Evaluation of commercial boric acid containing vials for urine culture: low risk of contamination and cost effectiveness considerations.

BACKGROUND: Urine culture is a gold standard in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection. Clean catch midstream urine collection and prompt transportation is essential for appropriate diagnosis. Improper collection and delay in transportation leads to diagnostic dilemma. In developing countries, higher ambient temperatures further complicate the scenario. Here, we have evaluated the role of boric acid as a preservative for urine samples prior to culture in female patients attending outpatient department at our center. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Consecutive 104 urine samples were cultured simultaneously in plain uricol (Control-C) and boric acid containing tubes from Becton Dickinson urine culture kit (Boric acid group-BA). RESULTS: In the real-time evaluation, we found that in almost 57% (59/104) of the urine samples tested, it was more effective in maintaining the number of the organisms as compared to samples in the container without any preservative. Our in vitro study of simulated urine cultures revealed that urine samples could be kept up to 12 h before culture in the preservative without any inhibitory effect of boric acid. Though the use of boric acid kit may marginally increase the initial cost but has indirect effects like preventing delays in treatment and avoidance of false prescription of antibiotics. If the man-hours spent on repeat investigations are also taken into consideration, then the economic cost borne by the laboratory would also decrease manifold with the use of these containers.

[Vulvovaginal candidiasis: a therapeutic approach]. / Vulvovaginiti da candida. Approccio terapeutico.

The vulvovaginal candidiasis represents, after the bacterial vaginosis, the most frequent cause of vaginal affection. It is esteemed that around the 75% of the women of reproductive age suffered from an episode of vulvovaginitis from candida and 40-45% have had more episodes, of which 10-20% in complicated form. The kind of candida more frequently isolated in the vagina of symptomatic women is the Candida albicans: in the 10-20% of the cases the agent is present in absence of symptomatology, and we can almost consider it a saprophytic. On the other hand, always with greater frequency fetterses can be isolated of not albicans Candida, particularly the tropicalis and the glabrata kind, usually resistant to the common therapies. The classification of the vulvovaginal candidiasis proposed by Sobel, and by now universally approved, foresees 2 clinical forms of vulvovaginal candidiasis, the vulvovaginitis from not complicated candida (VVC) and the vulvovaginitis from complicated candida (VVCC): different for pathogenesis, elapsed clinical, symptomatology and frequency. They have to be considered in the substance 2 different nosological entities, and they request a diagnostic approach and a well different therapeutic appointment. In this study we will shortly reassume the principal characteristics of it, detaining us on the most recent acquisitions in theme of therapy. The base medicines of ac. boric, to parity of effectiveness, seem to introduce the most contained cost and the best compliance, and they offer him to a complementary use or, in some cases, alternative to the more you consolidate therapies with azoli.

[Topical treatment of otorrhea]. / Tratamiento tópico de las otorreas.

A study has been carried out with 167 cases of discharging ears treated topically by means of lavages with a formic solution followed by the instillation of a quantity of boric drops. The material and methods used are exposed, together with the results achieved, taking into account that most the cases had been previously multi-treated with antibiotherapy, with adverse outcome. This procedure is cheap, effective and with scarce side-effects.