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Biomedical subjects

J Scanlon

Publications and source records attributed to J Scanlon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Parental reporting of smelly urine and urinary tract infection.

BACKGROUND: Parents often report that young children have "smelly urine" or a particular urinary odour. There is little evidence that these observations are relevant to the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI). AIMS: To determine whether parental reporting of smelly urine is of any relevance to the diagnosis of UTI in children less than 6 years of age. METHODS: Parents whose children were having urine collected as part of their admission to a large district hospital were given a simple questionnaire to complete regarding the current smell of their child's urine. Parents were asked whether their child's urine smelled different from usual or had a particular smell. Microscopy and culture results of the child's urine were compared to their parent's questionnaire answers to see if there was a association between parental reporting of a different or particular urine smell and a diagnosis of UTI. RESULTS: One hundred and ten questionnaires and urine samples were obtained. Fifty two per cent of parents thought that their child's urine smelled different from usual or had a particular smell. Only 6.4% of children were diagnosed as having a UTI. There was no statistically significant association between parental reporting of abnormal urine smell and diagnosis of UTI. CONCLUSION: In determining whether a young child has a UTI, asking parents about urine smell is unlikely to be of benefit.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2001

Selection criteria among gastroenterologists and surgeons for laparoscopic antireflux surgery.

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects a substantial proportion of the American population. The diagnosis and treatment of GERD has advanced tremendously over the past 30 years. However, there remains a lack of understanding about the differences and advantages that laparoscopic antireflux surgery offers and a lack of agreement on the ideal surgical candidate. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a significant difference exists in the practice habits and selection criteria for surgery between gastroenterologists and laparoscopic surgeons. METHODS: Surveys were sent to 1,000 randomly selected members of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and to 1,000 randomly selected members of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). As a result, 20% of the AGA surveys and 33% of the SAGES surveys were completed and returned. RESULTS: The AGA group considered patients whose symptoms are not well controlled, those who have complications of disease, and those who require significant lifestyle changes to control their symptoms as the best candidates for surgical evaluation. As a group, gastroenterologists remain somewhat hesitant to refer patients for laparoscopic antireflux surgery. Surgeons considered patients whose symptoms have been well controlled with medical therapy, those who have complications of disease, and those who require significant lifestyle changes to control their symptoms as ideal candidates for fundoplication. CONCLUSION: A consensus should be reached between surgeons and gastroenterologists in establishing criteria for surgical intervention to manage GERD.

Gastroenterology↗
PubMed2001

Increasingly intolerable boundaries: future control of environmental pollution.

In recent years, there have been a number of toxic accidents on the sea and on land which have caused pollution down current, down wind and down stream. Four were dramatic and these four have led to substantial changes in the way we deal with risk to the environment. There have also been increasing concerns about a less spectacular but equally concerning problem, acid rain, though attempts to deal with this problem have been less successful. Perhaps the drama was lacking. In all these cases, unfortunately, the less developed countries can ill afford the costs of prevention and this means they are often the home of environmentally unfriendly development. While the current approaches to such problems will continue, it is likely that the countries on the receiving end of such pollution, especially if they have economic and military power, will seek more forceful solutions. One outcome may be a UN-sponsored environmental police force.

Disaster Planning↗
PubMed1999

Relationship of the dimension of cardiac structures to body size: an echocardiographic study in normal infants and children.

Normalization of the dimensions of cardiac structures to the size of the body, using so-called Z scores, is becoming increasingly common in the management of infants and children with congenital heart disease. Current published nomograms for the ascertainment of Z scores for cardiac structures in childhood are based largely on normal data obtained in formalin-fixed hearts. Since decisions concerning management are frequently based on the findings of cross-sectional echocardiograms, the dimensions of 15 cardiac structures were measured using cross-sectional echocardiography in 125 normal infants and children. Regression equations were derived relating cardiac dimensions to the size of the body. The expression of size with the highest correlation to cardiac dimensions was body surface area. Nomograms were then developed from which the Z score of a cardiac structure could be estimated from a knowledge of the body surface area and the echocardiographically derived measurement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Pseudomeningocele/CSF fistula in a patient with lumbar spinal implants treated with epidural blood patch and a brief course of closed subarachnoid drainage. A case report.

STUDY DESIGN: This case report illustrates the development of a cerebrospinal fluid fistula and pseudomeningocele in a patient after lumbar discectomy and fusion with instrumentation. OBJECTIVE: The patient is treated successfully with a combined treatment protocol of epidural blood patch and brief course of spinal drainage. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Many surgeons advocate a trial of cerebrospinal fluid diversion for postoperative cerebrospinal fluid fistula. This treatment may be problematic in patients with spinal implants because a trial of cerebrospinal fluid diversion may not obliterate the extradural anatomic dead space that is created by instrumentation procedures and increases the rist of infection. A few case reports indicate that epidural blood patch also may be an effective management technique. A combined treatment protocol that may offer some advantages to either treatment alone is described METHODS: The patient was brought to the radiology department, and a lumbar spinal drain was placed at the L2-L3 interspace under fluoroscopic guidance with the patient in the prone position. A Tuohy needle was inserted into the pseudomeningocele, and the collection was drained. Thirty milliters of blood drawn from an antecubital vein was injected into the epidural space over the laminectomy site. Spinal drainage was continued for 4 days. RESULTS: The treatment protocol resulted in resolution of cerebrospinal fluid leakage in the patient. This result was confirmed by myelogram. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pseudomeningocele and cerebrospinal fluid fistula in patients with spinal instrumentation can be treated successfully with epidural blood patch and a brief course (4 days) of spinal drainage. This combined treatment protocol may have some advantages to treatment with 7 days of cerebrospinal fluid diversion or to percutaneous epidural blood patch alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Serum concentrations of gentamicin following oral administration to preterm newborns.

Serum gentamicin concentration was measured in 31 newborn babies who received oral gentamicin for prophylaxis of necrotizing enterocolitis in order to determine the presence and degree of gastrointestinal absorption and its relationship to birth weight, gestational age, postnatal age and perinatal asphyxia. A dose of 2.5 mg/kg every 6 h by nasogastric tube was administered during a 3-week course after birth. The mean birth weight was 1,269 +/- 489 g; mean gestational age 29.6 +/- 3.7 weeks. The mean serum gentamicin levels were: 0.06 +/- 0.03 microgram/ml at 30 min after the first dose; 0.29 +/- 0.48 microgram/ml at 4 h; 1.62 +/- 1.43 microgram/ml at 24 h, and 0.33 +/- 0.57 microgram/ml at 7 days. The 24-hour and 7-day samples were taken before the next dose. The mean 24-hour level was significantly (p less than 0.001) higher than the other levels. There was no significant (p less than 0.05) relationship between the 24-hour serum gentamicin level and birth weight, gestational age or umbilical venous pH.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1977

Practical issues in developing and operating a halfway house program.

During its six years of operation, the halfway house program of the Southern Arizona Mental Health Center has developed a well-defined set of program goals, referral procedures, staffing patterns, and procedures for operating the houses, many of which are described here. The program serves 25 residents in four adjacent houses. It is operated as a therapeutic community with a broad range of structured activities and treatment modalities and an emphasis on solving reality problems. The staff of director, therapist-counselors, residential (or nighttime) counselors, and volunteer counselors is supplemented by the services of consultants, the mental health center, and community agencies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Regional obstetric anesthesia and newborn behavior: effect over the first ten days of life.

This study examined the effects of carefully controlled amounts of analgesic premedications and anesthetics administered to mothers during delivery on the behavior of the newborn over the first ten days of life. The subjects were selected to minimize the synergistic effects of medication and other stress factors, such as abnormalities of pregnancy, labor, or delivery. The effects of these drugs on the behavior of these infants was small. The data provide a picture of the behavioral recovery of a group of minimally stressed newborns.

Adult↗