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Biomedical subjects

J H Silverstein

Publications and source records attributed to J H Silverstein.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Long-term glycemic control influences the onset of limited joint mobility in type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Limited joint mobility (LJM) in childhood insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes is associated with a substantially increased risk of microvascular complications. Cross-sectional studies have not demonstrated a relationship between LJM and metabolic control. This study was designed to determine whether glycemic control, as measured by glycohemoglobin (hgbA1C) levels from the onset of diabetes, is associated with the occurrence of LJM. METHOD: Probands (n = 18) had hgbA1C values and recorded observation of joint function from soon after onset of their diabetes. Controls (n = 40) were matched to probands for gender and age at diagnosis and had follow-up beyond the age at which the proband was found to have LJM. RESULTS: The odds ratio for occurrence of LJM for the mean hgbA1C from diabetes onset was 1.46, 95% confidence limits 1.07 to 2.00. Thus, for every unit increase in average hgbA1C, there was approximately a 46% increase in the risk of LJM. When hgbA1C was dichotomized, the OR for hgbA1C of more than 8% was 2.55, and the OR was 4.54 if the hgbA1C was greater than 12%. Age at diagnosis and duration of diabetes were not independent prognostic factors for LJM. CONCLUSION: Glycemic control from onset of diabetes is strongly associated with occurrence of LJM.

Case-Control Studies↗

Diagnosis and treatment of an adolescent with comorbid type 1 diabetes mellitus and anorexia nervosa.

The authors describe the successful treatment of a 17-year-old female with comorbid type 1 diabetes mellitus and anorexia nervosa within the context of a residential program in a tertiary care facility. Assessment and treatment of the complex combinations of the psychological and medical symptoms involved in this patient required the interaction of medical, psychological, and nutritional services. Diagnostic and treatment challenges are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Offering a randomized trial of intensive therapy for IDDM to adolescents. Reasons for refusal, patient characteristics, and recruiter effects.

OBJECTIVE: To identify reasons adolescents refuse to participate in a randomized trial of intensive therapy (IT) for IDDM, to describe the patient characteristics of those who consent and those who refuse to participate, and to examine recruiter effects on trial participation rates. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 99 adolescents, age 11-18 years, were provided with the results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and approached for possible study participation by two nurse recruiters. Adolescents refusing the trial were administered a semi-structured interview to describe reasons for study refusal; responses were recorded and later coded into categories. Patient characteristics of consenters and refusers were collected and compared. The differential enrollment rates of the two nurse recruiters were also compared. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients (approximately 57%) agreed to participate; 43 refused. The four most common reasons for study refusal were 1) increased clinic visits (42%), 2) increased insulin injections (30%), 3) increased frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) (28%), and 4) transportation difficulties (19%). Concerns about randomization to an unwanted treatment condition and fears of hypoglycemia or weight gain were rarely cited. Consenters and refusers did not differ in demographic characteristics, disease status, or family composition. Large differences were found between the two nurse recruiters: one experienced a 60% refusal rate, while the other experienced a 27% refusal rate. CONCLUSIONS: Issues of convenience (increased clinic visits, transportation difficulties) and concerns about the demands of IT (increased injections and SMBG) were the predominant reasons for trial refusal. Patient characteristics did not differentiate consenters from refusers. However, recruiters differed greatly in study refusal rates, suggesting that provider behavior may be an important but understudied aspect of adolescent acceptance of randomized trials in general and IT in particular.

Adolescent↗

Connective tissue and joint disease in diabetes mellitus.

Connective tissue is ubiquitous and subject to alterations that result in changes in the extracellular matrix of vessels and tissues leading to the long-term complications of diabetes. This article reviews only those abnormalities of interstitial connective tissue involving skeleton, joints, skin, and periarticular tissues. Abnormalities in the skin and periarticular tissues result in syndromes limiting joint movement, including limited joint mobility, Dupuytren disease, flexor tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, stiff-hand syndrome, and shoulder-hand reflex dystrophy. Of these, only limited joint mobility and stiff-hand syndrome occur exclusively in patients with diabetes. In all of these conditions, advanced glycation end products are thought to form as a result of nonenzymatic reaction of glucose with proteins, causing stiffening.

Adult↗

Accuracy of injection site identification among children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus: a comparison of traditional and new visual aids.

Children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) typically self-inject insulin twice daily. Injection sites must be rotated with each insulin administration to avoid lipohypertrophy. Lipohypertrophy results in erratic insulin release and threatens metabolic stability. To aid rotation, children are usually provided with a picture of a human figure with injection sites identified within a grid. Children often have difficulty using the charts or lack the skills necessary to identify injection sites. An alternative three-dimensional visual aid, a pair of "injection bears", simplifies injection site identification. Fifty-eight 6- to 11-year-old children with IDDM identified 10 injection sites using both the injection chart and the injection bears. Accuracy of injection site identification was compared on five subcomponents. Forty-four percent of informants recalled that their doctors recommended using injection charts. Of those recalling the recommendation, 81% never or rarely used charts at home. Thirty-nine percent of the informants reported a history of lipohypertrophy. Matched sample t-tests demonstrated that children committed significantly fewer identification errors on all subcomponents (P < or = .05) when using the injection bears. Chi square analyses indicated a significant preference (P < or = .05) for the injection bears, which may be a useful tool for insulin injection rotation with younger children.

Age Factors↗

Postoperative intravenous infusion of alprostadil (PGE1) does not improve renal function in hepatic transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Acute renal failure is a frequent complication following orthotopic hepatic transplantation. A reduction in the synthesis of intrarenal vasodilator prostaglandins has been proposed as having an important role in the pathogenesis of renal insufficiency associated with hepatic dysfunction, as well as in the nephrotoxicity associated with cyclosporine and FK506 immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, administration of vasodilator prostaglandins may improve renal function following hepatic transplantation. This study was designed to determine the effect of continuous intravenous alprostadil (prostaglandin E1) on postoperative renal function in hepatic transplant patients. STUDY DESIGN: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 21 patients who had undergone orthotopic hepatic transplantation and had a measured postoperative glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of less that 50 mL/minute received intravenous alprostadil at 0.6 microgram/kg/hour or placebo for five days. Glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) were measured by a single-injection clearance method using a radionuclide agent in 53 patients within 12 hours after admission to our surgical intensive care unit. Usual postoperative care was not modified. Radionuclide GFR and ERPF measurements were repeated on postoperative day 3. Serum creatinine was measured preoperatively and postoperatively on day 3 and on day 5. A 24-hour serum creatinine clearance was measured on days 1, 5, and 14. Urine output was recorded hourly during the infusion period. RESULTS: Ten patients received alprostadil, and 11 patients received placebo. There was a significant increase in GFR and ERPF in both groups on post-operative day 3 as compared with baseline values. There was no difference in GFR and ERPF between the two groups on day 3 (48 +/- 18 and 246 +/- 68 mL/minute in the alprostadil group compared with 53 +/- 17 and 270 +/- 131 mL/minute in the placebo group). Serum creatinine levels increased on day 3 in both groups but returned to baseline by day 5. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a reversible decrease in GFR is common on hepatic transplant patients during the postoperative period. Administration of a continuous intravenous infusion of alprostadil in the immediate postoperative period had no effect on renal function when compared with placebo.

Adult↗

Camping with a friend. Helping adolescents cope with diabetes.

The Florida Camp for Children and Youth With Diabetes sponsored a weekend in which teenagers with diabetes invited a friend of the same sex without diabetes to participate in a two-day retreat. This program was designed to encourage friends to take an active role in motivating the teen with diabetes to perform his or her diabetes-related tasks in a responsible manner. Forty-six patients ranging in age from 12-17 years brought friends. Those with diabetes participated in rap sessions as well as educational sessions attempting to teach independence in self-care. The friends were taught the basics of diabetes as well as given an opportunity to inject saline and monitor their own blood glucose levels. A choice of activities was interspersed with education.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Assessment of critical care nurses' knowledge of the pulmonary artery catheter. The Pulmonary Artery Catheter Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge and understanding of the use of the pulmonary artery catheter and interpretation of data derived from it in a group of nurses attending the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute conference. DESIGN: A 37-question multiple choice examination that tested knowledge regarding the use of the pulmonary artery catheter was administered to a group of nurses, attending a national conference, who preregistered for a hemodynamics workshop. SETTING: American Association of Critical Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute Conference, New Orleans, LA, May 1992. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Two-hundred sixteen nurses completed the questionnaire. The mean test score was 16.5 +/- 5.7 (SD) (48.5%). Test scores were significantly associated with years of experience in critical care, critical care registered nurse certification, responsibility for repositioning and manipulating the catheter, frequency of use, and self-assessed adequacy of knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: A wide variation in the understanding of the use of the pulmonary artery catheter exists among nurses using this device in the care of seriously ill patients. The results indicate that current teaching practices regarding the pulmonary artery catheter need to be reevaluated and specific credentialing policies need to be considered.

Catheterization, Peripheral↗

Continuous intravenous cimetidine decreases stress-related upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage without promoting pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a continuous i.v. infusion of cimetidine, a histamine-2 (H2) receptor antagonist, is needed to prevent upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage when compared with placebo and if that usage is associated with an increased risk of nosocomial pneumonia. Due to the importance of this latter issue, data were collected to examine the occurrence rate of nosocomial pneumonia under the conditions of this study. DESIGN: A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive cimetidine (n = 65) as an iv infusion of 50 to 100 mg/hr or placebo (n = 66). SETTING: Intensive care units in 20 institutions. PATIENTS: Critically ill patients (n = 131), all of whom had at least one acute stress condition that previously had been associated with the development of upper GI hemorrhage. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Samples of gastric fluid from nasogastric aspirates were collected every 2 hrs for measurement of pH and were examined for the presence of blood. Upper GI hemorrhage was defined as bright red blood or persistent (continuing for > 8 hrs) "coffee ground material" in the nasogastric aspirate. Baseline chest radiographs were performed and sputum specimens were collected from all patients, and those patients without clear signs of pneumonia (positive chest radiograph, positive cough, fever) at baseline were followed prospectively for the development of pneumonia while receiving the study medication. Cimetidine-infused patients experienced significantly (p = .009) less upper GI hemorrhage than placebo-infused patients: nine (14%) of 65 cimetidine vs. 22 (33%) of 66 placebo patients. Cimetidine patients demonstrated significantly (p = .0001) higher mean intragastric pH (5.7 vs. 3.9), and had intragastric pH values at > 4.0 for a significantly (p = .0001) higher mean percentage of time (82% vs. 41%) than placebo patients. Differences in pH variables were not found between patients who had upper GI hemorrhage and those patients who did not, although there was no patient in the cimetidine group who bled with a pH < 3.5 compared with 11 such patients in the placebo group. Also, the upper GI hemorrhage rate in patients with one risk factor (23%) was similar to that rate in patients with two or more risk factors (25%). Of the 56 cimetidine-infused patients and 61 placebo-infused patients who did not have pneumonia at baseline, no cimetidine-infused patient developed pneumonia while four (7%) placebo-infused patients developed pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: The continuous i.v. infusion of cimetidine was highly effective in controlling intragastric pH and in preventing stress-related upper GI hemorrhage in critically ill patients without increasing their risk of developing nosocomial pneumonia. While the number of risk factors and intragastric pH may have pathogenic importance in the development of upper GI hemorrhage, neither the risk factors nor the intragastric pH was predictive. Therefore, short-term administration of continuously infused cimetidine offers benefits in patients who have sustained major surgery, trauma, burns, hypotension, sepsis, or single organ failure.

Adolescent↗

Insulin and islet cell autoantibodies as time-dependent covariates in the development of insulin-dependent diabetes: a prospective study in relatives.

Using time-dependent methods, the temporal relationships between the detection of insulin and islet cell autoantibodies and the onset of insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) were analyzed in a prospective study of 4694 nondiabetic relatives of 1929 patients with IDDM who had been followed for a median of 4 yr. Insulin autoantibodies were detected in 1.5% of relatives at their initial test whereas an additional 1.0% subsequently became positive for these antibodies during follow-up. Islet cell autoantibodies were detected in 2.6% of the relatives at the time of their first test and an additional 0.9% were observed to develop them during the follow-up period. The risk of developing IDDM was significantly higher (P = 0.0001) among those who were found to have one of these antibodies, but was highest among those under the age of 20 yr at inception of this study who tested positive for both. Among older relatives, the detection of insulin autoantibodies among those who were islet cell antibody positive did not convey an additional risk of IDDM. In a subset of relatives, the presence of either antibody was associated with a higher frequency (P < 0.001) of diabetes associated human leukocyte antigen-DR 3/4 heterozygotes. Islet cell autoantibodies were highly associated with elevated fasting and 60-min glucose concentrations (P = 0.0001) as well as decreased early phase (1 and 3 min) insulin response to an iv glucose tolerance test (P = 0.0001). Insulin antibodies were significantly associated with decreased early phase insulin response to iv glucose (P = 0.0003). These data confirm independent risks associated with each antibody and suggest that their temporal relationship may be an important reflection of the pathogenic process underlying IDDM observations which facilitate its predictability.

Adolescent↗

An analysis of the duration of fentanyl and its metabolites in urine and saliva.

This study was undertaken to determine if metabolites of fentanyl might be useful in the detection and monitoring of substance abuse. The presence of fentanyl and two of its metabolites in the urine and saliva of seven female patients receiving small doses (110 +/- 56 micrograms) of fentanyl was studied up to 96 h from the time of administration. Fentanyl and its two metabolites (norfentanyl and despropionylfentanyl) were extracted from samples and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Unchanged fentanyl was detectable in urine in all patients immediately postoperatively and in 3 of 7 patients at 24 h. By 72 h, fentanyl was undetectable. Norfentanyl was present in larger quantities than fentanyl immediately postoperatively and was detected in all patients at 48 h and in 4 of 7 patients at 96 h. Despropionylfentanyl was not detected in any of the urine specimens tested. Neither fentanyl nor its metabolites could be detected consistently at any time in saliva. Saliva testing does not appear to be a viable alternative to urine testing based on this study. Urinary norfentanyl might be considered as the substance of choice when testing for fentanyl abuse.

Adult↗

A longitudinal analysis of adherence and health status in childhood diabetes.

Applied structural equation modeling to a longitudinal data set of 193 youngsters with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus assessed on two occasions, an average of 1.65 years apart. Six adherence constructs, Injection, Exercise, Diet Type, Testing-Eating Frequency, Calories Consumed, and Concentrated Sweets, were quantified from 24-hr recall interviews conducted with mother and child. Glycemic control was indexed by glycosylated hemoglobin (HA1C); lipid metabolism was indexed by fasting triglyceride levels (TRIG). The relationship of each adherence construct to metabolic control was tested separately. Patient age and disease duration served as exogenous variables in all models. Testing-Eating Frequency was associated with HA1C and Injection was associated with TRIG; in both cases better adherence was associated with better metabolic control. However, the standardized regression weights and variance accounted for were small. Patient age was a predictor of both adherence and metabolic control; older youngsters were less adherent and were in worse metabolic control. Inspection of models for younger versus older children suggested that age-homogeneous models improved prediction, but adherence and metabolic control linkages remained weak. Suggestions for refining the model are provided.

Blood Glucose↗

Anesthesia: what the internist needs to know.

We have attempted to acquaint the internist with some aspects of anesthesiology that need to be kept in mind when performing perioperative consultation. Communication among and between the entire operative team will reduce risk and untoward reactions and will enhance the likelihood of successful outcome and rapid recovery.

Anesthesia↗

A multicenter study of physicians' knowledge of the pulmonary artery catheter. Pulmonary Artery Catheter Study Group.

We administered a 31-question multiple-choice examination to 496 physicians practicing in 13 medical facilities in the United States and Canada to assess their knowledge and understanding of the use of the pulmonary artery catheter and interpretation of data derived from it. The mean test score was 20.7 (67% correct), with an SD of 5.4 and a range of 6 to 31 (19% to 100%). Mean scores varied independently by training, frequency of use of pulmonary artery catheter data in patient treatment, frequency of inserting a pulmonary artery catheter, and whether the respondent's hospital was a primary medical school affiliate. Given the variability in physician understanding of the pulmonary artery catheter, we believe that credentialing policies should be reevaluated and that consideration should be given to restricting its use to individuals with documented competency.

Canada↗