J Natl Med Assoc
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Neurologic morbidities seen in the children's emergency facility of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, over a five-year period (July 1996-June 2001) was evaluated to determine the pattern and outcome. Notes and ward records of patients with neurologic morbidities were retrieved. Data obtained from these sources include age, sex principal diagnosis, duration of stay and outcome. ⋯ Preventable infectious diseases are the major causes of emergency neurologic morbidities and mortality. The majority die within 24 hours largely due to a delay in presentation to the hospital. Effective malaria control and prevention of meningitis would reduce the incidence of neurologic morbidities and, if this is coupled with health education of the populace on the importance of attending health facility early, mortality from these causes would be greatly reduced.
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We sought to determine whether significant differences exist in clinical characteristics and echocardiographic features between black men and black women who presented to an outpatient heart failure clinic. ⋯ Based on the analysis of 108 black men and women, overall, men have a significantly larger left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) compared to women (p<0.006). Younger men (7.17 cm) had a larger LVEDD compared to older men (6.37 cm) and both younger and older women (6.22 cm and 6.40 cm, respectively). This difference in LVEDD between the sexes decreased with aging. Men (22.17) had a lower ejection fraction (EF) than women (25.37). No significant differences were noted in the BMI (30.45 for men and 28.60 for women) and the albumin level (3.59 for men and 3.44 for women) between the sexes. However, the younger age group (particularly younger men) had a higher BMI than the older age group (p=0.008).
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Results of several clinical trials have shown that verapamil is effective in reducing blood pressure (BP) in African Americans, a population at high risk for hypertension and target-organ damage. Nonetheless, adequate control of BP is perceived as difficult to achieve in this population. A post hoc analysis of data from the community-based CHRONO trial (Controlling Hypertension in the moRning with a ChrONO medication) was undertaken to assess racial/ethnic differences in the safety and efficacy of the Chronotherapeutic Oral Drug Absorption System (CODAS) formulation of verapamil in a real-world setting. ⋯ Of the 59.7% of African Americans who reached the target BP of <140/90 mmHg, 64% did so at the 200-mg dose. Response rates were not affected by gender, age or treatment history, and CODAS-verapamil was well tolerated in all ethnic/racial treatment groups. In a trial conducted in actual clinical practices, the CODAS formulation of verapamil was shown to be safe and effective in African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics and Asians.
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African Americans are disproportionately represented among individuals in need of an organ transplant, due in part to low donation rates in this population. The research literature has focused on attitudinal barriers to donation; however, the current study explores individual experiences and values that contribute to supportive attitudes toward organ and tissue donation. ⋯ An understanding of supportive attitudes toward donation may help improve the development of effective culturally sensitive intervention messages targeting the African-American religious community with the ultimate goal of increasing the pool of organs available for transplantation.
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Recent years have seen a burgeoning of research and writing on the connections between religion and health. The very best of this work comes from epidemiologic studies of African Americans. This paper summarizes results of these investigations, including findings identifying effects of religious participation on both physical and mental health outcomes. ⋯ This paper also carefully discusses what the results of these studies mean and do not mean, an important consideration due to frequent misinterpretations of findings on this topic. Because important distinctions between epidemiologic and clinical studies tend to get glossed over, reports of religion-health associations oftentimes draw erroneous conclusions that foster unrealistic expectations about the role of faith and spirituality in health and healing. Finally, implications are discussed for clinical practice, medical education and public health.