Bacterial meningitis in adults - principles of diagnosis and antibiotic treatment.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains in recent years has necessitated the development of new strategies for empiric antimicrobial therapy for bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality despite the availability of effective antimicrobial therapy. The management approach to patients with suspected or proven bacterial meningitis includes initiation of appropriate antimicrobial and adjunctive therapies and decides on the patients survival.

Management of bacterial skin and soft tissue infections.

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are a group of diseases usually caused by bacteria, and connected with different clinical picture, course, and prognosis. The increasing incidence of SSTIs is associated mainly with aging of the population, the increasing number of metabolic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus, as well as cardiovascular diseases. Although SSTIs are often benign and usually does not require medical consultations, some of them may cause a systemic infection.

Bacterial meningitis - principles of antimicrobial treatment.

Bacterial meningitis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality despite the availability of effective antimicrobial therapy. The management approach to patients with suspected or proven bacterial meningitis includes emergent cerebrospinal fluid analysis and initiation of appropriate antimicrobial and adjunctive therapies. The choice of empirical antimicrobial therapy is based on the patient's age and underlying disease status; once the infecting pathogen is isolated, antimicrobial therapy can be modified for optimal treatment.

Colonisation of the gastrointestinal tract by probiotic L. rhamnosus strains in acute diarrhoea in children.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus (573L/1-3) strains are considered effective in the treatment of rotaviral diarrhoea in children. The colonisation of the gastrointestinal (G.I.

[Medical applications of probiotics].

Normal microflora of the digestive tract plays an important role in maintaining competence of the immune system. Imbalance of the flora may lead to the development of either diseases related to overgrowth of its selected constituents (post-antibiotic diarrhoea, travellers' diarrhoea or infection by external pathogens--rotavirus diarrhoea) or diseases resulting from altered immunological response (atopy, inflammatory bowel disease, neoplasmas). It is believed that application of probiotics may restore proper composition and functions of the microflora and thus bring new perspectives into prevention and treatment of these illnesses.

[Implementation of the Active Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System in Polish hospitals].

Characteristics the organisation of infection control in hospitals participating in the Active Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System in Poland. Analysis of the data obtained from a questionnaire on organization of nosocomial infections surveillance in hospitals participating in the Active Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System coordinated by the Polish Society of Hospital Infections. Analyzed data were obtained from 32 hospitals of different size number of hospital beds) and type of reference.