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Biomedical subjects

A Lal

Publications and source records attributed to A Lal.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease among women treated for gonorrhea or chlamydia.

BACKGROUND: No estimate exists of the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) after the occurrence of a recent bout of sexually transmitted disease (STD). METHODS: We used a computerized data file of prescriptions and medical encounters from the Fallon Community Health Plan to estimate the incidence rate of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) among women with a recently treated episode of gonorrhea or chlamydia (STD). First we identified women with presumed gonorrhea or chlamydia on the basis of a combination of diagnostic codes for cervicitis, vulvovaginitis or Bartholin's abscess, and a computer record of a prescription for doxycycline. We then followed these women to estimate the incidence rate of PID after their treatment for gonorrhea or chlamydia. We estimated the number of cases of pelvic inflammatory disease in this cohort by selecting all women with an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code of 614.9 entered for either an outpatient or inpatient diagnosis. RESULTS: We estimated the overall risk of PID to be about 9% during the 1-year period following treatment for gonorrhea or chlamydia, with a steep rise in risk coming within the first 45 days. CONCLUSION: The risk of PID in the year after an episode of treated STD is high, but the highest period of risk is in the first few weeks. The shape of the risk curve indicates that some PID cases may result from treatment-resistant infections, or possibly from untreated reinfections.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Critical evaluation of references in drug advertisements: an Indian experience.

Drug advertisements have important effect in prescribing habits of physicians. WHO states that all the claims in drug advertisements should be supported by suitable documentary evidences (references). The present study evaluated citations (mentioned/not mentioned), sources (journals, books, conferences/symposia, personal testimonial, unpublished data in file) and adequacy (complete/incomplete) of the references in 585 drug advertisements supplied by medical detail persons to different clinical departments of our hospital. The references were cited only in 37.9% of the drug advertisements. In total, 1032 references (76% of journals, 15% of books, 2% of conferences/symposia, 4% of personal testimonials, 1% of unpublished data and 2% of data in file) were cited. Only 10% references of journals, 7% of books and 12% of conferences/symposia were found complete (according to standard bibliographic norms). The current situation can be improved if the government, industry and the prescribers formulate some guidelines for the mentioning of adequate references in drug advertisements.

Advertising↗
PubMed1995

Evaluation of antimuscarinic activity in human volunteers: a teaching aid in clinical pharmacology.

The antimuscarinic activity of oxyphenonium bromide, diphenhydramine hydrochloride and astemizole were evaluated in six volunteers. The parameters used were salivary secretion, heart rate and pupillary size. The results indicated that the changes in heart rate and pupillary size and measurements were not convenient parameters for class room demonstration. However, salivary secretion and dryness of mouth were found to be reliable parameters for measurement. It was concluded that simple procedures like evaluation of antimuscarinic activity could be introduced as teaching aids in clinical pharmacology for undergraduate students.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Pharmacodynamic effects of pilocarpine eye drop enhanced by decreasing its volume of instillation.

Previous studies have proved that as the volume of the drug solution instilled into the eye is decreased, the fraction of the dose absorbed into the ocular tissue is increased and the adverse drug reactions lowered. The present study investigated the acute effects of different drop volumes (10 microliters, 20 microliters, 40 microliters, and 80 microliters) of pilocarpine nitrate (2%) on pupil diameter, heart rate, and adverse reaction profile, in 12 healthy human volunteers. The drop volumes of 10 microliters and 20 microliters produced more miosis and less side effects than 40 microliters and 80 microliters drop volumes. This may be due to more penetration of the drug into the ocular tissue and less drainage into the nasolacrimal system.

Cross-Over Studies↗
PubMed1995

Knowledge of asthma among parents of asthmatic children.

The knowledge and attitude towards asthma, of parents, of 85 asthmatic children was assessed using a 17 item questionnaire. Results showed that 34.1% believed asthma to be contagious, 48.2% of the parents hesitated in referring to their child's illness as asthma. Other commonly held beliefs were that asthma is a life long illness (35.3%); food items are important precipitating factors for acute attacks (88.2%); mild exacerbations need to be treated with bronchodilators (6.3%); bronchodilators should be started at home before consulting a physician in case of an acute attack (61.2%); and cure of asthma is possible through modern drugs (30.6%) or through alternative systems of medicine (65%). Ninety one per cent of parents lacked an awareness of the side effects of anti-asthma medication. It is concluded that parental education through improved physician parent communication is necessary for enhancing the quality of care being provided to children with asthma, a fact also highlighted by the International Consensus Report on Management of Asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Isolation and expression of murine and rabbit cDNAs encoding an alpha 1,2-mannosidase involved in the processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides.

We have isolated a full-length cDNA clone encoding a murine alpha 1,2-mannosidase involved in the processing of mammalian Asn-linked oligosaccharides. Oligonucleotide primers were designed based on peptide sequences derived from the purified rabbit liver enzyme and were used to generate a 1011-base pair probe using the polymerase chain reaction. This probe was used to isolate clones from rabbit and mouse cDNA libraries. The full-length murine cDNA clone encodes a 655-amino acid type II transmembrane protein with a 43-amino acid cytoplasmic tail, a single transmembrane domain, and a large COOH-terminal catalytic domain containing two potential N-glycosylation sites. Stable transfection of the murine alpha 1,2-mannosidase cDNA into mouse L cells resulted in a approximately 22-fold overexpression of alpha 1,2-mannosidase activity. Three transcripts were detected in rabbit tissues, whereas two were found in rat and mouse tissues. The sequences of the rabbit and mouse cDNA clones indicate that the multiple transcripts differ in the length of their 3' sequences as a result of the use of multiple polyadenylation signals. Immunolocalization detected cross-reactive material in a juxtanuclear pattern consistent with the Golgi complex. The catalytic portion of the murine alpha 1,2-mannosidase was found to bear a strong similarity to the processing alpha 1,2-mannosidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Socio-economic burden of childhood asthma.

The socio-economic burden of childhood asthma has not been assessed in India. We interviewed parents of asthmatic 85 children in the age group of 6-17 years who were suffering from asthma. Socio-economic burden of asthma was assessed by using Pai and Kapur's interview schedule and the results were analyzed by using Chi square, Student's 't' test and Pearson's product movement correlation coefficient. Severe burden was experienced by the family in 25.9% cases. Total burden score was significantly associated with severity of asthma (p < 0.001) and socio economic status of the family (p < 0.01). These results indicate that there is need for health professionals and social support organizations to chalk out programmes to provide support at least to families of children with chronic/recurrent illness like bronchial asthma in order to reduce the anxiety and other hardships suffered by the families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Safety and efficacy of a concentrated potassium chloride solution infusion for rapid correction of hypokalemia.

Twenty children with hypokalemia (plasma potassium concentration < or = 3.5 mmol/L) with electrocardiographic (ECG) changes were given an infusion of concentrated solution of potassium chloride (200 mmol/L) at a rate of 0.25 mmol per kg per hour till ECG changes reverted to normal, under close monitoring of vital signs and ECG. The regimen effectively corrected the ECG changes in 1 to 6 hours with a mean increase in serum potassium by 0.75 +/- 0.49 mmol/L. No complications occurred. Controlled infusion of a concentrated solution of potassium chloride at a rate of 0.25 mmol/kg/hour is a safe and effective way to achieve rapid correction of hypokalemia with ECG changes, using minimal fluid volumes.

Child↗