HEALTH
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One of the mo t commonly pre cribed familie or categorie of
antibiotic medicine is referred to as the "cephalosporins." Currently there
are between 15 and 20 cepbalosporins on the market in the United States,
and more are on the way. The e effective infection-fighters are grouped
into "generations" for convenience in classifying their range of activity.
For example, first generation cephalosporins, which include cefazolin,
cephalothin and other • have good bacteria killing activity against organ­
isms referred to as the gram po itive cocci bacteria (example include
treptococcus and staphylococcus) and a few gram negative b cteria.
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The leadership of the ational
Black urses' Association, Inc.
(NBNA) recently met in
Washington, D.C. with key
Congressional leaders to provide
information and viewpoints about
the current national health care crisis
and to celebrate ational Blac
Nurses'Day.
In January, the United States
Senate Labor and Human Resources
Committee, which is chaired by
United State Senator Edward
Kennedy (D-MA),.passed S. 1227,
the "Affordable Health Care for all
America Act" (also referred to
"Play or Pay"). Senator Kennedy
ha referred to the bill as a
i ues di cu ed was the sharp
disparity between the health care
status of African-Americans and the
general popul tion of the United
States.
The NBNA network of Black
nurses includes more than 55
Chapters reaching more than
130,000 nurses throughout the
The�NBNA invites all concerned about health
care issues to contact its national office in
Washington, D.C. at (202) 393-6870.
The leadership met with United
States Representatives Louis Stokes
(D-OH), John Lewis (D-GA),
Charles Rangel (D-NY), Harold
Ford (D- TN), Thomas Carper
(D-DE), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and
Patricia Schroeder (D-CO) and the
staff aides for other Congressional
leaders,
:_ Pointing out that Black nurses are
primary health service providers in
hospitals, clinics, and other health
care institutions, the Congressional
leaders urged the NBNA to provide
. itS ideas for successful health care
reform.
"benchmarker" for health care
reform efforts.
Dr. Linda Burnes Bolton,
President of NBNA, stated, "Health
care reform must go beyond new
financing plans ... more must be done
than merely adding more dollars to
the 'pot' in order to address the
critical issues."
Dr. Bolton outlined a
recommendation which included
health care financing reforms,
funding for health ervices research
and empowerment of communities
to address their health problems.
Foremost among the health care
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If) 1991 Worner lambert Co
: Medical Arts
Phannacy
13700 Woodward
869-1800
DAVID N.
ZIMMERMAN
PO, FACA
Pr •• ldent
Three Generations of CephaJosporins
The second generation of cephalo porins are usually effective again t
the same b teria that the first generation cephalo porins are effective
gainst plus Haemophilus, Enterobacter, and Nei seria bacteria. Ex­
tmple of econd generation cephalosporins include cefaclor and
efuroxime. .
Third generation cephalo porins such as cefixime are effective again t
t of the gram negative, organi m . In order to know which cepalo porin
tibiotic to use, phy ician routinely order culture and sensitivity te ts.
ccording to a recent i sue of Postgraduate Medicine, re earchers are
�lanning for fourth and fifth generation cephalo porins.
United States, the Caribbean,
Canada, Latin America and Africa.
NATIONWIDE, Black men un­
derwent relatively fewer bypass
operations than BI ck women, b ed
on expected need, po ibly because
Black men may be more reluctant to
eek medical care than Black
women, the rese rehers said.
"Thi is the first tudy of its kind
that used a complete national data
base of insured persons," said lead
author Kenneth C. Goldberg, a third­
year medical student at the Medical
College of Wisconsin.
Nationally, bypass rates were
27.1 operations per 10,000 whites
(40.4 for white men and 16.2 for
white women) but only 7.6 opera­
tions per 10,000 Blacks (9.3 for
Black men and 6.4· for Black
women), the researchers reported.
"There are fundamental social
problems that need to be addressed,"
Hartz said. "We need to know exact­
ly where the breakdown in the sys­
tem is. For example, is it that Blacks
·tion, movement, breatlllinl
heartr teo Multipl premllancies
mirth d �
detected.
To et r dy fo an ultr d, yo
hould ch a fittina top 10
t t your bdomen be y
r hed. You may be ked to drin
era! of water an hour before
th t your b is full.
A full b der h the examiner
te and vi tile pelvic orpns.
DurIn a d ultrasound exam.
you will lie on an euminina tab ·tIl
your bdomen expOled. Oil or liqui�
will be pplied to your abdomen to
improve the contact of the transducer
with the kin. The procedure itself
not uncomfortab e. Th only discom­
fort you may feel is that of a full bIM\­
der, Ultrasound is considered a safe
procedure. No harmful effects to
either the mother or her fetus have
ever been found.
Many coupl enjoy the ultrasound
exam because it i the fir t chance they
have to see their unborn baby. It
usually also helps an er questions
about the prepancy and provides im­
portant information about the baby·
condition.
Glaucoma is a serious eye
disease. Chronic glaucoma
(90% of cases) develops
slowly and can usually be
- controlled when detected
early. Acute glaucoma is an
emergency condition that
needs prompt treatment.
Eye injuries, tumors, or
cataracts may also cause
glaucoma.
Until 20 years 0, our first 100 at
a by when it delivered from
the omb. Today, with the of
ul und, e can examine an un­
born baby early five eek into
. th prepancy. This important medical
-'vance has enabled doct to obtain
valuab information about an unborn
'. IM*th and well-being.
Ultrasound is unique procedure
that und ves to produce
ima&e of the fetus. U in a devi
called a transducer, the doctor or a
special technologist scans the skin ur­
fla of the abdomen. (Sometim a
vqinal transducer, which is inserted
into the vqina, is used.) Sound waves .
from the transducer bounce off tissu
in the body and are converted into an
ima&e on a television-like screen.
This type of ultrasound that pro­
duces a visual im e is called real-time
ultrasound. Another type, called Dop­
pler, reflects motion, such as the heart
beat of the fetus, into audio signals
that can be heard.
Ultrasound is not necessary in every
pregnancy. Your doctor will determine
, if the procedure is appropriate for you
and ho often it should be done. In
aeneral, the doctor will suggest ultra­
sound if he or she wants to find certain
information bout, the pregnancy,
such as the e of the fetus, how fast
the fetus is growing, how the placenta
is placed, and the amount of amniotic
fluid in the utero . The 'doctor also
may use ultrasound to assess fetal
Next week: Getting Fit and Staying FIt
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Don't be blind to the fact
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Glaucoma is caused by a
buildup of fluid pressure.
inside the eye. Fluid nor­
mally circulates within the
eye. Regular drainage
maintains the proper fluid
level. If"! glaucoma, the fluid
fails to drain properly. As a
result. pressure builds up,
damaging nerve cells in
the e�e over time.
People who are at higher
than normal risk of glau­
coma include the following:
those who have glaucoma
in their families or who are
ove( 40 ... are black ... are
very nearsighted ... have
diabetes ... regularly take
steroid' medications ...
or have had eye injuries
or eye surgery.
'THE ITCH STOPS HERE!
Caladryl relieves poison ivy, insect
bites and allergic rashes the way
plain calom can't. Just. use CoIodryi
lotion, Cream or Sprar as directed
and feel the Caladry difference
foryourself.
What is
glauccma?
The toll of
glau�oma
GlauComa is a leading
cause of blindness in the
U.S. More than two million
Americans have glaucoma;
about one million have lost
some sight to glaucoma.
Glaucoma often remains
undetected until some sight
has been lost. Sight that is
lost to glaucoma can not
be restored.
What causes
glaucoma?
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Pharmacy & Your Health
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Symptoms of
glaucoma
Though chronic glaucoma
usually causes no early
symptoms, it may cause
loss of side vision; djfficulty
in adjusting eyes to the
dark; and a frequent' need
for new glasses. Acute
glaucoma may cause eye
pain; blurred vision; seeing
halos or rainbows around
lights; nausea and vomiting.
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Detected early, glaucoma
usually can" be controlled
with drugs, laser treatment.
or surgery. Drugs alone are
often adequate to control
chronic glaucoma. Most
often. drug treatment in­
volves the use of prescrip­
tion eye drops to reduce
fluid pressure within the
eye.
ContrOlling
glaucoma
Who's at
risk?
Detected early. glaucoma can usually be controlled and vision loss prevented. Only
regular eye exams can detect glaucoma. People at increased risk should get
thorough eye exams at least every two years. If you have glaucoma. remember that
your doctor is a partner in your eye care. No,tify the doctor immediately if you have
any trouble taking prescribed medication. Always take medication exactly as you are
directed. Never change dosage or schedule without talking to your doctor.
- lit.. National Society to Prevent Blindness
�II - 500 E. Remington' Rd" Schaumburg, IL 60173
For eye health and safety information, call the
National Center for Sight at 1-800-221-3004.