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Biomedical subjects

M Robbins

Publications and source records attributed to M Robbins.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Digitalis and myocardial infarction in man.

The use of digitalis after acute myocardial infarction is controversial. The effect of digoxin on computer-quantitated thallium-201 perfusion scintigrams (Tl-201), left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), and percentage of abnormally contracting LV regions (% ACR) was determined in 23 patients. A correlation was established between creatine kinase MB isoenzyme release and initial radionuclide-gated blood pool wall motion estimates of EF (r = -0.73) and % ACR (r = 0.71). After radionuclide assessments, 14 patients received digoxin 18 +/- 23 hours (mean +/- SD) after the rise in CK-MB from baseline, while the remaining nine patients served as controls. In the control group, the mean EF was 0.33 +/- 0.12 on the first study and 0.30 +/- 0.08 on the second study (p = NS). In the digoxin group, the EF after digoxin administration (mean 0.33 +/- 0.11) was significantly different from the initial EF (mean 0.29 +/- 0.09, p less than 0.03); however, digoxin had no apparent effect on infarct size as assessed by sequential % ACR and Tl-201 perfusion data. These data indicate that digoxin resulted in a minimal but significant improvement in EF that did not occur at the expense of LV perfusion or regional wall motion.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Current controversy in object relations theory as outgrowth of a schism between Klein and Fairbairn.

The paper examines the controversy in object relations theory between Kernberg and Kohut from two vantage points, one historical and the other contemporary. By striving to be critically equidistant from both theories we hope to avoid either-or thinking and to address larger questions about the state of object relations theory. Historically the controversy reincarnates a seemingly forgotten schism between Klein and Fairbairn from the preceding psychoanalytic generation. First Klein and now Kernberg has contributed to our understanding of developmentally and pathologically primitive states characterized by absence of integration, incompleteness of self-object differentiation, and prominence of aggression. In so doing they fail to make sufficient distinctions between the neonatal psyche, the more mature psyche, and the neurotic and psychotic psychic apparatuses. First Fairbairn and now Kohut has brought to our attention the importance of the pre-object relationship in early development and primitive psychopathology, but neither has conceptualized meaningful psychic events prior to subjective integration. Their theories, like those of Klein and Kernberg, also condense more and less well differentiated phases of development. For example, Kohut postulates completely separate development of the self and of object relations. The polarization of the current controversy need not force us to choose between theories. We might better aspire to a more comprehensive theory which includes elements from each but which makes clearer distinctions between normal development, pathological development, normal adult functioning and adult psychopathology.

Aggression↗
PubMed1967

Nature of the repair of methyl methanesulfonate-induced damage in Bacillus subtilis.

A nuclease present in extracts of Bacillus subtilis inserts breaks in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) treated with the monofunctional alkylating agent, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), but the nature of the sites within the alkylated macromolecule at which these breaks occur is not known. DNA extracted from B. subtilis cells that have recovered from MMS damage has lost its susceptibility to enzyme action. The recovery process is accompanied by some DNA breakdown and by the incorporation of thymidine. Some recovery from ultraviolet irradiation (UV) and MMS occurred in organisms starved for thymine or adenine, but UV recovery was stimulated by their addition. It is possible that MMS recovery proceeds by a process of excision and repair similar to, but not identical with, UV repair.

Alkylating Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Septo-hippocampal cholinergic and neurotrophin markers in age-induced cognitive decline.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules encoding proteins related to the presynaptic cholinergic and neurotrophin systems were quantitated in the hippocampus and basal forebrain of Long-Evans rats with spatial learning ability assessed in the Morris water maze. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed that the mRNAs for the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor (p75-NTR) and the growth-associated protein GAP-43 were decreased in level in the basal forebrain of aged-impaired rats. In the hippocampus of these aged-impaired rats, the mRNA for VGF, another neurotrophin-inducible gene, also was decreased. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed that mRNAs for nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor increased in level in the aged rat hippocampus; when age effects were removed, NGF mRNA level remained significantly correlated with maze performance. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indicated that NGF protein was expressed at normal levels in the aged rat hippocampus. These mRNA and protein alterations may signify that a defect in neurotrophin signaling exists in the brains of aged Long-Evans rats, underlying reduced plasticity responses in the basal forebrain cholinergic system.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Experience with renal transplantation in the nonhuman primate: a modified ureteroneocystostomy to prevent urologic complications.

Nonhuman primates provide an optimal model for the evaluation of tolerance in the preclinical setting. Transplantation and management of nonhuman primates are technically demanding, and the purpose of this article is to review our extensive experience in renal transplantation in non-human primates, with particular emphasis on modifications of surgical techniques on urologic complications. We retrospectively reviewed our results with 329 renal transplants in rhesus monkeys over an 18-year period. The surgical technique and, in particular, the ureteroneocystostomy have evolved over this period of time. This review extensively details our current technique, the surgical and urologic complications, and their management. There were 329 renal transplants performed. There were 85 early deaths, or animals euthanized, within 30 days of the transplant operation. In the first 15 years, there were 27 (10.68%) surgical complications that required euthanasia, and in the last 3 years the complication rate has been reduced to 5 (7.3%, p < .05). The routine use of microsurgical techniques has reduced the incidence of arterial thrombosis (6.2% vs. 2.9%, p < .05). The incidence of ureteral strictures (15 vs. 0, p < .005) has been reduced by a modification of the ureteroneocystostomy technique detailed in the text. Renal transplantation in small rhesus monkeys is technically demanding. The routine use of microsurgical techniques and a modified ureteroneocystostomy has reduced the incidence of surgical complications.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of assault and perception of risk of assault in urban public service employment settings.

This study describes the prevalence and correlates of physical assaults, threats of assault, and workers' perceptions of safety in selected urban employment settings. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 1,763 persons working at various jobs and sites throughout Los Angeles County. Workers were asked to describe their work environments, their perceptions of personal safety at work, and physical assaults and threats they had experienced. Three percent of the respondents reported being assaulted within the previous year and 14% reported being threatened within the previous 30 days. Younger workers, more educated workers, and those who worked with clients or patients were more likely to report assaults. Approximately one third of those who reported threats or assaults described the perpetrator(s) as clients, patients, or persons in legal custody, and one third described the perpetrator(s) as co-workers or supervisors. Fifty-two percent of the workers reported being concerned about their safety at work.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Managed competition in practice: 'value purchasing' by fourteen employers.

Many large U.S. companies have transformed their procurement of health benefits in the 1990s by combining the principles of managed competition with other business tactics to create a business-savvy hybrid of the private sector's own design, often referred to as "value purchasing." Until recently, few policymakers or health care observers believed that large firms would be a force in health system reform. Yet to implement value purchasing, the large companies in this study created new organizational forms, provided employees with financial incentives to select low-cost health plans, and used business tactics such as competitive bidding to negotiate more favorable rates and to improve quality among health plans. The financial results were impressive for the companies studied. In addition, the companies' demands on the health care delivery system are multiplying as the interface between business firms and health care organizations changes. These demands will only increase as the practices we found become more widespread.

Community Participation↗