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Biomedical subjects

J Bennett

Publications and source records attributed to J Bennett.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

Nicotinic acid as adjuvant therapy in newly admitted schizophrenic patients.

A placebo-controlled, comparative clinical study was conducted to test the hypothesis that nicotinic acid as an adjuvant medication has a beneficial therapeutic effect over and above the effect which can be achieved by the administration of phenothiazine drugs alone, over a six-month period, in newly (recently) admitted schizophrenic patients.The most important single finding was that no statistically significant therapeutic difference was seen between the active treatment and the placebo groups; i.e., the addition of nicotinic acid or nicotinamide to the regular phenothiazine treatment regimen did not have any measurable therapeutic effect in this sample of patients. It was shown that patients in the placebo group received a lower total daily amount of phenothiazine drugs than those on either of the active substances. Furthermore, it was noted that the addition of the active substances did not reduce the number of days of hospitalization.

Adult↗

Urinary steroid pattern in male hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism.

During clinical studies on a 34-year-old man with marked hypogonadism secondary to pituitary gonadotrophin insufficiency, an attempt was made to determine whether the testes were capable of androgen production when stimulated by exogenous chorionic gonadotrophin (A.P.L.).Androgen excretion before and after chorionic gonadotrophin administration was studied. Total and fractionated 17-ketosteroid patterns suggested a severe Leydig cell deficiency which was confirmed by testicular biopsy.Panhypopituitarism was considered excluded by a normal response to metyrapone ditartrate, by a normal serum PBI and a normal radioactive iodine uptake. Genetic disorders were likewise excluded to the extent possible by determining that the chromosome pattern was normal and by determining that no similar condition existed in another member of the same family. The association of anosmia with gonadotrophin insufficiency in this case suggests a primary disorder in the hypothalamo-mamillary-tuber cinereum area.

17-Ketosteroids↗

Strain-dependent anterior segment neovascularization following intravitreal gene transfer of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).

BACKGROUND: A promising strategy for delaying death of photoreceptor cells in retinal degenerative disease is to support survival of these cells through intraocular delivery of growth/neurotrophic factors. One factor that has received great attention is basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF; fgf-2), a known stimulator of angiogenesis. We evaluated the potential for neovascularization induced by adenovirus-mediated intravitreal delivery of bFGF. METHODS: Recombinant adenoviruses carrying the low molecular weight (18 kD) or the high molecular weight (22, 23 and 24 kD) forms of human bFGF, driven by the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter/enhancer, were prepared. Viruses were delivered to eyes of different strains of mice and rats through intravitreal injection. Contralateral eyes were injected with control virus carrying a reporter gene [green fluorescent protein (GFP) or lacZ]. Transgene expression was assessed by Western analysis and by immunohistochemistry. Neovascularization was evaluated in vivo and histologically at termination of the experiment. RESULTS: Adenovirus-mediated delivery of the 18 kD form of bFGF resulted in anterior segment neovascularization in a strain-dependent fashion. Generation of new blood vessels was not observed after injection of the higher molecular weight forms of bFGF or of control solutions. CONCLUSION: The low molecular weight form (18 kD) (but not the high molecular weight forms) of bFGF drives angiogenic response in the anterior segment of specific strains of mice. Genetic modifiers may contribute to and/or prevent neovascularization induced by bFGF.

Adenoviridae↗

Evolution of the infected abdominal aortic aneurysm: CT observation of early aortitis.

Infected aortic aneurysm is an uncommon, life-threatening disease. Early surgical treatment is crucial to survival. An early diagnosis could be made on CT in suspected cases, although CT features of infectious aortitis overlap with retroperitoneal fibrosis, hemorrhage, and lymphadenopathy. We report the case of an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm and describe the additional potentially useful CT finding of early infectious aortitis, which helps localize the abnormality to the aortic wall.

Aneurysm, Infected↗

A comparison of vaccine efficacy and mortality during routine use of high-titre Edmonston-Zagreb and Schwarz standard measles vaccines in rural Senegal.

Vaccine efficacy and mortality in successive cohorts of children who routinely received either Edmonston-Zagreb high-titre (EZ-HT) or Schwarz standard (SW-STD) measles vaccines have been examined in a rural area of Senegal. The 2 vaccines were equally protective against measles infection (vaccination efficacy: EZ-HT 94%; SW-STD 93%). Children who did not attend a scheduled session to receive measles vaccine had a higher mortality rate between 9 months and 2 years of age than did children receiving either EZ-HT (mortality ratio [MR] = 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-3.08) or SW-STD measles vaccine (MR = 1.74, 95% CI 0.95-3.21). Children of either sex vaccinated with EZ-HT had lower mortality than their equivalents who had not received any measles vaccine. There was no difference in overall mortality between recipients of EZ-HT and SW-STD (MR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.70-1.30). Using a Cox regression analysis to adjust for sex, age and significant background factors (season and death of mother), mortality rates tended to be lower for male recipients of EZ-HT than for boys receiving SW-STD (MR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.50-1.11) and higher for girls receiving EZ-HT than for girls receiving SW-STD (MR = 1.30, 95% CI 0.81-2.09) (test of interaction between sex and vaccine, P = 0.067). The tendency to reduced survival benefit for girls following receipt of high-titre measles vaccines substantiated observations from randomized trials in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Haiti. Existing data provide little support for the notion that high-titre vaccine is deleterious but it may not have the same beneficial effects as standard-titre measles vaccine.

Cohort Studies↗

Use of herbal remedies by patients in a health maintenance organization.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of and experiences with herbal remedies among a group of patients enrolled in a health maintenance organization (HMO). DESIGN: Self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: Central Texas city. PARTICIPANTS: 135 HMO patients. INTERVENTION(S): Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Patients' self-reported use of herbal remedies. RESULTS: Almost 40% of patients indicated they had used herbal remedies. The majority had used herbal remedies to treat or prevent a health condition (e.g., common cold). The remedies most frequently used were garlic, aloe gel, cranberry, and echinacea. Most respondents gathered their information on herbal remedies from the popular media, and most based their use decisions primarily on the recommendations of friends and/or relatives. Although most were unsure of the quality of the products, they felt they were safe and somewhat effective, and few had experienced any direct side effects they attributed to the herbal remedies. Most patients used the products without the knowledge of their physician or pharmacist. Herbal remedies were most often used in place of prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications and most frequently purchased in health food stores and mass merchandizer/grocery stores. Herbal remedies were sometimes used along with prescription or OTC medications. CONCLUSION: Given that patients are using herbal remedies for a variety of health conditions without medical supervision, pharmacists need to actively and consistently obtain information about herbal remedy use to effectively advise patients and monitor outcomes. More research is needed on herbal remedy use among patient populations and on outcomes in patients who use herbal remedies to treat primary health conditions.

Adult↗