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Biomedical subjects

L S Friedman

Publications and source records attributed to L S Friedman.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Listeria monocytogenes peritonitis: case report and literature review.

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacillus that is pathogenic in both the normal and compromised host. We describe Listeria peritonitis and cerebritis in a patient with cirrhosis due to non-A, non-B hepatitis, and review the 11 other cases of Listeria peritonitis reported in the English-language literature. Listeria is a rare cause of peritonitis in debilitated, older patients, with two-thirds of the cases occurring in patients with chronic liver disease. Listeria peritonitis may also occur in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis, or in those with malignancy. Peritonitis due to Listeria is clinically similar to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and is associated with fever, variable abdominal pain, and neutrocytic ascites; bacteremia commonly accompanies Listeria peritonitis. This syndrome can be successfully treated with antimicrobial drugs, although the third-generation cephalosporins commonly used in the therapy of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis are not recommended. Ampicillin may be the drug of choice, with combination therapy with an aminoglycoside reserved for cases that do not respond to ampicillin alone.

Aged↗

Liver transplantation for viral hepatitis: current status.

Liver transplantation is now considered definitive therapy for end-stage liver disease and has been playing an increasingly important role in the management of fulminant hepatic failure. With the advent of effective immunosuppression and improved surgical techniques, high survival rates can be expected for most transplanted patients. It has become apparent, however, that transplantation for patients with viral hepatitis is associated with some unique problems because of the propensity for viral reinfection of the grafted liver. Patients with actively replicating hepatitis B viral infection pretransplantation appear to be most likely to experience clinically significant recurrent hepatitis. Recurrent hepatitis D (delta) and hepatitis C appear to be relatively less serious in the transplanted liver. Interventions to prevent or treat graft reinfection have thus far met with limited success. Further studies are needed to define more precisely which patients with viral hepatitis are likely to do poorly after liver transplantation, and to develop strategies for treating recurrent hepatitis in transplant recipients.

Hepatitis, Viral, Human↗

Adolescents at risk for HIV infection.

Although adolescents currently compose fewer than 1% of AIDS cases nationally, they represent an expanding and pivotal population. This article is written for those who currently provide health care for adolescents and for those who will do so in the future. Much of what is known about AIDS in adolescents will be reviewed. Epidemiology, specific risk groups and behavior as well as legal, ethical, educational, and preventive issues unique to adolescents are discussed. In addition, some recommendations and techniques for interviewing teenagers are suggested.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Collagenous colitis: pathophysiologic considerations.

Collagenous colitis, a cause of watery diarrhea characterized by a distinctive band of collagen under the surface epithelium of the colon, has been recognized with increasing frequency in recent years. The pathophysiology of collagenous colitis remains obscure. The thickening of the subepithelial collagen layer may be a response to chronic inflammation or a local abnormality of collagen synthesis. The precise mechanism of the diarrhea in collagenous colitis is also unclear, and it has not been possible to link the diarrhea directly to the excess collagen deposition. The relationship between collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis, another type of microscopic colitis, remains to be defined; elucidating the relationship between the two disorders may provide clues to the pathophysiology of both.

Colitis↗

Management of bleeding ulcers.

Hemorrhage is a common complication of peptic ulcer disease and is increased in frequency and severity with aspirin and NSAID use. A variety of clinical and endoscopic factors associated with an increased mortality rate from ulcer bleeding have been identified, the most important of which are presentation in shock and ongoing or recurrent bleeding after routine resuscitative measures. After hemodynamic stabilization, the goal of therapy is to diminish the chance that an ulcer will continue to bleed or will rebleed. Currently, this is best achieved by one of several endoscopic interventions in carefully selected patients. The most effective endoscopic techniques for decreasing the risk of ulcer rebleeding are multipolar electrocoagulation, heater probe thermal coagulation, and injection therapy in patients with active bleeding or a visible vessel in the ulcer base. Injection therapy may be used alone or in combination with either of the other two techniques. The major impact of therapeutic endoscopy appears to be a reduction in the number of emergent operations necessary to control hemorrhage. The mortality of emergent surgery for bleeding ulcer is prohibitive, and any means of reducing the need for surgery is likely to have a beneficial effect on survival.

Humans↗

Crohn's disease in a patient with multiple sclerosis.

We report the occurrence of Crohn's disease in a patient with well-established multiple sclerosis. A relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis is supported by a higher than expected coexistence of these disease among families and individuals, as well as similar accepted and proposed mechanisms of pathogenesis and therapy.

Colitis↗

Swallowing disorders in the elderly.

The classic symptoms of dysphagia, heartburn, and chest pain are the presenting manifestation of oropharyngeal and esophageal disorders in the elderly as well as the young. Several unique conditions, including Zenker's diverticulum and vascular compression of the esophagus, may occur in the elderly. Certain disorders, such as oropharyngeal dysphagia due to neurologic disorder, increase in frequency with age. Treatment approaches are similar in elderly and younger patients, but the potential for adverse drug effects and interaction is greater in the elderly than in the young.

Aged↗

Gastric antral vascular ectasia associated with gastric carcinoma.

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), or watermelon stomach, is an uncommon cause of chronic gastrointestinal blood loss and iron deficiency anemia. Although GAVE has not previously been reported in association with gastric cancer, it is often associated with atrophic gastritis and pernicious anemia, which are known risk factors for gastric malignancy. We report a 72-yr-old woman with pernicious anemia who was found to have GAVE associated with adenosquamous carcinoma of the gastric cardia and adenocarcinoma in situ of the pylorus. In view of recent reports of the use of endoscopic modalities rather than surgical resection to treat GAVE, our case alerts endoscopists to the possibility of coexisting carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Evaluation of substance-abusing adolescents by primary care physicians.

Physicians are in a unique position to identify substance-abusing adolescents. To evaluate physician performance from the patient's perspective, we interviewed 54 substance-abusing adolescents and their parents about previous medical encounters. Although nearly all patients had seen a physician during the time they were using drugs or alcohol, 43% did not recall being asked by a doctor about alcohol or drug use. Of the 26 patients who recalled being asked, 12 (46%) stated that they responded dishonestly, usually because a parent was present. Of the 23 who didn't recall being asked, five (18%) wished they had been asked. Physicians tended to ask about substance abuse more often (p = .08) when they had previously discussed the problem with the parents, but many parents did not initiate such discussions. This survey suggests that physicians may not adequately assess high-risk adolescents for substance abuse because of physician-, patient- and/or parent-dependent factors.

Adolescent↗

Autonomic function and human immunodeficiency virus infection.

We compared autonomic function in 26 patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (18 AIDS and 8 ARC) to 22 controls. A significant decline in autonomic function was present across groups. Autonomic dysfunction correlated strongly with signs of HIV-associated nervous system disease. We observed significant differences across groups in tests of heart rate variation (expiratory-inspiratory ratio, maximum minus minimum heart rate difference, and mean square successive difference), the mean arterial blood pressure fall to tilting, and the blood pressure response to isometric exercise. A trend of declining autonomic function from controls to AIDS was present in the 30:15 ratio, the Valsalva ration, the systolic blood pressure fall to standing and tilt, and the cold pressor test. We did not observe any correlation between autonomic dysfunction and individual neurologic signs, prior therapeutic agents, and concurrent HIV-associated inflammatory or neoplastic processes. This study provides support for the presence of autonomic dysfunction in association with HIV infection. Autonomic dysfunction occurs more frequently and with greater severity in patients with AIDS; however, it may be present in the early stages of HIV infection and appears to progress during the illness.

AIDS-Related Complex↗

Inflammatory bowel disease in the elderly.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease both may occur in the elderly. In many populations, a second peak in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease occurs near age 70. Clinical manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease in the elderly are generally similar to those seen in younger patients, although there is a tendency for both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease to involve more distal segments of the gut in older patients. Ischemic and infectious colitis, diverticulitis, and malignancy can all masquerade as inflammatory bowel disease in the elderly. Recent epidemiologic and clinical reports indicate that the outlook for older patients with inflammatory bowel disease is more favorable than previously suspected.

Adult↗