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A Canut

Publications and source records attributed to A Canut.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of antimicrobial treatments in children with acute otitis media in Spain: a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) approach.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) principles are priceless tools for evaluating the effectiveness of different antimicrobial treatments for different infections. However, very few studies deal with pediatric dosages and take into account the unbound drug serum levels. Our study is focused on the most frequent antibiotic dosing schedules used in Spain for the treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) in children, where high rates of penicillin and macrolide resistance exist among pneumococcal isolates. Pharmacokinetic parameters of antibiotics in children where obtained from the literature. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC90) of antibiotics for pediatric strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were obtained from the SAUCE 2 project. Only ceftriaxone (50 mg/kg single intramuscular dose) and high doses of co-amoxiclav (27-33 mg/kg q8h) provided adequate efficacy indexes (tss(%)>MIC) for both S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae in AOM in children. These results are consistent with MEF (medium ear fluid) levels obtained from the literature. Our results confirm the utility of serum unbound levels to predict efficacy of antibiotics in children with AOM.

Acute Disease↗

Detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in two human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients with chronic diarrhea by polymerase chain reaction in duodenal biopsy specimens and review.

Intestinal microsporidiosis has been associated traditionally with severely immunocompromised patients with AIDS. We describe two new cases of intestinal microsporidiosis due to Enterocytozoon bieneusi in human immunodeficiency virus-negative adults. Both patients presented with chronic nonbloody diarrhea, and one had intestinal lymphangiectasia as well. Intestinal microsporidiosis was diagnosed by evaluation of stool samples, and the specific species was determined by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in duodenal biopsy specimens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of confirmation of E. bieneusi in the intestinal epithelium of HIV-negative individuals by use of PCR in duodenal biopsy specimens. Cases of intestinal microsporidiosis in HIV-negative individuals reported in the English-language literature are reviewed. These two new cases along with those described previously corroborate the need to evaluate for microsporidia in HIV-negative individuals with unexplained diarrhea.

Adult↗

[Hemorrhagic colitis caused by verotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Presentation of 9 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of nine patients with enteritis caused by verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O157. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical data of patients was collected retrospectively, the isolated strains were tested for verotoxin production (VT) using Vero cell culture line, and presence of VT1 and VT2 gene sequences was detected using amplification techniques (PCR), biotype was also determined using twelve biochemical tests, and genomic macrorestriction profile (PFGE). RESULTS: The patients' age ranged from 11 months to 70 years. The mean duration of diarrhea was 4.7 days. All patients but one had abdominal cramps, seven of nine reported hemorrhagic stools and six had fever. Three patients were affected of haematologycal neoplasia and two of them developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome as a complication. All strains produced VT2 and two of them also produced VT1. Epidemiological link between patients has not been established. Three different biotypes had been distinguished between the nine isolated strains. All but two had different macrorestriction profiles. DISCUSSION: The results obtained showed that clinical manifestations are rather inespecific, including fever (6/9 patients) and there is high association of severe complications. The heterogeneity in PFGE results obtained confirms that the cases are not related.

Adult↗

[Evaluation of an immunoenzyme technique for the detection in feces of the Giardia intestinalis antigen].

An evaluation is made of the utility for the diagnosis of giardiasis of an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) that detects the GSA65 specific antigen in feces, as compared with the formalin-ether sedimentation test. Within the context of a longitudinal study on intestinal parasitization, 147 fecal samples from children attending 7 day care centres in the city of Salamanca were studied. The feces were examined a few hours after collection by the sedimentation technique and conserved in 10% formol. They were later studied by the EIA method. G. intestinalis was detected by microscopy and/or EIA in 26 of the 147 fecal samples (17.7%). Both assays were positive in 22 of the 26 cases detected (84.6%) and the remaining 4 cases were positive only by EIA (4/26; 15.4%). The EIA assay, using visual reading and very simple to implement, showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values of 100, 96.9, 84.6 and 100%, respectively.

Animals↗

[VDRL and FTA-ABS reactivity in cerebrospinal fluid: our experience].

The reactivity of 194 samples of CSF against VDRL and FTA-ABS was studied in patients attending the Clinical Hospital in Salamanca over a five years period. This laboratory was asked to rule out an etiology of syphilis. Twelve samples of CSF proved to be reactive (6.2%) against VDRL and/or FTA-ABS. Seven of these corresponded to six adults diagnosed as suffering from neurosyphilis and one to an infant with early congenital syphilis without neurological alterations; these had in common the presence of active syphilis and a reactive FTA-ABS in serum. In the CSF of the six cases of neurosyphilis, VDRL was reactive in two patients (33.3%) and FTA-ABS in five (83.3%). One minimally reactive VDRL and four FTA-ABS were detected in the remaining five patients, with no known previous history of syphilis, that were suffering from different neurological alterations and that had a nonreactive FTA-ABS in serum. The results obtained in this study point to inappropriate use in CSF of VDRL and FTA-ABS to exclude neurosyphilis in our hospital since only 3.6% of the CSF studied corresponded to patients diagnosed as suffering from neurosyphilis and also to the need for improving the criteria for patient selection.

Adult↗

[Otomycosis: presentation of 15 cases].

Fifteen cases of otomycosis in 11 women and 4 men attending the Clinic Hospital in Salamanca during the period from 1984 to 1988 are discussed. A. niger was the species isolated on the majority of occasions (73.3%). The commonest form of presentation of otomycosis was simple chronic (73.3%). The clinical pictures was characterized by serous secretion and pruritus. Otomycosis with associated bacterial infection (20.0%) was the cause of the most intense symptoms, featuring suppuration and hypoacusia. In 5 patients, local antecedents of interest were observed: three cases of chronic cholesteatomatose otitis in which surgery had been performed; retroauricular eczema, and perichondritis of the ear. Despite topical treatment with clotrimazole, 4 cases of relapse occurred (26.7%) and in none of these was associated bacterial infection observed.

Adult↗