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Biomedical subjects

S R Levy

Publications and source records attributed to S R Levy.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Neuroleptic treatment of agitation and psychosis in dementia.

Neuroleptics remain the mainstay for the treatment of behavioral disturbance and psychotic symptoms in demented patients. The limited available data suggest that low-dose neuroleptics are significantly more efficacious than placebo, though the magnitude of the effect is moderate in most published studies. Demented patients are particularly prone to neuroleptic side effects, and individualized dose titration may be necessary to achieve the optimal trade-off between efficacy and side effects. Target behavioral symptoms and side effects, including effects on cognition and activities of daily life, should be identified and assessed serially during neuroleptic treatment. The choice of neuroleptic depends more on likely side effects than differential efficacy, and non-response or intolerable side effects should lead to dose adjustment or a switch to an alternative class of neuroleptic (or an alternative type of medication). Further studies of optimal neuroleptic dosage, the optimal duration of continuation neuroleptic treatment, and placebo-controlled studies comparing neuroleptics to other classes of medications are needed.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Young adolescent attitudes toward sex and substance use: implications for AIDS prevention.

This paper explores differences in adolescents' attitudes, beliefs, and resistance skills regarding sexual behaviors and use of substances in the context of AIDS prevention. A total of 553 7th and 8th grade students completed a self-administered questionnaire as baseline data collection for a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention project. Students' attitudes about sexual behavior and substance use differed markedly. Teens in this sample reported feeling significantly more comfortable discussing substance use with their parents than discussing sex; they also reported that it is easier to say "no" to alcohol or marijuana than to resist pressures to have sex. Furthermore, these young adolescents believed that their parents would be less upset to discover that they were sexually active than to find out they were using drugs. Among students who had ever had sex and who had ever used alcohol, young adolescents indicated that their parents would be much less upset to find out they were having sex than to discover they were smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs. Implications of the findings for HIV/AIDS prevention efforts are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Reducing the risks in pregnant teens who are very young and those with mild mental retardation.

A 3-year evaluation of The Children and Adolescent Pregnancy Project suggests that adolescents with mental retardation may be at increased risk for early pregnancy and dropping out of school. The Pregnancy Project is a school-based intervention that primarily serves black and Hispanic pregnant teens with mild to moderate mental retardation and elementary school-age pregnant teens in the same program. Outcome data were presented in terms of four common indicators of teen pregnancy programs: low birth weight, infant mortality, school drop out, and repeat pregnancy rates. Results indicate that serving pregnant adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation (ages 11 to 19) in the same program with very young pregnant teens (ages 11 to 15) is an effective and developmentally appropriate means of reducing risks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Self-efficacy and AIDS prevention for pregnant teens.

AIDS education, the only immediate solution to containment of AIDS, encourages active risk reduction among high-risk populations. Self-efficacy is a construct that can measure the likelihood preventive behaviors will be performed, and thus could be applied to identify specific areas where AIDS education should be augmented. In this study, pregnant, mostly black, teens (N = 58) attending an alternative school in a large, midwestern city completed a self-efficacy scale to identify self-perceived areas of vulnerability to participating in preventive behaviors and avoiding high-risk behaviors concerning AIDS. The AIDS Self-efficacy Scale identified four areas of greatest vulnerability: using condoms, discussing previous homosexual activity, discussing previous bisexual activity, and telling a partner about an experience with a bisexual. The last three situations result from an inability to discuss a partner's past sexual history, indicating a need to be very specific in these areas. School health interventions should recognize and deal with issues sexually active teens have identified as most difficult, particularly specific aspects of sexual histories, and provide these adolescents with prevention skills necessary to reduce high-risk behaviors.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

Electroencephalography in AIDS and AIDS-related complex.

EEG records from 47 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex (ARC) were reviewed retrospectively to correlate EEG findings with neurologic abnormalities. Abnormal EEGs were found in 22 of 33 (67%) patients with AIDS and 5 of 14 (36%) patients with ARC. Among 27 patients with abnormal EEGs, there were 9 patients with dementia, 10 with opportunistic infections of the CNS, and 6 with no apparent neurologic disease. AIDS dementia was associated with intermittent or continuous slowing, often most prominent anteriorly. Focal slowing or sharp activity was usually found in patients who had focal CNS processes, such as cerebral toxoplasmosis and CNS lymphoma. These findings suggest the EEG can be a useful diagnostic test for evaluating patients with AIDS and ARC, particularly when these patients present with seizures, psychiatric symptoms, or cognitive dysfunction. The significance of abnormal EEGs in patients who are neurologically asymptomatic is unknown.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1987

Neonatal seizures.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Electroencephalography↗
PubMed1986

Early evolution and incidence of electroencephalographic abnormalities in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The clinical and EEG findings in patients in the literature with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were reviewed and compared with findings in 36 patients with CJD at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Twenty-one of the 36 MGH cases had histopathology, all with findings consistent with CJD. EEGs in 18 patients studied pathologically and in 10 without pathological investigation (28 of the 36) had periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWC) at some time during the clinical course. Of the other eight patients, two had only a single EEG early in the course of the illness, four experienced unusually long clinical courses, and two never showed PSWC despite numerous EEGs. PSWC made their appearance within 12 weeks of onset of clinical symptoms in 25 of 27 in whom EEGs were done during that period. In the early stages, EEGs in 14 of 28 showed focal PSWC or amplitude asymmetries of PSWC that corresponded well with focal myoclonus or other focal neurological abnormalities. In the literature, PSWC occurred within 12 weeks of the onset of the illness in 66 of 75 patients (88%) with CJD who had comparable clinical and neuropathological findings and adequate EEG data during the first 3 months of the illness. In the approximately 10% of patients who experienced unusually long courses, PSWC occurred in only about 55%. The presence of PSWC in association with the appropriate clinical, biochemical, cerebrospinal fluid, and neuroradiological findings is diagnostic of CJD. Brain biopsy is, therefore, unnecessary even when clinical therapeutic trials are undertaken and certainty of diagnosis is required. The absence of PSWC in the EEG after 12 weeks' duration of illness is a point strongly against the diagnosis of CJD unless it is a rare subtype of long duration. Only those patients without PSWC need to be biopsied.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Seizures and cerebral infarction in the full-term newborn.

Cerebral arterial infarction is a more common cause of neonatal seizures than has been previously appreciated. In 50 full-term newborns with seizures studied, 7 had cerebral infarction which was the second most common definable cause of seizures. We describe these 7 full-term infants with cerebrovascular accidents who presented with focal or generalized seizures. Obstetrical histories were normal in 5 of these patients. Their neurological examinations demonstrated lethargy and generalized hypotonia. Electroencephalograms demonstrated focal abnormalities in 4 infants. Computed tomographic scans in the first week of life showed infarctions in 6 newborns and in another at age 6 months. Neonatal stroke should be considered as a cause of seizures in a full-term newborn in spite of a normal obstetrical history and a nonfocal neurological examination.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1985

Stepping forward into health education research.

Directed toward individuals beginning research activities, this article presents topical areas of interest for those who are planning projects and applying for funding. Topics include Planning the Project, Basic Funding Terminology, Reasons Proposals are Disapproved, and How to Initiate a Contact.

Child↗