In an 8 month period, 20 cases of listeriosis among neonates were seen in the Federal District of Upper Austria. The majority of mothers reported influenza-like symptoms at the end of pregnancy. 19 cases were early-onset-infections, 6 infants developed meningitis. Serotype 1/2a was isolated in 7 cases. All were of the same phage type. 15 neonates were successfully treated with aminopenicillin or penicillin. Treatment with cephalosporin was ineffective. 4 mainly premature infants died, 1 was stillborn. There is a strong likelihood of common origin for this prenatal epidemic infection. Because of this epidemic, we recommend a listeria-effective therapy for the early-onset sepsis of the neonate.

Austria↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Radiation induced effect of the vitamins C, E and beta-carotene on sanazole efficiency. A study in vitro.

The effect of the vitamins C, E-acetate and beta-carotene on the sanazole (AK-2123) efficiency was investigated in vitro (E. coli bacteria AB 1157) under the influence of gamma-rays. The vitamins were applied with sanazole individually or in appropriate mixtures in airfree media as well as in media saturated with nitrous oxide (N2O) or air. The addition of vitamin C led in all cases to a very strong enhancement of the sanazole efficiency, namely: in airfree media to 2-fold, in the presence of N2O to 1.5-fold and in the presence of air to 2-fold. The influence of vitamin E-acetate and beta-carotene and mixtures of them depended on the respective gas used for saturation of the medium. An attempt was made to estimate the role of the reducing (e-aq, H-atoms) and oxidizing radicals (OH, O2.-) in respect to the influence of the sanazole activity. The results are of interest for the chemoradiation therapy of cancer.

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