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Biomedical subjects

N Dickson

Publications and source records attributed to N Dickson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Midazolam versus fentanyl as premedication for painful procedures in children with cancer.

Premedication for painful procedures in children with cancer is not routinely used. Many medications used are only intermittently effective or require special equipment or anesthesia support. In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, the safety and efficacy of midazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine, were compared with the safety and efficacy of fentanyl, a short-acting narcotic analgesic. In 25 children studied, 100% of children and their parents preferred study drugs to any previous premedication. Seventy-two percent preferred midazolam to fentanyl. Preprocedural anxiety, adverse behavioral symptoms, and visual analog scales all improved and side effects were minimal. It is concluded that premedication for painful procedures should be used routinely in children with cancer. With proper monitoring, fentanyl and midazolam can be used safely in the outpatient clinic setting. Midazolam was found to be the drug of preference for the majority of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Etoposide, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, and doxorubicin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.

The authors evaluated the combination of etoposide/cyclophosphamide (VP/CY) as initial, presurgical therapy for patients with osteosarcoma and found an 88% response rate for the primary tumor and any metastases. After definitive, limb-salvage surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy with etoposide, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, and doxorubicin, patients without metastases at diagnosis whose cases were followed for a median of 2 years from diagnosis achieved a relapse-free survival (RFS) probability of 78% +/- 9%. This result is equivalent to the best adjuvant chemotherapy results reported to date. Patients without metastases at diagnosis had significantly better RFS probability (78% +/- 9%) than those with metastases at diagnosis (0%). Transient, severe myelosuppression has been the only major toxicity of the VP/CY courses. No irreversible organ damage or toxic deaths have been seen in patients enrolled in this study. The authors conclude that the combination of VP/CY is effective treatment for osteosarcoma, and when combined with cisplatin/doxorubicin (CIS/DOX), is as effective as any previously reported chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Hot water temperature in Dunedin homes with preschool children.

The mean temperature of the hot water supply of 62 randomly selected Dunedin homes with preschool children was 67.8 degrees C. More than 95% of the households visited had temperatures above the recommended temperature of 55 degrees C. The temperature was related to the socioeconomic status of the major earner of the household, the thermostat setting, the age of the water cylinder and its size. Accessible thermostats were of the water cylinder and its size. Accessible thermostats were only reliable in cylinders under 20 years old.

Burns↗
PubMed1990

Response of osteogenic sarcoma to the combination of etoposide and cyclophosphamide as neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

A Phase II study of the combination of etoposide (VP-16) and cyclophosphamide (CPM) was conducted in an attempt to identify active and potentially less toxic agents for treating patients with osteogenic sarcoma (OS). VP-16 was given as a 72-hour infusion for a total dose of 600 mg/m2. CPM was given as six pulses of 300 mg/m2 every 12 hours for a total dose of 1800 mg/m2. Seventeen newly diagnosed patients, including five (29%) with metastatic disease, were evaluated before and after two courses of VP-16 and CPM for clinical, radiologic, and biochemical (serum alkaline phosphatase [SAP]) responses of the primary tumor and metastases. Fifteen (88%) patients achieved complete or partial clinical responses. Fourteen (82%) patients achieved radiologic responses. Thirteen (87%) of 15 patients with higher than normal SAP levels for their age showed partial or complete responses. Three (60%) of the five patients with metastatic disease achieved complete or partial responses. The only major toxicity was myelosuppression, which led to 21 (62%) brief admissions after 34 courses of chemotherapy for intravenous antibiotic therapy for fever and neutropenia, without associated mortality. It was concluded that the combination of VP-16 and CPM is effective chemotherapy for both primary and metastatic OS. Although myelosuppression is inevitable, it is rapidly reversible in the drug dosages used. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of these drugs in combination with established agents in improving the disease-free survival of patients with OS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

A child with Refsum's disease: successful treatment with diet and plasma exchange.

A child with Refsum's disease presented with cardiac failure, marked muscle wasting, weakness and inco-ordination. Management with multiple plasma exchanges and dietary restriction of phytanic acid intake has reversed the disabling features of the disease, although levels still remain higher than target values. Low phytanic acid intake is being achieved by restriction of total fat to 10 to 12 g/day, while allowing free amounts of fruit and green vegetables.

Child↗
PubMed1988

Use of classification of primary obstetric factors in perinatally related mortality surveillance.

The use of a classification of the primary obstetric factors leading to death for all fetal and neonatal losses that occurred between 20 weeks gestation and 28 days after birth is described. This is defined as the 'total perinatally related loss', and is compared with the information obtained if enquiry is limited to the traditional 'perinatal' period, from 28 weeks gestation to 7 days after birth. Both centre-based data for Queen Mary Hospital, Dunedin, and population-based data for the geographic area of the Otago Hospital Board for the four year period from September 1982 until August 1986 are reported. Spontaneous prematurity was the major factor responsible for these deaths, and its importance would not have been appreciated if the perinatal period alone had been analysed. The need for standardised classification of perinatally related deaths for epidemiological monitoring is discussed.

Congenital Abnormalities↗
PubMed1978

An alternative to the service 'too young to benefit from lessons in its own history'.

The Government's Green Paper on the elderly suggests the possibility of NHS nursing homes. Is this really a good idea? Author looks back over the history of Springbok House, one of four experimental rest homes for the infirm elderly run by the National Corporation for the Care of Old People in the fifties and the early sixties, and suggests that this might provide some answers.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Birth pains.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Developing Countries↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New labour's problem.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Health Care Reform↗