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Biomedical subjects

E Abrutyn

Publications and source records attributed to E Abrutyn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Urinary tract infection: economic considerations.

Urinary tract infection results in significant morbidity and mortality while consuming large amounts of national resources. The prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tract infection produce both costs and benefits, and economic analysis provides a rational framework for looking at these effects. The goals and methods of economic analysis in medicine are summarized, and strategies to address uncomplicated cystitis, nosocomial urinary tract infection, and pyelonephritis are reviewed, with an emphasis on the economic trade-offs faced by decision makers.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

Epidemiology of asymptomatic bacteriuria in elderly women.

We studied asymptomatic bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory women residents without indwelling catheters in self-contained apartment houses at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC), in the nursing home at PGC, and in several life-care communities (LCC). Subjects were studied every 6 months from January 1983 through January 1989, and since enrollment was continuous some participated in more surveys than others. PGC residents were middle class and lived either in a self care apartment house (CL) or nursing home (NH); LCC residents were middle or upper class. Antimicrobial therapy for asymptomatic bacteriuria was not given by the study team. The ages of the 865 women studied averaged 80.3, 82.8, and 83.3 years in LCC, CL, and NH, respectively. On each survey about 11% at LCC, 18% at CL, and 25% at NH sites had positive cultures. Turnover was high. The conversion rate from a negative to a positive culture was 5% at LCC, 11% at CL, and 8% at NH. The reversion rate from a positive to a negative culture was 33% at LCC, 34% at CL and 31% at NH (P greater than 0.05). Persistent infection with the same organism was uncommon. Infection risk was associated with residence, which was partially explained by a factor evaluating mobility, but was unrelated to age or scores evaluating activities of daily living or mental status. Besides mobility, other more complex factors play a role in the acquisition of infection.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

New uses for old drugs.

Existing therapies are often tried when new diseases are discovered or new manifestations of known organisms are recognized. This article reviews the successful application of older commonly used antibiotics to several representative "new" or "newly recognized" illnesses. Examples include new uses for the antistaphylococcal agents, penicillin, the tetracyclines, erythromycin, vancomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, pyrazinamide, metronidazole, clindamycin, and others.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1987

Therapy vs no therapy for bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory nonhospitalized women.

This prospective randomized study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy compared with no therapy for bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory nonhospitalized women. Sixty-one women (mean age, 85.8 years) with bacteriuria were in the no therapy control group and 63 women (mean age, 85.8 years) with bacteriuria were in the therapy group; none had symptoms of urinary tract infection. One short course of antimicrobial therapy achieved a cure rate of 68.3% (43 of 63 women cured) two weeks after treatment. During the six-month follow-up period, ten (16.4%) of 61 women in the no therapy group and five (7.9%) of 63 women in the therapy group developed symptomatic urinary tract infection. At the time of six-month follow-up, 19 (34.5%) of 55 women in the no therapy group and 35 (63.6%) of 55 women in the therapy group did not have bacteriuria. We conclude that for asymptomatic bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory nonhospitalized women, short-course antimicrobial therapy is effective at two-week follow-up and that antimicrobial therapy can eliminate bacteriuria in most of these women for at least a six-month period.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Surveillance strategies: a primer.

A variety of acceptable surveillance methodologies have been described. CDC-type surveillance remains the standard, but a limited program may be most sensible for some. Surveillance by objective is an attractive concept and reports of its value are anticipated. For some, laboratory-based systems for identifying nosocomial infections and outbreaks have been highly effective but chart review is often still necessary. Regardless of the surveillance method chosen to anchor a program, the program should be flexible and dynamic, not static. Institutional needs should be assessed continually and the program should change as the problems change. Different strategies may be optimal at different times, and indeed many surveillance programs use a combination of elements. In our view adaptability and flexibility within a well-defined framework are qualities that improve not only responsiveness but also effectiveness.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗
PubMed1987

beta-Lactamase production in experimental endocarditis due to aminoglycoside-resistant Streptococcus faecalis.

We used a beta-lactamase-producing (beta L+) strain of Streptococcus faecalis that also had high levels of resistance to all aminoglycosides to induce experimental endocarditis in rats. The rats were treated for five or 10 days with procaine penicillin, vancomycin, gentamicin, rifampin, or ciprofloxacin (alone or in various combinations), or with penicillin plus clavulanic acid. The levels of penicillin in serum and vegetations declined rapidly in the beta L+-infected rats treated with procaine penicillin alone, unlike the sustained levels of penicillin in either beta L- -infected rats treated with procaine penicillin or beta L+-infected rats treated with penicillin plus clavulanic acid. For the beta L+-infected rats, the enterococcal counts in vegetations were significantly reduced (greater than 3 log10 cfu/g) only by vancomycin and by penicillin plus clavulanic acid. The efficacy of the latter regimen probably resulted from the inhibition of penicillin inactivation by clavulanic acid in vegetations infected with the beta L+ strain. Our in vivo findings document the biologic significance of beta-lactamase production.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed1986

Epidemiology of bacteriuria in an elderly ambulatory population.

This study of bacteriuria in elderly (mean age 85 years, range 68 to 103) Jewish subjects of mostly middle and upper class attempted to determine disease prevalence, define the turnover in infected subjects, and assess the relation between functional status and infection. The prevalence of bacteriuria (midstream clean-catch method) was assessed in 373 women and 150 men. It was higher in women (18.2 percent) than in men (6.0 percent) (p less than 0.001) and was more common in functionally impaired nursing home residents (23.5 percent) than in apartment house dwellers (12.1 percent) (p less than 0.01). In longitudinal studies, 260 subjects (184 women and 76 men) had three urine culture surveys at six-month intervals. The cumulative percent infected on at least one survey was high (women 30.4 percent, men 10.5 percent). However, persistence of the same organism on all three surveys was surprisingly infrequent (women 6.0 percent, men 1.3 percent), and the turnover of infected and noninfected subjects was considerable. Persistence of bacteriuria on all three surveys was significantly more common in nursing home residents (13.9 percent) than in apartment house dwellers (3.1 percent) (p less than 0.01). Thus, bacteriuria is common in the elderly and appears related to functional status. However, the turnover of infected and noninfected subjects was high, and surprisingly, persistence was not found in most. The transient nature of bacteriuria in most provides support against the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1986

Lack of association between bacteriuria and symptoms in the elderly.

In a study of bacteriuria in elderly (mean age 85 years, range 69 to 101), mostly middle- and upper-class Jewish subjects, attempts were made to determine if bacteriuria without dysuria is otherwise asymptomatic. Seventy-two subjects (59 women and 13 men) without dysuria were questioned about other urinary symptoms (incontinence, frequency, urgency, suprapubic pain, flank pain, fever) and symptoms indicating a lack of well-being (anorexia, difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in staying asleep, fatigue, malaise, weakness) when they were with and without bacteriuria. Twenty-two subjects had bacteriuria that resolved spontaneously; bacteriuria subsequently developed in 24 nonbacteriuric subjects; and 26 subjects had bacteriuria that resolved with antimicrobial therapy. Subjects occasionally reported urinary symptoms (especially incontinence) and commonly reported symptoms indicating a lack of well-being when they were with and/or without bacteriuria. However, no differences in symptoms were found when bacteriuric subjects were compared with themselves when they were nonbacteriuric. Thus, bacteriuria without dysuria in the elderly appears to be asymptomatic.

Aged↗