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Biomedical subjects

L A Lester

Publications and source records attributed to L A Lester.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effectiveness of cimetidine as an adjunct to supplemental pancreatic enzymes in patients with cystic fibrosis.

The effectiveness and safety of the use of cimetidine as an adjunct to pancreatic enzymes was evaluated in eight patients with cystic fibrosis having pancreatic insufficiency. Cimetidine (300 mg, three times a day) was given for a 6-week period during which the patients demonstrated a significant weight gain (P < 0.05) and reduction of steatorrhea (P < 0.01). Data suggesting an early correction of the abnormal fatty acid composition of plasma lipids were observed. No side effects were apparent during the clinical trial. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of the use of cimetidine in patients with cystic fibrosis and indicate the need for long-term clinical trials.

Adolescent↗

An evaluation of the left atrial/aortic root ratio in children with ventricular septal defect.

Echocardiograms were performed in 80 infants and children with isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD) who underwent cardiac catheterization. The pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio (Qp/Qs) was correlated with the echocardiographic left atrial-to-aortic root diameter ratio (LA/Ao), and a relatively poor correlation (r = 0.62) was found. The end-systolic diameters of the left atrium and aorta at the level of the aortic root, obtained from lateral cineangiograms of 55 of the 80 patients, were compared with the corresponding echocardiographic dimensions. To assess the possible effect of transducer beam angulation upon the echocardiographic determinations, the angiographic measurements were made at 0 degrees position (perpendicular to the frontal plane) and at angles of 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 15 degrees and 20 degrees from zero, using the aortic root center as the point of intersection. The echocardiographic and angiographic aortic root measurements were comparable (r = 0.95), and the angiographically derived aortic diameter did not vary with different angle projections. However, the left atrial angiographic dimensions were significantly influenced by the angle of projection. We conclude that the echocardiographic LA/Ao ratio cannot reliably estimate the severity of the shunt flow in VSD.

Adolescent↗

Supplemental parenteral nutrition in cystic fibrosis.

The efficacy and safety of short-term supplemental peripheral hyperalimentation (PH) was evaluated in 15 hospitalized cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who exhibited varying degrees of pulmonary disease severity and nutritional impairment. An average of 1000 supplemental calories/day were administered intravenously for a 2- to 3-week period to patients being treated with parenteral antibiotics for exacerbation of their pulmonary disease. Eleven of 15 patients responded with a weight gain of greater than 2.0 kg and showed continued weight gain and stabilized pulmonary status for the 6- to 12-month follow-up period; two patients showed dramatic reversal of poor weight gain and growth following PH. Total calorie intake (oral + PH) equaled 141 +/- 40% of the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) in responders, with 45 +/- 12% RDA contributed by PH, in contrast to 68 +/- 20% of the RDA for total calories with 31 +/- 13% supplied using PH achieved in the nonresponders. Linoleic acid deficiency was documented in these patients (linoleic acid level as a percent of total fatty acid = 21.9% +/- 1.41 SEM vs 31.8% +/- 1.16 SEM in normal controls), and all seven patients achieved normalization of linoleic acid level after PH. Prior assessment of nutritional status (anthropometric measurements) or of severity of pulmonary disease (NIH clinical score) did not allow prediction of response to PH. No complications resulted from administration of PH to these hospitalized CF patients.

Adolescent↗