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Biomedical subjects

A N Bessman

Publications and source records attributed to A N Bessman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Prevalence of Corynebacteria in diabetic foot infections.

OBJECTIVE: Microbiological flora of diabetic foot infections are usually polymicrobial and frequently include bacteria of the Corynebacterium sp. (diphtheroids). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of these bacteria in both deep and superficial cultures in diabetic patients with foot infections. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The charts of 50 patients of successive admissions to the Orthopedic-Diabetes Service at our hospital were reviewed to obtain the following data: age, sex, ethnic origin, method of treatment of diabetes, blood glucose level, prior antibiotics, and reports of cultures taken from bedside and intraoperative sites. Data were analyzed to compare the prevalence of diphtheroids in reliable versus nonreliable cultures and the influence of other parameters on the presence of these organisms. RESULTS: Fourteen of 19 (74%) of the intraoperative specimens grew diphtheroids compared with 25 of 65 (39%) of the bedside cultures, a highly significant difference. In addition, there was a somewhat greater occurrence of diphtheroids in women compared with men. The likelihood that contamination is the cause for the presence of diphtheroids is highly unlikely, because one arm of the study included cultures derived from deep tissue at the time of the surgical procedure (i.e., the intraoperative cultures). Cultures always grew at least one other organism in addition to the diphtheroid. CONCLUSIONS: Corynebacteria, commonly known as diphtheroids, are present as a part of the polymicrobial flora in a large percentage of diabetic patients with foot infections. Because the diphtheroids were identified in culture material taken in the operating room or at the time of incision and drainage in a higher percentage of patients than in specimens from superficial cultures, it is highly unlikely that they are contaminants.

Corynebacterium↗
PubMed1990

The relation of diabetic control to in vivo pH of soft tissue abscesses.

It has been shown that induced soft tissue abscesses have a lower intra-abscess pH in the uncontrolled diabetic host than in the nondiabetic control. These differences were felt to be secondary to alterations in white cell metabolism. The current study compares the intra-abscess pH in three groups of mice: (I) nondiabetic, (II) untreated diabetic, and (III) insulin-treated diabetic. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in male white mice. The bacteria used to induce the abscesses were a combination of B. fragilis and Enterococcus. The blood glucose values of groups I, II, and III were 189 mg% (+/- 20.3), 256 mg% (+/- 121.9), and 712.8 mg% (+/- 169.7), respectively. None of the animals were ketotic, and peritoneal pH (reflecting systemic pH) showed no significant differences between groups. There were no significant differences in colony counts between any groups. The intra-abscess pH values of groups I, II, and III were 6.97 (+/- 0.26), 6.85 (+/- 0.41), and 6.08 (+/- 0.70). The differences in intra-abscess pH and blood glucose levels were all significantly different from each other when all three groups were compared. The insulin-treated mice tended to return to normality but had the widest spread of values. Since a decrease in intra-abscess pH has been felt to be a reflection of white cell activity, our studies may be the first to demonstrate an in vivo effect of insulin on white cell activity.

Abscess↗
PubMed1989

In vivo pH of induced soft-tissue abscesses in diabetic and nondiabetic mice.

Infections in the diabetic host have been shown to persist longer than those in the nondiabetic host. To investigate whether intra-abscess milieu might be a contributing factor to this persistence, the in vivo intra-abscess pH was measured in induced soft-tissue abscesses in diabetic and nondiabetic mice. Two models (female genetically obese insulin-resistant and male streptozocin-induced diabetic mice) were used with appropriate controls. The bacteria injected to produce the soft-tissue abscesses were Bacteroides fragilis and Enterococcus (B + E), Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus (S + E), and S. aureus (SA). Intra-abscess pH measured on day 3 was consistently and significantly lower in all diabetic mice compared with their controls. In the diabetic mice, the pH of an abscess induced with B + E, S + E, and SA was 6.28 (n = 17), 6.79 (n = 10), and 6.52 (n = 10), respectively; the pH in the controls was 7.21 (n = 20), 7.30 (n = 10), and 7.17 (n = 10), respectively. Differences in all groups between diabetic and nondiabetic mice were significant. The blood glucose values of the diabetic mice averaged 722 mg/dl, and in the nondiabetic mice were 210 mg/dl. No animals were ketotic. There were no significant differences in total colony counts between any groups. In conclusion, there is a significantly lower pH in the abscess of the diabetic host compared with the nondiabetic host that is not related to the numbers or types of causative bacteria.

Abscess↗
PubMed1989

Infections in the diabetic host.

The presence of the diabetic state seems to predispose patients to more severe and unusual types of infections. Awareness and early recognition of these sometimes devastating problems, coupled with appropriate medical and surgical treatment and aggressive metabolic control of diabetes, provide the maximum opportunity for healing and recovery.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1987

Blue-yellow vision deficits in patients with diabetes.

Home blood glucose monitoring has been introduced as a means to achieve good control in patients with diabetes mellitus. Many patients use color-reagent strips and color comparisons to determine blood glucose levels. Intact color vision in the blue-yellow range is necessary for accurately interpreting these strips.Blue-yellow vision deficits occur as a consequence of eye disease and are not genetic or sex-linked. We evaluated blue-yellow vision acuity in 70 diabetic patients and in 19 age-matched control subjects. The patients with diabetes were subdivided according to their degree of retinopathy as follows: no disease (N = 14), nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (N = 16), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (N = 14) and postlaser-treated (N = 26). None of the control group had deficits. Each group of diabetic patients had a statistically significant increase in color vision deficits compared with the controls. In the laser-treated group, deficits occurred in most patients, were more severe and were significantly increased over all other diabetic subgroups. These deficits may impair visual interpretation of home blood glucose monitoring strips.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Persistence of polymicrobial abscesses in the poorly controlled diabetic host.

Polymicrobial infections are frequently found in soft tissue infections of the lower extremities in diabetic patients. The relative susceptibility to and persistence of soft tissue polymicrobial infections of diabetic and nondiabetic mice using bacteria commonly found in clinical foot infections were studied. Subcutaneous abscesses were induced in three groups of diabetic and nondiabetic mice using: (1) E. coli and enterococcus, (2) enterococcus and Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis), and (3) E. coli and B. fragilis. Abscesses were removed at 1 and 2 wk for total colony counts. At 1 wk, there was a significantly greater bacterial growth in the abscesses of the diabetic mice compared with the nondiabetic mice only in the group injected with enterococcus and B. fragilis. There were significantly higher colony counts in the diabetic compared with the nondiabetic mice in all three groups at 2 wk after injection of the bacteria. Two weeks after injection of inocula containing B. fragilis, both in combination with E. coli or enterococcus, all nondiabetic mice had eradicated B. fragilis from the abscesses, but significant numbers of B. fragilis persisted in the abscesses of the diabetic mice. In the diabetic mice, the presence of enterococci was more synergistic for growth of B. fragilis than was the presence of E. coli. These studies demonstrate that the bacteria of polymicrobial soft tissue infections persist for a longer period of time in the diabetic compared with the nondiabetic host. In addition, B. fragilis has increased pathogenicity in the diabetic compared with the nondiabetic host, particularly in the presence of enterococci.

Abscess↗
PubMed1985

Managing foot infections in the older diabetic patient.

The onset of a foot lesion can almost always be traced to an injury or trauma of some kind--physical, thermal, or chemical. Many are originally minor injuries that the patient, family, doctor, or other health professional considers trivial. Systemic indicators are frequently blunted in the elderly. Except in the most severe infections, elevations of temperature and white blood cell count may be absent, and frequently the only signs of ongoing infection are a slowly falling hematocrit and increasing difficulty of diabetic control.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Ultrasonography in the detection of residual urine.

Eleven patients with distended urinary bladders (10 diabetics with autonomic neuropathy and one patient with prostatic hypertrophy) were examined by ultrasonography in an attempt to define the volumes detectable by this technique. Incremental volumes of saline were instilled through indwelling Foley catheters with ultrasonographic examination at each volume. The ultrasonograms obtained were presented to two radiologists trained in ultrasonography, who were asked to identify the presence of residual urine. There was 97% certainty of recognizing the presence of 100-cc residual volumes and 100% certainty of recognizing 150-cc residual volumes. It is concluded that residual urine volumes greater than 100 cc are clinically detectable by ultrasonography, a noninvasive alternative for diagnosing this common diabetic condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Insulin in the management of the diabetic surgical patient: continuous intravenous infusion vs subcutaneous administration.

A prospective randomized study comparing constant intravenous infusion of regular, low-dose insulin versus conventional subcutaneous administration of neutral protein Hagedorn (NPH) insulin in insulin-requiring patients undergoing orthopedic procedures under general anesthesia was undertaken. The degree of diabetic control was better in those receiving constant 2 units/hour of regular insulin than in those receiving two thirds of daily maintenance doses of NPH insulin. However, in two of eight patients receiving 2 units/hour, decreased insulin infusion rates and increased dextrose infusion rates were required to avoid hypoglycemia. Preoperative NPH insulin and 1 unit/hour insulin administration resulted in equivalent diabetic control.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1977

2,3-diphosphoglycerate, nucleotide phosophate, and organic and inorganic phosphate levels during the early phases of diabetic ketoacidosis.

The relation between serum and red blood cell (RBC) inorganic phosphate levels, RBC 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) levels, RBC nucleotide phosphate (Pn), and RBC total phosphate (Pt) levels were studied during the early phases of treatment and recovery from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). A steady drop in serum inorganic phosphate was found during the first 24 hours of insulin treatment and was most profound at 24 hours. No statistically significant changes (P less than 0.05) were found in red cell inorganic phosphate or nucleotide phosphate levels during the 24-hour study period. The levels of total red cell phosphate were lower in this group of patients than in nonacidotic diabetic subjects and decreased slightly after 24 hours of treatment. The red cell 2,3-DPG levels were low at the initiation of therapy and remained low during the 24-hour study period. Glucose, bicarbonate, lactate, and ketone levels fell in linear patterns with treatment. In view of the current evidence for the effects of low 2,3-DPG on oxygen delivery and the relation of low serum phosphate levels to RBC glycolysis and 2,3-DPG formation, this study reemphasizes the need for phosphate replacement during the early phases of treatment of DKA.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1976

Risk factors in local surgical procedures for diabetic gangrene.

One hundred and seventy-two diabetic patients undergoing local operations of the foot distal to the ankle joint were reviewed to explore the preoperative prognostic indicators of operative failure. Severity of infection, as measured by preoperative temperature and white blood count, correlated with that of failure. Subcutaneous gas, as seen roentgenographically, was associated with failure in five of six patients. No particular operation or type of wound and no general or specific medical or laboratory parameter correlated with failure. In the four and one-half years of the study, an improved operative success rate could only be correlated with improved preoperative management of infection, as reflected in a declining yearly preoperative white blood count and temperature. Delay of the operation until maximum medical control of the infection has occurred should improve the initial success rate in these patients.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1975

Nonclostridial gas gangrene. Report of 48 cases and review of the literature.

Gangrenous lesions accompanied by evidence of subcutaneous gas usually are diagnosed as "clostridial gas gangrene." The occurrence of nonclostridial gas gangrene has been infrequently reported and is thought to be relatively rare. Review of 278 admissions of diabetic patients with orthopedic vascular problems disclosed a 17% (48 patients) incidence of nonclostridial gas infections and a 3% (one patient) occurrence of clostridial gas gangrene. Clinical characteristics ranged from severe to benign toxicity. Appreciation of the causative organisms (usually mixed Gram-negative rod and enterococcus) of this syndrome is essential, especially in the diabetic patient, since appropriate antibiotic therapy and surgery can result in a low mortality (4%) and a high incidence (80%) of ambulatory, independent patients.

Acute Disease↗