Molecular pathology of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related non-Hodgkin''s lymphoma

The assumption that Amish cultural value of cooperation leads to greater longevity, prosperity and well-being among elders was examined using historical demographic and ethnographic analysis in a conservative Old Order Amish community. Migration, fertility, mortality and morbidity data since 1948 were used to identify population structure. The population pyramid in the Amish community (3% of the population over age 60, compared to 18% of the neighboring non-Amish rural area) is largely determined by natural fertility with low infant mortality. Household ethnography explored health beliefs, access to health care, caregiving patterns, and economic strategies. The perception that community cooperation and altruistic behavior were of benefit to Amish health is supported by mortality rates. Amish age standardized death rates were 19% below the US death rate in 1960. Migrating to form new communities and selectively utilizing acute (but not preventive or public) health care services, emerged as strong cultural patterns that facilitate reproductive success among the Amish.     

Cultural implications for nursing care of the Amish

The Amish are a conservative Protestant religious sect with a unique set of culture and traditions. In order to provide culturally appropriate and sensitive health care, it is imperative for nurses and other health care providers to have a basic understanding of variations of Amish lifestyle from other cultural groups. Application of Giger and Davidhizar's Transcultural Assessment Model provides information and nursing implications to assist nurses and other health care personnel when caring for Amish clients.     

Aging in the Amish community

The experience of aging in The Old Order Amish Community, of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is explored from the viewpoint of the elderly. Through personal interviews with elderly Amish and others knowledgeable about the community, the influence of religious beliefs and practices as the core of their lifestyle becomes evident. The entire community, not just family members, cares for the elders with respect and loving care, generally without recourse to any external resources from the non-Amish.     

Psychological assessment of the Old Order Amish: Unraveling the enigma.

Old Order Amish define their existence as "in" but not "of" the world, expressing their spirituality in a culture currently unique among Christian sects. The mental health professional--"of" the world, by definition--faces the task of providing services to a sequestered people. This article examines the needed modifications in role, to accommodate expectations of equality, and respect for the boundaries that must always exist. Little professional literature--and almost none in recent years--addresses psychological interventions with the Amish. The challenge of providing services to this population illuminates the challenge of a sequestered people, the demands of cross-cultural service, and a humbling recognition of the limitations to existing psychological techniques and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gene structure and mutations of glutaryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase: impaired association of enzyme subunits that is due to an A421V substitution causes glutaric acidemia type I in the Amish

The structure of the human glutaryl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (GCD) gene was determined to contain 11 exons and to span approximately 7 kb. Fibroblast DNA from 64 unrelated glutaric acidemia type I (GA1) patients was screened for mutations by PCR amplification and analysis of SSCP. Fragments with altered electrophoretic mobility were subcloned and sequenced to detect mutations that caused GA1. This report describes the structure of the GCD gene, as well as point mutations and polymorphisms found in 7 of its 11 exons. Several mutations were found in more than one patient, but no one prevalent mutation was detected in the general population. As expected from pedigree analysis, a single mutant allele causes GA1 in the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Several mutations have been expressed in Escherichia coli, and all produce diminished enzyme activity. Reduced activity in GCD encoded by the A421V mutation in the Amish may be due to impaired association of enzyme subunits.     

The Amish way of death: A study of family support systems.

Discusses the fact that coping with death is becoming increasingly difficult in society today. Science and technology have replaced belief and ritual, most deaths take place in institutional settings rather than in the home, and the high rate of mobility of the nuclear family lessens the opportunities for experiencing life and death within an extended-network support system. The author considers that the centrality of the family in Amish society and the unchanged function of the family unit present a rare opportunity to study relational support systems that have been successful in coping with death for the past 400 yrs. 24 Amish families were interviewed in 5 areas: family structure, group structure, funeral customs and rituals of mourning, personal experience with death, and personal feelings about death. Implications are presented for psychosocial issues in contemporary society in terms of improving the quality of life and death for the dying, their families, and the professionals involved in their care. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic and physical mapping of the McKusick-Kaufman syndrome

McKusick-Kaufman syndrome is a human developmental anomaly syndrome comprising mesoaxial or postaxial polydactyly, congenital heart disease and hydrometrocolpos. This syndrome is diagnosed most frequently in the Old Order Amish population and is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern with reduced penetrance and variable expressivity. Homozygosity mapping and linkage analyses were conducted using two pedigrees derived from a larger pedigree published in 1978. The PedHunter software query system was used on the Amish Genealogy Database to correct the previous pedigree, derive a minimal pedigree connecting those affected sibships that are in the database and determine the most recent common ancestors of the affected persons. Whole genome short tandem repeat polymorphism (STRP) screening showed homozygosity in 20p12, between D20S162 and D20S894 , an area that includes the Alagille syndrome critical region. The peak two-point LOD score was 3.33, and the peak three-point LOD score was 5.21. The physical map of this region has been defined, and additional polymorphic markers have been isolated. The region includes several genes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs), including the jagged1 gene that recently has been shown to be haploinsufficient in the Alagille syndrome. Sequencing of jagged1 in two unrelated individuals affected with McKusick-Kaufman syndrome has not revealed any disease-causing mutations.     

HPV-16 oncogenes E6 and E7 are mutagenic in normal human oral keratinocytes

The mutation frequency of pS189 shuttle vector plasmids is higher in human oral keratinocytes (NHOK) immortalized with cloned human papillomavirus-16 (HPV-16) genome than in primary normal NHOK (NHOK). To determine whether oncoproteins E6 and E7 of HPV-16 are responsible for the higher mutation frequency of the plasmids, we measured the mutation frequency in NHOK and in NHOK expressing the HPV-16 oncogenes (E6, E7, or E6 plus E7). We also measured the mutation frequency in NHOK expressing the E6 or E7 proteins of the non-oncogenic HPV-6b. The mutation frequency, either background or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced, in NHOK expressing the HPV-16 oncoproteins (E6, E7, or E6 plus E7) was significantly higher than in NHOK. The HPV-16 oncogenes did not alter the nature of the MNNG-induced mutations (G:C-->A:T), but increased the frequency of deletions and insertions with or without MNNG. The background or MNNG-induced mutation frequency in NHOK expressing the HPV-6b E6 or E7 proteins was the same as in NHOK. NHOK and NHOK expressing HPV6b-E6 or E7 were able to arrest the cell cycle and enhance cellular p53, p21(WAF1/CIP1), and Gadd45 levels when exposed to MNNG, whereas NHOK expressing the HPV-16 E6 oncogene did not demonstrate. NHOK expressing HPV-16 E7 were able to enhance cellular p53, p21(WAF1/CIP1), and Gadd45 levels, but failed to arrest cell cycle progression when exposed to MNNG. These data indicate that HPV-16 E6 and E7 oncogenes are mutagenic in human oral keratinocytes and enhance the mutagenic effect of MNNG. However, the E6 and E7 proteins of the 'low risk' HPV-6b did not demonstrate such an ability.     

The effects of eccentricity and spatial frequency on the orientation discrimination asymmetry

This study investigated the effects of eccentricity and spatial frequency on the discrimination of vertical and oblique (10 deg from vertical) Gabor patches. Within a display stimuli were scaled by a factor F = 1 + E/E2 at each eccentricity (E) in an attempt to equate either the number of photoreceptors (E2 = 2.5) or cortical area (E2 = 0.77) engaged at each eccentricity. The task was to detect a differently oriented target among eleven distractors. Orientation discrimination asymmetries (ODAs) were found such that an oblique stimulus was easier to detect in a background of vertical stimuli than vice versa. Subjects were equally sensitive to the two highest frequency Gabor patches and less sensitive to the lowest frequency Gabors. When stimuli were scaled with E2 = 2.5 sensitivity was constant at all eccentricities and the ODA magnitude was unaffected. When stimuli were magnified with E2 = 0.77 both sensitivity and ODA magnitude increased with eccentricity. Generally, we may conclude that the ODA effect is not a strictly foveal phenomenon nor is it a strictly high frequency effect.     

Real-time NMR studies on folding of mutants of barnase and chymotrypsin inhibitor 2

Apolipoprotein E (apo E) epsilon4 is a risk factor for sporadic and late-onset familial Alzheimer's disease, but it is not well known whether the apo E is associated with spinocerebellar degeneration. We studied the frequency of apo E allele in 59 olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) patients, including 13 pathologically confirmed cases. The distribution of the apo E allele frequency did not differ between OPCA patients and controls. Apo E allele does not influence the development of OPCA.     

Piperacillin-tazobactam as empiric monotherapy in febrile neutropenic patients with haematological malignancies

To examine the relationship between apolipoprotein E (apoE) phenotype and life span, we measured the frequently of the apoE phenotype and allele in 54 Japanese centenarians who lived in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 1994, 1995, and 1996. The control group consisted of 973 subjects, 883 healthy volunteers who were described previously and 90 healthy people who came to the Keio health consulting center. The apoE phenotypes in the centenarians was 2 E2/E2 (3.7%), 5 E2/E3 (9.3%), 38 E3/E3 (70.4%), and 9 3E/E4 (16.7%). No other phenotype was observed. In the control group, the phenotypes were 2 E2/E2 (0.2%), 57 E2/E3 (5.9%) 712 E3/E3 (73.2%), and 179 E3/E4 (18.4%). The frequency of E2 was higher in the centenarians. The frequencies of the apoE allele in the centenarians and the control subjects were epsilon 2 8.3% vs. 3.5%, epsilon 3 83.3% vs. 85.4%, and epsilon 4 8.3% vs. 10.9%. The frequency of the apoE allele differed significantly between centenarians and control subjects (chi 2 = 6.84, p = 0.033). Levels of serum cholesterol and apolipoprotein B were significantly lower in the E2/E2 + E2/E3 centenarians. Studies of the frequency of the apoE allele in Japanese, French, and Finnish subjects showed that epsilon 2 is more frequent and epsilon 4 is less frequent in centenarians. These data show the apoE phenotype may affect life span: epsilon 2 is positively and epsilon 4 is negatively associated with longevity.     

Therapeutic options provided by new antiepileptic drugs]

Intracellular recordings were obtained from antidromically identified motoneurons in an embryonic chick spinal cord slice preparation at two developmental stages (embryonic days 12 and 18, E12 and E18) which bracket a critical period in spinal cord growth. The resting membrane potential of chick motoneurons did not change significantly between E12 and E18, but there was a significant decrease in neuronal input resistance. A small inward rectification was present in cells of both ages, although a lower proportion of E12 motoneurons exhibited inward rectification compared to E18 motoneurons. Injection of depolarizing current pulses revealed that most E12 motoneurons exhibited spike adaptation, while the majority of E18 motoneurons showed high frequency tonic firing. Bath application of serotonin (5-HT) and its agonists 5-carboxamido-tryptamine (5-CT, a 5-HT1 agonist) and alpha-methyl 5-HT (a 5-HT2 agonist) produced hyperpolarizing responses accompanied by decreased input resistance in all E12 motoneurons studied. The same three agonists produced depolarizing responses and increased input resistance in all E18 motoneurons studied. The effects of serotonergic agonists on motoneuronal excitability were tested using depolarizing current pulses. In most cases, serotonergic agonists caused a decrease in firing frequency during the hyperpolarizing response in E12 neurons. At E18, bath application of 5-HT, 5-CT or alpha-methyl 5-HT produced an increase in firing frequency in all motoneurons during the depolarizing response. Our results indicate that both 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptor subtypes contribute to modulation of chick motoneuron excitability and appear to reverse the polarity of their effects on membrane potential after a critical period in development of the spinal cord.     

Perceptual integrality of major chord components

In the present study, an accuracy, rather than a reaction time, version of the Garner paradigm was used to evaluate the integrality or separability of major chord components. Tuned (prototype, or P) and mistuned (nonprototype, or NP) sets of root position C-major triads were constructed by holding the C constant in all stimuli and varying the E and G frequencies in 2- and 4-Hz steps. The P stimuli represent small systematic mistunings in the E and G notes relative to an equal-tempered C-major chord. The NP stimuli represent an equivalent range of frequency variation, but relative to a significantly out-of-tune C-major triad. In different experimental sessions, a same-different (AX) task was used to separately evaluate discrimination performance for the E and G frequencies as a function of whether the nontarget frequency (G or E) was fixed or varied in either a correlated or an orthogonal fashion (with the C frequency always held constant). Compared with a fixed baseline condition where only the target frequency changed, both chord components exhibited a significant redundancy gain in the correlated conditions and, to varying degrees, significant interference effects in the orthogonal condition, indicating that the chord components function largely in an integral fashion. Relative to the discrimination of G, discrimination of the E frequency was less influenced by variation in the nontarget (G) frequency, showing that attention, to some degree, could be selectively allocated to the E chord component. In addition, the results were consistent with previous findings that the functional prototype for the major chord category seems to act as a perceptual anchor, rather than as a magnet, and appears to be located in the physiologically defined area of just temperament, as opposed to the more experientially defined area of equal temperament.     

In vitro release characteristics of bioactive molecules from dextran dialdehyde cross-linked gelatin hydrogel films

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is a human carcinogen. However, the exact mechanism of carcinogenesis remains unclear. VCM may be metabolized by cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Thus workers with inherited variant metabolic enzyme activities may have an altered risk of genotoxicity. This study was designed to investigate which risk factors might affect sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) workers. Study subjects were 44 male workers from three PVC factories. Questionnaires were administered to obtain detailed histories of cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, occupations, and medications. SCE frequency in peripheral lymphocytes was determined using a standardized method, and CYP2E1, GSTM1, GSTT1 and ALDH2 genotypes were identified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Analysis revealed that smoking status and exposure to VCM were significantly associated with increased SCE frequency. The presence of ALDH2 1-2/2-2 genotypes was also significantly associated with an elevation of SCE frequency (9. 5 vs. 8.1, p<0.01). However, CYP2E1, GSTM1 or GSTT1 genotypes were not significantly associated with SCE frequency. When various genotypes were considered together, combination of CYP2E1 c1c2/c2c2 with ALDH2 1-2/2-2 showed an additive effect on SCE frequency. Similar results were also found for the combination of smoking with CYP2E1, or smoking with ALDH2. These results suggest that VCM workers with ALDH2 1-2/2-2 genotypes, who also smoke, may have increased risk of DNA damage.     

G-CSF (filgrastim)-stimulated whole blood kept unprocessed at 4 degrees C does support a BEAM-like regimen in bad-risk lymphoma

In most invasive cervical carcinomas, high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA is integrated into the host genome, while in pre-invasive cervical lesions the viral genome is typically maintained exclusively as an episome. In contrast, integration of low-risk HPV DNA is rare, as is the association of low-risk HPVs with carcinomas. High-risk HPV integration is associated with a selective growth advantage of affected cells, and hence, integration is likely to be an important genetic alteration contributing to cervical tumor progression. Expression of high-risk, but not low-risk, HPV E6 or E7 proteins disrupts the p53-dependent G1 arrest that cells normally display in response to DNA damage. Absence of this cell cycle checkpoint may predispose cells containing high-risk HPVs to genetic instability and to the accumulation of the genetic alterations that appear to be required for HPV-associated cervical tumor progression. We hypothesized that integration of high-risk HPV DNA into the host cell genome may be facilitated by E6- and/or E7-mediated disruption of the normal DNA damage response pathway. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the integration frequency of a reporter plasmid (pHyGal) in RKO cells expressing individual E6 or E7 genes of either high-risk (HPV16) or low-risk (HPV6, HPV11) type viruses. Cells expressing HPV16 E6 or HPV16 E7 exhibited a significantly increased frequency of pHyGal integration in comparison to RKO control cells or cells expressing low-risk HPV E6 or E7. Thus, expression of high-risk, but not low-risk, E6 and E7 proteins increases the frequency of foreign DNA integration into the host genome. These findings suggest that at least some of the difference in oncogenic potential observed between high-risk and low-risk HPV types may be determined by the increased ability of high-risk HPVs to integrate into host DNA.     

Acute effects of estradiol infusion and naloxone on luteinizing hormone secretion in pubertal boys

We have shown previously in pubertal boys that testosterone (T) suppresses the nocturnal augmentation of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion principally by decreasing LH pulse frequency. As T can be aromatised to estradiol (E2), and E2 effects on LH secretory dynamics may be separate from those of T, we examined the effects of acute E2 infusion on LH secretion in pubertal boys. Opioid receptor blockade has been reported to increase LH secretion after estradiol suppression in adult men, so we also examined whether naloxone might augment LH secretion during E2 treatment in pubertal boys. Starting at 1000 h, eight pubertal boys were given a 33 h saline infusion, followed 1 week later by an E2 infusion at 4.6 nmol/m2/h. During both infusions, four iv boluses of saline were given hourly beginning at 1200 h on the first day, and four naloxone iv boluses, 0.1 mg/kg each, were given hourly beginning at 1200 h on the second day. Blood was obtained every 15 min for LH, and every 60 min for T and E2, from 1200 h until the end of the infusion. Pituitary responsiveness to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was assessed after both infusions by iv administration of 250 ng/kg synthetic GnRH. Estradiol infusion increased the mean plasma E2 concentration from 23 +/- 4 to 46 +/- 6 pmol/L (P < 0.01) and suppressed mean plasma T from 4.9 +/- 1.4 to 3.0 +/- 3.5 nmol/L (saline vs. E2 infusion, P < 0.05). The overall mean LH was suppressed by E2 infusion from 3.7 +/- 0.5 to 2.2 +/- 0.4 IU/L (saline vs. E2 infusion, P < 0.01). LH pulse frequency was suppressed by 50%, whereas mean LH pulse amplitude was not different between saline and E2 infusions. Administration of naloxone did not alter the mean LH, LH pulse frequency, or amplitude during either saline or E2 infusions. Pituitary responsiveness to exogenous GnRH was similar during both infusions. These studies indicate that E2 produces its negative feedback in pubertal boys principally by suppression of LH pulse frequency, and naloxone does not reverse these suppressive effects. Thus E2 suppression of LH secretion is mediated by a decrease of hypothalamic GnRH secretion that is independent of endogenous opioid pathways.     

Beneficial effects of pentoxifylline treatment of experimental acute pancreatitis in rats

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (apo E) is a protein associated with plasma lipoproteins. Apo E polymorphism has been related to significant modifications of lipoprotein profile, as well as to the incidence of different pathologies including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia. Furthermore, it was proposed that apo E polymorphism might be involved in the aging selection process. OBJECTIVE: The purposes of the present study were the following: (1) to evaluate apo E polymorphism in 'successful' and 'unsuccessful' aging, defined as the absence or presence of disability and severe chronic diseases (mainly cardiovascular disease and dementia), respectively; (2) to evaluate the impact of apo E polymorphism on plasma lipids in very old individuals free of or affected by disability. METHODS: 253 Italian subjects including 100 free-living healthy octo- and nonagenarians, 62 disabled octo- and nonagenarians, and 91 healthy adult controls, all matched for origin were studied. Apo E phenotypes were determined by PhastSystem (Pharmacia). Lipoprotein parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein (a), and apoprotein A-I and B) were measured by standardized methods. ADL were evaluated by the Katz index. RESULTS: The frequency of sigma2, sigma3, and sigma4 alleles was 0.062, 0.887, and 0.051 respectively in the entire sample; no differences in alleles distribution were found between the three groups. When the subjects were divided according to the E type (E2 type: E2/E2 and E2/E3; E3 type: E3/E3; E4 type: E3/E4 and E4/E4), no differences in lipoprotein parameters emerged, but a trend toward higher total and LDL-cholesterol from the E2 to the E4 type was observed. The sigma4 allele had a raising effect, while sigma2 had a lowering effect on total cholesterol levels, but these effects were much less profound in the disabled octo- and nonagenarians. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that (1) the frequency of the sigma4 allele is very low in this sample of subjects from central Italy; (2) no differences emerged in sigma4 distribution between healthy and disabled octo- and nonagenarians, and adult controls; the very low frequency of sigma4 allele might contribute to this finding; (3) our data do not support the hypothesis of a possible association between apo E polymorphism and longevity or disability in this population.     

Polycystic ovary syndrome: evidence for reduced sensitivity of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulse generator to inhibition by estradiol and progesterone

Plasma LH is commonly elevated in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the underlying mechanisms are uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that the elevated LH in part reflects a reduced sensitivity of the hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator to suppression by estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P). In an initial protocol, normal controls (beginning on cycle days 8-10) and women with PCOS were given E2 transdermally and P by vaginal suppository (three times daily), to achieve plasma concentrations similar to those in the midluteal phase of an ovulatory cycle, for 21 days. Blood was obtained at 10-min intervals for 12 h before and on days 5, 10, 20, and 28 (7 days after E2 and P were discontinued). LH pulse amplitude and LH pulse frequency were suppressed in both PCOS and normal controls, but LH pulse frequency fell more rapidly in controls and was lower by day 10 (P < 0.05). Based on this time course a dose-response study was performed, in which E2 in constant dosage and varying concentrations of P were administered for 7 days. Pulsatile LH release was appraised on days 1 and 7. The frequency of LH pulse secretion was reduced in controls and was lower than that in patients with PCOS on day 7 (P < 0.0001). Plasma P concentrations of 13-15 ng/mL suppressed LH pulse frequency to a similar degree in PCOS and controls. In contrast, lower concentrations (P < 10 ng/mL) were more effective in suppressing GnRH/LH pulse frequency in controls (by > 45% of basal) than in PCOS (< 40%; P < 0.01). The data indicate that E2 and P can inhibit the activity of the hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator in women with PCOS. However, higher plasma concentrations of P were required to reduce GnRH/LH pulse frequency in PCOS compared to controls, suggesting an insensitivity of the GnRH pulse generator to suppression by E2 and P. These results suggest that an abnormality in the regulation of hypothalamic GnRH secretion is present in PCOS and may be a factor in the etiology of the disorder in adolescence.     

Efficient transfer of the pheromone-independent Enterococcus faecium plasmid pMG1 (Gmr) (65.1 kilobases) to Enterococcus strains during broth mating

Plasmid pMG1 (65.1 kb) was isolated from a gentamicin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clinical isolate and was found to encode gentamicin resistance. EcoRI restriction of pMG1 produced five fragments, A through E, with molecular sizes of 50.2, 11.5, 2.0, 0.7, and 0.7 kb, respectively. The clockwise order of the fragments was ACDEB. pMG1 transferred at high frequency to Enterococcus strains in broth mating. pMG1 transferred between Enterococcus faecalis strains, between E. faecium strains, and between E. faecium and E. faecalis strains at a frequency of approximately 10(-4) per donor cell after 3 h of mating. The pMG1 transfers were not induced by the exposure of the donor cell to culture filtrates of plasmid-free E. faecalis FA2-2 or an E. faecium strain. Mating aggregates were not observed by the naked eye during broth mating. Small mating aggregates of several cells in the broth matings were observed by microscopy, while no aggregates of donor cells which had been exposed to a culture filtrate of E. faecalis FA2-2 or an E. faecium strain were observed, even by microscopy. pMG1 DNA did not show any homology in Southern hybridization with that of the pheromone-responsive plasmids and broad-host-range plasmids pAMbeta1 and pIP501. These results indicate that there is another efficient transfer system in the conjugative plasmids of Enterococcus and that this system is different from the pheromone-induced transfer system of E. faecalis plasmids.     

Multicenter trial of Enterococcus antibiotic susceptibility

Antibiotic susceptibility of 446 Enterococcus isolates from 9 medical centres of Moscow and St. Petersburg was tested. Among the isolates 386 belonged to E.faecalis, 48 to E.faecium and 12 to the other species. All the isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. As for E.faecalis 84 and 85 per cent of the isolates were susceptible to ampicillin and ampicillin/sulbactam respectively (no production of beta-lactamases), the frequency of high resistance to aminoglycosides amounted to 44 per cent with respect to streptomycin and to 25 per cent with respect to gentamicin, 75 per cent of the isolates was susceptible to ciprofloxacin. As for E.faecium and the rare species of Enterococcus more than 70 per cent of the isolates was resistant to ampicillin and ampicillin/sulbactam, the frequency of high resistance to aminoglycosides exceeded 60 per cent, 17 and 25 per cent of the isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin.