Biomedical subjects

S C Abraham

Publications and source records attributed to S C Abraham.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Alendronate-associated esophageal injury: pathologic and endoscopic features.

Ingestion of alendronate sodium (Fosamax) by osteoporotic patients can be associated with esophagitis and esophageal ulcer. Alendronate can damage the esophagus both by toxicity from the medication itself and by nonspecific irritation secondary to contact between the pill and the esophageal mucosa, similar to other cases of "pill esophagitis." Despite its wide use, the histologic appearances of alendronate-associated esophageal ulceration have not been previously described in detail, nor is this type of medication-induced injury commonly appreciated by pathologists when evaluating biopsies from ulcer sites. We report a series of 10 patients who experienced erosive/ulcerative esophagitis while ingesting alendronate, and describe the associated endoscopic and pathologic features. Biopsies from all patients showed inflammatory exudate and inflamed granulation tissue as characteristic of any ulcer site. Polarizable crystalline foreign material was present in six of 10 biopsies (60%). Multinucleated giant cells within the inflammatory exudate were present near this crystalline foreign material in three of 10 biopsies (30%). Adjacent squamous epithelium typically showed active inflammation and a reactive appearance with enlarged, hyperchromatic nuclei. Multinucleated squamous epithelial giant cells were present in two of 10 cases (20%). Microorganisms were unusual; scattered fungi and/or viral inclusions were present in only two of 10 biopsies (20%). Recognition of alendronate-associated erosive or ulcerative esophagitis, particularly in postmenopausal women, and communication of this possibility to the clinician can improve patient care.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Desmin myopathy involving cardiac, skeletal, and vascular smooth muscle: report of a case with immunoelectron microscopy.

Desmin myopathy is a rare idiopathic disorder characterized by abnormal aggregates of desmin-type intermediate filaments, which affects cardiac and skeletal muscle, and rarely the intestinal smooth muscle. We report a 42-year-old woman with atrial fibrillation and progressive restrictive cardiomyopathy. Left ventricular biopsy, cardiac explant, and subsequent autopsy study of skeletal muscle revealed cytoplasmic granulo-filamentous inclusions that were continuous with Z-lines and were immunoreactive for desmin filaments both at the light immunohistochemical and electron microscopic level. In addition, we report the presence of characteristic inclusions within the smooth muscle of intramural coronary blood vessels. This is the first description of desmin inclusions within vascular smooth muscle, and underscores the systemic nature of this rare myopathy.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Religiosity, gender, and the double standard.

Scottish teenagers (N = 690) participated in a survey concerning the relationship between religiosity, gender, and social judgments of sexual activity. Respondents estimated the number of sexual partners of 20-year old men and women and made evaluative judgments of sexually active men and women on positive and negative dimensions. On both tasks, evidence was obtained for the operation of a double standard. Women were expected to have fewer sexual partners than men, and their sexual activity was judged more negatively on evaluatively negative dimensions. Contrary to findings of previous studies in this area, gender differences in endorsement of the double standard were not found. Only moderate support was found for the view that religiosity contributes to different standards of sexual behavior for men and women, although religiosity had significantly greater influence on judgments made by women than on judgments made by men.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Receiver operating characteristic analysis of serum chemical parameters as tests of liver transplant rejection and correlation with histology.

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the strength of the serum chemical parameters alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin, and the ratio of delta bilirubin to conjugated bilirubin as tests of acute cellular rejection in liver transplant patients. The study consisted of 70 liver biopsies performed between February 1989 and January 1992 on 37 transplant patients who were classified as showing either no rejection (35 biopsies) or moderate to severe rejection (35 biopsies); mild cellular rejection biopsies were not included in this study to highlight any differences between rejectors and nonrejectors. Corresponding serum values for liver enzymes, alkaline phosphatase, GGT, and bilirubin fractions were obtained on the morning of the biopsy. ROC analysis demonstrated that there is no single chemical parameter or combination thereof that can statistically or clinically distinguish patients with acute rejection from those with other etiologies of allograft dysfunction. We also assessed by regression analysis the correlation between histologic features in the biopsies and corresponding serum parameters. The degree of histologic cholestasis was compared with the same-day serum value for total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and GGT. The degree of centrilobular necrosis and the number of apoptotic cells were compared with values for aspartate aminotransferase and alanine amino-transferase. There was no correlation between the serum values and histologic abnormalities. We conclude that serum chemistry values are not good tests for rejection or histologic abnormalities in the liver transplant population; liver biopsy should therefore be performed on a scheduled basis.

Alanine Transaminase↗

PubMed1995

Talking realistically about nursing: a thematic analysis of nursing course selection interview discourse.

This study examines the dialogue within selection interviews for places on a graduate nursing programme. The analysis focuses upon the way in which a 'realistic' knowledge of nursing is tested for, and demonstrated through, particular discursive themes. These themes reflect a wider social acceptance of accountable rational decision-making. It is argued that applicants who are able to draw upon the interpretative resources necessary to justify their nursing course application in these terms are more likely to be evaluated positively.

Career Choice↗

PubMed1995

HIV-preventive cognitions amongst secondary school students in Uganda.

A self-completion questionnaire was used to survey HIV-preventive cognitions among secondary school students in Kabarole district, Uganda. An encouraging pattern of HIV-preventive beliefs was observed, suggesting that health education efforts have been effective in establishing basic transmission knowledge, accurate risk perception and an understanding of effective precautions. Further analysis explored the prerequisites of men and women's HIV-preventive self-efficacy, and intentions and tolerance of people with AIDS. Approximately a third of variance in men and women's condom use self-efficacy, half the variance in women's condom use intentions and a quarter of the variance in men's condom use intentions was accounted for by specified variables. Results offered support for psychological relationships proposed by social cognition models and suggested specific health education targets for young Ugandan men and women.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1991

Social judgements of sex and blame in the context of AIDS: gender and linguistic frame.

A questionnaire study (N = 318) examined social judgements of sexually active males and females on positive and negative evaluative dimensions, as a function of the perceiver's gender, and the linguistic frame of judgement. This frame was manipulated by requiring respondents to rate themselves on a number of descriptive dimensions which evaluatively favoured either a 'liberal' or a 'conservative' approach to sex and personal relationships, before making their judgements. Female targets were rated more negatively than males on both evaluative dimensions. There were also significant interactions between the framing manipulation and both subject and target gender for the evaluatively positive measure. There was some evidence of females being perceived more positively in the liberal than the conservative frame and within the conservative frame they were judged less positively than male targets. Male subjects tended to rate targets more positively in the liberal frame whereas females did not. Judgements of blame and personal responsibility in the context of AIDS were examined as a function of the independent variables and also revealed gender differences. These factors, and particularly the importance of language in framing the context of self-perception and social judgement, are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1990