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Biomedical subjects

T J David

Publications and source records attributed to T J David.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The core content of the undergraduate curriculum in Manchester.

AIM: To identify the core content for the new undergraduate medical curriculum in Manchester. METHOD: The initial step was to produce a list of 'index clinical situations' (ICSs), for which a newly graduated doctor must have a required level of competence. Using repeated consultation with consultants and general practitioners involved in medical education in the North-West of England, a list of 215 ICSs was agreed. Specialists and generalists were then asked to identify the components of the knowledge base and the performance (skills) base for each ICS. The knowledge base was divided into technical (biomedical facts/concepts) and contextual (effect/management of disease within the individual, family and society) domains. The performance base was divided into intellectual (problem solving and decision making) and interpersonal (history, examination, communication and procedural skills) domains. RESULTS: Forty specialties were consulted and 11,021 items (defined as a piece of knowledge, a concept or a skill) were identified. There was considerable overlap in the items listed, such that when the returns for each ICS were amalgamated, the 215 ICSs contained 6434 items with a mean of 34 +/- 14.2 per situation (range 6-85). UTILISATION: We have used the defined ICSs in the design of the trigger material used in the weekly problem-based learning sessions. Over 4 years almost all (207/215, 96%) of the ICS are covered, with many being revisited at several points in the curriculum.

Competency-Based Education↗
PubMed1998

Flucloxacillin in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Although colonization of atopic dermatitis by Staphylococcus aureus is universal and bacterial infection is common, it is not known whether antibiotic therapy is helpful in eczematous children who do not have any signs suggestive of bacterial infection. Fifty children aged 1-16 years with atopic dermatitis took part in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of 4 weeks treatment with oral flucloxacillin, with an 8-week follow-up period. The change in the mean of the log10 of the counts/cm2 of S. aureus after 4 weeks of treatment was significantly different for patients receiving treatment, compared with the change for those receiving the placebo (P = 0.008). However, the difference in the change at 14 days after stopping treatment was not significant (P = 0.32). Methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus were cultured from five children during or after treatment. Flucloxacillin did not improve the symptoms or clinical appearance of atopic dermatitis and only temporarily changed skin colonization by S. aureus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Side to side comparison of topical treatment in atopic dermatitis.

OBJECTIVES: To document and evaluate the outcome of side to side comparisons of different corticosteroids in determining the most effective topical treatment for individuals admitted to hospital for control of atopic dermatitis. METHODS: Retrospective case note study of 82 admissions (66 children) to a children's hospital for treatment of atopic dermatitis between 1 June 1993 and 31 October 1995. Different topical corticosteroid ointments were applied to the two sides of the body. The outcome measure was a comparison between the two sides, to see whether one treatment was better than the other. RESULTS: More potent topical corticosteroid preparations appeared more effective than weaker preparations on 25 occasions, there was no difference on 20 occasions, and on seven occasions a weaker preparation appeared more effective. Incorporation of an antimicrobial agent did not appear to increase the efficacy of a preparation. CONCLUSIONS: The management of atopic dermatitis is bedevilled by considerable spontaneous fluctuations in severity, leading to uncertainty as to whether a new treatment is beneficial; a coincidental flare up of the skin lesions may be wrongly attributed to a particular treatment, which is then discarded. Comparing different topical treatments simultaneously on opposite sides of the body is a feasible and rational way to determine the optimum treatment for an individual with atopic dermatitis.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1998

Linear growth in prepubertal children with atopic dermatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To define the evolution of prepubertal growth in atopic dermatitis and the factors influencing that growth pattern. METHODS: Height and height velocity over two years, weight, triceps and subscapular skin fold thickness, and bone age were assessed in 80 prepubertal patients with atopic dermatitis and a control group of 71 healthy prepubertal school children. RESULTS: Height standard deviation scores (SDS) and height velocity SDS did not differ between patients and controls, and were not influenced by body surface area affected by atopic dermatitis, topical glucocorticoid potency, or coexisting asthma. However, height SDS (r = -0.37) and height velocity SDS (r = -0.31) correlated inversely to age in patients but not in controls. A greater proportion (z = 2.84) of patients than controls had year 2 height velocity SDS less than -1.96. Patients had a mean delay in bone age of 0.22 years and 0.41 years at the beginning of year 1 and year 2 of the study, respectively. The delay in bone age correlated positively with age (r = 0.39) and duration of atopic dermatitis (r = 0.39), and negatively with height SDS (r = -0.51) and height velocity SDS (r = -0.38). CONCLUSIONS: Prepubertal children with atopic dermatitis are not short compared with controls. However, as they approach the teenage years their height velocity decreases, the proportion of children with extremely low height velocity increases, and the delay in bone age increases. These features are consistent with the pattern of growth seen in people with constitutional growth delay.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1998

Exacerbation of atopic dermatitis after bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination.

In two children with atopic dermatitis, routine vaccination with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) was followed by severe exacerbation of skin disease. If the sequence is cause and effect, a possible mechanism is stimulation of a Th2 lymphocyte cytokine profile by the vaccine, with migration of activated lymphocytes to inflamed skin. In children with active atopic dermatitis, BCG vaccination is best deferred until remission.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

Dietary management of atopic eczema: is this justified?

The role of food allergens in triggering atopic eczema remains controversial. Certain foods can cause acute hypersensitivity reactions, which are more common in atopic individuals, but this does not necessarily imply that these allergens cause or trigger eczema. This article discusses the evidence for and against dietary intervention as a treatment for patients with atopic eczema.

Allergens↗
PubMed1997

Adult height in patients with childhood onset atopic dermatitis.

Cross sectional studies have reported impaired growth in children with atopic dermatitis. If this growth impairment is irreversible, it would be expected to adversely influence final height attainment. The standing heights and other anthropometric parameters were assessed in 35 adults with onset of atopic dermatitis before 5 years of age and a control group of 35 adults with adult onset contact dermatitis or psoriasis. There was no significant difference in the standing height SD score, mid-parental height SD score, sitting height SD score, subischial leg length SD score, nor body mass index between the atopic dermatitis and control groups. The standing height SD score was not significantly different among: (a) patients with atopic dermatitis affecting less than 50% of their body surface area and those with greater than 50% affected; (b) patients using the four different potency topical corticosteroids; and (c) patients with atopic dermatitis without asthma and those with coexisting asthma. It is concluded that short stature is not a feature of our group of adult patients with onset of atopic dermatitis before 5 years of age, continuing into adulthood, and severe enough to require specialist care. This suggests that if growth impairment occurs in childhood, it is likely to be temporary and reversible.

Administration, Topical↗