Use of green fluorescent protein labeled non-tuberculous mycobacteria to evaluate the activity quaternary ammonium compound disinfectants and antibiotics

Abstract Although infections with NonTuberculous Mycobacteria have become less common in AIDS patients, they are important opportunistic infections after surgical procedures, likely because they are ubiquitous and not efficiently killed by many commonly used disinfectants. In Venezuela there have recently been many non-tuberculous mycobacteria soft tissue infections after minor surgical procedures, some apparently related to the use of a commercial disinfectant based on a Quaternary Ammonium Compound. We studied the activity of this and other quaternary ammonium compounds on different non-tuberculous mycobacteria by transforming the mycobacteria with a dnaA-gfp fusion and then monitoring fluorescence to gauge the capacity of different quaternary ammonium compounds to inhibit bacterial growth. The minimum inhibitory concentration varied for the different quaternary ammonium compounds, but M. chelonae and M. abscessus were consistently more resistant than M. smegmatis, and M. terrae more resistant than M. bovis BCG.

Bacteriological profile of surgical site infections

Background: The susceptibility and severity of Rheumatoid arthritis are determined by both genetic and environmental factors. Dermatoglyphic patterns of individuals which are formed early in the fetal life are also determined by both genetic and environmental factors. Since both are genetically acquired and environmentally modified, it has been shown that there are particular dermatoglyphic patterns associated with Rheumatoid arthritis. If it is so, dermatoglyphics can serve as an additional tool in the early diagnosis and management of such a disabling disease like rheumatoid arthritis. Although there are some studies which mentioned dermatoglyphic pattern variation in the disease, the results are contradicting. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to find out a possible correlation of some quantitative and qualitative dermatoglyphic variables with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Aim of the study: To study the dermatoglyphic patterns in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and control population and to study the correlation between dermatoglyphic patterns and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Materials and methods: We studied 60 patients with Rheumatoid arthritis and 60 controls. All were subjected to detailed medical history and clinical examination. Both quantitative (finger ridge count and pattern intensity) and qualitative (fingerprint pattern) dermatoglyphic parameters were studied and the same were compared with age, sex and disease matched controls. Results: Out of the total 60 cases 12(20%) were male and 48(80%) were females. Of the total 60 controls, 12(20%) were males and 48(80%) were females. Analysis of the qualitative parameters revealed: Significant increase in the number of whorls in both the hands of female patients cases compared to the controls (p-value for right hand 0.001, p-value for left hand 0.004). The decrease in the number of radial loops in both the hands of male and female patients and the decrease was more in the left hand in males and right hand in females (p-value male left hand 0.002, female right hand Saritha K. Narayanan, Christopher C. Pais, Pradeep Kumar Shenoy. Use of palmar dermatoglyphics in rheumatoid arthritis - A case-control study. IAIM, 2017; 4(12): 70-76. Page 71 0.003). Decrease in the number of arches in the left hand of female patients compared to the controls (p-0.10). Analysis of the quantitative parameters showed: A statistically significant increase in the finger ridge count of individual hand and the total finger ridge count in both male and female patients compared to the controls (p-value males: right hand 0.003, left hand 0.004, right plus left hand 0.002; p-value females right hand.0000, left hand 0.000, right plus left hand 0.000). A statistically significant increase in the pattern intensity of fingers in female patients compared to the controls (p-value: right hand 0.006, left hand 0.001, right plus left hand 0.000). Conclusion: The findings of this work demonstrate the association between some of the qualitative and quantitative parameters of dermatoglyphics and Rheumatoid arthritis suggesting that dermatoglyphics can represent an anatomical, non-invasive, inexpensive tool for screening high-risk population and thus facilitate early detection and management.

Aplicación de lidocaína simple al 2% en tejido celular subcutáneo de heridas quirúrgicas limpias-contaminadas y contaminadas para disminuir la incidencia de infección / Application of 2% lidocaine on subcutaneous cell tissue of clean-contaminated and contaminated surgical wounds to diminish the incidence of infection

Objetivo: Demostrar que la aplicación de lidocaína simple al 2% en el tejido celular subcutáneo de heridas quirúrgicas limpias-contaminadas y contaminadas disminuye el riesgo de infección. Sede: Hospital General ''Xoco'', segundo nivel de atención. Diseño: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado simple no controlado. Análisis estadístico: Prueba exacta de Fisher y t de Student. Pacientes y métodos: Se realizó asignación aleatoria simple para aplicar, a un grupo de 11 pacientes, lidocaína simple al 2% (10 ml) en el tejido celular subcutáneo de la herida y en otro grupo de 11 pacientes la aplicación de solución salina al 0.9%, los 22 pacientes con heridas quirúrgicas limpias-contaminadas y contaminadas. Se revisaron las heridas quirúrgicas a los 7 días del postoperatorio, las variables fueron edad, género, presencia o no de infección de sitio operatorio superficial. Resultados: Se observó ausencia de infección en los 11 pacientes en los que se aplicó lidocaína simple al 2%, en comparación de los 3 pacientes, del grupo al que se le aplicó solución fisiológica al 0.9%, que presentaron infección de la herida quirúrgica, observando una diferencia estadísticamente significativa de P < 0.05 entre estos grupos de pacientes. Conclusión: Se observó una disminución estadísticamente significativa en la frecuencia de la infección de las heridas quirúrgicas limpias-contaminadas y contaminadas al aplicarles lidocaína simple al 2% con respecto a no aplicarla.

Objective: To demonstrate that the application of 2% lidocaine on the subcutaneous tissue of surgical clean-contaminated and contaminated wounds diminishes the infection risk. Setting: Hospital General ''Xoco'', second level health care hospital. Design: Non-controlled, simple, randomized clinical assay. Statistical analysis: Fisher's exact test, and Student's t test. Patients and methods: A simple randomized assignation was used for two groups of patients. One group of 11 patients was applied 10 ml of 2% lidocaine on the subcutaneous tissue of the wound, and the other group of 11 patients received 0.9% saline solution; all 22 patients had clean-contaminated and contaminated surgical wounds. Surgical wounds were checked 7 days after surgery, and the studied variables were age, gender, presence or not of infection on the superficial surgical site. Results: No infection was observed in the 11 patients in whom 2% lidocain had been applied, whereas 3 patients from the 0.9% saline solution group presented infection of the surgical wound, with a statistically significant difference of P < 0.05 between both groups. Conclusion: A statistically significant diminution was observed in the frequency of infection at the surgical clean-contaminated and contaminated wounds when applying 2% lidocaine, as compared to not applying it.

A multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing the clinical efficacy of Imipenem/Cilastin and Ceftazidime plus Metronidazole in surgically treated serious intra-abdominal infections

An open, prostective, randomized multicenter clinical trial randomly allocated successive patient who were scheduled for a surgical procedure for serious intra-abdominal infections to receive either treatment CM (ceftazidine plus metronidazole) or monotherapy with treatment IC (imipenem/cilastatin). Out of 90 eligible patients, 87 were clinically evaluable of which 71 were clinically and bacteriologically evaluable (CBE). Cases allocated to each treatment group were comparable as to age, sex, diagnostic group distribution, mean APACHE II scores, and bacteriologic evaluability. Among the 87 clinically evaluable patients, there were 4 (9.1%) and 2 (4.7%) treatment failures among those who received treatments CM and IC respectively (p=0.486). For all eligible patients, the mean fever days was 2.07, mean treatment days was 6.01, and mean hospital days was 11.57, and was not significantly different between the two treatment groups. Among clinically evaluable cases, the mean APACHE II scores of patients with succesful outcomes (5.8) was very significantly lower (p=0.000) than that of patients whose treatment failed (13.8). This was also true for CBE cases. Logistic regression analysis showed that among six variables (diagnostic group, APACHE II score, antibiotic used, fever days, hospital days and treatment days) only the APACHE II score signficantly contributed to treatment failure (p=0.001).