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Biomedical subjects

R Kalb

Publications and source records attributed to R Kalb.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Self-instruction expert systems in medicine. Presentation of knowledge, acquisition of knowledge, prediction of suicide as an example].

AIMS: 1. Description of how self-learning expert systems work, and 2. comparison of various algorithms for the establishment of a data base for suicide prediction. POINTS DISCUSSED: from exemplary patient data, self-learning expert systems obtain their expert knowledge which they subsequently employ to establish the diagnosis in new patients. Various possibilities of storing knowledge may be employed, for example the decision tree, classes of rules or neuronal networks. The various forms of representing knowledge are also presented. Taking the prediction of suicidal risk as an example, the effectiveness of the algorithm is tested with the aid of a patient questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Different fields of application require different systems. The diagnosis of such expert systems can at least prompt the care-providing physician to reconsider his own diagnosis.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed1990

[Suicidal acts in advanced age].

Geriatric suicides and attempted suicides differ from those of other age groups in a number of major characteristics: the suicide rate increases with age, while attempted suicides decrease; the lethality of the method selected increases with advancing age; the motivations of the elderly differ from those of younger suicides; psychiatric problems are more severe in the aged. Our own investigations were based on the data on suicide in West Germany collected between 1979 and 1987. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed, and conclusions drawn on how to prevent suicide and how to treat attempted suicides in the aged.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[A clarification system for completing suicidal thoughts].

To improve the prediction of suicidal risk one has to understand the suicidal thoughts in individuals. We formalized these ideas and integrated them into an understanding system. In such a system the ideas concerning suicide cooperate in such a way so that the suicidal attempt appears to be the optimal solution for this patient. We discuss the question whether such an idiographic understanding system may help to understand other patients too.

Expert Systems↗
PubMed1988

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease probably acquired from a cadaveric dura mater graft. Case report.

A case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is reported in a 28-year-old woman who had received a cadaveric dural graft 19 months earlier after resection of a cholesteatoma. The circumstances of the case point to the graft as the most likely source of the disease. Cadaveric dura should be added to the list of materials that may transmit CJD, and it must be very carefully screened if it is used at all for grafting. Autologous tissue should be considered whenever possible.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Cutaneous infection at dog bite wounds associated with fulminant DF-2 septicemia.

Severe DF-2 sepsis with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy developed following dog bites in two patients who had undergone prior splenectomy. Eschariform lesions developed at the site of the animal bite in both patients. DF-2 is an unusual animal-borne slow-growing gram-negative rod that can cause fulminant sepsis in splenectomized patients. Splenectomized patients should be aware of the hazards from a dog bite. The presence of eschariform lesions in such patients should provide a clinical clue to the presence of DF-2 infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Factors associated with unemployment of patients with multiple sclerosis.

As part of a larger study of psychosocial aspects of chronic disease, the employment status of 79 male and 233 female multiple sclerosis patients was evaluated by interview to identify: (1) the relationship between degree of disability and employment status and (2) other determinants of employment status. Seventy-seven per cent of the patients were unemployed. Disability level, age, sex, and level of education accounted for 14% of the differences in employment status, with less disabled, older, more educated males being the most likely to be employed. Employment status was unrelated to marital status or type of occupation. Case histories are presented to illustrate psychosocial and environmental factors which might further account for the differences in employment status.

Adolescent↗