Texas Medical Center

About: Texas Medical Center is a healthcare organization based out in Houston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 2845 authors who have published 2394 publications receiving 79426 citations.

Infectious Disease Consultation and Microbiologic Surveillance for Intensive Care Unit Trauma Patients: A Pilot Study

Abstract: Infection remains a major cause of posttrauma morbidity. We retrospectively reviewed 2 cohorts of trauma patients admitted to a regional trauma center before and after a policy change integrating prospective microbiologic surveillance and infectious disease (ID) consultation into management of trauma admissions. Primary interests were effects of this policy change on antimicrobial use and diagnostic precision (particularly differentiation of infection from colonization). Associated costs, microflora, survival, and disability were also compared. Patients were stratified for risk of infection. ID consultation was associated with a 49% increased odds that an infection diagnosis was microbiologically based (P=.006) and 57% reduction of antibiotics costs per hospitalized day (P=.0008). Costs of consultation and an 86% increase (P<10(-6)) in total cultures combined to minimally exceed that financial saving. The observed improvements in diagnostic precision and antimicrobial usage, however, suggest consideration of prospective microbiologic surveillance and multidisciplinary physician teams including ID physicians for high-risk trauma patients.

Cleft Palate Produced in Mice by Human-Equivalent Dosage with Triamcinolone.

Abstract: Triamcinolone produced cleft palates in mouse embryos at a dosage proportionate, by body weight, to common therapeutic dosage for humans. Thus, it showed much greater teratogenicity than other glucocorticoids tested on mice. Widely ranging doses of desoxycorticosterone did not produce cleft palates.