Identification and incidence of fungal strains in chronic rhinosinusitis patients.

The fungal revolution taking place in otorhinology inspired us to study the frequency of occurrence of fungi in the nasal mucus of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients (with or without polyposis) in order to evaluate the incidence of eosinophilic fungal sinusitis in CRS patients. Ninety-six samples were examined from patients with CRS. In 74 cases mucus was collected non-invasively, and in 22 cases during operation. The Gram-stained direct smears of all samples were also evaluated. Bacteria and fungi colonizing in the mucus were detected by culturing method. The control group consisted of 50 healthy volunteers. Typical aerobic pathogenic bacteria could be isolated from 34 patients. Fifty-seven aerobic bacteria were isolated, i.e. 1.6 bacteria/positive patient with a maximum of 3 different bacteria/sample. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae. Yeasts and moulds could be detected from 79 patients (83%): Candida albicans, Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., Cladosporium spp, and Penicillium spp. were isolated most frequently. Altogether 237 yeasts and moulds were isolated, i.e. 3.0 different fungi/positive patient, with a maximum of 5 different fungi/sample. In the control group aerobic pathogens were not isolated, only apathogenic species. Fungi were isolated from 22 healthy patients (44%). These data indicate that fungi are frequently involved in the aetiology of CRS. IgE-medicated hypersensitivity to fungal allergens could not be proven in our patients.

Acute myocardial infarction enhances the portal venous histamine level in dogs.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: The aim of our experiments was to determine the plasma histamine level in the portal venous (VP) blood during acute coronary occlusion and reperfusion. SUBJECTS: 27 adult mongrel dogs of either sex were randomized for three groups: sham-operated controls, occlusion group (group O) and reperfusion group (group R). TREATMENT: The left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) was proximally occluded and the occlusion was maintained during 6 h (group O), or after a 60-min occlusion the LCx was reperfused (group R). The portal vein was cannulated to take blood samples for hormone measurements. METHODS: The plasma histamine concentrations were measured with the radioenzymatic method. RESULTS: The VP plasma histamine level was significantly increased 60 min after the LCx occlusion in groups O (99.9 +/- 40.2 vs. 252.9 +/- 100 pg/ml, mean +/- SD) and R (101.2 +/- 55.1 vs. 179.8 +/- 96 pg/ml), and remained high in group O (240.4 +/- 81 pg/ml), while 2 h after LCx reperfusion it had decreased to the basic level. There was no correlation between the hemodynamic parameters and the portal vein plasma histamine levels. CONCLUSIONS: Histamine is released into the gastrointestinal tract during acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, but the release of the vasoactive drug has no effect on systemic hemodynamics.

Myocardial and gastrointestinal release of vasoactive intestinal peptide during experimental acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) acts as a vasodilator on coronary and gastrointestinal arteries. During coronary occlusion, the locally released VIP may exert a protective effect on the heart, but it may aggravate the shock state through its vasodilatory effect in the gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: After left thoracotomy, the left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) was prepared, and a pneumatic occluder was introduced around it. After 60 min of coronary occlusion, the LCx was reperfused in six dogs (reperfusion group), while in another six the occlusion was maintained for 6 h (occlusion group). Five dogs served as sham-operated controls. The plasma concentration of VIP was determined at baseline, after the 60 min occlusion and 10 min, 3 h and 6 h after reperfusion, or 3 h and 6 h after continuous occlusion in the coronary sinus and in the femoral and portal veins. RESULTS: The plasma VIP concentrations in all three vessels were increased after 60 min of LCx occlusion. During the 6 h constant coronary occlusion, concentrations remained increased in both the coronary sinus and the portal vein, but not in the femoral vein. In the reperfusion group, 10 min after reperfusion, the plasma concentrations of VIP in all three vessels had decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary artery occlusion causes a long-term increase in plasma VIP concentrations that decreases after reperfusion, when measured in the portal vein and coronary sinus, but not in the femoral veins.

[Impalement following a fall from a great height]. / Pfählung nach Sturz aus grosser Höhe.

A case of impalement caused by an accidental fall from height is reported. A wooden pile had penetrated the soft parts of the left gluteal region and of the adjacent thigh.

[Vital reactions in Pacchioni granulations]. / Vitale Reaktionen in Pacchioni-Granulationen.

By means of histological methods the authors examined the blood and fluid circulatory disturbances associated with cranial and cerebral injuries. The presence of vital reactions was studied by means of the combined histological study of the dura mater, pacchionian granulations and the central nervous system. Samples for histological study were taken from 115 cadavers who had suffered cranial injuries, from 15 individuals who died from destructive cerebral apoplexy caused by a disease and from 30 individuals who died of natural causes. The authors applied a special fixation and sampling technique and, using various histological reactions, the following vital reactions were observed: the appearance of blood-cell elements in the granulation, a moderate fibrin degradation product and hemoglobin phagocytosis, and occasionally lipid phagocytosis. The authors worked out a method that was shown to be highly effective in the more precise determination of the induction time of cerebral apoplexy caused by a disease and that of traumatic injury of the brain.

[Effect of influenza virus infection on arachidonic acid cascade in mouse thrombocytes]. / Die Wirkung der Influenza-Virus-Infektion auf die Arachidonsäure-Kaskade von Mäusethrombozyten.

Prostaglandins (PGs) are essential for many physiological and pathological processes. As they are not stored in tissue, their presence and actions therefore result from de novo synthesis and release. Although platelets themselves appear to have the ability to synthesize TxA2, PGD2, arachidonic acid may also be metabolized in the lipoxygenase pathway in platelets, producing 12-hydroperoxy/12-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HPETE/12-HETE). CFLP mice were infected intranasally with A/H3N2/Hong Kong (1/68) influenza virus. Platelets were isolated from the control (saline treated) and infected mice 3-13 days after virus application. Platelets were isolated from the diluted arterial blood of the mice. Metabolites of arachidonate cascade were determined using 1-14C-arachidonic acid (2035 MBq/mM spec. act.) as substrate. All incubations were carried out in TC Medium 199 (pH 7.4) at 37 degrees C for 10 min. Radiolabelled products were separated and quantitatively determined. The synthesis of TxA2 in the platelets of animals was found to be significantly increased 7 days after the virus infection. The 12-hydroxy-heptadecatrienoic acid level was higher on the 10th and 13th days of infection, as were the products of the lipoxygenase pathway.