Biomedical subjects

Joseph A Awad

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph A Awad.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Case of fulminant hepatic failure due to unrecognized peripartum cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a postpartum patient who presented with fulminant hepatic failure and hepatic coma as a result of unrecognized peripartum cardiomyopathy. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Medical intensive care unit of a tertiary care academic medical center. PATIENT: A 35-yr-old woman 5 wks postpartum from an uneventful spontaneous vaginal delivery who was transferred to our institution with fulminant hepatic failure and worsening hepatic encephalopathy of unknown etiology for consideration of liver transplantation. INTERVENTIONS: An echocardiogram was obtained as part of an evaluation for refractory shock and the patient was found to have severe global hypokinesis with an ejection fraction of approximately 15%. She was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy and treatment with digoxin and afterload reduction was initiated. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After initiation of appropriate treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy, the patient's hepatic failure resolved and she made a full recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Congestive heart failure is one of the few treatable causes of fulminant hepatic failure. Congestive heart failure must always be included in the differential diagnosis of fulminant hepatic failure of unknown pathogenesis.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Urinary F2-isoprostanes in young healthy children at risk for type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Oxidative stress has been linked to many diseases, but little information exists on biomarkers of oxidative stress in healthy children. The purpose of this study was to describe factors that correlate with urinary F2-isoprostanes, an indicator of oxidative stress, and to establish normal concentrations of F2-isoprostanes in children at risk to develop type 1 diabetes mellitus. Creatinine-adjusted urinary F2-isoprostanes were assessed in 342 Denver children under the age of 7 years, from whom we had collected data during 769 clinic visits from August 1997 through January 2001 (mean 2.3 visits per child). Children were identified by newborn screening for HLA-markers, of varying degrees of prediction, for the development of type 1 diabetes. Plasma antioxidants and carotenoids, age at clinic visit, vitamin supplement use, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, gender, and race were evaluated as correlates to the degree of oxidative stress, using mixed models for longitudinal data. F2-isoprostane levels were highest in infancy and decreased nonlinearly until 7 years. Female gender, HLA-DR3/4 genotype, higher plasma gamma-tocopherol:total lipids ratio, and lower alpha-carotene:total lipids ratio correlated with higher F2-isoprostane levels. Normal values in this healthy population can be used as the basis for future studies of disease mechanisms involving oxidative stress.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed2002

Validating methods of urine collection: a pilot study.

In this pilot study of 21 adults, direct collection versus cotton-ball collection of urine was studied. Results showed the use of cotton balls for collecting urine is a safe and effective method for measuring antioxidants and markers of oxidative stress for clinical and research use.

Humans↗