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Biomedical subjects

A M Sophocles

Publications and source records attributed to A M Sophocles.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Elevated plasma atrial natriuretic factor and vasopressin in high-altitude pulmonary edema.

A diagnosis of acute high-altitude pulmonary edema was made in five male skiers (age, 35.0 +/- 1.8 years) by history and physical examination and was confirmed by a characteristic chest radiogram showing alveolar infiltrates associated with a normal cardiac silhouette. Five healthy age- and sex-matched subjects with similar physical activity at the same altitude served as controls. Plasma sodium was 135.0 +/- 1.5 mmol/L in the acutely ill patients compared with 144.0 +/- 3.3 mmol/L in the controls (P less than 0.025). Mean plasma atrial natriuretic factor immunoreactivity averaged 17.6 +/- 5.6 pmol/L in patients with high-altitude pulmonary edema compared with 6.8 +/- 0.7 pmol/L in the controls at the same altitude (P less than 0.05). Elevated atrial natriuretic factor levels normalized to 7.5 +/- 1.9 pmol/L (P less than 0.05) during recovery in Denver (altitude, 1600 meters) 24 hours later. Plasma arginine vasopressin levels were 1.8 +/- 0.37 pmol/L in patients with high-altitude pulmonary edema at diagnosis compared with 0.92 +/- 0.28 pmol/L in controls (P = 0.07). The inappropriately elevated arginine vasopressin levels decreased to 1.29 +/- 0.37 pmol/L during recovery (P less than 0.025), but the lowered plasma sodium concentration had not normalized by discharge within 24-hours of transfer to Denver and averaged 135.8 +/- 1.2 mmol/L. The pathophysiologic implications of these findings are discussed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

High-altitude pulmonary edema in Vail, Colorado, 1975-1982.

Between 1975 and 1982 a total of 47 cases of high-altitude pulmonary edema occurred in Vail, Colorado, elevation 2,500 m (8,200 ft). All occurred in visitors from lower altitudes. The mean age of the patients was 35.6 years, and 93% were men. Most patients had tachycardia, tachypnea and fever. The mean time of onset of cough and shortness of breath was 2.5 days after arrival. The average total ascent of the patients was 2,330 m (7,644 ft) in less than one day from a mean residential elevation of 170 m (556 ft). Also, 91% of the cases occurred between December and April, when the average daily temperature was -4.3 degrees C (24.3 degrees F) and the ambient barometric pressure was 22.37 in of mercury.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Birth control failure.

Birth control failure usually results from the incorrect or inconsistent use of contraceptives. By providing anticipatory counseling, based on an understanding of the reasons for birth control failure, family physicians can help curtail the current epidemic of unwanted pregnancies.

Contraception Behavior↗
PubMed1986

Birth control failure among patients with unwanted pregnancies: 1982-1984.

Three hundred twenty-three patients who underwent abortion counseling between 1982 and 1984 were interviewed to determine the cause of birth control failure. Twenty-three percent employed no birth control and 27 percent used diaphragms, the majority either inconsistently or incorrectly. Twenty-two percent of the pregnancies were due to oral contraceptive-related failures; and the remainder were due to spermicide, condom, rhythm method, multiple method, and intrauterine device failures. Overall, fewer than one quarter of unwanted pregnancies among the predominantly white, middle-class population studied resulted from failure to obtain contraception, and only 19 percent represented technical failure despite correct and consistent use. The majority (51 percent) occurred because of human error, ie, either incorrect or inconsistent use of available contraceptive modalities. These findings contrast sharply with those of a similar study performed between 1969 and 1974. At that time failure to obtain contraception accounted for more than one half of the failures. Whereas the development and distribution of contraceptive technology was the challenge of the 1960s and the 1970s, reducing the number of birth control failures through anticipatory patient counseling is the challenge of the current decade.

Abortion Applicants↗
PubMed1983

High-altitude pulmonary edema among visitors to Summit County, Colorado.

Twenty-nine cases of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) affecting visitors to Summit County, Colorado, were analyzed. The mean age of the group was 37.8 years, and all the patients were male. These results differ from previous studies and suggest that there are two varieties of HAPE. The first type (type 1, or nonresident-ascent HAPE) affects visitors to altitudes above 8,000 ft (2,439 m). At altitudes up to 11,000 ft (3,354 m), it is a disease that affects primarily adult men. The second variety (type 2, or resident-reascent HAPE) affects residents of high altitudes when they descend to an elevation below 8,000 ft (2,430 m) and then return to high altitude. This type of HAPE affects male and female residents almost equally and is a disease of childhood and adolescence.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The Caduceus.

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Emblems and Insignia↗