[Hyponatremia on admission to the emergency room as a risk factor for hospital mortality].

Background: Patients who develop hyponatremia during their hospitalization have higher hospital mortality.

Aim: To determine if the presence of hyponatremia on admission to the emergency room is a risk factor for hospital mortality.

Patients And Methods: Two hundred forty five patients consecutively admitted to the emergency room and then transferred to the Medicine Department, where they finally died, were matched for age and gender with 245 control subjects admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized in the Medicine Department at the same time, but survived.

[Numerical taxonomy of staphylococci isolated from water and beach sand from Valparaíso and viña del Mar, Chile].

A total of 85 strains of Gram positive cocci isolated from beach water and sand located in Valparaiso bay, and Viña del Mar, Chile, were examined for 59 morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics. The taxonomic data were analysed by numerical taxonomy using Ssm coefficient and the Unweighted Pair Group Method of Association (UPGMA). At 80% similarity level, four phenons were obtained.

Bacterial chemistry. VI. Biological activities and cytotoxicity of 1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one derivatives.

The biosynthetic pigment from Chromobacterium violaceum BB-78, 1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one and its derivatives exhibit biological activities such as antimicrobial action, low hemolytic effects on red blood cells and in vitro trypanocide activity. A relatively high cytotoxicity on V-79 hamster fibroblast cells of the biosynthetic pigment was found, although with the methylol derivative the toxicity was almost eliminated. The methylol derivative exhibited similar toxicity as Nifurtimox, a known, commercial trypanocide compound.

[Numerical taxonomy of Staphylococci isolated from clinical samples].

A taxonomic study of 82 strains of Staphylococci and 6 reference samples isolated from clinical cases was carried out. Results of 47 phenotype tests were submitted to a numerical analysis using the similarity coefficient of Sokal and Michener and a grouping technique (UPGMA). Based on a 75 similarity level, 4 phenons were identified.

Bacterial chemistry-III: preliminary studies on trypanosomal activities of Chromobacterium violaceum products.

It has been found that the pigment-I from Chromobacterium violaceum, 3-[1,2-dihydro5-(5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl)-2-oxo-3H-pyrrol-3-yli diene] 1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one, has trypanocide activity. The formylated derivatives, pigment-III, immobilized 100% of the Trypanosoma cruzi at a level of 46 microM after 48 h of interaction with a total growth inhibition in the same period. Pigment-I exhibited low toxicity and a DNA synthesis inhibition similar to that of Nifurtimox, a known trypanocide compound.