Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M J Fox.
Four cases of impalement injury are described. The principles of management are discussed, these being minimal manipulation of the object before and during transport, preoperative planning, a multidisciplinary approach, and wound care.
Inhibition of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) has been shown to enhance alcohol absorption in man under certain circumstances. To determine whether various medications might affect alcohol absorption, we screened 18 compounds for an effect on ADH. Salicylic acid, acetaminophen, propranolol, ethacrynic acid, and three H2-receptor antagonists all inhibited rat gastric ADH in vitro, indicating that several commonly used medications have the potential to enhance alcohol absorption. Of these, cimetidine, ranitidine, and nizatidine were studied further to define their effect on alcohol absorption in man and to assess the clinical relevance of the effect. Both ranitidine and nizatidine enhanced the absorption of small doses of alcohol (0.15 g/kg) in the morning by 63% and 64% and increased Cmax by 48% and 54% respectively (p less than 0.001), effects similar to those reported by others for cimetidine. The effect of ranitidine given before dinner was greatly attenuated with increases in Cmax of 8% (NS) and AUC of 21% (p = 0.02). Cimetidine 800 mg hs did not affect the absorption of 0.15 g/kg alcohol given in the evening, and cimetidine 400 mg bid decreased absorption by 14% (p = 0.11). Cimetidine 300 mg qid had no effect on larger doses of alcohol given at dinner. We conclude that many commonly used medications affect gastric ADH, but that the increase in the actual amount of alcohol absorbed is quite small, and demonstrable only under special conditions.
Staphylococcus aureus causes serious pulmonary infections in adults. Prior descriptions of this entity have depended on diagnosis of expectorated sputum cultures that are often contaminated. To better characterize this infection, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 31 adults with S aureus pulmonary infection diagnosed by culture specimens uncontaminated by the upper respiratory flora. Our results support the concept that S aureus pulmonary infections usually occur in older adults (sixth decade or older) with concomitant illnesses that are typically nosocomial. However, in contrast to previous reports, the chest roentgenograms in these patients typically showed multilobar infiltrates (60 percent), predominantly in the lower lobes (64 percent), and often bilateral (48 percent). Pleural involvement (48 percent) was more common than previously reported, and abscess formation (16 percent) occurred infrequently. Sputum cultures were found to be sensitive but nonspecific diagnostic tools. Despite antibiotic therapy, reinfection occurred in 10 percent of patients and the mortality rate was 32 percent.
Calpain-catalysed hydrolysis of platelet substrates such as cytoskeletal and calmodulin-binding proteins, and of protein kinase C, is assumed to contribute to platelet aggregation. We have measured calpain I activation by immunoblotting, and [Ca2+]i (cytoplasmic Ca2+ concn.) by fura-2 fluorescence, in parallel with measurement of aggregation, in stirred human platelets treated at different [Ca2+]ext (extend Ca2+ concns.) with A23187, leupeptin, phorbol ester and thrombin. Hydrolysis of actin-binding protein, and [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine release, were also measured in some cases. A rise in [Ca2+]i, platelet aggregation and calpain activation often occurred together. With some combinations of agonists and [Ca2+]ext, however, this correlation was clearly not maintained. It was shown: (a) that activation of calpain and its hydrolysis of platelet substrates were not strictly necessary conditions for platelet secretion and aggregation; (b) conversely, that calpain activation could occur without aggregation.
A large, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was carried out to determine the effects of the lowest dose of commercially available hydrochlorothiazide. Thus, Dyazide (which contains 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide and 50 mg of triamterene in an approximately 50% bioavailable form), one capsule, was given daily to patients with either mild or moderate hypertension (supine diastolic blood pressure of 95 to 115 mmHg) for eight weeks. At the end of this eight-week period, supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) fell by 11.3 +/- 6.7 mmHg (mean +/- SD) in the Dyazide-treated compared to 4.6 +/- 6.9 mmHg in the placebo-treated group (P less than 0.001). In two thirds of the patients receiving active treatment the fall in SDBP was more than 10 mmHg, and in over half SDBP was completely normalized (ie, SDBP less than 90 mmHg). Supine systolic blood pressure fell by 14.7 +/- 12.3 mmHg in the Dyazide-treated group compared to 5.3 +/- 11.6 mmHg in the placebo-treated group (P less than 0.001). Approximately 80% of the antihypertensive effect occurred within two weeks and after four weeks there was no further significant reduction. Mildly (SDBP = 95 to 104 mmHg) and moderately (SDBP = 105 to 115 mmHg) hypertensive patients responded similarly to treatment. All studied subpopulations responded to treatment with a reduction of SDBP of at least an average of 10 mmHg; the best responders were blacks, women, the elderly (greater than 65 years old), and patients weighing less than 170 lbs. Side effects were mild and infrequent. In conclusion, by examining the effects of Dyazide (one capsule/day), this investigation demonstrated the effectiveness of low-dose hydrochlorothiazide in antihypertensive therapy and quantified it both in the general population and in clinically relevant subpopulations.
Secretions from the nose and nasopharynx (NPS) are more readily accessible than tracheobronchial secretions (TBS) for clinical investigations, but it is unclear whether changes in mediator release in the nasopharynx reflect similar changes in the tracheobronchial tree. In order to clarify this question, NPS and TBS were taken from 20 children with tracheotomy and tested for the presence of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and uteroglobin-like protein (UTG-LP). LTC4 and UTG-LP were measured both when the children were healthy and when they had clinical evidence of an acute respiratory tract illness. The mean concentration of LTC4 in NPS and TBS increased during illness although the mean concentration in NPS was significantly higher than in TBS during respiratory illness. In healthy children UTG-LP was detected only in TBS. During acute respiratory illness the concentration of UTG-LP in TBS decreased but remained significantly higher than in NPS. Data presented in this study indicate that changes in the LTC4 concentration in NPS appear to reflect changes in LTC4 concentration in TBS although the levels of LTC4 in NPS were significantly higher than in TBS. An inverse correlation between the concentrations of LTC4 and UTG-LP in NPS and TBS was demonstrated.
Cerebral barotrauma, or the neurological manifestation of the "bends", is a relatively common disease of divers and aviators. To date, however, no-one has succeeded in demonstrating a cerebral or spinal cord lesion in vivo following a decompression incident, despite the presence of definitive clinical signs and symptoms of central nervous system involvement. This paper describes the use of 99Tcm-labelled hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99Tcm-HMPAO) with single photon emission tomography in a study of three individuals involved in driving accidents. All three suffered cerebral barotrauma during decompression and all exhibited clinical signs and symptoms of dysbarism to a varying degree. Imaging was performed at time intervals ranging from 2 h to several days following the incidents. The results showed well defined cerebral ischaemic lesions in all three subjects. We conclude that 99Tcm-HMPAO imaging provides a significant advance in locating and demonstrating cerebral lesions following barotrauma and will contribute greatly to our understanding of the pathophysiological processes involved.
The incidence, severity, and management of diarrhea during longterm administration of auranofin (AF)--up to 33 months--were evaluated prospectively in 137 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. At least 1 episode of diarrhea was reported in 101 patients (74%), but the rate of occurrence/patient-months of therapy was 24% (569 events/2,370 patient-months of treatment). The monthly prevalence declined from a range of 30-40% during the initial 6 months to about 10% for patients treated for 18-24 months. Most diarrhea was intermittent and mild; only 11 patients (8%) discontinued treatment because of diarrheal symptoms. No intervention was required in 46 of the 101 patients affected. In 44 others, loose stools were successfully managed with antidiarrheal medications, a reduction in dosage, or both. Although diarrhea is a common event during AF administration, particularly early in therapy, for most patients it usually does not significantly interfere with treatment.
A review of 573 cases of ulcerative keratitis cultured at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from January 1977 through September 1982 showed that 118 cases (21%) were associated with contact lens wear; of these, 64 were culture-positive. Of these culture-positive cases, 50 (78%) were caused by gram-negative bacteria, nine (14%) by gram-positive organisms, and two (3%) by fungal organisms. Of the 264 culture-positive ulcers not associated with contact lens wear, 119 (45%) were caused by gram-negative bacteria, 74 (28%) by gram-positive organisms, and 63 (24%) by fungal organisms. These statistically significant differences suggested that the organisms associated with ulcerative keratitis within our geographic region are modified by contact lens use. Pseudomonas was the organism most frequently isolated from ulcers associated with contact lenses and was responsible for nearly two thirds of the culture-positive cases.
A 70-year-old man presented with bilateral ischemic optic neuropathy. Workup revealed anemia that proved to be secondary to blood loss from an occult small bowel sarcoma. Ischemic optic neuropathy is an uncommon complication of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. It is important to recognize the association of visual loss and severe blood loss when they occur concurrently, so that proper treatment may be promptly instituted.
A new method for selecting patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension who are appropriate for entry into clinical trials and a technique for assessing small but statistically significant decreases in diastolic blood pressure resulting from drug therapy are described. In this method, mild-to-moderate hypertension is defined to exclude subjects whose diastolic blood pressure decreases while they are taking placebo and to exclude subjects with highly variable diastolic blood pressure. A subject receives placebo for four weeks, during which time diastolic blood pressure while supine is measured three times on a single day of each week, the time between measurements not being less than 30 minutes. With the 12 measurements obtained during the four-week placebo period, the following calculations are made: an average of the 12 measurements; and average of the three measurements obtained on a given day, yielding the average diastolic blood pressure per week; and the range of the 12 measurements. Subjects are selected for study if their average diastolic blood pressure per week for the four-week placebo period is neither below 95 nor above 115 mmHg, if their average diastolic blood pressure per week does not decrease successively from week 1 to week 4, and if the range of the 12 measurements of diastolic blood pressure recorded over the four-week placebo period does not exceed 28 mmHg (equivalent to a standard deviation of 8.5). Use of the method is demonstrated in the selection of 63 patients for a double-blind study of two antihypertensive drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Three patients with recurrent emergency room visits and hospitalizations for bronchial asthma are described. Although each patient had respiratory distress associated with wheezing and an apparent response to conventional therapy, other features were inconsistent with the pathophysiology of asthma. These included absence of a significantly elevated alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference, lack of roentgenographic hyperinflation, and normal small airway function soon after clinical response. Furthermore, bronchial hyperreactivity, a constant feature of asthma, was absent in all patients. Each patient demonstrated wheezing that was self-induced and heard loudest over the neck. Two patients had previous psychiatric illness, one of whom had been hospitalized for factitious fever. We believe that these patients had a form of factitious illness not previously described. Recognition of this syndrome may avoid unnecessary medical care and allow initiation of appropriate psychiatric follow-up.
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Collective bargaining in higher education is a phenomenon that is less than 20 years old. This article chronicles the development of legal jurisdiction and the growth of bargaining activity in the public and private sectors. It focuses on the relevant differences between two- and four-year institutions in the public and private sectors as well as several of the major problem areas in higher education and their current legal status, including the Yeshiva decision. The author cites a number of inconsistent rulings that cover collective bargaining in higher education and takes the position that, in spite of all diversity and inconsistencies, the collective bargaining process continues to grow.
Primary herpes simplex infection may involve the lining of the lacrimal canaliculi and result in permanent strictures and epiphora. Five cases are reported and analyzed in combination with previously reported cases. Antiviral medication was not responsible for lacrimal drainage obstruction in these cases.
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