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Biomedical subjects

H Goldmann

Publications and source records attributed to H Goldmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Cortical gray matter loss in treatment-naïve alcohol dependent individuals.

BACKGROUND: Most studies of the impact of alcohol dependence on the brain have examined individuals in treatment. Such samples represent a small proportion of alcoholics in the general population. Such samples may embody a bias (Berkson's fallacy) if the association between variables (for example, alcoholism and cortical gray matter loss) differs between the population of alcoholics in treatment and alcoholics in the general population. Our objective was to determine if treatment-naïve alcoholics show structural brain changes versus controls and to compare our findings with reports evaluating alcoholic samples drawn from treatment populations. METHODS: Structural MRI was used to assess whole brain and regional volumes of cortical gray matter and white matter in 24 young to middle-aged treatment-naïve alcohol-dependent males versus 17 controls. RESULTS: Cortical gray matter volumes in alcohol-dependent individuals were negatively associated with age and lifetime duration of alcohol use (which were highly confounded). These subjects showed reduced whole brain (p < 0.05), prefrontal (p < 0.01), and parietal (p < 0.05) cortical gray matter compared with controls. White matter and temporal cortex, tissues that usually show volume reductions in samples drawn from treatment, did not differ between treatment-naïve alcoholics and controls (all p > 0.40). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that structural brain changes in treatment-naïve alcoholics are less severe than those reported in clinical samples of alcoholics, perhaps due to less concomitant psychopathology and a reduced severity of alcoholism in treatment-naïve alcoholics. However, caution must be taken when comparing our findings with results from clinical samples, as we did not directly compare treatment-naïve alcoholics with treated alcoholics and our treatment-naïve sample tended to be younger than the (clinical) samples reported in the literature. Nevertheless, we suggest that most of the reports of the central nervous system consequences of alcoholism may not accurately describe the majority of alcoholic-dependent individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Quantitative studies in stereochronoscopy (Sc): application to the disc in glaucoma. I. Phenomenology.

In some details our standard procedure of stereochronoscopic disc picture-taking has been improved. For clinical use (demonstration of a change in the disc surface) a semi-quantitative evaluation with a stereoscope is generally sufficient. For a more accurate and quantitative analysis a flicker comparator is used. A graphical or numerical display of the results allows the follow-up of changes at a given location on the disc over any time interval, e.g. several years in glaucoma simplex, if pictures are taken every 2-4 months. Characteristic curve courses result, of which we describe (1) to and fro movement of the position of a given object on the disc, "papillary unrest" (2) progression of parallax, and (3) "events". The difficulty of judging the efficacy of a therapy is made evident. Here stereochronoscopy should prove to be useful when employed in the form of control charts.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Quantitative studies in stereochronoscopy (Sc): application to the disc in glaucoma. II. Statistical evaluation.

The statistical method of control charts applied to quantitative stereochronoscopy of the disc in glaucoma enables differentiation of cases of to and fro displacements of disc elements ("papillary unrest") from continuous or discontinuous progression. In all cases of discontinuities we are obliged to search for their cause. The control chart method helps to determine the approximate time of incidence of these events. Stereochronoscopy should be well adapted to supervise treated glaucoma cases.

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMed1981

On stereochronoscopy.

Stereochrono-phenomena (SCP:s), i.e. changes of the surface configuration of the disc with time, are found in various fundus diseases, not only in glaucoma. If SCP:s exist in a glaucoma case, other fundus diseases have to be excluded before the SCP:s can be attributed to glaucoma. If in a case under observation no SCP occurs within an appropriate time interval (say 1 year), then either there is no glaucoma (in a glaucoma-suspect) or the antiglaucomatous therapy applied was efficient (in a case of definite glaucoma). In some cases, different sites on the disc show unrelated apparent movements of surface elements, not only in different directions but also increasing and decreasing with time. The term 'papillary unrest' is suggested for this phenomenon.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1980

Retinal visual acuity in cataractous eyes. Determination with interference fringes.

When visual acuity, as assessed by interference fringes before and after cataract surgery, is compared without regard to the stage of the disease, the correlation is much higher than for preoperative and postoperative letter acuity but is still rather moderate (about 0.4 to 0.5). If, however, the cases are classified according to the visibility of the red fundus reflex, those with a readily visible reflex result in a correlation as high as r = .85, whereas those with a considerably diminished reflex range much lower, and those with a mature or almost mature cataract become erratic. In these examinations it is preferable to ask the patient to indicate only the direction of the fringes, since this criterion was found to be better defined than fringe visibility.

Cataract↗
PubMed1980

[Stereochronoscopy].

If fundus photographs are taken at different times under strictly observed conditions of centering, temporal changes of the disk surface can rapidly be detected by stereoscopic methods. In glaucoma (early or late stages) such changes are found earlier than by routine perimetry. Hence, the onset of glaucoma can more easily be distinguished from real ocular hypertension, and success of therapy can be judged more accurately than by visual field determinations.

Glaucoma↗
PubMed1979

Rapid detection of changes in the optic disc: stereochronoscopy. III. Retinal venous pulse as an interfering factor.

In the evaluation of stereochronoscopic pairs of fundus pictures (Sc) venous pulse is an interfering factor. Visual observation and photography show that when a magnification of 15x is used, as in our case, venous pulse is seen only at the emerging part of the big veins and in their immediate neighborhood, whereas veins of 100 microns diameter or less show no pulsation. Over relatively short time intervals (some minutes) the temporal course of venous pulse in terms of vessel width is a more or less periodic phenomenon; for longer periods (months) a study is underway. In the majority of cases the filling state of pulsating veins seems to reach a minimum shortly after the R peak of the ECG. An investigation as to whether the interference of venous pulse can be reduced by coupling the camera flash to the R peak has been begun. However, for the time being, it appears that the best method is to pass over the pulsating vessel parts, and to observe Sc effects only in the small vessels, when Sc evaluation is applied. Statistics show that venous pulse is significantly more frequent in suspected and early glaucoma subjects (T greater than 21 mm appl.) than in healthy subjects. We feel that with the methods proposed all conditions pertaining to an extensive follow-up of ocular hypertension and early glaucoma cases are now established.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Rapid detection of changes in the optic disc: stereochronoscopy. II. Evaluation technique, influence of some physiologic factors, and follow-up of a case of choked disc.

A simple device for viewing stereochronoscopic (Sc) picture pairs under any azimuth is described. The influence of pulse, irradiation, time, and ocular pressure on disc configuration of some healthy and affected subjects is investigated. To test the sensitivity of Sc as compared to that of conventional steroscopy (St), a case of choked disc in which pictures of both kinds had been taken was followed up. This material also served to test 10 observers as to their ability to detect St and Sc effects in fundus pictures. Despite good stereo vision in all observers as tested by the Titmus charts, considerable differences were found in the analysis of fundus pictures. Detailed instruction resulted in improved results. Two cases of glaucoma simplex incipiens are presented in which a change of disc configuration could be detected by SC while ocular pressure and visual field remained normal in one case and did not change in the other.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Temporal change of the disc in normal adults (author's transl)].

We have recently proposed a procedure called stereochronoscopy which allows the detection of temporal changes in the disc by stereoscopic observation of exactly centered fundus pictures. We show that this procedure can also be applied in a slightly modified form to fundus pictures that are not specially centered, although with less precision. Using this technique we were able to show on material covering 10 years (50 eyes) that the discs of healthy adults do not as a rule change over a period of at least 8 years. This is valid for observation of the pictures with an overall magnification of X 14.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Rapid detection of changes in the optic disc: stereo-chronoscopy.

Easy detection of temporal variations of tissue configurations within the optic disc or other structures is possible by means of stereoscopy: Stereochronoscopy. Photographic pictures of the papilla are taken from time to time at exactly the same angle; when any two of them are paired and viewed with a stereoscope, temporal form changes immediately show up as stereo effects (Schirmer [2]). Since continuing glaucomatous damage cannot be diagnosed either by visual field defects or by actual c/d ratios but only by their temporal changes, this method may prove of diagnostic value.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Fluorescein in the human optic disc. II. The fluorescein appearance rate.

Automatic intravenous infusion of fluorescein with constant speed during 25 sec is followed by a gradual increase of fluorescein in the retinal arteries and in the disc tissue. The slope of this increase Sd divided by the maximum fluorescein Md in an area of the disc Sd/Md is called Fd, the same for a retinal artery is called Fr. Fr was found to be independent of intraocular pressure in the range examined (mean pressures 15--30 mm applanantion). Fd/Fr = omega, the "fluorescein appearance rate" is correlated to the linear velocity of blood in the capillaries of the observed disc area and hence to its circulation. omega was found to be diminished in 6 out of 9 cases with ocular tension between 26 and 38 mm applanation, but not in 3 cases. It was not diminished in 4 cases with 22-25 mm applanation. Further studies are necessary to elucidate these findings suggesting some adaptation of disc circulation to intraocular pressure but not proving it: fluorescence from vessels behind the lamina cribrosa has the tendency to seemingly "normalise" omega.

Adult↗