At the time of diagnosis, many sarcoidosis patients have no clinical indication for corticosteroid therapy, and prognostic parameters predicting deterioration are missing. In the present study, we investigated parameters derived from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and serum in 77 patients with recently diagnosed sarcoidosis to test their predictive value. Patients were divided into a group with (Group A, n = 37) and a group without (Group B, n = 40) indications for therapy, and the course of the disease was evaluated after 5.7 +/- 0.4 mo. The CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte ratio and percentage of BAL lymphocytes were of no predictive value. Release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) from cultured alveolar macrophages (AM) was significantly increased in both groups (Group A = 1,872 +/- 428 pg/ml; Group B = 1,561 +/- 449 pg/ml) as compared with controls (220 +/- 37 pg/ml). In Group B, however, patients with a high level of TNF-alpha release had a significantly greater risk of disease progression than did those with normal TNF-alpha release (43.8% versus 8.3%, respectively). From the serologic parameters investigated, consisting of neopterin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), only the last was of significant predictive value; 42.1% of sarcoidosis patients in Group B with a high level of sIL-2R experienced disease progression, whereas none of those with a normal level did. We conclude that TNF-alpha release and sIL-2R are suitable parameters for predicting disease progression in sarcoid patients who have no indication for therapy at the time of disease diagnosis.

Clinical efficacy and tolerance of cefixime were investigated in an open, uncontrolled trial. 200 mg of cefixime were applied twice daily, duration of therapy was between eight and 14 days (mean value 10.1 days, standard deviation +/- 1.4 days). Ten male patients (mean age 42.7 years) and 19 female patients (mean age 34.4 years) were enrolled. Cure or improvement was observed in all 27 patients evaluable for efficacy of treatment. Bacteriological results based on 15 bacteriologically evaluable patients were: elimination of the initial pathogen 60%, persistence 40%. Unwanted side effects and their incidence among the 29 patients evaluable for tolerance were: diarrhoea eight patients (mild to moderate, limited to three to four days on average), nausea and vomiting one patient, discharge and pruritus one patient.

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The clinical efficacy and tolerance of cefixime were evaluated in an open uncontrolled clinical trial including 37 patients suffering from ENT-infections. The MIC90 values of this new oral cephalosporin against gram-negative pathogens are less than 1 mg/l. The antibacterial activity of cefixime against gram-negative pathogens is stronger than that of other oral cephalosporins. Cefixime was administered for five to twelve days twice daily in a dose of 200 mg. In one patient the treatment with cefixime was discontinued after five days due to perioral dermatitis. In 33 of 36 patients cure or distinct improvement was observed after cefixime treatment, showing a clinical success rate of 91.7%. Causative organisms were isolated in 17 of 37 patients (47.2%). After the cefixime therapy the causative organisms were eradicated in 13 of 17 patients (76.5%). The tolerance of cefixime is comparable with that of other oral cephalosporins.