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Biomedical subjects

E Goosby

Publications and source records attributed to E Goosby.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

A placebo-controlled trial of the immune modulator, lentinan, in HIV-positive patients: a phase I/II trial.

Lentinan is a beta 1-->3 glucan isolated from Lentinus edodes (Shiitake mushroom) which has immune modulating properties. We have conducted two phase I/II placebo-controlled trials on a total of 98 patients. In one study at the San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), ten patients each were administered 2, 5, or 10 mg of lentinan or placebo i.v. once a week for eight weeks. In the second study at the Community Research Initiative in New York (CRI), two groups of 20 patients each were administered 1 or 5 mg of lentinan i.v. twice a week for 12 weeks, and ten patients were administered placebo (vehicle containing mannitol plus dextran 40) i.v. twice a week. Entry criteria were an HIV positive test, CD4 levels of 200-500 cells, age 18-60 years, and without current opportunistic infections. This study confirms, in Caucasian subjects also, the good tolerability of lentinan observed in Japanese cancer patients. Side effects were mainly mild, especially when infusion was carried out over a 30-minute period. In the SFGH study, where administration was over a ten minute period, there were nine side effects severe enough to be reported to the FDA (one case each of anaphylactoid reaction, back pain, leg pain, depression, rigor, fever, chills, granulocytopenia and elevated liver enzymes) and there were four patients who discontinued therapy because of side effects. In the CRI study, where infusion was over a 30-minute period, there were no side effects reportable to the FDA and there were four dropouts due to side effects or personal preference. Most side effects resolved promptly after the discontinuation of medication, and all of them were relieved within 24 hours. Patients in the study have shown a trend toward increases in CD4 cells and in some patients neutrophil activity. Because of the small numbers, these values do not have statistical significance. Inasmuch as no side effects such as anemia, leukopenia, pancreatitis or neuropathy were seen, and in view of the positive effects of lentinan on certain surrogate markers (recognizing that these were small studies), we recommended a long-term clinical trial of lentinan in combination with didanosine (ddI) or zidovudine in HIV positive patients. Most patients in these trials did not have measurable p24 levels. In the CRI trials of ten patients with elevated p24 levels, eight on lentinan and two on placebo had decreased p24 levels. Of these decreases, those with lentinan and one with placebo were marked. These results were provocative and needed confirmation. Subsequent to this study, a trial of lentinan in combination with didanosine (ddI) showed a mean increase of 142 CD4 cells/mm3 over a twelve month period, in contrast to a decrease in CD4 cells in patients on ddI alone (Gordon et al. 1995).

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1988

Recovery of function after hip fracture. The role of social supports.

Previous studies have found that social support may reduce mortality after myocardial infarction and reduce overall mortality among the elderly. To determine whether social support also influences the recovery of function among patients who have had hip fractures and to describe other potential predictors of recovery after hip fracture, 111 patients with hip fractures were interviewed and examined before discharge from the hospital. The functional status of surviving patients was assessed again 6 months later. Patients who had a greater number of social supports had more complete recovery of their prefracture level of function (r = .21; P = .04). This association was strongest for patients over 60 years old (r = .31; P = .006); among these patients, this association remained statistically significant after adjustment for other significant (P less than .05) predictors of recovery: arm strength, mental status, and serum albumin. Additional studies should be done to test whether interventions to increase social supports can improve the recovery of function among elderly patients with hip fractures and other illnesses. In the meantime, health professionals should counsel elderly patients about the potential rehabilitative and preventive benefits of social supports.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Educating primary care providers about HIV disease: multidisciplinary interactive mechanisms.

As HIV-related prophylactic and therapeutic research findings continue to evolve, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Public Health Service has created multidisciplinary mechanisms to disseminate new treatment options and educate primary care providers at rural and urban sites throughout our nation's health care system. HRSA has implemented (a) the International State-of-the-Art HIV Clinical Conference Call Series, (b) the national network of AIDS Education and Training Centers, (c) the nationwide HIV Telephone Consultation Service, and (d) the Clinical Issues Subcommittee of the HRSA AIDS Advisory Committee. These collaborative and comprehensive efforts at HIV information dissemination target physicians, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, clinical pharmacists, mental health care providers, case managers, and allied health professionals. The sites where they provide care include public health clinics; county, State and Federal correctional facilities; private practice offices; community and academic hospitals; military and Veterans Administration facilities; hemophilia centers; schools of medicine, nursing, and dentistry; departments of health; chronic care facilities; visiting nurse and home care agencies; health maintenance organizations; and Indian Health Service clinics and hospitals.

Diffusion of Innovation↗