No abstract

Sixty-three consecutive streptococcal blood isolates from neutropenic patients, represented mainly by viridans group streptococci, were evaluated in vitro for antibiotic susceptibility. Of these isolates, 79.3% were highly susceptible to penicillin (MIC, .0.12 ,ig/mI). Overall, imipenem was the most active agent, followed by teicoplanin and vancomycin. All other agents showed decreased activity against streptococcal isolates that were not highly susceptible to penicillin.

We present a new computational scheme aimed at reducing the complexity of the chemical networks in astrophysical models, one which is shown to markedly improve their computational efficiency. It contains a flux-reduction scheme that permits to deal with both large and small systems. This procedure is shown to yield a large speed-up of the corresponding numerical codes and provides good accord with the full network results. We analyse and discuss two examples involving chemistry networks of the interstellar medium and show that the results from the present reduction technique reproduce very well the results from fuller calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journa

Although Staphylococcus haemolyticus (SH) represents an emerging etiology of methicillin-resistant (MR) coagulase-negative staphylococcal nosocomial bacteremia, little is known of clinical significance of this infection. Thus, we performed case-control retrospective comparative analysis of MRSH bacteremias (MRSHB), methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis bacteremias (MRSEB), and methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremias (MRSAB) in patients with hematologic malignancies. Most patients in the three groups were neutropenic and had a central venous catheter (CVC) in place at the onset of bacteremia. However, MRSHB patients had a CVC in place prior to bacteremia for a time significantly more prolonged than MRSEB and MRSAB ones (p<0.05). Severe sepsis or septic shock were more common in patients with MRSAB as compared with MRSHB (p=0.02). Nosocomial attributable mortality rate was very low in the 3 study groups (0 to 5.4%) and only two patients developed metastatic infections. Overall, reduced susceptibility to teicoplanin was observed in 19 (47.5%) MRSH and in 4 (10%) MRSE isolates. Resistance to teicoplanin was observed in 6 isolates, all MRSH. Reduced susceptibility or resistance to vancomycin was observed in 2 isolates, both MRSH. All MRSA isolates were susceptible to the glycopeptides. Comparison between cases of bacteremia in patients with MRSH isolates with reduced susceptibility to teicoplanin and those with susceptible MRSH did not reveal significant differences in the clinical-microbiological response to teicoplanin therapy and outcome. Our results seem to suggest that MRSHB in hematologic patients is associated with low morbidity and mortality rates. MRSH frequently shows a reduced susceptibility to teicoplanin; however these in vitro data do not seem associated with an unfavorable clinical response to teicoplanin therapy for MRSHB in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Sterilization of the bone flap with ethylene oxide in patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy avoids some of the drawbacks related to the techniques currently used. The easiness, low cost, good aesthetic and functional results of this procedure make it a valid alternative to other techniques for preservation of autologous bone in decompressive craniectomies.