Comparative LC-MS/MS and HPLC-UV Analyses of Meropenem and Piperacillin in Critically Ill Patients.

Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of beta-lactam antibiotics has become a valuable tool to guide dosing in critically ill patients. The main goal of the study was to compare two routinely used techniques for beta-lactam TDM in intensive care unit (ICU) patient samples, namely isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography combined with ultra-violet detection (HPLC-UV).

Methods: A set of 80 sera/plasma samples from ICU patients receiving therapeutic meropenem or piperacillin dosage was investigated.

Sequence-based prediction of type III secreted proteins.

The type III secretion system (TTSS) is a key mechanism for host cell interaction used by a variety of bacterial pathogens and symbionts of plants and animals including humans. The TTSS represents a molecular syringe with which the bacteria deliver effector proteins directly into the host cell cytosol. Despite the importance of the TTSS for bacterial pathogenesis, recognition and targeting of type III secreted proteins has up until now been poorly understood.

[Valine and branched-chain amino acids in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy].

We studied the effects of infusion of a liver adapted amino acid solution (Amino-Mel hepa: Group A) versus a liver adapted amino acid solution plus L-valine (Amino-Mel hepa + L-valine: Group B) in 30 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis with coma. Each 15 patients were randomly allocated to the group A and B, respectively. Both regimens included the infusion of glucose and fat, further supplementation of vitamins and trace elements in addition to the amino acid solution.

Correlations between zinc, amino acids and ammonia in liver cirrhosis.

In view of the universal metabolic importance of zinc in the organism, it was the purpose of the present work to determine the concentrations of zinc in serum, of amino acids and ammonia in plasma of patients with liver cirrhosis, and investigate that correlations might exist between these substances. The study involved 18 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis without coma and eleven with coma. The subjects with normal livers were used as controls.

[Determination of cellular and humoral parameters of fatty liver].

Cellular and humoral immunological parameters were examined in mononuclear cells from peripheral blood of patients with alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatosis hepatis. The ratio of T4 and T8 positive lymphocytes and the number of monocytes of these patients were in the normal range. The percentage of NK-cells, B-lymphocytes and DR-antigen-positive cells was increased.