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Biomedical subjects

D A Benaron

Publications and source records attributed to D A Benaron.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Optical time-of-flight and absorbance imaging of biologic media.

Imaging the interior of living bodies with light may assist in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of clinical problems, which include the early detection of tumors and hypoxic cerebral injury. An existing picosecond time-of-flight and absorbance (TOFA) optical system has been used to image a model biologic system and a rat. Model measurements confirmed TOFA principles in systems with a high degree of photon scattering; rat images, which were constructed from the variable time delays experienced by a fixed fraction of early-arriving transmitted photons, revealed identifiable internal structure. A combination of light-based quantitative measurement and TOFA localization may have applications in continuous, noninvasive monitoring for structural imaging and spatial chemometric analysis in humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Noninvasive methods for estimating in vivo oxygenation.

Clinical signs of hypoxia and hyperoxia are nonspecific and unreliable, yet both are potentially injurious. Noninvasive methods of oxygen assessment fill the gap between clinical observation and invasive tests, helping physicians deliver sufficient oxygen with minimum toxicity. Potential sites for oxygen measurement vary between the blood and the mitochondria; each method measures at a different site and detects different types of hypoxia and hyperoxia. Thus, values obtained by two different methods are not equivalent, giving each method unique strengths and weaknesses. We review two clinical methods (pulse oximetry and transcutaneous oximetry), as well as four experimental methods (near-infrared spectrophotometry, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic resonance saturation imaging, and time-of-flight absorbance spectrophotometry). The principles of each method and the clinical situations in which each succeeds or fails are discussed. A fundamental understanding of each method can help in deciding which methods, if any, are appropriate for a given patient and how best to correct observed oxygenation problems once they are discovered.

Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous↗
PubMed1991

Variation of initial serum bilirubin rise in newborn infants with type of illness.

Hyperbilirubinaemia in newborn infants is generally regarded as a problem, and bilirubin itself as toxic metabolic waste, but the high frequency in newborn infants suggests that the excess of neonatal bilirubin may have a positive function. To investigate the hypothesis that bilirubin has a role as a free-radical scavenger, the rate of rise in serum bilirubin in the first few days of life was measured in 44 infants with five illnesses thought to enhance free-radical production and in 58 control infants. The infants were selected from 2700 consecutive births by exclusion of those with factors known to affect bilirubin metabolism, including enteral feeding. The control infants were those who seemed to be ill and received treatment, including restriction of enteral feeds, but in whom no illness, or disorders not related to free-radical production, were found. The mean serum bilirubin rise was significantly lower in the combined illness group than in the control group (36.1 [95% Cl 26.9-45.3] vs 66.7 [55.9-77.5] mumol.l-1.day-1; p less than 0.0001). In subgroup analyses the mean rises in infants with circulatory failure, neonatal depression/asphyxia, aspiration syndromes, and proven sepsis were significantly lower than in controls matched for gestational age and birthweight, but rises in infants with respiratory distress and their matched controls did not differ. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that bilirubin is consumed in vivo as an antioxidant. Such consumption may operate in vivo in addition to the standard pathways for bilirubin metabolism (production, isomerisation, and excretion).

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1982

Quantification of mammalian sperm morphology by slit-scan flow cytometry.

The head shapes of mammalian sperm have been measured by slit-scan flow cytometry (SSFCM). In this approach, the distribution of fluorescence along acriflavine stained mammalian sperm is recorded and used as a measure of head shape. Fluorescence profiles were measured for sperm from mice, rabbits, hamsters, and bulls, and for sperm from mice exposed to testicular x-irradiation from 0 to 900 rads. The profiles for sperm from nonirradiated animals were characteristic of each species and were reproducible from sperm to sperm. Some of the fluorescence profiles for sperm from the irradiated mice differed significantly from the profiles usually measured for sperm from exposed mice. An algorithm was developed to determine the frequency of these sperm. The estimated frequencies of atypical profiles correlated well (r = 0.99) with the frequencies of abnormally shaped sperm determined by microscopic scoring. The maximum SSFCM sensitivity (minimum detectable dose = 199 rad) was not as high as that for the visual assay (minimum detectable dose = 116 rad). However, only 100 profiles were measured by SSFCM at each dose while at least 500 sperm were scored visually at each dose. The sensitivity of the SSFCM assay should be increased substantially by measuring more profiles. The objective nature of SSFCM couple with the high correlation with results from the visually based assay of morphology suggests the use of SSFCM to measure frequencies of misshapen sperm when testing for mutagens or monitoring for effects of environmental contaminants.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gd-DTPA MR detection of blood-brain barrier opening in rats after hyperosmotic shock.

OBJECTIVE: Detection of blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening in neonates has required invasive methods not clinically applicable. We set out to develop a noninvasive approach to detect such opening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wistar rats were studied using MRI with Gd-DTPA contrast before and after injection of hyperosmotic solutions known to produce barrier opening. Arabinose was given via right carotid artery to produce unilateral barrier opening; urea was given via tail vein to produce bilateral opening; controls received normal saline. Next, all animals received Gd-DTPA via tail vein. RESULTS: Animals receiving carotid hyperosmotic injections showed increased signal in the ipsilateral brain hemisphere; those receiving venous hyperosmotic injections showed increased signal bilaterally. Similar increases were not found prior to administration of hyperosmotic agent or in saline controls. In both cases, barrier opening was detectable using the relative partitioning of Gd-DTPA between intrabarrier and extrabarrier structures, even in the absence of a hemispheric control. CONCLUSION: We conclude that MRI with Gd-DTPA contrast allows noninvasive detection of BBB opening in the rat.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Subgaleal hematoma causing hypovolemic shock during delivery after failed vacuum extraction: a case report.

Subgaleal hematomas are potentially lethal intracranial bleedings, occurring most commonly in the neonate after difficult vacuum extraction. We report a case of hypovolemic shock occurring at birth after failed extraction and subgaleal bleeding. Subgaleal hematomas may form because of preexisting risk factors (e.g., coagulopathy), but vacuum extraction itself predisposes an infant toward subgaleal bleeding. Although the frequency of these bleedings has decreased with introduction of silicone extraction cups, the risk of subgaleal bleeding after vacuum extraction continues to be increased for primiparous women; severe dystocia, occiput lateral or posterior head presentations; and repeated, forceful, or prolonged use of vacuum suction. The presence of ballotable cranial fluid collections and signs of volume loss in a neonate raise the possibility of subgaleal bleeding. Treatment, if the subgaleal hematoma is symptomatic, requires restoration of blood volume and control of bleeding, inasmuch as these hematomas can be fatal if not treated. Prevention may require limitation of the frequency and duration of vacuum assistance in high-risk infants.

Adult↗