PurposeTo evaluate the bacterial spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibilities of pathogens isolated from contact lens-related bacterial keratitis cases in a large academic Greek hospital.MethodsAll adult patients with positive corneal scrapings or contact lens culture between 2007 and 2016 at the University Hospital of Heraklion, Greece, were retrospectively identified through a local microbiology database and their medical records were reviewed.ResultsA total of 240 isolates were recovered from 131 patients with culture-proven contact lens-associated bacterial keratitis. The most common microorganism identified was Serratia marcescens (17.1% of total isolates), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp. and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). Rates of aztreonam-resistant P. aeruginosa and erythromycin-resistant CoNS decreased in recent years, while the decrease in oxacillin-resistant CoNS was statistically significant (p=0.009). More than 90% of the isolated organisms (S. marcescens, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp. and CoNS) were susceptible to ciprofloxacin or gentamicin.ConclusionGram-negative microorganisms are the most common causative pathogens of contact lens-related keratitis in the region of Crete. Topical antibacterials containing quinolones or gentamicin represent an effective empirical treatment for the majority of the cases. This is quite encouraging, considering that the present study was conducted in a country characterised by high antimicrobial resistance rates. However, culture-driven antimicrobial treatment is mandatory for this sight-threatening infection. 相似文献
Active tumor penetration has been recently recognized as a promising strategy to resolve the limitation of nanomedicine in terms of tumor penetration, but it is challenging to develop active transporting nanocarriers. Here, an ultrasonic cavitation-assisted and acid-activatable active transporting liposome for a broad range of tumors is reported. The active transporting liposome (size and charge dual-conversional gemcitabine prodrug-integrated liposomal nanodroplet (SCGLN)) overcomes the tight blood vessel walls with the aid of ultrasonic cavitation. The SCGLN subsequently transforms from micro-size to nano-size under prolonged ultrasound radiation. Once in the acidic tumor microenvironment, the nanosized SCGLN undergoes negative-to-positive charge-reversal and triggers the cationization-initiated transcytosis to penetrate deep into tumor parenchyma. The gemcitabine-loaded SCGLN exhibits potent antitumor activity in multiple poorly permeable tumor models, which completely erases subcutaneous U251 glioma and stops the progression of orthotopic BxPC3 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This study presents a promising and universal strategy to develop active penetrating nanomedicines for efficient drug delivery in the low permeable tumor. 相似文献
As nanomedicine-based clinical strategies have continued to develop, the possibility of combining chemotherapy and singlet oxygen-dependent photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat pancreatic cancer (PaC) has emerged as a viable therapeutic modality. The efficacy of such an approach, however, is likely to be constrained by the mechanisms of drug release and tumor oxygen levels. In the present study, we developed an Fe(III)-complexed porous coordination network (PCN) which we then used to encapsulate PTX (PCN-Fe(III)-PTX) nanoparticles (NPs) in order to treat PaC via a combination of chemotherapy and PDT. The resultant NPs were able to release drug in response to both laser irradiation and pH changes to promote drug accumulation within tumors. Furthermore, through a Fe(III)-based Fenton-like reaction these NPs were able to convert H2O2 in the tumor site to O2, thereby regulating local hypoxic conditions and enhancing the efficacy of PDT approaches. Also these NPs were suitable for use as a T1-MRI weighted contrast agent, making them viable for monitoring therapeutic efficacy upon treatment. Our results in both cell line and animal models of PaC suggest that these NPs represent an ideal agent for mediating effective MRI-guided chemotherapy-PDT, giving them great promise for the clinical treatment of PaC.
Precise diagnosis of cancer in an early stage and treatments with a reliable response, high selectivity, and negligible side effects is urgently needed. However, current cancer management involves low-resolution metrics and delayed visual confirmation of tumor foci in imaging findings, and the toxicity of chemo- and radiotherapy unavoidably damages normal tissue and disrupts the immune balance of cancer patients. Here, a polypeptide is synthesized that preferentially targets lung cancer cells rather than normal lung epithelial cells and induces calcium precipitation specifically on the plasma membrane of lung cancer cells without additional supplementary calcium. Polypeptide-induced cellular calcification can ideally facilitate medical imaging for identifying early-stage lung cancer and distinguish cancer from benign nodules. Physiological and spontaneous calcification of tumors is induced by polypeptides and sharply prolongs the survival of tumor-bearing mice without evidence of systemic side effects. This tumor cell-selective calcification process provides an attractive, safe, and unprecedented approach for accurately visualizing and treating cancer in patients with early-stage disease in the clinic. It has broad implications in developing simple physiological reactions for diagnosing and treating cancer and provides a new horizon for drug discovery. 相似文献