Infected urachal remnants in the adult: case report and review

Abnormalities of the urachus in adults are uncommon. Urachal tract remnants that abnormally remain patent are subject to infection. Urachal infection is frequently confused with a wide spectrum of midline intraabdominal or pelvic inflammatory disorders. Because the literature on urachal infection is primarily limited to articles in urology and surgical specialty journals, many physicians may not be familiar with the varied clinical manifestations. We describe a case of infection of a patent urachus in an adult and review the embryology and anatomy of the urachus as it relates to clinical presentation, evaluation, and management. Infection of a urachal remnant should be included in the broad differential diagnosis of omphalitis and midline abdominal or pelvic infections. Rarely, it may be a cause of recurrent urinary tract infection. Definitive management consists of surgical excision after the institution of antimicrobial therapy.

Imaging Semiconductors, Metals and Molecules with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

A brief review of applications of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to studies of clean and adsorbate covered surfaces is given. For metal-semiconductor systems, high resolution images provide insight into nucleation phenomena and atomic scale structure. For the metal on metal systems of Ag and Ni on Au(l11) we report surprising new nucleation phenomena. Finally, we show that images of flat lying aromatic molecules can be obtained.

Number of comorbidities as a predictor of nosocomial infection acquisition

Infection control programs are primarily oriented toward chronicling the incidence of nosocomial infections (NI). Intervention programs oriented toward preventing infection would be facilitated by identifying patients at greatest risk of NI acquisition. We studied the number of comorbidities as a risk predictor for NIs in patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) for three or more days. In 148 patients, we found by regression analysis that the number of comorbidities varied directly with the development of nosocomial infections, as well as with the appearance of new complications and length of ICU stay. Diagnosis-related groups did not adequately account for the variance in comorbidities observed.

The effect of food on ciramadol bioavailability in normal subjects

Eleven healthy volunteers completed a study to compare the relative bioavailability to orally administered ciramadol in a fasting versus postprandial state. A single oral dose of 30 mg of ciramadol was administered on two separate occasions, 2 weeks apart, in a randomized crossover study. A mono- or biexponential pharmacokinetic equation with first-order absorption was applied to analyse the serum data for each subject. Significant differences were found in peak time (tmax) and absorption time (tabs) whereas the mean AUCs for the two modes of administration were not significantly different. The relative bioavailability (F) of the drug when administered in the postprandial state with respect to the fasting state was 96 per cent. It is thus concluded that ingestion of food has no effect on the extent of absorption of ciramadol; however, food may alter its rate of absorption.

Detergent, Brij, increasing the area of new surface membrane during the early cleavage of eggs of Rana amurensis

The exposure of new surface membrane occurred in the cleavage furrow of Rana amurensis eggs enclosed in fertilization membrane immersed in Brij solution. The exposed area increased gradually and reached a maximum while the furrow extended to 240 degrees around the egg surface. At this time, the new membrane area of the treated eggs was significantly larger than that of the control. Afterwards, the exposed new membrane area decreased gradually. This may result from the extent of new membrane increase being less than the extent of contraction of cleavage furrow.

The relative bioavailability of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol administered as a low-dose combination oral contraceptive

The relative bioavailability of levonorgestrel (LNG) and ethinyl estradiol (EE) administered concomitantly both as an oral tablet and as a solution was assessed in a randomized two-period crossover study in 24 healthy women. Serum concentrations were monitored for 96 h after each administration. The relative bioavailability (Fr) of LNG in the tablet with respect to the solution was 107%; thus the two formulations were bioequivalent with respect to LNG. The relative bioavailability of EE, however, was significantly lower for the tablet (Fr 83%) compared to the solution. This difference may have been due to either decreased absorption or enhanced presystemic elimination of EE from the tablet formulation.