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D Jernigan

Publications and source records attributed to D Jernigan.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Steps towards constructing a global comparative risk analysis for alcohol consumption: determining indicators and empirical weights for patterns of drinking, deciding about theoretical minimum, and dealing with different consequences.

In order to conduct a comparative risk analysis for alcohol within the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2000), several questions had to be answered. (1) What are the appropriate dimensions for alcohol consumption and how can they be categorized? The average volume of alcohol and patterns of drinking were selected as dimensions. Both dimensions could be looked upon as continuous but were categorized for practical purposes. The average volume of drinking was categorized into the following categories: abstention; drinking 1 (> 0-19.99 g pure alcohol daily for females, > 0-39.99 g for males); drinking 2 (20-39.99 g for females, 40-59.99 g for males), and drinking 3 (> or =40 g for females, > or =60 g for males). Patterns of drinking were categorized into four levels of detrimental impact based on an optimal scaling analysis of key informant ratings. (2) What is the theoretical minimum for both dimensions? A pattern of regular light drinking (at most 1 drink every day) was selected as theoretical minimum for established market economies for all people above age 45. For all other regions and age groups, the theoretical minimum was set to zero. Potential problems and uncertainties with this selection are discussed. (3) What are the health outcomes for alcohol and how do they relate to the dimensions? Overall, more than 60 disease conditions were identified as being related to alcohol consumption. Most chronic conditions seem to be related to volume only (exceptions are coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke), and most acute conditions seem to be related to volume and patterns. In addition, using methodology based on aggregate data, patterns were relevant for attributing harms for men but not women.

Adolescent↗

The ambiguous role of alcohol in economic and social development.

An increased and industrialized alcohol supply in a developing society is usually assumed to have positive effects on economic development, although it may be recognized that the effects on public health and order will be negative. There has been little attention to the potential for negative effects on the economic side. This paper directs attention to such factors as unemployment for cottage producers (often female heads of household) and reduced industrial employment as highly-automated "turnkey" brewers are installed. On the other hand, changes in the mode of production of alcoholic beverages may have little impact on the much larger work-force involved in serving or selling alcohol in retail trade. The net contribution of an increased and industrialized alcohol supply in terms of economic development is unclear, but industrialization and development bring with them increased demands for attention and sobriety, e.g. in motorized traffic and on the production line, which increased drinking may undercut. Decisions by international development agencies on investment in alcohol production and distribution should take account of both the positive and negative impacts on economic development as well as on public health. In line with this, the World Bank has recently decided to invest in alcohol industry projects only when there is a strong positive development impact and the project is "consistent with public health issues and social policy concerns".

Alcoholic Beverages↗

Statewide system of electronic notifiable disease reporting from clinical laboratories: comparing automated reporting with conventional methods.

CONTEXT: Notifiable disease surveillance is essential to rapidly identify and respond to outbreaks so that further illness can be prevented. Automating reports from clinical laboratories has been proposed to reduce underreporting and delays. OBJECTIVE: To compare the timeliness and completeness of a prototypal electronic reporting system with that of conventional laboratory reporting. DESIGN: Laboratory-based reports for 5 conditions received at a state health department between July 1 and December 31, 1998, were reviewed. Completeness of coverage for each reporting system was estimated using capture-recapture methods. SETTING: Three statewide private clinical laboratories in Hawaii. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number and date of reports received, by reporting system, laboratory, and pathogen; completeness of data fields. RESULTS: A total of 357 unique reports of illness were identified; 201 (56%) were received solely through the automated electronic system, 32 (9%) through the conventional system only, and 124 (35%) through both. Thus, electronic reporting resulted in a 2.3-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-2.6) increase in reports. Electronic reports arrived an average of 3.8 (95% CI, 2.6-5.0) days earlier than conventional reports. Of 21 data fields common to paper and electronic formats, electronic reports were significantly more likely to be complete for 12 and for 1 field with the conventional system. The estimated completeness of coverage for electronic reporting was 80% (95% CI, 75%-85%) [corrected] compared with 38% (95% CI, 36%-41%) [corrected] for the conventional system. CONCLUSIONS: In this evaluation, electronic reporting more than doubled the total number of laboratory-based reports received. On average, the electronic reports were more timely and more complete, suggesting that electronic reporting may ultimately facilitate more rapid and comprehensive institution of disease control measures.

Clinical Laboratory Information Systems↗

Acute otitis media: management and surveillance in an era of pneumococcal resistance--a report from the Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Therapeutic Working Group.

OBJECTIVE: To provide recommendations [corrected] for the management of acute otitis media (AOM) and the surveillance of drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (DRSP). Five questions were addressed: (1) Can amoxicillin remain the best initial antimicrobial agent for treating AOM in the current period of increasing prevalence of DRSP? (2) What are suitable alternative agents for use if amoxicillin fails? (3) Should empiric treatment of AOM vary by geographic region? (4) Where can clinicians learn about resistance patterns in their patient populations? (5) What modifications to laboratory surveillance would improve the utility of the information for clinicians treating AOM? PARTICIPANTS: Experts in the management of otitis media and the DRSP Therapeutic Working Group. This group was convened by the CDC to respond to changes in antimicrobial susceptibility among pneumococci and includes clinicians, academicians and public health practitioners. EVIDENCE: Published and unpublished data summarized from the scientific literature and experience from the experts present. PROCESS: [corrected] After group presentations and review of background materials, subgroup chairs prepared draft responses to the five questions, discussed the responses as a group and edited those responses [corrected]. CONCLUSIONS: Oral amoxicillin should remain the first line antimicrobial agent for treating AOM. In view of the increasing prevalence of DRSP, the safety of amoxicillin at higher than standard dosages and evidence that higher dosages of amoxicillin can achieve effective middle ear fluid concentrations, an increase in the dosage used for empiric treatment from 40 to 45 mg/kg/day to 80 to 90 mg/kg/day is recommended. For patients with clinically defined treatment failure after 3 days of therapy, useful alternative agents include oral amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefuroxime axetil and intramuscular ceftriaxone. Many of the 13 other Food and Drug Administration-approved otitis media drugs lack good evidence for efficacy against DRSP. Currently local surveillance data for pneumococcal resistance that are relevant for the clinical management of AOM are not available from most areas in the United States. Recommendations to improve surveillance include establishing criteria for setting susceptibility breakpoints for clinically appropriate antimicrobials to ensure relevance for treating AOM, testing middle ear fluid or nasal swab isolates in addition to sterile site isolates and testing of drugs that are useful in treating AOM. The management of otitis media has entered a new era with the development of DRSP. These recommendations are intended to provide a framework for appropriate clinical and public health responses to this problem.

Acute Disease↗

Resistance to antimicrobial chemotherapy: a prescription for research and action.

The growing problem of resistance to antimicrobial chemotherapy was discussed by participants at the February 1995 workshop at Emory University on population biology, evolution, and control of infectious diseases. They discussed the nature and source of this problem and identified areas of research in which information is lacking for the development of programs to control of the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Particular attention was given to theoretical (mathematical modeling) and empirical studies of the within and between-host population biology (epidemiology) and the evolution of microbial resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. Suggestions were made about the kinds of models and data needed, and the procedures that could be employed to stem the ascent and dissemination of resistant bacteria. This article summarizes the observations and recommendations made at the 1995 meeting and in the correspondence between participants that followed. It concludes with an update on the theoretical and empirical research on the between- and within-host population biology and evolution of resistance to antimicrobial chemotherapy most of which has been done since that meeting.

Bacteria↗

Cefamandole levels during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm surgery.

The pharmacokinetics of prophylactic antibodies may differ in cardiac and aortic aneurysm surgery for at least two reasons: aortic aneurysm surgery generally entails a greater blood volume loss and replacement, and aortic aneurysm surgery usually does not require extracorporeal cardiopulmonary bypass. We prospectively studied two different cefamandole dosing regimens in patients undergoing aortic aneurysm surgery (phase 1, 1 gm intravenously at the induction of anesthesia; phase 2, 2 gm intravenously at the induction of anesthesia followed by 1 gm intravenously every 2 hours during surgery). In phase 1 and 2 plasma levels were measured at the time of skin incision, aortic cross-clamping, aortic unclamping, and skin closure. In phase 2 cefamandole elimination in urine and cell-saver effluent was also determined. An adequate plasma level of 10 micrograms/ml was maintained in only 4 of 14 patients in phase 1, but in 10 of 10 patients in phase 2. Cefamandole loss in cell-saver effluent was 136 +/- 100 mg, which was 13% of the measured renally excreted amount. As has been previously shown in cardiac surgery, a cefamandole prophylactic antibiotic regimen of 2 gm intravenously at the induction of anesthesia followed by 1 gm every 2 hours during surgery provides a dependable and practical dosing regimen in patients undergoing aortic aneurysm surgery.

Aged↗

Unexplained bleeding associated with central venous catheter care.

Significant bleeding associated with inadvertent heparin overdosage may occur in children with cancer and indwelling central venous catheters. The etiology of such bleeding, as described in a child with Wilms' tumor, may not be immediately apparent. It is imperative that the proper techniques for maintenance and anticoagulation of the catheter be ascertained.

Catheterization, Central Venous↗