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Biomedical subjects

H L Hall

Publications and source records attributed to H L Hall.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantification of the Brückner test for strabismus.

PURPOSE: To measure quantitatively the change in the coaxial fundus reflex with varying degrees of ocular misalignment. METHODS: The coaxial fundus reflex was imaged with a charge coupled device camera under conditions of simulated ocular misalignment ranging from 0 degrees to 7 degrees of fixation eccentricity. The effects of refractive error and pupil size were controlled. Average gray scale brightness values were calculated for each bright pupil image after some image processing was performed on the raw images. RESULTS: A reliable, sharply delineated, minimum brightness at foveal fixation was observed. CONCLUSIONS: It is estimated that this technique can be automated to detect the presence of 2 degrees to 3 degrees of ocular misalignment based on the difference in brightness of the bright pupil images between the two eyes.

Adult

The triple option choice: self-selection bias in traditional coverage, HMOs, and PPOs.

Health care costs and utilization by salaried employees and their dependents at a large self-insured midwestern industrial manufacturing corporation were analyzed for the year before employees were first offered a triple option choice. Members had the option of retaining traditional Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) coverage or switching to either a number of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) or a number of preferred provider organizations (PPOs). Members who switched to HMOs or PPOs were generally younger and had lower average expenses and utilization rates than those who retained the traditional BCBSM plan. The results suggest that a selection bias does occur in this population, as lower cost members were more attracted to the HMOs and PPOs than were more expensive members. Implications for the corporation as well as for the drive toward managed care alternatives are discussed.

Age Factors

Vibrio cincinnatiensis sp. nov., a new human pathogen.

A halophilic gram-negative rod was isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid collected from a 70-year-old male having no known contact with seafood or salt water. Positive biochemical tests included oxidase, sensitivity to 0/129, O-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside, lysine decarboxylase and fermentation of glucose, salicin, n-inositol, sucrose, L-mannose, L-arabinose, and arbutin. Negative tests included indole, ornithine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase fermentation of lactose, and production of gelatinase and urease. The DNA base composition was 45.0 mol% guanine plus cytosine. Numerical taxonomy indicated 70% similarity with known reference Vibrio sp. strains. The 5S rRNA sequence for this strain has been determined: 5'-U G C C U G G C G A C C A U A G C G U U U U G G A C C C A C C U G A U U C C A U G C C G A A C U C A G U A G U G A A A C G A A A C A G C G U C G A U G G U A G U G U G G G G U C U C C C C A U G U G A G A G U A G A A C A U C G C C A G G C A U-3'. Based on the phenetic, molecular genetic, and nucleic acid sequencing data, it is concluded that Vibrio cincinnatiensis represents a new species of the genus Vibrio sensu strictu (as defined by 5S rRNA sequencing results). On a basis of 5S rRNA comparative sequence analysis, the organism appears to share a recent common ancestor with V. gazogenes (98% homology) and close ancestry with V. mimicus, V. fluvialis, and V. metschnikovii.

Aged