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Biomedical subjects

J Abramson

Publications and source records attributed to J Abramson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Space proton flux and the temporal distribution of cardiovascular deaths.

The influence of solar activity (SA) and geomagnetic activity (GMA) on human homeostasis has long been investigated. The aim of the present study was to analyse the relationship between monthly proton flux (> 90 MeV) and other SA and GMA parameters and between proton flux and temporal (monthly) distribution of total and cardiovascular-related deaths. The data from 180 months (1974-1989) of distribution in the Beilinson Campus of the Rabin Medical Centre, Israel, and of 108 months (1983-1991) from the Kaunas Medical Academy, were analysed and compared with SA, GMA and space proton flux (> 90 MeV). It was concluded: (1) monthly levels of SA, GMA and radiowave propagation (Fof2) are significantly and adversely correlated with monthly space proton flux (> 90 MeV); (2) medical-biological phenomena that increase during periods of low solar and/or geomagnetic activity may be stimulated by physical processes provoked by the concomitant increase in proton flux; (3) the monthly number of deaths related (positively or negatively) to SA are significantly and adversely related to the space proton flux (> 90 MeV).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The first report of familial adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma in the United States.

Two patients, a daughter and her father, developed the acute type of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) within a 3-month period. Antibodies against HTLV-I have been found in both wives of the father. The second wife acquired the infection from her husband within 3 years of marriage. The patients described represent the first cases of familial ATLL in the United States. ATLL continues to be frequently misdiagnosed in the United States. A positive family history consistent with this disease in a patient with a lymphoid malignancy may be a helpful clue for earlier diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A new chromosomal abnormality in a patient with acute myelomonocytic leukemia.

A new chromosomal abnormality is being presented in a patient with acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMMoL). The cytogenetic findings in this case can be described as 43, XY, t(12;17) (q12;p13), del (4) (q31), -5,-7. This patient developed a treatment-associated leukemia. The possible causal and clinical implications in such patients with unusual cytogenetic findings are stressed. In addition, basic biological as well as public health implications are discussed which are based on particular cytogenetic abnormalities.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Chromosomal abnormalities in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). A report of six cases with review of the literature.

Chromosomal studies were performed on six patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Structural abnormalities of chromosome 3 were the most common. In one case a complete loss of the short arm of chromosome 10 (10 p-) was noted while in another case a balanced translocation involving chromosome 10p and 4q was found. These abnormalities have not been previously reported. After reviewing the literature, it was concluded that chromosomes 3, 6, 10, 13, 14, and X were most frequently involved in abnormalities. Specific and consistent chromosomal abnormalities were noted in each study. Therefore, it is hypothesised that the mutation rate for this virus may be higher than first expected. Furthermore, the relative consistency of heterogeneous findings in different localities may reflect a geographic clustering of specific chromosomal abnormalities which may in turn be related to specific and geographically associated viral mutations. To support these suggestions not only are more cytogenetic data required but a molecular evaluation of these patients must be carried out to establish a relationship, if any, between genetic abnormalities and the epidemiology of ATL.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and concomitant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a patient with new chromosomal abnormality.

A case of an intravenous drug user who, over the course of less than 18 months, was diagnosed as having multiple opportunistic infections, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is presented. Cytogenetic findings on both bone marrow and lymph nodes revealed a consistent translocation involving chromosome 10 and 14 with trisomy for chromosomes 7 and 12, i.e. 48,XX,+7,+12,t(10,14) (q24;q32) in lymph node and bone marrow cells. These are abnormalities which heretofore have not been reported. Peripheral blood lymphocytes after PHA stimulation revealed a normal 46,XX karyotype. The number of reports describing cytogenetic findings in AIDS patients are limited. However, as there are a number of recurring, consistent chromosomal abnormalities in neoplasia, patients with AIDS should also be evaluated for chromosomal aberrations, especially in light of the increased number of secondary malignancies being described in such patients. It would be of great clinical importance to report as many chromosomal abnormalities as are found in this cohort of patients whose clinical outlook is so apparently poor.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Favorable effects of sulfasalazine on small bowel Crohn's disease: a long-term study.

Due to conflicting reports in the literature regarding the efficacy of sulfasalazine for Crohn's disease (CD) involving small bowel alone, we reviewed the treatment results of our systematic sulfasalazine treatment in CD over a 23-yr period. We identified 28 patients with CD of small bowel alone treated between 1 and 23 yr by means of sulfasalazine alone and who went into complete clinical remission. Of these, 12 also showed total regression of radiographic abnormalities, 12 showed partial regression, while four patients still await radiographic reexamination. While our data do not permit a precise estimate, it seems that about 25% of patients with small bowel CD respond to sulfasalazine alone. Reasons are discussed why our data are at variance with some and in accord with other reports. While our study of necessity could not be carried out in double-blind fashion, patients served as their own controls, having previously failed to respond to other treatment modalities or no treatment. We conclude that sulfasalazine should be tried in the treatment of CD of small bowel because of its relatively low toxicity and reasonably high efficacy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Competition, capitation, and case management: barriers to strategic reform.

Political support for competition, capitation, and case management in health services has come from successive Congresses and presidents. Benefits attributed to these organizational/financing strategies are consistent with society's preference for a private market approach. Yet, the promise has not been pursued in effective public policy or program. The systemic barriers to implementation of alternative delivery systems are examined in the context of Medicaid; they are neither trivial nor intractable.

Capitation Fee↗
PubMed1986

Strategies for enhancing collaboration between social workers and physicians.

Strains between the professions of medicine and social work continue to exist as a result of basic differences in histories, values and socialization processes of the two professions. This paper suggests that collaboration between them will be enhanced by the identification of social work as a resource for the physician. The concepts of negotiation and exchange are utilized as the basis for collaborative strategies by individual social workers and on the departmental level.

Female↗
PubMed1985

Human interferon alpha in malignant lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease. Results of the American Cancer Society trial.

Forty-nine patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease were entered into a multi-institutional phase II trial to evaluate the antitumor activity of human interferon alpha, prepared from buffy coats. Interferon alpha was administered intramuscularly in doses of 1 X 10(6) u, 3 X 10(6) u or 9 X 10(6) u daily for 30 days. Objective partial responses were seen in 3 of 18 patients with nodular lymphoma, all at the 9 X 10(6) u dose. Interferon alpha was not observed to be of therapeutic benefit in the other subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease. The major toxicities consisted of fatigue, fever, myalgias and weight loss. Serum interferon levels obtained 3 to 4 hours after injection varied widely, even among patients treated at the same dose level. Despite the relatively low doses of interferon used and the brief period of administration, this study extends the earlier observations of the antitumor effect of interferon in nodular lymphoma. These results are discussed in relation to the cumulative experience in human lymphoma using alpha interferons induced in human leukocytes and those produced in bacteria by recombinant DNA techniques.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Cytogenetic heterogeneity in blast crisis (BC) of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

New cytogenetic findings are reported in a patient who entered into an accelerated blastic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The cytogenetic findings of this case can be described as 46, xy, t (5;7) (q 31;q 11), t (9;22) (q 34;q 11), Ph'. The prognostic implications in such patients with rare and unusual cytogenetic findings are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Sources of strain between physicians and social workers: implications for social workers in health care settings.

This paper analyzes the sources of strain between the professions of medicine and social work. The two professions are compared in relation to (1) the organization and socialization process of professional training; (2) perspectives on patient care, illness and role of the health care professional; (3) attitudes toward knowledge and data; (4) attitudes toward and preparation for team-work; (5) perspectives on the role of the patient; (6) perceptions of social work's function.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1984

Silver ions trigger Ca2+ release by acting at the apparent physiological release site in sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Rapid Ca2+ release from Ca2+ -loaded sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles (SR) was previously shown to occur upon the addition of micromolar concentrations of heavy metals, and the extent of Ca2+ release was dependent on the binding affinity of the metal to sulfhydryl group(s) on an SR protein (Abramson, J.J., Weden, L., Trimm, J.L., and Salama, G. (1982) Biophys. J. 37, 134a; Abramson, J.J., Trimm, J.L., Weden, L., and Salama, G. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 1526). The nature of this Ca2+ release site was examined further and found to be predominantly distributed in heavy SR (HSR) rather than light SR fractions. Ag+ -induced Ca2+ release from heavy SR was blocked by local anesthetics and ruthenium red which are known to inhibit Ca2+ release in skeletal fibers and in heavy SR, respectively. The rate of Ca2+ efflux from SR triggered by Ag+ was dependent on pH, Mg2+, and ionic strength of the medium. Efflux rates increased by a factor of 4 from pH 6.0 to 7.0 and then decreased in more alkaline reaction mixtures. Efflux rates from actively or passively loaded SR increased by a factor of 2.5 with increasing Mg2+ from 0 to 1 mM and then decreased in the range of 1 to 10 mM Mg2+. ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake by SR was similar in 100 mM KCl and in 200 mM sucrose solutions, but the extent and rate of Ca2+ efflux induced by Ag+ were dramatically reduced with decreasing ionic strength of the medium. In solutions containing 5 mM Mg2+, the rate of Ca2+ efflux from heavy SR averaged over the first 1.5 s after the addition of Ag+ was 58 nmol of Ca2+/mg of SR/s, a value comparable to the fast initial rate of ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake. The maximum initial rate of Ag+ -induced Ca2+ efflux from heavy SR in 1 mM Mg2+ may be comparable to the rate of Ca2+ release and tension development in muscle fibers. Our data indicate that Ag+ reacts with a protein or proteins in the SR, probably not the (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase, to induce a rapid release of Ca2+, possibly from the physiological Ca2+ release site.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Early gastric cancer in a United States hospital.

Early gastric cancer (EGC) confined to mucosa and submucosa, described by Japanese physicians over 20 years ago, yields about 90% 5-year postoperative survival. EGC has been increasingly reported from centers outside Japan, but rarely from the United States. Between 1976-1981, EGC was found in six patients or about 8.5% of all gastric carcinomas diagnosed in our hospital. Diagnoses were established by following suspicious upper gastrointestinal series or negative x-rays in patients with dyspepsia by means of gastroscopy and gastroscopically obtained biopsies, brush, and/or wash cytology. All six patients underwent subtotal gastrectomy with histological findings of EGC not invading the muscularis and with no metastases. So far no tumor recurrences have been found in these six patients. The results suggest that EGC as defined by Japanese investigators occurs in our hospital and presumably across the United States more often than heretofore appreciated. Previous fatalistic attitudes toward diagnosing gastric cancer should be replaced by efforts at early diagnosis. Patients with symptoms suggestive of gastric carcinoma, including unexplained dyspepsia, should undergo early upper gastrointestinal x-ray and endoscopic examinations with biopsies and cytological tests of any suspicious raised, flat, or depressed area.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Bile reflux gastritis and esophagitis in patients without prior gastric surgery, with pilot study of the therapeutic effects of metoclopramide.

We reviewed our upper endoscopic records over a 27-month period, retrospectively for 23 months and prospectively for four months and identified patients with substantial bile reflux. Patients with prior gastrectomies were excluded. Of the remaining 36 patients, 23 had prior cholecystectomies. Bile reflux gastritis and esophagitis were found in the majority of patients with bile reflux and occurred more often than is generally appreciated. Patients were seen with a fairly consistent and protracted clinical pattern, usually with severe early postprandial epigastric pain, tenderness and frequent heartburn. Cholecystectomy appeared to be a most important predisposing factor. The correct diagnosis can only be made by upper gastrointestinal endoscopic inspection and biopsies. A pilot therapeutic trial of metoclopramide suggests beneficial effects of this drug in the majority of afflicted patients. A randomized controlled trial of metoclopramide is being prepared to define more clearly the role of this drug in bile reflux gastritis and esophagitis.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Anti-inflammatory drug treatment of Crohn's disease: a prospective evaluation of 100 consecutively treated patients.

We have analyzed the results of anti-inflammatory drug treatment of 100 consecutively treated patients with Crohn's disease. The disease affected the colon in 12 patients, small bowel in 36, and both colon and small intestine in 52. Thirty-two patients had had a prior resection of Crohn's disease. According to an adaptive design, patients were treated with sulfasalazine if able to take oral drugs; with steroids if unable to take, or unresponsive to, sulfasalazine; and with added azathioprine if unresponsive to sulfasalazine and steroids and unsuitable for surgery. Drug regimens included sulfasalazine alone in 39 patients, steroids alone in seven patients, both sulfasalazine and steroids in 43 patients, and added azathioprine in 11 patients. All patients completed at least 1 year, or were regarded as treatment failures after 3 months of drug treatment. We analyzed clinical and radiographic responses. Significant improvement occurred in all categories of patients: complete or partial clinical remission was observed in 79%, and complete or partial radiographic regression was observed in 55%; 30% of patients were not reexamined radiographically and the remainder showed no improvement. Our study suggests that properly selected anti-inflammatory drug therapy has definite benefits and is indicated for patients with Crohn's disease.

Adult↗