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Biomedical subjects

A P Kenna

Publications and source records attributed to A P Kenna.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Familial infantile myasthenia: a diagnostic problem.

The authors report the diagnostic difficulties experienced with two siblings presenting with recurrent apnoeic attacks caused by the rare condition, familial infantile myasthenia. Standard repetitive nerve stimulation studies were normal in both cases, while changes typical of a subacute neurogenic condition were noted on concentric needle electromyography in one. A 14-day course of pyridostigmine did not elicit any clinical improvement in the elder sibling, in whom tracheomalacia was diagnosed by chest fluoroscopy and bronchoscopy. This infant died at the age of 11 months with hypoxic brain-damage after a severe apnoeic episode. For the second sibling, a positive decremental response was obtained in the hypothenar muscles only after two minutes continuous 10 Hz stimulation of the ulnar nerve. This child has responded well to treatment with pyridostigmine.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1986

Post-traumatic meningitis in children.

A retrospective survey over a 66-month period of children admitted with head injury who subsequently developed meningitis within the same period yielded six cases (five boys, one girl), giving an incidence of 0.38 per cent. Two of the six died, and four survived with no sequelae. Four cases occurred within the first week. One patient, who had received prophylactic antibiotics, developed Escherichia coli meningitis after 14 days and one had meningitis 2 years after the head injury. The most common organism was pneumococcus (four cases). Three patients had periorbital haematomas and none had cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Increasing drowsiness and fever were the most consistent features. Radiography of the skull was of little use in demonstrating fracture of the base of the skull. Two of the four surviving patients had craniotomy with successful dural repair.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Surgical treatment of adder bite.

Two cases of children who suffered adder bites and who developed severe local complications are reported. One required a split skin graft and the other a decompression fasciotomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Valine/glycine ratio in newborn infants.

The ratio of valine/glycine was measured in the umbilical cord blood of 213 newborn infants of singleton pregnancies. The results obtained in small-for-data and preterm infants are compared with those in normal-term infants. A parallel assessment was made of the valine/glycine ratio in venous blood of the mothers of all these infants. An abnormally high rate was found in a small number of infants and also in a few mothers. There did not appear to be any association between these abnormal results and intra-uterine growth retardation.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1975

Congenital heart disease in Liverpool: 1960--69.

The incidence of congenital heart disease (C.H.D.) in Liverpool from 1960 to 1969 inclusive has been determined from the Liverpool Congenital Abnormalities Registry with a follow-up period of 3 to 12 years. The incidence is 6-6 per 1000 total births and this probably represents a very small degree of under-reporting. There is no consistent seasonal variation in the incidence of any of the main congenital heart lesions. In general, infants with C.H.D. tend to be of lower birth weight and born after shorter gestation than controls. This is most conspicuous with patent ductus arteriosus (P.D.A.). Females preponderate in P.D.A. and males in transposition. There is probably also a male preponderance in coarctation and aortic stenosis. Fallot's tetralogy is associated with increased maternal age and parity. Pregnancies leading to the birth of a baby with C.H.D. are complicated by threatened abortion more frequently than are controls. The concordance rate for C.H.D. in twins is low. Monozygotic twins are more liable to C.H.D. than are dizygotic twins. The incidence of C.H.D. in the siblings of affected propositi is 2-3 times that expected. Affected sibs often have the same lesion. About 20 per cent of infants with C.H.D. have associated major defects notably monogolism and defects of the alimentary, skeletal, genito-urinary and nervous systems. These are responsible for the early death of about one quarter of all infants born with C.H.D. The data presented here suggest that environmental rather than genetic factors are predominantly responsible for congenital heart disease.

Abortion, Threatened↗