Biomedical subjects

L Kozakis

Publications and source records attributed to L Kozakis.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Plastic specula: can we ease the passage?

BACKGROUND: For many years, genitourinary physicians have taught that specula should be used without lubrication other than water, as it was assumed that gel would interfere with the processing of samples, but there seems little evidence to support this. Many clinics are now using plastic specula to avoid reusable instruments, and one of the commonest problems with such specula is increased friction. METHODS: We looked at the effect of Aquagel on the culture of different dilutions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae on three standard laboratory media. The effect of Aquagel on the chlamydial strand displacement assay (SDA) test was also assessed by mixing different amounts of Aquagel with the positive and negative control and processing in the usual way. RESULTS: There was found to be no inhibition of culture following emulsification of N gonorrhoeae in Aquagel at any concentration. All the results for the chlamydial SDA test were satisfactory following mixing with Aquagel. CONCLUSION: We think that the clinician should now be more confident that if a difficult examination requires the use of a lubricant, the test results will not be compromised.

Chlamydia Infections↗

PubMed2005

A shrinking service: can it mislead people into thinking there is less disease?

This study looks at the impact of reduced clinical services on infection rates in a small suburban genitourinary medicine clinic, and compares the rates with the national trends. Data were gathered from the KC60 reports and compared with national data on the Health Protection Association Website. Between 1996 and 2001, waiting time for appointments increased along with the number of patients not attending appointments. There was an apparent drop in the number of cases of chlamydial infection in contrast to a national increase; however, when the figures were adjusted for the fall in clinic size, a small rise was seen. The incidence of gonorrhoea, in contrast, rose in excess of national trends, and new HIV/AIDS diagnoses tripled. A disproportionate number of wart virus infections were seen. It seems that long waits for appointments and high DNA rates are skewing diagnosis rates for the clinic, and the shrinking service appears not to be meeting the community's needs.

Appointments and Schedules↗

PubMed2004

Bilateral psoas abscesses in an HIV-positive patient.

Patients with HIV can often present a diagnostic challenge and may have atypical presentations of more common diseases. This case demonstrates such a scenario; we describe a 35-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of HIV infection complaining of backache, anorexia and weight loss. On investigation he was found to have bilateral tuberculous psoas abscesses. A review of the literature shows that this is a rare presentation of an already unusual problem, with subtle signs requiring a high index of clinical suspicion. However, with HIV-positive patients more likely to present with extrapulmonary tuberculosis, there is need for increased awareness of this diagnosis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗