Biomedical subjects

D Blend

Publications and source records attributed to D Blend.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Searching for a pattern: repeat suicide attempts.

1. Although there is a large population of unsuccessful suicide attempts and the same patients are often admitted repeatedly, little investigation has been done to understand this group. 2. Prescription drugs were almost always used in overdose attempts. There was no indication that physicians successfully intervened in preventing abuse of prescribed medication among patients with a history of overdose suicide attempt. 3. Most people choose a method for suicide and repeatedly use the same method (physical versus overdose). The majority of repeat attempts occurred among young people, and alcohol use was especially high when physical methods were used. Identification of these trends could lead to effective intervention.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1989

Transluminal angioplasty in patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or renal artery stenosis in a solitary functioning kidney.

Renal angioplasty in patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or with renal artery stenosis in a solitary functioning kidney has been thought to be relatively contraindicated. We report the results of renal artery angioplasty in 18 patients, 10 with severe bilateral renal artery stenosis and eight with severe renal artery stenosis in a solitary kidney. Twenty-five (89%) of 28 angioplasties were successful, with a mean improvement of the degree of stenosis from 85% to 18% after angioplasty and a restoration of renal blood flow. A significant drop in mean blood pressure at admission of 187/101 mm Hg to 154/87 mm Hg at discharge, 152/86 mm Hg at 3-month, and 146/82 mm Hg at 1-year follow-up was seen. Because of the decrease in blood pressure, 11 of the patients decreased or stopped taking diuretics and 15 decreased or stopped taking antihypertensive medications. Although no significant change in renal function was found by measuring mean serum creatinine levels over time, no patient had an elevated serum creatinine level at follow-up, indicating preservation of renal function. One major complication, cholesterol embolization to the bowel, was seen. Our results suggest that angioplasty is an acceptable treatment of hypertension in patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or renal artery stenosis in a single kidney.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dialysis leg cramps. Efficacy of quinine versus vitamin E.

A controlled randomized double-blind study was done to determine the frequency and severity of leg cramps in 40 patients on dialysis with a history of leg cramps. All patients entered a 2 month placebo washout and were randomized into a 2 month double-dummy phase of quinine 325 mg at bedtime versus vitamin E 400 IU at bedtime. Of the 29 patients completing the study, 16 received quinine and 13 vitamin E. During placebo washout, the vitamin E group had a mean of 10.4 leg cramps per month, and the quinine group had a mean of 10.9. The vitamin E and quinine groups had a 1 month reduction in leg cramps to 3.3 and 3.6, respectively (p < 0.0005 for both groups combined); this was sustained at 2 months. A severity of pain index showed a statistically significant decrease for both groups. The 95% confidence interval for the difference between the number of leg cramps after vitamin E versus quinine treatment (95% confidence interval, -3.8, +3.2) suggests similar efficacy. Quinine and vitamin E were effective treatments for leg cramps in these patients. Considering the potential toxicity of quinine, vitamin E is recommended as the initial treatment of choice for patients on dialysis with leg cramps.

Adult↗