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Biomedical subjects

P Weinstein

Publications and source records attributed to P Weinstein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Paradoxical effects of nitrous oxide on human memory.

Using the method of adjusted learning, subjects learned number-noun pairs while breathing either placebo or 30% nitrous oxide. Subjects breathing nitrous oxide required more acquisition trials to attain a learning criterion than did subjects breathing placebo. Two weeks later, half of the subjects from each group were administered either placebo or nitrous oxide and were asked to recall the noun that had accompanied each number cue. Results showed that: 1) nitrous oxide inhalation can decrease the accessibility of to-be-recalled material and 2) nitrous oxide administered during the acquisition of material can paradoxically improved the recall of that material 2 weeks later. The additional number of acquisition trials subjects received during nitrous oxide inhalation could potentially account for this paradoxical enhancement of delayed recall; however, correlational analyses suggest this was not the case. No evidence for any state-dependent effects of nitrous oxide on cued recall were found.

Adolescent

Adolescent dental fear and control: prevalence and theoretical implications.

This study examined the prevalence and etiology of dental fear in a large, representative sample of Singapore adolescents. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding fear of the dentist, dental beliefs and their most recent dental visit. The population prevalence of high dental fear was 115 fearful children per 1000 population (SE = 0.02). Children who reported painful treatment and perceived lack of control at the dentist were 13.7 times more likely to report high fear and 15.9 times less likely to be willing to return to the dentist or dental nurse. The etiology of severe clinical fear appears strongly related to direct conditioning in the presence of pain and vulnerability.

Adaptation, Psychological

Exploration of variables related to children's behavioral distress during electrodiagnosis.

To investigate variables potentially related to children's distress during electromyography/nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS), mothers of 39 children ages two to 17 years reported the child's gender, experience with EMG/NCS, previous negative medical/dental experiences, general response to painful procedures, information-seeking style prior to procedures, health care fears, and information about the mothers' own health care fears and their anxiety regarding EMG/NCS. Physicians who performed the studies completed a behavioral distress checklist for each child. Results indicated that children exhibiting more behavioral distress were younger, had been uncooperative with previous painful procedures, were more likely to have had more negative medical/dental experiences, and had mothers who themselves reported greater fear and anxiety about undergoing EMG/NCS. Regression analyses indicated that previous negative medical/dental experiences accounted for additional variance in distress beyond that attributed to the child's age. Significant positive correlations between children's distress and specific previous negative medical/dental experiences were found.

Adolescent

Malignant histiocytosis: a cytochemical and electron microscopic study of an unusual case.

A 25-year-old black female presented with lymphadenopathy, fever and anemia of two months duration. The diagnosis of malignant histiocytosis was made on the basis of histiocytic infiltrations in the sinuses of spleen, liver and lymph nodes and by the demonstration of erythrophagocytosis in bone marrow. Following splenectomy, the patient developed a leukemic phase with as many as 50 X 10(9) abnormal histiocytes/l and bone marrow necrosis. This patient was also atypical because of multiple granulomas in liver, spleen and lymph nodes. Cytochemical and immunofluorescent stains confirmed that the abnormal cells were derived from the monocyte-macrophage series. Electron microscopy was used to further characterize this abnormal cell population. The electron microscopic and cytochemical evidence confirms that the malignant cells in malignant histiocytosis are derived from monocytes.

Acid Phosphatase

Patient dental values and their relationship to oral health status, dentist perceptions and quality of care.

In this study, 1287 patients completed a questionnaire assessing knowledge of home care procedures, adherence to home care instructions, obstacles presented to the dentist in delivering care, and ability to pay for optimal care. Ninety-seven dentists that provided treatment for these patients completed a parallel questionnaire. Measures of oral health and the quality of restorative care were based on clinical examinations. It was found that though patient values and dental perceptions were associated, dentist perceptions did not closely match patient dental values. Analysis of variance indicated that patient dental values were related positively to both oral health measures and the quality of restorations. Patient-reported compliance with home care recommendations showed the strongest relationship to both oral health and quality of restorations.

Adult

Communication patterns in pedodontics.

This investigation examined communication patterns between 16 randomly selected senior dental students and their child patients. Interactions were videotaped during a regular treatment appointment and analyzed according to four Practitioner Communication categories and four Child Cooperation categories. Communication categories included Directive Guidance Behavior, Permissive Behavior, Coercive Behavior, and Other Behavior. Child behavior categories included Cooperation, Resistance, Noncooperation, and Other. The probability that a given category of child's behavior would follow a given category of practitioner's behavior was calculated. Results indicated a .85 probability that Directive Guidance would be followed by Cooperation; a .67 probability that Permissiveness would lead to Noncooperation; and a .97 likelihood that Coerciveness would lead to either Noncooperation or Resistance. Practitioners' confidence was also considered; less confident operators account for 95% of the Coercive behaviors, 86% of Permissive behaviors and 87% of Uncooperative behaviors.

Child

A pilot study using remote broadcasting equipment to provide instruction in pedodontics.

This study investigates the value of remote broadcasting equipment in instruction in pedodontics. Twenty students, between their junior and senior years, were randomly chosen and videotaped during an operative dentistry appointment with a child. Ten students reviewed and critiqued their own tapes immediately after the clinic session. Ten students received instruction using remote broadcasting equipment in an attempt to provide cues and immediate feedback. Results indicate the usefulness of remote broadcasting equipment as a new pedagogic technique in pedodontics.

Child Behavior

Manual dexterity as a predictor of quality of care among dental practitioners.

This study explores the relationship between time to complete a manual dexterity exercise and quality of restorative dentistry. Ninety-seven general practitioners volunteered to take part in the study. An average of 14 patients per office were recalled and an average of five recent restorations per patient were examined clinically by trained peer reviewers. Subsequently, 74 of the 97 dentists participated in a session in which the O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity test was administered. Pearson correlations between speed on the test of tweezer dexterity and quality measures indicated that, on the average, those practitioners who took longer to complete the tweezer test achieved significantly higher scores on restorative quality.

Aptitude Tests

Dentists' perceptions of their patients relation to quality of care.

This study investigates dentists' perceptions of their patients and the relation of these perceptions to measures of actual quality of restorative treatment. The results indicate that 1) though the dentists see their patients as "cooperative," they perceived a substantial number of "problems," i.e., willingness to pay for optimal care or follow professional recommendations; and 2) there are significant associations between dentists' perceptions of patients and measures of the quality of restorative treatments; higher quality scores were associated with perceptions of a more cooperative patient.

Dental Restoration, Permanent