A case report of severe cardioinhibitory reflex syncope associated with coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been recognized as a disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. In this report, we illustrate an extraordinary case of severe cardioinhibitory reflex syncope with prolonged asystole associated with COVID-19.

Case Summary: A 35-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with a 10-day history of postural syncope and fever.

[Nursing care for elderly Holocaust survivors. Experiences of Israeli nurses as related to their own life stories].

As the survivors of the Holocaust grow older and become more dependent on various ways of care and support, the topic of nursing care for elderly Holocaust survivors is becoming increasingly urgent in the last years, and new questions and problems are emerging. This article deals with the experiences of 18 nurses in Israel who work with elderly Holocaust survivors in the community, in homes for the aged, and in hospitals. Some of the nurses mention that they see their patients as especially demanding; some survivors are said to show the conviction that they deserve a better and preferential treatment, as a result of their experiences in the Nazi-persecution.

Free amino acids in the haemolymph of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera L.).

In queen honey bees the free amino acid content in the haemolymph clearly depends on the physiological function and social environment of the individual. While in drones and workers the content of free amino acids increases after emergence until it reaches a peak in 5-day-old animals and decreases afterwards, the amino acid content in queens reaches its highest level (>60 nmol/ microl haemolymph) with the onset of egg laying (10 d of age). This level is about 2.

Importance of proline and other amino acids during honeybee flight--Apis mellifera carnica POLLMANN).

The levels of proline and other amino acids in the haemolymph and other body parts of honeybee foragers were investigated by HPLC analysis. The concentrations of proline in the blood of glucose-fed or -injected bees finishing their exhaustive tethered flights on a roundabout were significantly reduced compared to bees that were fed and rested for one hour. This indicates some utilization of proline during flight metabolism.

Amino acids and osmolarity in honeybee drone haemolymph.

In the haemolymph of honeybee drones, concentrations of free amino acids were higher than in worker haemolymph, with different relative proportions of individual amino acids. The overall concentration of free amino acids reached its highest level at the 5th day after adult drone emergence, and after the 9th day only minor changes in the concentration and distribution of free amino acids were observed. This coincides with the age when drones reach sexual maturity and change their feeding behaviour.

Effects of cytokines, butyrate and dexamethasone on serum amyloid A and apolipoprotein A-I synthesis in human HUH-7 hepatoma cells.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) and apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) are secreted by the liver. As concentrations of both apolipoproteins are inversely related under normal and acute-phase conditions, human HUH-7 hepatoma cells were stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1alpha (100 and 200 U), IL-6 (50 and 100 U), butyrate (2 mM) and dexamethasone (2 x 10(-7)M and 1 x 10(-6)M), alone or in combination. Changes in SAA and apo A-I synthesis were monitored after metabolic labelling of the cells with [35S]-methionine.

Stenotrophomonas (Xanthomonas) maltophilia: in vitro susceptibility to selected antimicrobial drugs, single and combined, with and without defibrinated human blood.

Sixteen selected isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia varied in susceptibility to the combined phagocytic/serum bactericidal activity of fresh defibrinated human blood (65 vol%). Four representative isolates (X1, X11, X25, and X50), which differed in susceptibility to cefepime, ceftazidime, rifampin, and timentin, were subjected to checkerboard microtiter broth dilution tests involving combinations of cefepime plus timentin, ceftazidime plus ofloxacin, cotrimoxazole plus timentin, rifampin plus polymyxin B, and rifampin plus polymyxin B nonapeptide; all combinations yielded additive or synergistic effects against all four strains. Unexpectedly, the combination of cefepime plus timentin was bactericidally active against the two cefepime-resistant isolates.

Surveillance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in intensive care units: clusters of nosocomial cross-infection and encounter of a multiple-antibiotic resistant strain.

Serogrouping (determination of O antigens) and bacteriocin typing (based on susceptibility to one or more of 18 bacteriocins) were employed to survey 210 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 201 patients in 8 intensive care units (ICU) during an observation period of 18 months. Eighty-eight isolates (41.9%) were nonserogroupable (NT); most common were serogroups O1, O9, O11, and O3.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing (agar disk diffusion and agar dilution) of clinical isolates of Corynebacterium jeikeium.

Thirty-three clinical isolates of Corynebacterium jeikeium were examined for susceptibility to 27 antimicrobial drugs with the agar dilution test. Sheep-blood-supplemented Mueller-Hinton agar performed better than Wilkins-Chalgren agar. Disk susceptibility (Bauer-Kirby) tests were carried out in parallel with 24 of the chemotherapeutic agents.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing (agar disk diffusion and agar dilution) of clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium: comparison of Mueller-Hinton, Iso-Sensitest, and Wilkins-Chalgren agar media.

Forty-two isolates of Enterococcus faecalis and 56 isolates of Enterococcus faecium, including 8 vancomycin-resistant strains, were examined for comparative susceptibility to 27 antimicrobial drugs with the agar dilution method, employing Mueller-Hinton (MHA), Iso-Sensitest (ISTA), and Wilkins-Chalgren (WCA) agar. The Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion method was used to comparatively test 24 of the agents in parallel. The enterococci yielded better growth on ISTA and WCA.

Antibiotic susceptibility of Stenotrophomonas (Xanthomonas) maltophilia: comparative (NCCLS criteria) evaluation of antimicrobial drugs with the agar dilution and the agar disk diffusion (Bauer-Kirby) tests.

Ninety-six clinical isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were examined with the agar dilution method for susceptibility to 19 antimicrobial drugs. Doxycycline, cotrimoxazole, timentin, ofloxacin, fosfomycin, and piperacillin + tazobactam, in that order, inhibited the majority of strains. All isolates were resistant to nitrofurantoin.

Role of endothelin, nitric oxide and L-arginine release in ischaemia/reperfusion injury of rat heart.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that endothelin-1 (ET-1) aggravates ischaemia/reperfusion injury by stimulating cellular L-arginine depletion, which would result in reduced synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and withdrawal of cardioprotection.

Methods: Five groups of rat hearts (n = 5 each) were perfused at 9 ml/min per g for 45 min, subjected to 15 min total global ischaemia and reperfused for 30 min; they received, from 5 min pre-ischaemia to end of reperfusion, either vehicle, L-arginine (1 mmol/l), the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP; 200 mumol/l), the inhibitor of NO formation NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA; 200 mumol/l), or the ET receptor antagonist PD 142893 (200 nmol/l). Cardiac function and release of L-arginine, cyclic GMP and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into coronary effluent were measured.

Susceptibility of Moraxella catarrhalis to 21 antimicrobial drugs: validity of current NCCLS criteria for the interpretation of agar disk diffusion antibiograms.

Ninety-four clinical isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis were examined for susceptibility to 21 antimicrobial drugs; 67 isolates (= 71.3%) produced beta-lactamase(s). In terms of antibiotic resistance, the number of isolates resistant to penicillin G, ampicillin, and cotrimoxazole were 56, 32, and 1, respectively.

Antibiotic susceptibility of alpha- and nonhemolytic streptococci from patients and healthy adults to 24 antimicrobial drugs.

A total of 278 alpha- and nonhemolytic streptococcal isolates (patients, n = 116; healthy adults, n = 162) were examined for susceptibility to 23 and 24 antimicrobial drugs with the Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion and the agar dilution method, respectively. Wilkins-Chalgren medium compared favorably with sheep blood Mueller-Hinton agar, the reference medium, for 58 representative streptococcal isolates. In terms of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), all 278 isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin and vancomycin.

Macrorestriction analysis (PFGE) of serologically cross-reactive serovars of Acinetobacter baumannii and genospecies 3.

Forty-two serovar reference strains of Acinetobacter baumannii and genospecies 3, which yielded major or minor, one-way or two-way (reciprocal) serological cross-reactions, were subjected to macrorestriction (SmaI, ApaI) analysis with the aid of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE patterns of serovars 3 and 21 of genospecies 3 differed by 3 (SmaI) and 2-4 (ApaI) DNA fragments and thus were closely/possibly related in their genotype. Serovars 13 and 26 of genospecies 3 differed by only 2 DNA fragments (SmaI), suggesting close genetic relatedness; however, these two particular serovars of genospecies 3 appeared to be genotypically indistinguishable following restriction with ApaI.

Comparative susceptibility of clinical group A, B, C, F, and G beta-hemolytic streptococcal isolates to 24 antimicrobial drugs.

A total of 312 clinical beta-hemolytic streptococcal isolates (Streptococcus pyogenes, group A = 63; Streptococcus agalactiae, group B = 145; group C = 50; group F = 27; group G = 27) were examined for susceptibility to 23 and 24 antimicrobial drugs with the Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion and the agar dilution method, respectively. Sheep blood Mueller-Hinton agar served as the reference medium. Wilkins-Chalgren agar supported optimal growth of group A and B, but not of all group C, F, and G streptococci.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of clinically recovered presumptive Acinetobacter baumannii isolates which failed to grow at 44 degrees C.

Eleven clinical isolates of Acinetobacter, which exhibited an identical biochemical profile compatible with genospecies 3 and failed to grow at 44 degrees C, were not agglutinated by polyclonal rabbit immune sera against 26 serovars of genospecies 3. Rather, all 11 isolates reacted strongly with antiserum against serovar 18 of A. baumannii.

Antagonism of teicoplanin and vancomycin activity by chocolatized Mueller-Hinton agar.

Chocolatized (80 degrees C, 13 min) Mueller-Hinton agar antagonized the inhibitory activities of teicoplanin and vancomycin against reference strains of Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis. This antagonism was due to heat-exposed sheep erythrocytes, sheep hemoglobin, and the supernatant fluid from lysed sheep erythrocytes, but not to sheep serum. Neither water-soluble cholesterol, bovine albumin, bovine serum, hematin, hemin nor egg yolk suspension antagonized teicoplanin and vancomycin.

Antibiotic susceptibility of clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Ninety-three representative, recent clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae were examined for susceptibility to 9 antimicrobial drugs utilizing Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA) enriched with sheep blood and a hypercapnic atmosphere of incubation. One isolate was resistant to penicillin G (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC = 2 micrograms/ml) and 6 isolates were of intermediate susceptibility to penicillin G (MICs = 0.125-0.

Phenotypic variation of clinical Serratia marcescens isolates repeatedly recovered from individual patients.

A total of 129 selected isolates of Serratia marcescens which had been recovered from 50 patients during the 1980-1995 period and which revealed phenotypic variation in terms of bacteriocin (phage tail) susceptibility, carbon source assimilation, or serotype, were reexamined with these three phenotypic methods. Seven isolates (5.4%) were bacteriocin nontypable; all 129 isolates utilized carbon sources and could be serotyped.

Clusters of nosocomial cross-infection due to Acinetobacter baumannii and genospecies 3: comparison of serotyping with macrorestriction analysis of genomic DNA with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Triplets of isolates representing 20 putative clusters of nosocomial cross-infection due to Acinetobacter baumannii and genospecies 3 were examined comparatively using serotyping and analysis of restriction fragments (SmaI and ApaI) of genomic DNA with the aid of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Carbon source assimilation tests disclosed phenotypic variation among 6 to 20 triplets of isolates. Two misleading results of serotyping were encountered.

Typing of nosocomial strains of Serratia marcescens: comparison of restriction enzyme cleaved genomic DNA fragment (PFGE) analysis with bacteriocin typing, biochemical profiles and serotyping.

Eighty-eight selected clinical isolates of Serratia marcescens, representing 27 putative outbreaks of nosocomial cross-infection encountered during 1980-1995, were tested comparatively by bacteriocin typing, carbon source assimilation tests, serotyping (O and H antigens), and restriction pattern (RFLP) analysis of restriction cleaved (SpeI, XbaI) genomic DNA fragments after pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Serotyping served as the "gold standard" of the phenotypic methods. One pseudo-outbreak (bacteriocin typing incriminated type 26) was uncovered through serotyping as well as the biochemical profile and confirmed by PFGE analysis of genomic DNA.

Immunobiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: immune response of rabbits and patients to systemic infection.

Teichoic acid (TA) and peptidoglycan (PG) extracted from Staphylococcus aureus strains ATCC 25923 and Lafferty as well as formalinized cells of these two strains and several clinical methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates were immunogenic for New Zealand White rabbits. Rabbits which had recovered from experimental bacteremia due to MRSA seroconverted, i.

Gentamicin- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: phenotypic and genotypic characterization of three putative nosocomial outbreak strains.

Nineteen representative isolates of gentamicin- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were found to comprise three phenotypes; these differed with regard to hydrolysis of nitrocefin and production of staphylococcal enterotoxin A or/and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1. All MRSA isolates produced a capsule and were susceptible to coumermycin, nitrofurantoin, novobiocin, trimethoprim, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, teicoplanin and vancomycin. All MRSA isolates were resistant to co-amoxiclav, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, gentamicin, methicillin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, oxacillin and polymyxin B.

Comparison of Wilkins-Chalgren medium supplemented with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and Haemophilus test medium for susceptibility testing of clinical Haemophilus isolates.

Haemophilus test medium (HTM) was compared with Wilkins-Chalgren agar (WCA; supplemented with 15 micrograms/ml nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)) for antibiotic susceptibility testing of 74 clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus parainfluenzae. The Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion method and the agar dilution procedure were the two tests employed. WCA + NAD and HTM yielded comparable results for the following antimicrobial drugs and drug combinations: ampicillin, amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, ampicillin plus sulbactam, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and doxycycline.