Evaluation of Pathogenic Potentialities and Transmissibility of Aerobic and Anaerobic Bacteria in Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Aims: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) caused by various aerobic and anaerobic bacteria have been reported from many developed and developing countries of the world. However, there is limited data available on the association of these pathogens with STDs on the Indian sub-continent. Therefore, the aim of this is to the presence of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria in sexually transmitted infections. Study Design: Patients attending the Department of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Calcutta Medical College & Hospital, suspected to be suffering from STDs, were thoroughly examined and those having typical lesions of chancroid were excluded Original Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(27): 4533-4541, 2014 4534 from further work. The prevalence of different aerobic and anaerobic bacteria was determined from among the remaining patients after ruling out cases of chancres. Place and Duration of Study: This work was carried out in the Department of Oral Medicine, R. Ahmed Dental College; Department of Dermatalogy, Venereology & Leprology, Calcutta Medical College and Hospital; Division of Microbiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University and Department of Microbiology, Herbicure Healthcare Bio-Herbal Research Foundation, Kolkata, for a period of seven months from April 1 to October 31, 2012. Methodology: At least two smears were prepared from the infected ulcers of each of the patients who were not diagnosed as of chancroid. One smear was for dark ground microscopy and the other for Gram’s staining. Confirmation of chancre was by serological testing, while aerobes/anaerobes were identified following standard procedures. Results: The organisms isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Gardenerella vaginalis, Actinomyces spp, Veillonella purvula, Peptococcus heliotrinreducens, Peptostreptococcus magnus and Peptostreptococcus hydrogenalis. These were subjected to tests for their antibiotic sensitivity pattern which was followed by successful specific therapy. Conclusion: Various Gram positive and Gram negative aerobes and anaerobes were found to be associated with STDs and these were transmissible among homosexual and heterosexual partners.

Cervical mediastinoscopy: Re-evaluation of an old technique in era of new imaging technology.

Context. With the advent of modern anatomical and functional imaging technologies, application of cervical mediastinoscopy has decreased in diagnosis and staging of mediastinal diseases. Aim. To evaluate the usefulness of cervical mediastinoscopy in assessing the mediastinal disease when imaging modalities are non-diagnostic. Settings and Design. Retrospective analysis of records of a tertiary care hospital. Patients and Methods. Thirty-nine patients with mediastinal pathology of varied aetiologies underwent cervical mediastinoscopy. Pre- and post-operative diagnosis was compared. Results. In 34 out of 39 cases (87.5%), cervical mediastinoscopy provided a confirmatory final diagnosis. One case had a major complication in the form of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. Conclusion. Cervical mediastinoscopy is useful, minimally invasive modality in a scenario where anatomical and functional imaging tools are non-diagnostic.

Potentiality of tricyclic compound thioridazine as an effective antibacterial and antiplasmid agent.

Thioridazine (Th), which is therapeutically used in psychiatric patients, was found to possess conspicuous antimicrobial activity when tested against 316 strains belonging to a number of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Although Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio chloerae and V. parahaemolyticus were found to be most sensitive, Th was highly bactericidal against S. aureus and bacteriostatic for vibrios and other Gram negative organisms. In the study of antiplasmid/curing effect of Th on twelve multiply antibiotic and Th resistant bacteria, it was observed that elimination of R plasmids was facilitated by choice of optimal concentration of Th. Significant elimination of single and combined antibiotic resistance occurred in E. coli and Shigella flexneri and not in S. aureus.

Role of computed tomography in preoperative evaluation of esophageal carcinoma.

The utility of computed tomography in pretherapy assessment of esophageal carcinoma is reviewed. Computed tomographic findings in 78 patients with histologically proved esophageal carcinoma were corelated with findings at surgery and histopathology. Computed tomography (CT) was found to be fairly accurate in assessing tumor extent, invasion of adjacent mediastinal structures and distant metastases but was of no help in detecting periesophageal lymph node involvement. The tracheobronchial tree invasion was detected with an overall accuracy of 96% whereas the same for invasion of aorta, percardium and gastroesophageal junction was 86%, 88% and 78% respectively. The sensitivity for the detection of periesophageal and perigastric lymphadenopathy was low (9% and 0% respectively) but was acceptably high in celiac lymphadenopathy (70%). CT is an excellent non invasive modality in pretherapy assessment of esophageal carcinoma and can guide the surgeon in determining the appropriate therapy.