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Biomedical subjects

B L Strom

Publications and source records attributed to B L Strom.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Risk factors for hip fracture in black women. The Northeast Hip Fracture Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Although more than 1 percent of black women 80 years of age or older have hip fractures each year, little is known about risk factors for hip fracture in these women. METHODS: We carried out a case-control study involving 144 black women admitted with a first hip fracture to 1 of 30 hospitals in New York and Philadelphia. The control were 218 black women living in the community who were matched to the case patients according to age and ZIP Code or telephone exchange and 181 hospitalized black women matched according to age and hospital. Information was obtained through personal interviews and was studied by multivariable logistic-regression analysis. RESULTS: When the case patients were compared with the control subjects from the community, the women in the lowest quintile for body-mass index had a markedly increased risk of hip fracture as compared with the women in the highest quintile (odds ratio, 13.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 4.2 to 43.3). Postmenopausal estrogen therapy for one year or more was protective for women under 75 years of age (odds ratio, 0.1; 95 percent confidence interval, < 0.1 to 0.5). Factors associated with an increased risk of hip fracture included a history of stroke (odds ratio, 3.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 8.1), use of aids in walking (odds ratio, 5.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.7 to 11.5), and consumption of seven or more alcoholic drinks per week (odds ratio, 4.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 14.1). The results were similar when the case patients were compared with the hospitalized control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Among black women thinness, previous stroke, use of aids in walking, and alcohol consumption are associated with an increased risk of hip fracture. Postmenopausal estrogen therapy protects against hip fracture in women under 75 years of age.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Assessing diagnostic criteria for active infective endocarditis.

A study was performed to describe agreement among experts on their classification of patients, in the absence of information concerning risk factors, as to the presence of infective endocarditis (IE). The study also assessed the clinical characteristics that enabled the experts to determine that a patient had IE. All patients with a discharge diagnosis of IE were identified prospectively from 54 hospitals in the Delaware Valley over a 3-year period. Patients were part of a case-control study of risk factors for IE. Three infectious disease experts independently reviewed abstracted hospital records and classified each of 151 eligible patients as a definite, probable or possible case, or a probable noncase, both based on clinical judgement and using a modified standard definition. Experts were more likely to classify a patient as a definite case of IE on the basis of clinical judgement than by using the modified standard definition. Agreement between reviewers was 92 to 95% when they were distinguishing only probable non-cases from others. Agreement between reviewers on specific categories was lower (40 to 58%). The number of positive blood cultures was a strong predictor of a patient's being classified as a case, as was the type of infecting organism. It is concluded that experts are willing to make a definitive diagnosis of IE on the basis of blood culture information alone. Further supporting evidence, such as the presence of vegetation on an echocardiogram, is needed when blood culture results are ambiguous.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A case-control study of oral contraceptive use and invasive epithelial ovarian cancer.

The relation of oral contraceptive use to the risk of ovarian cancer was assessed with data collected during 1977-1991 from patients under 65 years of age in hospitals in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. We compared 441 women with recently diagnosed invasive epithelial ovarian cancer to 2,065 control women. Logistic regression was used to control risk factors for ovarian cancer. The multivariate relative risk estimate decreased with the increasing duration of oral contraceptive use (p < 0.05): the estimate was close to 1.0 for duration categories of less than 3 years; it was reduced for the categories of 3-4 years of use and greater, but it did not decline further as the duration of use increased. For > or = 3 years of use, the estimate was 0.6 (95% confidence interval 0.4-0.8). The inverse association of risk with > or = 3 years of use was consistently present across categories of age, parity, interview year, and geographic area. It was apparent for as long as 15-19 years after cessation. Many different specific oral contraceptive formulations appeared related to a decreased risk; however, data were sparse for the newer types, particularly phasic preparations, and the ability to assess specific preparations in the context of use of multiple preparations was limited. The present data confirm previous reports of an inverse association of ovarian cancer risk with oral contraceptive use of several years in duration. They also suggest that the association may persist for as long as two decades and that it is not confined to any particular type of oral contraceptive formulation.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Completeness of prescription recording in outpatient medical records from a health maintenance organization.

Since validity of drug data is often characterized by the agreement between questionnaire and medical record data, medical record completeness for drug therapy was evaluated. Outpatient medical records of 501 randomly selected Group Health Cooperative Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) participants known to have been dispensed a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) were reviewed for completeness. Documentation was also evaluated for indication, age, gender, location of visit, and number of visits. The NSAID was recorded in 89% of the charts reviewed. Charts with a vague/missing diagnosis were more likely to lack documentation [RR (95% CI): 20.0 (13.2-30.3)]. The data suggested that poorer documentation was related to older age [1.5 (0.9-2.5)] but not to gender, indication, location of visit, or number of visits. Presence of an indication was positively correlated to the completeness of drug documentation. According to this staff/group HMO, there may be a higher concordance between self-reported medication use and medical record data than found in previous literature.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Breast silicone implants and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus.

The uncertain safety of breast implants has been a major controversy of late, both in the lay press and in the scientific literature. A case-control study had been performed in the Philadelphia metropolitan area during 1985-1987 to investigate potential risk factors for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 219 eligible cases who met the American Rheumatism Association criteria for SLE were identified from the medical practices of cooperating rheumatologists in the area; 195 (89%) of these were enrolled in the study. Friends of the cases, matched to the cases on sex and age (+/- 5 years) served as controls. For the current investigation, conducted during June 1992 through September 1992, we attempted to re-contact each of these individuals. Using a short telephone interview, we asked each subject to provide information on any surgery that they may have had prior to the index date, i.e. the year of diagnosis of SLE in the cases and the same year for the age-matched friend controls. Specific questions were asked about plastic surgery in general and breast implants in particular. 148 (75.9%) of the 195 SLE cases being sought and 111 (77.6%) of the 143 controls being sought agreed to be re-interviewed for this study. Only 1 (0.8%) out of 133 female SLE cases reported having had a breast implant, 8 years prior to the diagnosis of SLE. This compared to 0 out of the 100 female friend controls (Fisher exact one-tailed p-value = 0.57).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Breast Implants↗
PubMed1994

Diagnostic ultrasound in pregnancy and low birthweight.

Diagnostic ultrasound has been used increasingly in obstetric practice over the past decade. To date, adverse effects of ultrasound on the fetus have not been reported, but studies have been done on small sample sizes. This study looks specifically at the association of ultrasound exposure during pregnancy and the risk of low birthweight in the offspring. A validation case-control study was also performed based on information from a sample of medical charts. With a database of more than 13,000 pregnancies, there was no indication of an adverse effect of ultrasound performed during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Aberrant integrin expression in the endometrium of women with endometriosis.

Integrins are ubiquitous cell adhesion molecules that undergo dynamic alterations during the normal menstrual cycle in the human endometrium. The alpha v beta 3 vitronectin receptor integrin is expressed in endometrium at the time of implantation, but its presence is delayed in endometrium that is assessed to be out of phase using classical histological features. To investigate the expression of this integrin in women with endometriosis, we assessed the presence of the beta 3-subunit throughout the menstrual cycle in 268 "in-phase" endometrial biopsies, using immunohistochemistry. The beta 3-subunit was expressed on endometrial epithelium after days 19-20 of the menstrual cycle. In 241 women whose biopsies were obtained after day 19, a lack of beta 3 expression was found to be closely related to the diagnosis of endometriosis (by Wilcoxon test, P = 0.02). This defect in integrin expression was associated with nulliparity, inversely related to the stage of disease, and occurred despite the presence of in-phase histological features. In a prospective double blind assessment of this integrin, we found endometrial beta 3 analysis to have a high specificity and positive predictive value as a nonsurgical diagnostic test for minimal and mild endometriosis. In conclusion, aberrant integrin expression in the native endometrium is associated with the finding of endometriosis and may identify some women with decreased cycle fecundity due to defects in uterine receptivity.

Endometriosis↗
PubMed1994

Epidemiology of gastrointestinal damage associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with significant upper gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity, with a relative risk of approximately 3. This is supported by evidence drawn from randomised controlled trials [of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)], cohort studies and case-control studies. The risk is increased with higher doses of medication, shorter treatment duration and concomitant corticosteroid use. Elderly patients and those with a history of GI illness are also at increased risk. Ibuprofen may be associated with a lower, and piroxicam with a higher, risk of complications. There are only preliminary data regarding an association between NSAIDs and small and large intestinal complications. Therapeutic alternatives which may confer a lower risk of significant GI toxicity include enteric-coated preparations, non-acetylated salicylates, and NSAIDs taken in conjunction with misoprostol. Epidemiological data regarding these alternatives are sparse.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed1993

Acute liver disease associated with erythromycins, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether erythromycins, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines are associated with an increased risk for acute hepatitis. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Medicaid billing data from Michigan and Florida between 1980 and 1987. PATIENTS: The 107 cases included patients hospitalized with acute symptomatic hepatitis without an identifiable cause of liver disease noted in the medical record. Four controls per case were randomly selected and were matched for age, sex, and state. RESULTS: Five cases (4.7%) and four controls (0.9%) were exposed to erythromycins, yielding an odds ratio of 5.2 (95% Cl, 1.1 to 26.6). No case or control was exposed to erythromycin estolate. Eight cases (7.5%) and three controls (0.7%) were exposed to oral sulfonamides, yielding an odds ratio of 11.4 (Cl, 2.7 to 67.8). All (except one control) had received trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole. Five cases (4.7%) and four controls (0.9%) were exposed to tetracyclines, yielding an odds ratio of 5.2 (Cl, 1.4 to 19.7). The results did not change substantively for erythromycin or sulfonamides after adjustment using multiple logistic regression for age, sex, state, and use of other hepatotoxic drugs. With tetracyclines, however, the odds ratio decreased to 3.6 (Cl, 0.9 to 14.3). Associations were also seen with isoniazid (P = 0.008) and rifampicin (P = 0.04). The number of patients developing acute symptomatic liver disease resulting in hospitalization for each million patients treated with a 10-day course of erythromycin was 2.28 cases; for sulfonamides, this figure was 4.8 cases; and for tetracycline, the figure was 1.56 cases. CONCLUSION: Erythromycin, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines are associated with acute symptomatic hepatitis resulting in hospitalization. Given the widespread use of these drugs, they will be among the more common drugs associated with hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and neutropenia.

BACKGROUND: The association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and neutropenia is based primarily on case reports only. METHODS: A population-based, case-control study was performed with Medicaid claims data from six states. Cases were defined as patients hospitalized with neutropenia. Four controls per case were randomly chosen, matched for age, sex, state, and year. The frequency of exposure to NSAIDs in the 30 days before hospital admission in the cases was compared with the frequency in the identical period in the controls. The diagnosis of neutropenia was validated by review of medical records. RESULTS: The crude odds ratio for NSAIDs as a class was 3.3 (90% confidence interval, 1.6 to 6.6). The multivariate adjusted odds ratio was 4.2 (90% confidence interval, 2.0 to 8.7). No single class of NSAID, nor any individual NSAID, was associated with a unique risk, although the data on individual NSAIDs were sparse. Even excluding phenylbutazone and indomethacin, an increased risk was observed (3.5 [1.6 to 7.6]). CONCLUSIONS: Neutropenia is associated with the use of NSAIDs. However, given the low incidence of this disease, the additional number of cases of neutropenia caused by the use of NSAIDs is small. These data do not support the existence of a risk restricted to selected NSAIDs only.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with respect to acute liver disease.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the magnitude of the risk of acute hepatitis associated with the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. METHODS: We calculated the annual incidence rate of hepatitis resulting in hospitalization and then performed a case-control study using 1980 to 1987 Medicaid billing data from Michigan and Florida. The 107 cases included patients with symptomatic acute hepatitis without an identifiable cause of liver disease. Four controls per case were randomly selected and were matched for age, sex, and state. Antecedent drug exposure was assessed 30 days prior to the onset of the disease in the cases and during the same period in the controls. RESULTS: The annual incidence rate (95% confidence interval) of acute idiopathic symptomatic hepatitis resulting in hospitalization was 2.2 (2.0 to 2.4) per 100,000 persons per year. Nine cases (8.4%) and 26 controls (6.1%) were exposed to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, yielding an odds ratio of 1.4 (0.6 to 3.1). After adjustment for potential confounding variables, the odds ratio was 1.2 (0.5 to 2.8). CONCLUSIONS: Acute symptomatic idiopathic liver disease severe enough to result in hospitalization is uncommon, and no association was evident between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acute hepatitis. This study was large enough to exclude a relative risk of 2.8. These data suggest that acute symptomatic liver disease from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is not a frequent clinical problem.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1993

Acetylation phenotypes and environmental chemical exposure of people with idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypotheses that there is an excess percentage of slow acetylators among patients with idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and that these patients had excessive exposure to environmental amines and hydrazines before the onset of illness. METHODS: Case-control study with structured interview and acetylation phenotyping. RESULTS: No excess proportion of slow acetylators or environmental amine exposure was found. CONCLUSION: Slow acetylation phenotype and exposure to environmental amines are not principal causes of idiopathic SLE.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1993

Complications during pneumatic dilation for achalasia or diffuse esophageal spasm. Analysis of risk factors, early clinical characteristics, and outcome.

UNLABELLED: A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess risk factors, early clinical characteristics, and outcome of complications in patients undergoing pneumatic dilation. Of 178 patients with achalasia or diffuse esophageal spasm who underwent 236 dilations with a Browne-McHardy dilator, 16 patients experienced a complication (9.0%). Nine major complications developed: perforations (4), hematemesis (2), fever (2), and angina (1). A prior pneumatic dilation and use of inflation pressure > or = 11 PSI were independent risk factors by multivariate analysis for developing a complication. An esophagram immediately following the dilation identified three of the four perforations. Three postdilation findings were identified as indicators of patients with an increased risk of having developed a perforation: blood on the dilator, tachycardia, and prolonged chest pain lasting > 4 hr after dilation. In all patients incurring a major complication, one of the three indicators, or the complication itself was recognized within 5 hr of dilation. All patients with complications, including the four with perforation who received prompt surgical repair and esophagomyotomy, recovered uneventfully. The symptomatic relief of dysphagia in patients with perforation undergoing emergent surgical repair and esophagomyotomy was similar to patients undergoing elective esophagomyotomy. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Pneumatic dilation is a safe treatment of achalasia, with a 1.7% risk of perforation. (2) The risk of developing a complication is increased by having had a previous pneumatic dilation or by use of inflation pressures > or = 11 psi. (3) All patients with a major complication were identified within 5 hr after dilation. (4) Complications following pneumatic dilation, if recognized and treated promptly, were not associated with adverse, long-term sequelae.

Catheterization↗
PubMed1993

Differences in antigen expression between neoplastic and nonneoplastic gallbladder epithelium. An immunohistochemical study.

Immunoreactivity for a panel of 15 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), which are known to react with different gastrointestinal tumor antigens, was assessed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections that were prepared from cholecystectomy specimens obtained from Mexican patients. Each case was classified histologically into one of the following groups: (1) invasive adenocarcinoma (N = 21), (2) high-grade dysplasia (carcinoma in situ) (N = 2), (3) low-grade dysplasia (N = 4), hyperplasia (4) (N = 15), and (5) chronic cholecystitis (N = 10). Significant differences (P < 0.05) were identified among the five histopathologic groups in the proportion of epithelial cells demonstrating immunoreactivity with MAbs to Lewisb; Lewis(a); sialylated Lewis(a); sialylated Lewis(a) and Lewis(a); Y antigen; H antigen; X antigen; X-like antigen; 200-kDa protein of CEA; 180-, 160-, 50-, 40-kDa proteins of CEA; 30- to 37-kDa protein; and an undefined antigen identified by MAb 99-57, with invasive carcinoma more frequently being positive as compared to nonneoplastic (hyperplasia, chronic cholecystitis) epithelium. Significant differences were also observed among the five histopathologic groups (P < or = 0.0005) in the proportion of epithelial cells demonstrating immunoreactivity with MAbs to Y antigen and the 20- to 50-kDa glycoprotein. However, with these two antibodies immunoreactivity was more frequently found in nonneoplastic epithelium rather than in invasive carcinomas. No significant differences in immunoreactivity were detected among the different histologic groups with MAb to blood group B antigen, types 1 and 2. This study demonstrates that cellular antigens are both developed and lost during the process of neoplastic transformation in the gallbladder.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Oral contraceptive use and risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma.

The relation between cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) and the use of oral contraceptives (OC) was investigated in a case-control study carried out from 1979 to 1991 among patients in hospitals and clinics in the Philadelphia (PA) and New York City (NY) metropolitan areas (United States). Cases were 615 women under age 70 who recently had been diagnosed with invasive melanoma; controls were 2,107 women of the same ages who had been treated for other conditions unrelated either to OC use or to skin diseases. The cases were categorized as severe or nonsevere based on the depth of invasion of the tumor or the presence or absence of metastases. Among the severe cases, OC use was not associated with MM: the relative risk (RR) estimate for ever-use was 1.1 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.8-1.5) and the estimate for 10 or more years of use was 1.1 (CI = 0.6-2.1). Nor was risk associated with recent use, long latency, or young age at first use. Among the nonsevere cases, ever-use of oral contraceptives was associated positively with MM (RR = 1.5, CI = 1.1-2.4) but there was no trend with increased duration of use. The findings provide evidence against the hypothesis that OC use increases the risk of malignant melanoma. The elevated estimates among the nonsevere cases most likely reflect selection bias rather than a causal relation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The feasibility of studying drug-induced acute hepatitis with use of Medicaid data.

To determine the feasibility of the use of Medicaid data to study drug-induced acute liver disease, we reviewed the medical records of 414 patients receiving Medicaid, age 20 or older, with an ICD-9-CM inpatient billing code consistent with acute hepatitis. Of the patients whose records were reviewed, 15.9% were alcoholics, 31.9% had acute hepatitis A or B, 13.5% were intravenous drug users, 8.2% had acute cholecystitis or choledocholithiasis, and 4.1% had received a blood transfusion within the previous 6 months. No diagnosis of liver disease was found in 10.6% of the patients, and 5.7% had chronic liver disease. Of the 169 patients with idiopathic acute liver disease identified, many had very mild liver disease and were hospitalized for reasons other than liver disease. We conclude that Medicaid billing data has high reliability and validity for the diagnosis of acute liver disease. However, primary medical records are essential for the study of drug-induced hepatitis, to be able to exclude other causes of liver disease, and to obtain information not included in the computer data.

Acute Disease↗