Faith T Fitzgerald

Bio: Faith T Fitzgerald is an academic researcher from University of California, Davis. The author has contributed to research in topics: Syphilis & Health care. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 70 publications receiving 990 citations. Previous affiliations of Faith T Fitzgerald include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & University of Michigan.

Appropriate Use of Screening and Diagnostic Tests to Foster High-Value, Cost-Conscious Care

Abstract: To begin to identify ways that practicing clinicians can contribute to the delivery of high-value, cost-conscious health care, the American College of Physicians convened a workgroup of physicians ...

Penetration of oral doxycycline into the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with latent or neurosyphilis.

Abstract: Five patients with laboratory evidence of latent or neurosyphilis were treated orally with doxycycline (200 mg) twice a day for 21 days. After the seventh dose, the mean level of doxycycline in serum was 5.8 micrograms/ml, with a mean drug level in cerebrospinal fluid of 1.3 micrograms/ml. The mean penetration into cerebrospinal fluid was 26%. These preliminary findings suggest that doxycycline, administered orally at a dose of 200 mg twice a day, reaches a sufficient concentration in cerebrospinal fluid to be worthy of further evaluation as an alternative regimen to penicillin therapy for latent or neurosyphilis.

The tyranny of health.

Abstract: There has recently been much in both lay and medical literature on the promotion of healthy lifestyles Once upon a time people did not have lifestyles; they had lives Those lives were filled with

Stratification of prognosis in granulocytopenic patients with hematologic malignancies using the APACHE-II severity of illness score

Abstract: The APACHE-II (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) severity of disease classification system was used to stratify prognosis of granulocytopenic patients with hematologic malignancies. A total of 146 admissions were retrospectively reviewed. In 26 ICU admissions, mortality was 69.2%; in 1

Medical students’ attitudes toward gay men

Abstract: Background: Healthcare providers’ attitudes toward sexual minorities influence patient comfort and outcomes. This study characterized medical student attitudes toward gay men, focusing on behavior, personhood, gay civil rights, and male toughness. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based anonymous survey was sent to medical students enrolled at the University of California, Davis (N=371) with a response rate of 68%. Results: Few respondents expressed negative attitudes toward gay men or would deny them civil rights. More negative responses were seen with respect to aspects of intimate behavior and homosexuality as a natural form of sexual expression. Men and students younger than 25 years old were more likely to endorse negative attitudes toward behavior as well as more traditional views on male toughness. Conclusions: We show that an important minority of students express discomfort with the behavior of gay men and hold to a narrow construction of male identity. These findings suggest that competency training must move beyond conceptual discussions and address attitudes toward behaviors through new pedagogical approaches.

The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics

Abstract: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics A Textbook of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics for Physicians and Medical Students. By Prof. Louis Goodman and Prof. Alfred Gilman. Pp. xiii + 1383. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1941.) 50s. net.

Electronic nose: current status and future trends.

Abstract: 2.2. New Approaches 707 2.2.1. Optical Sensor Systems 707 2.2.2. Mass Spectrometry 708 2.2.3. Ion Mobility Spectrometry 708 2.2.4. Gas Chromatography 709 2.2.5. Infrared Spectroscopy 709 2.2.6. Use of Substance-Class-Specific Sensors 709 2.3. Combined Technologies 710 3. Companies 710 4. Application Areas 710 4.1. Food and Beverage 712 4.2. Environmental Monitoring 715 4.3. Disease Diagnosis 716 5. Research and Development Trends 718 5.1. Sample Handling 719 5.2. Filters and Analyte Gas Separation 719 5.3. Data Evaluation 720 6. Conclusion 721 7. References 722

Penetration of Drugs through the Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid/Blood-Brain Barrier for Treatment of Central Nervous System Infections

Abstract: The entry of anti-infectives into the central nervous system (CNS) depends on the compartment studied, molecular size, electric charge, lipophilicity, plasma protein binding, affinity to active transport systems at the blood-brain/blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier, and host factors such as meningeal inflammation and CSF flow. Since concentrations in microdialysates and abscesses are not frequently available for humans, this review focuses on drug CSF concentrations. The ideal compound to treat CNS infections is of small molecular size, is moderately lipophilic, has a low level of plasma protein binding, has a volume of distribution of around 1 liter/kg, and is not a strong ligand of an efflux pump at the blood-brain or blood-CSF barrier. When several equally active compounds are available, a drug which comes close to these physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties should be preferred. Several anti-infectives (e.g., isoniazid, pyrazinamide, linezolid, metronidazole, fluconazole, and some fluoroquinolones) reach a CSF-to-serum ratio of the areas under the curves close to 1.0 and, therefore, are extremely valuable for the treatment of CNS infections. In many cases, however, pharmacokinetics have to be balanced against in vitro activity. Direct injection of drugs, which do not readily penetrate into the CNS, into the ventricular or lumbar CSF is indicated when other effective therapeutic options are unavailable.

Candidemia in a Tertiary Care Hospital: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Predictors of Mortality

Abstract: Demographic information, risk factors, therapy, and outcome for all patients who had candidemia at Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, between 1 September 1988 and 1 September 1989 were retrospectively reviewed. One hundred six candidemic patients were identified, representing 0.5% of all medical and surgical discharges and 0.33% of total patient discharges. These percentages represent a 20-fold increase in the incidence of candidemia at our hospital in comparison with that during 1976-1979. Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species (63%), followed by Candida tropicalis (17%), Candida glabrata (13%), Candida parapsilosis (6.5%), and Candida krusei (0.9%). Overall mortality was 57%, and 14 (23%) of 60 deaths occurred within 48 hours of the detection of candidemia. Mortality was associated with higher APACHE II scores (25 for nonsurvivors vs. 16 for survivors; P = .0001), the presence of a rapidly fatal underlying illness (P = .0009), and sustained positivity of blood cultures (P = .02). In cases of sustained candidemia, the isolation of non-albicans Candida species also correlated with increased mortality (8 of 8 vs. 10 of 21; P = .005). Thirty candidemic patients (28%) did not receive any antifungal therapy, and 19 (63%) of these untreated patients died. Eleven untreated patients (37%) survived without sequelae. There has been a marked increase in the incidence of candidemia in our institution that is associated with a high overall mortality. Candidemia lasting less than 24 hours was associated with a lower mortality than was that of longer duration. Severity of illness and duration of candidemia should be used as stratifying factors in prospective studies to determine optimum therapy.