1/7. Common factors contributing to intractable pain and medical problems with insufficient drug uptake in areas to be treated, and their pathogenesis and treatment: Part I. Combined use of medication with acupuncture, ( ) qi gong energy-stored material, soft laser or electrical stimulation.Most frequently encountered causes of intractable pain and intractable medical problems, including headache, post-herpetic neuralgia, tinnitus with hearing difficulty, brachial essential hypertension, cephalic hypertension and hypotension, arrhythmia, stroke, osteo-arthritis, Minamata disease, Alzheimer's disease and neuromuscular problems, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and cancer are often found to be due to co-existence of 1) viral or bacterial infection, 2) localized microcirculatory disturbances, 3) localized deposits of heavy metals, such as lead or mercury, in affected areas of the body, 4) with or without additional harmful environmental electro-magnetic or electric fields from household electrical devices in close vicinity, which create microcirculatory disturbances and reduced acetylcholine. The main reason why medications known to be effective prove ineffective with intractable medical problems, the authors found, is that even effective medications often cannot reach these affected areas in sufficient therapeutic doses, even though the medications can reach the normal parts of the body and result in side effects when doses are excessive. These conditions are often difficult to treat or may be considered incurable in both Western and Oriental medicine. As solutions to these problems, the authors found some of the following methods can improve circulation and selectively enhance drug uptake: 1) acupuncture, 2) Low pulse repetition rate electrical stimulation (1-2 pulses/second), 3) ( ) qi Gong energy, 4) Soft lasers using Ga-As diode laser or He-Ne gas laser, 5) Certain electro-magnetic fields or rapidly changing or moving electric or magnetic fields, 6) Heat or moxibustion, 7) Individually selected calcium channel blockers, 8) Individually selected Oriental herb medicines known to reduce or eliminate circulatory disturbances. Each method has advantages and limitations and therefore the individually optimal method has to be selected. Applications of ( ) qi Gong energy stored paper or cloth every 4 hours, along with effective medications, were often found to be effective, as Qigongnized materials can often be used repeatedly, as long as they are not exposed to rapidly changing electric, magnetic or electro-magnetic fields. Application of ( ) qi Gong energy-stored paper or cloth, soft laser or changing electric field for 30-60 seconds on the area above the medulla oblongata, vertebral arteries or endocrine representation area at the tail of pancreas reduced or eliminated microcirculatory disturbances and enhanced drug uptake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/7. Alterations in the terminal complement pathway in leukopenic children with malignant diseases during episodes with evidence of infection.A prospective study comprising 23 children under treatment with cytostatic drugs for malignant diseases was undertaken to search for complement abnormalities during episodes with evidence of infection. Eleven patients developed 17 episodes with fever (temperature greater than or equal to 38 degrees C) (n = 13) and/or increased concentration greater than or equal to 10 mg/l) of c-reactive protein (CRP) (n = 16). Complement factor C9 increased significantly (greater than or equal to 150%) in 12/13 of the events with fever, in 16/16 with increased CRP, and in 1 additional event with normal temperature and CRP concentration. The terminal complement complex (TCC) increased excessively (37.2 units/ml) parallel to a fall in C9 and S-protein in a single patient with a lethal septic shock, and was slightly increased (2.9 units/ml) in a 2nd case who was efficiently treated. These were also the only 2 cases with verified bacterial infections. We conclude that C9 is a valuable supplement to CRP for detection of events with probable infection and that TCC is increased only in severe infection and may be of prognostic importance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/7. bile and stone analysis in two infants with brown pigment gallstones and infected bile.Two infants under 3 mo of age who presented with obstructive jaundice secondary to cholelithiasis are reported. Neither infant had any congenital anatomic abnormality of the biliary tract leading to stasis, yet both had cultures of gallbladder bile that grew abundant bacteria. In both, recovery of gallbladder bile and sludge or actual stones allowed a detailed analysis of bile and stone composition. bile was not saturated with cholesterol. In both cases, unconjugated bilirubin accounted for a large percentage of the total bile biliary pigments measured, and stercobilin was present in gallbladder bile. bile beta-glucuronidase activity was higher when measured at the optimal pH of bacterial rather than tissue beta-glucuronidase. Analysis of stone morphology and composition showed characteristics of brown pigment gallstones with a layered appearance and the presence of calcium palmitate. This is the first report of detailed bile and stone analysis in infants and supports the hypothesis that brown pigment gallstones form spontaneously in infants who have bacterial infections in the biliary tract.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/7. acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in infants and children: report of nine cases.We report here nine children with AIDS. The risk factors of these patients were hemophilia in one, blood transfusions in four, maternal intravenous drug use in three and paternal AIDS in one. One baby was also of Haitian parentage. The major clinical symptoms included failure to thrive, hepatomegaly, lymphadenopathy, interstitial pneumonia, recurrent bacterial and viral infections and persistent oral thrush. Three infants had chronic recurrent parotitis. Five infants developed opportunistic infections primarily pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and all five died of bacterial sepsis. None of the infants were lymphopenic but all had reversed T4/T8 ratios and poor in vitro lymphocyte responses to pokeweed mitogens. Although many of the clinical and laboratory features of pediatric and adult AIDS are similar, there are some unique features for pediatric AIDS such as the absence of lymphopenia and the high prevalence of recurrent bacterial infections and sepsis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/7. Dermatologic manifestations of infections in immunocompromised patients.Thirty-one immunocompromised patients (22 renal allograft recipients, 5 patients receiving chronic corticosteroid therapy, and 4 patients undergoing chemotherapy for acute leukemia) with significant dermatologic infection, excluding typical cellulitis and herpesvirus infections, were retrospectively identified over a 12-year period. Of these 31 patients, 15 (48%) had infection restricted to their skin, 6 (19%) appeared to have primary cutaneous infection that spread hematogenously to other parts of the body, 2 (6%) had infections of adjoining nasal tissue that spread to contiguous skin, and 8 (26%) appeared to have disseminated systemic infection that spread to the skin. In six of the eight patients with apparent secondary skin involvement, the development of the cutaneous lesion was the first clinical indication of disseminated infection. Eleven immunocompromised patients (35%) with bacterial infection of the skin or subcutaneous tissue were identified. These patients could be divided into three categories: leukemic patients with bacteremic gram-negative infection metastasizing to the skin (3 cases), renal transplant recipients with recurrent staphylococcal infection on and around the elbow ("transplant elbow") or streptococcal sepsis from a site of cellulitis (5 cases), and immunocompromised patients with opportunistic bacterial infection due to nocardia asteroides or atypical mycobacteria (3 cases). Seventeen immunocompromised patients (55%) with fungal infection of the skin or subcutaneous tissue were identified. These included 12 patients with opportunistic fungal infection (cryptococcus neoformans, 4 cases; aspergillus species, 3 cases; paecilomyces, 2 cases; rhizopus species, 2 cases; and candida tropicalis, 1 case) and 5 patients with extensive, confluent cutaneous dermatophyte infections. One patient with protothecosis and two patients with extensive papillomavirus infection were identified. Of these latter two cases, one had his immunosuppression discontinued, with clearing of his extensive warts; the other had confluent warts of the face and neck that subsequently underwent malignant degeneration to squamous cell carcinoma while chronic immunosuppressive therapy was continued.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/7. Ascorbate therapy in impaired neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis. With atopy, hyperimmunoglobulinemia E, and recurrent infection.A candida albicans corneal ulcer developed in a 24-year-old man with a history of eczema, asthma, and multiple bacterial infections since childhood. The infection responded well to oral flucytosine (12 g/day for 15 days) and topical amphotericin b. Positive laboratory findings included eosinophilla, hyperimmunoglobulinemia E, and impaired neutrophil and monocyte spontaneous migration and chemotactic responses. ascorbic acid corrected the monocyte defect in vitro and in vivo, but had no effect on neutrophil function.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/7. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura that is refractory to therapeutic plasma exchange in two patients with occult infection.BACKGROUND: The etiology of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) remains undetermined. TTP has been associated with a number of secondary causes including infections, drugs, menses, pregnancy, autoimmune diseases, and bone marrow transplantation. Regardless of the inciting factors, it is widely accepted that endothelial injury and platelet aggregation are integral components. The morbidity and mortality have been significantly reduced with the use of plasmapheresis. However, refractory forms of TTP remain a clinical management challenge. Refractory TTP has not previously been associated with occult bacterial infection. CASE REPORT: Two patients had classic TTP that was refractory to daily plasma exchange with fresh-frozen plasma. Multiple attempts over a period of months to wean these patients off plasma exchange resulted in exacerbations of disease activity, as indicated by increased schistocytosis, decreased hematocrit, increased serum lactate dehydrogenase, and decreased platelet counts. Both patients were empirically treated for infections during hospitalization, although microbial cultures failed to isolate an organism. Discontinuation of antimicrobial therapy on multiple occasions in one patient was associated with recurrence of disease. In the other patient, dental extraction with drainage of an occult periodontal abscess resulted in sustained remission of disease. CONCLUSION: Occult bacterial infection may play a role in triggering and sustaining TTP that is refractory to conventional treatment. A careful search for such an infection and appropriate antimicrobial therapy should be considered in the management of these patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = bacterial infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |