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Biomedical subjects

A Mark Clarfield

Publications and source records attributed to A Mark Clarfield.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Ethical issues in end-of-life geriatric care: the approach of three monotheistic religions-Judaism, Catholicism, and Islam.

Ethical dilemmas pervade modern geriatric medicine. What is considered right or wrong will differ depending on, among other things, the patient's religion. The three Abrahamic monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity (its Catholic variant), and Islam all have carefully considered positions on medical ethics. Although much is held in common, there are significant differences. The authors present three clinical cases, each of which presents ethical dilemmas typical of geriatric care, especially at the end of life. On the basis of these scenarios, the normative ethical position of each religion is compared and contrasted. It is hoped that this approach will offer the geriatrician a useful approach to treating patients in an increasingly multicultural society.

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PubMed2002

Agranulocytosis associated with initiation of famotidine therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of agranulocytosis associated with initiation of famotidine. CASE SUMMARY: An 87-year-old white man was admitted to the internal medicine department of an acute care hospital because of fever and agranulocytosis (granulocyte count 0). Eight days prior to admission, famotidine therapy had been initiated. Famotidine was discontinued and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor was administered, with concomitant recovery of the granulocyte count and subsequent development of a leukemoid reaction. DISCUSSION: According to the Naranjo probability scale, famotidine was the probable cause of agranulocytosis. This is a rare adverse effect of this medication; only a few other cases have been reported. CONCLUSIONS: Although agranulocytosis is a rare adverse effect of famotidine, the pharmacist and physician should be aware of this potentially fatal event. If any patient treated with famotidine develops fever, the clinician should consider, among other things, performing a white blood cell count.

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PubMed2002

Rembrandt's late self-portraits: psychological and medical aspects.

The Dutch painter Rembrandt (1606-1669) left behind the largest series of self-portraits in the history of art. These paintings were produced over a period of time from age 22 years until just a few months before Rembrandt's death at age 63. This series gives us a unique opportunity to explore the development, maturity, and aging of the artist. The changes in Rembrandt's face and expression from one self-portrait to the next may be attributable to any combination of the following factors: normal aging changes, modifications and developments of his artistic style, alterations in the way he viewed himself, and changes in the way Rembrandt wanted us to see him. In addition, the modifications may be attributed in part to some illnesses from which the artist may have suffered and/or to a decline in his eyesight that may have influenced both his ability to detect details and his ability to paint.

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PubMed2002

Teaching public health related to the elderly.

It has become axiomatic that the world is aging, not just in the developed countries, but in the less developed regions as well. In 1992 the global elderly population (age 65+) was estimated to be almost 350,000,000 persons, or more than 6% of the world total. During that year the net balance of the world's elderly grew by more than 800,000 persons each month. Projections to the year 2010 indicate that the net monthly gain will rise to more than 1.1 million elderly people. In the early 1990s, 26 countries had more than 2,000,000 elderly persons. The projections suggest that this number could increase to more than 50 nations by the year 2025. And this increase in number of elderly leads to an absolute rise in problems of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and osteoporosis (with related falls and fractures). At the same time, there is a school of thought that emphasizes the elderly are living longer and healthier lives through better awareness of healthy nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle factors, as well as improving access to modern medical care that is itself more effective than in previous decades. While the public health practitioner will not be called upon to treat individuals with these pathologies, it is important to know something about them in order to understand their effect on health care systems and to help plan for preventive and health promotion programmes. The preparation of the public health person requires an understanding of these issues and thus some tools for program development for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention for this high-risk group.

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