Penetration of levofloxacin into the anterior chamber (aqueous humour) of the human eye after intravenous administration

©Springer-Verlag 2007. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the Accepted, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10096-006-0241-9In the study presented here, levofloxacin con centrations in serum samples and the aqueous humour (AH) of 16 patients undergoing cataract extraction were measured in order to determine the penetration characteristics of levofloxacin into the AH of the non-inflamed human eye. Cataract removal was performed at various times (from 90 to 270 min) after the end of a 30-min intravenous infusion of 500 mg of levofloxacin. Serum samples were obtained 1 h after the end of levofloxacin administration (C max ); AH and a second serum sample were taken simultaneously during the operation, and the concentrations of levofloxacin in AH (C AH ) and serum (C S) were determined using a rapid high-performance liquid chromatography assay. The mean Cmax was 6.07 μg/ml (range 3.75–9.53 μg/ml, SD 1.83). The mean CAH at the first hour following levofloxacin administration was 1.37 μg/ml (range 1.17–1.6 μg/ml, SD 0.22) and the mean ratio (R=CAH /C S ) was 0.26 (range 0.24–0.3, SD 0.02). The mean CAH at 125–270 min following levofloxacin administration was 1.39 μg/ml (range 0.82–1.98 μg/ml, SD 0.33) and the mean R was 0.3 (range 0.15–0.53, SD 0.11). Of 16 patients, 15 had a CAH of >1 μg/ml 1 h after levofloxacin administration. In conclusion, 1 h after administration of 500 mg of levofloxacin, the levels obtained were higher than the MIC at which 90% of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and certain gram-negative bacteria strains are inhibited

Analyse de la prise en charge du nouveau-né dans le cadre de la stratégie nationale de subvention des accouchements et des soins obstétricaux et néonatals d’urgence au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pédiatrique Charles de Gaulle, Ouagadougou (Burkina Fa

Introduction: il s'agit d'analyser la prise en charge du nouveau-né dans le cadre de la stratégie na-tionale de subvention des accouchements etdes soins obstétricaux et néonatals d'urgence mis en place par le  gouvernement du Burkina Faso en 2006. Méthodes: nous avons menée une étude à visée descriptive et analytique comportant un volet  ré-trospectif du 01 janvier 2006 au 31 décembre 2010 portant sur les paramètres épidémiologiques, cliniques des nouveau-nés hospitalisés et un volet prospectif du 3 octobre 2011 au 29 février 2012 par une entrevue des accompagnateurs des nouveau-nés et des prestataires des services de santé. Résultats: les hospitalisations ont augmenté de 43,65% entre 2006à 2010 Le taux de mortalité néo-natale hospitalière qui était de 11,04% a connu une réduction moyenne annuelle de 3,95%. L'entrevue a porté sur 110 accompagnateurs et 76 prestataires. La majorité des prestataires (97,44%) et des ac-compagnateurs (88,18%) étaient informés de la  stratégie mais n'avait pas une connaissance exacte de sa définition. Les prestataires (94,74%) ont signalé des ruptures de médicaments,   consommables médicaux et des pannes d' appareils de laboratoire et  d'imagerie. Parmi les accompagnateurs (89%) disaient être satisfaits desservices offerts et (72,89%) trouvaient les coûts abordables mais   évoquaient les difficultés du transport. Conclusion : La subvention a amélioré la prise en charge du nou-veau-né mais son optimisation  nécessiterait une meilleur information et implication de tous les acteurs

Exploring the receptor origin of vibration-induced reflexes

STUDY DESIGN: An experimental design. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the latencies of vibration-induced reflexes in individuals with and without spinal cord injury (SCI), and to compare these latencies to identify differences in reflex circuitries. SETTING: A tertiary rehabilitation center in Istanbul. METHODS: Seventeen individuals with chronic SCI (SCI group) and 23 participants without SCI (Control group) were included in this study. Latency of tonic vibration reflex (TVR) and whole-body vibration-induced muscular reflex (WBV-IMR) of the left soleus muscle was tested for estimating the reflex origins. The local tendon vibration was applied at six different vibration frequencies (50, 85, 140, 185, 235, and 265 Hz), each lasting for 15 s with 3-s rest intervals. The WBV was applied at six different vibration frequencies (35, 37, 39, 41, 43, and 45 Hz), each lasting for 15 s with 3-s rest intervals. RESULTS: Mean (SD) TVR latency was 39.7 (5.3) ms in the SCI group and 35.9 (2.7) ms in the Control group with a mean (95% CI) difference of -3.8 (-6.7 to -0.9) ms. Mean (SD) WBV-IMR latency was 45.8 (7.4) ms in the SCI group and 43.3 (3.0) ms in the Control group with a mean (95% CI) difference of -2.5 (-6.5 to 1.4) ms. There were significant differences between TVR latency and WBV-IMR latency in both the groups (mean (95% CI) difference; -6.2 (-9.3 to -3.0) ms, p = 0.0001 for the SCI group and -7.4 (-9.3 to -5.6) ms, p = 0.011 for Control group). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the receptor of origin of TVR and WBV-IMR may be different

Changes in the treatment of Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis in Spain in the last 15 years: from ampicillin plus gentamicin to ampicillin plus ceftriaxone

AbstractThe aim of this study was to assess changes in antibiotic resistance, epidemiology and outcome among patients with Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) and to compare the efficacy and safety of the combination of ampicillin and gentamicin (A+G) with that of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (A+C). The study was a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of EFIE patients treated in our centre from 1997 to 2011. Thirty patients were initially treated with A+G (ampicillin 2 g/4 h and gentamicin 3 mg/kg/day) and 39 with A+C (ampicillin 2 g/4 h and ceftriaxone 2 g/12 h) for 4–6 weeks. Increased rates of high-level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR; gentamicin MIC ≥512 mg/L, streptomycin MIC ≥1024 mg/L or both) were observed in recent years (24% in 1997–2006 and 49% in 2007–2011; p 0.03). The use of A+C increased over time: 1997–2001, 4/18 (22%); 2002–2006, 5/16 (31%); 2007–2011, 30/35 (86%) (p <0.001). Renal failure developed in 65% of the A+G group and in 34% of the A+C group (p 0.014). Thirteen patients (43%) in the A+G group had to discontinue treatment, whereas only one patient (3%) treated with A+C had to discontinue treatment (p <0.001). Only development of heart failure and previous chronic renal failure were independently associated with 1-year mortality, while the individual antibiotic regimen (A+C vs. A+G) did not affect outcome (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.2–2.2; p 0.549). Our study shows that the prevalence of HLAR EFIE has increased significantly in recent years and that alternative treatment with A+C is safer than A+G, with similar clinical outcomes, although the sample size is too small to draw firm conclusions. Randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm these results

The HY5-PIF regulatory module coordinates light and temperature control of photosynthetic gene transcription

The ability to interpret daily and seasonal alterations in light and temperature signals is essential for plant survival. This is particularly important during seedling establishment when the phytochrome photoreceptors activate photosynthetic pigment production for photoautotrophic growth. Phytochromes accomplish this partly through the suppression of phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs), negative regulators of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis. While the bZIP transcription factor long hypocotyl 5 (HY5), a potent PIF antagonist, promotes photosynthetic pigment accumulation in response to light. Here we demonstrate that by directly targeting a common promoter cis-element (G-box), HY5 and PIFs form a dynamic activation-suppression transcriptional module responsive to light and temperature cues. This antagonistic regulatory module provides a simple, direct mechanism through which environmental change can redirect transcriptional control of genes required for photosynthesis and photoprotection. In the regulation of photopigment biosynthesis genes, HY5 and PIFs do not operate alone, but with the circadian clock. However, sudden changes in light or temperature conditions can trigger changes in HY5 and PIFs abundance that adjust the expression of common target genes to optimise photosynthetic performance and growth

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group