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Biomedical subjects

A Mert

Publications and source records attributed to A Mert.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Fever of unknown origin in uremic patients: a controlled prospective study.

Twenty-nine uremic patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO) admitted to our clinic between 1994 and 1998 were evaluated prospectively. A group of 50 consecutive non-uremic patients with FUO followed up during the same period was used for comparison. The causes of FUO found in the uremic and non-uremic groups, respectively were as follows: infectious diseases, 69 vs. 44% (p = 0.03); collagen vascular diseases, 6.9 vs. 6%; neoplasms, 3.4 vs. 26%; miscellaneous causes, 3.4 vs. 16%; and undiagnosed, 17.2 vs. 8%. Tuberculosis was the most common cause of FUO in both groups. The spectrum of underlying conditions for FUO in our uremic patients differed from that in the non-uremic patients and the uremic patients had a very high propensity for infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗

Spontaneous pneumothorax: a rare complication of miliary tuberculosis.

Pneumothorax is a rare complication of miliary tuberculosis. In this report, a 25-year old patient developing pneumothorax while on the treatment for miliary tuberculosis treatment is presented and the related literature has been reviewed. Pneumothorax, although rare, should be considered when a patient with miliary tuberculosis develops a sudden, severe pain on either side of the chest with breathlessness. The treatment should be tailored according to the size of pneumothorax either pleural drainage through chest tube or needle aspiration. Meanwhile, antituberculous treatment should be continued without interruption.

Adult↗

Amantadine monotherapy of chronic hepatitis C patients infected with genotype lb.

We aimed to test the efficacy of amantadine in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients infected with genotype b. Twenty patients completed treatment with amantadine HCl, 100 mg b.i.d., for 6 months. Non-sustained biochemical improvement was observed without loss of HCV-RNA. We conclude that amantadine monotherapy is not effective in CHC.

Adolescent↗

Tuberculous subcutaneous abscesses developing during miliary tuberculosis therapy.

Although rare, paradoxical subcutaneous abscesses may develop during appropriate treatment of miliary tuberculosis. While the pathogenesis of this phenomenon is not clear, some theories have been postulated. A case of a 37-y-old woman diagnosed as having miliary tuberculosis who developed subcutaneous abscesses within the 5 months of antituberculous treatment is described and all 6 similar cases published in English from 1954 to 1999 are discussed.

Abscess↗

Results of hepatitis B vaccination in sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is known to be associated with defects in cellular immunity, especially in reference to T helper lymphocytes. Anergy to a tuberculin skin test is most characteristic of this disease. OBJECTIVES: To further the data on impaired immunity, we studied the antibody response to hepatitis B vaccination in patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: Serologic markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) (HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc) were studied in 40 patients with sarcoidosis (32 female, 8 male; mean age: 45 +/- 11 years, range: 25-66 years) with a mean duration of disease of 6 years. While all the markers were negative in 22 patients (55%), 2 had isolated anti-HBc positivity and 16 had both anti-HBc and anti-HBs antibodies. Thirty-five age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were studied as controls. Recombinant HBV vaccines (Genhevac B Pasteur, 20 microg) were administered (at 0, 1, and 6 months) to 16 of the seronegative cases and the controls and antibody titres were measured 1 month after the last dose. The tuberculin skin test was negative in all cases. RESULTS: While none of the vaccinees in the diseased group responded, the control group yielded an antibody response rate of 85. 7% (30/35), with a mean titre of 257.9 mIU/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with sarcoidosis were invariably unresponsive to standard vaccination, while some of the diseased subjects had already mounted a natural antibody response, either before or after the development of the original disease. Cellular immunodeficiency in sarcoidosis could be a suitable model for studying immunological interactions between HBV and the host.

Adult↗

A case of cervical Brucella spondylitis with paravertebral abscess and neurological deficits.

Spondylitis is one of the more frequent osteoarticular complications of Brucella infection, but cervical spine involvement is rare. We report here a case of cervical Brucella spondylitis with paravertebral anterior epidural abscess which resulted in neurological deficits. The diagnosis is based on clinical history supported by Brucella serology, radiological findings and histological evidence.

Abscess↗