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Biomedical subjects

M Watters

Publications and source records attributed to M Watters.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Higher frequency of dementia in older HIV-1 individuals: the Hawaii Aging with HIV-1 Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy has improved survival for HIV-1-infected individuals. The neuroepidemiologic implications of HIV-1 in an aging population are not well known, particularly the prevalence of HIV-associated dementia (HAD). METHODS: The authors report a baseline cross-sectional analysis of 202 HIV-1-seropositive individuals enrolled into one of two groups of the Hawaii Aging with HIV Cohort: older (50 or more years old, n = 106) and younger (20 to 39 years old, n = 96). Neuropsychological, neurologic, medical, and laboratory data were obtained at enrollment. Participant cognitive status was classified (research case definitions) using American Academy of Neurology (1991) criteria in a consensus conference of physicians and neuropsychologists. RESULTS: HAD was more frequent in older (25.2%) compared to younger (13.7%) individuals (p = 0.041) corresponding to an OR of 2.13 (95% CI: 1.02 to 4.44) for the older compared to the younger group. After adjusting for education, race, substance dependence, antiretroviral medication status, viral load, CD4 lymphocyte count, and Beck Depression Inventory score, the odds of having HAD among individuals in the older group was 3.26 (1.32 to 8.07) times that of the younger group. CONCLUSIONS: Older age is associated with increased HAD in this HIV-1 cohort. Underlying mechanisms are unclear but do not appear related to duration of HIV-1 infection.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed2004

Age, apolipoprotein E4, and the risk of HIV dementia: the Hawaii Aging with HIV Cohort.

There are discrepant findings regarding the risk of HIV-associated dementia (HAD) relating to apolipoprotein E4, suggesting other factors may modulate risk. Furthermore, evidence suggests a changing phenotype of HAD in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), prompting a need to determine if new disease markers have emerged. In this analysis, APOE genotype was determined for 182 participants enrolled in the Hawaii Aging with HIV Cohort. After controlling for age and diabetes status, an independent risk of HAD relating to E4 was seen in older participants [OR=2.898 (1.031-8.244)] but not in younger participants [OR=0.373 (0.054-1.581)]. Several proposed mechanisms may underlie this association. Consideration of non-traditional risk factors for HAD in older HIV patients may yield new markers of disease in the era of HAART.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed2002

Tracheal trauma from percutaneous tracheostomy using the Griggs method.

In a safety evaluation study, relative force and distance measurements during percutaneous tracheostomy were recorded using specially monitored Griggs guidewire dilating tracheostomy forceps on 12 cadavers scheduled to undergo postmortem examination the same day. All measurements were recorded in millivolts and were converted to force and distance via appropriate calibration tables. Markedly more force was required for tracheal destruction than for therapeutic tracheal dilation (87.7 N +/- 19 N vs. 31.6 N +/- 17.1 N, p <0.001). Also relatively less force was required for therapeutic tracheal dilation than for dilation of the pretracheal tissues (44.4 N +/- 17.1 N vs. 31.6 N +/- 17.1 N, p <0.05). These results suggest that the Griggs tracheostomy forceps have a reasonable margin of safety in that tracheal destruction is unlikely to occur inadvertently during therapeutic dilation. Second, the dilation of pretracheal tissues can act as useful guide in knowing how much force to apply in a therapeutic dilation.

Dilatation↗
PubMed2001

Phaeochromocytoma: an unusual cause of hypertension in pregnancy.

A primiparous, full-term, 28-year-old woman underwent an emergency lower segment Caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia for failure to progress in the first stage. Despite an uneventful pregnancy and delivery, she developed a hypertensive crisis in the postoperative period complicated by acute pulmonary oedema requiring ventilation for 48 h in the intensive care unit. Intravenous magnesium sulphate infusions and hydralazine boluses were used to control the blood pressure, which was associated with clonus, hyperreflexia, tachycardia and profuse sweating. The patient made a good recovery. Later measurement of urinary catecholamines in the recovery phase showed greatly elevated levels of norepinephrine, dopamine and vanillyl mandelic acid. Further investigations included a normal abdominal computed tomography scan and a I-123 meta-iodo-benzyl-guanidine scintigraphy scan which revealed a 3- to 4-cm irregular tumour located at the level of the lower pole of the right kidney and further liver hot spots. Intravenous magnesium sulphate infusion proved successful in controlling hypertension caused by a phaeochromocytoma in the postpartum period.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed2001

Pulmonary oedema after ophthalmic regional anaesthesia in an unfasted patient undergoing elective surgery.

An elderly female patient presenting for phaco-emulsification and intra-ocular lens implant under local anaesthesia developed pulmonary oedema after surgery and underwent emergency tracheal intubation. The pulmonary oedema may have been caused by her omission of routine oral diuretic medication before surgery and having to lie flat for the procedure. The patient had not been fasted before surgery, as is accepted practice in many hospitals. This made emergency tracheal intubation potentially hazardous. The patient made a full recovery. The issues of pre-operative assessment, fasting and the withholding of diuretic medication before elective eye surgery under local anaesthesia are discussed.

Aged↗