Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Friedland

Publications and source records attributed to G Friedland.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

A prospective longitudinal study of neuropsychological and psychosocial factors in asymptomatic individuals at risk for HTLV-III/LAV infection in a methadone program: preliminary findings.

To test the hypothesis that cognitive impairment may be present early in the course of HTLV-III/LAV infection, intravenous drug abusers (IDVAs) without overt symptoms of AIDS related illness were tested with standard neuropsychological and psychosocial measures. This study is the baseline for a prospective longitudinal study of the natural history of HTLV-III/LAV infection in this high risk population. Of 211 subjects initially evaluated, 70 (33%) were HTLV-III/LAV seropositive and 141 (67%) were seronegative. At the baseline, by univariate analysis, the seropositive IVDAs were significantly (p less than .05) more impaired than seronegatives on 4 of 8 measures: Finger Tapping--dominant, hand, Digit Span Forward, Trail making A and WAIS-Similarities. However, by multivariate analysis the seropositives were significantly more impaired only on the WAIS-Similarities and Wechsler--Associative Learning tests. Multiple factors such as drug use and psychological stress may have influenced test performance. These preliminary results, however, suggest that seropositive IVDAs may show evidence of impaired neuropsychological function even in the absence of AIDS related symptoms and are consistent with the hypothesis of the early neurotropism of HTLV-III/LAV.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Serologic, immunologic, and clinical features of parenteral drug users from contrasting populations.

We screened inpatient and outpatient parenteral drug users with no clinical evidence of AIDS for immunodeficiency and antibodies to HTLV-III by ELISA. Among 20 outpatient drug users, 5 (25%) were seropositive. Three of these (and 2 who were seronegative) had low T-cell ratios. Over 6 months, 1 seropositive patient with a low ratio developed oral thrush and weight loss. We also studied 13 parenteral drug users hospitalized for conditions other than AIDS. Eight had low T-cell ratios, and at least 6 of these developed AIDS or ARC within 4 months. Serum from 8 of 13 inpatients was available for HTLV-III testing: 6/8 were seropositive and 3 of these 6 were among those developing AIDS or ARC. Abnormal T-cell ratios among all patients were associated with abnormal HTLV-III serology (p = .02). Of the 7 patients who developed AIDS or ARC, 4 were tested for both antibodies and T-cell ratios: all 4 were seropositive and had low ratios. A low ratio (p = .0004), a positive ELISA (p = .014), and abnormalities of both tests (p = .001) were associated with the development of AIDS or ARC. Of the 26 patients without AIDS or ARC, 3 were lost to follow-up and 23 did not develop AIDS or ARC. Six of these 26 had abnormal ratios. Of the 21 patients who did not develop AIDS or ARC and who were tested for HTLV antibodies, 2 were lost to follow-up. Seven of 21 were seropositive and 2/21 were both seropositive and had a low ratio. One of these 2 seropositive patients with low ratios also had lymphadenopathy, but he was lost to follow-up. The other had no adenopathy and remained well until her death from trauma a year later. This study found two populations with very different risks. Six of 13 hospitalized parenteral drug users and only 1 of 20 healthy outpatients developed AIDS or ARC.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Fear of AIDS.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

An outbreak of type 4b Listeria monocytogenes infection involving patients from eight Boston hospitals.

During September and October 1979, 23 patients admitted to hospitals in the Boston area had systemic Listeria monocytogenes infection. Twenty (87%) of these isolates were L monocytogenes type 4b, whereas only nine (33%) of the isolates serotyped during the preceding 26 months had been 4b. Patients with type 4b Listeria infection during the epidemic period (case patients) differed from patients with sporadic Listeria infection in the preceding two years in that more of the case patients had hospital-acquired infection (15/20 vs 4/18), had received antacids or cimetidine before the onset of listeriosis (12/20 vs 3/18), and had gastrointestinal tract symptoms that began at the same time as fever (17/20 vs 4/18). In addition, more case patients took antacids or cimetidine compared with patients matched for age, sex, and date of hospitalization (12/20 vs 10/40). Three foods were preferred by case patients more frequently than by control patients: tuna fish, chicken salad, and cheese. However, the only common feature appeared to be the serving of these foods with raw celery, tomatoes, and lettuce. The raw vegetables may have been contaminated with Listeria, which was able to survive ingestion because of gastric acid neutralization and subsequently to cause enteritis, bacteremia, and meningitis in susceptible hosts. However, we cannot exclude pasteurized milk as a source of this outbreak.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Nosocomial endocarditis.

We analyzed 14 cases of nosocomial infective endocarditis which occurred over a seven-year period at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and compared them with 90 cases of community-acquired endocarditis. Patients with nosocomial endocarditis were older, more often female, and had a greater incidence of underlying valvular heart disease and bacteremia precipitating invasive procedures (93% v 50%, p less than .05). Forty-three percent of patients had infection at the site of prosthetic valves or intracardiac prosthetic material. The disease carried a significantly higher mortality than community-acquired endocarditis (43% v 11%, p less than .01). The clinical presentation was acute and the infecting organisms reflected the site of origin of bacteremia, with staphylococci from skin and enterococci from urinary sources. Half of the cases in this series may have been prevented by the application of currently recommended preventive and therapeutic practices. Nosocomial endocarditis occurs in a definable sub-population of hospitalized patients and is potentially preventable.

Catheters, Indwelling↗
PubMed1981

Infective endocarditis: an analysis based on strict case definitions.

Strict case definitions were applied to 123 clinically diagnosed cases of infective endocarditis. Cases were categorized as definite (19), probable (44), or possible (41) endocarditis or were rejected (19). Compared to other published studies, our patients had an advanced mean age (57), high incidence of underlying valvular disease (66%), short mean duration of symptoms (27 days), and 15% mortality, the lowest reported for a large series. Most cases were caused by viridans streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus, or enterococci; Enterobacteriacae were absent, and negative cultures infrequent (5%). Subgroups included nosocomial endocarditis (13%), usually with underlying valvular disease and invasive procedures; prosthesis endocarditis (12%); and cases requiring cardiac surgery (18%). Deaths were caused by heart failure, neurologic events, or superinfection. Strict definitions are useful in managing suspect cases, and are essential in comparing clinical studies. Early recognition and treatment should be the focus of efforts to reduce mortality from endocarditis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Strategies for diagnosing vaginitis.

Detailed history, physical examination, laboratory, and follow-up data were obtained from 821 patients presenting to a primary care clinic over an 18-month period with the symptoms of vaginal infection or urinary tract infection (UTI). Information useful in deciding when to perform a vaginal examination, when to obtain various types of cultures, and when to perform microscopic examination of a saline suspension or Gram stain is presented. Of particular interest were the findings that patients with dysuria more commonly have vaginitis than UTI, the superiority of a saline examination to other means of diagnosing yeast vaginitis, and the rarity of a positive trichomonas preparation when the vaginal discharge had a curd-like appearance.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1979

Antibiotic usage in Kupat Holim (Sick Fund) clinics. A pilot survey and evaluation.

A survey of antibiotic prescribing patterns of six physicians in two Sick Fund clinics was carried out during a one-month period. Over 1,200 antibiotic prescriptions and their therapeutic indications were reviewed. Ampicillin was the most commonly prescribed drug. Most of the prescriptions were for treatment of infections of the upper respiratory tract. Over one half of all antibiotic prescriptions were for presumably viral upper respiratory infections (URI), and half of all patients diagnosed as having viral URI received an antibiotic prescription. A method for measuring the quality of antibiotic usage by physicians in infections of the upper respiratory tract was developed and tested. The method is readily applicable to Sick Fund clinics and, in a trial run, proved capable of demonstrating large differences among physicians in their antibiotic prescribing habits for viral URI, tonsillitis, and otitis media.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMed1978

Management strategies for urinary and vaginal infections.

Detailed history, physical examination, laboratory and follow-up data were obtained from 821 women coming to a primary care clinic over a two-year period with the symptoms of urinary tract (UTI) or vaginal infection. Using all available information, each patient retrospectively was given one of several mutually exclusive diagnoses. Vaginitis without UTI was diagnosed in 70% of patients, UTI without vaginitis in 12%, UTI and vaginitis in 2%. The conditional probability of the several possible diagnoses was calculated, given various combinations of clinical data; a diagnosis of vaginitis was twice as likely as a diagnosis of UTI in a patient with dysuria. On the basis of these calculations we identified efficient clinical strategies for when to perform a pelvic examination, a urinalysis, and a urine culture, and when to diagnose UTI presumptively on the basis of urinalysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Infectiousness of laryngeal tuberculosis.

Two patients with laryngeal tuberculosis in the absence of extensive pulmonary tuberculosis are presented. In both, tuberculin testing of household members failed to show infectiousness of their disease. This contradicts the commonly held view that laryngeal tuberculosis is invariably highly infectious. The extent and activity of pulmonary disease probably determines the infectiousness of patients with laryngeal tuberculosis rather than the laryngeal lesion per se.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Protocol management of dysuria, urinary frequency, and vaginal discharge.

A proctocol to be administered by nurses for the management of dysuria, frequent urination, and vaginal discharge was validated. In a randomized, controlled trial, 146 women were seen by both nurse and physician and then assigned to either the nurse-proctocol treatment plan or the physician treatment plan. The clinical data collected by the nurse showed no important differences from the physicians' data. The protocol recommended that 89 percent of the patients be sent home without seeing the physician. The physicians agreed with the protocol-recommended disposition in all but two cases. All patients with complications were appropriately referred to the physician. In follow-up, more than 95 percent of both groups reported symptomatic improvement, and repeat urine cultures were negative. We conclude that the protocol can be accurately administered, makes sound recommendations, is safe, and efficiently saves physician time.

Adolescent↗