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Biomedical subjects

M Hasnain

Publications and source records attributed to M Hasnain.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Association of educational attainment with HIV risk in African American active injection drug users.

This study explored the association between educational attainment and HIV/AIDS risk among African American active injection drug users (IDUs) in Chicago, US. Using snowball sampling techniques, 813 African American active IDUs were recruited for semi-structured interviewing and HIV counseling, testing and partner notification. Logistic regression examined the relationship between level of education attained (three categories: less than high school; equivalent to high school; and greater than high school) and HIV risk behaviors (12 unsafe sex and drug-related practices) and HIV serostatus (positive or negative). Compared with the reference category (less than high school education), those with education equal to high school were less likely to share water, p = 0.044, OR = 0.70 (95%CI: 0.50-0.99). Compared with the reference category, those with education greater than high school were less likely to receive money for sex, p = 0.048, OR = 0.62 (95%CI: 0.38-0.99); share needles with person having HIV or AIDS, p = 0.015, OR = 0.58 (95%CI: 0.37-0.90); and test positive for HIV, p = 0.027, OR = 0.58 (95%CI: 0.36-0.94). The significant associations found between educational attainment and certain HIV risk behaviors and HIV serostatus have implications for tailoring HIV prevention efforts for less educated African American IDUs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Influence of religiosity on HIV risk behaviors in active injection drug users.

Previous studies have shown a positive relationship between religiosity and the practice or adoption of protective health behaviors, including reduction of illicit drug use among hard-core injecting drug users (IDUs). The purpose of this study was to examine the role of religiosity in predicting HIV high-risk drug and sexual practices among a sample of IDUs in Chicago, USA. We hypothesized that high religiosity would be associated with a lower likelihood of IDUs engaging in risky behaviors for HIV transmission. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 1,095 active IDUs for HIV testing, counseling and partner notification. Data were analyzed from 880 subjects who self-identified with one of three religions, Christianity, Islam or Judaism. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between religiosity (based on self-reports of personal strength of religious belief: very strong; somewhat strong; not at all), independent of specific religion, and HIV risk behaviors (defined as 12 unsafe sex- and drug-related practices) as well as HIV serostatus. Contrary to our hypothesis, subjects with stronger religiosity were more likely to engage in four risk behaviors related to sharing injection paraphernalia. Compared to those who self-reported having no religiosity, subjects who stated that their lives were strongly influenced by religious beliefs were significantly more likely to share injection outfits, cookers, cotton and water. The association of certain HIV risk behaviors with higher religiosity has implications for HIV prevention and warrants further research to explore IDUs' interpretation of religious teachings and the role of religious education in HIV prevention programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Improvement in variability of the horizontal meridian of the primary visual area following high-resolution spatial normalization.

We investigated the decrease in intersubject functional variability in the horizontal meridian (HM) of the primary visual area (V1) before and after individual anatomical variability was significantly reduced using a high-resolution spatial normalization (HRSN) method. The analyzed dataset consisted of 10 normal, right-handed volunteers who had undergone both an O-15 PET study, which localized retinotopic visual area (V1), and a high-resolution anatomical MRI. Individual occipital lobes were manually segmented from anatomical images and transformed into a common space using an in-house high-resolution regional spatial normalization method called OSN. Individual anatomical and functional variability was quantified before and after HRSN processing. The reduction of individual anatomical variability was judged by the reduction in gray matter (GM) mismatch and by the improvement in overlap frequency between individual calcarine sulci. The reduction in intersubject functional variability of HM was determined by measurements of the overlap frequency between individual HM areas and by improvement in intersubject Z-score maps. The HRSN processing significantly reduced the individual anatomical variability: GM mismatch was reduced by a factor of two and the mean calcarine sulcus overlap frequency was improved from 37 to 68%. The reduction in functional variability was more subtle. However, both HM mean overlap (increased from 18 to 28%) and the average Z-score (increased from 2.2 to 2.55) were significantly improved. Although, functional registration was significantly improved by matching sulci, there was still residual variability. This is believed to be the variability of individual areas within the calcarine sulcus, and cannot be resolved by sulcal match. Thus, the proposed methodology provides an efficient, unbiased, and automated way to study structure-functional relationship in human brain.

Brain↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of a new fluorescent dye method to measure urinary albumin in lieu of urinary total protein.

Urinary total protein (UTP) determinations are notoriously inaccurate, poorly reproducible, and difficult to interpret in early renal disease, causing many investigators to measure urinary albumin instead. In this study, we compare a new nonimmunologic fluorescent dye (AB-dye) for measuring albumin with the more expensive and cumbersome radioimmunoassay. We tested 207 urine specimens from patients with variable protein concentrations and divided the results into five arbitrary ranges (0 to 20, 21 to 50, 51 to 100, 101 to 200, and 201 to 400) for chi-square analysis. There was a high degree of correlation between the two methods (chi-square = 260. 8 with 16 degrees of freedom; P < 0.001). The correlation was also high when analyzed by linear regression (R = 0.86; F < 0.01). Based on our comparison of total protein and albumin concentration in the same urine samples, we hypothesized that patients with mild proteinuria may not necessarily have microalbuminuria. Urine samples with UTP between 150 and 400 microg/mL were tested for albumin by the AB-dye. Of 41 samples in this range, 18 (44%) had normal albumin levels. We conclude that measuring urinary albumin with the AB-dye is comparable in performance to radioimmunoassay and could replace UTP determinations, especially for patients with borderline elevations of UTP, many of whom do not have microalbuminuria.

Albuminuria↗
PubMed2000

Management strategies for community acquired pneumonia.

The past decade has witnessed dramatic changes in the etiology, diagnosis, and management of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Due to the wide variation in practice patterns, physicians and professional societies have taken the lead in developing practice guidelines. To better understand the range of these multiple protocols, various stages of the disease and treatment are described and compared. Experts agree that CAP management should include: defining a correct diagnosis, identifying high risk populations in order to determine the severity of the disease, recommending appropriate treatment therapies, and obtaining positive and cost beneficial outcomes.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1999

Dialysis-associated renal cystic disease resembling autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a report of two cases.

Acquired renal cystic disease is common in patients receiving dialysis. Characteristically, the kidneys are small or, less often, normal in size, and the cysts are usually less than 0.6 cm in diameter. We present here 2 patients who, after 5 and 7 years on hemodialysis, developed marked renal enlargement, with large cysts in the kidneys and, in 1 patient, in the liver as well; the appearance on ultrasonography and computed tomography was indistinguishable from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Before starting dialysis the first patient was a 19-year-old man who developed renal shutdown from crescentic glomerulonephritis, and the second patient was a 33-year-old man who developed end-stage renal failure from malignant hypertension. Neither patient had renal cysts at the onset of end-stage renal failure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Suppression of hyperparathyroidism by calcitriol therapy.

We reviewed the charts of 160 patients on hemodialysis and identified 33 with parathyroid hormone (PTH) > 800 pg/ml at any time during the last 3 years to confirm our impression that patients with PTH elevations for short durations of time require significantly smaller doses of calcitriol than those with prolonged PTH elevations. We divided the patients into two groups: 18 with PTH > 800 pg/ml on three or fewer occasions (Group 1, short-term hyperparathyroidism) and 15 with PTH > 800 pg/ml more than three times (Group 2, long-term hyperparathyroidism). Most patients received once weekly intravenous calcitriol, but if this failed to suppress PTH, the dose was increased gradually to three times a week, PTH was measured at mid-week, calcitriol was held if serum calcium rose to >11 mg/dl, and calcitriol was started again when calcium fell to <11 mg/dl. We found that the duration of dialysis was generally shorter in Group 1, as were maximal PTH levels. Calcitriol suppressed PTH levels to <200 pg/ml in both groups. However, the weekly dose of calcitriol needed to suppress PTH was significantly lower in Group 1 (5.4 +/- 1.2 microg in Group 1 and 11.4 +/- 1.8 microg in Group 2; p < 0.001). Further follow-up of seven patients for 1 more year showed continued suppression of PTH, and the dose of calcitriol required to maintain the suppression was lower than the initial dose. Thus patients with longer histories of dialysis and prolonged hyperparathyroidism required higher doses of calcitriol to suppress PTH to the same level as patients who were new on dialysis or with transient hyperparathyroidism. A protocol of three times weekly, high dose calcitriol with strict monitoring of serum calcium will avoid parathyroidectomy in most cases.

Calcitriol↗