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Biomedical subjects

R Joffe

Publications and source records attributed to R Joffe.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

A comparison of two methods of eliciting the ankle jerk.

Two methods of eliciting the ankle jerk have been compared. One, the traditional method, involved tapping the Achilles tendon (the tendon tap); the other (the plantar tap) involved tapping the sole of the foot. The study was done on 110 inpatients in the medical wards of a teaching hospital. The results showed an 89% agreement between the two methods. The extent of agreement was unrelated to the level of experience of the examiner. Forty three per cent of patients favoured the plantar tap method; 14% the tendon tap. The plantar tap method of eliciting the ankle jerk is an acceptable alternative to the traditional method.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Cerebral nocardiosis--clinical and pathological findings in three patients.

Cerebral nocardiosis is an uncommon but increasingly diagnosed infection in Australia. We report three cases. One occurred in an immunosuppressed male in whom the diagnosis was made at autopsy, one in an otherwise healthy elderly woman with subcutaneous nocardiosis, and the third was a posterior fossa nocardial abscess without systemic involvement occurring in a previously healthy woman after surgical excision of a meningioma. Primary cerebral nocardiosis is rare, with only two cases of primary posterior fossa nocardiosis reported. The cases highlight the difficulty of diagnosis and the need for aggressive treatment with a combined approach of surgical drainage and antibiotic therapy. The antibiotic regime of choice is the subject of controversy. Rifampicin, cephalosporins, imipenem, sulphonamides and other agents were used with varying success in our patients. Cerebral nocardiosis should be considered in any patient with a cerebral space occupying lesion.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Thyroid function in psychosis following childbirth.

Postpartum thyroiditis has been suggested as a cause of psychosis following pregnancy. However, 30 hospitalized psychotic postpartum women and 30 control subjects matched for age and time since delivery showed no significant differences in thyroid function or the presence of thyroid antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Herpes zoster arteritis. Clinical and angiographic features.

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is a common condition, and has now been widely recognised as associated with the delayed onset of neurological events, associated with angiographic evidence of arteritis. The time lag between the zoster and subsequent neurological symptoms, along with the age of the patients, often leads to a missed diagnosis. As more cases are recognised, the pathogenic mechanisms will be better characterised and treatment may become more effective.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The role of activity level and cognition in depressed mood in a university sample.

This study examined the role of activity level and cognition on mood by contrasting a monitor only (N = 22), increase pleasant events (N = 20), and increase pleasant events plus focusing on event pleasantness (N = 23) groups over a 2-week period. The results show that subjects who were instructed to increase their number of pleasant events did so and obtained more pleasure as a result. The group which increased pleasant events and focused on event pleasantness also showed a significant decrease in level of depression. The results are interpreted to support the role of monitoring and pleasant events on mood, but the potential necessity for cognitive change to create "antidepressant" effects.

Affect↗
PubMed1986

A case of invasive thymoma associated with myasthenia gravis, myositis and demyelinating neuropathy.

A 56 year old male presented after 2 months of muscle stiffness, pain and palpable lumps. Biopsy confirmed the presence of myositis. Myasthenia gravis and peripheral neuropathy became clinically apparent within days of commencing corticosteroid therapy. 4 months later, at operation, a locally invasive thymoma was found. This combination of features has not previously been described.

Demyelinating Diseases↗
PubMed1984

Clonidine in a case of atypical tic disorder.

Clonidine hydrochloride was more effective than placebo in the treatment of an atypical tic disorder (1) in a single case study using an A-B-A design. Furthermore, the effect was confined to a narrow dose range.

Child↗
PubMed1983

Perineural spread of cutaneous basal and squamous cell carcinomas. The clinical appearance of spread into the trigeminal and facial nerves.

Five patients were studied in whom a trigeminal or facial neuropathy resulted from perineural spread of basal or squamous cell carcinomas arising in the skin of the face. The cause of the neuropathy was not immediately apparent because there was no evidence of local skin recurrence in any of the patients after the onset of their neurologic symptoms. Pain was a prominent feature in those patients with trigeminal involvement. Radiologic investigations were helpful in only one patient. The diagnosis should be suspected when symptoms and signs are confined initially to superficial branches of the trigeminal or facial nerves and later extend to more central branches in the order in which they arise. Confirmation can be made by microscopic examination of the nerves involved.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Detection of antibodies to varicella zoster virus by radioimmunoassay and enzyme immunoassay techniques.

An enzyme assay for the detection of antibodies to varicella-zoster membrane antigen (IPAMA) and a solid phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) which utilizes infected cell lysates as antigen are described. The results have been compared with those obtained by the indirect fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen (IFAMA) technique. It was found that IPAMA was equal in sensitivity to IFAMA. No cross-reactivity was found with other herpes group viruses. The IPAMA appears to give objective results, is easily and rapidly performed, and is recommended as a routine test for serological diagnosis of varicella-zoster infection. The RIA method is about 100 times more sensitive than IPAMA and IFAMA. The RIA is specific and has the potential of determining lower levels of antibody than other serological methods currently in use.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1976

Fluorescence and neutralizing antibodies to herpes simplex virus in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with central nervous system diseases.

Herpes simplex virus antibodies were studied in 73 patients with various diseases of the central nervous system. In 29 patients, there were rising titers of fluorescence and neutralizing antibodies to herpes simplex virus in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The CSF antibodies were predominantly IgG. In one patient, IgM was found during the fourth, but not during the eighth week of illness. The CSF antibody titers did not correlate with the serum antibody titers or with the severity of the neurologic defect. No fluorescence antibodies were found in the CSF of 52 of 53 control patients. The presence of CSF fluorescence antibodies may be of considerable value in the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis. However, the absence of these antibodies in the early stage of the disease does not exclude the possibility of infection with herpes simplex virus.

Adolescent↗