on spermatozoa revealed no statistical differences in the Y:X ratio between the three groups. However, in the PGD study, in male heavy smokers, the XY:XX embryo ratio was decreased compared with non-smokers (22:47 versus 80:71; P = 0.0057). The smoking condition of the female partner had no significant effect on embryo XY:XX ratio, but for non-smoking females with a heavy smoking partner, the ratio was decreased (P = 0.0018) compared with non-smoking males. In heavy smoking donors a decreased of Y:X ratio was observed after swim-up with a statistically significant difference of ratios (P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking habits of males do not have an effect on the percentage of X- and Y-bearing spermatozoa on ejaculated samples. However, male heavy smokers produce an increased incidence of female embryos that could be related to an enrichment of X spermatozoa after swim-up in patients with high tobacco consumption.

Tinea capitis in infants in their first year of life.

BACKGROUND: Tinea capitis is the most common type of dermatophytosis in children, but is uncommon in the first year of life. OBJECTIVES: To review clinical, mycological and epidemiological data in a series of 10 infants aged under 1 year diagnosed as having tinea capitis in three Spanish hospitals between 1998 and 2002. METHODS: A retrospective case note study. RESULTS: There were six boys and four girls with a mean of age 7 months (range 1.5-12). All the children were born in Spain, but in five cases the parents were immigrants from Africa. In these cases the isolated dermatophytes were two Trichophyton tonsurans, one T. verrucosum and two Microsporum audouinii. Four autochthonous cases were caused by M. canis and one by M. audouinii (but this one was in contact with African immigrants). In two of the five cases produced by anthropophilic dermatophytes other family members were infected by the same fungus. Most cases were treated successfully with griseofulvin. CONCLUSIONS: Although tinea capitis is rare in infants in their first year of life, the condition should be investigated if scaling and/or alopecia are present. A thorough epidemiological study of other family members is mandatory.

In vitro activity of telithromycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, linezolid and comparator antimicrobial agents against Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates.

We have studied the prevalence of the different macrolide, lincosamide, streptograminB (MLS(B)) phenotypes among clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates erythromycin- and/or oxacillin-resistant; and also the activity of other antimicrobial agents including telithromycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, linezolid, aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol and vancomycin. We found that 64.86% of S. aureus were oxacillin-resistant. While the most prevalent MLS(B) phenotype among methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was constitutive MLS(B) (cMLS) (83%), among methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) it was inducible MLS(B) (iMLS(B)) (90%). Kanamycin resistance was more frequent than resistance to other aminoglycosides, being 100% for MRSA. Telithromycin was only active against iMLS(B), MS and erythromycin-susceptible isolates, although resistance rates were found among iMLS(B) MSSA (2.78%). Quinupristin/dalfopristin showed greater activity, with resistance rates of 2.5% for MRSA and 1.53% for MSSA. Both vancomycin and linezolid were fully active against all the isolates tested, with the highest MIC value being 2 microg/ml and 4 microg/ml, respectively. Among MRSA strains, 81.67% displayed resistance to five or more antimicrobials. This multiresistance was more frequently found among cMLS(B) strains (96.38% MRSA resistant to 6-9 agents).

Characterization of the molecular mechanisms of quinolone resistance in Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 clinical isolates.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the roles of mutations in the gyrA and parC genes and the overexpression of efflux pump(s) as mechanisms of resistance to quinolones. Forty-five Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 clinical isolates (41 nalidixic acid-resistant, three nalidixic acid-susceptible and one nalidixic acid-resistant strain obtained in vitro) were analysed. RESULTS: All the nalidixic acid-resistant strains showed mutations in the gyrA gene and none in the parC gene. The presence of the inhibitor produced decreases in the MIC values of nalidixic acid by two to six serial dilution steps in 37 of the 41 nalidixic acid-resistant strains. Meanwhile, the MIC value of ciprofloxacin was affected in two strains whose values diminished three serial dilution steps. The nalidixic acid-resistant mutant obtained in vitro was also affected by the inhibitor decreasing the MIC value of nalidixic acid three serial dilutions steps whereas the MICs for the nalidixic acid-susceptible strains were not affected. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the high level of resistance to nalidixic acid is likely due to an overexpression of an efflux pump plus a mutation in the gyrA gene, whereas decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin is only associated with the presence of a mutation in the gyrA gene.

Epidemiological study of resistance to nalidixic acid and other antibiotics in clinical Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 isolates.

Forty-six Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 clinical isolates resistant to nalidixic acid were studied. The use of molecular typing techniques, other indicators of resistance patterns, the plasmid profile, and the presence of genes that encode aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme production suggested to us a clonal dissemination of the studied strains.

Actividad in vitro de posaconazol frente a levaduras aisladas en hemocultivo / In vitro activity of posaconazole against yeasts isolated in blood cultures

Se ha valorado la actividad in vitro de posaconazol comparándola con la de fluconazol en especies de levaduras aisladas en hemocultivo, así como el factor tiempo de incubación para la detección de resistencias a estos azoles. Se estudiaron un total de 112 levaduras: 32 Candida albicans, 33 C. parapsilosis, 17 C. tropicalis, 8 C. glabrata, 8 C. guilliermondii, 3 C. famata, 2 C. lusitaniae, 1 C. lipolytica, 1 C. inconspicua, 1 C. lambica, 3 Saccharomyces cerevisiae,1 Blastoschizomyces capitatus, 1 Geotricum spp. y 1 Pichia omheri. La CMI se determinó mediante el método de microdilución M27-A descrito por el NCCLS para Candida spp. y Cryptococcus neoformans. Las especies más sensibles a posaconazol fueron C. parapsilosis (CMI90 0,016 mg/l), C. glabrata (CMI90 0,5 mg/l), C. guilliermondii (CMI90 0,12 mg/l) y el grupo de Candida spp. (CMI90 0,25 mg/l). Sin embargo, este azol no mejora la actividad de fluconazol frente a C. tropicalis (CMI90 8 mg/l) y C. albicans (CMI90 8 mg/l). El tiempo de lectura influyó a la hora de detectar resistencias, ya que a las 48 horas el número de cepas resistentes fue mayor que a las 24 horas, en el caso de C. albicans y C. tropicalis; el resto de las especies estudiadas fueron igual de sensibles en los dos tiempos de lectura. (AU)

Evaluation of an immunochromatographic dip-strip test for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in stool specimens.

The study presented here examined the efficacy of a commercially available qualitative immunochromatographic assay for detecting Cryptosporidium oocysts in stool samples. A total of 75 samples were tested, including 50 positive for Cryptosporidium spp. by acid-fast stain, 20 positive for other parasites ( Blastocystis hominis, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli, Giardia lamblia, Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides stercoralis and Trichuris trichiura), and five negative samples. The observed sensitivity was 98%, while specificity was 100%; the detection threshold was near 1000 oocysts/ml. Correctly diagnosed positive samples included Cryptosporidium parvum genotypes 1 and 2, whereas the single false-negative sample corresponded to a Cryptosporidium meleagridis infection.

Resistencia antibiótica en cepas clínicas de Salmonella enterica aisladas en Zaragoza / Antimicrobial resistance of clinical strains of Salmonella enterica isolated in Zaragoza

Para determinar la evolución de las frecuencias de los serotipos de Salmonella enterica y su resistencia a distintos antimicrobianos, hemos realizado un estudio restrospectivo de todas las serovariedades aisladas de muestras fecales en el Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa de Zaragoza durante el periodo 1997-2000. Se observó un aumento en el número de aislamientos de Salmonella, así como de Campylobacter, en detrimento del resto de los enteropatógenos. El serotipo más frecuentemente aislado (55,2 por ciento) fue enteritidis, con una tendencia creciente (desde el 44,1 por ciento en 1997 hasta el 60,6 por ciento en 2000). Los serotipos que mostraron una mayor tasa de resistencia al ácido nalidíxico fueron hadar, glostrup y virchow, aunque enteritidis muestra un importante incremento (desde un 17,6 por ciento en 1997 hasta un 41,4 por ciento en 2000). El serotipo que mostró una mayor tasa de resistencia a ampicilina, cloranfenicol y cotrimoxazol fue typhimurium. No se ha detectado resistencia a las fluoroquinolonas ni a la cefotaxima, salvo en un 0,5 por ciento de las cepas de S. enteritidis, que fueron resistentes a las fluoroquinolonas. (AU)

Baclofen prevents morphine withdrawal irrespective of seasonal variation.

In previous studies we have demonstrated a possible interaction between the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic and opioid systems involved in the antinociceptive effect of the GABAB agonist, baclofen (BAC). In addition, we have demonstrated that BAC was able to prevent the morphine (MOR) withdrawal syndrome in female, as well as male mice. On the other hand, seasonal variations have been observed in some MOR effects. In the present study, we analysed the effects of BAC on naloxone (NAL)-precipitated withdrawal, during two different seasons. The experiments were performed during two seasons: spring-summer (SS) and autumn-winter (AW) for two years, on male Swiss-Webster albino mice (27-33 g). Mice were rendered dependent by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of MOR (2mg/kg), twice daily for 9 days. On the tenth day the dependent animals were divided into two groups: one received NAL (6mg/kg, i.p.) 60 min after the last dose of MOR, to develop the NAL-precipitated withdrawal; the other group received BAC (2mg/kg, i.p.) followed by NAL (6mg/kg, i.p.), injected 30 and 60 min after the last dose of MOR, respectively. Behavioural signs were recorded in the open field for 30 min. Although there were seasonal variations in the MOR withdrawal syndrome, we found that BAC prevents MOR withdrawal irrespective of seasonal variation.