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Biomedical subjects

L Katz

Publications and source records attributed to L Katz.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Relation between pronunciation and recognition of printed words in deep and shallow orthographies.

The processes responsible for recognition and pronunciation of printed words were studied by means of lexical decision and naming experiments. Two languages were examined: English, which has a complex and deep correspondence between spelling and speech, and Serbo-Croatian, in which the correspondence is simple and direct. It was hypothesized that reliance on articulatory coding (instead of on mediation by the internal lexicon) would be greater for Serbo-Croatian because its shallow orthography would allow more efficient use of spelling-to-speech correspondences. Each target stimulus was preceded by a word that was either related or unrelated semantically. Semantic priming of target words facilitated performance in both lexical decision and naming for English, results suggesting an influence of the internal lexicon on both processes. In contrast, semantic priming facilitated only lexical decision for Serbo-Croatian, which suggests that naming, at least in that language, is not strongly influenced by the internal lexicon. Further, in Serbo-Croatian, lexical decision and naming latencies were correlated when both tasks were not semantically primed and were uncorrelated when either or both tasks received semantic priming. This suggested that articulatory coding is used in lexical decision, at least under conditions in which contextual semantic facilitation is absent. In contrast, in English, lexical decision and naming were correlated uniformly whether semantic facilitation was present or not, which, when considered with the effect of semantic facilitation on naming, suggested a stronger influence of the internal lexicon on both recognition and pronunciation.

Form Perception↗
PubMed1983

Limulus assay for bacterial endotoxin in synovial fluid.

The limulus assay for the detection of bacterial endotoxin has been applied to the study of synovial fluid. Three of 5 patients (60%) with culture-positive gonococcal arthritis had positive SF limulus assay results; as did 2 of 11 (18%) with presumptive evidence of gonococcal arthritis, 3 of 6 (50%) with nongonococcal infectious arthritis, and none of 47 patients with noninfectious arthritis. Endotoxin levels ranged from 0.25 to 128.0 ng/ml. As at present applied to synovial fluid the commercial limulus assay appears to be specific for the infectious process but apparently lacks sensitivity.

Arthritis↗
PubMed1982

Cancer incidence in kibbutzim in Israel.

The incidence of cancer among the Jewish members of 43 collective settlements (kibbutzim) in the Beisan and Jezreel Valleys is reviewed. These settlements, apart from their geographical distribution, may be taken as a representative sample of the kibbutzim throughout Israel. This review covers the period 1960-72, during which 415 malignant tumors were diagnosed in a population experiencing 253,232 person-years of risk. The incidence was compared with that of the Jewish population in Israel as a whole, and the result was used as an approximation of the country's urban/kibbutz ratio. Cancers of the lip, malignant melanomas and cancer of the female breast were more common in the kibbutz population. Malignancies of the respiratory tract were less common among males living on kibbutzim than in the total Jewish male population of Israel. These differences are probably related to social and environmental factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Computed tomography in the diagnosis of pelvic abscesses in renal transplant patients.

Two renal transplant patients had fever and graft tenderness secondary to a gas-containing abscess around the transplanted kidney. Renal ultrasonography failed to identify the abscess in these cases because of the difficulty in differentiating bowel from gas-containing collections. Gallium citrate Ga 67 scanning, performed in one patient, did not delineate the abscess because interpretation was complicated by the presence of radioactivity in the bowel. In both cases, the pelvic abscess was identified correctly with the use of computed tomography (CT). The limitations of ultrasonography in identifying gas-containing collections should be recognized, and CT should be performed as one of the initial studies in evaluating a renal transplant patient with a suspected pelvic abscess.

Abscess↗
PubMed1981

Computer and manual administration of the Eysenck Personality Inventory.

Administered mental health patients (10 outpatients and 8 inpatients) the Eysenck Personality Inventory using computerized and manual format. In a cross-over, counterbalanced design scores for the three EPI scales did not differ between administrations. Test-retest reliability between forms was high and comparable to previous reliability reported for the manual form. It was suggested that automation of routine testing procedures may be a viable and economical alternative to traditional methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Isoniazid-induced elevation of CSF GABA levels and effects on chorea in Huntington's disease.

A randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled clinical trial of oral isoniazid was undertaken in eight men with known Huntington's disease. Six completed the trial. Overall chorea scores indicated some amelioration, but clinical improvement was noticed in only two patients and was mild. Side effects included anorexia and elevation of liver enzyme levels. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations were measured simultaneously. Mean CSF GABA increased threefold following treatment with isoniazid (414 +/- 52 SEM pmol/ml) compared to placebo (120 +/- 11 pmol/ml). No significant changes occurred in plasma GABA levels between the placebo and drug treatment phases. Reversal of central GABA deficiency appears not to correct extrapyramidal symptoms in Huntington's disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Rapid in vitro prescreen for chelators as potential trypanocides based on growth of Crithidia fasciculata.

A rapid in vitro prescreen for Fe-binding chelators has been developed with growth of Crithidia fasciculata and the sparing of its heme requirement in a defined medium as a test system. The prescreen functions as an index of chelator-mediated Fe transport and as an index of growth inhibition, presumably by the interference with Fe and/or heme metabolism at intracellular chelatable sites. Of 161 chelators examined, 84 were active heme-sparers; 32 of these inhibited growth at low chelator concentrations. Twenty-eight other chelators inhibited growth and another 49 were inactive. Such chelating activity directed at Fe and heme targets in hemoflagellates may provide leads for chemotherapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid in cerebrospinal fluid in various neurologic disorders.

Levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in CSF were measured by the ion exchange-fluorometric method in 136 patients who underwent evaluation for neurologic disorders. In 19 patients with no organic neurologic or mental disorders who acted as normal controls, the mean (+/-SD) GABA level in CSF was 239 +/- 76 picomoles/mL. Patients with acute hypoxic encephalopathy showed a mean GABA level in CSF higher than that of the controls, a difference that was statistically significant. In all the other disorders studied, the mean GABA level in CSF was either equal to or lower than that found in the controls. Statistically significant reductions of the GABA level in CSF were seen in patients with Huntington's disease, dementias, cerebellar cortical atrophy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease.

Brain Chemistry↗
PubMed1980

Consequences of interaction between F plasmid and a drug-resistance plasmid belonging to incompatibility group F1.

Two plasmids, pLK1 and pLK2, were derived from pIP218, an in vivo recombinant of plasmid F and the drug-resistance plasmid pIP176 (Cmr, Smr, Sur, Tcr). Of these two plasmids, pLK1 is 70 Mdaltons and carries the Tc-resistance determinant in a 7-Mdalton transposition element; pLK2 is 125 Mdaltons and carries Cm-, Sm- and Su-resistance determinants. The plasmid pLK1 resulted as a Tc-resistance segregaant of PIP218 during its coexistence with another plasmid, Co1E1-araC101, and pLK2 (125 Mdaltons) as a CmrSmrSur segregant during the conjugal transfer of pIP218. Both plasmids belong to the F1-incompatibility group, surface-exclude each other and Flac, and are derepressed for transfer. Incompatibility studies also indicated the preferential maintenance of pLK2 in hosts carrying either pLK2 and pLK1, or pLK2 and F'lac. An explanation of this phenomenon is provided. Furthermore, our data suggest the illegitimate recombination of the chromosomal lac genes with pLK1. In course of the incompatibility studies, the tet determinant was transposed from pLK1 into the chromosome, from the chromosome into the lac genes of an Flac plasmid, and from the Flac plasmid into another site on a second Flac plasmid.

Conjugation, Genetic↗
PubMed1980

Mesothelioma in children.

A literature review of mesothelioma in children is presented. The role of nonoccupational exposure to asbestos fibres in the etiology of mesothelioma, and the relatively short latent period of the disease in children are discussed. The transplacental transfer of asbestos fibres and the physiology of the immunological system during intrauterine life and infancy may explain some of the differences between mesotheliomas in children and those in adults.

Adolescent↗