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Biomedical subjects

W F Barth

Publications and source records attributed to W F Barth.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Longterm drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis in seven rheumatology private practices: I. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

The probability of continuation of a particular nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) over 5 years was estimated for 1,775 courses taken by 532 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated in 7 rheumatology private practices. Similar results were seen for 15 different NSAID--48% of courses were continued at 12 months, 36% at 24 months, and 20% at 60 months. Only acetylated salicylates, other than plain aspirin, were continued significantly longer than any of the other NSAID. The probability of continuation of plain aspirin was similar to other NSAID, including nonacetylated salicylates and nonsalicylate NSAID. The first NSAID taken by an individual patient was continued only marginally longer than the 4th NSAID taken by the same patient. While most NSAID courses were not continued for long periods, 20% were continued for longer than 5 years, suggesting effective longterm results in this minority of courses.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal

Gonococcal pericarditis with tamponade in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Pericarditis is one of the most frequent manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus; however, purulent pericarditis and tamponade are rare. We describe a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and culture-proven gonococcal arthritis who developed purulent pericarditis with intracellular gram-negative diplococci. Evidence of tamponade was seen on echocardiography. There has not been a reported case of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in pericardial fluid or tissue since the introduction of antibiotics.

Adult

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus during PUVA therapy for psoriasis: case report and review of the literature.

Lesions typical of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus developed in an elderly woman after 6 months of PUVA (8-methoxypsoralen and longwave ultraviolet light) therapy for psoriasis. Pancytopenia, antibodies to double-stranded DNA, and hypocomplementemia developed concurrently with the appearance of the cutaneous lesions. With discontinuation of photochemotherapy, the cutaneous lesions disappeared and the pancytopenia improved.

Aged

Necrotizing systemic vasculitis with features of both Wegener's granulomatosis and Churg-Strauss vasculitis.

We describe a patient who had nasal biopsy-demonstrated eosinophilic vasculitis and renal biopsy-demonstrated necrotizing glomerulonephritis with tissue eosinophilia. Despite corticosteroid therapy, the patient's renal function deteriorated, and nodular pulmonary infiltrates developed. Both conditions responded dramatically when cyclophosphamide was added to the treatment regimen. The renal disease activity was monitored with the aid of cytodiagnostic urinalysis, a technique of limited, albeit well-established, validity in monitoring renal allograft patients for signs of tissue rejection. This technique provided an improved, semi-quantitative method for examining urine sediment and, in this patient, was helpful as a measure of renal disease activity.

Adult

Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with SLE.

A 31-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) taking chronic corticosteroid therapy developed Kaposi's sarcoma. Three weeks after a single intravenous dose of cyclophosphamide for central nervous system vasculitis she died. Autopsy revealed disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma involving the skin and lung, as well as other visceral organs. This is the first case of widespread Kaposi's sarcoma developing in a patient with SLE.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Quinidine induced lupus syndrome.

Five patients with a lupus-like syndrome secondary to quinidine are described. Eleven other cases have previously been reported. The quinidine induced lupus syndrome is similar to that seen with procainamide and hydralazine treatment but occurs less frequently. The lower incidence may reflect a difference in the metabolism of quinidine. Quinidine should be considered as potentially responsible when multisystem disease appears in patients receiving this drug.

Aged

Congenital complete heart block with maternal primary Sjögren's syndrome.

We have described a case of congenital complete heart block associated with maternal primary Sjögren's syndrome. This diagnosis should also be considered when evaluating mothers of children with congenital heart block, especially when no connective tissue disease is otherwise clinically apparent. The potential significance of antibodies to SSA in this association remains to be determined.

Cardiomyopathy, Dilated

Cryptococcal arthritis and cellulitis.

A middle-aged man with diabetes mellitus and cardiomyopathy developed both cryptococcal arthritis and cellulitis. Unusual aspects included the benign nature of the joint effusion and lack of contiguous osteomyelitis.

Arthritis, Infectious

HLA-DR antigens in Blacks with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

HLA-DR locus antigens were studied in a large population of Black Americans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). An association was found with DR4 in RA (p less than 0.001) and DR3 in SLE (p less than 0.01). Our findings are similar to those reported in Caucasians. No significant correlations between clinical manifestations and DR locus antigens were apparent in either disease. Our results support the association of D locus antigens with disease susceptibility more than with clinical severity.

Adolescent

Photochemotherapy and psoriatic arthritis. A prospective study.

We have studied the temporal relation between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in 27 patients receiving photochemotherapy for treatment of psoriasis. Patients were classified as either spondylitic or nonspondylitic. For spondylitic patients, psoriasis was difficult to control, arthritis did not improve, and skin and joint activity appeared to vary independently. In contrast, 67% of nonspondylitic patients receiving photochemotherapy treatment remained clear of psoriasis, with 49% mean improvement in articular index. There was an inverse relation between initial percentage of psoriasis and improvement in peripheral arthritis. These results suggest that aggressive management of psoriasis helps control synovitis in at least a subgroup of patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Arthritis

Vertebral sarcoidosis with paravertebral ossification.

A young black male with sarcoidosis developed quadriplegia after a fall. Roentgenograms of the spine revealed extensive lytic and scierotic changes with paravertebral bony bridges simulating ankylosing spondylitis. He recovered on corticosteroid therapy after laminectomy and cervical fusion. Review of the literature suggests that this case of vertebral sarcoidosis is the most severe yet reported and the first with paravertebral ossification.

Adult

Lack of specificity of the limulus lysate test in the diagnosis of pyogenic arthritis.

The diagnosis of pyogenic arthritis may be difficult to confirm since culture results are sometimes negative. This study attempted to evaluate the utility of the limulus lysate assay for the early detection of pyogenic arthritis due to gram-negative organisms. Seven-one specimens of synovial fluid from 46 patients were evaluated for reactivity in the limulus test, pyrogenic responses in rabbits, total white blood cell count, total neutrophil count, total red blood cell count, and protein and glucose concentrations. All patients with culture-proven septic arthritis or presumptive septic arthritis had joint fluid specimens that yielded a positive result in the limulus assay (12 patients). However, 52.9% of patients (18 of 34) who had a nonseptic cause for their joint effusion also had a joint fluid specimen that was positive in the limulus test. A positive limulus test result showed a significant correlation with an elevated total white blood cell count (P less than 0.0005), an elevated absolute neutrophil count (P less than 0.0005), and a decreased concentration of glucose (P less than 0.005) in synovial fluid, and the production of fever in rabbits after injection of synovial fluid (P less than 0.05). Thus, this study suggests that a positive result in the limulus test on joint fluid is nonspecific for a septic process, but a negative result would be evidence against it.

Arthritis, Infectious