Frequency of Hyponatremia in Adults with Acute Bacterial Meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening disease. Bacterial meningitis patients are prone to develop acute hyponatremia. In the central nervous system infection hyponatremia could be due to the Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti Diuretic Hormone secretion. The frequency of hyponatremia in adults with acute bacterial meningitis patients was seen in this study. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Internal Medicine Department of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from February 2016 to July 2016. A total of 50 patients were enrolled in this study by purposive sampling. Among 50 acute bacterial meningitis patients, 33 (66%) were diagnosed as hyponatremic state. The mean serum sodium level of 33 hyponatremic bacterial meningitis cases was 130.66±2.95 mmol/L. Most of the cases (78.79%) were mild hyponatremic state (130 mmol/L-135 mmol/L) whereas 18.18% were revealed as moderate hyponatremia (125 mmol/L-129 mmol/L). Only 3.03% of cases were presented as severe cases (≤124 mmol/L). The result revealed that a large number of patients with acute bacterial meningitis were suffering from hyponatremia and in the majority of cases were mildly hyponatremic.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Autologous Hamstring Double Bundle Graft Compared With Single Bundle Graft Procedures.

Anterior cruciate ligament injury is one of the commonest sports injuries, which often markedly reduces activity and the quality of life. The autologous hamstring double bundle graft and single bundle graft are commonly used for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The choice of graft material for ACL reconstruction is believed to play a major role in the outcome but still there are controversies about the graft selection for primary ACL reconstruction. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and functional outcome of autologous double bundle (DB) hamstring graft and single bundle (SB) hamstring graft reconstruction for the ACL injury. This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from March 2015 to September 2017. Total 42 cases of ACL injury that required reconstruction surgery was selected as per inclusion criteria. Total patients were allocated into two groups. One group was treated by single bundle graft and other group was treated by double bundle graft for the ACL reconstruction. In this study, the mean age of double bundle and single bundle groups were 28±6.63 and 30.14±7.55 years respectively and majority of the subjects were male. The post-operative symptoms and signs were more improved in double bundle group than single bundle group during last follow-up period of 6th months. The Lachman test, Anterior drawer test and pivot sift test were more negative in double bundle group than that of single bundle groups. The Lysholm and Tegner activity were better in double bundle group than single bundle group. Again rotational and anterior stability of the knee was better in the double bundle group. However, the differences were not statistically significant and all patients in our study were able to return their activity. Double bundle group showed better rotational stability than the single bundle groups and all knees were improved by anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction compared with their pre-operative status.

Klebsiella necrotizing soft tissue infections in liver transplant recipients: a case series.

Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) are rare but carry high mortality rates. NSTI with Klebsiella species have been previously described as associated with Klebsiella liver abscesses and endophthalmitis. Here, we describe 6 cases of NSTI in liver transplant recipients associated with Klebsiella pneumoniae, 4 of which were K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae (CRKP). Increased awareness of this emerging pathogen and its association with necrotizing skin and soft tissue infection is critical, as early recognition and debridement may improve survival. Antimicrobial treatment of CRKP infections remains an ongoing challenge and implementation of enhanced infection control measures is essential.

Dissolution enhancement of poorly water-soluble APIs processed by hot-melt extrusion using hydrophilic polymers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of hydrophilic polymers to enhance the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) processed by hot-melt extrusion (HME). Indomethacin (INM) and famotidine (FMT) were selected as model active substances while polyvinyl caprolactam graft copolymer, soluplus (SOL) and vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer grades, Kollidon VA64 (VA64) and Plasdone S630 (S630) were used as hydrophilic polymeric carriers. For the purpose of the study, drug-polymer binary blends at various ratios were processed by a Randcastle single screw extruder. The physicochemical properties and the morphology of the extrudates were evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Increased drug loadings of up to 40% were achieved in the extruded formulations for both drugs. INM and FMT exhibited strong plasticization effects with increasing concentrations and were found to be molecularly dispersed within the polymer blends. The in vitro dissolution studies showed increased INM/FMT release rates for all formulations compared to that of pure APIs alone.