Biomedical subjects

A A Mintz

Publications and source records attributed to A A Mintz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Nosocomial influenza in a general hospital for indigent patients.

Surveillance of influenza virus infections was maintained on the medical and pediatric wards of a general hospital serving indigent patients of Harris County, Texas during the winter of 1987-88. Influenza A/Sichuan/2/87(H3N2) was the predominant virus during the community epidemic. Influenza A(H3N2) virus was isolated from six of 17 adult patients (35%) suspected to have nosocomial infections; two of these patients died of fulminating pneumonia. Another patient, admitted with alcoholism and hematemesis, developed pneumonia after a documented influenza infection, and the hospital stay was extended for two weeks. The paucity of virus positive community acquired infections on the medical wards suggested that the health care team was the probable source of the nosocomial infections. Community-acquired infections with influenza viruses were common on the pediatric service; however, most admissions were for acute conditions requiring brief hospital stays. Therefore, while nosocomial infections were unusual on the pediatric ward, they may have become evident after discharge. Recommendations for reducing the impact of nosocomial influenza virus infections include hospital-centred vaccination programs for both high risk patients and hospital personnel. Amantadine can be an important adjunctive therapy for reducing nosocomial spread during influenza A virus epidemics.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Retropharyngeal pseudomasses.

The false impression of a retropharyngeal mass on lateral radiographs of the neck is not uncommon, particularly in the pediatric patient. With careful attention to radiographic technique, positioning of the patient, and the proper timing with regard to respiration, the diagnosis of a "pseudomass" can be avoided.

Abscess↗

PubMed1983

Impaired polymorphonuclear leukocyte motility in malnourished infants: relationship to functional abnormalities of cell adherence.

The humoral and cellular contributions to PMN motility in vitro were studied in 37 malnourished (PCM) pediatric patients. Early-phase directed migration to BCF and to ZANS was diminished significantly (p less than 0.001) in severe PCM patients as compared to healthy adult or age-matched controls or respective nutritionally restored patients. Abnormalities were reversible after nutritional restoration and unrelated to occurrence of clinical infection. To determine the pathogenic mechanism of impaired PMN mobility in PCM, studies of cell morphology and adhesive function were performed. Abnormalities observed in severe PCM suspensions included significantly (p less than 0.001) increased baseline (unstimulated) adherence values and impaired CF modulation of adhesive function. Diminished enhancement of PMN adherence or decreased (relative to baseline) adherence values were observed in response to BCF (mean % delta = +5) or f-Met-Leu-Phe (mean % delta = -6) as compared to adult PMN values of +28% delta and +31% delta, respectively. That these abnormalities may result from in vivo CF prestimulation was suggested by findings of "activated" PMN morphology in suspensions prior to in vitro stimulation, and abnormalities of the distribution of PMN surface adhesion sites under conditions of chemotactic stimulation. Further investigations will be required to determine the underlying pathogenic mechanism(s) accounting for our observations.

Cell Adhesion↗

PubMed1982

Comparison of acquired monosaccharide intolerance and acute diarrheal syndrome.

In a retrospective study, 9% of the admissions to Ben Taub General Hospital for diarrhea were found to have acquired monosaccharide intolerance (AMI). The course of AMI was compared with that of acute diarrheal syndrome (ADS). The patients with AMI were younger at the time of admission, and, although the mean birthweight and percent of prematurity were approximately the same in the two groups, the AMI patients were found to be malnourished (p less than 0.02). Data suggest that the nutritional insult had occurred between birth and admission, and that malnutrition was a contributing factor in the development of AMI.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1982

Malnutrition in infants with acute diarrheal syndrome.

The data from the charts of 109 infants who were younger than 9 months of age and who had been hospitalized with acute diarrheal syndrome in 1978 were compared with data from the charts of 108 healthy infants of the same age range with the same sex and ethnic distributions who were attending well-child clinics serving the same geographic area during the same year. In a comparison of weight percentiles, 45.3% of the acute diarrheal syndrome patients and 11.3% of the well children were below the 10th percentile. When height percentiles were compared, 41.8% of the acute diarrheal syndrome patients and 15.3% of the well children were below the 10th percentile. The data indicate that malnutrition was a characteristic of infants with acute diarrheal syndrome who required hospitalization.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1981

Pharmacokinetics and cerebrospinal fluid penetration of moxalactam in children with bacterial meningitis.

The serum pharmacokinetics and CSF penetration of moxalactam were determined in 39 children with bacterial meningitis. The mean serum concentrations 30 minutes after a 37.5 or 50 mg/kg dose were 66.7 and 113 micrograms/ml, respectively. The t 1/2 beta was between 1.8 and 2.0 hours. The mean +/- 1 SD CSF/serum percentage was 18.5 +/- 16.0% (range 2.0 to 61%) for all children on any day of therapy or hour, after the last of three 50 mg/kg doses. Cerebrospinal fluid bactericidal titers were greater than or equal to 1:32 in 13 of 14 CSF specimens. Moxalactam adequately penetrates into the CSF of children with bacterial meningitis after repetitive 50 mg/kg doses.

Blood-Brain Barrier↗

PubMed1976

Tuberculous meningitis in children before and since isoniazid.

The use of isoniazid (INH) in persons exposed to active cases of tuberculosis has been challenged, Reports of toxic reactions to isoniazid warrant a review of the drug's potential benefits and hazards. This prompted a retrospective survey of cases admitted to a large county hospital to determine admission incidence before and since initiation of a program of case-finding and INH chemoprophylaxis for children in 1953. During the 24-year period surveyed (1950-1973), the population of the county increased twofold while the yearly admission rate for tuberculous meningitis in children fell from a high of eight cases to a low of two. This dramatic drop in cases admitted, coupled with an absence of any toxic reactions to the drug, provides support for continuation of the program of case-finding and isoniazid chemoprophylaxis.

Child↗

PubMed1976

A ten-year assessment of methicillin-associated side effects.

The exact incidence and importance of side effects associated with methicillin therapy in children is unknown. During the ten-year period from 1964 to 1974 approximately 3,000 Houston children who received methicillin were observed for side effects. The great majority of these patients received the drug for less than ten days; however, side effects were more common in patients receiving long-term therapy. In order to assess these side effects, experiences with 124 children who received methicillin for ten days or longer were reviewed in depth. The average dose of methicillin was 200 mg/kg/day and the average duration was 22 days. In this highly selected group there were no adverse side effects in 54.8% and only eosinophilia in an additional 13%. Leukopenia occurred in 16%, microscopic hematuria in 8%, gross hematuria in 4%, skin rash in 6%, and "drug fever" in 6%. In many instances several of these side effects occurred within a single patient so that the total number of patients with definite side effects was 39 of 124 (31.5%). The true incidence figure of overall side effects is much lower than 31.5%. Corrected incidence rates based on a conservative figure of 3,000 methicillin-treated children are less than 1.5% for all side effects. In some patients the mechanism producing the adverse reactions seemed to be chemical irritation or toxicity and in others hypersensitivity. In nine of the 39 patients follow-up studies were not optimal. In the other 30 patients all side effects were reversible.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1974