[Technical Options of Documentation of the Anterior Segment and the eye Fundus Findings within Mission].

Unlabelled: Documentation of the anterior segment and the eye fundus with instruments that enable quality precision diagnostics is a common and important part of screening in humanitarian ophthalmology projects. It is the essential element in diagnosis, monitoring and management of eye diseases. In sub saharan countries within the screening for ophthalmologist are not available the modern technologies such as biomicroscope (slit lamp) or fundus camera.

[Anxio-depressive Syndrome - Biopsychosocial Model of Supportive Care].

Background: Acute stress in patients experiencing cancer diagnosis and the post-traumatic stress disorder in cancer survivors results in impaired overall quality of life mainly due to associated psychological and physical alterations, including anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunctions, fatigue, pain, cachexia and others. Recent studies revealed a new insight into molecular mechanisms contributing to the development of cancer-related co morbidities. It has been shown that adverse psychosomatic reactions including cancer depression to emotional cancer distress result from neuroendocrinne dysfunctions, disruption of the hypothalamus- pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system, serotonin-dopamine interactions and circadian sleep- wake rhythm disruption.

[Immunotherapy and long-term chemoprophylaxis in prevention of recurrent urinary infections in women].

In clinical practice, management of urinary infections is a frequent task. Long-term prophylactic administration of small-dose chemotherapy had been shown to prevent recurrent urinary infections. Recently, an interest increases in applying immunotherapy in this indication.

The effects of amlodipine and enalapril on renal function in adults with hypertension and nondiabetic nephropathies: a 3-year, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Placebo-controlled trials have found that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) decrease proteinuria and slow the progression of nondiabetic nephropathies. However, head-to-head comparisons of ACEIs and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) have shown conflicting results. Indeed, a recent metaanalysis concluded that there is still uncertainty about the greater renoprotection seen with ACEIs or angiotensin II receptor blockers in nondiabetic patients with renal disease, particularly when using true glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as the primary outcome.

[Pharmacoeconomic profile of antibiotics used in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections in geriatric patients].

The paper aims to evaluate the pharmacoeconomic profile of antibiotics (ATB) used in the treatment of lower respiratory tract (LRT) infections and thus contribute to rationalization of therapeutic procedures. Of 2870 patients hospitalized at the Geriatric Clinic of the Medical Faculty of Comenius University from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2001, 189 patients with acute infections of the LRT were included in the retrospective study. For pharmacoeconomic evaluation, cost effectiveness analysis was employed, the principal parameter of which, cost effectiveness coefficient, was the ratio of the price of ATB treatment in Slovak crowns (SK) and the criterion of effectiveness (E), the number of asymptomatic days in a month.

Bacteremia and fungemia in pediatric versus adult cancer patients after chemotherapy: comparison of etiology, risk factors and outcome.

One hundred and eighteen (118) episodes of bacteremia and fungemia in children with cancer were compared to 401 episodes of bacteremia and fungemia in adults with cancer to assess differences in etiology, risk factors and outcome. A retrospective univariate analysis was performed of all episodes of bacteremia in national pediatric and adult cancer institutions appearing in 1990-1996. A total of 519 episodes of bacteremia were assessed and compared.

Bacteremia due to methicillin-resistant staphylococci occurs more frequently in neutropenic patients who received antimicrobial prophylaxis and is associated with higher mortality in comparison to methicillin-sensitive bacteriemia.

Bacteriemia due to coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) resistant to methicillin and sensitive only to glycopeptides in 220 cancer patients was prospectively analyzed for risk factors and outcome. A group of 33 cases of bacteriemia with CNS-sensitive only to glycopeptides was compared with a group of 187 cases with CNS sensitive to methicillin. All cases appeared in two affiliated major cancer institutes in Bratislava with the same antibiotic policy.

Viridans streptococcal bacteraemia due to penicillin-resistant and penicillin-sensitive streptococci: analysis of risk factors and outcome in 60 patients from a single cancer centre before and after penicillin is used for prophylaxis.

60 patients with 60 viridans streptococcal bacteraemic episodes (42 due to penicillin-sensitive and 18 due to penicillin-resistant viridans streptococci) were analysed in a population of 12,185 admissions and 1,380 bacteraemic episodes during a 7-year period in a National Cancer Institute. The incidence of viridans streptococci among bacteraemias decreased from 11.5% in 1989 to 2.

[The role of penicillins in the treatment of respiratory system infections].

The development of antimicrobial resistance in main pathogens of respiratory system infections (S. pneumoniae, H. Influenzae, B.

[Heart transplantation--one possibility in the treatment of advanced congestive heart failure].

The authors present epidemiological data about congestive heart failure, its most common etiology and prognosis. They justify the performance of heart transplantation (HTx) in the treatment of congestive heart failure. They analyze the present state of HTx in the world and describe also the history of HTx in Slovakia.

[The present and future problems of resistance in staphylococci, streptococci and M. tuberculosis].

Mechanisms of resistance of strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Neisseria meningitidis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antibiotics are presented and discussed. The resistance to methicillin-oxacillin in S. aureus and S.

[Single-dose therapy of infections of the lower urinary tract].

The authors analyze two clinical studies in the frame of single-dose treatment of uncomplicated infection of the lower urinary tract. The first study deals with comparison of the effect of netilmicin, ciprofloxacine and aztreonam. The second study deals with pefloxacine and cefuroxim-axetil.

[Pathogenesis, prevention and detection of cardiotoxicity of anthracycline cytostatic agents].

Background: Anthracycline antibiotics represent a part of therapeutic schemes in the treatment of a wide spectrum of malignancies. Precisely due to their cytostatic effectiveness they are being applied in spite of the risk of cardiac damage of patients. Anthracycline cardiotoxicity may culminate in potentially irreversible heart failure and fatal arrhythmias.

[Antibiotic therapy in the intensive care unit].

The results of antibiotic treatment administered to 78 patients within one year are reported. Due to the nosocomial nature of the infections, the serious overall condition of the patients and the associated diseases, the prognosis remained unfavourable despite adequate antibiotic treatment. In the group of patients on dialysis ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin proved effective.

Ceftriaxone versus ceftazidime plus aminoglycoside therapy for infections in patients with neutropenia after cytotoxic chemotherapy. Short communication.

One hundred and one patients undergoing anticancer chemotherapy due to hematologic malignancy were retrospectively divided into two groups: 67 patients were treated with ceftriaxone plus amikacin, receiving once daily (od) 2-4 g ceftriaxone, 1-1.5 g amikacin (those without a peripheral or central venous catheter) and 34 patients with central or peripheral venous catheter (CPVC) receiving ceftizidime 2 g three times daily (tid) plus amikacin 0.5 g tid i.

[Prophylactic administration of selected antibiotics in hospitals in the Slovak Republic].

Over a period of ten years prophylactic administration of selected antibiotics was evaluated three times (in 1973, 1983, and in 1988) in the same ten hospitals of the Slovak Republic. The study was focused on the use of gentamicin (GEN), cotrimoxasol (COT) and cephalosporins (CEP). Prophylactic administration of antibiotics was found to be increasing.

Ciprofloxacin plus vancomycin versus ceftazidime plus gentamicin in the treatment of pneumonia in granulocytopenic patients with or without venous catheters. Short communication.

58 granulocytopenic patients with confirmed bronchopneumonia were divided retrospectively into two groups for this pilot study: group 1 included neutropenic patients with venous catheters who were treated with ciprofloxacin (CIP; 200-300 mg, i.v. b.

[Side effects and toxicity of new quinolones].

A review paper is presented treating of problems of organotoxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity and adverse effects of quinolones, as well as their interaction with other drugs. Not considering some rather sporadic exceptions, quinolones are not regarded as safe in children up to the age of 14 and in pregnant and breast-feeding women. Compared to aminoglycosides, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, rifampicin and other antibacterial chemotherapeutics, the overall toxicity of quinolones is relatively low.

[Antibiotics and antimycotics in oncology].

The submitted review gives an account of therapeutic and prophylactic indications in oncology, in aimed, not aimed (empirical) treatment of febrile neutropenic patients, prophylaxis of infection during neutropenic episodes and selective decontamination before and during transplantation of bone marrow, focused on new antimicrobial and antimycotic agents.

[Use of fluoroquinolone chemotherapy in orthopedics and traumatology].

In the submitted review the authors analyze hitherto published results with the use of new antimicrobial chemotherapeutic drugs--fluoroquinolones in the treatment of infections of the bones, joints, soft tissues and also in the peroperative prophylaxis in orthopaedics and traumatology. Quinolones are one of the drugs of choice which may be successful in the treatment of staphylococcal and gram-negative chronic osteomyelitis which are resistant to classical treatment and also the drug of choice in the treatment of septic arthritis and ostitis.