PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Jerath

Publications and source records attributed to R Jerath.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Severe wrist contracture in a child with linear scleroderma.

Linear scleroderma is an unusual disorder characterized by linear streaks of fibrotic skin involvement, which can lead to severe limb deformities and contractures. The authors present a case of severe wrist contracture in a child with linear scleroderma treated by release of the contracture with coverage of the exposed carpus with an abductor digiti minimi flap and skin graft. Reports of successful treatment of extremity deformities are rare. At 1 year this correction appears to have been successful.

Child↗

Juvenile dermatomyositis at diagnosis: clinical characteristics of 79 children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate demographic and clinical characteristics, duration of time between disease onset (date of first rash and/or weakness), and diagnosis/therapy, as well as socioeconomic status, of children with newly diagnosed juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). METHODS: Structured telephone interview of families of a cohort of 79 children with JDM: interval between onset of symptoms to diagnosis, median of 3 months (range 0.5-20.0). RESULTS: At diagnosis, all the children had rash (100%) and proximal muscle weakness (100%); 58 (73%) had muscle pain; 51 (65%) fever; 35 (44%) dysphagia; 34 (43%) hoarseness; 29 (37%) abdominal pain; 28 (35%) arthritis; 18 (23%) calcinosis, and 10 (13%) melena. Muscle derived enzymes were normal in 10% of the children. Of the 43 children who had an electromyogram (EMG), 8 (19%) had normal results. Fifty-one children had a muscle biopsy; the results were normal/nondiagnostic in 10 (20%). Median time from disease onset to diagnosis was different between racial groups: Caucasians (n=59) 2.0 months: for minorities (n=20), 6.5 months, (p=0.0008). The median time from disease onset to therapy was: Caucasians. 3.0 months; minorities, 7.2 months (p=0.002). Report of calcinosis was associated with increased time to diagnosis and therapy (p=0.04). In the 33 children whose first symptom occurred in June-September, rash preceded or accompanied onset of muscle weakness in 83% (n=27). Ninety-one percent of the children were given steroid therapy and 9% received methotrexate as well. CONCLUSION: The results of an undirected site for muscle biopsy or EMG may not be diagnostic. Minority children had a longer interval between first JDM symptom and diagnosis/therapy than Caucasian children. Delay in diagnosis/therapy was associated with calcinosis.

Adolescent↗

New-onset juvenile dermatomyositis: comparisons with a healthy cohort and children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine, in a case-control study, if patients with new-onset juvenile dermatomyositis (juvenile DM) have increased symptoms prior to onset, exposure to certain environmental conditions, frequency of familial autoimmune diseases, or antibody titers, compared with 2 control groups. METHODS: A structured interview with the families of 80 children with juvenile DM, 40 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), or 23 healthy children, from the same geographic area as the children with juvenile DM, was conducted. All children's sera were tested for antibody to Toxoplasma gondii, herpes simplex virus (HSV), or coxsackievirus B (CVB). RESULTS: A high proportion of children with juvenile DM had constitutional symptoms 3 months before the disease-onset date (P = 0.013 versus control children). Children with JRA had more relatives with rheumatoid arthritis (P = 0.0001) and pernicious anemia (P = 0.003) than did children with juvenile DM or healthy children. Among children < or =7 years of age, elevated enteroviral titers were more frequent in those with juvenile DM (81%) and in healthy controls (90%) than in those with JRA (64%), suggesting a common environmental exposure. Titers to T gondii, HSV, or CVB 1-6 were normal. CONCLUSION: Frequencies of familial autoimmune disease, exposure to environmental factors, or elevated antibody titers to T gondii, HSV, or CVB are not increased in juvenile DM. Children with juvenile DM do have symptoms of illness 3 months before the disease-onset date, and young patients have elevated enteroviral titers, as do young geographic controls.

Animals↗

The influence of anxiety and locus of control on adolescents' response to naproxen sodium for mild to moderate pain.

This study assessed the influence of internal health locus of control (IHLC) and anxiety on the adolescent's response to the treatment of mild and moderate pain. Fifty-four adolescents (ages 16-22 years) from two adolescent clinics presenting with mild to moderate pain caused by dysmenorrhea, muscle sprain or strain, headache, or backache were studied. Following a physical examination and a pretest assessment of pain, IHLC, and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, subjects were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to groups receiving placebo (n = 16), 100 mg of naproxen sodium (n = 19), or 200 mg naproxen sodium (n = 19) and assessed at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours. Based on a repeated-measure analysis of covariance test, there were no differences between groups in the pretest measurements. All treatment groups had a decrease in pain over the 4 hours (p less than 0.0001). Patients from one institution had more pain reduction than at the other (p less than 0.0001), and females had more pain reduction than males (p less than 0.034). Subjects receiving 200 mg of naproxen sodium had more pain relief (p less than 0.034) than subjects taking placebo at hour 2. Baseline anxiety was positively associated with pain after receiving placebo, but inversely associated with pain after taking naproxen sodium. The IHLC appeared to have a positive effect on the response to naproxen sodium, but no effect on the response to placebo.

Adolescent↗

Pneumothorax in an adolescent with fulminant systemic lupus erythematosus.

Pneumothoraces and pneumohemathoraces have been described in adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although a spectrum of pulmonary involvement has been associated with SLE in childhood and adolescence, recurrent pneumothoraces have not been reported. We describe a case of a 13-year-old adolescent with fulminant SLE and a recurrent left pneumothorax.

Adolescent↗

Exercise-induced cardiac dysfunction in sickle cell anemia. A radionuclide study.

Cardiac performance was studied by radionuclide angiography at rest and during exercise in 22 adolescents with sickle cell (SC) anemia and the results were compared with those in 12 control subjects. At rest, cardiac contractility was normal; cardiac output and end-diastolic volume were increased. At maximal exercise, heart rate, cardiac output response, and work capacity were reduced; the reduction was related to the degree of anemia. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume decreased with exercise most markedly in patients with ischemic exercise electrocardiograms. An abnormal ejection fraction response to exercise occurred in 4 patients; electrocardiographic signs of ischemia developed in all 4, and wall motion abnormalities in 2. Those patients who had electrocardiographic signs of ischemia had a significantly lower heart rate, ejection fraction, and cardiac output response to exercise, and a lower hematocrit level than subjects with normal results on exercise electrocardiography. The increase in cardiac output was not sufficient to maintain a normal level of exercise. The decrease in end-diastolic volume suggests that diastolic function was abnormal during exercise. Cardiac dysfunction was manifested by an abnormal ejection fraction response, wall motion abnormalities, and incomplete left ventricular filling during exercise.

Adolescent↗

Clinical and radiographic evaluation of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: report of a case.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease of the synovium which may lead to proliferative and degenerative changes in the body's joints, including the temporomandibular joint (TM Joint). Although the exact etiology of rheumatoid arthritis remains unknown, it is suspected that the disease is often initiated by an infectious organism, or by genetic and/or environmental factors. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a chronic disease of childhood with a spectrum of joint involvement and associated systemic and other organ involvement. Five percent of all rheumatoid arthritis patients are children. In the United States, approximately 150,000 children are affected by JRA. With upper limb involvement, routine oral hygiene procedures become difficult. Dental evaluations/screenings may not be included in the initial team assessment of these patients until the TM Joint is affected; however, prior to this time, the patient may have had years of poor oral hygiene which could contribute to severe decay and early tooth loss. This case report describes the oral health status of a child with polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and the specific recommendations for dental management.

Arthritis, Juvenile↗