The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant H. pylori clinical isolates is a growing concern. So far, fluoroquinolones have not been used to treat H. pylori on a large scale, but recent studies have ...reported a high rate of quinolones-resistance in H. pylori too. The aim of our study was to asses the mechanism of resistance to ciprofloxacin in H. pylori clinical isolates from patients living in Slovenia.
Out of 397 H. pylori clinical isolates, obtained in the period 1997 to 2004, 33 (8.3%) ciprofloxacin-resistant H. pylori isolates were recognized. DNA sequences of the gyrA gene were determined and translated into amino acid sequences.
Based on the results of this analysis, various point mutations in the ciprofloxacin-resistant clinical isolates were revealed. The most common mutations in H. pylori gyrA gene were found at codons corresponding to Asp91 (57.6%) and Asn87 (36.4%). Sequence analysis revealed amino acid substitutions also at codons Ala97 to Val, Ala129 to Thr and a double substitution at Asn87 to Lys and Val107 to Ile.
These results suggest that H. pylori resistance to ciprofloxacin is already present in the Slovenian population and that it seems to be mediated through amino acid substitutions in the gyrA gene. Furthermore, the results obtained from the study also demonstrate no significant association between the type of gyrA mutation and the ciprofloxacin MIC level.
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a multitarget pyrose-quencing-based protocol for basic Chlamydia trachomatis genotyping directly from clinical samples and to ...characterize the distribution of genotypes among Slovenian sexually active population. The newly developed combination of assays that targets the variable domains VD-I and VD-IV of the C. trachomatisompA gene, was optimized and validated with 11 reference C. trachomatis strains and by comparison to complete ompA conventional sequencing. In addition, 183 clinical specimens which were previously diagnosed as C. trachomatis positive were evaluated by pyrosequencing. The pyrosequencing products showed a 100% match to corresponding sections of the respective conventional ompA sequences. Based on our results the most frequent genotype in urogenital samples was E (51.1%) followed by F (21.4%), G and K (6.9%), D (6.1%), H (3.8%), J (2.3%) and Ia and Ja (0.8%). In conjunctiva samples the genotype distribution was E (63.3%), D and F (13.3%), K (6.7%) and G (3.3%). Pyrosequencing thus proved itself to be a rapid method for C. trachomatis typing, which is important for better understanding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of this pathogen.
Abstract
Background: The aim of the study was to assess the performance of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) assay on plasma and respiratory samples for the diagnosis of pneumococcal ...pneumonia.
Methods: Three hundred and forty patients (160 children and 180 adults) with community-acquired pneumonia were included prospectively from January 2011 to May 2012. Blood samples were obtained simultaneously for culture and rt-PCR targeting the lytA gene. Respiratory samples were also obtained: nasopharyngeal swab in nearly all patients and sputum or tracheal aspirate when available.
Results: Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected in 222 (65%) of 340 patients: 143 (89%) children and 79 (44%) adults. Pneumonia was assigned as definite pneumococcal in 96 (28.2%) of 340 patients, according to S. pneumoniae detected in blood: in 54 (33.8%) children - by rt-PCR in 51 (31.9%) and by culture in 5 (3.1%); and in 42 (23.3%) adults - by rt-PCR in 41 (22.8%) and by culture in 12 (6.7%). Pneumonia was considered as probably pneumococcal in 19 (10.6%) adults according to S. pneumoniae detected in sputum/tracheal aspirate, by rt-PCR in 19 and by culture in 5. In 18 adults and 89 children with S. pneumoniae detected only in the nasopharynx, pneumonia was considered as possibly pneumococcal; however it should be noted that nasopharyngeal colonization with S. pneumoniae is also common in children with other aetiologies of pneumonia.
Conclusions: rt-PCR on plasma and other samples performed significantly better than culture for the detection of pneumococcal pneumonia (p < 0.0005) in children and adults.
•Modern geodetic technology is used to determine the inclination of tall chimneys.•The results are obtained by modelling the object from scanned point clouds.•The described scanning method is general ...and also works with complicated objects.
In order to ensure safe operation of tall industrial chimneys their verticality needs to be accurately monitored. Vertical plumbing, the classic geodetic procedure for detecting the inclination has certain drawbacks and can be replaced by modern technology if necessary. In this article we are going to propose a more general and rigorous procedure, which includes measurements that result in point clouds, and explain the processing of this type of data. In our case study we used two types of modern geodetic instruments: the most accurate total station (TPS) Leica TS30 and the terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) Riegl VZ-400. Data acquired with these instruments were fit to a cylinder using the least squares adjustment and the results were compared. The article points out the differences between the used technologies as well as the differences between the results. During the study certain questions arose and we tried our best to explain and solve them. These included: the outlier detection and removal, the influence of large amounts of data on processing time and accuracy estimates, the influence of angle of incidence of laser beam on the chimney’s inclination. In the end the deviations from the best fitting model were investigated. The article represents a comprehensive review of the use of modern geodetic technology for solving important engineering monitoring tasks.
Background. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is a percutaneous treatment option for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. Due to early restenosis and failure to improve long term survival, BAV is ...considered a palliative measure in patients who are not suitable for open heart surgery due to increased perioperative risk. BAV can be used also as a bridge to surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in haemodinamically unstable patients or in patients who require urgent major non-cardiac surgery.
Patients and methods. We reported on 6 oncologic patients with severe aortic stenosis that required a major abdominal and gynaecological surgery. In 5 cases we performed BAV procedure alone; in one patient with concomitant coronary artery disease we combined BAV and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Results. With angioplasty and BAV we achieved a good coronary artery flow and an increase in aortic valve area without any periprocedural complications. After the successful procedure, we observed a hemodynamic and symptomatic improvement. As a consequence the operative risk for non-cardiac surgery decreased and the surgical treatment of cancer was done without complications in all the 6 cases. Conclusions. BAV can be utilized as a part of a complex therapy in severe aortic stenosis aimed to improve the quality of life, decrease the surgical risk for major non-cardiac surgery or as a bridge to surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
PDF
