Biomedical subjects

Mitchell L Margolis

Publications and source records attributed to Mitchell L Margolis.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Change in forced expiratory time and spirometric performance during a single pulmonary function testing session.

BACKGROUND: Among patients with obstructive lung disease, the correlation between clinical improvement and bronchodilator response is poor. Forced expiratory time (FET) may explain some discrepancy, but FET has received little attention. METHODS: We analyzed change in FET during the 3 initial satisfactory flow-volume loops in 102 consecutive patients, 37 with normal spirometry and 65 with airflow obstruction referred to a Veterans Administration pulmonary function testing (PFT) laboratory over 5 months. Patients included both PFT-naïve and PFT-experienced individuals. We also evaluated the relationship between FET and spirometric performance (sum of forced expiratory volume in the first second and forced vital capacity) and the effect of inhaled bronchodilator on FET among patients with airflow obstruction. RESULTS: Normals and patients with airflow obstruction showed significant increments in FET and in spirometric performance during the 3 initial successive pre-bronchodilator attempts (p < 0.001 for both groups). This was true for PFT-naïve and PFT-experienced individuals. There were significant associations between increments in FET and improvements in spirometric performance in all subgroups. After inhaled bronchodilator there was a further FET increment among patients with airflow obstruction (p = 0.009), but there was no significant difference between bronchodilator responders and nonresponders. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with normal pulmonary function and those with obstruction develop longer FET during the initial phases of spirometric testing, regardless of previous PFT experience. Longer FET is associated with better spirometric performance. Bronchodilator administration is associated with modest prolongation of FET, but change in FET did not help identify bronchodilator responders.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Racial differences pertaining to a belief about lung cancer surgery: results of a multicenter survey.

BACKGROUND: Patients at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center frequently voice concern that air exposure during lung cancer surgery might cause tumor spread. Several African-American patients asserted that this belief was common in the African-American community. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of the belief that air exposure during lung cancer surgery might cause tumor spread and gauge the influence of this belief on the willingness of African-American and white patients to have lung cancer surgery. DESIGN: Prospective questionnaire survey. SETTING: Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; and Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. PATIENTS: 626 consecutive patients in pulmonary and lung cancer clinics. MEASUREMENTS: None. RESULTS: 38% of patients (61% of whom were African American and 29% of whom were white) stated that they believe air exposure at surgery causes tumor spread. The most significant predictor of belief was African-American race (odds ratio, 3.5 [95% CI, 1.9 to 6.5]), even after controlling for other relevant variables in a multivariable analysis. Nineteen percent of African Americans stated that this belief was a reason for opposing surgery, and 14% would not accept their physicians' assertion that the belief is false. These rates were also statistically significantly higher among African-American than white patients. CONCLUSIONS: Belief in accelerated tumor spread at surgery is prevalent among general pulmonary outpatients and lung cancer clinic patients facing lung surgery, particularly among African-American patients. Our findings may pertain to key racial disparities in lung cancer surgery and survival rates and suggest that culturally sensitive physician training or outreach programs directed at disparate beliefs and attitudes may help to address racial discrepancies in health care outcomes.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2003

The noninvasive staging of non-small cell lung cancer: the guidelines.

Correctly staging lung cancer is extremely important because the treatment options and the prognosis differ significantly by stage. Several noninvasive imaging studies are available to aid in identifying disease both within and outside of the chest. Chest CT scanning is useful in providing anatomic detail that better identifies the location of the tumor, its proximity to local structures, and whether or not lymph nodes in the mediastinum are enlarged. Unfortunately, the accuracy of chest CT scanning in differentiating benign from malignant lymph nodes in the mediastinum is unacceptably low. Whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) scanning provides functional information on tissue activity and has much better sensitivity and specificity than chest CT scanning for staging lung cancer in the mediastinum. In addition, metastatic disease can be detected by PET scan. Still, positive findings of PET scans can occur from nonmalignant etiologies (eg, infections), so that tissue sampling to confirm the suspected malignancy must be performed. The clinical evaluation tool, which is composed of a thorough history and physical examination, remains the best predictor of metastatic disease. If the findings from the clinical evaluation are negative, then imaging studies such as a CT scan of the head, a bone scan, or an abdominal CT scan are unnecessary, and the search for metastatic disease is complete. If signs, symptoms, or findings from the physical examination suggest the presence of malignancy, then sequential imaging, starting with the most appropriate study based on the clues obtained by the clinical evaluation, should be performed. Abnormalities detected by all of the aforementioned imaging studies are not always cancer. Unless overwhelming evidence of metastatic disease is present on an imaging study, in situations in which it will make a difference in treatment, all abnormal scan findings require tissue confirmation of malignancy so that patients are not precluded from having potentially curative surgery.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗