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Biomedical subjects

B Ong

Publications and source records attributed to B Ong.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Comparison of clinical symptoms in autism and Asperger's disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To determine what clinical symptoms clinicians have been using to distinguish between Asperger's disorder (AsD) and autistic disorder (AD). METHOD: Parents of children and adolescents with high-functioning AD (n = 48) and AsD (n = 69) were given a structured interview based on DSM-III-R and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Information regarding early and current symptom presentation and family, developmental, and verbal mental age information were collected. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine which variables best predicted clinician's diagnosis. RESULTS: A number of clinical variables predicted diagnosis. Delayed language onset was the only variable of the family and developmental variables that predicted diagnosis. The AsD group was also significantly higher than the AD group in verbal mental age. CONCLUSION: Clinicians appear to be diagnosing AsD and AD on the basis of published research and case study accounts. The findings question whether DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria adequately describe the AsD individual, particularly in the communication domain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Temporary back and leg pain after bupivacaine and morphine spinal anaesthesia.

Transient neurological symptoms have been reported after hyperbaric lidocaine 5% spinal anaesthetics. We report a patient with neurogenic back and leg pain after uncomplicated bupivacaine and morphine spinal anaesthesia. A healthy 39-yr-old woman received 1.6 ml hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.75% and 250 micrograms morphine intrathecally. Two hours later, the patient experienced discomfort during suturing of the peritoneum and surgery was completed under general anaesthesia. Recovery was uncomplicated until 13 hr after intrathecal injection, when the patient complained of burning pain in her back extending to the front of the abdomen and similar pain in her thighs. Neurological consultation was obtained. Treatment was started with amitriptyline and the symptoms resolved slowly. Complete recovery occurred over three months. Further studies to assess symptoms after spinal anaesthesia are indicated.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Respiratory depression associated with meperidine spinal anaesthesia.

Intrathecal meperidine administration can provide surgical anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia for about two to six hours. We have observed two cases of respiratory depression associated with meperidine spinal anaesthesia. An 81-yr-old woman received 50 mg intrathecal meperidine for inguinal hernia repair. Supplemental oxygen was administered at 3 L.min-1 by nasal prongs. About 40 min later, the patient's oxygen saturation decreased from 97% to 87% and she was asked to take big breaths. She responded immediately and oxygen saturation returned to 97%. Two more similar episodes followed in the next five minutes. Naloxone 0.1 mg iv was administered and the oxygen saturation remained at 96-97% until completion of surgery about 15 min later. She had an uneventful recovery. A 24-yr-old healthy woman presented for tubal ligation eight hours after vaginal delivery of an infant. The surgical procedure was performed under spinal anaesthesia produced by 50 mg meperidine. During surgery, midazolam 2 mg iv was given for anxiolysis. About five minutes after admission to the postanaesthesia care unit, the patient's respiratory rate decreased to ten breaths per minute and oxygen saturation decreased to 89%. Supplemental oxygen at 3 L.min-1 was administered by nasal prongs. The patient was encouraged to take big breaths and the arterial oxygen saturation rapidly increased to 98-99%. Forty minutes later, nasal oxygen was discontinued. The patient maintained her oxygen saturation while breathing room air. She was then discharged to the ward and had an uneventful recovery course. We recommend that a patient's respiratory variables and oxygenation be closely monitored for at least one hour after intrathecal meperidine administration.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Polymyositis associated with symptomless nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

We describe a 42-year-old Chinese patient with polymyositis and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The polymyositis was complicated by respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation despite conventional therapy. Treatment of the carcinoma was associated with recovery of muscle strength. To our knowledge this is the first reported association of polymyositis with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Thoracic versus lumbar epidural fentanyl for postthoracotomy pain.

Thirty patients were prospectively randomized to receive either thoracic or lumbar epidural fentanyl infusion for postthoracotomy pain. Epidural catheters were inserted, and placement was confirmed with local anesthetic testing before operation. General anesthesia consisted of nitrous oxide, oxygen, isoflurane, intravenous fentanyl citrate (5 micrograms/kg), and vecuronium bromide. Pain was measured by a visual analogue scale (0 = no pain to 10 = worst pain ever). Postoperatively, patients received epidural fentanyl in titrated doses every 15 minutes until the visual analogue scale score was less than 4 or until a maximum fentanyl dose of 150 micrograms by bolus and an infusion rate of 150 micrograms/h was reached. The visual analogue scale score of patients who received thoracic infusion decreased from 8.8 +/- 0.5 to 5.5 +/- 0.7 (p < or = 0.05) by 15 minutes and to 3.5 +/- 0.4 (p < or = 0.05) by 45 minutes. The corresponding values in the lumbar group were 8.8 +/- 0.6 to 7.8 +/- 0.7 at 15 minutes and 5.3 +/- 0.9 at 45 minutes (p < or = 0.05). The infusion rate needed to maintain a visual analogue scale score of less than 4 was lower in the thoracic group (1.55 +/- 0.13 micrograms.kg-1 x h-1) than in the lumbar group (2.06 +/- 0.19 microgram.kg-1 x h-1) during the first 4 hours after operation (p < or = 0.05). The epidural fentanyl infusion rates could be reduced at 4, 24, and 48 hours after operation without compromising pain relief. Four patients in the lumbar group required naloxone hydrochloride intravenously.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analgesia, Epidural↗
PubMed1993

Adult onset polymyositis/dermatomyositis: clinical and laboratory features and treatment response in 75 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine possible similarities and differences in clinical and laboratory features and treatment response between patients in Singapore with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) and reported series. METHODS: Case records of adult patients (16 years old and above) referred to the 3 main electromyographic (EMG) laboratories in Singapore between 1 June 1986 and 31 May 1991 were reviewed if the referring diagnosis was myositis or myopathy for investigation. A computer search for adult patients with a diagnosis of PM/DM (ICD codes 710.3, 710.4, 517.8) who attended the main rheumatology and neurology centre during this period was also carried out. The criteria for PM/DM proposed by Bohan and Peter was adopted. RESULTS: The incidence of PM/DM was 7.7 cases per million population per year. There were 35 PM and 40 DM cases with a median age at diagnosis of 50.7 years (SD: 16.7) and significantly more females in the PM group (p < 0.05). At presentation, 86.7% had proximal myopathy, 34.7% had arthralgia/arthritis and 18.7% had cutaneous vasculitis. The creatine kinase level was elevated in 89.3% of patients and positive EMG and muscle biopsy in 79.4% and 76.4% respectively. Systemic lupus erythematosus was the commonest associated connective tissue disease. The percentage of patients with malignancy was higher in DM compared with PM (p < 0.01) and they were significantly older (mean age 61.8 years) (p < 0.001). Patients who achieved remission were significantly younger (mean age 46.4 years, p < 0.05). The overall mortality rate was 26.7% with infection and malignancy as the main causes of death. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest ethnicity does not influence the expression of PM/DM in view of the considerable similarities in frequency and clinical expression of disease in the population studied compared with series from other countries.

Adult↗