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Twenty-seven adult patients were identified as having community-acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis. The K. pneumoniae isolates, collected from cerebrospinal fluid samples, were tested for in vitro antimicrobial susceptibilities. The prognostic factors of these 27 patients were also analysed. All of the third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins tested, as well as monobactam, carbapenem and ciprofloxacin, had good activities against the isolated K. pneumoniae strains. None of the clinical isolates was detected as being an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing pathogen. Among the third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, ceftizoxime, cefepime, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime had superior activities, with MIC90s about four- to eight-fold lower than those of ceftazidime and moxalactam. Mortality rates of patients classified by different antimicrobial agents were as follows: ceftazidime 38% (8/21) and cefepime 16.7% (1/6). The presence of septic shock and the initial level of consciousness at the start of appropriate antimicrobial therapy were the major determinants of survival and neurological outcomes in these 27 patients. Early diagnosis and choice of appropriate antibiotics according to antimicrobial susceptibilities may improve therapeutic outcomes.

Glaucoma was induced in cynomolgus monkeys by photocoagulating the trabecular meshwork with the argon laser. Repeat treatments were often necessary and wide intraocular pressure fluctuations were characteristic. Baseline intraocular pressure was measured with a calibrated pneumatonometer hourly for six hours. On a succeeding day a baseline measurement was made, 50 microliter of the drug to be tested applied, and six hourly measurements of intraocular pressure repeated. The effects on intraocular pressure of timolol, epinephrine, pilocarpine, vanadate, prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), forskolin, and corynanthine were tested in at least eight eyes. Significant (p less than 0.05) reductions of intraocular pressure were produced by 0.5% timolol, 2% epinephrine, 4% pilocarpine, 1% vanadate, 500 micrograms of PGF2 alpha and 1% forskolin. Five per cent corynanthine produced no significant lowering of intraocular pressure. Tonography revealed an increased outflow facility associated with the reduction of intraocular pressure 2 hours after the administration of 4% pilocarpine. This glaucoma animal model may be useful in investigating agents that lower intraocular pressure by a variety of mechanisms.

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