ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the trends of conjunctival sac bacterial flora isolated from patients prior to cataract surgery. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 579 patients (579 eyes) who underwent cataract surgery. Specimens were collected by lightly rubbing the inferior palpebral conjunctival sac with a sterile cotton swab 2 weeks before surgery, and then cultured for isolation of bacteria and antimicrobial sensitivity testing. The bacterial isolates and percentage of drug-resistant isolates were compared among age groups and according to whether or not patients had diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, dialysis therapy, oral steroid use, dry eye syndrome, or allergic conjunctivitis. RESULTS: The bacterial isolation rate was 39.2%. There were 191 strains of Gram-positive cocci, accounting for the majority of all isolates (67.0%), among which methicillin-sensitive coagulase-negative staphylococci was the most frequent (127 strains, 44.5%), followed by methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (37 strains, 12.7%). All 76 Gram-positive bacillary isolates (26.7%) were from the genus Corynebacterium. Among the 16 Gram-negative bacillary isolates (5.9%), the most frequent was Escherichia coli (1.0%). The bacterial isolation rate was higher in patients >60 years old, and was lower in patients with dry eye syndrome, patients under topical treatment for other ocular disorders, and patients with hyperlipidemia. There was no significant difference in bacterial isolation rate with respect to the presence/absence of diabetes mellitus, steroid therapy, dialysis, or a history of allergic conjunctivitis. Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci showed a significantly higher detection rate in diabetic patients than nondiabetic patients (20.3% versus 7.0%, P < 0.05). The percentage of all isolates resistant to levofloxacin, cefmenoxime, and tobramycin was 14.0%, 15.2%, and 17.9%, respectively, with no significant differences among these drugs. CONCLUSION: The high bacterial isolation rate in patients >60 years old and the high methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci isolation rate in patients with diabetes are important to consider for prevention of perioperative infections.
ABSTRACT
The [(18)F]fluoromethyl analog of the sigma(1) selective ligand 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine dihydrochloride (SA4503) ([(18)F]FM-SA4503) was prepared and its potential evaluated for the in vivo measurement of sigma(1) receptors with positron emission tomography (PET). FM-SA4503 had selective affinity for the sigma(1) receptor (K(i) for sigma(1) receptor, 6.4 nM; K(i) for sigma(2) receptor, 250 nM) that was compatible with the affinity of SA4503 (K(i) for sigma(1) receptor, 4.4 nM; K(i) for sigma(2) receptor, 242 nM). [(18)F]FM-SA4503 was synthesized by (18)F-fluoromethylation of O-demethyl SA4503 in the radiochemical yield of 2.9-16.6% at the end of bombardment with a specific activity of 37.8-283 TBq/mmol at the end of synthesis. In mice, the uptake of [(18)F]FM-SA4503 in the brain was gradually increased for 30 min after injection, and then decreased. In the blocking study, brain uptake was significantly decreased by co-injection of haloperidol to 32% of control, and FM-SA4503 to 52% of control. In PET study of the monkey brain, high uptake was found in the cerebral cortex, thalamus and striatum. The radioactivity level of [(18)F]FM-SA4503 in the brain regions gradually increased over a period of 120 min after injection, followed by a stable plateau phase until 180 min after injection. In pretreatment with haloperidol measurement of the monkey brain, the radioactivity level was 22-32% and 11-25% of the baseline at 60 and 180 min, respectively, after injection, suggesting high receptor-specific binding. [(18)F]FM-SA4503 showed specific binding to sigma(1) receptors in mice and monkeys; therefore, [(18)F]FM-SA4503 has the potential for mapping sigma(1) receptors in the brain.
