Medical Specialties Commons^™

Relationship Of Serum Prolactin With Severity Of Drug Use And Treatment Outcome In Cocaine Dependence., Ashwin A. Patkar, Paolo Mannelli, Kenneth M. Certa, Kathleen Peindl, Heather Murray, Michael J. Vergare, Wade H. Berrettini

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

RATIONALE: Alteration in serum prolactin (PRL) levels may reflect changes in central dopamine activity, which modulates the behavioral effects of cocaine. Therefore, serum PRL may have a potential role as a biological marker of drug severity and treatment outcome in cocaine dependence.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether serum PRL levels differed between cocaine-dependent (CD) subjects and controls, and whether PRL levels were associated with severity of drug use and treatment outcome in CD subjects.

METHODS: Basal PRL concentrations were assayed in 141 African-American (AA) CD patients attending an outpatient treatment program and 60 AA controls. Severity of drug use was assessed …

Pre-Treatment Measures Of Impulsivity, Aggression And Sensation Seeking Are Associated With Treatment Outcome For African-American Cocaine-Dependent Patients., Ashwin A. Patkar, Heather W. Murray, Paolo Mannelli, Edward Gottheil, Stephen P. Weinstein, Michael J. Vergare

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

We investigated whether measures of impulsivity, aggression and sensation seeking differed between cocaine-dependent subjects and controls, and whether these measures were related to treatment-outcome for cocaine patients. Pre-treatment assessments of impulsivity (Barratt Impulsivity Scale [BIS]), aggression (Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory [BDHI]) and sensation seeking (Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale [SSS]) were obtained for 141 African-American cocaine-dependent patients entering a 12-week, intensive outpatient treatment program and 60 controls. The outcome measures were number of negative urine drug screens, days in treatment, dropout rates and number of treatment sessions. Cocaine patients reported significantly higher scores on the SSS, the BIS and the BDHI than …

Comparison Of Pretreatment Characteristics And Treatment Outcomes For Alcohol-, Cocaine-, And Multisubstance-Dependent Patients., Ashwin A. Patkar, Charles C. Thornton, Paolo Mannelli, Kevin P. Hill, Edward Gottheil, Michael J. Vergare, Stephen P. Weinstein

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

We investigated whether pretreatment characteristics and measures of outcome differed for alcohol-, cocaine-, and multisubstance-dependent patients receiving outpatient substance abuse treatment. One hundred and forty substance dependent individuals (32 alcohol, 76 cocaine, and 32 multisubstance) enrolled in a 12-week outpatient treatment program were compared across measures of addiction severity, personality, and treatment-readiness at admission. In-treatment, end-of-treatment and 9-month follow-up assessments of treatment outcome were then compared across the three groups. Outcome measures included reduction in problem severity, abstinence, retention, number of sessions attended, dropout, and counselor and patient ratings of treatment benefit. At admission, the multisubstance group had a higher …

Impact Of Smoking On The Outcome Of Anterior Cervical Arthrodesis With Interbody Or Strut-Grafting., Alan Hilibrand, Mark A. Fye, Sanford E. Emery, Mark A. Palumbo, Henry H. Bohlman

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: An increased rate of pseudarthrosis has been documented following posterolateral lumbar spine grafting in patients who smoke. This same relationship has been assumed for anterior cervical interbody grafting, but to our knowledge it has never been proven. This study compared the long-term radiographic and clinical results of smokers and nonsmokers who had undergone arthrodesis with autogenous bone graft following multi-level anterior cervical decompression for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy, or both.

METHODS: One hundred and ninety patients were followed clinically and radiographically for at least two years (range, two to fifteen years). Fifty-nine of the patients had …

Initial Multicenter Experience With Double Nucleoside Therapy For Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection During Pregnancy., N S Silverman, D H Watts, J Hitti, D M Money, E Livingston, J Axelrod, J M Ernest, D Robbins, M M Divito

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To study maternal and neonatal effects of combination nucleoside analog therapy administered to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pregnant women for maternal indications.

METHODS: A multicenter, prospective observational study was undertaken at six perinatal centers in the United States and Canada that supported regional referral programs for the treatment of HIV-infected pregnant women. Demographic, laboratory, and pregnancy outcome data were collected for 39 women whose antiretroviral treatment regimens were expanded to include more than one nucleoside analog for maternal indications. The 40 newborns were monitored at pediatric referral centers through at least three months of age to ascertain their HIV …

Mirizzi Syndrome Type Ii: Is Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Justified?, D C Desai, R D Smink

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Mirizzi syndrome type II is an uncommon cause of obstructive jaundice caused by an inflammatory response to an impacted gallstone in Hartmann's pouch or the cystic duct with a resultant cholecystocholedochal fistula. Two cases of Mirizzi syndrome type II are presented. Clinically only one patient had jaundice and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) established a preoperative diagnosis of Mirizzi syndrome. The other patient's diagnosis of Mirizzi syndrome was made intraoperatively. It is important to properly identify the anatomy at the time of surgery to avoid compromising the common bile duct. Operative treatment of Mirizzi syndrome type II includes laparoscopic or open …

Complications, Untoward Events, And Reality., Geoffrey G. Hallock Md

Department of Surgery

The only surgeons who do not have deal with complications are those who do not operate.1

A Randomized Comparison Of Coronary-Stent Placement And Balloon Angioplasty In The Treatment Of Coronary Artery Disease. Stent Restenosis Study Investigators., David L. Fischman, Martin B. Leon, Donald S. Baim, Richard A. Schatz, Michael P. Savage, Ian Penn, Katherine Detre, Lisa Veltri, Donald Ricci, Masakiyo Nobuyoshi, Michael Cleman, Richard Heuser, David Almond, Paul S. Teirstein, R. David Fish, Antonio Colombo, Jeffrey Brinker, Jeffrey Moses, Alex Shaknovich, John Hirshfeld, Stephen Bailey, Stephen Ellis, Randal Rake, Sheldon Goldberg

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Coronary-stent placement is a new technique in which a balloon-expandable, stainless-steel, slotted tube is implanted at the site of a coronary stenosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of stent placement and standard balloon angioplasty on angiographically detected restenosis and clinical outcomes.

METHODS: We randomly assigned 410 patients with symptomatic coronary disease to elective placement of a Palmaz-Schatz stent or to standard balloon angioplasty. Coronary angiography was performed at base line, immediately after the procedure, and six months later.

RESULTS: The patients who underwent stenting had a higher rate of procedural success than those who …