J Natl Med Assoc
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A higher percentage of young black patients are discovered with a more advanced stage of colorectal cancer than is reported for white patients. To evalute this phenomenon, various prognostic factors in young colorectal cancer patients at Howard University Hospital were studied.
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The beneficial effects of isotretinoin (Accutane) on severe nodulocystic acne and significant clinical improvement with prolonged remission are well documented in the literature; however, the subjects in these clinical studies are invariably white. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the response of black patients with recalcitrant nodulocystic acne to isotretinoin treatment. ⋯ Of the ten patients, eight adhered to the treatment regimen and were still in remission six months after completion of isotretinoin therapy. The differences and similarities seen between black patients and white patients with nodulocystic acne are discussed.
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The title "Doctor" has an interesting and not commonly understood inception, and those entitled to use the accolade Doctor have had an interesting evolution. The title is now used by a plethora of individuals with a variety of skills and levels of achievement. ⋯ Physicians themselves contribute to the problem, as 40 percent refer to themselves as Doctor when asked to describe what they do for a living. Public education is recommended regarding the use of the title Doctor, and a distinction (the actual degree obtained) should be used whenever this term is used.
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A case of delayed detection of esophageal intubation is described. Preoxygenation and pulse oximetry were used, and the first indication of tube misplacement was arterial desaturation indicated by the pulse oximeter. The combination of preoxygenation and pulse oximetry may contribute to delays in early detection of endotracheal tube misplacement for the following reasons: (1) preoxygenation results in a pulmonary reservoir of oxygen sufficient to maintain arterial hemoglobin saturation for an extended period of time; and (2) the maintenance of normal arterial saturations for an extended period after inadvertent esophageal tube placement may lead the practitioner to initially seek other causes of declining oxygen saturations. Although pulse oximetry is an acknowledged advance in patient monitoring, it must not be utilized as an early indication of correct endotracheal tube placement.
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Ten patients underwent implantation of intrathecal morphine catheters with subcutaneous implantation of morphine Infusaid pumps for the treatment of intractable pain of malignant origin from May 1984 to October 1985. All patients exhibited a good initial response to intrathecal morphine and developed some degree of tolerance. All patients with bony metastasis and/or lumbarsacral plexopathy developed rapid tolerance. ⋯ Complications included a pump pocket infection requiring the removal of the implanted system. There was no pump failure, respiratory depression, urinary retention, or mortality related to the use of the morphine infusion system. It is recommended that intrathecal morphine infusion be instituted when narcotics have been identified as necessary for pain relief, before the development of significant systemic tolerance.