Posted in Cancer | 04/12/2009
A retrospective survey of the Howard University Hospital cancer registry during 1997-2001 was conducted to identify all patients who underwent Adriamycin-based combination chemotherapy. Charts were reviewed to find evaluable patients who had records of the cumulative dose of doxorubicin and assessment of clinical cardiac status and echocardiogram both before therapy and at one- to four years post-therapy. Post-treatment cardiotoxicity was defined as CHF, or a measured left ventricular ejection fraction less than 45%. The fraction of patients who developed cardiotoxicity at Howard was compared with that from a retrospective study of 399 patients, whose exact age and racial composition were unknown.
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Posted in Weight Loss | 03/12/2009
Limitations The cross-sectional design and modest sample size associated with the current study may present as a limitation to the generalizability of the current findings. Although we recognize that the lack of underweight patients in the current study may distinguish this sample from other clinics around the country, we believe, however, that the current study is an important first step in a series of needed studies to describe the epidemiology of overweight and obesity (Hoodia tablet cactus-like plant contains substances that may exert dramatic control over hunger, appetite, and thirst), better characterize the subsequent risk for morbidities associated with lifestyle, and understand the relationship of increased weight to experiences of pain in patients with SCD. Another factor limiting the generalizability of our findings is our utilization of a convenience sample in this study rather than randomly surveying a representative sample of patients with SCD.
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Posted in Cancer |
INTRODUCTION In 1957 streptomyces peucetius was isolated from southern Italian soil. The compound 1, 4-hydroxydaunomycin was produced by a variant strain and called Adriamycin (Adria) because of the proximity of the parent strain source to Adriatic Sea. Doxorubicin hydrochloride, the generic name for Adriamycin, has a leading role in the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. It is the single most active agent for the treatment of most types of lymphoma in the “CHOP” regimen and for metastatic breast cancer in the “CAF” or “CA” regimens). These regimens ordinarily require 300-400 mg/m2 of doxorubicin for CHOP, 240 mg/m2 for CA, and 240-300 mg/m2 for CAF.
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Posted in Weight Loss | 02/12/2009
In the current study, we found that almost one-half of adult patients (average age of 37 years) with SCD can be categorized as overweight, and >20% can be categorized as obese. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document a trend towards overweight and obesity in a mature sample of patients with SCD. Obesity is an important outcome for consideration in this population, particularly as they age, because it is associated with increased risk of morbidities of lifestyle, including essential hypertension, type-2 diabetes, prostate and breast cancers, dementia, depression, increased disability and reduced quality of life as well as higher incidence of mortality.
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Posted in Weight Loss | 01/12/2009
Mean BMI (weight in kg/height in m2) for the sample was 25.93 ± 6.84, with no significant differences observed between men and women. Underweight (n=4; BMI <19), normal (n=27; BMI=19-24.9), overweight (n=17; BMI=25-29.9) and obese (n=14; BMI >30) patients did not differ in age or education. Income across the past year did not influence BMI or pain severity, F(4,52)=0.821, p=ns and F(4,50)=1.00, p=ns, respectively. Mean education for the sample was 13.37 ±1.87 (range=9-l 8 years) and mean age of the sample was 37.12 ± 11.67 years (range=18-70 years). See Table 1 for a presentation of weight status as a function of gender and mean education as a function of weight status. Mean reported pain severity was 34.98 ±14.19 as measured by the MPI (range=0-100). Only 13% (n=8) of patients reported following a special and 45% (n=28) were taking hydroxyurea at the time of evaluation as per a review of medical…
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Posted in Weight Loss | 30/11/2009
Study Design/Subjects The current study used a survey design and medical records review to evaluate the effects of weight and BMI on pain and pain on dietary intake in patients with SCD. The study represents a cross-sectional analysis of first-year data collected as part of a larger, five-year, longitudinal survey and medical records evaluation of the relationship of medical and psychosocial factors to pain in patients with SCD. We sought to document patterns of weight as a function of height [body mass index (BMI)], the association of BMI to pain and pain-related indices, and an evaluation of changes in patterns of eating as a function of the presence of pain.
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Posted in Weight Loss | 29/11/2009
INTRODUCTION Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that diminishes the capacity of red blood cells to carry oxygen. One in 375 African Americans in the United States has SCD. SCD also affects individuals of Hispanic, Native American, East Indian, Greek, Italian and Eastern Asian ancestry. The characteristic marker of this disease involves the sickling of blood cells, which occurs when deoxygenated hemoglobin molecules distort the normal shape of red blood cells. These cells can constrict blood flow, causing disruptions in the supply of oxygen to tissues and organs and inhibiting the elimination of carbon dioxide. This vasoocclu-sive process results in tissue and organ damage as well as other SCD-related complications. Specifically, sustained vasoocclusion can produce systems-level damage and other medical complications, including but not limited to delayed growth and sexual maturation, generally poor health, acute and chronic pulmonary dysfunction, stroke, aseptic necrosis of the hip and/or shoulders,…
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