Aim: to investigate regularities of the spread of oral microflora during manipulations performed by the dental orthopedist and evaluate the individual protection equipment and measures to prevent the spread of infections used by dentists and to improve them. Objectives 1. To investigate the formation of a spray and its spreading during preparation of the solid dental tissues. 2. To investigate the distribution of the mixture formed of the fluid of the oral cavity and cooling fluid in the work zone of the dentist’s in the course of preparation of solid dental tissues; to evaluate and optimize the effectiveness of suction systems. 3. To investigate the contamination of the plaster teeth models with oral microflora through alginate and silicon impressions and suggest the most optimal method of their disinfection. 4. To evaluate the efficacy of exposure to 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate aqueous solution as a prophylactic agent used before starting dental procedures. 5. To determine changes in microbial contamination of the dentist’s protective face shield after preparation of the solid dental tissues. 6. To determine the level of usage of the individual protection equipment and measures to prevent the spread of infections among Lithuanian dentist. Novelty and practical significance of the research work. The following results characterize the novelty and practical significance of this research ; - an original methodology has been... [to full text]

Main purpose of the work is to evaluate the peculiarities of nursing of surgical site infection in cardiosurgery. Methods. The questionnaire, interview, documentary and statistical analysis. The questionnaire was made by themselves, sustaining literature and foreign research analysis. Objectives. During the study was made two grups of object. One was 40 nurses working in Clinics of Medical University of Kaunas in section of cardio or common surgery. The second grup were the patients who had wound infection and were healed and examined at Clinics of Cardio surgery of Medical University of Kaunas. Results. During the study were forthcoming that both of section nurses do the function of technic nursing. The contact with the patient and teahcing is not popular. The cardio surgery nurses has these prioritires: pain control, the isoliation of the patient. The nurses from the common surgery has these prioritires: monitoring of fever and the observation of the common patients condition. During the study the patient pointed the demand of knowledge (about prevention of infection (66,6 %), the ways of infection spread (46,6 %)). Only about 40 precentage of the patient would like to go to the training. The results of study also showed that about 33,3 precentage of patient dont use any means of prevention and dont know the reasons of it. Conclusions. There was found that statistical diferences of the nursing action are: the observation of the common patients condition (p < 0,01)... [to full text]

Historically, the primary belief has been that asthma is an atopic disease with the strongest risk factor for developing asthma being exposure to an allergen. However, researchers have begun to question that long held belief and are beginning to study other postnatal environmental factors such as stress. Research delving into maternal postnatal distress and the subsequent effects seen upon the developing neonatal immune system as it pertains to asthma has gained momentum. With that in mind, the focus of this research was 1) to determine if skin infections are more likely to be seen in young children who have been exposed to maternal distress, 2) to determine if skin infections in children from infancy to age 2 are associated with asthma, independent of atopic dermatitis, and 3) to determine if the association between early life skin infection and asthma was independent of recent stress biomarkers such as cortisol and dehydroepiandrostrone (DHEA). To meet the objectives listed above, the 1995 SAGE (Study of Asthma, Genes and the Environment) Manitoba birth cohort of 13980 children was used. Maternal postnatal distress, skin infection and atopic dermatitis in the infant, asthma at age 11 and other risk factors for asthma were derived from Manitoba’s health care databases. For objective 3, data on stress biomarkers (Cortisol/DHEA ratio) were obtained from the SAGE nested case-control study. Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed the first objective that skin infections (adj. OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.13-1.39) and or atopic dermatitis (adj. OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.26-1.70) seen in children from birth to age 2 could be used as indirect markers of stress. The second objective determined that children who exhibited an early skin infection, from birth to age two, were at an increased risk for developing asthma by age 11 independent of atopic dermatitis. However, this finding was dependent upon frequency of health care use. Those children that exhibited an early skin infection and had less than 24 health care visits over 7 years were 1.33 times (95% CI 1.01-1.75) more likely to acquire asthma by age 11 than those who did not have an early skin infection. Children with fewer health care visits were 1.44 times more likely to have asthma. The third objective was not met because the association between early skin infection and asthma was not independent of the Cortisol/DHEA ratio. However, the univariate results for skin infection in the nested case-control study were not significant. The findings of this thesis may be used by family physicians or paediatricians when looking for tangible markers that may indicate infants at risk for developing asthma by school age.

Endogenous production of nitrate in patients with infective gastroenteritis is increased manifold, and this increase originates from endogenous production of nitric oxide via the enzymatic L-arginine-NO pathway. Endogenous nitrate production seems to be a specific feature of infective gastroenteritis; no significant increase is observed in non-infective diarrhoeal conditions, and the production during other infective conditions such as septicaemia is comparatively modest. Twenty four hours urinary nitrate excretion after a period of minimal oral nitrate intake is the golden standard for measuring endogenous nitrate production, but is difficult to implement and prone to sampling errors. The urinary nitrate/creatinine ratio appears a satisfactory alternative provided that a standardised collection procedure is carried out. The urinary ratio reveals differences in endogenous nitrate production that remain undisclosed with serum nitrate measurements. Addition of nitrite achieves kill of micro-organisms where acid alone allows growth to continue. The synergism in antimicrobial action of acid and nitrite is evident against common gut pathogens such as the <I>Enterobacteriaceae</I>, including <I>E. coli 0157, </I>but also against the stomach pathogen <I>H pylori, </I>normally very resistant to acid alone. The antibacterial action of acidified nitrite becomes apparent at physiological concentrations of acid and nitrite after exposure times that are within the passage time of a food bolus through the stomach. Acidified nitrite also has an antifungal effect against <I>Candida albicans, </I>however at concentrations of acid and nitrite not normally found in the human upper gastro-intestinal tract. The antimicrobial activity of acidified nitrite is enhanced by thiocyanate, also present in gastric juices. Ascorbic acid provides protection against the antibacterial action of acidified nitrite, suggesting that NO is not the antibacterial agent. Acidification of salivary nitrite in the stomach will increase host defence against ingested pathogens. Generation of salivary nitrite increases greatly after nitrate ingestion, suggesting that ingestion of foods rich in nitrate may protect against infective gastroenteritis.

A mouse model was used to study the pathogenesis of systemic infection by the opportunistic pathogen <i>Candida albicans</i>. Using this model it was demonstrated that <i>C. albicans</i> yeast cells were more pathogenic for mice than hyphal forms. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes were shown to be important in resistance to systemic infection by <i>C. albicans</i>. Studies on conditions which promote germination of <i>C. albicans</i> yeasts showed that maximum numbers of yeast cells produced germ tubes when incubated in tissue culture media at 37°C, by 2 hours. A comparative ultrastructural examination of yeasts, germ tubes and hyphal forms demonstrated marked differences in the thickness and organisation of the cell walls between these forms. Furthermore, germination of <i>C. albicans</i> yeasts was shown to be accompanied by significant release of cell wall antigens. <i>In vitro</i> interactions between mouse polymorphonuclear leukocytes and <i>C. albicans</i> yeasts, germ tubes and hyphae in the absence of serum were examined. Mouse neutrophils were found to adhere readily to the surface of germ tubes and hyphae but not yeasts. This adherence resulted in damage of the fungus. Studies on the degradation of killed <i>C. albicans</i> yeasts following phagocytosis by murine macrophages <i>in vitro</i>, showed that progressive removal of yeast cell wall layers occurred. This was followed by dissolution of the cytoplasmic contents. During this process, cell wall and cytoplasmic antigens were released into the surrounding medium. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was developed to measure IgM, IgA and IgG class antibodies to <i>C. albicans</i> mannan and cytoplasmic antigens in patient's sera, and was shown to have diagnostic potential for candida infection. In particular, use of this assay to monitor the kinetics of antibody levels to these antigens was found to be of diagnostic value for immunocompromised patients at risk of candida infection. Finally a number of monoclonal antibodies were produced to <i>C. albicans</i> cytoplasmic proteins and have been partially characterised.

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ABSTRACT Adenovirus Death Protein (ADP) expression during late stages of a lytic infection releases mature virions to promote viral spread, thus leading to death of the host cell. We sought to investigate ADP expression patterns in persistently infected human lymphocytes cells. We hypothesized that low expression of ADP allows the virus to persist while high expression would promote lytic infection in lymphocytes. Accordingly, we found ADP expressed in low amount in BJAB and KE37 cells, while lytically infected Jurkat cells demonstrated higher ADP expression in both protein and transcript levels. ADP overexpression in persistently infected lymphocytes did not alter the viability of these cells, or their level of ADP expression. In contrast, Jurkat cells infected with an ADP-deleted virus had increased survival and maintained viral DNA for greater than 1-month, suggesting conversion to a persistent infection. Also manipulating ADP expression had minimal impact on the total virus yield from infected lymphocytes.