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Biomedical subjects

J Berman

Publications and source records attributed to J Berman.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

A variation in the origin of the posterior descending coronary artery.

A rare congenital variation in the origin of the posterior descending artery (PDA) is described. The PDA arose from a vascular ring formed by a normally occurring communication between the right coronary artery and the left circumflex artery within the atrioventricular groove, then traversed the inferior septum following a normal branching pattern. No significant coronary artery stenoses nor abnormalities in the physiological data were present, thus ruling out the possibility of the communication being a collateral vessel secondary to ischemia. Our patient's uncommon communication represents only the third reported case of such an occurrence.

Angiography↗
PubMed1984

Beshada v. Johns-Manville Products Corp.: the function of state of the art evidence in strict products liability.

In Beshada v. Johns-Manville Products Corp., the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that a state of the art defense is unavailable in cases brought under a theory of strict liability for failure to warn. The court indicated that asbestos producers may be held liable for their products' harms even if the health hazards of asbestos were unknown and not discoverable when the products were marketed. In a subsequent case, the New Jersey court held that state of the art evidence is relevant to whether a product is defective. This Case Comment examines these different uses of knowledge evidence in the disposition of products liability cases. It contends that manufacturers should not be held liable for unknowable risks. The Comment concludes that the state of the art defense establishes a logical limit on strict liability and promotes efficient resolution of products liability claims.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1983

Promoter mutations that allow nifA-independent expression of the nitrogen fixation nifHDKY operon.

The nifHDKY operon of Klebsiella pneumoniae encodes for structural polypeptides of nitrogenase and requires the nifA gene product for transcription. Mutations that allow transcription of the nifHDKY operon in absence of the nifA gene product were characterized in plasmids containing the regulatory region of nifHDKY and nifH fused in phase to lacZ. beta-Galactosidase activity served as a measure for nifH expression. Most mutations were located in the nif regulatory region and included insertion sequence 2 (IS2) insertions, a sequence duplication, and a base substitution. In Escherichia coli, beta-galactosidase activity expressed from the mutant plasmids in the absence of nifA was 6-30% of the nifA-activated, parental level. Expression from most mutant plasmids was further increased by nifA. In K. pneumoniae, IS2-containing plasmids expressed low levels of beta-galactosidase and responded poorly, if at all, to activation by nifA, whereas expression from other mutant types was similar to that observed in E. coli. Nucleotide sequence analysis of two mutants indicated that sequences within 41 base pairs upstream to the nifH coding sequence were involved in nif-specific regulation. The results suggest that an inverted repeat element in this region, which could theoretically form a cruciform structure in the DNA, is involved in the transcriptional control of the nifHDKY operon.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1983

Effect of anti-relaxin antiserum on sperm motility in vitro.

Rabbit anti-relaxin antisera, but not normal rabbit sera, causes a rapid decline of motility of washed human sperm. Preincubation of the antisera with relaxin eliminates this effect. This sperm immobilization effect can serve as a basis of a rapid screening test for anti-relaxin antisera and as a novel adjuvant to barrier contraceptive methods.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1981

Therapy of symptomatic pericarditis after myocardial infarction: retrospective and prospective studies of aspirin, indomethacin, prednisone, and spontaneous resolution.

We studied the efficacy of aspirin and indomethacin therapy in relieving the discomfort of postmyocardial infarction pericarditis (PMIP) in two studies: (1) a retrospective evaluation of patients with symptomatic PMIP during a 5-year period and (2) a prospective, randomized, single-blind comparison of aspirin and indomethacin in similar patients. In the retrospective study, 36 episodes of symptomatic PMIP in 34 patients were identified; in the prospective study, 25 episodes of PMIP in 24 patients occurred. Relief from the discomfort of PMIP was noted within 48 hours in almost all patients with either indomethacin or aspirin therapy. Minor gastrointestinal bleeding developed in two patients in the retrospective study and in two patients in the prospective study. In the retrospective study, mild discomfort of PMIP abated within 48 hours in five of eight patients who received either no treatment or minor analgesic therapy. Aspirin and indomethacin are equally efficacious in relieving the discomfort of PMIP.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Primary fixation in osmium-potassium ferrocyanide: the staining of glycogen, glycoproteins, elastin, an intranuclear reticular structure, and intercisternal trabeculae.

Primary fixation in an osmium-potassium ferrocyanide (K4Fe(CN)6) mixture combines selective fixation, staining, and extraction of various cellular components; membranes, glycogen, glycoproteins, and elastin are preserved and stained. An intranuclear reticular structure that is composed of 3-6 nm fibers and permeates the entire nucleus, except for the nuclear pores, is demonstrated by electron microscopic examination of tissues prepared in an osmium-potassium ferrocyanide fixative. Condensations of the reticulum parallel the distribution of heterochromatin in interphase nuclei. This preparative procedure also reveals a network of trabeculae that are associated with the cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum and connect the parallel cisternae in hepatocytes, plasmacytes, neurons, and pancreatic ancinar cells. The intercisternal trabeculae are associated with both free and bound ribosomes.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Tuberculosis risk for hospital employees: analysis of a five-year tuberculin skin testing program.

This study of hospital employee tuberculin conversion rates was undertaken in a 516-bed urban general hospital to determine if employment in such a hospital placed employees at risk of infection with tuberculosis. Data collected on the tuberculin status of employees from 1971 through 1976 indicated that the five-year conversion rate for all employees in a hospital-wide testing program was 7.1 per cent. Employees at greatest risk for conversion were non-White, age 46 through 64, in the lowest socioeconomic quintile, and employed in the Laundry, Housekeeping, and Engineering and Maintenance Departments. It was concluded that the higher than expected employee conversion rate was not attributable to exposure to infectious patients, but to a combination of the booster effect in serial tuberculin testing, use of a multiple puncture device for skin tests, and exposure to tuberculosis in the community.

Female↗
PubMed1980

The three year course of psychiatric problems in a geriatric population.

This is a 3 year follow-up of the psychiatric status of 276 men age 65 and older who were originally seen as medical and surgical patients. Major psychiatric diagnoses were noted in 24% of the individuals, these being fairly evenly divided between active alcoholism, affective disorder, atherosclerotic dementia, or a past history of alcoholism, and a heterogeneous category, composed mostly of individuals with senile dementia. Over the 3 years, approximately one-quarter of the sample who had originally been free of psychopathology became ill, most with an affective disorder or an organic brain syndrome. A high level of diagnostic consistency was noted over 3 years for the individuals originally noted to be psychiatrically ill. The follow-up demonstrated an unexpectedly bleak prognosis for the individuals with affective disorder. The reasons for this finding are explored.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1980

A three year follow-up of elderly alcoholics.

This a 3 year follow-up of the psychiatric status of 280 consecutive men age 65 and over who were admitted to the San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center for medical or surgical problems. Eleven percent of the individuals were found to have active or remitted primary alcoholism. Over the 3 years only 20% of the surviving active alcoholics became abstinent. Most of the inactive alcoholics remained alcohol problem-free after 3 years. Affective disorder and dementia were common intercurrent psychiatric disorders arising during follow-up. The 3 year mortality rate was significantly higher for remitted alcoholics when compared to those without psychiatric illness.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Legionnaires's disease.

The fist case of legionnaires' disease in Israel is described. In a previously healthy woman, the disease was manifested by a rapidly progressive pneumonia, which was unresponsive to conventional therapy. The diagnosis was confirmed by positive serologic tests and the demonstration of the responsbile microorganism in the patient's lung tissue. Legionnaires' disease should now be suspected in patients with unexplained severe pneumonia, even in countries in which this disease has not been previously recognized.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Histochemical demonstration of collagen fibers in ascorbic-acid-fed cell cultures.

Nine cultures of fibroblast cell types and 13 epithelial-like cell types were maintained for 1 week in media supplemented with L-asborbic acid (50 microgram per ml). All fibroblast-like cultures produced extracellular fibers that stained positively by a silver-impregnation reticulin stain. Nine of the 13 epithelial-like cultures produced fibers that stained positively for reticulin. Nearly all cultures not supplemented with ascorbic acid showed no fiber staining. Those few lines that stained positively for reticulin in the absence of ascorbic-acid supplementation demonstrated only slight reticulin formation. Reticulin from one fibroblast culture and one epithelial culture was examined by electron microscopy, and the silver-impregnated fibrils were morphologically identical to collagen. The reticulin was digestible with collagenase, providing further evidence that the silver-impregnation reticulin stain identifies collagen in culture. The demonstartion of collagen can be performed easily in histology laboratories using Formalin-fixed cells, and provides a means of assaying a functional property of cells in culture which is characteristic of connective tissue fibroblasts in general as well as certain specialized epithelia.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1978

Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: a twenty year study.

A control rate of approximately 80% has been obtained in 45 cases of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma treated by a single moderate dose of radiotherapy at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto. The remaining patients ultimately achieved control generally after further irradiation. Immediate side-effects of the treatment have been minimal, and no late complications have been observed. In 2-20 years' follow-up, no irradiation-induced tumors have been found. Superiority of irradiation in these cases over surgery is emphasized, as well as the importance of using sophisticated techniques to limit the volume of tissues irradiated and protect vulnerable radiosenstitive structures. Because tumor regression can be expected to continue for many months after treatment has been completed, a policy of observation following radiotherapy is recommended.

Adolescent↗