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Biomedical subjects

G W Fischer

Publications and source records attributed to G W Fischer.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Lumbar punctures and meningitis.

Four patients, with an additional seven from the literature, had meningitis following a lumbar puncture (LP) that disclosed normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Animal studies demonstrate that perforation of the meninges in the presence of bacteremia enhances the development of meningitis. Simultaneous blood culture should be obtained with all LPs. Regardless of the results of the initial LP, a second CSF examination is recommended in any patient whose clinical condition is deteriorating. If the initial blood culture is positive, a second LP should be strongly considered in all newborn and very young infants.

Age Factors↗

Melioidosis in childhood.

Two cases of childhood melioidosis in conjunction with five from the literature are presented. Although most reported cases come from Southeast Asia, importation into the United States by travelers and military personnel has occurred. The course of the disease may be acute or chronic; the onset is generally with fever and pneumonia. Melioidosis should be considered in any patient with pneumonia who has returned recently from an endemic area.

Abscess↗

Enhanced host defense mechanisms with levamisole in suckling rats.

Levamisole, a synthetically produced anthelminthic agent, was administered to suckling rats that were challenged with bacterial and viral pathogens. There was no in vitro antibacterial or antiviral effect of the drug. However, enhanced survival was demonstrated in those animals treated with levamisole and challenged with Staphylococcus aureus or herpes simplex virus. The mechanism for protection against the bacteria appears to be enhancement of the primary inflammatory response. The mechanism for protection against herpes simplex virus is not yet understood.

Animals↗

Indolethylamine-N-methyltransferase activity in psychiatric patients and controls.

The level of INMT activity was determined in the sera of 29 psychiatric patients and 11 healthy controls from St. Louis; and in 13 psychiatric patients and 15 healthy controls from Chicago. The level of enzyme activity in the serum of paranoid schizophrenics in the St. Louis group was significantly higher than in other types of schizophrenics. The mean level of enzyme activity in the serum in nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients in the Chicago group was significantly higher than that in the same group of patients from St. Louis. The serum level of INMT activity in all psychiatric patients and schizophrenic patients from St. Louis was positively correlated with severity of delusions. The only significant difference in the Chicago patients was that the occurrence of depressive features was greater in the group of patients with a low serum INMT level than in the group with a high enzyme level.

Acute Disease↗

Small-sample blood culture method for identification of bacteria in central arterial and peripheral blood.

A blood culture technique that utilized small arterial blood samples or peripheral capillary blood was tested in beagle dogs and pig-tailed macaque monkeys. A bolus of 2.0 x 10(7)Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) was injected intravenously into five animals of each species. Blood samples were taken before injection of the organisms and 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, and 120 min after injection. Arterial blood samples (2.0 and 0.2 ml) and peripheral capillary samples (0.14 ml) were taken at each sampling time. Pour plates were prepared from arterial blood for colony counts. All three blood sampling methods were equally effective in detecting sepsis when 10 or more organisms per ml of blood were present. Below this level, the 2.0-ml sample was more effective. Contamination of the peripheral sample with air or skin contaminants was a problem.

Animals↗