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Biomedical subjects

K Farrell

Publications and source records attributed to K Farrell.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Problems in the control of hypertension in the community.

A hypertension survey was conducted in Montreal to determine the extent, nature and distribution of the control of hypertension. Of the 12 055 persons screened in shopping centres, workplaces and a random sample of homes in four census tracts the hypertension was not controlled in 69.0% to 80.3% of those with the condition in each setting. Nearly two thirds of those with hypertension were aware of their condition, 13% were aware but had never been treated, 13% were receiving treatment inadequate to control their hypertension, and 11% had discontinued treatment, most reporting that they had done so on the advice of their physician. Among those screened in their home, discontinuance of therapy was most often reported by those with a low income, but lack of awareness of their condition was no more prevalent in this group than in the other income groups. Efforts to control hypertension should be directed to the variety of causes of lack of control, which may occur with various frequencies in different communities, and for which screening alone may be inadequate.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Sepik granuloma.

An unusual infection occuring in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea is reported. The patients come from villages on the Sepik River or its tributaries. The lesions consist of cutaneous nodules and papillomas which are slowly progressive. An unidentified organism, apparently a gram positive bacillus, is seen in large numbers in the lesions; a natural habitat in soil or water or on vegetation seems likely.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A review of 12 commonly used medicinal herbs.

A large and increasing number of patients use medicinal herbs or seek the advice of their physician regarding their use. More than one third of Americans use herbs for health purposes, yet patients (and physicians) often lack accurate information about the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies. Burgeoning interest in medicinal herbs has increased scientific scrutiny of their therapeutic potential and safety, thereby providing physicians with data to help patients make wise decisions about their use. This article provides a review of the data on 12 of the most commonly used herbs in the United States. In addition, we provide practical information and guidelines for the judicious use of medicinal herbs.

Chamomile↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dominant recurrent ataxia and vertigo of childhood.

Four families are described with an autosomal dominant illness characterized by the childhood onset of recurrent attacks of prolonged ataxia, server vertigo, and vomiting. The attacks often begin in infancy. On the average, attacks occur monthly, and last between one hour to more than a week. Variations in severity occur within families. During an attack, consciousness is unaltered, but severe vertigo makes walking impossible and vomiting is frequent and severe. An attack is marked by horizontal and vertical jerk nystagmus, accompanied by vertigo which is sometimes worsened by position; however, there is no muscular weakness. During an attack, blood gases, ammonia, and amino acid studies are normal. Between attacks patients manifest combinations of slight horizontal or vertical jerk nystagmus or mild clumsiness. Cochlear and labyrinthine studies and neurologic investigations were noncontributory. Conventional therapies for vertigo, epilepsy, and migraine were ineffective, but acetazolamide (250-500 mg/day) stopped the attacks.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Open study of clobazam in refractory epilepsy.

Clobazam is a 1,5-benzodiazepine reported to have a wide spectrum of antiepileptic activity and is associated with less neurotoxicity than the 1,4-benzodiazepines, nitrazepam and clonazepam. The effect of clobazam on seizure control and neurologic behavior was examined prospectively in 115 children (average age: 8.4 years) with intractable seizures. Eighteen children (16%) became seizure free and a further 35 (31%) demonstrated a greater than 90% decrease in seizure frequency. Tolerance to the antiepileptic effect of clobazam was observed in 30 of 79 children (38%) who demonstrated an initial improvement in seizure control. Complete tolerance was observed in 9 patients, partial tolerance in 9, and partial tolerance that responded to an increased dose of clobazam in 12. Seventy-two percent of patients reported improvement and 26% worsening in at least one parameter of neurologic function after beginning clobazam. The improvement in neurologic function correlated poorly with change in seizure control. Patients who discontinued 1,4-benzodiazepine (n = 37) had a greater improvement in attention span, alertness, balance, drooling, and mood compared to the remainder of the group. These data suggest that clobazam is effective in the treatment of children with a wide range of epilepsies and seizure types and support the clinical impression that clobazam is associated with less neurotoxicity than the 1,4-benzodiazepines.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reye syndrome associated with subclinical varicella zoster virus and influenza A infection.

An association is reported between Reye syndrome and varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in a 10-year-old boy who had serologic evidence of coinfection with VZV and influenza A H3N2, and exposure to salicylates. He developed VZV reinfection without skin lesions after family exposure and influenza A was community-acquired. Recent chickenpox contact should initiate VZV serologic studies in Reye syndrome patients, regardless of the chickenpox history or evidence of infection with other viruses.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preliminary experience with cultured epidermal autograft in a community hospital burn unit.

Initial experience with cultured epidermal autograft (CEA) in a community hospital burn unit is described. Five applications of CEA to three patients (mean burn size, 59% total body surface area) were made. Final graft "take" of CEA ranged from 10% to 80%. Healed CEA is cosmetically superior to meshed autograft and appears to form less hypertrophic scar tissue. CEA is more sensitive to infection than meshed autograft. A review of the literature concerning topical antibiotic use with CEA is included. This experience with CEA demonstrates that large burns can be successfully managed with this modality in a community hospital burn unit setting.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Outpatient video-EEG monitoring in children.

Video-EEG monitoring enables correlation of behavioral activity with EEG activity, which is useful in recognition of pseudoepileptic seizures and in investigation of patients for epilepsy surgery. Because most patients are monitored for a prolonged time as in-patients, the cost of the procedure is high. We investigated the value of brief (2-3 h) outpatient video-EEG monitoring in 43 children with frequent seizures, most of whom had symptomatic generalized epilepsy. Indications for monitoring included differentiation of epileptic from nonepileptic behavior, seizure classification, and determination of seizure frequency. Clinical episodes were recorded in 36 of 43 children (83%). A definite diagnosis was established in 9 of the 17 patients investigated to determine the nature of the clinical behavior. Seizures were classified in 15 of the 25 patients investigated to determine seizure type, and classification was different from the original in 9 of the 15 children. A change in epilepsy syndrome classification was made in 9 children. The video-EEG allowed diagnosis in 25 of the 43 children (59.5%). Video-EEG appears to be an effective method for outpatient investigation of children with frequent seizures, particularly those with symptomatic generalized epilepsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bird fanciers' lung: a case report.

The clinical course of a case of bird fanciers' lung is described along with the considerations that are important in the management of this form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Diagnostic parameters, therapeutic considerations, and environmental issues are discussed in the context of the current literature.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗