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Biomedical subjects

L Altman

Publications and source records attributed to L Altman.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Carotid artery atheromas in postmenopausal women. Their prevalence on panoramic radiographs and their relationship to atherogenic risk factors.

BACKGROUND: More than 60 percent of the deaths in the United States attributed to stroke occur in postmenopausal women. As estrogen levels decline, atherosclerotic lesions (that is, atheromas) develop in the region of the carotid bifurcation and have been implicated as the precipitating cause in the majority of these strokes. Atheromas often are calcified and have been detected on the panoramic radiographs of neurologically asymptomatic male veterans; however, similar studies have not been conducted among female veterans. METHODS: The authors assessed panoramic radiographs and medical records of 52 neurologically asymptomatic female veterans (mean age, 70.4 years), with a history of amenorrhea of more than 12 months' duration, for atheromas and risk factors associated with atherosclerosis. RESULTS: The radiographs of 16 subjects (31 percent) exhibited atheromas located in the neck about 2.0 centimeters inferior and posterior to the angle of the mandible. These findings were confirmed in all instances by the presence of atheromas on anteroposterior cervical spine radiographs. The medical histories of these subjects were heavily laden with atherogenic risk factors (hypertension, 94 percent; body mass index of 27 to 29.9 [characterized as overweight], 25 percent; body mass index of 30 or higher [characterized as obese], 25 percent; smoking more than 15 pack-years, 38 percent; hyperlipidemia, 69 percent; type 2 diabetes mellitus, 21 percent). Hypertension was significantly associated with the presence of atheromas. CONCLUSIONS: Some neurologically asymptomatic women at high risk of developing stroke can be identified in the dental office via panoramic radiography. Women whose X-rays show calcified carotid artery atheromas are almost always hypertensive and have medical histories heavily laden with other atherogenic risk factors. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dentists should refer patients with such calcifications to an appropriate physician for further evaluation and treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Alcan aluminum: development of a mental health "carve-out".

This comprehensive approach may be unusual for a company of Alcan's size. Clearly, it is a progressive, thorough, and multilevel strategy that did the following: recognized the cost impact and quality-of-care defects in the previous benefit plans; was ready to manage the medical plans, especially the MHSA benefit plan; used a careful diagnostic approach, including data analysis, plan design review, and input from many constituencies; developed a custom-designed program, bid, and vendor selection process; avoided shifting costs to employees; kept benefit levels adequate; kept employees satisfied; recognized that employees can be under stress and offered a way to provide assistance; and creatively addressed the increasing diversity in the workforce.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1990

Stability of morphine sulfate in Cormed III (Kalex) intravenous bags.

The stability of various concentrations of morphine sulfate solution stored in Cormed III (Kalex) i.v. bags at two temperatures was investigated. Solutions of morphine sulfate 0.5, 15, 30, and 60 mg/mL were prepared under a horizontal-laminar-airflow hood with 0.9% sodium chloride solution and placed into 100-mL Kalex bags. Two bags were prepared for each concentration; one was stored at 5 degrees C and the other at 37 degrees C. Samples were analyzed in triplicate by high-performance liquid chromatography on days 0, 2, 5, 9, and 14. All morphine sulfate solutions were stable for 14 days at 37 degrees C, and the 0.5-, 15-, and 30-mg/mL solutions were stable for 14 days at 5 degrees C. However, the 60-mg/mL solution stored at 5 degrees C was found to contain 57% of the actual initial concentration on day 9 and 51% on day 14; the decrease coincided with the appearance of a white precipitate. Beginning on day 5, all the solutions displayed a light brown color that darkened as the study proceeded. This qualitative change was not associated with any change in morphine concentration. Solutions of morphine sulfate 0.5 to 60 mg/mL stored at 5 or 37 degrees C were stable for 14 days in Kalex bags, except for 60-mg/mL solutions stored at 5 degrees C for nine days or longer.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1989

Modality effects in the coding and reproduction of rhythms.

The temporal coding assumption is that time of presentation is coded more accurately for auditory events than for visual events. This assumption has been used to explain the modality effect, in which recall of recent auditory events is superior to recall of recent visual events. We tested the temporal coding assumption by examining the coding and reproduction of quintessentially temporal stimuli-rhythms. The rhythms were produced by sequences of short and long auditory stimuli or short and long visual stimuli; in either case, the task was to reproduce the temporal sequence. The results from four experiments demonstrated reproduction of auditory rhythms superior to that of visual rhythms. We conclude that speech-based explanations of modality effects cannot accommodate these findings, whereas the findings are consistent with explanations based on the temporal coding assumption.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Effect of cyclodextrins on sparingly soluble salts.

On addition of various cyclodextrins, the increase in solubility of some salts of biological interest has been monitored using electrochemical concentration cells. A mathematical model has been developed to calculate the equilibrium constants for the formation of inclusion complexes composed of the large, organic anions inside the cyclodextrin cavities. One stability constant determined by this method has been verified by visible spectrophotometry.

Cyclodextrins↗
PubMed1983

Fraud in science.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed1981

Causes and characteristics of 500 consecutive cases of jaundice.

During approximately 2 years 106 clinical and routine laboratory parameters were obtained from each of 500 jaundiced patients consecutively admitted to the surgical and medical departments in a hospital covering a third of the hospital admissions in the city of Copenhagen. The patients were classified mainly by morphological criteria (397 patients) or the subsequent clinical course (103 patients) into five major diagnostic categories: acute parenchymal jaundice (113 patients), chronic parenchymal jaundice (97 patients), gallstone disease (76 patients), malignant obstructive jaundice (104 patients), and other causes of jaundice (110 patients). The five major categories covered 23 specific diagnoses. Within 3 months of admission 21% of the patients died, and the mortality varied from 4% in acute parenchymal jaundice to 49% in jaundice due to malignant disease.

Adult↗