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Biomedical subjects

I Farber

Publications and source records attributed to I Farber.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Clinical, radiologic, demographic, and occupational aspects of hand osteoarthritis in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand is common in elderly patients. The aim of this study was to characterize OA frequency, severity, and distribution and to trace interrelationships between these findings and the demographic, occupational, and medical data from elderly Jewish nonrheumatologic patients. METHODS: Study participants were 253 consecutive patients admitted to a geriatric center for a variety of nonrheumatic medical conditions. Excluded patients were those with rheumatoid arthritis; neurologic, orthopedic, or other conditions that would interfere with symmetric hand function; and mental or medical states that would interfere with history taking and radiographic studies. Patient occupations were graded as workload degree (on a scale of 1 to 3) and as the total occupational score (workload degree multiplied by the duration of each job). Clinical findings of Heberden nodes, Bouchard nodes, and malignment, graded on a scale of 0 to 3, were summed as the clinical OA score. Hand radiographs were independently read (modified Altman method), grading 5 parameters in each joint on a scale of 0 to 3, summed as a radiologic OA score. Statistical analyses included the Student t test, chi(2) test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and partial correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Among 253 elderly patients (171 women, 82 men; mean age, 79 years) OA was frequent (occurring in about 80% of patients), involving most severely the second and third distal interphalangeal, right first interphalangeal, and both first carpometacarpal joints. The prevalence of OA was similar in women and men, with higher scores in women, and reached significance only in the distal interphalangeal joints. Metacarpophalangeal joints were more involved in men. Age had a clear influence on OA scores. Ethnicity affected OA severity, with Ashkenazi Jews having significantly higher scores than Sepharadi Jews. Dominant hands had significantly higher global OA scores as well as isolated joint scores (except for the first carpometacarpal joint). Occupational load, housekeeping tasks, and the number of children did not influence the total or specific joint OA scores. Associated conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and chondro calcinosis were not associated with more pronounced OA. CONCLUSIONS: Hand OA was prevalent in our elderly cohort, and its severity was influenced by inherent traits such as age, female gender, ethnicity, and handedness. In contrast, acquired factors such as workload, number of children, and associated diseases did not appear to influence OA expression.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1981

Simultaneous optical measurements of electrical activity from multiple sites on processes of cultured neurons.

Optical methods using changes in fluorescence and absorption of voltage-sensitive dyes were developed to record electrical activity from processes of nerve cells grown in monolayer culture. For transmission measurements, a merocyanine dye was discovered but was more sensitive than others previously tested on cultured neurons. Action potentials from the somata of these cells were detected without averaging, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20:1. With this dye, electrical responses were simultaneously recorded from many points along the arborization of neuroblastoma cells by using a 10 X 10 array of photodiodes positioned in the microscope image plane. Frequently different processes had different shapes of electrical responses, suggesting regional specializations. Fluorescence measurements with an oxonol dye proved to be more sensitive than transmission measurements, particularly when recording from small processes. By changing the position of the cell relative to a laser microbeam while recording electrically from the cell body, it was possible to monitor the membrane potential in the cell body and in the process simultaneously. From the delay in response in the process, a lower limit for the mean conduction velocity of 0.2-0.6 m/sec was found for 2- to 6- micrometers processes. The mean space constants of processes were estimated by comparing the amplitudes of passive voltage responses in the cell body and growth cone. A lower limit of 400-950 micrometers was obtained for 4- to 7-micrometers processes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fracture patterns in thalassemia.

Of 61 patients with homozygous beta-thalassemia, 30 had fractures; the majority were single fractures. In three thalassemic families, multiple fractures were observed. Although fractures occurred mostly during the growth period, no epiphyseal fractures were found among the patients in the present study. Roentgenograms showed either horizontal or oblique fractures, frequently with compression, or linear fractures without displacement. No delay in fracture healing or residual gross bone deformities were noted, with the exception of fractures of the femoral neck. On the basis of clinical and scintigraphic examinations, four additional adolescent patients, excluded from this study, were suspected of having microfractures around their ankles and knees. In the future, with improvements in diagnostic methods, microfractures may be found often and recognized as a common source of acute pain about the knees and ankles of thalassemic patients.

Adolescent↗