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Biomedical subjects

L Altshuler

Publications and source records attributed to L Altshuler.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Cerebral metabolism and depression in patients with complex partial seizures.

Twenty-three patients with complex partial seizures were evaluated with 18F-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and with the Beck Depression Inventory. Five of 10 patients with left and zero of eight with right temporal electroencephalographic foci had depressive symptoms; one of five patients with poorly localized electroencephalographic foci also scored in the depressed range. Temporal, frontal, caudate, and thalamic normalized glucose metabolic rates among five patients with depressive symptoms and well-localized left temporal epileptogenic regions were compared with five patients without depressive symptoms but with similar electroencephalographic characteristics. Multifactorial analysis of variance yielded a significant nonlateralized mood by region interaction. Of nine individual regions compared, only inferior frontal cortex showed a significant difference in normalized regional metabolic rate between depressed and nondepressed patients. Metabolism in this region also distinguished patients with depressive symptoms from normal control subjects. Depressive symptoms in patients with complex partial seizures are associated with a bilateral reduction in inferior frontal glucose metabolism, compared with patients without depressive symptoms and normal control subjects. The frontal lobe hypometabolism observed in patients with depressions associated with epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and primary affective disorder suggests that similar frontal lobe metabolic disturbances could underlie these conditions.

Adolescent

Lithium-discontinuation-induced refractoriness: preliminary observations.

The authors used a systematic life-chart methodology to observe four patients with bipolar disorder in whom long periods (6-15 years) of effective lithium prophylaxis were followed by relapses on lithium discontinuation. Once the drug was reinstituted, it was no longer effective. The incidence, predictors, and mechanisms underlying this phenomenon all require further systematic study. The current preliminary observations suggest an additional reason for caution when lithium discontinuation in the well-maintained patient is considered.

Bipolar Disorder

Tardive dyskinesia in schizophrenic patients: correlation with negative symptoms.

The relationship between severity of tardive dyskinesia (TD) and the prominence of negative symptoms was assessed in 25 right-handed, medicated schizophrenic patients. TD was quantified using ultrasound detectors and frequency measurement techniques as well as with observer rating scales. Electromechanical studies revealed a systematic relationship between TD severity and negative symptoms; TD was more severe in patients with fewer negative symptoms. The correlation was small in magnitude.

Adult

Comparison of electromechanical measures and observer ratings of tardive dyskinesia.

Thirty-three patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD) were studied with multiple-observer consensus ratings of videotaped examinations, ultrasound counts of movement, and electromechanical frequency measures of the movements. There were statistically significant correlations between orofacial ultrasound measures and TD severity determinations made by observers. Clinical ratings did not correlate with frequency measures. Ultrasound measures substantiate observer rating scales, whereas frequency measures appear to provide information not available from clinical rating scale scores.

Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced

The incidence of cognitive dysfunction in an encopretic population in children.

Cognitive testing was conducted in a clinical population of encopretic patients. Testing included the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) and the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (BVMGT). Although Full Scale, Verbal and Performance Intelligence Quotients on the WISC-R were not statistically different from general population means, subtests in Arithmetic (p less than 0.001), Digit Span (p less than 0.001) and Coding (p less than 0.05) were. There was also a high incidence of Verbal/Performance discrepancies and statistically significant differences on the WRAT in Spelling (p less than 0.01) and Arithmetic (p less than 0.01). Visual-motor integration was delayed two or more years in 43% of the patients on the BVMGT. These findings are consistent with the diagnosis of specific learning disabilities. An increased frequency of learning disabilities in an encopretic population may represent a subset of patients with a distinct syndrome in this disorder. These findings may point to the central nervous system (CNS) as the common point of pathology for the encopresis and learning disabilities, or reflect a common insult to both the CNS and gastrointestinal tract. Since histories in these patients did not reveal significant pregnancy or neonatal risk factors, this association could be related to genetic or environmental issues. Health professionals should be alert to the possibility of an increased incidence of learning disabilities in their encopretic patients. Further controlled studies are needed to determine if this finding is present in other settings, and if so, to determine the etiology.

Adolescent

Functional alveolar reconstruction in a patient with total mandibular replacement.

Alveolar reconstruction in a case of total mandibular replacement is presented. The placement of hydroxylapatite bone substitute and the staple bone plate into a previously grafted area demonstrates that the properties of transplanted bone are similar to natural bone. Furthermore, the safety and effectiveness of the utilization of these biomaterials in areas of previous osseous reconstruction is documented. An awareness of biologic tissue response may have also contributed to successful functional restoration. In addition, a major question about the functions of the muscles of mastication arises.

Adult

Corrective surgery.

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Bone Transplantation