Systematic approach shortest route to security incidence resolution.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D Sobel.
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BACKGROUND: After curative resection for pancreatic cancer, only 10% of patients survive disease for 5 years. These dismal results suggest the presence of occult tumor at the time of initial operation. This phase I/II study was conducted to compare traditional exploratory laparotomy with radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) in the assessment of disseminated pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Ten patients with the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were injected intravenously with 1 mg CC49 monoclonal antibody radiolabeled with 2 mCi iodine 125. All patients were evaluated by a standard abdominal exploration followed by RIGS. Tumor identified by each technique was documented and categorized as neoplasm disseminated to viscera or lymphatics. RESULTS: There were 25 visceral sites of disease that were traditionally discovered at the time of exploration including pancreas, omentum, small bowel, pelvis, liver, and other. All 25 sites of disease were positive by RIGS plus an additional four sites of visceral tumor for a total of 29 RIGS positive sites of disease. Six lymphatic sites of disease were discovered by traditional examination; however, 44 sites of lymphatic sites were documented by RIGS (p < 0.001). In addition, nine traditionally and pathologically negative/RIGS positive nodes were subjected to cytokeratin and MOC 31 immunohistochemistry. Six of nine nodes were positive by cytokeratin immunohistochemistry, and five of the six cytokeratin positive nodes were MOC 31 positive. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the RIGS technique detected significantly more foci of visceral spread of tumor than traditional exploratory laparotomy and significantly more sites of lymphatic dissemination were identified by RIGS than by standard exploration.
Nonlinear analyses of infant heart rhythms reveal a marked rise in the complexity of the electrocardiogram with maturation. We find that normal mature infants (gestation greater than or equal to 35 weeks) have complex and distinctly nonlinear heart rhythms (consistent with recent reports for healthy adults) but that such nonlinearity is lacking in preterm infants (gestation > or = to 27 weeks) where parasympathetic-sympathetic interaction and function are presumed to be less well developed. Our study further shows that infants with clinical brain death and those treated with atropine exhibit a similar lack of nonlinear feedback control. These three lines of evidence support the hypothesis championed by Goldberger et al. [Goldberger, A.L., Rigney, D.R. & West, B.J. (1990) Sci. Am. 262, 43-49] that autonomic nervous system control underlies the nonlinearity and possible chaos of normal heart rhythms. This report demonstrates the acquisition of nonlinear heart rate dynamics and possible chaos in developing human infants and its loss in brain death and with the administration of atropine. It parallels earlier work documenting changes in the variability of heart rhythms in each of these cases and suggests that nonlinearity may provide additional power in characterizing physiological states.
OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated a nurse-managed smoking cessation program for smokers hospitalized for a variety of conditions. METHODS: Hospitalized patients who smoked prior to hospitalization and who were motivated to quit (n = 660) were randomized to intervention or usual-care groups and followed for the next year. The intervention included a meeting with the nurse-case manager; the use of a videotape, workbook, relaxation audiotape, and nicotine replacement therapy; and nurse-initiated phone contacts after discharge. RESULTS: The 12-month confirmed cessation rates were 21% and 31% for, respectively, the usual-care and intervention groups (odds ratio = 1.7; 95% confidence interval = 1.1, 2.3). CONCLUSIONS: A nurse-managed smoking cessation intervention can significantly increase cessation rates for hospitalized patients.
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The use of medical services is a function of several interacting psychological and social variables as well as a function of physical malfunction. The clinical significance of addressing patients' psychosocial issues has only occasionally been considered. However, the shift in health care economics toward health care maintenance is responsible for the increased interest in interventions in the domain of behavioral medicine and health psychology. Evidence is reviewed for 6 mechanistic pathways by which behavioral interventions can maximize clinical care and result in significant economic benefits. The rationale for further integration of behavioral and biomedicine interventions is also reviewed.
Neuromagnetic fields were evoked by tactile stimuli and detected with a multi-channel biomagnetometer through 72 independent repetitive measurements on a single subject. Each measurement consisted of a somatosensory evoked response (N = 256 stimuli) using a single probe placement. These fields were then analyzed for source localization using an equivalent current dipole model and demonstrated highly reliable localizations. The 3 major neuromagnetic somatosensory response components peaking at 35, 65 and 110 msec all localized to the same area of cortex. The relative contributions of intrinsic brain activity, habituation, probe placement, and choice of fiduciary points for headframe determination were quantified. Intrinsic factors were found to constitute the major source of inter-measurement error. Sources localized by magnetic source imaging (MSI) appeared valid relative to neuroanatomical estimation of the central fissure on MRI. Non-invasive presurgical biomagnetic localization of somatosensory cortex produces reliable and valid functional localizations which can be of potential value in risk assessment and may provide a useful guide for invasive functional mapping.
The measles-specific antibody responses of seronegative adolescents and young adults were evaluated after revaccination. Of 1650 previously vaccinated healthy volunteers between the ages of 10 and 30 years, 4.4% were found to be seronegative for measles antibodies and 9.9% had equivocal titers. Seronegative volunteers were revaccinated to measles and followed serially for development of measles-specific IgG. Of 43 subjects followed for at least 1 year, only 58% developed and maintained positive antibody titers; 12% never developed positive titers and 30% initially developed titers that fell below positive levels within 1 year. The peak titers achieved by those subjects who responded transiently were lower than those achieved by subjects who developed sustained responses. Thus even after the recommended two dose schedule of the current measles vaccine, some adolescents and young adults lack protective titers of measles-specific antibody.
Neuromagnetic fields were recorded from human subjects as they listened selectively to sequences of rapidly presented tones in one ear while ignoring tones of a different pitch in the opposite ear. Tones in the attended ear evoked larger magnetic brain responses than did unattended tones in the latency ranges 20-50 msec and 80-130 msec poststimulus. Source localization techniques in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging placed the neural generators of these early attention-sensitive brain responses in auditory cortex on the supratemporal plane. These data demonstrate that focused auditory attention in humans can selectively modulate sensory processing in auditory cortex beginning as early as 20 msec poststimulus, thereby providing strong evidence for an "early selection" mechanism of auditory attention that can regulate auditory input at or before the initial stages of cortical analysis.
Fourteen patients diagnosed as having thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura (TTP) were studied. Those who survived have been followed during a 1 to 7 year period. The clinical diagnosis was based on changing neurological findings, thrombocytopenia and evidence of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. Laboratory tests included the determination of von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF:Ag), ristocetin cofactor (RiCof) and the electrophoretic mobility of von Willebrand factor (CIE VWF:Ag). The ratio of RiCof to VWF:Ag was then calculated. Control individuals included healthy subjects and patients with thrombocytopenia of several etiologies. Statistical differences between the values of RiCof, the ratio of RiCof:VWF:Ag and the CIE of VWF:Ag were found for samples comparing active disease and remission phase. The recovery from thrombocytopenia paralleled the correction of abnormal parameters. Similarly, significant differences were found when above parameters were compared between thrombocytopenia of TTP with other thrombocytopenic states. We suggest that these abnormal tests could be useful in distinguishing TTP from other disorders, and may have prognostic significance in patients already diagnosed as having TTP.
In a double-blind clinical trial the effects of a single dose of reconstituted bovine surfactant ('Surfactant TA') were assessed in 30 premature infants (birthweight 751-1750 g) with severe hyaline membrane disease. 17 infants had a sonicated saline suspension of 100 mg/kg surfactant phospholipid instilled into the trachea at 5.0 (SD 0.7) hours of age and 13 infants received saline by the same route at 4.3 (1.1) hours of age. In the surfactant-treated group there was early improvement in oxygenation and ventilation. Haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus occurred more often in the surfactant group; pneumothorax and pulmonary interstitial emphysema occurred less often. The combined incidence of death and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia was significantly lower in the surfactant group (3/17) than in the placebo group (9/13).
Cortical language areas were identified by CT scan or NMR imaging, using planes of horizontal sections parallel to the orbitomeatal plane and therefore indirectly to the bicommissural plane. Sections 45 and 50 mm above the bicommissural plane pass electively through temporal structures i.e. the posterior part of T1 and T2, while sections at 60 and 70 mm pass through the angular gyrus and supramarginal gyrus.
New lesions were shown by Tc99m bone scans to have developed in sixty patients with known metastatic cancer or high-risk primary cancer and normal neurologic examinations; they were further evaluated with plain radiographs, spinal computed tomography (CT), and CT myelography (CT-M) according to an algorithm. Three groups were identified based on plain radiographs: group 1 (normal radiograph), group 2 (compression fracture as indicated by radiograph), group 3 (evidence of metastasis as indicated by radiograph). In group 1 (n = 18), spinal CT revealed that 33% of the patients had benign disease and 67%, metastases; epidural compression was seen in 25% of the patients with metastasis as indicated by CT-M. In group 2 (n = 26), CT-M disclosed that 38% had a benign compression fracture and 62% had metastases and that 63% of the patients with metastases had an epidural compression. In group 3 (n = 16), spinal CT revealed that 15 patients had metastases (one patient had benign disease). Epidural cord compression was seen in 47% of the patients with metastatic disease. In all groups, the presence of cortical bone discontinuity around the neural canal (seen in 31 patients) was highly associated with epidural compression (seen in 20 patients). Our approach allowed the early and accurate diagnosis of spinal metastasis and epidural tumor as well as the diagnosis of benign disease and was useful in planning optimal local therapy.
A retrospective review of twenty-five normal MRI brain studies performed with the spin-echo technique focused special attention on the ventricular and extraventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and revealed unique signal intensity characteristics in the two locations. In addition, MRI studies of ten patients with abnormal extraaxial fluid collections either missed with CT or indistinguishable from CSF on CT images were also analyzed. MRI is more sensitive when compared to CT in evaluating the composition of CSF. Unique signal intensity characterizes the two major CSF compartments and presumably reflects their known but subtle difference in protein concentration (10-15 mg%). Normal variant or abnormal developmental fluid collections can be better characterized with MRI than with CT. These preliminary observations are offered in view of their implications for patient management and suggest further investigation.
We have compared the accuracy of magnetic resonance scanning (MRI) versus computed tomography (CT) in the differentiation of lateral orbital masses. The MRI results did not improve our ability to accurately diagnose malignant epithelial and lymphoid tumors.
Fifty-one pediatric patients who were suspected of having central nervous system (CNS) tumors underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using a 0.35 T Diasonics MT/S system. Pulse intervals (TR) ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 seconds with echo delays (TE) of 28 and 56 msec. The ability of MR and contrast-enhanced CT to detect focal lesions, determine lesion extent, and evaluate associated abnormalities was compared. In most patients in whom there was suspected spinal cord disease, comparison with myelography was made. Thirty-three intracranial lesions were detected with at least one imaging modality in 43 cranial examinations. MR was judged superior to CT in 14 of these cases and CT superior to MR in only one. Of eight spinal examinations, there were six that demonstrated abnormal findings. MR was superior to CT in all six cases and better than myelography in four of five cases where myelography was performed. Spin echo (SE) sequences with long pulse intervals were the most sensitive, but in some cases short pulse intervals permitted further characterization of the lesion. Patient motion was not a problem; sedation was routinely used in children younger than five years of age. MR imaging has rapidly become a valuable diagnostic modality in neuroradiology. The lack of ionizing radiation and the ability to evaluate the spinal cord noninvasively makes it particularly attractive in examination of children.
Seventy consecutive patients were examined with magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) of the brain. Each study was independently reviewed. Focal abnormalities were detected by one or both modalities in 51 patients. Neoplastic, infectious, vascular, demyelinating, metabolic, and congenital disorders of the brain were included. The MR pulse sequence that best detected these abnormalities was a spin-echo multisection technique that used a long interval between RF excitations (TR = 1500 or 2000 msec). Forty-eight of 51 patients showed focal lesions with this technique. A supplementary MR pulse sequence with a short TR (500 msec) was useful in helping to characterize certain lesions with a long T1 relaxation component, but in 10 of 26 positive cases in which this sequence was added it would have missed the abnormality had it been the sole sequence used. MR missed focal lesions in 3 of 51 patients. These were lesions that required thin-section (1.5 mm) CT techniques. Two were intrasellar, and one was an intracanalicular neurinoma. In 17 of 48 patients, CT missed the focal lesion seen with MR. Based on this experience, it is concluded that the long TR multisection spin-echo sequence is the optimal MR screening technique for detection of most brain abnormalities, and is more sensitive than CT. Currently, CT remains the screening modality of choice when high-resolution, thin-section studies in the pituitary, inner ear, and orbital regions are indicated.
Anterior pituitaries from normal rats were enzymatically dispersed and placed into monolayer cell culture in order to determine if and how angiotensin II (Ang II) mediates the in vitro release of ACTH and other pituitary hormones. Ang II stimulated ACTH secretion in a time dependent fashion. This release occurred at physiologic concentrations of Ang II and was linearly correlated with the log dose of Ang II. One hour pretreatment of the cells with cycloheximide, a inhibitor of protein synthesis, significantly decreased the cellular ACTH secretory response to Ang II. Ang 11 did not mediate the release of LH nor of ADH, a proposed stimulator of ACTH secretion.