Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there was a difference between the midline skin and the healthy skin in the lateral by means of total amount of collagen and Type I/III ratio which was the indicator of the collagen structure. Material and methods: Fifty patients with pilonidal sinus disease were enrolled. Samples were prepared from the midline skin of the sinus where the holes were located and lateral skin of the resected material. Results: It was determined that the lateral line had significantly more collagen intensity and a higher collagen Type I/III ratio (p < 0.001). Conclusions: One of the reasons why hair mostly pricks into the midline in the intergluteal sulcus in pilonidal sinus disease is the fact that the amount of total collagen and collagen Type I/III ratio of the midline are lower than those of the lateral tissue. Complications are more common in cases with low Type I/III ratio and low total collagen rates.

Resumen Objetivo: El propósito de este estudio es investigar si existía diferencia entre la piel de la línea media y la piel sana en el lateral por medio de la cantidad total de colágeno y la relación Tipo I/III que era el indicador de la estructura del colágeno. Material y métodos: Se inscribieron 50 pacientes con enfermedad del seno pilonidal. Se prepararon muestras de la piel de la línea media del seno donde se ubicaron los orificios y de la piel lateral del material resecado. Resultados: Se determinó que la línea lateral tenía significativamente más intensidad de colágeno y una mayor relación de colágeno Tipo I/III (p < 0.001). Conclusiones: Una de las razones por las que el cabello se pincha principalmente en la línea media en el surco interglúteo en la enfermedad del seno pilonidal es el hecho de que la cantidad de colágeno total y la relación de colágeno tipo I/III de la línea media son menores que las del tejido lateral. Las complicaciones son más comunes en los casos con una proporción baja de Tipo I/III y tasas bajas de colágeno total.

This prospective case-control study was conducted from October 2003 to June 2007 to evaluate risk factors for multidrug resistance among extended-spectrum-b-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. (ESBL-EK) isolates in blood cultures. All adult patients (>18 years old) whose blood cultures grew ESBL-EK during the study period were included. An ESBL-EK isolate was defined as MDR if it was resistant to at least one member of following two classes of antibiotics: aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin, or netilmycin) and fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, or ciprofloxacin). Case patients were those with a MDR ESBL-EK isolate, and control patients were those with a non-MDR ESBL-EK isolate. A total of 94 bloodstream infections, including 37 (39,4%) bloodstream infections with ESBL-producing E. coli and 57 (60,6%) with ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae,in 86 patients were enrolled. Thirty episodes (31.9%) were due to MDR ESBL-EK. The only independent risk factor for MDR ESBL-EK was duration of hospitalization before bacteraemia (OR 3.88; 95% CI 1.55-9.71; p=0.004). The rate of multidrug resistance among ESBL-EK bloodstream isolates was high, and duration of hospitalization before bacteraemia was the only indeepended risk factor for the MDR ESBL-EK bloodstream infections.

Oxidative stress can be defined as an increase in oxidants and/or a decrease in antioxidant capacity. We aimed to determine total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total peroxide, malondialdehyde and catalase levels in plasma samples, and calculation of oxidative stress index (OSI) in patients with brucellosis to evaluate their oxidative status using a novel automated method. Sixty-nine patients with brucellosis and 69 healthy control subjects were included in the present study. Plasma levels of total peroxide and malondialdehyde were significantly increased in patients as compared with healthy controls (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). In contrast, TAC level was significantly lower in patients as compared with controls (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the catalase results of the two groups (p>0.05). OSI level was significantly increased in patients as compared with healthy controls (p<0.001). In conclusion, oxidants were increased and antioxidants were decreased in patients with brucellosis. Oxidative stress was increased in patients with brucellosis.