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Biomedical subjects

G Weinberg

Publications and source records attributed to G Weinberg.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Observation of atomic steps on single crystal surfaces by a commercial scanning electron microscope.

Atomic steps on (111) and (100) crystal surfaces of Pt were observed using a commercial scanning electron microscope (SEM) in secondary electron mode. By comparing the SEM images and those by reflection electron microscopy (REM), the observed contrast was confirmed to be that from atomic steps on crystal surfaces. The contrast mechanism is briefly discussed. One application of this imaging technique is also shown.

Gold

Necrotizing enterocolitis in infancy.

The most common gastrointestinal emergency in the newborn is necrotizing enterocolitis. Premature babies are the most likely victims, but it also occurs in full-term infants. Although great strides have been made in elucidating some of the factors responsible for necrotizing enterocolitis, such as intestinal ischemia, bacterial overgrowth, and feeding dysfunction, the exact etiology is as yet unclear. The timing and indications for surgery differ from institution to institution, but the long-term outcome is similar in most large series. The overall mortality rate remains about 20% to 40%, and of the survivors, about one half seem to have no sequelae, the remaining infants having neurologic and gastrointestinal deficits of various degrees of significance.

Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous

Duodenal atresia presenting as hematemesis in a premature infant with Down syndrome. Case report and review of the literature.

Congenital duodenal obstruction, a common complication of Down syndrome, most often presents as neonatal bilious vomiting. We report the first premature infant with Down syndrome whose duodenal atresia presented with a massive hematemesis secondary to duodenitis. Since a plain radiograph of the abdomen is diagnostic in the case of duodenal obstruction, it should be included in the diagnostic workup of hematemesis in newborn infants.

Down Syndrome

The irreducible ovary: a true emergency.

The management of a child with an irreducible ovary remains inconsistent in pediatric surgical centers. An informal survey of senior pediatric surgeons and an extensive review of the literature showed a prevailing view that the trapped ovary is not at significant risk of vascular compromise. Two recent cases prompted a review of our experience from 1984 to 1989, during which 1,699 children with inguinal hernias underwent operation, 386 (23%) of whom were girls. Fifteen girls (4%) had irreducible ovaries present at the time of operation and in 4 of the 15 (27%) the ovary was twisted and infarcted. Two of the 4 girls were known to have an irreducible ovary prior to the day of operation--1 was noted 2 months earlier and 1 was noted 1 month earlier. At the time of the initial diagnosis, neither patient had physical findings of vascular compromise of the ovary. In the other two girls, evidence of an infarcted ovary was present when the hernia was first diagnosed and an emergency operation was performed. A 27% incidence of torsion and strangulation of irreducible ovaries appears to be high, but reports of strangulated ovaries have been reported in 2% to 33% of other series. The normal anatomy is altered when an ovary is trapped in a hernia sac, and these changes make torsion more likely. Although an irreducible ovary is not at great risk of compression of its blood supply, this report identifies a significant risk of torsion. This risk warrants treating the asymptomatic irreducible ovary as any other incarcerated hernia--as a true emergency.

Emergencies

Idiopathic intestinal perforations in the newborn: an increasingly common entity.

Between 1982 and 1987 seven neonates ranging in age from 24 hours to 1 week were treated for idiopathic intestinal perforations at the Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Four of the infants were born prematurely; three were full term. Five were being treated in an intensive care nursery when the perforation was diagnosed. All infants whose perforations were due to necrotizing enterocolitis, appendicitis, Hirschsprung's disease, meconium ileus, intestinal atresias, or drug therapy are excluded from the series. None of the infants had associated anomalies. The sites of the perforations were as follows: two in the jejunum, two in the ileum, one in the cecum, and two in the transverse colon. Six of the perforations were on the antimesenteric aspect of the bowel; one was on the mesenteric aspect. The sizes of the perforations ranged from pinhole to 1 cm in diameter. All the infants did well. Pathologic examination of the resected specimens failed to reveal an etiology for the perforations. There were no cases of duplication or muscular hypoplasia. We believe the etiology of this condition may be ischemic necrosis, secondary to a localized vascular accident in the wall of the affected viscus, but we do not have a good explanation for the upsurge in cases we are seeing.

Colonic Diseases

A new scale for the assessment of functional status in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Assessment of the functional competencies of patients with dementia is typically conducted in an indirect manner. Psychological tests of cognition or descriptions by relatives or other caregivers are often used to make judgments as to the patient's ability to adapt to the demands of the environment. However, these methods have built-in biases. The need for direct assessment of functional status was addressed by developing a standardized operational procedure to examine areas of functional competence which may become impaired in Alzheimer's disease and other related memory disorders. The resulting instrument has high interrater and test-retest reliabilities. Convergent validity is evidenced by significant correlations between the scale and established measures of functional status. Patients with Alzheimer's disease exhibited deficits in functional capacities relative to age-equivalent normal controls and to elderly patients with a primary major depression.

Activities of Daily Living

Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring in shock and resuscitation.

Transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2), arterial oxygen tension, pulse, blood pressure, cardiac output and base excess or deficit were serially measured in 18 piglets, 7 to 14 days of age, subjected to a 35% hemorrhage and reinfusion of shed blood. Eight of 18 pigs died. There is a strong correlation between TcPO2 and PaO2 during normal flow, but a marked discrepancy develops during hemorrhage. Cardiac output, base deficit, and TcPO2 all follow a similar pattern during hemorrhage, but TcPO2 decreases more rapidly and remains at a low level in the nonsurviving animals. TcPO2, therefore, appears to be a sensitive, noninvasive indicator of low flow and the adequacy of resuscitation.

Animals

Evaluation study of the exploratory visit: an innovative outreach activity of the ILGWU's friendly visiting program.

The exploratory visit to recent retirees, an outreach component of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union Friendly Visiting Program, was evaluated during a ten month period beginning in September 1973. An operations analysis found that need identifying activities of Friendly Vistors by type of service need. A post-test only control group effect study revealed exploratory visits were effective in establishing a link between the program and the retiree although they had no significant impact on the retirees' service needs.

Aged