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Biomedical subjects

V K Piziak

Publications and source records attributed to V K Piziak.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Medical management of obesity. Promoting healthy dieting.

Per capita caloric intake in the United States has not increased significantly in the past 75 years, but energy expenditure has decreased. As a result, average body weight and prevalence of obesity have increased. Paralleling this increase in body weight has been an increase in longevity. Minor obesity, therefore, is not related to increased mortality unless the patient has an underlying disease such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or hyperlipemia. Patients with these disorders or with a body weight in excess of 20% of the ideal will benefit most from aggressive therapy for obesity. The team approach to obesity--which may include a physician, nutritionist, psychologist, and physical therapist--has been the most successful. Team members need to understand the difficulties involved in weight loss and the numerous individual variables. A diet should be selected carefully to conform as nearly as possible to the patient's life-style. Regular exercise commensurate with the patient's physical abilities should be encouraged to promote caloric expenditure and to shape the body. Supportive and individualized care with continual motivation is necessary to achieve and maintain weight loss. Of course, the therapy chosen depends upon the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with the degree of obesity.

Appetite↗
PubMed1981

Pituitary hormone response to head injury.

Measurements of the serum levels of pituitary hormones were made in six patients with uncomplicated head injury. Samples were obtained at 4-hour intervals for 72 hours to evaluate diurnal rhythms. Three of the six patients revealed elevations of serum growth hormone (GH) and prolactin, but no trends could be established. Likewise, three patients had marked elevations of luteinizing hormone and lesser elevations of follicle-stimulating hormone, but no pattern was discernible. The level of thyroid-stimulating hormone was stable and remained in the normal range throughout. GH was measured after intravenous glucose loading. A paradoxical rise reverted to normal at the late follow-up evaluation. It is suggested that the abnormal levels were related to abnormal hypothalamic function rather than to pituitary damage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Prospective use of saliva lithium determinations to monitor lithium therapy.

A mathematical equation (y = 2.27x -0.45) relating saliva (y) to plasma (x) lithium concentrations was previously determined by one of the authors. A prospective study is reported here in which the correlation coefficient between the predicted and the observed plasma concentrations in a new group of 25 patients was r = 0.89 (p less than 0.001). The study demonstrates that saliva lithium determinations can be safely used to monitor lithium therapy.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1978

Lithium and hypothyroidism.

There is general agreement that hypothyroidism is a possible consequence of lithium treatment but there is little agreement as to what the incidence of lithium related hypothyroidism is, or what clinical and laboratory tests could best be used to evaluate thyroid function. This study involved a survey of 70 clinicians, a chart review of 2,590 patients and a review of the pathophysiology of lithium-induced hypothyroidism. The major finding of this investigation is that lithium related thyroid dysfunction is not a common problem. Goiter during lithium therapy is 0.3%, clinical hypothyroidism is 1-2%, and TSH is the most specific laboratory test for evaluating thyroid function.

Goiter↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of diabetes education: classroom versus individualized instruction.

A pilot study was conducted using the concerns based adoption model (CBAM) developed at the University of Texas-Austin. This model uses two diagnostic dimensions: stages of concern (SC) and levels of use (LU). Movement in these dimensions is an important determinant of self-motivated disease management. It is postulated that this self-motivation is the basis of long-term adherence to the patient's therapeutic regimen and results in the decreased use of medical services. Twenty patients who attended a series of formal diabetes education classes were compared with 20 patients who received individualized instruction. Classroom education was significantly more effective in increasing the SC about diabetes management. However, the increase in LU (technical skills) was not significantly different in either setting. At 2- to 3-month follow-up evaluation, results indicated that retention of skills and motivation are excellent and that SC and LU continued to improve. In summary, this study demonstrated that classroom education is technically equivalent, more cost-effective, and may be more conducive to learning than individualized instruction.

Adult↗