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Biomedical subjects

A Karnad

Publications and source records attributed to A Karnad.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Ludwig Traube. The man and his space.

The detection of dullness to percussion in the left hemithorax raises the possibility of pleural effusion, consolidation, or atelectasis. Percussion of Traube's space, a semilunar tympanitic area overlying the gas bubble in the stomach, is a valuable maneuver in this regard: obliteration of Traube's space favors a pleural effusion. Knowledge of the remarkable life of Traube, and the ability to demonstrate the utility of his sign on rounds, provides an opportunity in a technologic age to remind the medical student of the romance of bedside medicine.

Germany

Non-T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma with extensive osteolytic lesions and hypercalcemia.

The syndrome of osteolytic lesions and hypercalcemia is commonly associated with well-differentiated B-cell neoplasms, such as multiple myeloma. The association of this syndrome with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is rare. We have described a 20-year-old man with a non-T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma manifested by extensive osteolytic lesions and hypercalcemia (serum calcium value of 13.5 mg/dL), without lymphadenopathy.

Adult

Isolation of beta-hemolytic streptococci from the respiratory tract: distribution and clinical significance.

Isolates of beta-hemolytic streptococci obtained from respiratory tract specimens were studied for determination of their serogroup, and Patients' charts were reviewed for the clinical significance of these respiratory isolates. Fifteen of 69 patients were considered to have definite respiratory infection. Thirteen of these 15 patients had Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated concomitantly with Group B streptococci (GBS) in 34% of cases, but rarely was it isolated with other beta-hemolytic streptococci. Sero-groups of beta-hemolytic streptococci were compared with respect to the patient's underlying disease, age, and clinical outcome. Patients who had GBS isolated from sputum were elderly (mean age, 68.1 years) and were older than patients with other beta-hemolytic isolates (mean age, 56 years). Patients with Group B streptococci were more likely to have cerebrovascular disease, whereas patients with Group C, G, and F were more likely to have malignancy, particularly of the head and neck.

Adult

Enterobacter pneumonia.

Enterobacter species have not been well recognized as important lower respiratory tract pathogens. We describe 11 cases of Enterobacter pneumonia, seven diagnosed by transtracheal aspiration and four by simultaneous blood and sputum cultures. The infections were usually nosocomial, and were fatal in five patients. Our patients were old (mean age 65 +/- 12.3 years) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a common underlying disease. Enterobacter species are important pathogens causing nosocomial pneumonias, especially in elderly patients with COPD.

Adult

Corynebacterium minutissimum bacteremia in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis.

Serious infections and sepsis due to nondiphtheria Corynebacteria have been well described. A patient with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis, who developed Corynebacterium minutissimum bacteremia, is described in this report. Corynebacterium minutissimum is the causative agent of erythrasma and to our knowledge, this is the first published report of septicemia due to this organism.

Blast Crisis

Branhamella catarrhalis pneumonia in patients with immunoglobulin abnormalities.

The importance of Branhamella catarrhalis pneumonia has only recently been appreciated. Predisposing underlying illness associated with this organism have not yet been clarified. We report five cases of Branhamella catarrhalis pneumonia occurring in patients with diseases associated with documented quantitative immunoglobulin deficiencies. Normal immunoglobulins appear to be important host defense mechanisms in preventing infection with this organism.

Adult

Simultaneous bilateral ocular metastases from a gastric carcinoma.

Metastatic tumors are the most common intraocular neoplasms. A rare case of adenocarcinoma of the stomach with simultaneous presentation of bilateral intraocular metastases is reported with a review of the literature. The prompt improvement in vision that occurred in this patient following radiation therapy underscores its important role in reducing the visual morbidity of patients with metastatic intraocular tumors.

Adenocarcinoma

Pneumonia caused by gram-negative bacilli.

Gram-negative bacillary pneumonia has become an increasingly important disease in immunosuppressed, elderly, and hospitalized patients. The clinical features, etiologic agents, population at risk, treatment, and outcome in patients with well-documented gram-negative pneumonia were compared in two groups of patients: those with bacteremic pneumonia and those with nonbacteremic pneumonia documented by transtracheal aspiration. Clinical features were frequently subtle in both groups. A wide range of gram-negative bacilli were implicated as pathogens and pneumonias documented by transtracheal aspiration were frequently mixed infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens were the most common pathogens causing bacteremic pneumonias, whereas Escherichia coli and Klebsiella were more common in the nonbacteremic group. Gram-negative bacillary pneumonia was frequently a lethal disease despite two-drug therapy, particularly in bacteremic patients.

Age Factors

The automated complete blood cell count. Use of the red blood cell volume distribution width and mean platelet volume in evaluating anemia and thrombocytopenia.

The availability of automated blood cell analyzers that provide an index of red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW) and a mean platelet volume (MPV) has led to new approaches to patients with anemia and thrombocytopenia. The RDW, which measures heterogeneity of the red blood cell population, complements the mean corpuscular volume in the differential diagnosis of anemia based on peripheral blood analysis. The MPV varies inversely but nonlinearly with the platelet count in normal individuals and is of value in assessing platelet production in the thrombocytopenic patient. The clinical applications of the RDW and MPV, which are currently reported on most routine blood cell counts, are discussed.

Anemia