Domain I of ß2GPI is capable of blocking serum IgA antiphospholipid antibodies binding in vitro: an effect enhanced by PEGylation.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to inhibit antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) serum derived IgA anti-beta-2-glycoprotein I (aß2GPI) binding using Domain I (DI). METHODS: Serum from 13 APS patients was tested for IgA aß2GPI and Anti-Domain I. Whole IgA was purified by peptide M affinity chromatography from positive serum samples. Serum was tested for IgA aß2GPI binding in the presence and absence of either DI or of two biochemically modified variants containing either 20 kDa of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or 40 kDa of PEG. RESULTS: Significant inhibition with DI was possible with average inhibition of 23% (N = 13). Further inhibitions using 20 kDa PEG-DI and 40 kDa PEG-DI variants showed significant inhibition (p = 0.0001) with both the 40 kDa PEG-DI and 20 kDa PEG-DI variants showing increased inhibition compared with DI alone (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.001, n = 10). CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of IgA aß2GPI by DI is possible and can be enhanced by biochemical modification in a subset of patients.

Polymerase chain reaction based detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in lupus vulgaris: a case report.

Lupus vulgaris (LV), the commonest of all forms of cutaneous tuberculosis, can affect the earlobes. Authors present a 20-year-old male patient with LV of the left earlobe initially misdiagnosed as pyoderma and treated superfluously with antibiotics at different intervals over the last 4 years in another hospital. Mycobacteria could not be seen or isolated by stained smears or conventional or radiometric culture methods from the skin biopsy specimens. Suspected clinical diagnosis of our patient was LV. This was supported by positive polymerase chain reaction assay and histological findings. The lesion was treated successfully with anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, further confirming the diagnosis of LV.

Evaluation of a new automated, rapid, colorimetric culture system using solid medium for laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis and determination of anti-tuberculosis drug susceptibility.

SETTING: Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey, a tertiary referral hospital in a region endemic for tuberculosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of the Dio-TK Culture System (CS), a new, rapid, automated colorimetric culture system. DESIGN: Dio-TK CS results were compared with routinely used Löwenstein Jensen (LJ) medium and Bactec 460 TB. RESULTS: In this study, 449 specimens, mostly sputum samples obtained from 348 patients, were evaluated. Mycobacteria were isolated from 31 (6.9%), 23 (5.1%), 18 (4.0%) and 21 (4.7%) of the specimens using Bactec 12B, LJ, Dio-TK Medium and Dio-TK SLC (selective), respectively. The mean time to detection of growth of 13 isolates by Bactec 12B, Dio-TK Medium, Dio-TK SLC and LJ medium was respectively 8.9, 15.1, 17.0 and 26.1 days. CONCLUSION: Dio-TK may be a practical and rapid culture system for daily use. However, the manufacturer should improve the system to minimise the effects of manipulation errors. Comparative studies with a larger number of isolates are needed to standardise drug concentrations used in anti-tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing.

Evaluation of FASTPlaqueTB-RIF for determination of rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates.

SETTING: The Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology Department, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey, a tertiary referral hospital in a region endemic for tuberculosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate rifampicin resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains using FASTPlaqueTB-RIF, a rapid and novel bacteriophage-based susceptibility technique. DESIGN: Results of isolates tested with the BACTEC 460 TB system were compared with FASTPlaqueTB-RIF. RESULTS: Susceptibility to rifampicin of M. tuberculosis complex isolates was tested for 88 isolates using FASTPlaqueTB-RIF. Sixty-seven isolates were susceptible and 21 were resistant to rifampicin using the BACTEC 460 TB system. Overall accuracy for FASTPlaqueTB-RIF was 94.3% (95%CI 87.3-97.5) for the detection of rifampicin susceptibility. The sensitivity and specificity of FASTPlaqueTB-RIF were respectively 100.0% (95%CI 84.5-100) and 92.5% (95%CI 83.6-96.7). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that FASTPlaqueTB-RlFM is a rapid and inexpensive test which has a good correlation with the BACTEC 460 TB system.

Short-term quinolones for successful eradication of multiply resistant Vibrio cholerae in adult patients.

There has been an increasing multiple drug resistance problem in Vibrio cholerae biotype Eltor, the causative agent of 7th pandemic. The aim of this study was to show in vitro and in vivo susceptibility and effectiveness of quinolones in the treatment of endemic cholera cases. Excellent results were obtained in 53 bacteriologically confirmed cholera patients treated with short-term ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. To our knowledge, there has been no previous report on this subject in the international medical literature. Our results show that quinolones can be an alternative drug for the treatment of multiply resistant V. cholerae infections.