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Biomedical subjects

B Benjamin

Publications and source records attributed to B Benjamin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenocarcinoma.

A case of primary retroperitoneal cystadenocarcinoma is presented as the fourth reported case in the world literature to date. The cyst was removed intact and demonstrated an infiltrating malignant process with nuclear pleomorphism and mitotic activity. No ovarian tissue was identified and a cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) test was normal. The patient underwent a staging procedure subsequently that included peritoneal washings, hysterectomy, bilateral salpingoophorectomy, and iliac node dissection. No metastases were found and the patient is without recurrence 22 months postoperative. The literature is reviewed to better define the origin and prognosis of these tumors.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Transient T-cell abnormality in a selective IgM-immunodeficient patient with Brucella infection.

We describe here one 9-year-old female patient with an unusual form of selective IgM and CD4+ (OKT4+) helper/inducer T-cell immunodeficiency associated with Brucella infection. During the acute phase of Brucella infection, the percentage of infection. During the acute phase of Brucella infection, the percentage of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) displaying OKT3+, OKT11+, and OKT4A+ phenotypes was decreased, and that of the OKT8+ cell was increased. These phenotypic T-cell abnormalities disappeared after antibiotic therapy in a 5-week period. However, the marked deficiency of CD4+ T cells and the IgM deficiency present during the acute phase of illness remained after recovery from illness. In vitro immunoglobulin production experiments during the acute phase of illness demonstrated that the patient's T cells lacked the capacity to provide helper/inducer function for normal B-cell differentiation to secrete IgM. The patient's T cells were also shown to possess IgM-specific suppressor cell activity on normal B- and T-cell differentiations. Thus impaired T-cell function was shown to be responsible for IgM-deficient antibody production. Defective interleukin 2 receptor expression and production by the patient's PBL in response to mitogenic stimulation also were present, indicating a severe defect in the patient's T-cell function.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1988

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis: a 10 year study.

Sixty cases of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in both children and adults treated over a 10 year period were reviewed. An unexpected finding was that nine of the 60 patients (15 per cent) had symptoms by two months of age; an earlier onset than previously described. The control rate was 66 per cent for paediatric onset patients and 44 per cent with adult onset; the former required more operations. No anaesthetic deaths or complications were encountered. Glottic webs were the only surgical complication. The findings confirm that there is no relationship between puberty and the rate of control or recurrence. The necessity for precise and comprehensive endoscopic examination of the upper aerodigestive tract using a range of endoscopes and rigid telescopes under general anaesthetic is emphasized.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Pachyonychia congenita with laryngeal involvement.

Pachyonychia congenita (Jadassohn-Lewandowsky Syndrome) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by nail dystrophy, hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles, leukoplakia of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and anus, follicular keratoses especially about the knees and elbows, and palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis. We present a patient with pachyonychia congenita and an exophytic lesion in the larynx at the posterior commissure. He is the youngest of 4 family members with this disorder covering 3 generations. Each of the 4 patients also exhibited both oral leukoplakia compatible with the Jadassohn-Lewandowsky syndrome (Ikonograph Dermatol. Lab., 1 (1906) p. 29), and subcutaneous cysts of the face and scalp as described by Jackson and Lawler (Ann. Eugenics (1951) 142.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Technique of laryngoscopy.

The role of the pediatric laryngologist has changed. He now manages a greater range of clinical problems in the upper airways. Direct laryngoscopy under general anesthesia is fundamental for correct diagnosis and management in infants and children. It is a precise procedure utilizing a range of modern miniaturized instruments. Major technological improvements include quartz iodine and xenon light sources, flexible light carrying leads, fiberoptic rod lighting, special purpose laryngoscopes, rigid telescopes, versatile techniques of anesthesia, microlaryngeal surgery, laser surgery and reliable photographic documentation.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1987

Severe upper airway obstruction.

This article describes management of newborn and older children with severe upper airway obstruction, that is, those needing or likely to need airway support for their intact survival. These children have more to gain from optimal care, and more to lose from any error than most other children requiring admission to a pediatric intensive care unit.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed1987

Use of outpatient mental health services over time in a health maintenance organization and fee-for-service plans.

The authors compared the use of outpatient mental health services in a health maintenance organization (HMO) and fee-for-service plans over a 5-year period, using data from a randomized controlled trial. In any given year, enrollees in the HMO and a fee-for-service plan with identical benefits were equally likely to visit a mental health specialist. Over several years, the HMO enrollees were about 50% more likely ever to visit a mental health specialist; fee-for-service enrollees were more likely to receive mental health care in more than 1 study year.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Comparison of use of outpatient mental health services in an HMO and fee-for-service plans. Sensitivity to definition of a visit.

Whereas previous authors have used a variety of strategies to identify use of mental health services, the sensitivity of estimates to the definition of a visit has been little studied. The authors examined the sensitivity of estimates of use of outpatient mental health services in both HMO and fee-for-service plans to the method of identifying outpatient mental health visits. The HMO and fee-for-service plans had identical benefits (i.e., free care). Data were from the Rand Health Insurance Study. Mental health visits were identified using two definitions: presence of a mental health diagnosis or procedure; and presence of a mental health procedure, diagnosis, or prescription for psychotropic medication in the absence of physical disorders requiring such medications. The major policy conclusions about lower levels of use in the HMO compared to fee-for-service plans were insensitive to the definition of a visit. Nevertheless, estimates of use of general medical providers were higher when psychotropic medications were included in the definition of a mental health visit; this sensitivity to definition was significantly greater for fee-for-service than HMO participants (P less than 0.05). Further, conclusions about the comparability of enrollment mental health status of patients treated by general medical providers in HMO and fee-for-service plans were somewhat sensitive to the definition of a visit.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1986

Posterior glottic pathology.

In infants and children, pathology in the posterior glottis is usually congenital or acquired due to endotracheal intubation. Diagnostic errors and omissions are less likely to occur with an anaesthetic technique where no endotracheal tube is used, where the posterior commissure and arytenoids are deliberately separated by a laryngoscope and where movements of the vocal cords and arytenoids are carefully assessed.

Child↗
PubMed1986

The role of the paediatric endoscopist.

The role of the paediatric endoscopist has been a changing one. When I first commenced at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney 25 years ago, paediatric endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract and oesophagus was a limited and poorly defined field. Most endoscopic examinations were requested, often reluctantly, by a paediatrician in the investigation of stridor. In fact my first consultation involved instructions to perform a laryngoscopy, but not a bronchoscopy and general anaesthesia was not to be used! How different the situation is now--the paediatric endoscopist is regarded as a true consultant and his opinion is sought in the investigation and management of congenital or acquired airway and intra-thoracic problems.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1986

A comparison of the effects of sociodemographic factors and health status on use of outpatient mental health services in HMO and fee-for-service plans.

The authors compared the effects of age, sex, socioeconomic status, and mental and physical health status on the use of outpatient mental health services in one well-established health maintenance organization (HMO) and in fee-for-service plans. In the Seattle site of the Rand Health Insurance Study (HIS), families were randomly assigned to HMO or fee-for-service coverage. Adults incur much greater expense for outpatient mental health services than children in both an HMO and a fee-for-service plan with identical coverage (i.e., free care). However, the difference in use between adults and children is significantly greater for the fee-for-service plan than the HMO (P less than 0.01). Similarly, education has significantly greater effects on use for the fee-for-service than the HMO plan. Increased income has a significant negative effect on use in both the HMO and fee-for-service plans. Mental and physical health status have similar large effects on use in both fee-for-service and HMO plans.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Use of outpatient mental health services in HMO and fee-for-service plans: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Does a prepaid group practice (PGP) deliver less outpatient mental health care than the fee-for-service (FFS) sector when they serve comparable populations with comparable benefits? To examine this issue, we used data from the Rand Health Insurance Study, which randomized families into a prepaid group practice or FFS insurance plans. Participants in a FFS plan with no cost sharing (i.e., free care) are equally likely to visit a mental health specialist in a year, but incur 2.8 times the costs of prepaid participants (p less than .05). This difference is due to fewer visits per user, substitution of psychiatric social workers for psychiatrists and psychologists, and reliance on group rather than individual therapies in the prepaid plan. Because of the experimental design, these differences are due to institutional and incentive differences rather than adverse selection. We found no evidence of appreciable or significant adverse selection into or out of the prepaid group practice. A full evaluation of the desirability of prepaid or fee-for-service care requires data on health outcomes, which are not presented here.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Alcohol intoxication, an underdiagnosed problem?

To show that alcohol intoxication may be underdiagnosed in childhood, we describe four patients in whom it was not suspected until blood alcohol concentrations were measured as part of a toxicology screen.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗
PubMed1985

The demand for dental care: evidence from a randomized trial in health insurance.

Using data from a randomized trial in health insurance, this paper examines the effect of cost sharing on use of dental services. The data come from a sample of the nonaged, noninstitutionalized civilian population of six urban and rural sites. We find that: reducing the level of cost sharing increases demand for dental services; and dental expenses rise 46% when the coinsurance rate falls from 95% to 0%, subject to a catastrophic limit on out-of-pocket expenses. Of this increase, two-thirds is attributable to an increase in the likelihood of visiting a dentist during the year. Moreover, there is a substantial surge in demand during the first year of more generous coverage. The first-year response to cost sharing is nearly twice the second-year response.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Underlying theory of actuarial analyses.

The developments in theory governing the calculation of mortality rates for use in survival measurements working through the initial basic concept of exposure to risk to the later introduction of stochastic elements are reviewed. I have indicated the way in which actuaries and statisticians who work closely with those in the fields of medicine and biology have, by the exchange of methodologic ideas, come to an identity of approach. Recent new actuarial work and likely future developments in actuarial interests are reviewed.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1984

The sensitivity of mental health care use and cost estimates to methods effects.

The authors determined the sensitivity of estimates of the use and cost of outpatient mental health care to two methods effects: the definition of a mental health visit and strategies for allocating mental health care costs. They use data from the Rand Health Insurance Study, which has a random sample of the nonaged noninstitutionalized civilian population in six United States sites. Estimates of the use of mental health specialists are insensitive to alternative methods. However, estimates of the use and cost of the mental health care delivered by nonpsychiatrist physicians (e.g., internists) are quite sensitive to methods effects. Nevertheless, the cost of care from nonpsychiatrist physicians is so low that the total cost of outpatient mental health care is not meaningfully affected by methods effects.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1984

A case report of subglottic stenosis.

A case of idiopathic subglottic stenosis treated by endoscopic laryngeal laser. A brief review of other forms of treatment and the place of Respiratory Function Tests in diagnosis and management.

Adult↗