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Biomedical subjects

R Falk

Publications and source records attributed to R Falk.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

A closer look at the probabilities of the notorious three prisoners.

The "problem of three prisoners", a counterintuitive teaser, is analyzed. It is representative of a class of probability puzzles where the correct solution depends on explication of underlying assumptions. Spontaneous beliefs concerning the problem and intuitive heuristics are reviewed. The psychological background of these beliefs is explored. Several attempts to find a simple criterion to predict whether and how the probability of the target event will change as a result of obtaining evidence are examined. However, despite the psychological appeal of these attempts, none proves to be valid in general. A necessary and sufficient condition for change in the probability of the target event, following observation of new data, is proposed. That criterion is an extension of the likelihood-ratio principle (which holds in the case of only two complementary alternatives) to any number of alternatives. Some didactic implications concerning the significance of the chance set-up and reliance on analogies are discussed.

Attention↗
PubMed1992

Phagolysosomal pH and dissolution of cobalt oxide particles by alveolar macrophages.

We studied phagolysosomal pH in rabbit alveolar macrophages (AM) incubated with 0-15 microM chloroquine. There was a dose-related increase in pH with chloroquine concentration. Electron microscopy showed that chloroquine increased lysosomal size. In a second experiment we studied dissolution of radiolabeled cobalt oxide particles by rabbit AM, phagolysosomal pH, and lysosomal size. The cells were incubated for 2 days with 0, 2.5, and 10 microM chloroquine. Size and pH increased with chloroquine concentration. Dissolution of cobalt particles by the AM did not clearly change with pH. In a third experiment, dissolution of cobalt oxide particles in 0.1 M acetate buffer in saline with pH 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 was studied. At the same pH, dissolution in acetate buffer was faster than in the AM, and the dissolution appeared to decrease faster with increasing pH than in the AM. A simple model for dissolution of a particle in a phagolysosome was proposed. This model predicts the types of differences in dissolution between AM and buffered saline.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Prostaglandins inhibit proliferation of the murine P815 mastocytoma by decreasing cytoplasmic free calcium levels [( Ca+2]i).

Prostaglandins inhibit the proliferation of the murine P815 mastocytoma. The mechanism of this antitumour activity remains undefined. In several cell systems, the action of PGs is inhibited at the cell surface receptor by pertussis toxin likely through regulatory G proteins involved in the inhibition of adenyl cyclase or activation of phospholipase C. We therefore determined the effect of prostaglandins on the biochemical consequences of activation of these pathways; i.e. concentrations of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cytosolic free Ca+2 concentrations [( Ca/2]i) respectively. PGD2 (6 ug/mL), PGE1 (10 ug/mL) and PGB1 (50 ug/mL) maximally inhibited (3H)-thymidine incorporation to DNA. PGF2 alpha did not affect DNA synthesis. PGE1 (10 ug/mL) induced a three fold increase in cAMP concentrations. In contrast, the other prostaglandins did not alter cAMP concentrations. Maximal growth inhibitory doses of PGD2, PGE1 and PGB1 decrease [Ca+2]i, as measured by the fluorescence of Indo-1, from 320 +/- 5 nM to 172 +/- 20 nM, 161 +/- 12 nM, and 151 +/- 18 nM respectively. PGF2 alpha did not alter [Ca+2]i. Therefore, in contrast to the effects on cAMP, the decrease in [Ca+2]i was concordant with the inhibition of DNA synthesis. This suggests that PGs may inhibit proliferation through decreasing [Ca+2]i in the P815 mastocytoma.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1987

Deposition of large particles in human lung.

Twenty-four nonsmoking males, all without history of pulmonary disease, were randomly divided into four groups of six subjects each. The subjects in each group inhaled monodisperse Teflon particles labelled with 111In (half-life 2.83 days); 8.2, 11.5, 13.7 and 16.4 micron aerodynamic diameter, respectively. Radioactivity in head and throat, lung and stomach was determined after 0, 3 and 24 hrs using a profile scanner. For some subjects radioactivity was also determined using a whole-body scanner at 3.5 and 24 hrs. After the 24-hr determination the subjects inhaled labelled Teflon particles again, this time with a filter in front of the mouth. Average values for total deposition in the body, obtained using a profile scanner, whole-body scanner and filter measurements, agreed fairly well. Lung retention values obtained by whole-body and profile scanning also agreed well. The average deposition in the lung, expressed as a percentage of total deposition, was 49, 31, 21 and 13% for the four particle sizes (8.2-16.4 micron). Alveolar deposition, determined as retention at 24 hrs and expressed in percent of total deposition, was 15, 4, 4 and 1%. For the smallest particle sizes the deposition values agreed with earlier investigations. However, for the larger particles the two deposition values were higher than expected when compared to earlier studies.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1979

Oral administration of BCG as an adjuvant to surgical treatment of carcinoma of the bronchus.

A controlled clinical trial of the value of bacille Calmette--Guérin (BCG) vaccine given orally to patients with resectable carcinoma of the lung was conducted in 18 centres across Canada. A total of 308 patients were included in the analysis, 155 in the BCG group and 153 in the control group. The two groups were similar at the time of admission to the trial. BCG (120 mg) was given orally at weekly intervals for 1 month, every 2 weeks up to 3 months and then every 3 months until the total duration of therapy was 18 months. Over a 3- to 5-year follow-up period after the operation there was no difference in survival between the two groups, the proportion alive at 2 years being 61% in the BCG group and 58% in the control group. There was also no evidence of differences in the time to the detection of recurrent or metastatic disease or in the distribution of such disease. An analysis of prognostic factors confirmed the poor survival associated with histologically confirmed lymph node involvement. It may be concluded that no favourable effect from the oral administration of BCG was demonstrated.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1978

Adolescent sexual activity: contraception and abortion.

One hundred twenty-five pregnant adolescents 16 years of age or younger and their parents were studied prior to abortion and were compared with 72 nulligravid control subjects. The control group reported less incidence of sexual intercourse and more causal heterosexual relationships of shorter durations. A significantly larger percentage of the abortion group approved of premarital sexual intercourse "when the couple is going steady." Sixty-eight per cent of the adolescents who were seeking abortions had never used a contraceptive. Abortion "on demand" was favored by the majority of the abortion group, whereas the control group favored "abortion under special circumstances." Neither were the pregnant teenagers' parents aware of nor had they discussed their daughter's sexual activities, much less contraception. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies in early adolescence should encompass an educational effort on the part of the health professions, involving both the adolescents and their parents.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1976

Sexual experimentation and pregnancy in young black adolescents.

Young black adolescents (13 to 16 years of age) and their parents were interviewed and psychological tests were administered. They were divided into three groups; (1) abortion group, (2) pregnancy to term group, and (3) a control group of never-pregnant adolescents matched by age and socioeconomic status. We focus the present report on their performance in school and educational goals, sexual experimentation to intercourse, their use of contraceptives, theirs and their parents' attitudes toward abortion, their reaction to their pregnancy in the two pregnant groups, and their attitudes in choosing for or against abortion.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1976

Interpretive accuracy of abbreviated MMPIs.

The interpretive accuracy of the standard MMPI and three abbreviated forms was assessed and compared with a sample of psychiatric inpatients. Psychiatric teams evaluated the accuracy of the interpretation of one abbreviated form and the standard form for their patients. Only the MMPI-168 obtained comparable ratings to the standard form.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Partial losses of sex chromosomes induced by X-rays in spermatozoa of Drosophila melanogaster.

The frequency of induced partial and complete losses of sex chromosomes from spermatozoa of Drosophila melanogaster was determined by mating irradiated males to females heterozygous for an attached-X Y chromosome and for a bb-deficient chromosome. The relative involvement of the X- and Y-chromosomes in partial losses was determined by (a) irradiating males with an X-chromosome centromere marked by a y+ translocated to the short right arm, and a Y-chromosome marked by w+, and (b) comparing the frequencies of fragments recovered from irradiated males with a normal, marked Y-chromosome and from irradiated males and a deleted bb Y-chromsome. 50-80% of the induced losses of sex-chromosomes in rod-X/Y males were partial losses, whereas only 25% of those induced in ring-X/Y males were partial losses. More than 70% of the recovered fragments were of Y-chromosome origin. Fragments recovered from attached-X-Y sons of irradiated males wer checked for the presence of the most proximal euchromatic X-chromosome genes. Most fragments of the rod-X were broken more proximally than bb. In the ring-X there was an excess of fragments broken in the proximal euchromatin. It was concluded that many fragments of the Y-chromosome was due to breaks induced by one-hit events, in both arms of the chromosome that were folded upon themselves. A similar mechanism had been postulated earlier for fragments of the ring-X chromosome.

Animals↗