Articles: sepsis.
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The in vivo efficacy of three cell wall-active antibiotics, imipenem, meropenem, and ceftazidime, was compared in mice rendered hypersusceptible to the pathophysiologic effects of lipopolysaccharide by treatment with D-galactosamine. When CF-1 mice were administered Escherichia coli, D-galactosamine, and saline intraperitoneally, an LD50 was achieved at an inoculum of approximately 2 x 10(4) cfu. ⋯ When the dose of antibiotic was decreased to 2 mg/kg, neither meropenem nor ceftazidime could provide measurable protection, whereas imipenem was almost fully protective (P < .002). These differences in protective efficacy were also noted with experimental Pseudomonas aeruginosa but not Staphylococcus aureus infection.
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Traditionally, sepsis is defined as a systemic inflammatory reaction of the organism to Gram-negative bacterial leading to septic shock--characterized by hemodynamic derangements--and eventually to septic multi-organ malfunction. Sepsis syndrome is diagnosed when fever and other abnormalities of vital signs are present along with abnormalities of one or more organ systems that are not the site of infection and trauma (but with an identifiable locus of infection), and is associated with a range of 30% to 50% mortality. In the United States, one of the most frequent and serious problems confronting clinicians is the management of a serious infection and the systemic response to the infection, such as sepsis. ⋯ Calcium plays vital roles in the intracellular regulation of a variety of cellular responses (for example, contraction, secretion, cell-cell communication, cell proliferation) under physiologic conditions in various cell-types. Alterations in intracellular Ca2+ regulation leading to elevated cytosolic Ca2+ concentration could not only interfere with the cellular responses but also activate lytic enzymes such as proteinases and phospholipases. The objective of this article is to discuss the experimental findings that indicates relationship between alterations in cellular signaling and protein metabolic derangements in non-immune cells (skeletal muscle or liver) during sepsis and inflammation.
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Endotoxin (ETX) is thought to be the primary inducer of proinflammatory mediator release associated with bacterial sepsis. Furthermore, a number of studies indicate that preexposure of animals to high doses of ETX produces macrophages (M luminal diameters) that are refractory to ex vivo stimulation with ETX. However, it is unknown if levels of ETX comparable to those typically encountered in sepsis induce a similar refractory state in M luminal diameters. ⋯ Bacterial component(s) other than ETX per se induces the sustained dysfunction in PM luminal diameter capacity to produce proinflammatory cytokines during sepsis and/or peritonitis. Thus, agents directed against ETX alone may not be adequate in the treatment of polymicrobial sepsis.
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 1995
Multicenter StudyThe Italian SEPSIS study: preliminary results on the incidence and evolution of SIRS, sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock.
This prospective, multicenter, epidemiological study was carried out in 99 Italian ICUs, distributed throughout the country, from April 1993 to March 1994. In the study, we applied the new ACCP/SCCM classification system for sepsis (SIRS, sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock) and determined the prevalence, incidence, evolution and outcome of these categories in critically ill patients. The preliminary analysis of 1101 patients showed that on admission SIRS accounted for about half of the diagnoses (52%) with sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock accounting for 4.5%, 2.1% and 3% of patients, respectively. ⋯ With respect to evolution, the incidence of septic shock was progressively higher in patients admitted with more severe "sepsis-related" diagnoses, while only a trivial difference in rates of incidence was observed between SIRS patients and those admitted without SIRS or any septic disorder (nil). The breakdown of the various ACCP/SCCM "sepsis-related" diagnoses at any time during the study was: SIRS in 58% of the population, sepsis in 16.3%, severe sepsis in 5.5% and septic shock in 6.1%. It seems reasonable to expect from the final evaluation of our study answers to the questions raised by the ACCP/SCCM Consensus Conference about the correlations between "sepsis-related" diagnosis, severity score, organ dysfunction score and outcome.