Perfluorocarbon droplets in the anterior chamber – Case Report

Perfluorocarbonated liquids (PFCL) are occasionally used in vitreoretinal surgery. In this article, we present a case of a young man who sustained a trauma to his eye resulting in a traumatic cataract and retinal detachment. He underwent combined cataract extraction, intraocular lens implantation and a vitrectomy for retinal detachment. Perfluorodecaline was used to stabilize the retina during the surgery. One day after surgery he was found to have many small bubbles of perfluorodecaline settling in the lower half of the anterior chamber. He was managed conservatively and followed up for a period of 1 year during which there were no sequel for the retained PFCL

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases – Prophylactic program in a selected enterprise

Background: In Poland cardiovascular diseases (CVD), classified as work-related diseases, are responsible for 25% of disability and cause 50% of all deaths, including 26.9% of deaths in people aged under 65 years. The aim of the study was to analyze employee expectations regarding CVD- oriented prophylactic activities in the selected enterprise. Material and Methods: A questionnaire, developed for this study, consists of: socio-demographic data, job characteristics, occupational factors, and questions about the respondents’ expectations concerning the prevention program. The study group comprised 407 multi-profile company employees aged (mean) 46.7 years (standard deviation (SD) = 9.1), including 330 men (81.1%), mean age = 46.9 (SD = 9.2) and 77 women (18.9%), mean age = 45.9 (SD = 8.2) The study was performed using the method of auditorium survey. Results: Employees declared the need for actions related to physical activity: use of gym, swimming pool, tennis (56.5%), smoking habits – education sessions on quitting smoking (24.6%). A few people were interested in activities related to healthy diet. According to the majority of the study group, the scope of preventive examinations should be expanded. Based on our own findings and literature data CVD- oriented preventive program, addressed to the analyzed enterprise was prepared. The program will be presented in another paper. Conclusions: The results showed significant quantitative and qualitative differences in the classic and occupational CVD risk factors between men and women, as well as in preferences for participation in prevention programs. Therefore, gender differences should be taken into account when planning prevention programs. Med Pr 2017;68(6):757–76

The occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in tap water – a review

The study presents a review of the occurrence of genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance in tap water. The aim of this study was also to compare the applied methods for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) investigations in tap water. As the concentration of ARGs in treated, drinking water is expected to be very low and may cause problems in a standard isolation procedure, the special emphasis is placed on the applied procedures of DNA extraction and their efficiency. The study presents the first attempts to obtain DNA directly from tap water. Further efforts must be put to determine the final amount of obtained DNA and the presence of chosen ARGs among the molecules

The evaluation of the classical Kirby-Bauer antibiogram method for the determination of antibiotic resistant microorganisms in tap water

Water supply systems are the main source of potable water for many inhabitants. The European Union and Polish laws demand high quality of tap water, but the aspect of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) is not mentioned. The special emphasis is placed on the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in water, determining by the presence of chosen indicators. Although these regulations provide quite good quality of drinking water, the neglect of resistance vectors could lead to a serious threat to human health. In this study the randomly chosen sample of water from the Wroclaw water supply system was tested in order to evaluate the usefulness of Kirby-Bauer antibiogram method for the assessment of the presence of ARB. The susceptibility testing with 6 chosen antibiotics was performed on bacterial strains isolated from the sample. The diameters of growth inhibition zones were measured and the preliminary identification of strains was carried out, including Gram staining and bacterial cellular morphologies assessments. Although full recognition of the drug resistance phenomenon demands the identification of bacterial species for the comparison with susceptibility testing guidelines, this preliminary research could answer the question, whether the Kirby-Bauer method is sufficient for investigations of ARB dwelling in Wroclaw tap water or the other solution should be applied

Antibiotic resistance in tap water during the summer season – preliminary research

Antibiotic resistance of bacteria is regarded as a global health risk and should be monitored in all environments, including tap water distribution systems. In this study, tap water samples were collected from two water treatment plants and selected points-of-use from the water distribution network. The abundances of antibiotic resistant bacteria were determined via culture-dependent method and the presence of selected antibiotic resistance genes was detected via PCR. The influence of the distance of points-of-use from water treatment plants on bacterial loads and antibiotic resistance phenomenon was evaluated. The paper presents preliminary results of a large-scale study concerning spatial and seasonal variation in antibiotic resistance of bacteria dwelling in the tap water system in Wrocław

Application of NGS for studying the antibiotic resistant microbiome in Wrocław tap water

The NGS method was used to investigate the biodiversity of ARB dwelling in tap water, able to form biofilm on bullion media supplemented with antibiotics: β-lactam, fluoroquinolone, 3rd generation cephalosporin and tetracycline. Biofilms formed by cold-and hot-tap water microorganisms were also examined. The presence of 10 ARGs in plasmid DNA of cultivated biomass was tested using a standard PCR. The analyses revealed that the most predominant families were Sphingomonadaceae, Paenibacillaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillaceae and Sphingomonadaceae in FQ, C3G, T, C-W and H-W samples, respectively (explanations of abbreviations in the text). The ARGs did not correlate with resistance phenotypes

The evaluation of the classical Kirby-Bauer antibiogram method for the determination of antibiotic resistant microorganisms in tap water

Water supply systems are the main source of potable water for many inhabitants. The European Union and Polish laws demand high quality of tap water, but the aspect of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) is not mentioned. The special emphasis is placed on the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in water, determining by the presence of chosen indicators. Although these regulations provide quite good quality of drinking water, the neglect of resistance vectors could lead to a serious threat to human health. In this study the randomly chosen sample of water from the Wroclaw water supply system was tested in order to evaluate the usefulness of Kirby-Bauer antibiogram method for the assessment of the presence of ARB. The susceptibility testing with 6 chosen antibiotics was performed on bacterial strains isolated from the sample. The diameters of growth inhibition zones were measured and the preliminary identification of strains was carried out, including Gram staining and bacterial cellular morphologies assessments. Although full recognition of the drug resistance phenomenon demands the identification of bacterial species for the comparison with susceptibility testing guidelines, this preliminary research could answer the question, whether the Kirby-Bauer method is sufficient for investigations of ARB dwelling in Wroclaw tap water or the other solution should be applied

Ecotoxicity of liners impregnated with resisns – a Microtox bioassay

The aim of the study was to evaluate the toxicity of moulders of felt liners impregnated with resins. After the mounting of the liners in sewerage, the explorer has revealed a decrease in the efficiency of treatment in biological units. The putative cause of this phenomenon might have been an increase in the toxicity of the sewage flowing through the pipes with resin impregnated liners. In order to confirm this thesis, the moulders of the liners were taken to the laboratory to investigate their acute toxicity by a Microtox assay. Two types of liners – impregnated with styrene resin and impregnated with styrene-free resin – were tested. Both moulders were incubated in different media (raw wastewaters, synthetic wastewaters, and distilled water) and under several incubation conditions. The obtained extracts were subjected to Microtox 81.9% Screening Test. The chosen, questionable in the terms of screening results, sample was further subjected to 81.9% Basic Test. The obtained results clearly indicate that the ecotoxicity of the moulders of liners impregnated with styrene-free resin is the issue of concern. The results are surprising, as the substitution of styrene by other components in curable resins is aimed at improving their toxicity properties. However, the styrene-free resin revealed to be responsible for an increase in the sewage toxicity. These results prompt undertaking the ecotoxicity monitoring of materials used in sewerage renovations – not only for the environment protection, but also for the prevention of possible problems in wastewater treatment plants exploitation

Seasonal variability of antibiotic resistance and biodiversity of tap water bacteria in Wrocław, Poland

Antibiotic resistance of bacteria has become a worldwide problem. Drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) can be regarded as reservoirs of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study aims to provide a preliminary evaluation of seasonal changes in the occurrence of ARB and ARGs in Wrocław tap water samples. It also investigates the biodiversity of bacterial communities dwelling in Wrocław DWDS and compares them with worldwide literature reports. Third generation cephalosporins resistant bacteria were present in each season, with relative abundances reaching from 40.46% in spring to 99.86% in summer. β-lactams and tetracyclines resistant bacteria were present only in spring and autumn samples, with relative abundances reaching from 0.51% to 3.80%. Relative abundances of ARB fluctuated across the year, and no season-dependent trend was found. This suggests that other factors influenced the resistance phenomenon in Wrocław tap water. The investigated resistomes were represented only by several ARGs (qnrB, tetW, ermB,qacEΔ1). Class 1 integrons gene intI1 was also detected. Biodiversity of bacteria collected from large amounts of tap water was similar to that reported previously for Wrocław and worldwide DWDSs, with a prevalence of Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes