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Biomedical subjects

Richard Davidson

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Davidson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The RPS adeno detector for diagnosing adenoviral conjunctivitis.

PURPOSE: To compare the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the RPS Adeno Detector (Rapid Pathogen Screening Inc., South Williamsport, PA) against both viral cell culture with confirmatory immunofluorescence staining (CC-IFA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosing adenoviral conjunctivitis. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, masked, multicenter clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-six consecutive patients from 5 clinical centers seeking treatment within 1 week of developing a red eye and thought to have acute conjunctivitis. METHODS: The RPS Adeno Detector is a 10-minute in-office lateral flow immunoassay. Patients were tested with the RPS Adeno Detector, CC-IFA, and PCR to detect the presence of adenovirus. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the RPS Adeno Detector were assessed for identifying cases of adenoviral conjunctivitis. RESULTS: Compared with CC-IFA, the RPS Adeno Detector was 88% sensitive and 91% specific at detecting adenoviral conjunctivitis. Using PCR as a reference method, the sensitivity of the RPS Adeno Detector increased to 89% and the specificity increased to 94%. Compared with PCR, CC-IFA was found to be 91% as sensitive and 100% as specific. CONCLUSIONS: The RPS Adeno Detector demonstrated sufficient sensitivity and specificity to be used in the physician's office for the detection of adenoviral conjunctivitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

Davidson and O'Leary talk to each other--and Modern Healthcare. Interview by John Morrissey.

The heads of the American Hospital Association and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations waged a war of words this spring. At issue was the JCAHO's plan to seek a contract that the AHA contended would push the commission into the role of a regulator. Modern Healthcare broke the story about the disagreement. Now, Richard Davidson and Dennis O'Leary tell Modern Healthcare in an exclusive interview that they have patched up their differences.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2002

Bilateral congenital subtalar dislocation: a case report.

Fixed bilateral congenital subtalar dislocations were identified in a 2.5-year-old boy. The patient had been treated previously with a short-leg cast on each foot for 2 months. On presentation the patient ambulated on the medial malleoli and medial aspects of his feet. The patient's activity was limited by pain. At 2.5 years of age, open reduction and pinning of bilateral subtalar joints with soft tissue release and lengthening of the achilles, peroneal, and extensor tendons was done. A thick fibrous band connected the talus and calcaneus laterally. Postoperative treatment included casting for 12 weeks and wearing rigid ankle-foot orthoses which he used for 8 years. There was no recurrence at 10-year followup. The patient has been brace-free for 2 years and is able to ambulate and play school sports without pain. The patient's subtalar range of motion is normal. Radiographic alignment is near normal without degenerative changes. To the authors' knowledge, there has been no previous report of this condition in the literature.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnostic accuracy for lupus and other systemic autoimmune diseases in the community setting.

BACKGROUND: Most individuals with autoimmune and other immune disorders undergo initial evaluation in the community setting. Since misdiagnosis of systemic autoimmune diseases can have serious consequences, we evaluated community physicians' accuracy in diagnosing autoimmune diseases and the consequences of misdiagnosis. METHODS: We studied the patients referred to our Autoimmune Disease Center for 13 months (n = 476). We estimated the degree of agreement with the final diagnosis (kappa statistic) and the accuracy indexes (sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values) of the referring physicians' diagnoses. RESULTS: We found a 49% agreement between the referring and final diagnoses (kappa = 0.36). Of 263 patients referred with a presumptive diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 125 received a diagnosis of other conditions (kappa = 0.34). Of those referred with SLE, 76 (29%) were seropositive for antinuclear antibodies but did not have autoimmune disease. The degree of agreement for referring rheumatologists (kappa = 0.55) was better than that for nonrheumatologists (kappa = 0.32). Stepwise logistic regression indicated that rheumatologists were 4 times more likely to make an accurate diagnosis of SLE than were nonrheumatologists (P<.003). Thirty-nine patients who were seropositive for antinuclear antibodies but had no autoimmune disease had been treated with corticosteroids at dosages as high as 60 mg/d. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients with a positive antinuclear antibody test are incorrectly given a diagnosis of SLE and sometimes treated with toxic medications. The data support the importance of continuing medical education for community physicians in screening for autoimmune diseases and identifying patients who may benefit from early referral to a specialist.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗