Clinical graft evolution of lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear cells, and antigen expression in tubular renal cells in the urine sediment of 20 renal allograft recipients.

Urinary samples from 20 kidney transplant recipients were studied to determine the cellular composition of the sediments using an immunocytological (IC) technique. The expression of HLA class I (A, B, C) and class II (DR, DQ, DP), CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8, and interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (IL-2R) on lymphocytes was assessed using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. The results were correlated with graft function and with the number of episodes of acute renal graft rejection (AR) during a period of 6 months posttransplantation.

The ICU-HELICS programme: towards European surveillance of hospital-acquired infections in intensive care units.

The creation of a database intended for the comparative analysis of the rates of hospital-acquired infections in the 15 countries of the European Union is among the objectives of the HELICS network (Hospitals in Europe Link for Infection Control through Surveillance).

Hospital mortality rate and length of stay in patients admitted at night to the intensive care unit.

Objective: Although admission of patients to a medical ward after 5:00 pm has been associated with increased mortality rate and possibly shorter hospital stay, the association between timing of admission to the intensive care unit and outcome has not been studied. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are any associations between the timing of patient admission to a medical intensive care unit and hospital outcome.

Design: A retrospective cohort study that used an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III database containing prospectively collected demographic, clinical, and outcome information for patients.

Characterization of a lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase from Pneumocystis carinii.

Pneumocystis carinii (PC) causes severe pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. PC is intrinsically resistant to treatment with azole antifungal medications. The enzyme lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (Erg11) is the target for azole antifungals.

Pulmonary cytolytic thrombi: unusual complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Pulmonary complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), including peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) and bone marrow transplantation, are frequent and often life-threatening. Differentiating acute infectious from noninfectious pulmonary complications is difficult but critical for proper treatment. The authors describe an 11-year-old boy who developed a sudden fever and cough associated with a normal chest radiograph 2 months after successful haploidentical PBSCT for severe aplastic anemia.

Prognostic factors, clinical course, and hospital outcome of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to an intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure.

Objective: To describe prognostic factors, clinical course, and hospital outcome of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to an intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure.

Design: Analysis of prospectively collected data.

Setting: A multidisciplinary intensive care unit of an inner-city university hospital.

Macromastia: how much of it is fat?

A total of 25 patients who underwent bilateral breast reduction were included in this study. Each patient's age, weight, height, and amount of breast tissue removed from each breast were recorded. The body mass index was calculated for each patient.

Clinical course and outcome of patients admitted to an ICU for status asthmaticus.

Study Objectives: To describe the prognostic factors, clinical course, and outcome of patients with status asthmaticus treated in a medical ICU (MICU).

Design: Analysis of prospective data.

Setting: A multidisciplinary MICU of an inner-city university hospital.

Uterine prolapse in 2 dromedary camels.

Two cases of uterine prolapse in dromedary camels in a herd with concomitant cases of white muscle disease are described. Serum selenium and glutathione peroxidase in whole blood were investigated in both patients and showed statistical difference compared with a control group. Results suggest that selenium deficiency could promote uterine prolapse in dromedary camels.

Bacteremia in hospitalized patients with human immunodeficiency virus: A prospective, cohort study.

Background: Bacterial infections complicate the course of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. The purpose of this study was to describe the bacterial pathogens causing blood stream infection, identify the risk factors for the development of blood stream infection and determine the impact of blood stream infection on the outcome of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Methods: The incidence, etiology, risk factors and outcome of bacterial blood stream infection were prospectively determined in 1,225 consecutive hospitalizations of adults with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The hypereosinophilic syndrome after residence in a tropical country: report of 4 cases.

Severe eosinophilia may be complicated by acute or chronic visceral damage. The underlying origin of the hypereosinophilia may be infectious, allergic, toxic, malignant or systemic (the secondary or reactive hypereosinophilic syndrome), but in a number of cases no cause can be found (the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome). We describe 4 cases with hypereosinophilia and secondary visceral damage after residence in a tropical region.

[Laparoscopic splenectomy in the treatment of hematologic diseases].

Laparoscopic approach to surgical procedures in children is used in different diseases, but there are some controversies for using this technique in the splenectomy. Laparoscopic surgery decreased pain, postoperative ileus and the hospital stay; and improve cosmetics, the most important disadvantage is the longer operating time. Splenectomy is indicated more in immune thrombocytopenic purpura (PTI) and hereditary espherocytosis (HE).

[Importance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in children with community-acquired pneumonia].

Objectives: To determine the importance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) of children from different latitudes and to compare clinical outcome using azithromycin (AZM) versus either amoxicillin-clavulanate (A-C) or erythromycin estolate (EE).

Methods: Ambulatory patients with CAP were identified at either the Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas or the Hospital del Niño of Panama City, Panama. Children 6 months to 15 years of age were enrolled and randomized to receive either AZM for 5 days or a 10 day course of either A-C or EE, for those younger or older than 5 years of age, respectively.

Changing epidemiological and clinical aspects of imported malaria in Belgium.

Background: In the early nineties the increase of imported malaria in some European countries was temporarily halted, but it resumed in 1994. More Africans, more European travelers, and fewer long-term residents were counted amongst patients. A shift towards more subacute disease has been noted.

Duration of antibiotic prophylaxis in high-risk patients with penetrating abdominal trauma: a prospective randomized trial.

To evaluate the effect of varying durations of antibiotic prophylaxis in trauma patients with multiple risk factors for postoperative septic complications, a prospective randomized trial was undertaken at an urban level I trauma center. The inclusion criteria were full-thickness colon injury and one of the following: (1) Penetrating Abdominal Trauma Index > 25, (2) transfusion of 6 units or more of packed red blood cells, or (3) more than 4 hours from injury to operation. Patients were randomly assigned to a short course (24 hours) or a long course (5 days) of antibiotic therapy.

Organic matrix composition and ultrastructure of eggshell: a comparative study.

1. The avian eggshell is a biomineralised composite ceramic consisting of calcium carbonate embedded in an organic matrix. Matrix components are supposed to be involved in the control of mineralisation, crystallographic texture and biomechanical properties of eggshell.

[Kinetic assessment of salivary secretory response to citric acid. Differences with pilocarpine].

Background: Induction of salivation is becoming increasingly popular in the assessment of salivary gland status. Various mechanical or pharmacological procedures are empirically used to produce salivation. Oral stimulation by citric acid (AC) is by far the most used sialagogue procedure.

[Protein diffusion patterns in human saliva].

Background: There are two modes of saliva protein diffusion on a cellulose flat matrix. The monophasic mode of diffusion consists in a homogeneous distribution of salivary protein components on the matrix. On the contrary, in the biphasic mode, an area occupied by nondiffusible proteins is surrounded by an area occupied by diffusible proteins.

[Devices for saliva collection from the major salivary glands. Results in normal subjects].

Background: Collection of saliva produced by the major salivary glands may be accomplished either by cannulation of the glandular ducts or by the application of specific collecting devices to the emergence area of the glandular ducts. Those procedures are complex, slow, invasive and require skilled personnel.

Aim: To report the design and application of a device to collect parotid saliva (snail collector) and another device to collect saliva from the submandibular/sublingual complex.

Characteristics of Xanthomonas infections in critically ill surgical patients.

The aim of our study was to describe the characteristics of Xanthomonas infections in a population of critically ill surgical patients. The clinical records and microbiological data on 93 patients in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) developing Xanthomonas infections were reviewed. Xanthomonas was isolated in 125 sites in the 93 patients.

[Polydactyly: a genetic epidemiological study in Santiago, Chile].

The aim of this work was to study the prevalence at birth and family aggregation of polydactyly in Chile. We studied 125,652 newborns between 1969 and 1991. The prevalence was 1,329 for each 1,000 live newborns and higher in males than in females.

The pattern of fungal infections in critically ill surgical patients.

There continues to be difficulty making the clinical distinction between fungal colonization and systemic infection in critically ill surgical patients. This distinction is important, given the potential risks of aggressive antifungal therapy. In order to evaluate the significance of fungal infections by various sites, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical courses of patients with cultures positive for fungi (Candida species or Torulopsis glabrata) in the SICU of LAC + USC Medical Center from January 1992-December 1993.

[The effect of environmental factors in inflammatory bowel disease].

In an attempt to elicit risk factors in inflammatory bowel disease in Spain, we have carried out a case-control study in which we conducted personal interviews asking marital status, place of residence, economic status, use of tobacco and contraceptives, and the method of lactation in infancy. IBD was more common in patients with a low economic level; UC was predominantly found in rural population. No differences were found in the remaining categories.