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Biomedical subjects

D Wasserman

Publications and source records attributed to D Wasserman.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Suicides in the Baltic countries, 1968-90.

Trends of male and female suicides in the Baltic countries--Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania--in the years 1968-90 were studied. As throughout the former USSR, suicide rates declined sharply from 1986, the year marking the onset of turbulent social change. During the "period of stagnation" from 1968 to 1984, the mean value of male suicide rates per 100,000 males were 55.7 in Estonia, 52.5 in Latvia and 51.7 in Lithuania. The figures for female suicide rates were 14.3, 14.3 and 10.4, respectively. Suicide rates remained consistently high in Estonia and Latvia, while in Lithuania the male suicide rate rose gradually from 33.0 to 61.3 and the female rate from 8.0 to 13.1 during the stagnation period. In conjunction with perestroika in the former USSR (including a restrictive alcohol policy and the first tentative steps towards democracy), annual male suicide rates per 100,000 in the years 1986-90 fell considerably below those in the stagnation period. Mean values of male suicide rates decreased by 26.6% in Estonia, 26.6% in Latvia and 14.4% in Lithuania in the period 1986-90 compared with the mean values for the period 1968-84. Female suicide rates were relatively stable and the male-female ratio was accordingly lower in 1986-90 (Estonia and Latvia 3.1, Lithuania 4.2) than in 1968-84 (Estonia 3.9, Latvia 3.7 and Lithuania 5.0).

Estonia↗
PubMed1994

Parasuicide in the Nordic countries.

This article gives an account of some findings of the WHO/EURO multicentre study on parasuicide from the five Nordic centres: Helsinki (Finland), Stockholm (Sweden), and the countries of Funen (Denmark), Sø-Trøndelag (Norway) and Västerbotten (Sweden). For parasuicide patients treated in hospital in these five Nordic centres, the parasuicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants per annum were 222 for women, 213 for men and 224 for both sexes combined. In all the Nordic centres except Helsinki, women had higher parasuicide rates than men. The female/male parasuicide ratio was 1.16 for all Nordic centres. The highest parasuicide rates in the whole material were found in Helsinki, Stockholm and Funen, and the lowest in Sør-Trøndelag and Västerbotten. The highest parasuicide rates lay in the 30-39 age interval, i.e. the peak of parasuicide rates was in older age groups than previously reported. Single people, especially divorcees and those who have never been married, constitute a high-risk group in both sexes. The risk of parasuicide for single men is three times that for married men in all the Nordic centres except Sør-Trøndelag, where the risk is five times higher. The parasuicide risk for single women is twice as high as for married women except for women in Funen, where the risk for single and married women is almost equal. Exceptionally high parasuicide rates are also reported for Finnish citizens in Sweden, compared with Finns from the Helsinki centre. Parasuicide rates appear to be correlated with population density, since the densely populated areas of Helsinki, Stockholm and Funen evince higher parasuicide rates than the sparsely populated areas of Sør-Trøndelag and Västerbotten.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Suicide.

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Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Clinicopathologic study of the effect of radial tears and loop fixation on intraocular lens decentration.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of loop fixation and anterior capsular tears on intraocular lens (IOL) decentration. METHODS: A retrospective measurement of IOL decentration was performed on 144 human eyes with posterior chamber (PC) IOLs obtained after death. RESULTS: Decentration in eyes with asymmetrical bag-sulcus fixation (mean +/- standard deviation, 0.64 +/- 0.39 mm) was significantly higher than eyes with symmetrical fixation. In the presence of radial tears, symmetrically fixated IOLs in either the capsular bag or the ciliary sulcus decentered to a similar degree, 0.35 +/- 0.25 mm and 0.4 +/- 0.26 mm, respectively. The least decentration was observed with capsular fixation and no radial tears (0.18 +/- 0.09 mm). This was significantly less decentration than with any other form of fixation in the presence of radial tears. CONCLUSION: This study shows that capsular fixation with no radial tears, as can be achieved by using the continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, is associated with the least decentration.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Genetic influence.

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Behavioral Research↗
PubMed1992

Hypoglycemia following albuterol overdose in a child.

Acute overdose with beta-sympathomimetics results in transient elevation of blood glucose levels. Hypoglycemia has previously been reported in newborns of mothers following prolonged use of sympathomimetics used as tocolytic therapy. The authors report the first case of symptomatic hypoglycemia in a child, occurring 16 hours after acute albuterol overdose. Hypoglycemia may occur as a complication of acute beta-sympathomimetic overdose, probably as a reaction to acute elevation of blood sugar and resultant hyperinsulinemia. The authors suggest that in children with a large overdose of beta-sympathomimetics, blood glucose levels should be monitored for several hours. In those with marked hyperglycemia, monitoring should be extended until normalization of blood glucose levels.

Albuterol↗
PubMed1992

Scanning electron microscopic study of modern silicone intraocular lenses.

Silicone, as manufactured today, appears to be a biocompatible material. The safety and efficacy of silicone lenses are primarily related to the intraocular lens (IOL) design. We compared the edge finish of two three-piece polypropylene loop foldable silicone IOL designs (Allergan Medical Optics) and three one-piece designs (Staar Surgical Co., CooperVision-Cilco). Except for an early Staar one-piece design, all lenses including the more recent Staar lenses had acceptably smooth edges with minimal molding flash.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1992

Suicides in the former Soviet republics.

The suicide rate in the former Soviet Union rose from 17.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1965 to 29.6 in 1984. In regions of long-standing traditional lifestyles, strong religious faith and multi-generation families (the Caucasus and central Asia), the suicide rate was low, whereas in regions with sociopolitical antagonisms (Baltic States) and forced social changes (Russia), it was high. A significant decline in the suicide rate (34.5%), from 29.6 to 19.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, occurred in 1984-1988 throughout the Soviet Union, in the hopeful period of social democratization and stiff restrictions on the sale of alcohol. Rates varied widely between different republics - from 1.8 in Armenia to 26.3 in Lithuania and 24.3 in the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (RSFSR) in 1988. In contrast to the pattern in several countries in western Europe, the suicide rates in the Russian SFSR were much higher in the rural regions than in the urban ones.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Suicide among young people aged 10-29 in Sweden.

This study analyses the incidence of suicide among children and young people aged between 10 and 29 in Sweden, during the period 1974-1986. The study comprises 4,624 individuals whose deaths were the outcome of verified, E950-E959 (n = 3,511) and undetermined, E980-E989 (n = 1,113) suicides. Regression analysis of different age groups separately and all age groups combined shows that the frequency of suicide among children and young people in Sweden did not increase in this period. Nonetheless, mortality figures are high, especially for boys and young men aged 15-29. The maximum suicide-mortality rate (43.2 per 10,000) is noted for young men aged 25-29 in 1984. The male-female ratio with respect to deaths from suicide is 2.5 for the entire group, the smallest difference being in the 15-19 age group (1.7) and the largest in the 25-29 age group (2.8). Methods of committing suicide vary between the sexes and the various age groups. Boys and young men use violent methods more often, and this situation has remained stable throughout the 13-year period. Girls use non-violent methods to a greater extent, but young women aged 18-29 use violent and non-violent methods to almost the same extent. During the 13-year period studied, a change took place in the girls' and young women's choice of methods towards more violent methods in the 1980s compared with the 1970s. Regardless of sex, there are significantly (p less than 0.001) fewer married and more divorced people among those committing suicide compared with corresponding age groups in the overall population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The technology, law, and ethics of in vitro fertilization, gamete donation, and surrogate motherhood.

This article examines some of the legal, ethical, and policy issues raised by the development and use of technologies for noncoital reproduction: gamete transfer and manipulation, in vitro fertilization, and zygote transfer and manipulation. After briefly describing these technologies, this article examines three closely related concerns raised by their introduction: (1) the effect of new technologies on the social understanding of parenthood and the legal regulation of the family; (2) the impact on women and children of a market in the material and services for producing children; and (3) the rights and interests involved in conflicts over the control and disposition of extrauterine embryos.

Embryo, Mammalian↗
PubMed1992

Corneal topographic data: its use in fitting aspheric contact lenses.

We conducted a retrospective assessment of the fitting characteristics obtained with the Boston Envision rigid gas permeable contact lens to determine the best parameter for selecting an initial base curve. We fit 13 subjects (11 successfully) with the Envision lens, using computerized videokeratoscopy to evaluate prefitting corneal topography. The selected base curve of the lenses fit most closely to the flattest K at the 5 mm zone. This value may be the best parameter for selection of an initial base curve, especially in eyes with keratoconus. Using topographic information may give quicker and more accurate initial fits than keratometry alone.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Anterior capsular tears and loop fixation of posterior chamber intraocular lenses.

Two hundred fifty consecutive postmortem eyes containing posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PC IOLs) were analyzed according to the presence and number of radial anterior capsular tears. Over 90% of cases had been done with the "can opener" technique. A surprisingly high percentage of cases, 86%, had one to five radial tears. Furthermore, our analysis showed that the most consistent and most permanent in-the-bag fixation was achieved when only one tear or less was present in the anterior capsule. Because this study shows that the incidence of radial tears is very high after nuclear expression with "can opener" capsulectomy, it provides a scientific basis supporting the transition toward the continuous circular capsulorhexis technique that is slowly evolving. The latter technique has been shown to minimize the incidence of anterior capsular radial tears. This may ultimately serve to decrease the incidence of PC IOL decentration, an important goal if the use of bimultifocal IOLs and IOLs with small or aspheric optics is to be successful.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

An analysis of flexible anterior chamber lenses with special reference to the normalized rate of lens explantation.

A survey of 1204 closed-loop anterior chamber intraocular lenses (AC-IOLs) and 310 open-loop AC-IOLs accessioned between November 1982 and January 1990 was conducted at the Center for Intraocular Lens Research. An analysis of complication rates was done after normalization of data with respect to market share totals. The results establish that an unacceptable complication rate is associated with the closed-loop design when compared with either the tripod or quadripod lens styles. Furthermore, the closed-loop designs, while comprising an estimated 45% of the total number of AC-IOLs estimated to be implanted in the United States (n = 674,000), were responsible for 80% of the AC-IOLs explanted after complications and accessioned at the authors' center. A rethinking of the extreme condemnation of all anterior chamber IOLs that has surfaced in recent years is warranted. This is particularly true with respect to indications for use of sutured posterior chamber (PC) IOLs as well as with regard to possible use of open-loop AC-IOLs in less-industrialized nations.

Anterior Chamber↗
PubMed1990

Attempted-suicide trends in Stockholm County, Sweden, 1975-1985.

A total of 22,961 admissions, representing 19,127 individuals, diagnosed as certain or undetermined attempted suicide were registered in the computer medical information system in Stockholm County for the study period 1975-1985. Two different statistical regression models were used to describe the trends of attempted suicide and undetermined attempted suicide. A simple linear ordinary least squares model generally performed better at describing the observed rates in sex- and age-specific rates of attempted suicide when the diagnosis of attempted suicide was certain. Significantly increasing attempted-suicide trends for men over 35 and women over 45 as well as for all ages pooled for both men and women were found. Undetermined attempted suicides were described better by a quadratic model than by the linear model. Women 35-44 and 65-85 years old and men 25-54 years old were found to have an increasing initial phase followed by a leveling out in the rates around 1980-1982, with weak evidence that the rate might even be slowly decreasing. Comparing earlier findings of decreasing rates in completed suicides for all ages, and findings in this study of increasing attempted-suicide trends during the same period, we believe that improved somatic and psychiatric treatment of attempted-suicide patients may partly account for the decreased rates of completed suicides.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Orbital haemorrhage induced by labour.

A case of acute orbital haemorrhage induced by labour is reported in a woman giving birth for the eighth time. The diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography. The haemorrhage subsided spontaneously within three weeks. The mechanism of orbital haemorrhage following certain kinds of strain is discussed.

Adult↗