Continuous bladder irrigation in the monoplace hyperbaric chamber: Two case reports.

Introduction: Radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis is a serious side effect of radiation therapy. Anemia requiring transfusion can ensue. Treatment methods include bladder irrigation, fulguration, and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy.

Streptococcus pneumoniae forms surface-attached communities in the middle ear of experimentally infected chinchillas.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) causes respiratory and systemic infections that are a major public health problem worldwide. It has been postulated that pneumococci persist in vivo in biofilm communities.

Methods: In this study, we analyzed whether pneumococci form biofilms in vivo, and if so, whether biofilms correlated with bacterial persistence.

Lipooligosaccharides containing phosphorylcholine delay pulmonary clearance of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) causes pulmonary infections in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other mucociliary clearance defects. Like many bacteria inhabiting mucosal surfaces, NTHi produces lipooligosaccharide (LOS) endotoxins that lack the O side chain. Persistent NTHi populations express a discrete subset of LOS glycoforms, including those containing phosphorylcholine (PCho).