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Biomedical subjects

L D Budnick

Publications and source records attributed to L D Budnick.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Bathtub-related electrocutions in the United States, 1979 to 1982.

From 1979 to 1982, in the United States, at least 95 persons were electrocuted in bathtubs; 66% of the deaths occurred during the winter and spring. Children younger than 5 years had the greatest mortality rate, and hair dryers were responsible for 60% of the deaths. Until electric appliances used in bathrooms are made safer, the appliances should be disconnected when not in use, not used in wet bathtubs, and kept away from children.

Adolescent↗

Toothpick-related injuries in the United States, 1979 through 1982.

From 1979 to 1982, an estimated 8,176 toothpick-related injuries occurred yearly (3.6 per 100,000 population per year). The rate of injury was greatest among children 5 to 14 years old, but children younger than 5 years had a rate of injury to the eyeball and ear more than 20 times greater than that of other persons. Since young children appear to be at greatest risk, toothpicks should be kept out of their reach.

Adolescent↗

A pseudo-outbreak of influenza A associated with use of laboratory stock strain.

In November 1982, when influenza type A(H3N2) viruses were spreading in the United States, influenza A(H1N1) viruses were reportedly isolated from 10 hospitalized patients in New Mexico, only two of whom had influenza-like illnesses. Reference stock influenza A/Fort Monmouth (FM)/1/47(H1N1) virus had been used to prepare fluorescent antibody test slides in the laboratory reporting the isolates. After investigation, it was concluded that the isolates from the patients' cultures were a result of laboratory contamination. When an unexpected cluster of unusual virus isolates is reported, the possibility of laboratory contamination should be considered.

Adult↗

Ectopic pregnancy in New York City, 1975-1980.

Seventy-three non-federal acute care New York City hospitals were asked to report the number of ectopic pregnancies. These reports were compared with legally required certificates of termination of pregnancy (fetal death certificates). The number of ectopic pregnancies reported via the questionnaire was six times the number reported on the certificates of termination of pregnancy. Based on the hospital survey, ectopic pregnancies increased from 1,457 in 1975 to 2,080 in 1980. The number of ectopic pregnancies per 1,000 conceptions per year increased 48.5 percent, from 6.48 in 1975 to 9.62 in 1980 (p less than .001). Of the 30 fatalities related to an ectopic pregnancy, 93.4 percent were Black or Hispanic and two-thirds were single. An unexplained finding was that 75 per cent of the fatal tubal pregnancies were right-sided (p less than .01). At least one-half of the deaths were attributable to physician error and one-fifth were attributable to patient neglect. Ectopic pregnancy continues to be overlooked and misdiagnosed. Increased physician suspicion of this complication in the susceptible population is needed to decrease fatalities.

Adult↗

Pseudobacteremia attributed to contamination of povidone-iodine with Pseudomonas cepacia.

Pseudomonas cepacia was recovered from the blood cultures of 52 patients in four hospitals in New York over 6 months from April through October 1980. Epidemiologic investigation in one hospital indicated that the positive results of blood culture represented pseudobacteremias and implicated a 10% povidone-iodine solution used as an antiseptic and disinfectant (Pharmadine; Sherwood Pharmaceutical Company, Mahwah, New Jersey) as the source of contamination. Physicians who drew blood cultures positive for P. cepacia were more likely to have left povidone-iodine on the skin before venipuncture (p = 0.026) and were more likely to have applied povidone-iodine to the blood culture bottle tops and to have left it there while inoculating the blood culture media (p = 0.007) than those who drew cultures negative for P. cepacia. Direct inoculation of Pharmadine into brain-heart infusion broth yielded P. cepacia; however, 2 weeks after the first cultures, the same Pharmadine bottles were culture negative. The iodine concentrations of the contaminated Pharmadine solutions were similar to those of 10% povidone-iodine solutions distributed by other manufacturers.

Blood Specimen Collection↗

Cancer and birth defects near the Drake Superfund site, Pennsylvania.

The Drake Superfund site in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, has been contaminated with the carcinogens beta-naphthylamine, benzidene, and benzene. The authors reviewed county-wide, age-adjusted, sex-, race-, and site-specific cancer mortality rates for the years 1950-1959, 1960-1969, and 1970-1979, and type-specific birth defects incidence rates for 1973-1978. During the 1970s, a significantly increased number of bladder cancer deaths occurred among white males in Clinton County, and a significantly increased number of other cancer deaths occurred in the general population of Clinton and three surrounding counties. There were no statistically significant clusters of any specific birth defect or of all birth defects. County-wide data on cancer and birth defects can be used for initially screening counties with Superfund sites, but more definitive studies are needed to assess the actual health effects caused by these sites.

Age Factors↗