Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Charles W Atwood.
Dislodgement of an LV lead is attributed to periodic limb movement disorder. Resynchronization therapy improves CHF and symptoms of periodic limb movement disorder. Potential interaction of disordered sleep and CHF in this case is briefly reviewed.
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The objective of this article is to review the available data on the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), with a focus on the prevalence of SDB in patients with idiopathic PAH (IPAH); the prevalence of PAH in patients with SDB; and the effects of SDB treatment on PAH. The evidence to date suggests that PAH may occur in the setting of SDB, although the prevalence is low. However, pulmonary hypertension (PH) in SDB is most strongly associated with other risk factors, such as left-sided heart disease, parenchymal lung disease, nocturnal desaturation, and obesity. The limited data available also suggest that SDB is uncommon in patients with IPAH. Treatment of SDB with continuous positive airway pressure may lower pulmonary artery pressures when the degree of PH is mild.
The experiment was a prospective, repeated-measures design intended to determine how the variation of lung volume affects specific measures of swallowing physiology. Swallows were recorded in 28 healthy subjects, who ranged in age from 21 to 40 yr (mean age of 29 yr), by using simultaneous videofluoroscopy, bipolar intramuscular electromyography, and respiratory inductance plethysmography. Each subject swallowed three standardized pudding-like consistency boluses at three randomized lung volumes: total lung capacity, functional residual capacity, and residual volume. The results showed that pharyngeal activity duration of deglutition for swallows produced at residual volume was significantly longer than those occurring at total lung capacity or at functional residual capacity. No significant differences were found for bolus transit time or intramuscular electromyography of the superior constrictor. The results of this experiment lend support to the hypothesis that the respiratory system may have a regulatory function related to swallowing and that positive subglottic air pressure may be important for swallowing integrity. Eventually, new treatment paradigms for oropharyngeal dysphagia that are based on respiratory physiology may be developed.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and predictors of pathological nocturia (PN) in patients with OSAHS. METHODS: Retrospective review of clinical and polysomnographic data obtained from patients evaluated at the Pulmonary Sleep Evaluation Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center between November 1998 and September 1999. PN was defined as two or more urination events per night. OSAHS was defined as Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) > or = 5. Group t-tests and Chi-square test were used to examine differences in subjects with and without PN. A multivariate approach utilizing logistic regression was performed to examine the relationships between polysomnographic variables [Arousal Index (ARI), AHI, Apnea-Hypopnea Time/Total Sleep Time x 100(%) (AHT/TST), % Total Sleep Time (TST)<90% Oxyhemoglobin Saturation (SPO2), nadir SPO2, Desaturation Event Frequency (average number of desaturations > 4% per hour sleep) (DEF)] and the presence of PN, while controlling for medical comorbidities. Data are expressed as mean + SD unless otherwise specified. Statistical significance was assessed at p < 0.05. RESULTS STUDY POPULATION: n = 138 (50 females, 88 males), age: 49.7 +/- 12.3 years, BMI [Body Mass Index (kg/m2)]: 37.7 +/- 11.3. The overall prevalence of PN was 47.8%. The prevalence of PN was greater in females (60% vs. 40.9% in males). OSAHS patients with PN had a higher prevalence of peripheral edema, higher BMI, a greater %TST < 90% SPO2, lower nadir SPO2 and greater DEF. The logistic regression model indicated that age, ARI, AHI, AHT/TST, %TST < 90%, DEF were significant predictors of PN independent of BMI, neck circumference and medical comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm that PN is common in OSAHS patients. The strongest predictors are age and selected polysomnographic variables reflecting OSAHS severity.
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BACKGROUND: Choice of antibiotic therapy for acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB) is important because of cost and concerns about development of resistance. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and documented AECB treated with antibiotics. RESULTS: We compared outcomes and costs of AECB treated with first-line antibiotics having partial coverage against organisms associated with AECB (eg, amoxicillin), first-line antibiotics with full coverage against organisms associated with AECB (eg, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim), and newer broad-spectrum antibiotics (eg, azithromycin). There were no significant differences among the three antibiotic groups in failure rate, hospitalization rate, or time until subsequent AECB. Pharmacy costs were significantly less with first-line antibiotics (3.18 dollars +/- 0.64, 3.00 dollars +/- 0.48, and 36.70 dollars +/- 16.29, respectively; P < 0.0001), but there was no significant difference among all three groups with regard to total costs. CONCLUSION: We found no difference in outcome between older traditional antibiotics with adequate coverage against organisms associated with AECB and newer broad-spectrum antibiotics.