ABSTRACT
AIMS: This brief report of four cases of conjunctivitis caused by Raoultella planticola provides a description of possibly the first documented cases of this eye infection. METHODS: The laboratory database and medical records were used to trace all the R. planticola-positive conjunctival swabs obtained in our institution. Four cases were identified and available relevant information was obtained. RESULTS: This organism causes a non-specific purulent conjunctivitis that seems to have a benign course and tends to be responsive to a topical fluoroquinolone. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of atypical organisms must be considered when managing infective conjunctivitis. Conjunctival swabs should be obtained and topical treatment switched when initial empirical therapy fails.
Subject(s)
Conjunctiva/microbiology , Conjunctivitis, Bacterial/microbiology , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/microbiology , Enterobacteriaceae/isolation & purification , Eye Infections, Bacterial/microbiology , Administration, Topical , Adolescent , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Ciprofloxacin/therapeutic use , Conjunctivitis, Bacterial/diagnosis , Conjunctivitis, Bacterial/drug therapy , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/diagnosis , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/drug therapy , Eye Infections, Bacterial/diagnosis , Eye Infections, Bacterial/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Evaluation of the role of transesophageal echocardiography in percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) with the Amplatzer septal occluder. METHODS: Patients were selected for percutaneous closure of ASD by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which was also used to monitor the procedure, helping to select the appropriate size of the Amplatzer device, to verify its position, and to access the immediate results of the procedure. During the follow-up, TEE was used to evaluate the presence and magnitude of residual shunt (RS), device position, and right cardiac chamber diameters. RESULTS: Twenty-two (40%) of a total of 55 studied patients were selected. Thirteen underwent Amplatzer device implantation, eight are still waiting for it, and one preferred the conventional surgical treatment. All procedures were successful, which was mainly due to proper patient selection. Six (23%) patients acutely developed RS, which spontaneously disappeared at the three-month follow-up examination in three patients. There was a significant reduction in the right ventricle diastolic diameter, from 27 mm (average) to 24 mm and 20 mm, one and three months after the procedure, respectively (p < 0.0076). CONCLUSION: With the aid of TEE, percutaneous closure of ASD can be successfully, safely, and effectively performed.
Subject(s)
Cardiac Catheterization/methods , Echocardiography, Transesophageal , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/diagnostic imaging , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/therapy , Prostheses and Implants , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Middle Aged , Patient SelectionABSTRACT
Trifluoperazine, a phenothiazine tranquilizer, and tetracaine, a local anesthetic, have been found to inhibit a variety of plant hormone responses at concentrations compatible with their known inhibition of Ca(2+)-calmod-ulin-dependent enzyme activities. Among these responses are cytokinin-dependent betacyanin synthesis and increase in fresh weight in Amaranthus tricolor cotyledons, auxin-dependent increase in length of wheat coleoptile segments and gibberellic acid-dependent induction of alpha-amylase synthesis in barley aleurone layers. The reversibility of some of these inhibitory effects has been demonstrated, indicating that, up to a point, a generalized membrane destruction can be ruled out. The evidence, taken in conjunction with numerous examples from the literature showing calcium involvement in the action of all of the plant hormones, support a unifying theory of hormone action.
