[Mitral valve remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction and ischemic mitral regurgitation].

We have studied alterations of mitral valve geometry and quantitative parameters of mitral regurgitation in 130 patients with acute myocardial infarction in acute and subacute stages of the disease. Quantitative data of mitral regurgitation have been assessed using two quantitative Doppler techniques--proximal isovelocity surface area method (PISA-method) and quantitative Doppler technique (Q-DE-method). As a result of the research we have received data showing that in patients with acute myocardial infarction and ischemic mitral regurgitation mitral valve remodeling occurs with deformation of mitral structures inducing mitral regurgitation. We have observed correlation between degree of ischemic mitral regurgitation and structural valve alteration in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

[Diagnosis of respiratory tuberculosis at multidisciplinary hospital].

Data on 104 patients with pneumonia treated at Moscow multidisciplinary hospitals for suspected respiratory tuberculosis (RT) show that general practitioners have lost tuberculosis-diagnosing skills and phthisiological alertness. This is suggested by frequent failures to collect medical historical data, neglect of risk factors for RT, poor orientation in the differential diagnosis of pneumonia and tuberculosis, violation of diagnostic standards of pulmonary tuberculosis, specifically a paucity of sputum microscopic studies and lateral lung X-ray studies. Upgrading the recognition quality of tuberculosis makes it necessary to observe the propedeutic rules for examining and studying a patient, to reveal important anamnestic and clinical data, and to follow instructions. At the same time, there is no need for new equipment and technologies, but it is critically important to increase the level of tuberculosis knowledge in physicians of all specialties and to create motivation for qualitative diagnostic work.

[Levofloxacin and macrolides in chronic bronchitis exacerbation: comparative analysis of the treatment efficacy and nonrelapsing periods].

Clinical and bacteriological efficacies of levofloxacin versus clarithromycin and azithromycin were evaluated in 41 patients with chronic bronchitis infectious exacerbation in the Respiratory-Recovery Centre of Polyclinic No. 7. The effect of the drugs on the nonrelapsing period was estimated as well. With the use of levofloxacin there was observed a more rapid elimination of the clinical signs of the exacerbation as compared to the use of the macrolides. Levofloxacin provided a more pronounced and stable eradication of the main pathogens of the exacerbation as compared to the macrolide antibiotic. Long-term monitoring for 12 months after discontinuation of the treatment showed that the nonrelapsing period in the patients treated with levofloxacin was higher and the frequency of the relapses and their intensity were lower in comparison to the group of the patients treated with the macrolides.

[Clinicomicrobiological monitoring of patients with exacerbation of chronic bronchitis treated with antibacterial drugs].

AIM: To compare clinical and microbiological efficacy of penicillines and macrolids in patients with exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (CB) basing on long-term follow-up after antibacterial treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with exacerbated CB or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) received amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (augmentin) while 20 other patients were given macrolides (sumamed or clacide). Clinical efficacy was assessed by the rate of exacerbation regression and duration of recurrence-free period in the course of 12-month follow-up. Bacteriological examination was conducted 3-5 days, 1 month after the treatment and at recurrent exacerbation. RESULTS: Patients on augmentin showed faster regression of exacerbation, earlier remission and higher quality of remission than patients on macrolides. Eradication of etiologically significant pathogens on day 3-5 after therapy with augmentin and macrolides was achieved in 92 and 30% patients, respectively, persistence--in 8 and 70%, respectively. Mean duration of remission was 263 +/- 107.1 and 164.9 +/- 112,2 days, respectively. A correlation was found between duration of recurrence-free period and frequency of eradication and persistence of the agents after antibacterial therapy of CB and COPD. CONCLUSION: Augmentin promotes a significantly earlier regress of exacerbation symptoms and persistent remission. Eradication potential of augmentin in CB/COPD patients is higher than that of macrolides. Long-term post-exacerbation monitoring (12-month follow-up) discovered that recurrence-free period of augmentin-treated patients is much longer than in patients on macrolides.

[Free radical processes in patients with iron deficiency anemia treated with iron medication].

AIM: To study the effects of iron salts drugs (ISD) sorbifer durules and ferro-folgamma on free radical processes in 44 patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: IDA was diagnosed as a rule in women with uterine myomas, endometriosis, dysfunctional hemorrhage and other menorragias. Generation of active oxygen forms (AOF) was estimated by hemoluminescence (CL) before and after therapy. Lipid peroxidation was assessed by malonic dialdehyde (MDA) in plasma, antiperoxide plasma activity (APA)--by CL intensity in interaction with nitric peroxide. The system of antioxidant defense in ISD treatment was estimated by the activity of key antioxidant enzymes: superoxidedismutase, glutathion peroxidase and catalase. RESULTS: The studied ISD normalized hemoglobin 3-4 weeks after the treatment onset. MDA decreased. Generation of AOF and activity of plasmic antioxidant enzymes did not change much. CONCLUSION: ISD modulate free radical processes without oxidant stress.

[Staphylococcal pneumonia]. / Stafilokokkovye pnevmonii.

In January to December 2000, a total of 15 (8.8%) patients with staphylococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), 13 (27.7%) patients with staphyloccocal nosocomial pneumonia (NP) that occurred at general units (GU), and 9 (50%) patients with GU that occurred under artificial ventilation (AV) at intensive care units (ICU) were followed up. Meticillin-resistant S. aureus strains were isolated in 6.7, 38.5, and 55.6% of cases, respectively. As compared with pneumococcal CAP, staphyloccocal CAP were more frequently characterized by the severe course of the disease (46.7% versus 15.4%), bilateral lesion (33.3% versus 5.1%), and the presence of complications (66.7% versus 30.8%). Staphyloccocal NP that had occurred at GU, as compared to that at ICU also showed the severe course of the disease (46.2% versus 2.9%), bilateral lesion (30.7% versus 0%), and developed complications (75% versus 25%). Staphylococcal NP developed under AV at ICU had no specific features as compared with NP of another etiology. Oxacillin and first-second-generation cephalosporins remain to be the drugs of choice when meticillin-sensitive S. aureus strains are isolated; lincomycin and erythromycin being alternative agents against these strains. Glycopeptides are the drugs of choice when meticillin-resistant S. aureus strains are isolated, its alernatives are linesolide or rifampicin. High mortality rates due to staphylococcal pneumonia are preserved. These are 7.1% in CAP, 7.7 and 66.7 in staphylococcal NP occurring at GU and under AV at ICU, respectively.

[The clinical efficacy of ticarcillin/clavulanate in severe pneumonia]. / Klinicheskaia éffektivnost' tikartsillin/klavulanata pri tiazheloi pnevmonii.

Efficacy of ticarcillin/clavulanate was studied in the treatment of 11 patients with severe community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia in an open controlled trial. The drug was administered in a dose of 3.1 g every 4 or 6 hours depending on the infection severity. When pneumonia was due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, amikacin was additionally used. The positive clinical effect of ticarcillin/clavulanate was stated in 73 per cent of the patients. The pathogen eradication was stated in all the patients. However, in 2 cases superinfection due to P.aeruginosa developed. Mild adverse effects were observed in 2 cases. It is concluded that ticarcillin/clavulanate is highly efficient in the treatment of patients with severe or complicated pneumonia. In cases with ventilator-associated pneumonia it is advisable to use ticarcillin/clavulanate in combination with an aminoglycoside.

[Program of empirical antibacterial therapy of community-acquired pneumonia]. / Razrabotka programmy émpiricheskoi antibakterial'noi terapii vnebol'nichnoi pnevmonii.

Clinical and bacteriological efficacies of some antibacterial agents were estimated with their differential use in the management of various groups of patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Group 1 included young and middle-aged patients with mild pneumonia. Group 2 included young and middle-aged patients with moderate pneumonia. Group 3 included elderly patients with pneumonia and/or patients with concomitant diseases or certain factors complicating the main process. The patients of group 1 were treated with roxithromycin and spiramycin and showed a rapid clinical effect in 100 and 86 per cent of the cases and a rapid bacteriological effect in 84 and 75 per cent of the cases respectively. The patients of group 2 were treated with parenteral cefuroxime with positive clinical and bacteriological effects in 68 and 78 per cent of the cases respectively. The patients of group 3 were treated with ceftibuten and pefloxacin which provided a clinical effect in 91 and 70 per cent of the cases and a bacteriological effect in 72 and 100 per cent of the cases respectively. The results of the treatment with an account of the differences in the pathogen spectra made it possible to recommend as the 1st order agents for the empirical therapy of community-acquired pneumonia (1) macrolide antibiotics for young and middle-aged patients with mild pneumonia without concomitant diseases, (2) 2nd generation cephalosporins for patients with moderate pneumonia without severe concomitant diseases and (3) 3rd generation cephalosporins or fluoroquinolones for elderly patients with pneumonia and the patients with complicating factors.

[Stepwise therapy of community-acquired pneumonia. Results of cefuroxime and cefuroxime axetil study]. / Stupenchataia terapiia vnebol'nichnoi pnevmonii. Rezul'taty issledovaniia tsefuroksima i tsefuroksim aksetila.

The efficacy of a 7-day switch therapy with parenteral cefuroxime in a dose of 750 mg for 3-5 days followed by the use of oral cefuroxime axetil in a dose of 500 mg every 12 hours was compared with that of a 7-day therapy with parenteral cefuroxime in a dose of 750 mg every 8 hours in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The clinical and bacteriological efficacies and pharmacokinetic properties of both the dosage forms were estimated. It was shown that the clinical and bacteriological effects did not significantly differ in the patients under the parenteral regimen with cefuroxime and under the parenteral-to-oral regimen with cefuroxime and cefuroxime axetil: the cure in 75 and 83 per cent of the patients and the bacteriological response in 100 and 86 per cent of the cases respectively. The results indicated that the cost of the switch therapy was much lower while the efficacy did not decrease.

[Use of piperacillin/tazobactam as empirical monotherapy in the treatment of bacterial infections in a resuscitation department]. / Primenenie piperatsillin/tazobaktama v kachestve émpiricheskoi monoterapii pri lechenii bakterial'nykh infektsii v reanimatsionnom otdelenii.

Fifteen patients with severe bacterial infection (12 with pneumonia) that developed in the resuscitation unit were subjected to the empirical monotherapy with piperacillin/tazobactam (P/T) or tazocin under an open randomized controlled experiment. P/T was administered intravenously in a dose of 4.5 g every 8 hours for 5 to 12 days (9.3 days on the average). When the monotherapy was not sufficiently efficient the patients were additionally treated with amikacin administered intravenously in a dose of 0.5 g every 8-12 hours. The favourable effect was observed in 14 patients (93 per cent). 7 of them were treated with P/T alone and 7 were treated with P/T in combination with amikacin. The primary pathogens were eradicated in 8 (73 per cent) out of the 11 patients treated with P/T alone. Before the treatment 34 microbial strains were isolated from the patients. 77 per cent of them were susceptible to P/T. The treatment with P/T resulted in eradication of 27 bacterial strains (79 per cent) including 67 per cent of gram-positive organisms and 86 per cent of gram-negative organisms. The adverse effects were recorded in 1 patient on the 6th day of the treatment: skin eruption and pruritus that required the treatment discontinuation. The results showed that the use of P/T in the initial empirical monotherapy of infections in patients under resuscitation conditions could be efficient.

[Infectious complications in patients in the terminal stages of chronic renal insufficiency]. / Infektsionnye oslozhneniia u bol'nykh s terminal'noi stadiei khronicheskoi pochechnoi nedostatochnosti.

Characteristics of infectious complications were investigated in 112 patients at the terminal stage of renal insufficiency treated by programme hemodialysis. High frequency of sepsis (32.4 per cent), urinary tract infections (27.7 per cent), respiratory tract infections (26.4 per cent) and tuberculosis (5.6 per cent) was stated. The lethal outcomes of the infectious complications averaged 20.3 per cent.

[Clinical trials of ofloxacin in sequential use (intravenous and oral) in patients with serious hospital infection]. / Klinicheskoe izuchenie ofloksatsina pri posledovatel'nom primenenii (vnutrivenno i vnutr') u bol'nykh s ser'eznymi gospital'nymi infektsiiami.

Fifteen patients with severe hospital infections such as postoperative pneumonia or intraabdominal sepsis were treated with ofloxacin in a dose of 400 mg once a day for 7 to 14 days (11 days at the average). The drug was administered intravenously for the first 3-5 days and then orally till the end of the treatment course. The clinical effect was observed in 14 patients (93 per cent) and the positive bacteriological effect was stated in 11 out of 13 patients (85 per cent). Before the treatment 18 microbial cultures were isolated from the patients. 94 per cent of them was susceptible to ofloxacin. The isolates of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most frequent. The treatment resulted in the eradication of 15 cultures (83 per cent). The adverse reactions were observed in 3 patients but only in 1 of them they were for certain due to the drug use. All the adverse reactions were insignificant or moderate and did not require the treatment discontinuation. The trials showed that ofloxacin was a highly efficient agent useful in the empirical monotherapy of patients with severe hospital infection.