Medical Specialties Commons^™

Solar Water Disinfection In Household Settings:Hype Or Hope?, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Physiological Changes And Participation To Exercise In Older Adults Living In Age Restricted Communities, Mary F. Shaughnessy

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is known that the aging population is more susceptible to musculoskeletal and metabolic disease and would benefit from a regular exercise program. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate whether older adults (55 years of age and older) participation in a more regular exercise program would increase if there was supervision from a health professional. The second objective was to evaluate whether supervision in a regular exercise program would show physiological benefits. Subjects were recruited from three age-restricted communities; however one community was disregarded due to lack of subjects. A physical activity plan based on the American …

Assessing Stakeholder Opinions Of Medical Review Of Impaired Drivers And Fitness To Drive: Recommendations For Massachusetts, Nina M. Silverstein, Kelli Barton

Gerontology Institute Publications

Driving is the main mode of travel for Americans age 65 and older, and although older adults are generally found to be safe drivers, aging often brings about functional limitations and an increase in medications that can impede safe driving and fitness to drive (Rosenbloom, 2003; Kissinger, 2008; Adler & Silverstein, 2008). Effective licensing policies and Medical Advisory Board practices are critical components in identifying medically at-risk drivers and may even have a role in the transition to alternative transportation options; yet, states vary greatly in their approach to licensing and renewal practices and in the utilization, composition, and function …

Modern Approaches To Pediatric Brain Injury Therapy, Peter A Walker, Matthew T Harting, James E Baumgartner, Stephen Fletcher, Nathan Strobel, Charles S Cox

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Each year, pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for 435,000 emergency department visits, 37,000 hospital admissions, and approximately 2,500 deaths in the United States. TBI results in immediate injury from direct mechanical force and shear. Secondary injury results from the release of biochemical or inflammatory factors that alter the loco-regional milieu in the acute, subacute, and delayed intervals after a mechanical insult. Preliminary preclinical and clinical research is underway to evaluate the benefit from progenitor cell therapeutics, hypertonic saline infusion, and controlled hypothermia. However, all phase III clinical trials investigating pharmacologic monotherapy for TBI have shown no benefit. A recent …

Associations Of The Plasticity Region Ofh. Pyloriin Patients With Gastroduodenal Diseases, Javed Yakoob, Z Abbas, Shagufta Naz, Shahab Abid, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

No abstract provided.

Clinical Radiology Research In Pakistan: From Evidence To Practice, Waseem Akhtar, Arif Ali, Mubashir Aslam, Gul-E-Khanda

Department of Radiology

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical radiology research productivity in Pakistan by type of publication, sources of funding and name of journals.

METHODS: A systematic search strategy using key words related to techniques and type of clinical radiology was carried out to identify various studies published in Indexed (Medline) and non-indexed (Pakmedinet) medical journals.

RESULTS: Total of 397 studies were identified out of which 173(43%) from Medline (indexed database) and 220 (57%) from pakmedinet (Indexed and non- indexed database of Pakistan Medical journals). Original articles were 294 (74%) but most of them (68%) were published in non-indexed journals and significantly different …

The Effect Of An Educational Intervention On The Sexual Perceptions And Practices Of Adolescents In Trinidad And Tobago, Vanessa Jones

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the fastest spreading infectious diseases in the Caribbean, and is second only to Sub-Sahara Africa in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS cases. Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost twin island republic in the Caribbean. In 1999, the 5^th leading cause of death among individuals ages 15-34 in Trinidad and Tobago was HIV/AIDS. According to UNAIDS (2006), the prevalence rate of HIV in Trinidad and Tobago is 2.6%.

Purpose. Currently, there is no standardized HIV/AIDS education program in secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. Since HIV/AIDS is …

Effect Of California Mission Fig Consumption On Levels Of C-Reactive Protein And Antioxidant Levels, Rasha Abdrabou

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Polyphenols exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. We investigated the effect of consumption of polyphenol-rich figs on high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) and antioxidant levels in hyperlipidemic subjects. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of fig consumption on C-reactive protein and antioxidant levels. Analyses were carried out on collected data from September to December of 2008. Using a crossover design, one hundred and two participants were recruited and randomized into an intervention phase (eating figs) and a control phase (not eating figs) for 5 weeks. Blood samples were drawn from each group at the 4th and 5th …

Predictors Of Lymph Node Involvement In Bladder Cancer Treated With Radical Cystectomy, Zaheer Alam, Muhammad Hammad Ather, Anila Jamshaid, Khurram Muhammad Siddiqui, Muhammad Nasir Sulaiman

Section of General Surgery

Objective: To identify the clinical variables associated with prevalence of lymph node metastasis in patients with bladder cancer treated by radical cystectomy and lymphadenectomy for primary bladder cancer.
Methods: Review of records of Ninety-five patients who underwent radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node (LN) dissection during the period of 1995-2008 from a prospectively maintained database. Eighteen patients were excluded due to lack of data on the nodal status, leaving 77 evaluable patients. Associations between LN metastasis and age, gender, duration of disease, number of transurethral resection (TUR) prior to cystectomy, pathological grade and tumour stage was analyzed. Data was analyzed …

Posttraumatic Spiritual Growth: A Phenomenological Study Of Cancer Survivors, Ryan Myles Denney

Dissertations

A small but growing body of research has sought to investigate the specific role of religion and spirituality in posttraumatic growth. Recently investigations have begun to focus on spiritual growth following trauma, specifically that of cancer patients and survivors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how having cancer effects the spiritual growth of cancer survivors across a multidimensional conceptualization of spirituality (Hill 2005; Tsang & McCullough, 2003). The researcher investigated the lived experience of thirteen cancer survivors with posttraumatic spiritual growth using a phenomenological method of data analysis. Participants reported experiencing spiritual growth across the following domains …

Old Disease, New Targets. Part-Ii, Haematological Malignancies, Shiyam Kumar, Nehal Masood, Salman Naseem Adil

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

In last two decades newer therapies in cancer treatment have emerged and have opened new horizons. New term of targeted therapy has emerged and for certain malignancies the paradigm has really changed after the introduction of these agents. We have learnt and have seen the outcome of some diseases after the addition of these monoclonal antibodies (MoABs) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Rituximab a MoAB against CD-20 has really paved its role in the treatment of B-cell lymphomas and become the sort of standard therapy. The TKIs are newer agents available in a pill form and have inhibited many pathways …

Vaginal Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma With Associated Mullerian Duct Anomalies, Renal Agenesis And Situs Inversus: Report Of A Case With No Known In-Utero Exposure With Diethyl Stilboestrol, Zeeshan-Ud-Din, Aamir Ahsan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

A 27 year old female presented with two months history of continuous vaginal bleeding. On evaluation, she was diagnosed as a case of vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma (VCCA) along with associated Mullerian duct anomalies including didelphys uterus with double vagina; left sided renal agenesis and situs inversus. Although VCCA is strongly linked to in-utero exposure with Diethyl stillboestrol (DES), this patient had no known history regarding such exposure. Also, only a few cases have been described in the literature in which this tumour was seen in association with Mullerian duct anomalies and renal agenesis; in the absence of known DES …

Cardioprotective Effect Of Adiponectin Is Partially Mediated By Its Ampk-Independent Antinitrative Action., Yajing Wang, Ling Tao, Yuexing Yuan, Wayne Bond Lau, Rong Li, Bernard L. Lopez, Theodore A. Christopher, Rong Tian, Xin-Liang Ma

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Adiponectin (APN) exerts its metabolic regulation largely through AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK). However, the role of AMPK in APN's antiapoptotic effect in ischemic-reperfused (I/R) adult cardiomyocytes remains incompletely understood. The present study was designed to determine the involvement of AMPK in the antiapoptotic signaling of APN. Cardiomyocytes from adult male mice overexpressing a dominant-negative alpha(2)-subunit of AMPK (AMPK-DN) or wild-type (WT) littermates were subjected to simulated I/R (SI/R) and pretreated with 2 microg/ml globular domain of APN (gAPN) or vehicle. SI/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis was modestly increased in AMPK-DN cardiomyocytes (P < 0.05). Treatment with gAPN significantly reduced SI/R-induced apoptosis in WT cardiomyocytes as well as in AMPK-DN cardiomyocytes, indicating that the antiapoptotic effect of gAPN is partially AMPK independent. Furthermore, gAPN-induced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation was significantly reduced in AMPK-DN cardiomyocytes, suggesting that the APN-eNOS signaling axis is impaired in AMPK-DN cardiomyocytes. Additional experiments demonstrated that treatment of AMPK-DN cardiomyocytes with gAPN reduced SI/R-induced NADPH oxidase overexpression, decreased superoxide generation, and blocked peroxynitrite formation to the same extent as that observed in WT cardiomyocytes. Collectively, our present study demonstrated that although the metabolic and eNOS activation effect of APN is largely mediated by AMPK, the superoxide-suppressing effect of APN is not mediated by AMPK, and this AMPK-independent antioxidant property of APN increased nitric oxide bioavailability and exerted significant antiapoptotic effect.

Shoulder Arthroscopy Positioning: Lateral Decubitus Versus Beach Chair., Christina M. Peruto, Md, Michael G. Ciccotti, Md, Steven B. Cohen, Md

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Since the introduction of the beach chair position for shoulder arthroscopy, orthopaedic surgeons have debated whether the beach chair or lateral decubitus is superior. Most surgeons use the same patient position to perform all of their arthroscopic shoulder procedures, regardless of the pathology. Each position has its advantages and disadvantages. The evidence regarding the efficiency, efficacy, and risks of the lateral decubitus and the beach chair positions for shoulder arthroscopy does not show one position to be superior. This review presents a comparison of these positions with regard to setup, surgical visualization, access, and patient risk.

High-Dose Imatinib In Newly Diagnosed Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: High Rates Of Rapid Cytogenetic And Molecular Responses, Jorge E. Cortes, Hagop M. Kantarjian, Hagop M. Kantarjian, Stuart L. Goldberg, Bayard L. Powell, Francis J. Giles, Meir Wetzler, Luke Akard, John M. Burke, Mansoor Saleh

Haematology and Oncology, East Africa

Purpose: Long-term clinical outcome data have established imatinib 400 mg/d as standard front-line treatment for newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Patients and Methods: The Rationale and Insight for Gleevec High-Dose Therapy (RIGHT) trial is a multicenter study of imatinib 400 mg twice a day as initial therapy in 115 patients (70% Sokal low risk) with newly diagnosed CML in chronic phase who were observed for both molecular and cytogenetic responses for up to 18 months. Eighty-three patients (72%) completed the study, 10 patients (9%) discontinued the study because of adverse events, and six patients (5%) discontinued because …

Cancellation Of Surgery In Patients Attending The Preoperative Anaesthesia Assessment Clinic: A Prospective Audit, Tauseef Ahmed, Mueenullah Khan, Fauzia Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To find the causes of operating room cancellation in patients attending preoperative anaesthesia clinic and scheduled for surgery at our institution.

METHODS: This audit included all those patients who presented to the pre anaesthesia clinic with their surgeries planned in the main operating rooms of our hospital. The duration of this audit was two months. Cancelled cases were identified from the operating room lists and the reasons for cancellations were categorized into above mentioned four factors.

RESULTS: Fifty five (55) cancellations were identified; patient related factors (58%) were the most frequent cause followed by anaesthetic (22%), surgical (18.2%) and …

Arterio-Venous Fistula Of Upper Arm Observed With Injection Abscess, Saba Sohail, Misbah Talpur

Department of Radiology

No abstract provided.

H. Pylori Infection In Children: Population-Based Age-Specific Prevalence And Risk Factors In A Developing Country, Wasim Jafri, Javed Yakoob, Shahab Abid, S Siddiqui, Nasim Jafri, Safia Awan, Shaikh Qamaruddin Nizami

Section of Gastroenterology

No abstract provided.

Functional State Following The Fontan Procedure., Ismee A. Williams, Lynn A. Sleeper, Steven D. Colan, Minmin Lu, Elizabeth A. Stephenson, Jane W. Newburger, Welton M. Gersony, Meryl S. Cohen, James F. Cnota, Andrew M. Atz, Richard V. Williams, Renee Margossian, Andrew J. Powell, Mario P. Stylianou, Daphne T. Hsu, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in outcomes after completion of the Fontan circulation, long-term functional state varies. We sought to identify pre- and postoperative characteristics associated with overall function.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed data from 476 survivors with the Fontan circulation enrolled in the Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-sectional Study. Mean age at creation of the Fontan circulation was 3.4 plus or minus 2.1 years, with a range from 0.7 to 17.5 years, and time since completion was 8.7 plus or minus 3.4 years, the range being from 1.1 to 17.3 years. We calculated a functional score for the survivors by …

The Time Has Come For Physicians To Take Notice: The Impact Of Psychosocial Stressors On The Heart., Vincent M. Figueredo, M.D.

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

A rapidly growing body of evidence supports a relationship between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular disease. In this article, a review of the epidemiologic and clinical research investigating this relationship concludes that psychosocial stressors can be both a cause and a consequence of cardiovascular disease events. Furthermore, recent data have shown that stress management might reduce future cardiac events in patients with cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the influence of psychosocial risk factors on cardiovascular disease remains underrecognized compared with traditional cardiac risk factors. Physicians and their associates should screen for psychosocial stressors and recognize potential symptoms. Consideration should be given to developing …

Comparison Of Echocardiographic And Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measurements Of Functional Single Ventricular Volumes, Mass, And Ejection Fraction (From The Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study)., Renee Margossian, Marcy L. Schwartz, Ashwin Prakash, Lisa Wruck, Steven D. Colan, Andrew M. Atz, Timothy J. Bradley, Mark A. Fogel, Lynne M. Hurwitz, Edward Marcus, Andrew J. Powell, Beth F. Printz, Michael D. Puchalski, Jack Rychik, Girish S. Shirali, Richard Williams, Shi-Joon Yoo, Tal Geva, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Assessment of the size and function of a functional single ventricle (FSV) is a key element in the management of patients after the Fontan procedure. Measurement variability of ventricular mass, volume, and ejection fraction (EF) among observers by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and their reproducibility among readers in these patients have not been described. From the 546 patients enrolled in the Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study (mean age 11.9 +/- 3.4 years), 100 echocardiograms and 50 CMR studies were assessed for measurement reproducibility; 124 subjects with paired studies were selected for comparison between modalities. Interobserver agreement …

Outcome Of Chronic Anal Fissures Treated With Glyceryl Trinitrate At Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi, Ilkul H. Johnbosco

Master of Medicine in General Surgery

Background: The medical treatment for chronic anal fissure is modeled to eliminate sphincter spasm and hypertonia so that blood flow to the anal sphincter improves and the fissure heals. Efficacious pharmacological therapy avoids complications related to surgical treatment including incontinence and the risks of surgery and anesthesia. Conservative treatment of chronic anal fissure has been reported with wide variation in the healing rates. However there are few reports of conservatively treated chronic anal fissures fromAfrica, with only one paper identified in this study. Furthermore, the influence of clinical characteristics of fissures on the healing rates and recurrences have not been …

Population Study Of 1311 C/T Polymorphism Of Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase Gene In Pakistan - An Analysis Of 715 X-Chromosomes., Bushra Moiz, Amna Nasir, Tariq Moatter, Zulfiqar Ali Naqvi, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:Nucleotide 1311 polymorphism at exon 11 of G6PD gene is widely prevalent in various populations of the world. The aim of the study was to evaluate 1311 polymorphism in subjects carrying G6PD Mediterranean gene and in general population living in Pakistan.

Results:

Patients already known to be G6PD deficient were tested for 563C-T (G6PD Mediterranean) and 1311 C-T mutation through RFLP based PCR and gene sequencing. A control group not known to be G6PD deficient was tested for 1311C/T only.C-T transition at nt 1311 was detected in 60/234 X-chromosomes with 563 C-T mutation (gene frequency of 0.26) while in …

The Influence Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Qtc Interval Amongst Hiv Patients At Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Jay Shavadia

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pathology

Aim: To determine the influence of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy on the QTC interval amongst HIV-infected patients. Design: Prospective Comparative survey of two population samples Patients and Setting: One hundred and thirty ARV naïve and one hundred and thirty treated HIV-positive patients selected from in and out patient departments of Aga Khan University Hospital underwent clinical evaluation and 12 lead resting ECG between August 2008 and March 2009. Methodology: Eligible HIV-positive patients were conveniently sampled and had a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) performed to determine the QTinterval, corrected for the heart rate by the Bazzet formula. Analysis was then performed to determine …

Persistent Lithium-Induced Neurotoxicity: Direct Effect Of Lithium And/Or Hypernatremia?, Ioana-Mihaela Popescu, James A. Bourgeois

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract Lithium has been used in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder (BAD) for more than 50 years. Features of lithium toxicity include drowsiness, slurred speech, ataxia, psychomotor slowing, polyneuropathy, impaired memory, seizures, coma and death. Lithium neurotoxicity is usually reversible on cessation of its administration, and irreversible toxicity is uncommon. However, persistent neurological sequelae may follow lithium intoxication. There may be a contribution to neurotoxicity from the SIADH associated with lithium toxicity in addition to the direct effects of lithium itself. We describe a case of lithium toxicity with persistent delirium in a patient with a brief period of …

Erosive Eosinophilic Esophagitis In Rumination Syndrome, Shawn S. Sidhu, James R. Rick

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Rumination syndrome involves bringing up partially digested food into the pharynx voluntarily, followed by reswallowing or expelling. It was discovered in the 17th century; however, knowledge of the disorder has remained sparse until recently. Indeed, the first case of adult rumination in Japan was reported as recently as 2006. Due to this recent increase in awareness, notions about the disease have remained in a state of constant fluctuation. While first believed to be a disease of neurologically-impaired children between 3 and 8 months of age, it is now widely recognized as occurring in men and women of all ages and …

Tactile Hallucinations: Presenting Symptom Of Schizophrenia, Virgen M. Quinones

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Although previous reports about tactile hallucinations of sexual content suggesting Schizophrenia are known2, this disorder has been characterized mostly by hallucinations of visual/auditory content. At Schizophrenia presentation these two types of hallucinations are the prominent features. This report describes a patient who had no previous psychiatric symptoms and for whom tactile hallucinations were the presenting symptom of Schizophrenia.

Disclosure Of Apoe Genotype For Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease, Peter J. Whitehouse, Melissa Barber Butson

Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype provides information on the risk of Alzheimer's disease, but the genotyping of patients and their family members has been discouraged. We examined the effect of genotype disclosure in a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. METHODS: We randomly assigned 162 asymptomatic adults who had a parent with Alzheimer's disease to receive the results of their own APOE genotyping (disclosure group) or not to receive such results (nondisclosure group). We measured symptoms of anxiety, depression, and test-related distress 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year after disclosure or nondisclosure. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the …

Cumulative Incidence Of Post Dural Puncture Headache Following Caesarean Section Under Spinal Anaesthesia At The Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi, Ednah K. Gisore

Master of Medicine in Anaesthesiology

Introduction: Post dural puncture headache can be a debilitating complication of subarachnoid anaesthesia for a new mother. Successful management of post dural puncture headache requires adherence to clear policies and protocols with close follow up of patients by an experienced obstetric anaesthetist. Objective: This study examined the cumulative incidence and severity of post dural puncture headache in obstetric patients who consented for spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. Study site: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. Study Design: Prospective Cohort study. Study Population: All women who underwent caesarean sections under spinal anaesthesia and fulfilled …

The Prevalence Of Postoperative Pain Following Day Surgery In The First 48 Hours At Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Gilbert Mwaka

Master of Medicine in Anaesthesiology

Introduction: Day case surgery services are increasing all over the world. The prevalence of postoperative pain after day surgery is found to be high ranging from 17% to 60%. Little is known about the prevalence of postoperative pain, in Kenya and East Africa, after day case surgeries. Objective: The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of postoperative pain after day surgery at Aga Khan University (AKUH), Nairobi, to determine the severity/intensity of postoperative pain following day case surgery, and to determine the influence of anxiety and worry on the patients report on postoperative pain. Study site: The …