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Biomedical subjects

A Blum

Publications and source records attributed to A Blum.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Black scorpion envenomation: two cases and review of the literature.

Scorpion envenomation is quite common in India, southeast Asia, the U.S. southwest, and Israel (in the Negev and around Jerusalem). Yellow scorpion is considered the most dangerous scorpion that causes cardiac toxicity. Two patients are described, who lived in a nonendemic area of yellow scorpions and were envenomated by the black scorpion. Both suffered temporary cardiac involvement (manifested by electrocardiographic changes) which reverted to a normal pattern within 24 h. These are the first two cases that have been reported (from black scorpion envenomation) and indicate that the toxin of the black scorpion is also cardiotoxic, but much less than the "yellow scorpion" toxin.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The macrophage-activating properties of growth hormone.

1. We compared the ability of growth hormone (GH) and a well-characterized macrophage-activating factor, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) to activate highly purified populations of alveolar macrophages. Both GH and IFN-gamma primed macrophages triggered with opsonized zymosan to secrete superoxide anion (O2-) in vitro, but IFN-gamma was effective at a 40-fold lower concentration. Antibody blocking studies demonstrated that the priming activity of GH was independent of IFN-gamma, and the activity of IFN-gamma was distinct from that of GH. 2. Both IFN-gamma and GH increased the capability of macrophages to kill Pasteurella multocida in vitro. 3. Hypophysectomized rats challenged with Salmonella typhimurium were significantly protected by injections of either GH or recombinant rat IFN-gamma in vivo compared to vehicle-treated controls, and the protective effect of GH was increased by incorporation into liposomes. 4. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) also primed alveolar macrophages in vitro, which is consistent with the idea that the protective effects of GH in vivo might be mediated by augmenting the synthesis of IGF-I. These data support the concept of reciprocal systems of communication between the neuroendocrine and immune systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Electrocardiographic Q-waves inconstancy during thrombolysis in acute anterior wall myocardial infarction.

It is the purpose of this paper to describe the electrocardiographic inconstancy of Q-waves during administration of thrombolytic therapy. This was documented in four patients given streptokinase early in the course of anterior wall myocardial infarction. Understanding the pathogenesis of sequential dynamic variations of Q-waves in this setting may offer important insights into coronary physiology and management of acute coronary events. We discuss the possible explanations for such changes with respect to tissue viability, dynamic vascular changes and electrophysiological properties of the reperfused infarcted myocardium.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗
PubMed1992

Treatment of tardive dyskinesia with vitamin E.

OBJECTIVE: Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), a free-radical scavenger, has been reported to improve symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. The authors attempted to replicate this finding under more controlled conditions in a larger study group. METHOD: Fifteen inpatients and six outpatients with tardive dyskinesia received up to 1600 IU/day of vitamin E for 6 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) examinations of these patients were videotaped and rated independently by two trained raters. Levels of neuroleptic medication and vitamin E were measured during both treatment periods. Eighteen patients who demonstrated high blood levels of vitamin E were included in the data analysis. RESULTS: Vitamin E levels were significantly higher while the patients were receiving vitamin E than while they were receiving placebo. For all 18 patients, there were no significant differences between AIMS scores after receiving vitamin E and AIMS scores after receiving placebo. In agreement with previous studies, however, the nine patients who had had tardive dyskinesia for 5 years or less had significantly lower AIMS scores after receiving vitamin E than after receiving placebo. There were no changes in neuroleptic levels during vitamin E treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin E had a minor beneficial effect on tardive dyskinesia ratings in a selected group of patients who had had tardive dyskinesia for 5 years or less. This effect was not due to an increase in blood levels of neuroleptic medications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Snuffing tobacco out of sport.

Use of oral snuff has risen sharply among baseball players following a tobacco industry marketing campaign that linked smokeless tobacco with athletic performance and virility. Millions of adolescents have copied these professional role models and, today, are at risk of developing oral cancer and other mouth disorders. New policies and programs are needed to break the powerful grip that the tobacco industry has on professional sport. Health agencies, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Dental Research, have teamed up with major league baseball to help players quit and reduce public use of oral tobacco. If these efforts are successful, our national pastime will once again become America's classroom for teaching health and fitness, not nicotine addiction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Role of the health professional in ending the tobacco pandemic: clinic, classroom, and community.

Physicians and other health professionals have become complacent about the tobacco pandemic, because there is a mistaken belief that the war on smoking has been won. In reality, the survival from lung cancer is little better than it was 30 years ago, and cigarettes have become the most advertised and promoted product in society. The prevalence of overall smoking in the United States has declined by only 0.5%/y during the past decade. Among certain US minority populations, the decline has been far less or nonexistent. Traditional efforts to control the tobacco pandemic have been reactive and static, whereby government agencies, schools, and health professionals provide the public with generic information about the adverse health effects of smoking. As a result of these efforts, it is assumed that individuals will act to change their behavior. In contrast, the tobacco industry is proactive and dynamic, changing its brand-name strategies through advertising and promotion. To more effectively combat tobacco use, health officials need to move beyond patient education and adopt a more active model that includes clinic-based, school-based, and community-based tobacco-control strategies. Use of humorous, satirical images as part of paid counteradvertising campaigns and proactive health education curricula should be part of a concerted effort to end the tobacco pandemic and limit the promotional influence of tobacco companies.

Consumer Advocacy↗
PubMed1991

Substance P but not vasoactive intestinal peptide modulates immunoglobulin secretion in murine schistosomiasis.

Neuropeptides including SP and VIP modulate Ig secretion by in vitro stimulated lymphocyte cultures. It is not known whether these neuropeptides effect the B cell directly, or if they significantly alter humoral immune responses to pathogens. We have previously shown that granulomas derived from schistosome-infected mice contain immunoglobulin secreting B cells (ISC) as well as eosinophils that secrete substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). It therefore seemed plausible that B cells derived from infected animals might respond to these neuropeptides, and that such responses might effect immunoregulatory signals. In this study, we addressed these issues in the murine Schistosoma mansoni model, at the level of immunoglobulin secretion in single B cells. Spontaneous ISC were observed in both splenic and granuloma cell preparations. The addition of SP resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the number and size of plaques (a 50% reduction was observed at 10(-9) M). This effect was blocked with SP antagonists. Similar results were observed in T cell-depleted cell cultures. VIP had no effect on ISC number or plaque size. We conclude that SP, but not VIP, decreases spontaneous ISC number and Ig secretion in short-term cultures of spleen and granuloma cells. SP appears to exert its effects at the level of single B cells through a receptor-mediated mechanism and may thus play an immunoregulatory role in schistosomiasis.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Limitations of percutaneous catheter drainage of abdominal abscesses.

During the past eight years, 119 patients with abdominal abscesses underwent percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD), including 76 who had successful treatment by the initial PCD, 19 who had recurrent abscesses after removal of drainage catheters and 24 who were outright failures and either died of sepsis or required surgical drainage. This study was designed to identify outcome variables that might be used prospectively to assess the therapeutic efficacy of PCD. Outcome variables included abscess size, daily drainage volume and location, presence of a gastrointestinal fistula, age, bacteriologic factors and response of the pulse rate, body temperature and leukocyte count of the patient to PCD. Ninety of 119 patients (76 per cent) ultimately had successful drainage of abscesses by PCD alone. The over-all mortality rate was 16 per cent (19 of 119), with a 75 per cent mortality rate in the failure group. Neither abscess size, bacteriologic findings nor pulse rate correlated with outcome. PCD failure was significantly greater in patients greater than or equal to 60 years (p less than or equal to 0.01) and in patients with pancreatic abscesses versus other locations (p less than or equal to 0.04). Drainage volume was significantly greater in PCD failures than among PCD successes at greater than or equal to 3 days after PCD (p less than or equal to 0.03).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abdomen↗
PubMed1990

[Acute reversible renal failure in acute hepatitis A].

A 22-year-old woman with acute reversible renal failure complicating acute hepatitis A is presented. Usually in such cases the prognosis is bad, but this patient was treated medically without dialysis and recovered.

Acute Disease↗