Disinfecting action of a new multi-purpose disinfection solution for contact lenses.

The disinfection activity of a new multipurpose disinfection solution (OPTI-FREE Express with ALDOX) was compared to several other contact lens disinfecting solutions. The new solution is preserved with polyquaternium-1 and myristamidopropyl dimethylamine. The other solutions included 3% hydrogen peroxide systems and multipurpose solutions (MPS) preserved with polyhexamethylene biguanide. The products were tested for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Candida albicans, Fusarium solani, and Aspergillus fumigatus. OPTI-FREE Express provided a broader range of antimicrobial activity than the MPS. It provided activity similar to that demonstrated by 3% hydrogen peroxide systems, but unlike the hydrogen peroxide system tested, it also prevented re growth of the organisms during extended storage.

External and internal rigid fixation.

A 25-year-old labourer sustained submandibular and intra-oral injuries in an unusual industrial site accident. He fell from above onto steel reinforcing rods which were set in concrete and projecting two metres above the concrete floor. He was impaled by a rod which entered the mouth beneath the right side of the mandible and exited from the mouth passing upwards in front of the nose. The management of this patient is discussed with particular emphasis on the method of obtaining an airway for surgery. Due to the proximity of the rigidly embedded reinforcing rod to the nose, mouth and midline of the neck, an awake tracheostomy under local anaesthesia was conducted. The alternatives to this approach with their potential complications are discussed. In addition possible pre-, peri- and post-operative surgical complications for this case are outlined.

Effect of yeast growth conditions on yeast-mycelial transition in Candida albicans.

When grown and induced to form germ tubes in liquid defined media, yeast cells of Candida albicans must reach stationary phase before acquiring ability to carry out the yeast-mycelial transition. This study examined the effect of the carbon source utilized for yeast growth on the inducibility of stationary phase yeast. When grown to the same stationary phase cell density as glucose cultures, cultures grown on citrate were fully inducible while cultures grown on galactose and mannose showed a small reduction. Cultures grown on ethanol were reduced 80% in morphological conversion. When glucose grown cells were induced in the presence of these carbon sources, hexoses supported full induction while ethanol reduced induction 80%. Induction in the presence of carboxylic acids was similar to induction in the absence of added carbon source. When induced on the same source used in yeast growth, germ tube formation was reduced for all carbon sources except hexoses. When induced in the absence of added carbon source, yeasts grown on citrate and ethanol were inhibited 80-100%. Cultures starved for glucose were more inhibited than cultures starved for NH4Cl when induced without added carbon source. These observations suggest that the metabolic state of the stationary phase cell is an important factor in the ability to respond to conditions inducing germ tube formation.

Nutrient-limited yeast growth in Candida albicans: effect on yeast-mycelial transition.

The yeast-mycelial transition in Candida albicans can be induced from yeast cells grown on minimal defined medium only in stationary phase. This study examined the inducibility of cultures in which growth was limited by the availability of the nutrients, glucose, NH4Cl, or galactose. The results showed that neither stationary phase nor cell cycle stage alone was a sufficient condition to support subsequent germ tube formation. In addition, final cell concentration alone was not a factor in inducibility. When a hundredfold decrease in growth was obtained by limiting any of the nutrients, a loss in inducibility was observed. However, the loss of inducibility differed with the limiting nutrient. Galactose, NH4Cl, and glucose-limited cultures showed respectively 15, 30, and 80% loss of inducibility. Thus the effect was associated with both carbon/energy and nitrogen-limited cells; however, glucose appeared to have a specific effect. These observations suggest that the metabolic state of the stationary phase yeast cell was an important factor in the subsequent ability to respond to conditions inducing germ tube formation.