Formation of planar optical waveguides in the new nonlinear gadolinium calcium oxoborate, Ca(4)GdO(BO(3))(3), crystal by 2-MeV He(+) implantation.

A planar waveguide composed of the new nonlinear material, Ca(4)GdO(BO(3))(3) (GdCOB), is reported. This crystal belongs to the calcium oxoborate family. It has attractive nonlinear properties that can be of great interest in integrated optics applications.

Second-harmonic generation in He+-implanted gadolinium calcium oxoborate planar waveguides.

What is believed to be the first investigation of second-harmonic generation (SHG) in Ca(4)GdO (BO(3))(3) waveguides is reported. A planar waveguide was formed by 2-MeV-helium implantation. We cut the sample to achieve type I noncritical phase matching of an 823-nm fundamental wave for fundamental light propagating along the y axis and polarized along the z crystallophysic axis of the crystal.

Blood pressure cuff as a potential vector of pathogenic microorganisms: a prospective study in a teaching hospital.

Objective: To investigate the potential role of blood pressure (BP) cuffs in the spread of bacterial infections in hospitals.

Design: A comprehensive, prospective study quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating the bacterial contamination on BP cuffs of 203 sphygmomanometers in use in 18 hospital units from January through March 2003.

Setting: A university hospital with surgical, medical, and pediatric units.

Identification of new phages to type Staphylococcus aureus strains and comparison with a genotypic method.

The aim of this study was to optimize the epidemiological monitoring of strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of hospital-acquired infections. From September to December 1998 47 S. aureus strains isolated from swabs taken from orthopaedic and trauma patients were in studied.

Channel waveguides in Ca4GdO(BO3)3 fabricated by He+ implantation for blue-light generation.

Blue light at 405 nm is generated by frequency doubling of a Ti:sapphire tunable laser in He(+)-implanted channel waveguides in gadolinium calcium oxoborate crystal. A conversion efficiency of approximately 2% W(-1) cm(-2) is achieved between TM00 fundamental and TE01 harmonic modes.

Genetic relationship between Escherichia coli strains isolated from the intestinal flora and those responsible for infectious diseases among patients hospitalized in intensive care units.

The exact origin of strains of Escherichia coli responsible for infectious diseases in intensive care units (ICUs) remains partly unknown. Our aim was to determine the nature of the link between strains from the intestinal flora of hospital staff, strains from the intestinal flora of patients hospitalized in ICUs and strains isolated from ICU patients with invasive diseases. For this purpose, 77 strains of E.

Validation of diffusion methods for macrolide susceptibility testing of Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori resistance to macrolides is increasing, and the need for susceptibility testing has become crucial. The only standardized method is agar dilution, which is not adapted to clinical practice. The present work aimed: (1) to optimize the technical conditions and to assess the reproducibility of the E-test and disk diffusion method for macrolides susceptibility testing of H.

[The Pneumococcal Observatory for the Central Region, 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000].

Seven hundred and ninety six strains of pneumococcus were collected in the Centre region, from 15 laboratories, between 1st April 1999 and 31st of March 2000. Data were processed, using 4th dimension software, and concerned age, file number, consultation/hospitalisation, sample type, susceptibility to oxacillin (5 micrograms), results of the E-test for benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin, cefotaxime and results of the routine disc diffusion test. Strains with reduced susceptibility to benzylpenicillin (PRSP) were collected by the co-ordinating centre to perform MICs by the reference agar dilution test and serotyping.

[The Pneumococcus Observatory of the Central Region, from June 1, 1997 to May 31, 1998].

714 pneumococcus were listed from 14 laboratories between the 1 June 1997 and the 31 May 1998. Data capture was done on Epi info software and concerned age, file number, consultation/hospitalization, sample type, susceptibility to oxacilline (5 micrograms), the results of the E-test for penicillin G, amoxicillin, cefotaxime and the results of the routine disk diffusion susceptibility method. Strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin G (PRSP) were collected by the coordinating center to perform MICs by the reference method of agar dilution and serotyping.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cystic fibrosis patients: study using whole cell RAPD and antibiotic susceptibility.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most important bacterial pathogen in lung disease of cystic fibrosis patients. Different morphotypes of the bacterium are frequently recovered in sputum samples of these patients. We developed a whole cell Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique in order to establish the relatedness between morphotype, genotype and antibiotic susceptibility.

[Informative capacity of 8 serological tests in the diagnosis of human brucellosis].

Assessment of the informative value of 8 immunological tests: sero-agglutination (Wright and Rose Bengale), indirect immunosorbent assay, counter immuno electrophoresis, ELISA IgG, IgM and IgA, and particle counting immunoassay (PACIA) has been performed among the results of serum of 209 patients. The patients were divided in four groups: 71 who already had brucellosis, 18 Yersinia infections, 12 Tularemia and 108 free of desease. The informative capacities of a positive result of counter immuno electrophoresis (Protein antigen Brucellin-INRA Tours-Nouzilly) is higher than others reactions and can be proposed as a confirmatory test of brucellosis.

Typing of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains by random amplification of polymorphic DNA.

The polymerase chain reaction was used to obtain randomly amplified polymorphic DNA profiles for typing of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. Epidemiologically unrelated S. epidermidis isolates were screened with randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

Changes in microbial ecology and use of cloxacillin.

There is generally a positive correlation between antibiotic consumption and incidence of resistance to antibiotics used either for prophylaxis or therapy in human infections. This was not the case for two surgical wards in our hospital. A 15-year study showed that the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was unrelated to cloxacillin consumption, and in fact fell after introduction into the two wards of an antibiotic policy based on cloxacillin.

Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Seven hundred and thirty-four isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, recovered from the sputum of 238 cystic fibrosis patients in six French hospitals, were characterized by esterase electrophoretic typing, capsular polysaccharide serotyping and phage typing and tested against 14 antibiotics for sensitivity. Thirty-four esterase electrophoretic types were found with a genotypic diversity coefficient of 0.91.

Plasmids in Listeria monocytogenes in relation to cadmium resistance.

One hundred and seventy-three unrelated Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from humans, animals, the environment, and food were analyzed for the presence of plasmids. Extrachromosomal DNA was found in 28% of the strains. Plasmid DNA was extracted more frequently from L.

[Post-antibiotic diarrheas: role of Klebsiella oxytoca].

From May 1989 to January 1991, 20 patients were investigated for antibiotic-associated acute diarrhea. Colonoscopy or rectosigmoidoscopy was performed in each patient. Cultures of colonic mucosal biopsies were carried out using conventional culture grounds (cystine-lactose-electrolyte-deficient).

Mortality of aluminium reduction plant workers in France.

The mortality between 1950 and 1976 of 6455 French aluminium plant workers was analysed in order to assess occupational risks (especially lung cancer) associated with electrolysis, particularly with the Söderberg process. Mortality from all causes (SMR = 0.85), was lower in this cohort than in the French male population ('healthy worker effect'), and cancer mortality (SMR = 1.

Erythromycin ethyl succinate: diffusion through interstitial dermal fluid.

Erythromycin is widely used in dermatology. There are few studies of its diffusion in the skin. The diffusion of erythromycin ethyl succinate (EES) in dermal fluid has now been investigated by the suction blister method.