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Biomedical subjects

B Frank

Publications and source records attributed to B Frank.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Needs assessment in substance misuse: a comparison of approaches and case study.

Public policy practitioners are often confronted with the problem of "needs assessment." But needs can be defined and measured in many ways, and often in pursuit of fundamentally different ends. This paper provides a brief paradigmatic comparison of two alternative approaches to the problem of needs assessment in the area of substance misuse, and it concludes with a case study describing the implementation of a model developed by the New York State Division of Substance Abuse Services.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

[Phantom perception and phantom pain].

"Phantom limb" is a well-known phenomenon following loss or amputation of a limb. The limb still seems to be present, although it is no longer there, but the sensation is not associated with pain. Less well-known are the phenomena of autosomatognosis and pain after the loss of other parts of the body such as the genital parts or after partial or complete deafferentiations as in a traumatic transverse syndrome, lesion of the brachial plexus, or lesions of the CNS. Although many hypotheses have been advanced to explain the pathophysiological mechanisms resulting in these phenomena, the pathogenetic fundamentals have not been properly clarified to date. That is also why manifold approaches have evolved to treat phantom limb pain. The authors survey the literature published so far on this subject and report on their own studies. This gives an overall view of the many aspects of autosomatognosis, phantom limb pain, hypotheses on pathophysiology, and the currently employed treatment strategies.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1992

Renal cortical endosomes participate in the degradation of insulin.

It has long been thought that metabolism of insulin by kidney proximal tubule cells takes place only in lysosomes. But previous studies with the perfused rat kidney and a proximal tubule-like cultured kidney cell line suggested that insulin degradation occurred in a nonlysosomal compartment. In this study we show that endosomes isolated from rat kidney cortex degrade insulin and that this process is ATP and pH dependent.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1991

[An epidural spinal abscess with caudal symptoms as a complication of Crohn's disease].

Progressive symptoms of caudal compression (flaccid paraparesis, sensory disorders), accompanied by severe pain and fever, developed over a few days in a 26-year-old man with Crohn's disease for 11 years. Spinal computed tomography, performed under the diagnosis of herniated disc, revealed intraspinal soft tissue, as well as gas in the spinal canal (L2-S3) and the paravertebral muscles. This led to the diagnosis of acute epidural abscess and a laminectomy was performed (at L4-S2). Intraspinally there was thickened, bluish fatty tissue; thick pus exuded between dura and the sacral roots. Suction-irrigation of the spinal canal was undertaken via an epidural drain. Postoperative contrast infusion into the colon demonstrated a fistula directed towards the sacrum. The postoperative course was complicated by severe respiratory impairment of which the patient died.--Epidural abscess is a rare complication of Crohn's disease. Because of its poor prognosis early diagnosis with magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography should be undertaken in every patient with Crohn's disease who has back pain, fever or, particularly, symptoms of spinal compression.

Abscess↗
PubMed1991

Street studies that work and what they show in New York City.

The New York State Division of Substance Abuse Services (DSAS) maintains a street research unit that monitors drug activity on the streets of New York City. The Street Research Unit consists of a supervisor and several carefully selected researchers who have had a history of drug abuse. The team includes males and females, and whites, blacks and Hispanics. Their supervisor has trained them in social science methods and ethnographic techniques. The researchers' own knowledge of street language and drug behavior has enabled them to capture information that would escape most observers and even some participants. Despite the risks involved, the Street Research Unit has become a vital and indispensable part of the research capability of the agency. There is no better way to gather current information on drug activity on the streets of New York City. The paper traces the history of the Unit, discusses some methods that are used, describes the studies that have been conducted, and summarizes what works, what does not work in this type of ethnography, and the plans for the future.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1990

Giant aneurysm causing frontal lobe syndrome.

A 67-year-old patient with a completely thrombosed giant aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery is described. The only neurological findings were a disturbance of stance and gait and slight bilateral grasp reflexes. He had had the features of a frontal lobe psychotic syndrome for more than 12 years. Computed tomography demonstrated a primarily hyperdense calcified suprasellar space-occupying lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging proved valuable in establishing the correct diagnosis, which was confirmed post mortem.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Why do they fall? Monitoring risk factors in nursing homes.

A pilot study identified 40 falls involving 29 patients from incident reports in a nursing home. About one fourth of the fallers fell more than once and accounted for about one fourth of the falls. The majority of research studies on falls were conducted in hospital settings on a one-time basis. Studies are needed in nursing homes to monitor risk factors on a continuous basis to design remedial nursing interventions. Age, male gender, mental impairment, and short stay were risk factors identified in this study. The association of dementia with falls is especially significant because of the increasing numbers of dementia patients in nursing homes. This pinpoints the need for special surveillance of these patients.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1989

Insulin degradation products from perfused rat kidney.

The kidney is a major site for insulin metabolism, but the enzymes involved and the products generated have not been established. To examine the products, we have perfused rat kidneys with insulin specifically iodinated on either the A14 or the B26 tyrosine. Labeled material from both the perfusate and kidney extract was examined by Sephadex G50 and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In perfusate from a filtering kidney, 22% of the insulin-sized material was not intact insulin on HPLC. With the nonfiltering kidney, 10.6% was not intact insulin. Labeled material from HPLC was sulfitolyzed and reinjected on HPLC. By use of 125I-iodo(A14)-insulin, almost all the degradation products contained an intact A-chain. By use of 125I-iodo(B26)-insulin, several different B-chain-cleaved products were obtained. The material extracted from the perfused kidney was different from perfusate products but similar to intracellular products from hepatocytes, suggesting that cellular metabolism by kidney and liver are similar. The major intracellular product had characteristics consistent with a cleavage between the B16 and B17 amino acids. This product and several of the perfusate products are also produced by insulin protease suggesting that this enzyme is involved in the degradation of insulin by kidney.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Basolateral and apical binding, internalization, and degradation of insulin by cultured kidney epithelial cells.

In vivo, filtered insulin is absorbed and degraded in proximal tubules after binding to the apical membrane. Peritubular removal also occurs and involves basolateral receptor binding and degradation. Whether basolateral degradation proceeds within the cell or on the cell surface is unknown. Because of the difficulties in addressing this question in vivo, this study was carried out with a cultured opossum kidney epithelium cell line with proximal-like features and insulin receptors. Cells were grown in partitioned wells on polycarbonate filters and, when confluent, the monolayer effectively separated the culture well into apical and basolateral compartments. Apical and basolateral binding, internalization, and degradation were studied separately by incubating monolayers with 125I-insulin added to either the apical or basal compartment. At 37 degrees C insulin associated with either pole in a time-dependent manner. This interaction was specific, for it was competitively inhibited by cold insulin but not by unrelated peptides. Separation of surface-bound from internalized insulin was achieved by lowering extracellular pH. At 4 degrees C, 92% of the radioactivity added to either side of the monolayer was surface-bound, whereas at 37 degrees C and after 1 h, 57% was surface-bound and 43% internalized. Affinity of apical and basolateral receptors were similar (1-2 nM), but basolateral receptor number was greater, for at high insulin concentrations (5 x 10(-8) M) basolateral membrane binding exceeded apical by fivefold (250 +/- 81 vs. 56 +/- 11 fm/10(6) cells). Degradation followed exposure to either pole of the cell.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1989

Experiences of phantom limb sensations in dreams.

Phantom limb sensations in the waking state and in dreams were examined in 84 limb-amputated patients. These phenomena were divided into complete, reduced, intermittent and nonexisting phantom limb. Common features as well as differences between the phantom limb in the waking state and in dreams were characterized and illustrated by casuistics and dream reports. Thus it was shown that nearly half the patients had the same, whereas the others had a different phantom limb in the waking state and in dreams.

Aged↗