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Biomedical subjects

A B Santos

Publications and source records attributed to A B Santos.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Managing agitation in the critical care setting.

Pharmacologic control of the agitated ICU patient requires preliminary assessment of the underlying causes of agitation. Reversal of correctable abnormalities, consideration of drug reaction, withdrawal and pain management should be addressed first. Delirium is the most common cause of agitation in the ICU and often has multiple causes. Pharmacologic management of agitation can be safely accomplished by intravenous haloperidol with or without lorazepam, as outlined above.

Combined Modality Therapy

Oral contraceptives and panic disorder.

BACKGROUND: There are no published reports of an association between triphasic oral contraceptives and the development of panic disorder. METHOD: The authors describe two cases in which the use of triphasic oral contraceptives in women appear to have precipitated panic disorder. Treatment with the triphasic oral contraceptives was stopped and the patients were followed for 2 years. RESULTS: Both subjects had rapid and total resolution of their panic disorder symptoms following cessation of triphasic oral contraceptive medications. CONCLUSION: Triphasic oral contraceptives in some predisposed women may lead to precipitation of panic disorder.

Adult

Strategies for operational efficiency in a general hospital public inpatient unit.

Operational strategies for maximizing efficient utilization of beds were carried out in a 12-bed psychiatric inpatient unit for public patients in a general hospital. Developed through a public-academic collaboration, the unit is part of a community-based system of care. The average length of stay is ten days. Medical staff are university faculty and residents. Treatment focuses on resolution of the symptoms or behavior that led to the patient's hospitalization and includes rapid stabilization using crisis management and somatic therapies and rapid mobilization of aftercare resources. Other strategies for promoting efficient provision of services include clearly defined staff roles and a structured format for discussing clinical information.

Efficiency

New directions in research on assertive community treatment.

Evaluation of assertive community treatment programs has demonstrated that they are highly effective in reducing the need for psychiatric hospitalization of chronic mentally ill patients. However, the programs also tend to cost more than traditional outpatient care, and their impact on other areas of patient functioning is not clear. The authors believe more rigorous studies of the programs are needed before policymakers can properly evaluate their role in the overall mix of services. Future studies should extend previous research by comparing the programs to current state-of-the-art treatment in community mental health centers or county mental health programs; assessing the total system costs of assertive community treatment programs, as well as the amount of cost shifting by payers; analyzing outcomes of clients in mature programs over longer time periods; standardizing the measurement of various client outcomes; and determining the impact of individual program elements--alone and in combination--on different subgroups of clients.

Community Mental Health Centers

Decentralized services for public hospital patients: a cost analysis.

Dr. Sharfstein's introduction: In this era of cost containment and fiscal constraint, it is critical to consider alternative methods of delivering public psychiatric care that emphasize decentralized approaches, shortened lengths of stay, and innovative clinical interventions. This month's report dramatically illustrates the cost savings that can be achieved in a decentralized treatment program, particularly costs associated with the judicial process and involuntary commitment. The need for high-quality services at the local level is greater than ever.

Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders

Surface charge of resident, elicited, and activated mouse peritoneal macrophages.

The surface charge of resident, thioglycollate-elicited, and Trypanosoma cruzi-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages was analyzed using cell electrophoresis. All macrophages had a net negative surface charge. Activated macrophages had a lower zeta potential and a higher isoelectrophoretic point than resident and elicited macrophages. The populations of resident, elicited, and activated macrophages were heterogeneous in terms of surface charge. The analysis of the effect of the pH of the solution in which the macrophages were suspended on their cellular electrophoretic mobility (EPM) indicated that their surface contained both positively and negatively charged dissociating groups. The contribution of sialic acid residues to the surface charge was determined by analyzing the effect of neuraminidase treatment on the EPM of the cells. Activated macrophages possessed more sialic acid residues exposed on their surface, and sensitive to the neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens, than resident and elicited macrophages. Treatment of the cells with the neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae, however, reduced the surface charge of all macrophages in about the same extent. Macrophages had their mean EPM reduced when incubated in the presence of Ca++, suggesting that some cell surface anionogenic sites have Ca++-binding capacity.

Animals

[A clinical case of chronic thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura].

This is a TTP report of the case of a 29 year old female who entered into apparent complete clinical remission, after EP with fresh frozen plasma and corticotherapy. Unusual large plasma Factor VIII: vWF by two-dimensional Immunoelectrophoresis is the biological change described by Moake and Sufficient in itself to confirm the chronic TTP diagnosis.

Adult