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Biomedical subjects

K L Parish

Publications and source records attributed to K L Parish.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Safer sex decision-making among men with haemophilia and HIV and their female partners.

An exploratory qualitative study of adult heterosexual men with haemophilia and HIV and women who were their sexual partners was conducted as formative research to better understand cognitive factors involved in behavioural intentions and practices which comprise HIV risk-reduction for sexual transmission. The study sought to generate hypotheses, uncover themes, and develop a broad perspective on possible determinants of behaviours related to HIV transmission risk reduction. Qualitative analysis of these data served as a basis for developing a subsequent quantitative, hypothesis-testing survey and an intervention. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 23 single men and 28 married men with haemophilia and HIV infection, and 28 married women partners selected through stratified, purposeful sampling. The interviews identified beliefs, attitudes, and values underlying decisions regarding target behaviours related to preventing sexual transmission of HIV, including (1) using condoms consistently during vaginal intercourse and (2) talking to partners about risk reduction. The interviews elicited information about perceived advantages and disadvantages of performing each of the targeted behaviours, and factors that facilitate or prevent performing them. Qualitative analysis of coded responses yielded important themes regarding how choices are made about sexual activity and safer sex. Most notably, communication between partners (1) plays a direct, key role in facilitating condom use and (2) forms the basis for maintaining emotional intimacy in these relationships. The link between condom use and communicating about safer sex was viewed as pivotal in achieving HIV prevention for individuals in serodiscordant couples. Recommendations for risk reduction intervention development are discussed.

Adult↗

Pathophysiologic effects of biliary shockwave lithotripsy in a canine model.

At least 10 extracorporeal shockwave lithotripters are under investigation in the United States for treatment of biliary stone disease. Few reports, however, have documented the potential side effects of this new treatment method. In this study, we performed a series of acute and chronic studies in dogs exposed to varying numbers of shockwaves directed at the gallbladder wall via a transthoracic or transabdominal targeting approach. When shockwaves were directed transthoracically, pulmonary hemorrhagic contusions were found which were sometimes large in size. When a transabdominal approach was used, however, only focal areas of hemorrhage were found in the gallbladder wall and adjacent liver with no alterations in postlithotripsy pancreatic or liver enzymes, and normal cholecystokinin-octapeptide stimulated oral cholecystograms were obtained 6 days after treatment. Biliary shockwaves appear to cause few side effects under normal conditions but should be used with caution in patients with potential bleeding disorders. Until further studies are performed, lung tissue should be avoided in the shockwave beam path during treatment.

Abdomen↗

Are new treatment methods of gallbladder stones the death-knell for gallstone surgery?

Recent advances in elective treatments for gallbladder (GB) gallstones (GS) provide so many options that we may be entering a new therapeutic era. Many of the 20 million Americans with GS are asymptomatic and do not need any treatment unless they are diabetic or cirrhotic, have a porcelain gallbladder, or can have an incidental cholecystectomy while undergoing an elective abdominal operation for other reasons. Therapy is required for significantly symptomatic gallstones and for complications of GS. With the development of so many options for nonoperative treatments, some predicted these would eclipse surgical cholecystectomy as the gold standards. However, such therapies are palliative and leave a "guilty" gallbladder in situ in the presence of lithogenic bile, circumstances inviting the recurrence of GS. The few selected patients for whom a general anesthetic represents an inordinate risk should be considered for biliary lithotripsy or percutaneous cholecystolithotomy, both of which can be done without anesthesia. When anesthesia does not present a risk, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which incurs minimal disruption of a patient's normal function, has returned cholecystectomy to its position as the therapeutic gold standard for cholelithiasis. Complicated biliary anatomy or disease may dictate the need for traditional open cholecystectomy. However, most patients and referring physicians are demanding laparoscopic cholecystectomy even as this technique is evolving. Its risk for common bile duct injury is uncertain.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

Ischemic colitis. An ever-changing spectrum?

Ischemic colitis, or more properly colonic ischemia, became a clear clinical entity in the past 25 years. Yet, early diagnosis of this disease with its various presentations remains a difficult task. A 10-year review at our hospital identified 38 patients with colonic ischemia for comparison with the authors' previous experience and with data from the literature. Several important factors emerge: (1) Twice as many cases occurred after operations (34% in this series vs. 16% in the past), probably because fewer and fewer spontaneous cases were hospitalized. (2) Sixteen patients required operative intervention for colonic ischemia with a mortality of 62 per cent, while those treated nonoperatively had a mortality of 14 per cent. Seven of eight postoperative patients who required a second operative procedure for their colonic ischemia died. A high clinical suspicion is necessary in the postoperative patient, as colonic ischemia appears to be more severe among these patients. Moreover, the high incidence of associated cardiovascular disease indicates that early diagnosis, as well as monitoring of the "at-risk" patient, is needed for improvement in survival to occur. New monitoring methods, such as tonometry, may help accomplish this goal.

Adult↗

Octreotide acetate induces fasting small bowel motility in patients with dumping syndrome.

The long acting somatostatin analogue octreotide acetate has been effective in the treatment of early dumping syndrome. We hypothesized that this may be related to its effects on inhibiting gastric emptying and delaying intestinal transit. To study the effect of octreotide acetate on intestinal motility in patients we carried out a randomized, double-blinded study using a subcutaneous injection of either octreotide acetate (100 micrograms) or placebo given 20 min prior to ingestion of a high carbohydrate "dumping" meal in six patients with known severe dumping syndrome. Prior to each study a multilumen polyethylene tube was inserted into the efferent limb to study small intestinal contractions using low compliance pneumo-hydraulic water-perfused manometry. Octreotide acetate prevented dumping symptoms in all six patients and induced the appearance of migrating myoelectric complexes (MMC) characteristic of interdigestive motility. After ingestion of the dumping meal the postprandial "fed" motility pattern lasted for 141 +/- 9 min while after octreotide acetate the fed motility lasted for 29 +/- 5 min (P less than 0.03). The vigor of the fed motility pattern as measured by the motility index (MI = loge (sum of amplitudes X No. of contractions + 1] was lower after octreotide acetate than after placebo (15.1 +/- 0.1 vs 13.4 +/- 0.2, P less than 0.03). The induction of fasting MMC motility pattern and reduction in the duration and vigor of fed motility may explain the symptomatic relief these patients obtained with octreotide acetate. It is not known whether the induction of the MMC is a direct effect of octreotide acetate or secondary to the concomitant inhibition of peptide release (neurotensin, insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide) that has been demonstrated in earlier studies.

Dumping Syndrome↗