The American journal of the medical sciences
-
Intracranial calcification is associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism. The relationship between intracranial calcification, neurological abnormalities and cognitive deficits in this disorder is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronic hypoparathyroidism is associated with cognitive impairment. ⋯ We conclude that cognitive and neurological deficits commonly occur in patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism and may be pathophysiologically related to the presence of intracranial calcification.
-
Obesity is a rapidly increasing health problem among US youth. Hyperinsulinemia is associated with obesity and has been found to be a contributory factor for the development of cardiovascular disease in the obese. It has been suggested that hyperinsulinemia of obesity is a result of increased insulin secretion caused by insulin resistance. However, it has been shown in adults that decreased hepatic insulin clearance (HIC) is the primary cause of hyperinsulinemia in this population. ⋯ Our data suggest that hyperinsulinemia seen in obese children and adolescents is caused by decreased HIC. The cause for this decrease remains unknown, but it is reversible upon weight loss.
-
Metabolic acidosis from accumulation of lactic acid is a relatively common condition, whereas its causation by thiamine deficiency is not. ⋯ Lactic acidosis caused by thiamine deficiency must be suspected when pregnant patients at risk for thiamine deficiency present with a high anion gap acidosis. A large dose of thiamine must be administered immediately.
-
To present a case of organic arsenic intoxication after consumption of bird's nest soup in a Vietnamese patient. ⋯ This case illustrates the environmental contamination of bird's nest soup with organic arsenic. A prompt removal of the source from the diet resulted in clinical improvement.
-
The Jackson Heart Study is a partnership among Jackson State University, Tougaloo College, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and Office of Research on Minority Health. The purposes of the study are to: (1) establish a single-site cohort study to identify the risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases, especially those related to hypertension, in African American men and women; (2) build research capabilities in minority institutions by building partnerships; (3) attract minority students to careers in public health and epidemiology; and (4) establish an NHLBI Field Site in Jackson, Mississippi, similar to those established for the Framingham Heart Study and the Honolulu Heart Program. ⋯ The study will have a sample size of approximately 6,500 men and women aged 35-84 years and will include approximately 400 families. Exam 1 is scheduled to take place in the spring of the year 2000.