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Biomedical subjects

A Rubin

Publications and source records attributed to A Rubin.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The respiratory effects of cobalt.

We studied seven subjects with certain manifestations of cobalt-induced lung disease. All worked with cobalt and were involved in either the production or use of hard metal. The mode of presentation varied from an acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis that cleared completely when exposure ceased to progressive severe interstitial fibrosis of the lungs. In one subject reexposure was followed by a recurrence of the symptoms. All subjects showed restrictive ventilatory impairment and a reduction of their diffusing capacity. The radiologic appearances varied greatly. While two subjects had clear roentgenograms with small lung volumes, others had a micronodular pattern or small blotchy nodular infiltrates, and one had diffuse reticulonodulation as is seen in cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis. The pathologic appearances varied between desquamative interstitial pneumonia and overt mural fibrosis of the alveoli. Six of the seven patients had multinucleated giant cells in their biopsy specimens or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A controlled clinical trial of baclofen as protective therapy in early Huntington's disease.

We carried out a controlled clinical trial to examine the potential of baclofen to slow the functional decline of patients with early Huntington's disease (HD). The basis of the trial was: (1) the hypothesis that excitatory amino acid neurotransmission mediates the neuronal degeneration of HD, (2) preclinical evidence that baclofen retards corticostriatal release of glutamate and aspartate, and (3) reports that baclofen produces short-term clinical benefits in some HD patients. Sixty patients with early HD were randomized to chronic baclofen, 60 mg/day, or placebo treatments and followed systematically for up to 42 months. Total functional capacity was not favorably influenced by baclofen treatment. Factors that contributed, although nonsignificantly, to a more rapid rate of total functional capacity decline included younger age (less than 35 years), earlier stage (stage I) of illness, paternal inheritance of the HD gene, and baclofen treatment. Our patients declined at a pace slower than that observed in other prospective studies, a finding likely due to selection criteria, avoidance of neuroleptic therapy, and strong psychosocial support.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Psychological factors in the choice of treatment for breast cancer.

For several years women with an early diagnosis of breast cancer have been able to choose between two equally effective treatments: modified radical mastectomy and the breast-conserving treatment of lumpectomy plus radiation therapy. This study investigated the psychological factors that become involved when a woman chooses between treatments. Many more anticipatory concerns about body image, disfigurement, femininity, and the ability (or inability) to handle emotionally a mastectomy were expressed by lumpectomy/radiation therapy patients than by mastectomy patients. Those lumpectomy-radiation therapy patients who chose the treatment against medical advice were also found to be more concerned than the others about treatment effects on sexuality.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with vitamin B6: a double-blind study.

We undertook a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the therapeutic effect of vitamin B6 on carpal tunnel syndrome. After ten weeks in the study, ten of 15 patients improved (this included patients given placebo and those given no treatment). Vitamin B6 seems to have no advantage over conservative therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome. This study also suggests that repeat electrodiagnostic testing is no more useful than clinical symptoms in deciding on surgical intervention after unsuccessful conservative therapy.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Binaural and temporal integration of the loudness of tones and noises.

Subjects judged the loudness of tones (Experiment 1) and of bursts of noise (Experiment 2) that varied in intensity and duration as well as in mode of presentation (monaural vs. binaural). Both monaural and binaural loudness, for both types of signals, obeyed the bilinear-interaction prediction of the classic temporal integration model. The loudness of short tones grows as a power function of both intensity and duration with different exponents for the two factors (.2 and .3, respectively). The loudness of wide-band noises grows as a power function of duration (with an exponent of approximately .6) but not of sound pressure. For tones, binaural summation was constant but fell short of full additivity. For noises, summation changed across level and duration. Temporal summation followed the same course for monaural and binaural tonal stimuli but not for noise stimuli. Notwithstanding these differences between tone and noise, we concluded that binaural and temporal summation are independently operating integrative networks within the auditory system. The usefulness of establishing the underlying metric structure for temporal summation is emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A double-blind placebo-controlled comparison of the efficacy and safety of 50, 100, and 200 micrograms of misoprostol QID in the prevention of ibuprofen-induced gastric and duodenal mucosal lesions and symptoms.

Ibuprofen, a commonly proscribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is also available in many countries, including the United States, without a prescription, is known to cause hemorrhage and erosion of the gastroduodenal mucosa. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 200, 100, and 50 micrograms of misoprostol and placebo administered qid for 6 days, with a final dose on the morning of the 7th day, in the prevention of gastric and duodenal lesions induced by the concurrent administration of 800 mg of ibuprofen qid. A total of 120 healthy subjects with endoscopically normal gastric and duodenal mucosae were enrolled in the study. The endoscopic examination was repeated 2 h after the final dose on day 7, and the mucosae were graded on a 0 to 4+ scale. In the stomach, all three misoprostol groups were significantly more protective than placebo and did not differ significantly from each other. In the duodenum, the endoscopic scores of the 200- and 100-micrograms misoprostol groups, but not the 50-micrograms group differed significantly from placebo. The 200- and 100-microgram groups did not differ significantly from each other, but both differed from the 50-micrograms group for duodenal mucosal injury. Subjective symptoms thought to be primarily attributable to the NSAID (e.g., pain, indigestion/heartburn and nausea) were recorded by each subject in a diary. Subjects in the 200-micrograms misoprostol group attained the greatest degree of mucosal protection and had a significantly higher incidence of indigestion/heartburn and abdominal pain than the placebo group. One can conclude that misoprostol in both antisecretory (200- and 100-micrograms) and non-antisecretory (50-micrograms) doses protects the gastric mucosa from injury from high anti-inflammatory doses of ibuprofen (3200 mg/day). Only the antisecretory doses (100 and 200 micrograms qid) were effective in the duodenum, suggesting that acid suppression is necessary for mucosal protection to occur in the duodenum.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Cerebrospinal fluid correlates of depression in Huntington's disease.

Patients with Huntington's disease (HD) commonly have concomitant depressive disorders. Prompted by reports of elevated corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and reduced 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with major depression, these CSF constituents were examined in 56 nonmedicated patients who were in the early stages of HD. Elevated CRF concentrations were found in patients with HD in comparison with a control group of 21 subjects without neurologic illness. The CSF 5-HIAA concentrations in patients with HD did not differ from that in four normal volunteers. Patients with HD who had depressive disorders (major depression or dysthymia) did not differ from those without depression with respect to CSF 5-HIAA or CRF concentration. However, a positive correlation was observed between severity of major depression and CRF concentration. These findings suggest that the depression associated with HD may differ neurochemically from that seen in other major depressive disorders, and support the notion that clinically significant depressive symptoms reflect heterogeneous pathophysiologic conditions with different neurochemical correlates.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Double-blind, placebo-controlled endoscopic comparison of the mucosal protective effects of misoprostol versus cimetidine on tolmetin-induced mucosal injury to the stomach and duodenum.

Ninety normal volunteers were entered into a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to compare the efficacy of misoprostol (200 micrograms q.i.d.) vs. cimetidine (300 mg q.i.d.) in protecting the gastric and duodenal mucosa from tolmetin-induced (400 mg q.i.d.) injury. After 6 days of treatment, the degree of mucosal injury between treatments was compared by endoscopy, using a predetermined rating scale of 0 (normal mucosa) to 4+ (greater than 25 hemorrhages or erosions or an invasive ulcer). Utilizing a score of less than or equal to 2+ (2-10 hemorrhages or erosions) as a therapeutic success, the overall success rates were 8/30 (26.7%) for placebo, 19/30 (63.3%) for cimetidine, and 27/29 (93.1%) for misoprostol (p less than 0.001). Pairwise comparisons were also significant: misoprostol vs. placebo (p less than 0.001), misoprostol vs. cimetidine (p = 0.006), and cimetidine vs. placebo (p = 0.004). A separate analysis of the gastric scores alone revealed success rates identical to those in the overall evaluation; however, success rates in the duodenum for both misoprostol (29/29) and cimetidine (29/30) were extremely high and did not differ. It is concluded that misoprostol is highly effective and significantly better than cimetidine in protecting the gastric mucosa from tolmetin-induced injury; however, both agents were highly protective in the duodenum.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Graduation gift.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Hepatic tumours induced by anabolic steroids in an athlete.

A fatal rupture of an hepatic tumour occurred in an athlete who had been taking anabolic steroids for several years as an aid to body building. The case illustrates the hazards of non-therapeutic androgen administration, and emphasises the need for athletes to be made clear of the disturbances to gonadal function, liver structure and function, and the threat to life.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Evidence for atypical depression in Parkinson's disease.

The Research Diagnostic Criteria were applied to 16 depressed patients with Parkinson's disease and 20 depressed multiple sclerosis patients. Diagnoses of anxiety and panic disorder were significantly more frequent among the patients with Parkinson's disease. These patients may experience atypical depression.

Adult↗