Effect of hyaluronan on the elastase-type activity of human skin fibroblasts.

The influence of hyaluronan (HA) on the expression of human skin fibroblast elastase-type protease (HSFEp) (Homsy et al, 1988) was studied. At confluency of HSF cultures, hyaluronan increased the level of HSFEp in a time and dose-dependent fashion. Optimal effect was observed after 48 h of culture and at 2 mg/ml HA concentration; the stimulatory effect of HA could be suppressed by 1 microM cycloheximide.

Risk factors associated with malnutrition in rural Jamaica.

Risk factors associated with malnutrition were examined in rural Jamaica. Socioeconomic data were obtained on 63 well-nourished and 14 malnourished children. Risk factors associated with malnutrition were birth weight less than 2.

Pharmacokinetics and suction blister fluid penetration of a semisynthetic injectable streptogramin RP 59500 (RP 57669/ RP 54476).

RP 59500 is a new semisynthetic injectable streptogramin with excellent activity against most gram-positive bacteria. In order to assess its potential for the treatment of tissue infections, the pharmacokinetics and penetration into suction blister fluid were studied in a pilot phase I study in six male volunteers following a single infusion of 12 mg/kg over 1 h. Plasma and suction blister fluid concentrations were determined by microbiological assay.

Biomatrix effect on Sertoli cells phospholipids.

In order to investigate the influence of biomatrix on Sertoli cell morphology and on the phospholipids content, these cells were isolated from testes of 15-day old Wistar rats and plated onto plastic coated with extracellular matrix extracted from seminiferous tubules, here denoted biomatrix. When the Sertoli cells were cultured on biomatrix they did not form a monolayer until day 7 of culture, while cells plated onto plastic did so 48 h after plating. On day 5 of culture, Sertoli cells were incubated for 48 h with 5 microCi/ml 32P.

Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with acute Q fever.

Several bacterial and viral agents have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acquired immune-mediated disorder. A case of Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with acute Q fever is described. Coxiella burnetii should therefore be added to the list of microorganisms capable of inducing the Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium haemophilum.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is an emerging opportunistic pathogen, and since 1989, infections caused by this organism have been identified more frequently in the New York City area than in any other region of the United States. A DNA fingerprinting method, based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) was developed. A genomic library of M.

Malignant biliary obstruction: preliminary results of palliative treatment with hepaticogastrostomy under fluoroscopic, endoscopic, and laparoscopic guidance.

Purpose: To report a technique of peripheral biliary decompression by means of anastomosis of a bile duct in segment II of the liver to the lesser curvature of the stomach.

Materials And Methods: Seven patients with unresectable biliary neoplasm were treated. After transhepatic catheterization of a segment II bile duct, the left lobe of the liver and the lesser curvature of the stomach were perforated under fluoroscopic and laparoscopic guidance.

Necrotic stenosis of the right colon secondary to acute pancreatitis.

The authors report the case of a 52-year-old man who had stenosis and necrosis of the right colon secondary to acute pancreatitis. The right colon is a very uncommon location for this complication. The site of the stenosis was documented by contrast enema examination and computed tomography.

Association of nematodes and dogwood cankers.

Dogwood canker is a serious production problem of unknown etiology. From May 1985 through April 1989, cankers from 290 flowering dogwood trees in 15 separate nurseries were sampled for nematodes. Seventy-three percent (213) of the cankers contained nematodes.

Effects of retinol on glycoprotein synthesis by Sertoli cells in culture: dolichyl phosphomannose synthase activation.

Sertoli cells were isolated from Wistar rats aged 19 days and cultured for 48 h. The addition of retinol (10 microM) to the culture medium significantly stimulated the incorporation of [2-3H]mannose into lipid-linked oligosaccharide and into cellular and secreted glycoproteins. Incorporation of [U-14C] leucine into proteins and of [5, 6-3H] uridine into RNA was unaffected by retinol treatment.

A surgical approach to a vascular malformation in the plantar medial foot.

Vascular malformations are infrequent findings in the foot, especially the plantar medial foot. Deeper vascular malformations may be more difficult to diagnose due to the depth and oblique course of the medial neurovascular structures into plantar aspect of the foot. The authors present an interesting case report of a vascular anomaly mimicking a heel spur syndrome and describe a surgical approach for the resection of this type of lesion with a 10-month follow-up.

[Antibiotic prophylaxis in colorectal surgery].

In elective colorectal surgery, the benefit of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is well established, with a reduction in wound infection rate to less than 10%. The antimicrobial agent used has to be active against aerobic and anaerobic pathogens such as Escheria coli and Bacteriodes fragilis. The efficacy of three schemes of administration: oral and/or parenteral prophylaxis associated with a mechanical preparation, has been demonstrated.

Reproduction of Plant-parasitic Nematodes on Winter Rapeseed (Brassica napus ssp. oleiferas).

The reproduction of isolates of five plant-parasitic nematode species on the winter rapeseed cultivars Bridger, Gorzanski, H-47, Lindora, and Viking was evaluated. Each cultivar was a good host for Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus, Meloidogyne hapla, and M. incognita, All rapeseed cultivars were poor hosts for Pratylenchus scribneri, in comparison with a susceptible reference host.

Cutaneous spindle-cell pseudotumors due to Mycobacterium gordonae and Leishmania infantum. An immunophenotypic study.

We report two patients with AIDS who had cutaneous spindle-cell pseudotumors caused by Leishmania infantum in one instance and by an atypical mycobacterium in the other. The lesions mimicked neoplasms with predominantly spindled macrophages, similar to those seen in the histoid variant of leprosy. This histoid reaction is known to be related to mycobacteria.

Activities of antimicrobial agents against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium haemophilum.

Mycobacterium haemophilum, first described in 1978, can cause severe infections of skin, respiratory tract, bone, and other organs of immunocompromised patients. There is no standardized antimicrobial susceptibility test, and for the 27 reported cases, a variety of test methods have been used. This paper reports the in vitro test results for 17 isolates of M.

[Visceral leishmaniasis resistant to conventional treatments: value of amphotericin B].

The reference treatment in visceral leishmaniasis is administration of antimonial compounds (Pentostam, Glucantime). Primary and secondary failures have been reported and may involve several mechanisms resulting in alterations in the T-cell-dependent response, particularly in HIV-positive patients. Alternative agents proposed for use as single-drug therapy or in combination with other drugs include Lomidine, which carries a high risk of toxicity, allopurinol, cytokines (IL-2 and interferon gamma), and amphotericin B.

Extracerebral toxoplasmosis in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Although Toxoplasma gondii frequently causes lesions of the central nervous system in AIDS, the exact incidence of extracerebral toxoplasmosis in these immunodepressed patients remains difficult to determine. Isolation of the parasite outside the central nervous system is rarely performed ante mortem, and most diagnoses of extracerebral toxoplasmosis are made post mortem. This article describes 23 cases of extracerebral toxoplasmosis diagnosed between 1987 and 1991 in an autopsy series of 170 patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Pathological features of intestinal microsporidiosis in HIV positive patients. A report of 13 new cases.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a microsporidian parasite found only in the enterocytes of the small bowel of HIV positive patients, producing chronic diarrhea and malabsorption. Since January 1990, we have seen the 13 first Mediterranean cases, diagnosed on duodenal pinch biopsy samples. Diarrhea was the major symptom in all instances, and E.

Effects of subinhibitory concentrations of vancomycin and teicoplanin on adherence of staphylococci to tissue culture plates.

Bacterial adhesion is the first step in infection of medical devices. Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are the pathogens recovered most often. The effects of subinhibitory concentrations of vancomycin and teicoplanin on the adherence of eight clinical strains of S.

Azithromycin, rifabutin, and rifapentine for treatment and prophylaxis of Mycobacterium avium complex in rats treated with cyclosporine.

Azithromycin, rifabutin, and rifapentine were used to treat or prevent disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections produced in rats immunosuppressed with cyclosporine. Animals with bacteremic infections were treated 1 week after intravenous inoculation with 10(7) CFU of MAC with azithromycin, 100 mg/kg of body weight administered subcutaneously for 5 days and then 75 mg/kg on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or with rifabutin or rifapentine, 20 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally on Monday through Friday. All three drugs showed efficacy after 1 and 2 months.

Pharmacokinetic and bacteriological study of cefadroxil-salicylate and josamycin-salicylate drug regimens.

Eye, nose, throat and bronchopulmonary infections are frequently associated with inflammatory symptoms. This often leads the clinician to prescribe a combination of an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic. Cefadroxil and josamycin are among the antibiotics most frequently used in these infections, and they are often combined with acetylsalicylic acid in various pharmaceutical formulations.