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Biomedical subjects

A Leibovitz

Publications and source records attributed to A Leibovitz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

[Geriatric consultations in a general hospital].

The increasing numbers of the elderly admitted to general hospitals, and the complexity of their problems, has increased the need for geriatric consultations. We evaluated geriatric consultations given at the Wolfson Medical Center by the geriatricians of Shmuel Harofeh Hospital. Data on 6-months of consultations in medical, surgical, urologic, neurologic, orthopedic and intensive care departments were evaluated. 7,910 elderly (65 years and over) were admitted during this period, representing 58% of all admissions; 742 (9.4%) were targeted for geriatric consultation. The largest number of consultations (525) were in the medical wards, but the highest rate of consultations was in the orthopedic ward for rehabilitation after operations for hip fractures. The selection of patients for geriatric consultation at Wolfson Hospital was done by the staff of each ward. This method differs from that in most general hospitals abroad, where selection is by geriatric teams. Despite this difference, our data show that the rates of consultations were similar. Also, the multidisciplinary teams consisted of members of the staff of each ward and the geriatric consultant. The method of geriatric consultations presented is easy to set up, simple to operate, efficient and appreciated by the medical staff of the departments.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in octogenarians.

Thirty patients > or = 80 years of age (mean 86) underwent diagnostic and/or therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The low mortality (6.6%) and complication (6.6%) rates lead us to believe that ERCP in octogenarians provides an acceptable route for diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic disorders.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

[Elderly cancer patients requiring skilled nursing care].

Cancer is an age-associated disease, and 55% of newly diagnosed cases and 67% of cancer deaths are in those above 65 years. There has recently been increasing interest in geriatric oncology, and more of the elderly are being screened for early cancer detection. Elderly cancer patients present problems not only because of their primary disease, but also because of comorbidity, reduced functional reserve, and diminished social support. Because of this combination of factors many of them need the specially skilled nursing care available in special units. 304 elderly cancer patients were admitted to our "skilled nursing division" of 156 beds during the 6 years 1987-1992. They represented 16% of all admissions and their average age was 78 +/- 0.4 (SD). Mean survival after admission was 4.1 +/- 0.4 months. In the 143 men it was 3.1 +/- 0.4 months and in the 161 women, significantly longer, 4.9 +/- 0.5. The most common location in men was colorectal (22.6%), followed by prostate (16%), while in women it was breast (25.4%), followed by colorectal (16.0%). The longest survival was for women with breast cancer (9.1 +/- 1.3 months) and the shortest for women with gastric cancer (1.9 +/- 0.6). On admission 81% had more than 1 comorbid condition: 91% had restricted mobility, 215 urinary incontinence and 12% various kinds of stomas. Serious conditions were urinary tract infections in 40%, sepsis 20%, pneumonia 12%, gastrointestinal bleeding 10% and bedsores in 7%. 77% needed intravenous fluids and/or drugs for infections, 50% narcotics for analgesia, 27% nasogastric tubes, 20% blood transfusions, 6% debridement, and 5% paracentesis. The elderly with cancer are the most difficult long term patients to treat, since their conditions are dynamic, continuously deteriorating, and they require intensive medical, nursing and psychological care.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Establishment of a new lung sarcoma cell line from a human lung carcinosarcoma.

A cell-line (UACC 2561), was established from a biopsy specimen of a lung carcinosarcoma. The patient had Stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Characterization of this cell line revealed highly aneuploid cells containing multiple clonal chromosome alterations with growth in nude mice within 3 weeks following subcutaneous injection. The cell line UACC 2561 stained positive for vimentin and displayed resistance to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents. Polymerase chain reaction followed by single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis revealed the presence of a K-ras 12 codon mutation. This mutation was confirmed by mutation specific PCR analysis for mutant K-ras alleles and direct DNA sequencing to be a GGT to GTT at codon 12 of the K-ras gene. Examination by PCR-SSCP for p53 mutations did not reveal any point mutations in exon 5-8 of the p53 gene. This relatively rare cell line may represent a useful model to investigate human lung sarcomas.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Nasogastric tubes in geriatric patients].

The nasogastric tube (NGT) not only provides nutritional support, but is also an effective diagnostic and therapeutic aid. We present the profile of the geriatric patient who needs the NGT, the reasons for its use, and mortality in these patients. 25 women (aged 83.9 +/- 5.5) and 25 men (aged 79 +/- 7.7) required the NGT, 15 of them only temporarily (TNGT) and 35 permanently (PNGT). The percentage of those with chronic neurologic disorders and/or incontinence (fecal or urinary), was highest in the PNGT group, as was the number of drugs used per patient (4.2 +/- 1.8 vs. 2.9 +/- 1.4). Laboratory studies showed no differences between the groups. PNGT was used in those whose conditions were chronic and progressive (inability to swallow or not sufficiently alert for oral nutrition). TNGT was used commonly as a diagnostic or therapeutic aid. During the study 20 patients died (40%), all in the PNGT group. Pneumonia was the main cause of death (18%), followed by decubitus ulcer (14%) and urinary tract infections (8%).

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Isolated tuberculous pericarditis still exists: a case history.

A fifty-four-year-old woman from a high socioeconomic class developed acute isolated tuberculous pericarditis, three years after her sister had recovered from such disease. She was treated successfully by a triple drug regimen including isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol.

Drug Therapy, Combination↗
PubMed1993

A variant of Noonan's syndrome: a case history.

The authors describe a variant of Noonan's syndrome hitherto undescribed. The special findings in this case were anomalous origin of the aortic arch vessels and focal glomerulonephritis.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1992

Tissue culture of epithelial cells from esophageal specialized columnar epithelium (Barrett's esophagus).

A procedure is described for the tissue culture of epithelial cells from Barrett's specialized columnar epithelium. The method employs use of nonenzymatic disaggregation techniques and use of a specialized growth medium, M-19. Successful growth can be achieved in 60-70% of cases. Characteristics of four cultures are presented including PAS, Alcian blue, and cytokeratin staining properties. Ultrastructural studies showed the presence of distended rough endoplasmic reticulum, abundant Golgi apparatus, glycogen granules, and cell-cell junctional complexes. Colony formation in anchorage-independent growth in soft agar was not observed in any culture. The cultured cells were not capable of indefinite growth. Thus, they do not behave as fully transformed cells. Availability of this culture system should be of use to the study of the biology of this metaplastic premalignant lesion.

Barrett Esophagus↗