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Biomedical subjects

A Ramsay

Publications and source records attributed to A Ramsay.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Recognition of alcoholism among patients with psychiatric problems in a family practice clinic.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders associated with alcoholism is reported to be as high as 65 percent. A retrospective chart study was performed to determine whether physicians in a primary care center were adequately evaluating for alcoholism their patients with psychiatric problems. Thirty-five percent of the patients with psychiatric problems seen over a six-month period were not questioned about alcohol use. Younger patients and those with a nonspecific psychiatric diagnosis were questioned even less frequently. In a review of the charts for signs of alcohol abuse, 23 percent of the psychiatric patients had signs of possible alcoholism, and 6 percent were definite alcoholics. Since the presence of alcoholism may significantly alter the approach to therapy, primary care physicians should fully evaluate all patients for this problem, especially if they present with a psychiatric disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Drug prescribing patterns in the elderly: a cross-sectional study of in-patients.

A cross-sectional one-day survey of drug prescribing and use in elderly in-patients was carried out in Dundee hospitals. Altogether 873 patients were studied and analyses of prescribing patterns were carried out by patient categories--medical, surgical, geriatric, psychiatric and mentally subnormal--and by major drug groups. While the average number of drugs prescribed per patient on the study day was 3.3, which was not excessive, other results highlighted some possible problems of therapy, viz. the wide range of drugs used within drug groups, the common use of psychotropic drugs, dose regimes which although used in a geriatric population differed little from general adult dosages, and which sometimes involved many administrations per day. Examples were described relating to the use of nitrazepam, phenothiazines and tricyclic antidepressants.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new micronized formulation of halofantrine hydrochloride in the treatment of acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

The current formulation of halofantrine hydrochloride has poor absorption and bioavailability. A newly developed micronized formulation was evaluated for efficacy, safety and tolerance in the treatment of acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The study was conducted at a plantation hospital in northern Tanzania, where chloroquine resistance is common. Sixty in-patients with mild or moderate malaria were treated with 375-750 mg micronized halofantrine hydrochloride given in 3 equal doses, 6 h apart. Patients were followed up for 28 d after therapy. Treatment was associated with rapid parasite clearance (mean clearance time = 34.8 h), fever clearance (mean time = 20 h), and clinical improvement (70% of patients were free of all presenting symptoms within 2 d). The formulation was well tolerated clinically, although 3 patients (5%) developed mild pruritus after treatment which may have been drug-related. Haematological and biochemical studies did not indicate any significant toxicity. One patient, whose immediate recovery was uneventful, was found to have a headache and low parasitaemia 3 weeks after treatment. He was readmitted to the study and treated as before. Parasitaemia, fever and headache cleared rapidly and he remained aparasitaemic for 28 d.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutritional status and weight gain in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Tanzania.

We assessed nutritional status in 200 adult Tanzanian patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis before, during, and after 6 months of tuberculosis treatment; 148 patients (74%) were successfully followed for 12 months. Marked nutritional impairment was present on admission: 77% of males and 58% of females had a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5; approximately one-fifth had BMI < 16.0. The length of hospital stay and gender, rather than microbiological response, were the major determinants of weight gain during treatment. Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gained more weight than uninfected patients. Most patients lost weight after completing treatment and returning home. At 12 months, 32% of male and 19% of female patients considered cured of tuberculosis had BMI < 18.5. It is concluded that patients with tuberculosis from this area of Tanzania frequently have evidence of malnutrition both before and after treatment for tuberculosis. Weight gain during therapy appeared to be an unreliable indicator of overall treatment response. However, the results also demonstrated that nutritional rehabilitation can be successfully achieved even in HIV-positive tuberculosis patients and in patients with a suboptimal response to therapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hypopyon uveitis.

Hypopyon uveitis has inflammatory, infective, and neoplastic causes and a high association with systemic disease. Careful questioning of the patient and detailed examination of the eye for other signs is necessary to guide the differential diagnosis and relevant investigations. Because the underlying causes require very different types of investigation and, if missed, can have serious sequelae for the patient, a rational approach based on the understanding of the causes of hypopyon uveitis is imperative. In this review, hypopyon uveitis is considered in the context of the associated ocular and systemic diseases that cause it.

Anterior Chamber↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Acquired bilateral superior oblique palsy: a localising sign in the dorsal midbrain.

Bilateral superior oblique palsy is an uncommon ocular motility problem, the commonest cause being closed head trauma. Two cases, both adults, are presented in whom bilateral superior oblique palsy occurred as a result of neoplastic infiltration of the dorsal midbrain in the region of the anterior medullary velum. In the absence of a history of head trauma, the presence of an acquired bilateral superior oblique palsy is a definite sign of a single lesion in the region of the decussation of the trochlear nerves and appropriate imaging is indicated.

Adolescent↗