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Biomedical subjects

M Narendranathan

Publications and source records attributed to M Narendranathan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Prolonged brainstem auditory evoked potential latencies in tropical pancreatic diabetics with normal hearing.

Twenty patients with Tropical Pancreatic Diabetes (TPD) were evaluated by Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials (BAEP) in order to detect any possible subclinical involvement of auditory pathways. The latencies of BAEP Wave III (p < 0.009) and V (p < 0.47) as well as the Interpeak Latencies I-III (p < 0.002), and I-V (p < 0.019) were significantly prolonged in patients with TPD when compared to age and sex matched healthy volunteers. There was correlation between the abnormalities of BAEP and duration of diabetes (p < 0.006), male sex of patients (p < 0.05), and the presence of retinopathy (p < 0.003) and nephropathy (p < 0.38). There was no significant correlation with the age of the patients, type of treatment, blood sugar levels and presence of peripheral neuropathy. These changes suggest a subclinical involvement of the auditory pathways in TDP patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Reusable needles--a major risk factor for acute virus B hepatitis.

We conducted a case control study to find the extent to which acute virus B hepatitis was hospital acquired. One hundred and sixty consecutive cases of acute virus B hepatitis were compared with age (+/- 3 years) and sex matched healthy hospital visitors. Exposure to reusable needles, blood or blood products, therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, common razors and sexual practices were elicited by means of a questionnaire. Only exposures in the incubation period (6 weeks to 6 months before the onset of symptoms) were included in the analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for injections for reusable needles was 6.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.8-10.6]. The OR for single injection (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 2.0-7.3) was less than that for multiple injections (OR = 9.8; 95% CI = 3.8-26.3), showing a dose response relationship. The proportion of cases of acute virus B hepatitis attributable to hospital related exposures was 67%. Proper aseptic techniques and sterilization practices can substantially reduce the incidence of acute hepatitis B in the population.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Visual evoked potential changes in patients with tropical pancreatic diabetes.

Visual impairment is an important complication of diabetes. There are conflicting reports on Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) changes in diabetes. P100 latency of VEP was evaluated in twenty patients with Tropical Pancreatic Diabetes (TPD) and compared with that of age and sex matched controls. There was no statistically significant difference in the P100 latency between the two groups. There was no correlation between the P100 latency and the severity of diabetes or presence of defective vision or retinopathy. The defective vision in diabetes is likely to be due to ocular causes rather than due to a defect in the central visual pathways.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin in enteric fever--cost-effectiveness.

Clinical decision analysis is a technique which is used to deal with uncertainities in clinical medicine. We used this technique to compare the cost-effectiveness of chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin in the treatment of enteric fever. The study shows that the most economical alternative can be predicted if the cost of hospital stay and the sensitivity of the organism to chloramphenicol are known. Thus if the hospital costs are Rs 50/- per day, chloramphenicol will be the drug of choice if more than 52% of the organisms are sensitive to the drug. At lower levels of sensitivity to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin will be the drug of choice.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Increased risk of preterm birth for women with inflammatory bowel disease.

The reproductive histories of 177 women with Crohn's disease and 84 women with ulcerative colitis were compared with those of healthy control subjects. Inflammatory bowel disease was associated with reduced fertility as measured by number of pregnancies, but measures of childlessness, infertility, fecundability, and methods of birth control suggested that this reduced fertility was the patients' choice rather than a consequence of disease-mediated biological impairments. There was no evidence of increased risk of pregnancy loss, but the risk of preterm birth was significantly elevated for patients with Crohn's disease (odds ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-5.4) and for those with ulcerative colitis (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-5.4). Several plausible biological mechanisms that could explain the link between preterm birth and inflammatory bowel disease are suggested. These results may be useful when counseling patients who desire pregnancy. Physicians can reassure patients about potential fertility problems but should also encourage close obstetrical monitoring during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Male infertility in inflammatory bowel disease.

We examined fertility in men with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to determine whether the reported deficit in pregnancies in their spouses was due to reduced reproductive capacity. The cases were 106 men with Crohn's disease and 62 with ulcerative colitis drawn from the rosters of North Carolina chapters of the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis. The 140 normal controls were neighbors identified by the cases. There were 186 pregnancies among the spouses of men with Crohn's disease, 110 among the ulcerative colitis group, and 300 among the controls. The mean number of pregnancies among the Crohn's disease patients (1.75 +/- 0.12) was significantly lower than the number for controls (2.14 +/- 0.11), p less than 0.02. The reduction in the mean number of pregnancies among patients with ulcerative colitis (1.77 +/- 0.18) was not significantly different from controls (p less than 0.07). Analysis of waiting time to conception showed that fecundability (the probability of pregnancy in a menstrual cycle) was not different in spouses of IBD patients and controls. We conclude that the overall reproductive capacity of men with IBD is not markedly diminished.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Serum rhodanese in goitre and calcific pancreatitis of tropics.

Rhodanese is one of the enzymes concerned in the detoxification of cyanide. Cassava intake and consequent cyanide toxicity are incriminated in the pathogenesis of goitre and calcific pancreatitis of tropics. So we studied the activity of rhodanese in these patients. 14 controls, 13 patients with pancreatitis and 12 with goitre were studied. The median (and range) of rhodanese in these groups were 82 (50-144), 110 (64-180) and 71 (22-160) units respectively. The serum rhodanese was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in patients with pancreatitis when compared to the other groups. There was no significant difference between the serum rhodanese in patients with goitre and the controls. The presence of adequate amounts of rhodanese indicates that goitre and chronic pancreatitis are not produced by impaired cyanide detoxification.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Respiratory distress during endoscopy--report of an unusual case.

A 30 year old man developed severe respiratory distress during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. He had a short oesophagus and part of the stomach was intrathoracic. Air-insufflation during endoscopy caused distension of the stomach inside the chest leading to respiratory distress. When part of the stomach is intrathoracic, the endoscopist should be cautious and the possibility of respiratory embarrassment kept in mind during air-insufflation.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Lactose intolerance in North and South Indians.

A multicenter study was carried out in India to determine the incidence of lactose intolerance in healthy volunteers from different parts of the country. The incidence was found to be 66.6% in the subjects from two South Indian centers at Trivandrum and Pondicherry. In contrast, the incidence in the subjects from a North Indian center in New Delhi was much lower, i.e., 27.4% (p less than 0.001). The lower incidence in the North Indian subjects may perhaps be due to the fact that they are descendants of the Aryans who have been dairying for long and are known to be lactose tolerant.

Adolescent↗