Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W Ahmed

Publications and source records attributed to W Ahmed.

86 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Single-dose ampicillin therapy for severe shigellosis in Bangladesh.

To evaluate a more economical regimen for severe shigella dysentery, treatment with single-dose (SD) ampicillin (100 mg/kg) was compared in a randomized trial with results obtained in a conventional five-day (100 mg/kg per 24 hr) multiple-dose (MD) course. Clinical relapse occurred in one of 23 SD children, no SD or MD adults, and none of 18 MD children. Bacteriologic failures were observed in six of 26 adults compared with one of 24 MD adults (P = 0.05). Four of 10 SD children younger than four years of age failed bacteriologically, compared with one MD child. In SD children, lower ampicillin levels were significantly associated with bacteriologic failure and younger age. Resistance of Escherichia coli to ampicillin, although transiently less in SD patients, was equal in MD and SD patients two weeks after therapy. Thus, in highly endemic areas SD ampicillin is clinically effective therapy for ampicillin-sensitive shigellosis in patients older than four years of age.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surface engineering of artificial heart valve disks using nanostructured thin films deposited by chemical vapour deposition and sol-gel methods.

Pyrolytic carbon (PyC) is widely used in manufacturing commercial artificial heart valve disks (HVD). Although PyC is commonly used in HVD, it is not the best material for this application since its blood compatibility is not ideal for prolonged clinical use. As a result thrombosis often occurs and the patients are required to take anti-coagulation drugs on a regular basis in order to minimize the formation of thrombosis. However, anti-coagulation therapy gives rise to some detrimental side effects in patients. Therefore, it is extremely urgent that newer and more technically advanced materials with better surface and bulk properties are developed. In this paper, we report the mechanical properties of PyC-HVD, i.e. strength, wear resistance and coefficient of friction. The strength of the material was assessed using Brinell indentation tests. Furthermore, wear resistance and coefficient of friction values were obtained from pin-on-disk testing. The micro-structural properties of PyC were characterized using XRD, Raman spectroscopy and SEM analysis. Also in this paper we report the preparation of freestanding nanocrystalline diamond films (FSND) using the time-modulated chemical vapour deposition (TMCVD) process. Furthermore, the sol-gel technique was used to uniformly coat PyC-HVD with dense, nanocrystalline-titanium oxide (nc-TiO2) coatings. The as-grown nc-TiO2 coatings were characterized for microstructure using SEM and XRD analysis.

Biomedical Engineering↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of a combined diloxanide furoate-metronidazole preparation in the treatment of amoebiasis and giardiasis.

A combined formulation of diloxanide furoate and metronidazole was used to treat amoebiasis and giardiasis (cysts and vegetative forms) in 54 patients. Of these 34 patients had amoebiasis, 19 had giardiasis and one had mixed infection. Each patient took one tablet (containing 500 mg diloxanide furoate and 400 mg metronidazole), three times daily for 5 days, and the response to therapy was checked by clinical examination and by examination of fresh stools on days 3, 5 and 10. Abdominal pain was completely relieved in 91% and 84% of patients with amoebiasis and giardiasis, respectively, while parasitic clearance was 100% in both groups. Tolerance to the drug was adequate.

Amebiasis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of albendazole in giardiasis.

Albendazole and metronidazole were compared in 68 patients diagnosed positive for giardiasis. Albendazole 1200 mg, one dose was given to 24 patients, albendazole 400 mg twice a day for 3 days was given to 23 patients, and metronidazole 400 mg 3 times a day for 5 days to 21 patients. Response to therapy was monitored by clinical examination and analysis of fresh faecal samples on days 0, 3, 7 and 10. Response to the single dose of albendazole was 55%, to the divided dose of albendazole 70%, and to metronidazole 84%. The results show that albendazole, originally recommended for helminthic infection, can also be used in patients with mixed protozoal infection or for infections resistant to metronidazole.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of quick medical reference (QMR) as a teaching tool.

To determine whether the Quick Medical Reference (QMR) program can improve diagnosis or enhance learning among internal medicine residents, we compared the diagnostic accuracy of the program with that of residents at various training levels. The cases were from a prospective convenience sample of 40 patients admitted by 10 first-year residents (interns) and two chief medical residents. Four sets of differential diagnoses were created for each case--the first set by an intern, the second set by a chief resident, and the third and fourth sets by QMR, using the findings of the interns and chief residents, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the interns and chief residents was significantly greater than that of QMR. However, the chief residents indicated that QMR did increase their understanding of disease processes and offered educational value.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗