Implementation of subcutaneous insulin protocol for non-critically ill hospitalized patients in andalusian tertiary care hospitals.

Introduction: In 2009, the Andalusian Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition designed a protocol for subcutaneous insulin treatment in hospitalized non-critically ill patients (HIP).

Objective: To analyze implementation of HIP at tertiary care hospitals from the Andalusian Public Health System.

Method: A descriptive, multicenter study conducted in 8 tertiary care hospitals on a random sample of non-critically ill patients with diabetes/hyperglycemia (n=306) hospitalized for ≥48 hours in 5 non-surgical (SM) and 2 surgical (SQ) departments.

Comparative evaluation of three culture methods for the isolation of mycobacteria from clinical samples.

We assessed the capacity of two liquid-medium culture methods with automated incubation and reading systems (MB/BacT ALERT 3D System and BACTEC MGIT 960 System) and one solid-medium culture method (Löwenstein- Jensen) to detect mycobacteria in different types of clinical samples. Out of 1,770 cultured clinical samples (1,519 of respiratory origin and 251 of nonrespiratory origin), mycobacteria were isolated in 156 samples (135 M. tuberculosis complex, 8 M.

Activity of daptomycin against multiresistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae.

The activity of daptomycin against 141 Staphylococcus aureus and 63 Streptococcus agalactiae isolates was assessed. The isolates were previously characterized and showed resistance to the antibiotics normally used against gram-positive cocci. Daptomycin was active against 100% of the isolates (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC(90)] = 0.

Activity in vitro of twelve antibiotics against clinical isolates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli.

Twelve beta-lactam and non-beta-lactam antibiotics were evaluated against 115 clinical isolates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing (ESBLs) Escherichia coli using a broth microdilution test in accordance with the CLSI guidelines. Susceptibility was 100% with imipenem, ertapenem and amikacin, 95.7% with piperacillin-tazobactam, 91.

A comparison of the activity of tigecycline against multiresistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae.

We evaluated the activity of several antibiotics against 225 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and 252 isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae. Only tigecycline, glycopeptides, and linezolid were active against all the isolates of S. aureus, whereas the beta-lactams were also active against S.

Activity of tigecycline against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in Granada, Spain.

We evaluated the in vitro activity of tigecycline using the Etest and disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines against clinical isolates of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) as well as for CTX-M-9 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and SHV ESBL-producing E. coli.

Evaluation of two automated systems for detection of bacteriuria.

The Utiscreen-CORAL Biomedical system and ROBOBACT system were tested against conventional uroculture in blood agar and MacConkey agar as a reference method to determine the bacteriuria from 400 samples. For the Utiscreen-CORAL Biomedical system, a sensitivity of 92.5% was obtained.

High presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and resistance to quinolones in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli.

A study was conducted to detect the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in 706 isolates of Escherichia coli, largely from outpatients (75.2%). The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (formerly NCCLS)-recommended disk diffusion procedure was used to detect ESBL presence; the VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux, Marcy L'Etoile, France) was used to determine the susceptibility to antibiotics of clinical interest, and the ESBLs were characterized by biochemical study, determining the isoelectric point, and by molecular study with PCR.

Acceptable performance of VITEK 2 system to detect extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli: a comparative study of phenotypic commercial methods and NCCLS guidelines.

The disk approximation method, Etest (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden), and VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) were used to study 399 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing (115 strains) and non-ESBL-producing (284 strains) clinical isolates of Escherichia coli after recommended procedures. Comparative study of the phenotypic findings yielded data on the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values and performance of each method. The sensitivity (100% using 2 substrates), specificity (99.

High incidence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases among outpatient clinical isolates of Escherichia coli: a phenotypic assessment of NCCLS guidelines and a commercial method.

The production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) among 357 clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and 175 of Klebsiella spp. was studied using both the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards disk diffusion method and the semiautomated Wider system. We highlight the predominance of E.

[A study of clinical response to antibiotic treatment in subjects with chronic bacterial prostatitis].

A study was carried out on the clinical response to antibiotics in 105 patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis. Two groups of patients were compared in a retrospective study. The results of rectal examination, ultrasound scan, microbiological analysis, and response to different antibiotic therapy regimens were compared.

Multiple sclerosis and human herpesvirus 6.

Background: A possible but as yet unproven relationship has been proposed between the onset or persistence of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and herpesviruses, including, most recently, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). A study was conducted to investigate the presence of HHV-6 DNA and the synthesis of antibodies against HHV-6, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with MS.

Materials And Methods: PCR and ELISA were used to detect HHV-6 DNA and specific antibodies against HHV-6, CMV and EBV in 211 samples (139 sera and 72 CSF).

Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains isolated from patients with community-acquired urinary tract infections.

Isolates from urine samples obtained during 1999 were identified and their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents studied along with any production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. A total of 13774 samples were analysed using an automatic system for the detection of bacterial ATP (Coral, USA). Of these samples, 49% were reported to be positive and uncontaminated; bacteria most frequently isolated were E.

Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in the arterial wall of patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Background: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a human respiratory pathogen that has recently been related to the genesis of symptomatic atherosclerosis. C. pneumoniae has been studied more widely in relation to coronary atherosclerosis than to peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD).

An evaluation of a polyantigenic ELISA to detect Epstein-Barr virus reactivation.

The diagnostic reliability of the Enzygnost EBV test (DadeBehring, Germany) for the detection of IgG and IgA antibodies in the diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) recurrent disease was investigated. Of 81 serum samples examined there were fourteen asymptomatic patients without EBV infection, 46 with past EBV infection, and 21 patients with EBV reactivation. The Enzygnost EBV test was based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a pool of viral antigens.

HGV RNA sequences in liver and PBMC.

HGV has been identified in patients with chronic hepatitis of unknown aetiology and the possibility that HGV may be the cause has been raised. We have analysed liver biopsies and PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) from 80 patients with chronic hepatitis and HGV-RNA in serum by PCR. In ten patients HGV-RNA was detected in liver, in five patients it was detected in PBMC and seven were positive in both specimens by PCR.

White blood cell count and insulin resistance in patients with coronary artery disease.

White blood cell (WBC) count has been shown as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Decreased insulin sensitivity has been suggested as the link between these two entities. Our aim was to study the potential relation between insulin sensitivity and WBC count in patients with coronary artery disease.

Prevalence and viral persistence of TT virus in patients on hemodialysis.

The aim of this study was toevaluate the prevalence of TT virus (TTV) in 107 hemodialysis patients and 100 healthy individuals. Sixteen percent of hemodialysis patients and 2% of the control population were TTV positive (P<0.001).

Anti-hepatitic C virus antibodies hidden in circulating antibody/antigen aggregates in HCV-RNA positive patients.

The aim of this study was to determine whether antibodies to HCV can be hidden in immunocomplex aggregates in anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) negative, HCV-RNA positive patients and whether their presence could be related to HCV viral load or HCV genotype. Sera (23 in toto) from patients with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and negative for anti-HCV but positive for HCV-RNA and the immunocomplex aggregates (precipitate with PEG 6000 and glycine 1 M) were studied. The sera were treated using a rapid, simple new ELISA which disrupted the immunocomplex aggregates.

Detection of mycobacterial DNA in papulonecrotic tuberculid lesions by polymerase chain reaction.

Tuberculids are a heterogeneous group of cutaneous lesions. Recent discoveries of M. Tuberculosis DNA in these lesions by PCR suggest that M.