The prevalence of contamination with resistant coliform bacteria and adulteration with antibacterial residues of the carcases of food animals.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Conlon.
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PURPOSE: In a prospective randomized study a standard dual-tip hemodialysis catheter (PermCath, Sherwood Medical, St. Louis, MO, USA) was compared with a newer split-lumen catheter (Ash Split, Medcomp, Harleysville, PA, USA). METHODS: Sixty-nine patients (42 men, 27 women; mean age 62 years) were randomized to receive either the Ash Split (AS) or the PermCath (PC) catheter. The catheters were inserted into the internal jugular vein. The primary outcome evaluated was blood flow measurements during the first six hemodialysis sessions. Secondary outcomes included: technical difficulties encountered at insertion, early complications and late complications requiring catheter removal or exchange. RESULTS: A total of 69 hemodialysis catheters, 33 AS and 36 PC, were successfully inserted in the internal jugular vein (right 60, left 9) of 69 patients. Mean blood flow during dialysis (Qb) was 270.75 ml/min and 261.86 ml/hr for the AS and PC groups respectively (p = 0.27). Mean duration of catheter use was 111.7 days (range 5.4-548.9 days) and 141.2 days (range 7.0-560.9 days) in the AS and PC groups respectively (p = 0.307). Catheter failures leading to removal or exchange occurred in 20 patients: 14 in the AS group and six in the PC group. Survival curves with censored endpoints (i.e., recovery, arteriovenous fistula formation, peritoneal dialysis and transplantation) showed significantly better outcome with PermCath catheters (p = 0.024). There was no significant difference in ease of insertion or early complication rates. CONCLUSION: The Ash Split catheter allows increased rates of blood flow during hemodialysis but this increase was not significant at the beginning (p = 0.21) or end (p = 0.27) of the first six hemodialysis sessions. The Ash Split catheter is more prone to minor complications, particularly dislodgment, than the PermCath catheter.
The authors present a study of 50 patients with epilepsy and 14 healthy controls using a standardized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. Gross inspection of MRI scans identified major cerebral pathology and supplemented computerized tomography (CT) data. With further analysis of spin-lattice (T1) relaxation times, significant differences from controls emerged in epilepsy patients, even with normal CT scans, particularly in the temporal lobes. Patients with generalized seizures had increased T1 values in the thalamus. Also prolonged T1 in patients with focal seizures was noted on the ipsilateral side. These results of MRI imaging are discussed in relation to other imaging modalities in epilepsy. Further, the potential benefit of MRI in localization of seizure focus and specific pathophysiological mechanisms in seizure disorders are considered.
The corpus callosum of a group of epileptic patients (N = 48) was compared to that of normal healthy volunteers (N = 14) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The mid-callosal thickness was significantly greater in the sub-group of epileptic patients with generalized seizures. This provides some support for the concept of the corpus callosum playing a role in seizure propagation.
Rapid cycling mood disorder is an unusual and difficult syndrome to recognize in the elderly. A case of this disorder is presented in a patient with subtle central nervous system dysfunction who was treated for depression with tricyclic antidepressants. CNS dysfunction and antidepressants have both been identified as risk factors for rapid cycling. Successful treatment with carbamazepine lends credence to the concept of limbic system dysregulation being an underlying, important factor in cyclical affective disorder.
We report the results of a controlled prospective study designed to assess the impact of education on AIDS among elementary school students. 1,825 students from 3 school boards participated; 848 students were assigned to the trial group and 778 to the comparison group. Overall, the results showed a significant increase in students' level of knowledge of AIDS following their classroom lessons on AIDS. The students exposed to AIDS education expressed more accurate and appropriate beliefs about the transmission of AIDS. The students' reports indicated that television and magazines were their main outside sources of information about AIDS. Generally, the students demonstrated a positive attitude toward the AIDS curriculum. We conclude that classroom education on AIDS is effective in imparting knowledge and changing students' beliefs about AIDS. Further periodic assessments of AIDS education programs would be required at a variety of educational levels to determine if this change will lead to alteration in behaviour. Such assessments would help in the development of more comprehensive and cohesive programs in AIDS education.
Information was collected from 148 homosexual men to examine their current sexual practices, knowledge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), perception of risk for this disease and change in sexual behaviour. The data were analyzed to investigate the relationship of these variables to the degree of worry and concern about AIDS expressed by most respondents. Overall, a decline in high-risk sexual behaviour was reported. Measures of worry and concern were significantly related to the subjects' perception of risk for AIDS and reduction in risk behaviours. However, the measures of Health Locus of Control, knowledge about AIDS and sociodemographic characteristics did not significantly predict the degree of worry and concern. The data are discussed in light of the current AIDS epidemic.