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Biomedical subjects

S M Berman

Publications and source records attributed to S M Berman.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Continence mechanisms following transphincteric urethroplasty.

Urinary continence mechanisms were studied in 6 patients, 5 of whom had undergone end-to-end urethroplasty for membranous urethral strictures. All patients were able to interrupt the urinary stream on command by contracting the distal intrinsic sphincteric mechanism, despite an absent extrinsic sphincter. In 2 patients with prostatectomy and transphincteric urethroplasty, the intrinsic sphincteric mechanism was the sole remaining sphincter. These observations suggest that the intrinsic sphincteric mechanism is intramurally located, is also under somatic innervation and alone is capable of performing all of the sphincteric function required in the male.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Low birth weight, prematurity, and postpartum endometritis. Association with prenatal cervical Mycoplasma hominis and Chlamydia trachomatis infections.

We studied associations of Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections with pregnancy outcomes, controlling by logistic and multiple linear regression for known risk factors and for the presence of the other two infections. A sample of 1204 Navajo women enrolling for prenatal care had endocervical C trachomatis, M hominis, and U urealyticum cultures and serum samples taken at enrollment and when possible after 30 weeks. Low birth weight (less than 2500 g) was associated with M hominis infection among women with a history of spontaneous abortion. Mycoplasma hominis infection was also associated with postpartum endometritis, but only among women undergoing a cesarean section (odds ratio, 4.7; 95% confidence intervals, 1.22 to 18.3). Although women with recent C trachomatis infection (IgM titer greater than 1:32 on either sample or IgG seroconversion) were at greater risk of low birth weight (19% [3/16]) than women with chronic infection (4.5% [6/133]; relative risk, 4.2), this subgroup at risk was small (11% of women with classifiable C trachomatis infection). Mycoplasma hominis and C trachomatis infections may be important preventable causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes in identifiable subgroups of women.

Cervix Uteri↗
PubMed1987

Assessing sex differences in neonatal survival: a study of discordant twins.

We identified 1699 liveborn twin pairs, discordant for sex. In this study, which essentially controls for gestational age, race, and maternal risk factors among males and females, there was no significant sex difference (108 male deaths and 103 female deaths) in neonatal mortality (p greater than 0.50). However, there was a sex difference in intrauterine growth, since 53% of the males, but only 42% of the females had birthweights greater than 2499 grams (p = 0.0002). A differential growth pattern can bias birthweight-specific assessments of survival. Such a bias may have been responsible for our finding that low-birthweight white females had better survival than did males in that category, since there was no such sex difference found among white twins born prematurely (greater than 36 weeks gestation). Therefore, we recommend that accurate assessments of sex differences in neonatal survival should be on the basis of gestational age, controlling for race and maternal risk factors.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1985

Deaths from spontaneous abortion in the United States.

Little is known about maternal deaths after spontaneous abortion. We studied 122 such deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control from 1972 through 1980; 21 were intrauterine (contraceptive) device related. The number of non-IUD-related deaths decreased from 15 in 1972 to six in 1980; the mortality ratio (deaths per million live births) decreased from 4.6 in 1972 to 1.7 in 1980. Non-IUD-related deaths were results of infection (48%), hemorrhage (21%), embolism (11%), and other causes (20%). Risk factors for these deaths were age over 29 years, being of minority race, and unmarried status. Most deaths (58%) occurred between 12 and 19 weeks' gestation. The risk of death was much higher for abortion in the second trimester than in the first. Deaths following spontaneous abortion, although rare, do occur; older, black, and unmarried women are at higher risk.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1979

A nonlinear integral equation for visual impedance.

The Hartline-Ratliff equation is a linear integral equation of the second kind and is employed in modeling inhibitory networks. Saturation of the inhibiting elements is commonly modeled as a function whose form is sigmoid; however, the resulting integral equation is nonlinear. Whenever the unknown function within the integral is hypothesized to be a nondecreasing nonlinear function, the Hartline-Ratliff equation becomes a nonlinear integral equation of the Hammerstein type. We present existence and uniqueness theorems for a Hammerstein equation which represents a further generalization of the Hartline-Ratliff equation.

Humans↗
PubMed1979

A unified model for the combined temporal and spatial Broca-Sulzer effect.

A briefly pulsed light is brighter than a pulse of longer duration. For a brief flash of fixed duration and small area, enlarging a target results initially in an increase in brightness. Beyond some critical area, the target dims with further increases in size. These two phenomena are the temporal and the spatial Broca-Sulzer effect respectively. Each effect can be modeled using a generalization of the Hartline-Ratliff equation. The resulting analysis produces a mathematically unified treatment of both effects.

Humans↗
PubMed1978

Partial characterization of R-plasmids from Pasteurella multocida isolated from turkeys.

Pasteurella multocida, isolated from turkeys during an outbreak of septicemic disease ("fowl cholera"), was found to be resistant to tetracycline, streptomycin, and sulfonamides. Agarose gel electrophoretic analysis of DNA from these isolates indicated the presence of extrachromosomal elements. Plasmid DNA was isolated by cesium chloride-ethidium bromide density centrifugation. Escherichia coli was transformed to antimicrobic resistance with this DNA. Two plasmids were isolated. One of these plasmids had a buoyant density of 1.7158 g/cm(3) (56.9 mol% guanine plus cytosine) and a molecular weight of 4.4 x 10(6) and conferred resistance to tetracycline, streptomycin, and sulfonamides. The other, having a buoyant density of 1.7198 g/cm(3) (61 mol% guanine plus cytosine) and a molecular weight of 3.44 x 10(6), conferred resistance to streptomycin and sulfonamides. Streptomycin resistance was mediated by streptomycin phosphotransferase. Compatibility group testing indicated that neither plasmid belonged to any of 13 compatibility groups (of conjugal plasmids). Both plasmids were also found to be compatible with three small, nonconjugative resistance plasmids.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Pathways of D-fructose catabolism in species of Pseudomonas.

Cell-free extracts of D-fructose grown cells of Pseudomonas putida, P. fluorescens, P. aeruginosa, P. stutzeri, P. mendocina, P. acidovorans and P. maltophila catalyzed a P-enolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation of D-fructose and contained 1-P-fructokinase activity suggesting that in these species fructose-1-P and fructose-1,6-P2 were intermediates of D-fructose catabolism. Neither the 1-P-fructokinase nor the activity catalyzing a P-enolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation of D-fructose was present in significant amounts in succinate-grown cells indicating that both activities were inducible. Cell-free extracts also contained activities of fructose-1,6-P2 aldolase, fructose-1,6-P2 phosphatase, and P-hexose isomerase which could convert fructose-1,6-P2 to intermediates of either the Embden-Meyerhof pathway or Entner-Doudoroff pathway. Radiolabeling experiments with 1-14C-D-fructose suggested that in P. putida, P. aeruginosa, P. stutzeri, and P. acidovorans most of the alanine was made via the Entner-Doudoroff pathway with a minor portion being made via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. An edd- mutant of O. putida which lacked a functional Entner-Doudoroff pathway but was able to grow on D-fructose appeared to make alanine solely via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway.

Alanine↗
PubMed1976

Validation of social self-esteem and an experimental index of delinquent behavior.

30 male adolescents were administered a checklist of their delinquent behavior and the measure of social self-esteem designed by Ziller, Hagey, Smith, and Long (1969). A Pearson correlation of --.26 was found between self-esteem and scores on the delinquent behavior checklist. At a later session 18 of the subjects were assigned a puzzle-solving task which served as a measure of cheating. A significant relation between cheating scores and self-reported delinquent behavior indicated that the puzzle-solving task may be useful for measuring level of delinquency in an experimental setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Obsessive and compulsive symptoms in chronic schizophrenia.

The goals of the study were to determine the prevalence of obsessive or compulsive (OC) symptoms among chronic schizophrenic patients, and to elucidate the level of function and course of illness in chronic schizophrenic patients with and without such symptoms. Therapists of 102 patients with DSM-III-R diagnoses of chronic schizophrenia reported on their patients' OC symptoms, level of function, and course of illness. Twenty-five percent of the chronic schizophrenic patients presented with significant OC symptoms. The OC schizophrenics had significantly earlier onsets of their illnesses, had spent more time in the hospital in the previous 5 years, and were judged by their therapists to have a lower level of capacity for age-appropriate function. In addition, such patients had been less often employed and less often married, and were more dependent on others. The poorer prognosis for schizophrenic patients with OC symptoms than for those without these symptoms suggests the need for new therapeutic strategies for such patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Event-related potentials in alcoholic fathers and their sons.

ERPs were recorded during a simple color discrimination and a more difficult visual continuous performance task (CPT) from three father-son (n = 15) pair groups: recovering alcoholics with a family history of alcoholism and their sons (A+), nonalcoholics with a family history of alcoholism and their sons (NA+), and nonalcoholics with no family history of alcoholism and their sons (NA-). The sons, aged 8 to 12, had not begun drinking or using other drugs. Groups were matched on age, education and socioeconomic status. There were two principal findings. Compared to nonalcoholic groups, both A+ sons and fathers exhibited increased latency and decreased amplitude of P3 for the difficult task, but not for the easy task. This result helps to explain previous inconsistencies in the literature, and strengthens the suggestion that one indication of a vulnerability to develop alcoholism is an abnormal P3, when elicited by an appropriate task. Additionally, A+ fathers had more negative amplitudes for a late slow wave in both tasks, suggesting electrophysiological consequences of long-term alcohol abuse.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

P3 in young boys as a predictor of adolescent substance use.

Event-related potentials were recorded during a visual, continuous performance task from 36 boys before use of alcohol or other drugs began. The boys were sons of 13 recovering alcoholics who themselves had a family history of alcoholism, 11 nonalcoholics with a family history of alcoholism, and 12 nonalcoholics with no family history of alcoholism. Four years after electrophysiological assessment, a behavioral questionnaire was administered (mean age = 16.1 years). A Substance Use score was derived from reported use of alcohol and other drugs, and from highly correlated delinquent behavior scores. P3s of lowest amplitude were associated with the highest adolescent Substance Use. The combination of reduced amplitude and prolonged latency of both target and nontarget P3 significantly predicted adolescent Substance Use scores after correction for subjects' age. Although this is the first electrophysiological predictor of adolescent substance use we are aware of, the effect was small, indicating the utility of P3 as a vulnerability marker for substance abuse disorders is likely to depend on its joint use with other measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a sexually transmitted disease clinic: comparison of diagnostic tests with clinical and historical risk factors.

Of 212 consecutive male patients and 212 consecutive female patients attending a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic, 36 (17%) men and 28 (13%) women had urethral or cervical cultures positive for Chlamydia trachomatis. When compared with culture, the direct fluorescent antibody test (MicroTrak, Syva Co., Palo Alto, CA) had a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 97% in men; for women the sensitivity and specificity were 68% and 82%, respectively. One percent of test slides from men and 11% of slides from women were uninterpretable. Designation of high-risk patients for presumptive treatment, i.e., those with suggestive clinical syndromes, gonococcal infection, or exposure to others considered at high risk for chlamydial infection, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, proved to be 94% sensitive, 22% specific in men, and 82% sensitive, 35% specific in women when compared with results of culture. Three different screening methods using mucopurulent cervicitis, a cervicitis score, and a series of key risk factors were less sensitive than presumptive treatment and performed worse in our study than in those published previously. Our findings suggest that use of presumptive treatment guidelines appears to be effective in directing treatment to STD clinic patients with chlamydial infection.

Adult↗