Biomedical subjects

S D Owens

Publications and source records attributed to S D Owens.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Transmission of visceral leishmaniasis through blood transfusions from infected English foxhounds to anemic dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct serologic surveillance for Leishmania spp in English foxhounds from a kennel, as well as recipients of blood from these dogs, and determine whether L infantum organisms could be transmitted via blood transfusion. DESIGN: Serologic prevalence survey. ANIMALS: 120 English foxhounds and 51 dogs of various breeds receiving blood from these donors. PROCEDURE: Foxhound blood donors, foxhound nondonors, and nonfoxhound blood recipient dogs were evaluated serologically for Leishmania spp by indirect fluorescent antibody testing. Dogs that received packed RBC (PRBC) transfusions from foxhound donors from mid-1996 through mid-2000 were identified. Furthermore, dogs were serologically evaluated if they had received fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions in 1999 and 2000 from seropositive foxhound blood donors. RESULTS: Thirty percent of the English Foxhounds were seropositive for Leishmania spp (titer > or = 1:16), although the degree of seropositivity varied considerably during the period. Furthermore, 57 foxhounds had been used as donors from 1996 to 2000, and 342 units of PRBC had been transfused to at least 227 patients. All 25 dogs screened that received PRBC from seronegative foxhound donors tested negative, whereas 3 of 7 dogs that received PRBC from seropositive donors tested positive. All 9 dogs that received FFP from seropositive foxhound donors remained seronegative. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To our knowledge, this report documents the first transmission of Leishmania spp by blood transfusion. The use of foxhounds as blood donors may not be advisable in North America.

Anemia↗

PubMed2001

A double-blind placebo-controlled case study of the use of donepezil to improve cognition in a schizoaffective disorder patient: functional MRI correlates.

Cognitive impairment in multiple domains is common in patients with schizophrenia and may be a powerful determinant of poor functional ability and quality of life. We report a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of donepezil augmentation in a schizoaffective disorder patient stabilized on olanzapine pharmacotherapy. The patient showed significant improvements in several cognitive measures and increased activation of prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia on functional MRI during the donepezil augmentation. In addition, the donepezil augmentation resulted in a reduction of depressive symptoms and in significant improvements in functional abilities and quality of life. Further studies of donepezil augmentation of neuroleptics in schizophrenia are warranted.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Hyperthermic therapy for HIV infection.

The objective of this paper is to review what is known about the antiviral effects of fever and to highlight the scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that hyperthermic therapy may prove to be a beneficial treatment modality for persons infected with HIV. Our hyperthermic hypothesis is based upon the mutant escape, quasispecies theory of HIV antigenic diversity. We propose that, if initiated during the asymptomatic stage of HIV infection, hyperthermia may prove to decrease the number of mutant HIV strains arising due to evolutionary pressures created by the patient's immune system, with a resultant prolongation of the asymptomatic period of infection. A review of the literature from three areas of investigation: the immune response to fever, heat as a tumor killing agent, and preliminary studies with fever and retroviral infections, strongly suggests that there is a good scientific basis for the use of hyperthermic therapy in a multimodal treatment approach to HIV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1992

Esmolol in the treatment of multifocal atrial tachycardia.

Multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT) is a supraventricular tachydysrhythmia precipitated by a number of pharmacologic and physiologic disturbances. Corrections of these disturbances should take precedence in the treatment of MAT.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed1990

Endophthalmitis due to Sporothrix schenckii after penetrating ocular injury.

A 13-year-old boy developed endophthalmitis from traumatic inoculation of vegetable material penetrating his right eye. Sporothrix schenckii was morphologically identified from the intraocular fluids. However, repeated attempts to culture the organism proved negative. Seventeen sporotrical endophthalmitis cases have so far been reported, and before this report, only one of them was secondary to trauma. This is the sole eye to our knowledge not only to have escaped enucleation after sporotrical endophthalmitis but to have achieved useful (20/50) vision.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Efficacy and safety of guanadrel in elderly hypertensive patients.

Hypertension is common in the elderly and is associated with higher morbidity and mortality, which may be decreased by effective blood pressure control. Many antihypertensive drugs, however, are not well tolerated by the aged. We treated 21 patients (ten men and 11 women) between ages 65 and 84 years (mean, 73.6 years) with guanadrel sulfate. All patients had received prior antihypertensive therapy, which either was ineffective or caused undesirable side effects. Average follow-up time was 17 months. Mean systolic pressure on enrollment was 188 +/- 17 mm Hg and mean diastolic pressure was 100 +/- 10 mm Hg. After treatment, the mean systolic pressure was 139 +/- 15 mm Hg and mean diastolic pressure was 82 +/- 8 mm Hg. Dosage varied from 5 to 30 mg/d with a mean of 16 mg/d. The only significant side effects were fatigue, dizziness, and dyspnea reported in four patients. Eleven patients took the medication as monotherapy and ten received diuretics or diuretics and beta-blockers as additional therapy. Our conclusion is that guanadrel is an effective, well-tolerated medication for treatment of hypertension in the elderly.

Aged↗