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Biomedical subjects

A Abel

Publications and source records attributed to A Abel.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

[Schistosomiasis imported from Africa].

We present 5 cases of Schistosoma hematobium infestation recently acquired during travel to Lake Malawi. Clinical presentations ranged from asymptomatic to prolonged pneumonitis. The laboratory diagnosis in suspected cases rests on both searching for ova in the urine, and on serological tests which may become positive before the appearance of ova. One of the returning travelers also acquired trichinosis and another amebiasis. Because of the sharp increase in those traveling to the tropics, especially young people, physicians should be aware of the possibilities of their acquiring schistosomiasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Lung function changes among recycling workers exposed to organic dust.

This study examines the workshift changes in lung function among 99 recycling workers, and correlates these findings with measurements of total dust and endotoxins. Exposure to organic dust caused a fall in FEV1 over the workshift, and this was significantly associated with the exposure to organic dust. No significant association was found between endotoxin exposure and lung function decrements. This lack of association could be due to the low concentrations of endotoxins to which the workers were exposed, as no workers were exposed to more than 100 ng/m3.

Dust↗
PubMed1993

Crisis stabilization services for children and adolescents: a brokerage model to reduce admissions to state psychiatric facilities.

There continues to be an increased interest in developing community-based services for children and adolescents as an alternative to inpatient care. However, there has been much more talk than action in creating such alternatives. This paper describes the success of a crisis stabilization program for children and adolescents in a community mental health center which historically over-utilized the State psychiatric facility for youth. The Crisis Stabilization Program consists of three components: (1) a two-person crisis team, (2) a four-person on-call team for after hours crises, and (3) funds which the crisis team utilized to broker for a wider array of community-based services.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Blushing as a function of audience size.

Almost no experimental analysis of blushing has been done since Darwin's observations in 1872. Forty-eight college women watched a videotape intended to elicit blushing, and a videotape not intended to elicit blushing, but elicit physiological responses. A subject was alone, or with one or four persons present. Blushing, which was measured directly with a photoplethysmograph probe on the cheek, was greater during the blushing than nonblushing stimulation. Blushing increased as audience size increased from one to four, but not from zero to one. Audience size and kind of stimulation interacted statistically. Similar results were obtained with ear coloration, cheek temperature, and skin conductance responses, although confidence levels were lower. Cheek coloration and temperature were significantly correlated during nonblushing stimulation, and the zero and one audience conditions, but not during the four audience condition, when blushing was greatest. These results may be placed within the context of emotional effects of audience size generally, including stuttering and speech disturbance, disruption of learning, and self-reported tension.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Interhemispheric EEG coherence during sleep and wakefulness in left- and right-handed subjects.

REM sleep is associated with the production of complex imagery sequences. Yet research is divided as to whether different brain regions are more or less coordinated in their functioning at this time. Some research suggests that there may occur a functional disconnection of the left and right cerebral hemispheres during REM sleep which is similar to the disconnection syndrome seen after corpus callosotomy. Other research suggests that an increase in interhemispheric coordination occurs. On the assumption that hemispheric coordination is reflected in the EEG coherence measure, we explored differences in interhemispheric coherence recorded in six left- and six right-handed normal subjects during periods of wakefulness, stage REM, stage 2, and stage 3/4 sleep. Strong evidence was found that mean EEG coherence values are larger during sleep than during waking and that they are approximately equal for the different stages of sleep. Frontal electrode placements demonstrated a slightly different pattern of coherence than central, parietal, or occipital placements. Furthermore, coherence values were larger for left-handed subjects over the occipital region during wakefulness, stage 2, and stage REM sleep, but not during stage 3/4 sleep. Coherence was not different for male and female subjects. These findings oppose the interpretation that a functional disconnection of hemispheres occurs during REM sleep and favor the interpretation that sleep in general is a state of heightened cortical coordination. Moreover, greater interhemispheric coherence over occipital brain regions in left-handed subjects suggests possible differences in the cognitive processes of these subjects during waking and dreaming states.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1990

Facial coloration and temperature responses in blushing.

Little work on the psychophysiology of blushing has been done since Darwin's 1872 observations. Facial vascular and temperature changes have been largely ignored in psychophysiology. We had 16 female and 16 male undergraduate volunteers watch a videotape intended to produce blushing (the individual's singing recorded the previous day), and a videotape not intended to produce blushing, but elicit physiological responses for comparison (a segment from Hitchcock's movie Psycho). Four people were present as a subject watched these video segments. Cheek and ear coloration, measured photoplethysmographically, cheek temperature, and finger skin conductance responses were significantly greater during stimulation intended to elicit blushing than during comparison stimulation. Gender interacted statistically with kind of stimulation only in cheek temperature. Only video segments of the subject's face that coincided with maximal cheek coloration during stimulation intended to produce blushing were judged reliably as blushing, and then more often in females than in males.

Adolescent↗