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Biomedical subjects

B S Alpert

Publications and source records attributed to B S Alpert.

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

Self-reports of salt intake by 10- to 18-year-olds: relationship to urinary sodium excretion.

Our data indicated that self-reports of consumption of salty foods by children and adolescents were associated with 24-hour urinary sodium excretion. Specifically, youths 10 to 18 years of age who selected a poster depicting high-sodium foods excreted significantly more sodium than youths who selected a poster depicting low-sodium foods. Future research is needed to refine simplified self-report measures, to corroborate the validity of the measures, and to extend the studies to other samples, e.g., younger children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The validity of children's self-reports of physical activity: a preliminary study.

Ninety-two healthy children provided self-reports of their physical activity. Self-reports were based upon posters depicting children performing typical childhood activities and were validated by measured oxygen uptake during maximal cycle ergometry. Results indicated that when children were classified as sedentary or active by their poster selection, active children had significantly greater oxygen uptake than sedentary children. These results, while preliminary, are the first to indicate that children's self-reports can provide a valid index of maximal oxygen uptake, the 'gold standard' of aerobic fitness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The serratus anterior free-muscle flap: experience with 100 consecutive cases.

We report free serratus transplantation in 100 consecutive patients, 10 in combination with the latissimus muscle and 2 with rib. Transplantation was performed for extremity soft-tissue coverage, contour correction, and facial reanimation. Twenty-two patients received serratus transplantation as part of complex reconstruction requiring multiple microvascular transplants. Overall success was 99 percent, with a single flap failure. Four patients suffered partial flap loss. Emergent reexploration for suspected vascular occlusion was infrequent, required in six flaps (6.0 percent), with an 83 percent salvage rate. Significant complications occurred in 18 percent of recipient sites and 12 percent of donor sites, with eight patients developing seroma/hematoma. No scapular winging was noted, and all patients retained full shoulder range of motion. The serratus muscle flap is a highly reliable flap characterized by a consistently long pedicle, excellent malleability, and multipennate anatomy permitting coverage of complex three-dimensional wounds and consistent performance as a functional transplant. Underlying rib can be included as a myo-osseous flap to expand the versatility of this flap.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Doppler estimation of pressure gradient in pulmonary stenosis: maximal instantaneous vs peak-to-peak, vs mean catheter gradient.

We undertook a study to identify the hemodynamic significance of a Doppler-derived gradient across a stenotic pulmonary valve. Furthermore, we attempted to define the optimal plane for velocity data acquisition. A total of 17 children with valvar pulmonary stenosis were evaluated using Doppler echocardiography. Flow-velocity profiles were obtained from both the parasternal and subxiphoid windows. Ten of 17 patients were studied before and after balloon valvotomy. Therefore, 27 different transvalvar gradients were assessed by Doppler and these data were compared with the catheter-derived maximal instantaneous, peak-to-peak, and mean pressure gradients. The maximal Doppler gradient correlated well with the catheter-derived peak-to-peak pressure gradient (r = 0.95) and catheter maximal instantaneous pressure gradient (r = 0.95). Although these correlation coefficients were similar, the Doppler maximal gradient consistently overestimated the peak-to-peak catheter gradient by as much as 25%-40%. Such an overestimation was not observed when we compared the maximal Doppler gradient with the catheter-derived maximal instantaneous gradient. Moreover, the regression line of the latter comparison closely approximated the line of identity. The correlation coefficient between Doppler mean and catheter mean gradients was only 0.91. Doppler velocities were best derived when multiple transducer positions were employed to interrogate pulmonary artery velocity.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1989

Multiple microvascular transplants: a preliminary report of simultaneous versus sequential reconstruction.

We review a 10-year experience with multiple microvascular transplants (MMTs) performed on 94 patients undergoing reconstruction of complex extremity and head and neck wounds. One hundred ninety-eight flaps were performed with an overall success rate of 95%. Patients were classified into two groups: Group I comprised 38 patients who received simultaneous MMTs (76 total flaps); two flaps were transplanted in the initial operative procedure. Group II consisted of 56 patients undergoing reconstruction with sequentially transplanted MMTs (122 total flaps). The success rates of the two groups were not statistically different (97% vs. 93.4%). Complications were similar in both groups, although sequential reconstruction of lower extremity wounds had a higher frequency of complications and flap failures than the simultaneous method. Patients receiving simultaneous MMTs required more emergent reexplorations, but salvage rates were high (87.5%), particularly in upper extremity reconstructions. We suggest that simultaneous MMTs are a reliable, cost-effective method of reconstructing complex injuries. They reduce patient morbidity by eliminating second hospitalizations and reoperations without increased complications or flap failure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Reconstruction of the upper extremity with multiple microvascular transplants: analysis of method, cost, and complications.

During an 8-year period, 131 multiple microvascular transplants were performed on 62 patients for upper extremity reconstruction of complex wounds. Patients were classified into two groups: In group I 35 patients received paired simultaneous transplantation of 70 flaps performed in 35 operations. Group II consisted of 27 patients who underwent reconstruction with 61 sequentially transferred flaps; each procedure consisted of a single transplant. No statistical differences in flap failure or complications were seen between groups, except that group I required emergency reexploration more frequently. Patients receiving sequential reconstruction required rehospitalization, leading to significantly elevated costs. In our experience, simultaneous multiple microvascular transplants, particularly in patients admitted with acute injuries, result in reduction of costs, total number of procedures, and duration of hospitalization without increased complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Free-flap free flap.

We present a patient who sustained bilateral below-knee amputations that were treated with skin grafts as initial coverage. A latissimus dorsi free flap was later used as definitive coverage of one stump. Then at a subsequent operation a portion of the same latissimus dorsi free flap was reharvested, again as a free flap, and transplanted to cover the contralateral stump. Thus one latissimus dorsi free flap was used twice as a free flap (free-flap free flap) to cover bilateral amputation stumps in sequential operations.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Race and gender influence ambulatory blood pressure patterns of adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to examine ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate patterns in healthy, normotensive adolescents and to determine the influence of race and gender on these patterns. Ambulatory blood pressure recordings were performed on 199 adolescents; 42 were black males, 55 were white males, 65 were black females, and 37 were white females. The mean age (+/- SD) was 13 +/- 2 years. Blood pressure readings were obtained with an automatic, noninvasive recorder. Black adolescents and white adolescents had similar blood pressures while awake (116/69 vs. 116/69 mm Hg), with boys having higher levels of systolic blood pressure (118 vs. 114 mm Hg) and comparable levels of diastolic blood pressure (69 vs. 69 mm Hg) relative to girls. The patterns while the adolescents were asleep, however, were different. White boys (106 mm Hg), white girls (105 mm Hg), and black girls (105 mm Hg) had similar systolic blood pressures during sleep. Black boys (112 mm Hg), however, had significantly higher systolic blood pressures while asleep. Black adolescents, as a group, had significantly higher diastolic blood pressures than white adolescents while asleep (64 vs. 61 mm Hg). Changes in blood pressure from awake to asleep were not related to changes in heart rate. Results of this study indicate that both race and gender are important determinants of the diurnal pattern of blood pressure and heart rate in adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Phase I clinical trial of orally administered 4-demethoxydaunorubicin (idarubicin) with pharmacokinetic and in vitro drug sensitivity testing in children with refractory leukemia.

Fifteen children with acute leukemia in relapse, refractory to conventional therapy, were treated with idarubicin administered orally for 3 consecutive days in dosages ranging from 30 to 50 mg/m2 per day at 19- to 21-day intervals. Gastrointestinal complications, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and stomatitis, were the major forms of dose-limiting toxicity, affecting the majority of patients at all levels of idarubicin dosage. Two patients who had received total-body irradiation for bone marrow transplantation developed life-threatening gastrointestinal toxicity suggestive of a radiation "recall" phenomenon. Echocardiographic evidence of depressed cardiac function, without clinical symptoms or signs, was noted in six of 11 patients, although the changes were judged to be significant in only one child. The maximal tolerated oral dose of idarubicin was 40 mg/m2 per day. The medium terminal plasma half-life of idarubicin was 9.2 h (range, 6.4-25.5 h). Both idarubicin and its metabolite, idarubicinol, accumulated during the 3 days of therapy. Among the five patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia whose cells were tested for drug sensitivity in vitro, the idarubicin concentration resulting in 50% inhibition (IC50) of cluster and colony formation ranged from 1.6 x 10(-10) M to 5 x 10(-7) M. There was no obvious relationship between the IC50 for idarubicin and that for epirubicin or daunorubicin. Oral idarubicin produced definite antileukemic effects, clearing blast cells from the circulation in 13 of the 14 evaluable patients. Future studies should define an optimal dose schedule to circumvent the limiting gastrointestinal complications associated with this agent.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1988

Free serratus anterior muscle transplantation for hand reconstruction.

Free transplantation of the serratus anterior muscle has allowed salvage or reconstruction of difficult hand injuries with advantages compared to traditional methods. Free muscle tissue adds vascularity to poorly vascularised and potentially infected wounds and allows hand elevation and early mobilisation. Dynamic reinnervation is possible with segmental preservation of the long thoracic nerve. The serratus anterior muscle is easily harvested and has a long, reliable vascular pedicle. It is thin, easily contoured to the defect and can be separated into its component slips. The muscle provides stable coverage when covered with a meshed split thickness skin graft. Scapular winging does not occur since only the lower two or three slips of muscle are used. The muscle has been used in 15 complex hand wounds, three within a week of revascularisation or digital replantation for hand salvage. Three dynamic muscle transfers were performed to restore thumb opposition with one simultaneous toe-to-thumb transplantation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Use of the temporoparietal free fascial flap in the upper extremity.

Reconstruction of hand coverage has been limited to flaps with the drawbacks of bulkiness and donor-site morbidity. In contrast, the temporoparietal fascia is a thin, pliable, well-vascularized sheet of tissue available in abundant quantity. It leaves an inconspicuous donor site within the hair-bearing scalp. In addition, microvascular transfer is facilitated by the consistent, reliable, and large-caliber axial superficial temporal vascular supply. The branches of the superficial temporal system provide flexibility in designing axial-pattern flaps. Secondary reconstructive surgery can be safely performed beneath the flap. The intrinsic vascularity of the flap may be useful in revascularizing scarred or irradiated areas. There is also the potential to transfer cranial bone as a composite temporoparietal osteofascial free flap to the hand. There has been partial flap necrosis and permanent alopecia at the donor site in only 1 of 12 patients. We recommend this flap based on our experience in these 12 patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Race and cardiovascular reactivity. A replication.

In a previous study, we reported that black children demonstrated greater cardiovascular reactivity than did white children to the psychological stress of a television video game. Reliance on urban volunteers and the wide age range of the children may have limited conclusions concerning the generalizability of those results. In the present study, 481 of 484 children enrolled in the third grade of the public schools of an entire rural county in Tennessee were examined with the same video game procedure used previously. Results indicated greater heart rate and blood pressure reactivity among black children than among white children. Thus, the previous results were replicated. The greater prevalence of hypertension among black adults may relate to the greater reactivity among black children; reactivity may be either a marker or a mechanism in the development of hypertension.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

Physical fitness in children: a survey method based on parental report.

In the present study of 213 healthy children, the relation between parental reports of activity level and laboratory-determined physical fitness was examined. Results indicated that parental reports of activity level were associated with fitness for the entire sample. The association was most consistent among White children who resided in a household that was headed by their father.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Effect of age and serum creatinine on endogenous digoxin-like substances in infants and children.

An apparent digoxin-like immunoreactive substance(s) (DLIS) was evaluated in 374 pediatric patients, 0 to 72 months of age, not receiving digoxin. The relationship between DLIS presence or concentration and age, weight, gender, race, and serum creatinine was investigated. Twenty-seven percent of patients had a positive apparent DLIS concentration (greater than or equal to 0.2 ng/ml). The mean +/- SD concentration of DLIS in the positive group was 0.39 +/- 0.18 ng/ml (range 0.2 to 1.37 ng/ml). Patients in the DLIS-positive group were younger than those in the negative group (P less than 0.01). Although a greater percentage of infants younger than 6 months of age had measurable DLIS, the mean DLIS concentrations, when present, were not significantly different for all age groups (P greater than 0.05). No significant relationship was found between race or gender and DLIS. A weakly positive correlation between serum creatinine concentration and DLIS was noted (r = 0.22, P less than 0.03), but elevated serum creatinine measurements (greater than 0.6 mg/dL) did not correlate with DLIS concentration. These results support the hypothesis that the presence of DLIS is age related, but DLIS appears to be present in a much larger and older population of pediatric patients than previously reported.

Aging↗
PubMed1987

Applications of the extensor digitorum brevis muscle for soft tissue coverage.

The extensor digitorum brevis muscle flap is valuable in covering defects of the distal tibia and both malleoli as an island muscle flap. It can also be used as a free vascularized muscle transfer for more distant problems. Case reports illustrating these applications are described, demonstrating the advantages of consistent anatomy, large vessel size, flap thinness, arc of rotation, and an inconspicuous donor site.

Adolescent↗