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Biomedical subjects

I L Spar

Publications and source records attributed to I L Spar.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of debt level on the residency preferences of graduating medical students.

BACKGROUND: The increased educational indebtedness of graduating medical students has led to speculation about the effects of students' debt levels on their choices of practice specialties as evidenced by their residency preferences. METHOD: Information was analyzed for 1,658 medical students who graduated from six private medical schools in 1988, 1989, and 1990; 1,431 of these students had educational debts. Chi-square analysis was used to compare the 1,431 students' average levels of indebtedness with their selections of residencies leading to specialties with higher or lower potential incomes. For this analysis, the students were grouped into four clusters based on the potential incomes of their specialty preferences. In addition, various subgroups, i.e., men, women, need-based scholarship recipients, and underrepresented-minority students, were also studied. RESULTS: For all the students, there was no relationship among their average levels of indebtedness and their specialty preferences. Similar results were obtained for all the subgroups--men, women, underrepresented-minority students, and scholarship recipients. However, the women students tended to have higher levels of indebtedness than the men. CONCLUSION: The results do not support the hypothesis that debt level is a determining factor among the variables that influence choices of residency by graduating medical students.

Career Choice↗

Technetium Tc 99m plasmin in the diagnosis of inflammatory disease.

The localization characteristics of technetium Tc 99m plasmin were studied in experimental animals to investigate the use of 99mTc-plasmin for imaging inflammatory processes. At various times after abscess induction using turpentine in rats, the in vivo distribution properties of 99mTc-plasmin, gallium citrate Ga 67, 125I-fibrinogen, and 99mTc-human serum albumin (HSA) were studied by gamma-camera imaging. The in vivo binding of each radiopharmaceutical was also tested in rat and human plasma clots. Region-of-interest analyses of gamma-camera images showed relatively poor 99mTc-plasmin localization at sites of abscess formation. The ratio of abscess-to-control activity of this radiopharmaceutical did not exceed that of 67Ga, 125I-fibrinogen, or 99mTc-HSA. In vitro assays of each of the radiopharmaceuticals in plasma clots showed 99mTc-plasmin and 125I-fibrinogen to have the best localization characteristics.

Abscess↗

Oxidative iodine monochloride iodination technique.

The iodine monochloride (IC1) technique is used to radiolabel proteins under mild experimental conditions. Proteins labeled by this technique have been shown to have both in vitro in vivo characteristics often superior to those proteins labeled by the more frequently used chloramine-T method. Although first published more than two decades ago, use of the IC1 technique has largely been superceded by other more recently developed iodination methods. This paper attempts to reintroduce th oxidative IC1 method to the research community. This is accomplished by the presentation of a detailed protocol for a convenient modification of the original technique. A review of the qualities of the iodinated proteins produced by the IC1 and other iodination methods is also discussed.

Humans↗

An immunologic approach to tumor imaging.

There seems little doubt that the ability to prepare antibodies with a unique specificity for surface tumor antigens will have a tremendous usefulness in the diagnostic and therapeutics of cancer. This usefulness will be wide-ranged when the antibodies are labeled with radioisotopes as tools for screening for primary lesions to determine the presence and location of metastases. Therapeutically, such preparations can be used to deliver high doses of radiation to specific areas, as carriers of chemotherapeutic drugs, as well as take advantage of the intrinsic cytotoxicity of such materials. The major problem preventing general application is the production and purification of the tumor-specific antigen which can be used to prepare subsequent reactive antisera. Intensive efforts are going on into research in this area as well as the preparation and problems inherent with using specific antibodies on a diagnostic and therapeutic basis. Present research indicates that the former problem may be resolved reasonably soon and it is felt that this will lead to successful diagnostic and therapeutic tools. The various studies and problems are presented in this review in relation to their ultimate potential clinical usefulness.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗