Epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes upper respiratory tract infections in Poland (2003-2017).

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a major human pathogen and causes every year over 600 millions upper respiratory tract onfections worldwide. Untreated or repeated infections may lead to post-infectional sequelae such as rheumatic heart disease, a major cause of GAS-mediated mortality. There is no comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of the M type distribution of upper respiratory tract strains isolated in Poland.

A Personalized Approach to Radical Cystectomy Can Decrease Its Complication Rates.

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a patient's general status on perioperative morbidity and mortality after radical cystectomy, and to assess which of the used scales is best for the prediction of major complications. The data of 331 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, who underwent radical cystectomy, were analyzed. The general status was assessed according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and Geriatric-8 (G-8) scales.

A Comprehensive Approach to Clinical Staging of Bladder Cancer.

Background: A significant number of patients with advanced urothelial cell carcinoma are under- or over-staged. Implementation of clinical variables could be useful for improving the accuracy of clinical staging.

Aim: To explore the differences between clinical and pathological diagnosis in patients with UCC, and to identify clinical variables that might play a role in under- or overstating.

Age and risk of major complications in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Introduction: Radical cystectomy is the treatment of choice for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), but it may be unsafe in older patients.

Aim: In this study, we investigated whether age and selected clinical characteristics were associated with outcomes of radical cystectomy.

Material And Methods: We enrolled 434 patients with MIBC who underwent radical cystectomy between 2012 and 2016, and we classified them into three age groups: < 65, 66-74, and ≥ 75 years.

Complication Rate after Radical Cystectomy Depends on the Surgical Technique and Patient's Clinical Status.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the complication rates of radical cystectomy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and identify potential risk factors.

Methods: A total of 553 patients were included: 131 were operated on via an open approach (ORC), 242 patients via a laparoscopic method (LRC), and 180 by a robot-assisted procedure (RARC). Patient age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, urinary diversion type, preoperative albumin level, body mass index (BMI), pathological (TNM) stage, and surgical times were collected.

Can laparoscopic cystectomy become the method of choice in the treatment of invasive urothelial urinary bladder cancer?

Background: Radical cystectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy is the method of choice for muscle-invasive urothelial cell cancer (UCC) treatment and provides the best cancer-specific survival. It can be performed as an open radical cystectomy (ORC), laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) or robot-assisted surgery (RARC).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare laparoscopic and open radical cystectomy in terms of perioperative and oncological results.

Correlation between malnutrition, body mass index and complications in patients with urinary bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy.

Background: Nutrition is the 3rd most important factor in surgery, following anesthesia and asepsis. Until now, it has been a poorly explored field of urology. The relationship between malnutrition and postoperative complications has been proven beyond doubt in general surgery, where 30% of patients are operated in a malnutrition state.

A decade of invasive meningococcal disease surveillance in Poland.

Background: Neisseria meningitidis is a leading etiologic agent of severe invasive disease. The objective of the study was to characterise invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) epidemiology in Poland during the last decade, based on laboratory confirmed cases.

Methods: The study encompassed all invasive meningococci collected between 2002 and 2011 in the National Reference Centre for Bacterial Meningitis.

[Invasive pneumococcal disease in the Malopolska region of Poland, in the year 2002-2008. Is introduction of mass vaccination with conjugated pneumococcal vaccine justified?].

Unlabelled: According to the WHO pneumococcal infections are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in children.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of pneumococcal isolates belonging to serotypes covered by 7-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (7vPCV) isolated from invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in the Malopolska region of Poland in the years 2000-2008.

Material And Methods: Retrospective clinical and microbiological analysis was performed on invasive, laboratory confirmed pneumococcal cases in the Malopolska region, between 2000-2008.

[Peritonitis in the course of peritoneal dialisis caused by Haemophilus influenzae with BLNAR phenotype].

Most common bacterial species causing peritonitis in the course of peritoneal dialysis (PDP) are coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci. Haemophilus influenzae is rarely associated with PDP. Hereby we present the first known case of APD-associated peritonitis caused by non-type able H.

Automated peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis due to Haemophilus influenzae showing the BLNAR phenotype.

A rare case of peritonitis due to beta-lactamase-negative, ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae is described in an 18-year-old male undergoing automated peritoneal dialysis. The infection was probably of respiratory origin. Two strains of H.

Target gene sequencing to characterize the penicillin G susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis.

Clinical isolates of Neisseria meningitidis with reduced susceptibility to penicillin G (intermediate isolates, Pen(I)) harbor alterations in the penA gene encoding the penicillin binding protein 2 (PBP2). A 402-bp DNA fragment in the 3' half of penA was sequenced from a collection of 1,670 meningococcal clinical isolates from 22 countries that spanned 60 years. Phenotyping, genotyping, and the determination of MICs of penicillin G were also performed.

Resistance patterns of selected respiratory tract pathogens in Poland.

This study presents the results of a survey of the in-vitro susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of major pathogens responsible for community-acquired respiratory tract infections in Poland during 2002-2004. The collection of 1184 bacterial isolates comprised 398 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 344 Haemophilus influenzae, 302 Streptococcus pyogenes and 140 Moraxella catarrhalis. Among the pneumococcal isolates, 16.

Characterisation of Neisseria meningitidis C:2b:P1.2,5 isolates in Poland.

This study aimed to characterise Neisseria meningitidis C:2b:P1.2,5 isolates from Poland, which have now become predominant among serogroup C isolates in this country. Overall, 44 isolates (25 invasive and 19 from contact carriers) were typed by whole-cell ELISA and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Invasive meningococcal disease associated with a very high case fatality rate in the North-West of Poland.

The aim of the study was to investigate invasive meningococcal disease in the North-West of Poland, associated with a case fatality rate of 42.9%, where among the first 11 cases, eight had fatal outcome. All fatal cases were diagnosed as fulminant meningococcal severe sepsis with Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Characteristics of Haemophilus influenzae type b responsible for meningitis in Poland from 1997 to 2004.

Two hundred forty-five H. influenzae isolates responsible for meningitis in Poland from 1997 to 2004 were studied. Among these, 233 (95.

Lack of specificity for antibodies to double stranded DNA found in four commercial kits.

Four commercially available kits (three enzyme linked immunosorbent assays and one modified Farr radioimmunoassay) were compared for their ability to detect specifically autoantibodies to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) using 66 patient sera. This was assessed by comparing the results of the kits with those from an ELISA specifically measuring antibodies against highly purified dsDNA, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), native DNA and histones. The RIA and two of the ELISAs seemed equally efficient at detecting antibodies to dsDNA, but all three also detected anti-ssDNA (the RIA being particularly bad for this).

Anti-muscle antibodies in Graves' ophthalmopathy.

The nature of the humoral immune response in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy has been investigated using a solid phase 125I Protein A binding assay. Retro-orbital muscle (R.O.

Immunity in Graves' disease at diagnosis: correlation between activated T cells and humoral immune factors.

Activated T cells, T-cell subsets, thyrotropin receptor antibodies and immune complexes were evaluated in 31 patients with newly diagnosed Graves' disease. Activated T cells were assayed by monoclonal antibodies against early (4F2) and late activation surface lymphocyte antigens (different epitopes of class II antigens). In comparison with the normal population, Graves' patients showed a significant decrease in the suppressor cytotoxic T-cell subset.

The lack of specificity of ophthalmic immunoglobulins in Graves' disease.

Immunoglobulins (Igs) binding to retro-orbital muscle (ROM) antigens, known as ophthalmic Igs (OIg), were measured using a 100,000 X g sediment of porcine ROM as antigen in a solid phase [125I]protein A binding assay. Serum samples from 50 control subjects bound from 0.60-2.

Immune responses to myelin antigens in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Antibodies to nerve antigens were sought in the sera of 17 patients with acute Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), 11 with chronic relapsing demyelinating poly-radiculoneuropathy (CRP), 20 with other neuropathies (ON), 15 with other neurological diseases (OND) and 19 normal subjects. Complement-fixing antibodies to a suspension of human peripheral nerve tissue were identified in only 2 patients with GBS and 1 with chronic progressive neuropathy. Five GBS sera gave complement fixation reactions with rabbit sciatic nerve.

Spontaneous and experimental neuritis and the distribution of the myelin protein P2 in the nervous system.

The P2 contents of nervous tissues from the human, rabbit, guinea pig, and Lewis rat were measured by radioimmunoassay. The ventral spinal roots contained more P2 than any other tissue. Human dorsal roots and peripheral nerves contained 41-65% of the amount in human ventral roots.