ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Clinicians often evaluate for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presenting with exacerbations. A highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the toxin B gene of C difficile is increasingly used to diagnose CDI. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of positive C difficile PCR results in children and young adults with and without active IBD compared with patients with non-IBD gastrointestinal disease. METHODS: Fecal samples were obtained from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 76) or Crohn disease (CD, n = 69) and 51 controls followed in our gastroenterology program. Samples were analyzed for C difficile using a PCR test for the C difficile toxin B gene (BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay). Proportions of positive tests in each group were compared using the Pearson χ2 test. RESULTS: The prevalence of positive PCR results was 11.6% in patients with CD, 18.4% in patients with UC, and 11.8% in controls (P = 0.25). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of positive C difficile results among patients with IBD with and without active disease or among patients with and without diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: Positive C difficile PCR results occur with similar frequency in patients with IBD with and without active disease and in patients with other gastrointestinal diseases. A positive result in a highly sensitive PCR assay that detects low copy numbers of a toxin gene in C difficile may reflect colonization in a subset of patients with IBD, confounding clinical decision making in managing disease exacerbations.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Bacterial Toxins/genetics , Clostridioides difficile/genetics , Clostridium Infections/complications , Diarrhea/microbiology , Enterotoxins/genetics , Genes, Bacterial , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/microbiology , Adolescent , Chi-Square Distribution , Child , Child, Preschool , Clostridium Infections/epidemiology , Clostridium Infections/microbiology , Diarrhea/complications , Feces/microbiology , Female , Humans , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/complications , Male , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , PrevalenceSubject(s)
Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods , Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype/isolation & purification , Influenza, Human/diagnosis , Influenza, Human/virology , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Virology/methods , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Reagent Kits, Diagnostic , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
The Wickbold decomposition method in combination with differential potentiometric detection via fluoride ion-selective electrode has been applied to analysis of total fluorine in biological matrices. The performance of the method has been evaluated for determination of total fluorine in rat blood. Total mineralization of the biological sample is achieved by combustion of the sample in oxygen/hydrogen flame and subsequent absorption of the resulting fluoride in aqueous absorption medium. The fluoride is then quantified by highly selective automated differential static potentiometry with fluoride ion-selective electrode. Total fluorine determination has been evaluated in terms of sample carryover, reproducibility, precision, as well as feasibility to routine analysis of alternative biological matrices. Our results indicate that, up to 100ppm fluorine in blood, the method does not suffer from sample carryover. Limits of quantitation of 0.5ppm and limits of detection of 0.24ppm fluorine in 0.5g blood samples were achieved by elimination of inherent limitations of fluoride ion-selective electrode detection via automated differential static potentiometric measurements. The Wickbold decomposition method was found to be suitable for routine total fluorine determination in blood samples despite its relatively low throughput and high operator skill requirements.
ABSTRACT
Novel antibacterials agents, 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)tetrahydroquinolines, were prepared using hetero Diels-Alder chemistry and found to be effective in vitro against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study was conducted to determine the important features of this series and to increase the potency of these compounds. Compounds were prepared that had minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC's) < 1.0 microg/mL against MRSA, but had no activity versus vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).
