We report a case of herpetic endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. A 65-year-old man underwent uneventful phacoemulsification and vision improved within the first few postoperative days. However, visual loss with an anterior chamber reaction of ++++ and a ++ vitreous cell were noted in the 4th postoperative week. Repeated intravitreal injection of vancomycin and ceftriaxone, pars plana vi...

In retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer, transduction efficiency can be hampered by inhibitory molecules derived from the culture fluid of virus producer cell lines. To remove these inhibitory molecules to enable better gene transduction, we had previously developed a transduction method using a fibronectin fragment-coated vessel (i.e., the RetroNectin-bound virus transduction method). In t...

Evaluation of optimal compositions of blood culture media has called for extensive and laborious work in comparative studies of large series of clincal specimens. Bacterial growth is accompanied by heat production, and calorimetry provides an analytical tool for its detection and quantification. A twin microcalorimeter of the heat conduction type was used to register heat effects in experimenta...

KEY POINTS In Aplysia, reproduction is initiated by the bag cell neurons and a prolonged period of enhanced excitability known as the afterdischarge. Phosphoinositide turnover is upregulated during the afterdischarge resulting in the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate by phospholipase C (PLC) and the release of diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol trisphosphate (IP3 ). In whole-ce...

Late capsular block syndrome (CBS) is a postoperative complication of cataract surgery. It occurs in cases in which there is a 360° adhesion between the continuous curvilinear capsulorrhexis and the anterior surface of the optic of a posterior chamber (PC) intraocular lens (IOL). This adhesion creates the potential for the formation of a sequestered space between the IOL and the posterior lens ...

The sensitivity of screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be improved by adding other specimen sites to nares. We describe an evaluation of a new selective medium, BBL CHROMagar MRSA II (CMRSAII), for its ability to detect MRSA from different specimen types. CMRSAII is a chromogenic medium which incorporates cefoxitin for the detection of MRSA. A study was performe...

Techniques for sputum homogenization and quantitative cultural methods have enabled clinical microbiologists to make a more objective assessment of the bacterial flora found in lower respiratory tract infection. This paper describes the application of the Colworth Stomacher for rapid and effective homogenization of sputum and the use of a calibrated loop for quantitative culture of the homogena...

A 50-year-old man was admitted with a complicated pneumonia. During his long-term inpatient stay, a plastic urinary catheter was positioned. A month after admission the patient’s urine became purple (Picture 1). The patient was apyretic and did not have lower urinary tract symptoms but was constipated. Urinalysis revealed pH 7.8, leucocyturia and negative nitrites. Urine culture isolated Proteu...

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is purple discoloration of urinary catheter, tubing and bag and it is a rare and uncommon manifestation of urinary tract infection. Female gender, constipation, urinary tract infection, dementia, alkaline urine and high urinary bacterial counts are main risk factors. Here we report a 70 year old woman living in a nursing home presented with diarrhea, decreased o...

A purple discolouration of urine and the urine bag was observed in a 73-year-old female patient suffering from alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and acute on chronic renal failure caused by ACE inhibitors and diuretics. The patient was fairly immobile after a trauma and constipated from morphine analgesics. A urinary tract infection was diagnosed, and a urine culture grew Escherichia coli and Prot...