J Natl Med Assoc
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At Howard University Hospital, nine terminally ill cancer patients with chronic pain have been treated with continuous intrathecal infusion of morphine delivered by the implantable Infusaid pump. The case of a patient treated at Howard University Hospital with this method of pain management is presented. Following Infusaid pump insertion, the patient lived for 22 months and obtained substantial relief of his cancer pain with no adverse side effects.
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Comparative Study
Skin cancer in black Americans: a review of 126 cases.
Primary cancer of the skin is rare in blacks. The records of 126 black patients with skin cancer were reviewed. Histopathologic findings included squamous cell carcinomas (43) basal cell carcinomas (39) malignant melanomas (8) dermatofibrosarcomas (16) Bowen's disease (6) mycosis fungoides (14) and sebaceous cell carcinoma (1). ⋯ The distribution of basal cell carcinoma in blacks was 30 percent in this series, as compared with 80 percent in whites in the 1977 to 1978 survey. The majority of patients with squamous cell carcinoma had associated predisposing conditions and lesions on non-sun-exposed skin. Sunlight and occupational chemical exposure did not appear to be associated with skin cancer in blacks in this series.
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Stroke in black Americans is an important health problem that has been understudied. A brief review of the pertinent literature and strategies for evaluating and managing patients with cerebrovascular disease are presented.
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Comparative Study
Beta blockers, hypertension, and blacks--is the answer really in?
It has been reported that beta blockers are not effective antihypertensives in black populations. A review of the literature revealed that, for the most part, studies drawing this conclusion were of small sample size, lacked controls, and did not represent the demographics of the US black population. ⋯ More recent studies show beta blockers with alpha-antagonistic properties to be effective in black hypertensives. The question is raised whether enough data have been analyzed to suggest these drugs are ineffective for black hypertensives.