Diet-induced changes in the colonic microflora seem to play a role in colon carcinogenesis. In this study the effects of a yogurt (500 mL/d for 3 wk) enriched with Bifidobacterium longum and 5 g lactulose/L (A) on the fecal bacterial flora and various risk indexes for colon carcinogenesis were tested in 12 healthy volunteers and compared with a conventional yogurt (B). Increased excretion of bifidobacteria (P < 0.017) was found after consumption of both yogurts compared with the prestudy periods, whereas cultural counts of aerobes and anaerobes were not different. Breath-hydrogen exhalation was elevated and mouth-to-cecum transit time was accelerated in the period of yogurt A ingestion (P < 0.05) whereas no differences were found for oral-anal mean transit time, stool weight and pH, and fecal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and neutral sterols. The results generally indicate great stability of the human fecal flora to this kind of dietary intervention.

Summary:We investigated the temporal profile of the changes in regional CBF (rCBF) and intracranial pressure (ICP) during the early phase of pneumococcal meningitis in the rat. rCBF, as measured by laser-Doppler flowmet ry, and ICP were continuously monitored during 6 h post infection (pj.). Brain edema formation was assessed by brain water content determinations. Meningitis was in duced by intracisternal injection of 75 IJ-l of 107 colony forming units/ml pneumococci (n = 7). In control animals (n = 6), saline was injected. There was no change in the rCBF or ICP of controls throughout the experiment. However, there was a dramatic increase in rCBF and ICP associated with brain edema formation in untreated men ingitis animals. rCBF increased to 135.3 ± 33.8% (mean ± SD) in the untreated animals at I h pj. and reached 211.1 ± 40.5% at 6 h pj. (p < 0.05 compared with con trols). ICP increased from 2.9 ± 1.4 to 10.4 ± 4.7 mm Hg at 6 hpj. (p < 0.05 compared with controls). Brain water content was significantly elevated (79.69 ± 0.24 com pared with 78.94 ± 0. 16% in the control group, p < 0.05).

The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia due to Chlamydia pneumoniae was evaluated in a 1-year prospective study of 236 hospitalized patients with 237 manifestations of pneumonia. The microbiological diagnosis was based on results of cultures of blood and sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and results of complement fixation tests and indirect immunofluorescence of acute- and convalescent-phase sera for C. pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella species, Coxiella burnetii, and respiratory viruses. Diagnosis of acute C. pneumoniae infection was made on the basis of the results of microimmunofluorescence of paired serum samples. A microbiological diagnosis was obtained in 160 cases (67.5%). C. pneumoniae was the causative agent in 27 patients (11.4%). The following organisms were the other etiologic agents of pneumonia: Streptococcus pneumoniae, 30 cases (12.7%) (bacteremia occurred in 53.3%); Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 22 (9.3%); respiratory viruses, 22 (9.3%); and Enterobacteriaceae, 18 (7.6%). The prevalence of C. pneumoniae antibody in our study population was 47.5%. As has been increasingly reported in recent years and confirmed by this study, C. pneumoniae appears to be a common etiologic agent of community-acquired pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infection in Germany.

The antibacterial activity of pentachlorophenol and 35 of its known or possible metabolites against 30 different species of bacteria was tested. In comparison with pentachlorophenol, no increase of inhibitory activity was found for any of the chlorinated anisoles tested (except for pentachloroanisole against Streptomyces spp.), 2-chlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol, 2,3,6and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenol, tetrachloro-1,4and-1,3-benzenediol (except for the 1,3-isomer against Streptomyces spp.), tetrachloro-1,3dimethoxybenzene, and tetrachloro-1,3-benzenediol diacetate. Two chlorophenols, five dichlorophenols, four trichlorophenols, two tetrachlorophenols, and tetrachloro-1,2-benzenediol were more active than pentachlorophenol against some, but not all, of the strains tested.

The data of the study may indicate that the assessed sonic and ultrasonic scaler used for subgingival debridement do not result in killing of the tested periodontal pathogens.