Resistance patterns of selected respiratory tract pathogens in Poland

ABSTRACTThis study presents the results of a survey of the in-vitro susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of major pathogens responsible for community-acquired respiratory tract infections in Poland during 2002–2004. The collection of 1184 bacterial isolates comprised 398 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 344 Haemophilus influenzae, 302 Streptococcus pyogenes and 140 Moraxella catarrhalis. Among the pneumococcal isolates, 16.8% were penicillin-non-susceptible (PNSP), of which 80.6% were identified as multidrug-resistant. Overall, 9.0% of H. influenzae isolates were β-lactamase-positive, although this percentage increased noticeably in the third year of the study. Based on PCR results, 12.8% of H. influenzae isolates were identified as low-level β-lactamase-negative, ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR), and one isolate as low-level β-lactamase-positive, amoxycillin–clavulanic acid-resistant (BLPACR). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) classified 45 H. influenzae isolates with altered penicillin-binding proteins into 15 PFGE types, including two predominant types (with four and six sub-types) containing 15 and ten isolates, respectively. Resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin and clindamycin was found in 20.9%, 8.9% and 4.6% of S. pyogenes isolates, respectively. The production of β-lactamase characterised 91.4% of M. catarrhalis isolates. In summary, the overall occurrence of PNSP in Poland remains stable, although there was a noticeable increase in the proportion of fully-resistant isolates. A rising trend in the prevalence of β-lactamase producers and low-level BLNAR isolates was observed among Polish isolates of H. influenzae

Clinical application of a rapid microbiological test based on capillary zone electrophoresis to assess local skin infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The basic clinical problem associated with infection treatment is the fact that classic, commonly and routinely used isolation and identification methods are based on long-term processes of a phenotypic analysis of microorganisms. Consequently sometimes, especially in small centres, rapid implementation of antibacterial treatment becomes delayed.</p> <p>The work presents the initial results of rapid microbiological identification based on an original method of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The study involved the analysis of 78 biological samples from post-operative wounds and trophic ulcers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The attempt was made to identify individual bacterial species based on characteristic features of electropherograms achieved. Finally, G(+) cocci type bacteria and different G(-) rods were identified with sensitivity of 88.1% and specificity of 100%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on the clinical trials using an electrophoretic technique in the field of microbiological diagnostics of infected exudate from a post-operative wound it can be concluded that it is a rapid and relatively sensitive method for initial identification of infectious pathogens.</p

On the development of the VIPAR polymer gel dosimeter for three-dimensional dose measurements

The new polymer gel dosimeter, based on the modification of the VIPAR gel composition, is described for the purpose of radiation dose distribution measurement in radiotherapy. It features increased concentration of the two VIPAR substrates: N-vinylpyrrolidone (8%) and gelatine (7.5%) (N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide was maintained at 4%), and the addition of copper sulphate (0.0008%) and ascorbic acid (0.007%) in order to facilitate the preparation through elimination of the need for deoxygenation of the gel. Following the exposure to ionizing radiation, polymerisation and cross-linking of the new gel monomers occurs retaining the spatial distribution of absorbed dose and causing opacity of the gel. Quantitative parameters of the new gel dose response were studied using magnetic resonance imaging to relate polymerisation induced physicochemical changes of the gel to dose. The dose threshold is found significantly lower than that of the original VIPAR gel. The linear part of measured spin-spin relaxation rate R2(D) (=; 1/T2(D)) reaches up to 35 Gy. Its slope and an intercept are slightly higher relative to the original VIPAR. The efficiency of the new polymer gel-magnetic resonance imaging dosimeter was also tested for dose verification of a 3D dose distribution planned by a commercially available treatment planning software (Eclipse External Beam v.6.5) and delivered by a 6 MV medical linear accelerator. The new polymer gel is proposed to be called, VIPARnd (after VIPAR-normoxic-double). Copyright © 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH &amp;amp; Co. KGaA

Mucoadhesive Polymers and Their Applications in Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is the tenth most common type of cancer worldwide, affecting up to four times more men than women. Depending on the stage of the tumor, different therapy protocols are applied. Non-muscle-invasive cancer englobes around 70% of the cases and is usually treated using the transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBIT) followed by the instillation of chemotherapy or immunotherapy. However, due to bladder anatomy and physiology, current intravesical therapies present limitations concerning permeation and time of residence. Furthermore, they require several frequent catheter insertions with a reduced interval between doses, which is highly demotivating for the patient. This scenario has encouraged several pieces of research focusing on the development of drug delivery systems (DDS) to improve drug time residence, permeation capacity, and target release. In this review, the current situation of BC is described concerning the disease and available treatments, followed by a report on the main DDS developed in the past few years, focusing on those based on mucoadhesive polymers as a strategy. A brief review of methods to evaluate mucoadhesion properties is also presented; lastly, different polymers suitable for this application are discussed