Biomedical subjects

Carolyn Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Carolyn Brown.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Cochlear implants in Waardenburg syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Waardenburg syndrome is an autosomal-dominant syndrome characterized by dystopia canthorum, hyperplasia of the eyebrows, heterochromia irides, a white forelock, and sensorineural hearing loss in 20% to 55% of patients. This patient population accounts for approximately 2% of congenitally deaf children. The purpose of this retrospective case review was to describe the outcomes for those children with Waardenburg syndrome who have undergone cochlear implantation. METHODS: Pediatric cochlear implant recipients with documented evidence of Waardenburg syndrome underwent retrospective case review. All patients received their cochlear implants at the study institution followed by outpatient auditory habilitation. Charts were reviewed for etiology and duration of deafness, age at time of cochlear implantation, perioperative complications, duration of use, and performance outcomes. Results of standard tests batteries for speech perception and production administered as a part of the patients' auditory habilitation were reviewed. RESULTS: Seven patients with Waardenburg syndrome and cochlear implants were identified. The average age at implantation was 37 months (range, 18-64 months) and the average duration of use was 69 months (range, 12-143 months). All of these patients are active users of their devices and perform very well after implantation. There were no major complications in this small group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Children with congenital sensorineural hearing loss without other comorbidities (e.g., developmental delay, inner ear malformations) perform well when they receive cochlear implantation and auditory habilitation. Patients with Waardenburg syndrome can be expected to have above-average performance after cochlear implantation.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2006

A single dose of liposome-encapsulated hydromorphone provides extended analgesia in a rat model of neuropathic pain.

Opioids have been shown to relieve thermal hyperalgesia associated with neuropathic pain. We used a novel technique to produce liposome-encapsulated hydromorphone (LEH), which we then tested in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) thermal hyperalgesia model of neuropathic pain. Rats were divided into sham-operated and CCI groups. Treatments consisted of LEH or standard hydromorphone, administered at surgery or 3 d after surgery, when thermal hyperalgesia had developed in the CCI rats. We measured thermal withdrawal latencies on days 0, 3, and 5. CCI rats given liposome-encapsulated vehicle or standard hydromorphone at surgery developed full thermal hyperalgesia. CCI rats given LEH at surgery exhibited no significant change compared with baseline values in thermal withdrawal latency, indicating that this preparation prevented hyperalgesia after a single injection. CCI rats given LEH on day 3 (that is, after they had developed hyperalgesia) showed reversal of hyperalgesia that persisted to day 5, whereas CCI rats given standard hydromorphone on day 3 showed only brief (approximately 90 min) reversal of hyperalgesia. Preemptive injection of LEH prevented hyperalgesia in this model for as long as 5 d. In addition, hyperalgesia was alleviated for at least 2 d after injection of a single dose of LEH. These results suggest that liposome-encapsulation of hydromorphone offers a convenient and effective means to provide relief from neuropathic pain in this rodent model.

Analgesics, Opioid↗

PubMed2005

Oral disease prevalence among HIV-positive American Indians in an urban clinic.

Abstract-According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, there have been almost 930,000 AIDS cases diagnosed at the end of 2003 in the United States. About 3,000 of those infected were American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Persons with HIV and AIDS have been shown to have increased risk of dental and periodontal disease. Unfortunately, there are no publications on dental disease and AI/ANs with HIV/AIDS. This study addresses this shortcoming by examining the relationship between dental health, drug use, and HIV among AI/AN patients in an urban setting. The study included a consecutive chart review of 51 AI/AN HIV-positive dental patients seen from 2001 to 2004 at the Native American Health Center in San Francisco. Results showed that 55% had moderate or severe periodontal disease, 80.4% had tooth decay, and 88.2% had missing teeth. Substance users had more dental caries or decayed teeth than non-substance users (88% versus 73%). The average rate for decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) among the total sample was 18.73%. This chart review study suggests that dental disease is more prevalent in AI/ANs with HIV/AIDS when compared to the general population and AI/AN data from the Indian Health Service.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Religion and preventative health care utilization among the elderly.

Evidence supporting a relationship between religion and physical health has increased substantially in the recent past. One possible explanation for this relationship that has not received much attention in the literature is that health care utilization may differ by religious involvement or religious denomination. A nationally representative sample of older adults was used to estimate the effects of religious salience and denomination on six different types of preventative health care (i.e. flu shots, cholesterol screening, breast self-exams, mammograms, pap smears, and prostate screening). Findings show that both men and women who report high levels of religiosity are more likely to use preventative services. Denominational differences show that affiliated individuals, especially those who are Jewish, are significantly more likely to use each type of preventative care than non-affiliated individuals. The results of this study open the door to further exploration of this potentially important, but relatively neglected, link between religion and health.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Evaluation of the neural response telemetry (NRT) capabilities of the nucleus research platform 8: initial results from the NRT trial.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the new features of the Nucleus Research Platform 8 (RP8), a system developed specifically for research purposes The RP8 consists of a research implant, a speech processor and a new NRT software (NRT v4), and includes comparisons of the different artefact-cancellation methods, NRT threshold, and recovery function measurements. The system has new artefact-suppression techniques and new diagnostic capabilities; their performance has been verified in animal experiments. In this study, NRT data were collected from 15 postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant patients intraoperatively and up to 6 months postoperatively after switch-on. The initial investigation in two clinics in Europe focused primarily on the enhanced NRT capabilities Results from the trial in two European clinics indicate that NRT measurements can be obtained with lower noise levels. A comparison of the different artefact-cancellation techniques showed that the forward-masking paradigm implemented in the Nucleus 3 system is still the method of choice. The focus of this report is on recovery function characteristics, which may give insight into auditory nerve fiber properties with regard to higher stimulation rates.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Binaural cochlear implants placed during the same operation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the binaural listening advantages for speech in quiet and in noise and to localize sound when independently programmed binaural cochlear implants are used, and to determine whether ears with different hearing ability and duration of profound deafness perform differently with cochlear implants as well as to what extent preimplant psychophysical and physiologic assessment could be predictive of performance. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study in which patients were prospectively selected to undergo bilateral implantation during a single surgical procedure at a tertiary referral center. All testing was performed with patients using their right, left, or both cochlear implants. Preimplant and intraoperative measures used electrical stimulation at the round window and stimulation through the cochlear implant. RESULTS: Bilateral implantation during the same operation did not cause any postoperative problems such as severe vertigo or ataxia. At 1 year, results of speech testing in quiet demonstrated a binaural advantage for 2 of 10 subjects. Speech-in-noise testing demonstrated that two implants were beneficial for two individuals. All subjects benefited from a head shadow effect when an ear with a better signal-to-noise ratio was available. The ability to localize sound was improved with binaural implants in all subjects. Preimplant psychophysical or physiologic measures were not predictive of eventual speech perception performance. CONCLUSION: Binaural cochlear implants can assist in the localization of sounds and have the potential in some individuals to improve speech understanding in quiet and in noise.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Relationship of XIST expression and responses of ovarian cancer to chemotherapy.

Expression profiling to characterize cancer pharmacology has become a new approach to discover novel molecular targets for prognostic markers and cancer therapy. In a study to compare the global RNA expression profiles between primary and recurrent ovarian tumors from the same patient, we have identified XIST (inactive X chromosome-specific transcripts) as the most differentially expressed gene that was down-regulated in the recurrent tumor. XIST encodes a spliced noncoding polyadenylated transcript that is unique in being expressed exclusively from the inactive X chromosome and is involved in the X-inactivation process. Subsequent characterization of XIST expression in a panel of female cancer cell lines showed that the expression level of XIST correlates significantly with Taxol sensitivity. The clinical relevance of this observation is demonstrated by the strong association between XIST RNA levels and disease-free periods of ovarian cancer patients in a group of 21 ovarian cancer cases with Taxol in the therapeutic regiments. Cytogenetic studies on ovarian cancer cell lines indicated that loss of inactive X chromosome is one mechanism for the loss of XIST transcripts in the cell lines. Our data suggest that XIST expression may be a potential marker for chemotherapeutic responses in ovarian cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The need for sexual health information: perceptions and desires of young adults.

PURPOSE: To ascertain young adults perceptions of previously received sexual health information and describe what types of information they would like to receive. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In individual interviews, 55 young adults were asked questions regarding their perceptions of previously received sexual health information as well as their interests in receiving future information. Content analysis was used to categorize responses and identify categories. RESULTS: The majority of participants remember receiving information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) primarily from classes in middle and high school. Less than half remembered receiving information about contraception or how to prevent STIs. The majority of participants did not feel that (or were uncertain about whether) past information influenced their current sexual practices. Of those who felt past education influenced them in changing sexual practices, an increase in awareness of their risk was the category most often cited. One-third of the participants responded that a culture of abstinence in the US explained why current educational programs failed. When asked to describe an ideal sexual health program, the most common answers were wanting a comfortable, "not scared" person to teach them more "nitty-gritty" information about STIs with "more details," what they could do to protect themselves, "how to get birth control," and "how the reproductive system works." CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Young adults have specific needs and interests when it comes to sexual health information. Research is necessary to see if development of specific interventions requested by young adults would result in higher levels of recall and ability to avoid dangerous sexual practices.

Adolescent↗