Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Bergman

Publications and source records attributed to M Bergman.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

The Word Retrieval Fluency Test: what does it assess?

The term fluency in aphasia is ambiguous. It can relate to the rate of speech--normal vs. laborious or the ability to retrieve words. In this report, to avoid confusion we refer to fluency in a word retrieval task. Different authors have ascribed defective performance on these tasks to Frontal Lobe Syndrome or Aphasia. Our patient material adds dementia as a causative condition. To determine whether subnormal test performance is due to generalized brain dysfunction or only to left hemisphere disorders, we tested left hemisphere damaged patients, without aphasia as well as right hemisphere damaged patients, obtaining non-significant differences between the two groups. This supports our experience that such a test is highly sensitive to generalized brain dysfunction i.e. to a variety of cerebral disorders and therefore seems not to be highly pathognomonic of aphasia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The phonemic analysis as a treatment method in dysgraphic aphasic patients.

Two theories have been advanced to explain the underlying process of writing acquisition. The first sees a global registration of whole words in a pictorial (graphic) form; the second is based on an analysis synthesis process of each word into its sound (phonemes), and the translation of each phoneme into its graphic form (grapheme). This paper, derived from the latter theoretical construct, attempts to show that phonemic analysis-synthesis is also an efficient approach in the rehabilitation of dysgraphic aphasics. 51 patients at the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center--31 post C.V.A. and 20 post C.C.I. were taught to write using this method, and their improvement was tested and analysed within 6 months after the event. It is shown that they all improved significantly, although the various syndrome sub-groups behaved differently. The implications of these differences and the total results are discussed.

Agraphia↗
PubMed1985

Auditory perception in patients with CVA without aphasia.

Tests of central auditory function were performed variously on 64 patients with hemiplegia who had suffered a single stroke but with minimal or no aphasia symptoms and with essentially normal hearing. Both right and left hemisphere lesions were represented for comparison of effects on the tests. Reports of central auditory dysfunction generally assume localization in the temporal lobes. Since it was apparent that our tests were revealing positive findings in patients in whom there was no recognized evidence of temporal lobe involvement we deliberately selected for one study 34 patients without clinical signs of such lesions. The tests required selective listening in which patients had to a) perceive and repeat a prime message in the presence of a simultaneously competing meaningful message, either under earphones or in the sound field (loudspeaker), and b) repeat all words in a classic dichotic listening task. The tests reveal different dysfunctions in right vs left hemisphere damage and document that compensatory transfer of function from the usually dominant left side to the fight hemisphere usually occurs only in young children. The dysfunctions appear to be unrelated to temporal lobe lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Auditory perpetual dysfunction in patients with CCI, with implications for therapy.

Injury to the head, as from impact, can result in damaged function of the auditory receptive (peripheral) or perceptual (central) system, or both. The altered function may be clearly apparent, as in a loss of hearing, or may be exposed only through specially devised tests. At the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital tests were designed or adapted to evaluate processing in the auditory periphery, the brain stem and the cortex. With speech as the the stimulus the tasks explore binaural interaction, cerebral hemisphere dominance and suppression, and cognitive efficiency in understanding degraded speech messages. Other stimuli, such as pure tones and musical patterns are employed to reveal dysfunction on various levels of the system. This report concentrates on tests which require the cerebral hemispheres to listen competitively. Results are given for earphone listening and for two new types of selective listening tasks in the sound field (loudspeaker) mode.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Alginate impression materials, dimensional stability and surface detail sharpness following treatment with disinfectant solutions.

A study was made of the influence of six dissimilar disinfectants on the dimensional stability and the surface detail sharpness of four alginate impression materials. All combinations of alginates and disinfectant solutions produced quite acceptable results as regards dimensional stability one hour after the impression material had been sprayed with the disinfectant. As regards surface detail sharpness one hour after this spraying certain combinations of alginates and disinfectant solutions showed better results than others. Immersion of the alginates in disinfectant solutions for one hour or more produced unacceptable changes.

Alginates↗
PubMed1985

Exercise and diabetes.

Exercise has variable effects on diabetes control. It may cause deterioration in diabetes regulation if patients are hyperglycemic, whereas it may reduce blood glucose levels in well-controlled patients. Factors influencing the magnitude of blood glucose reduction include timing of meal ingestion, peak of insulin activity and whether the extremity injected is exercised. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels decrease while high-density lipoprotein levels may increase with activity.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1984

Changes in nuclear antigens during reactivation of chick erythrocyte nuclei in heterokaryons.

Reactivation of dormant chick erythrocyte (CE) nuclei was studied by fusing chick red cells with rat myoblasts, HeLa cells, and chick fibroblasts. Heterokaryons representing different stages of nuclear reactivation were fixed and examined for nuclear antigens using polyclonal patient autoantisera reacting with mammalian (human, mouse, and rat) nuclear envelope, nucleoplasm, and chromatin (DNA) antigens. Reactivation of CE nuclei was associated with marked changes in nuclear antigenicity. In rat myoblast and HeLa heterokaryons the CE nuclei acquired mammalian nucleoplasmic and nuclear envelope antigens in the corresponding nuclear subcompartments. Drastic changes in nuclear antigenicity were noted also in heterokaryons stained with DNA antisera. The compact chromatin of nuclei in mature chick erythrocytes showed little binding of DNA antibodies. Isolated nuclei on the other hand gave a strong immunofluorescence. CE nuclei in heterokaryons were strongly positive during the early stages of nuclear reactivation but then exhibited decreased reactivity. An unexpected finding was a marked reduction in the capacity of mammalian nuclei in heterokaryons to bind DNA-antibodies. This observation is discussed in relation to the previous finding that in CE-heterokaryons these nuclei often show reduced transcription and replication. The present results indicate that in heterokaryons both types of nuclei exchange macromolecules of regulatory importance via the common cytoplasm.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Auditory perception in early lateralized brain damage.

In a study of hemispheric dominance for the perception of speech the performance of 28 young children with congenital or infantile hemiplegia was compared with that of their normal peers and recently brain damage nonaphasic adults. Our results confirm Goodglass's findings that in children with early left hemisphere damage the transfer of dominance for speech processing is completed in childhood, and they show that this process of hemispheric transfer can be completed by 3 years of age. Comparison with results on adults with CVA provides additional evidence that in early lateralized brain cognitive functions normally dominant in one cerebral hemisphere are developed in the alternative hemisphere in a way that apparently does not happen later in life.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Clinical study of patients referred for investigation regarding so-called oral galvanism.

Fifty-four patients referred to the Faculty of Odontology, University of Umeå, for investigation regarding "oral galvanism" were subjected to a general oral investigation. In addition the following parameters were studied: the highest calculated current between two metallic restorations in contact and the electrogustometrically determined threshold value for each person. No differences were found regarding these two parameters between the patients and a control group consisting of 15 persons. However, the general oral investigation had revealed that a relatively large number of patients had periodontal conditions which, together with mucous membrane affections and hypersensitivity reactions could explain some of the unpleasant sensations which bothered them. Furthermore, the results of a stomatognathic investigation which will be presented separately revealed that about three fourths of the patients needed treatment for their stomatognathic and/or temporomandibular joint conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Hydrolytic degradation of dental composites.

The leakage of filler elements from four composites after storage in water was investigated by use of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results confirmed previous findings that leaching of silicon from different composites is strongly dependent on filler composition. Consideration of the total filler surface of each composite material indicated that quartz as well as pyrolytic silica-containing composites leached less silicon than did composites containing fillers of strontium and/or barium glasses. A correlation between leakage and crack formation in the matrix appeared to exist for all composites except for the microfilled resin. These cracks were explained as a result of osmotic pressure built up at the matrix-filler interface due to hydrolytic degradation of the filler. Of the investigated materials, the microfilled resin was found to be the most stable material in a wet environment with respect to crack formation. This finding was explained by filler composition, filler form, and the specific structure of the microfilled resin.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1984

Self-monitoring of blood glucose levels in diabetes. Principles and practice.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose levels has become popular due to the limitations in the use of urine testing for assessing the status of diabetes control. Furthermore, the recent emphasis on the importance of diabetes regulation entails that patients tailor the insulin doses based on blood glucose levels. This review discusses the methodology of capillary blood glucose monitoring and its application to insulin adjustments. When performed properly, self-monitoring is accurate, reliable, and effective. It can also be beneficial in detecting hypoglycemia and may have a positive psychological impact as well. The reduction in the frequency of office and laboratory visits makes self-monitoring potentially cost-effective. Although useful for a broad segment of the type I diabetic population and for an increasingly large number of individuals with type II diabetes, self-monitoring may have a limited role in patients with severe, irreversible complications.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1984

Insulin pump therapy improves blood glucose control during hyperalimentation.

The present study investigated the feasibility of basal continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) in four patients with postoperative sepsis or extensive burns during continuous enteral hyperalimentation with 2,500 to 3,000 calories/day, containing approximately 390 g of simple carbohydrates. The mean duration of CSII treatment was 16.8 days (range, seven to 32 days). The mean capillary blood glucose level fell from 322 +/- 52 mg/dL during pre-CSII therapy to 195 +/- 33 mg/dL during CSII therapy. Only 1.3% of 1,254 capillary blood glucose values were less than 60 mg/dL. Most values (61.6%) were between 61 and 200 mg/dL. The mean insulin infusion rate was 2.5 +/- 1.5 units/hr. These preliminary observations suggest that basal infusion CSII is a safe and effective means of improving blood glucose control in patients receiving enteral hyperalimentation despite the high glucose intake and presence of insulin resistance. Thus, CSII therapy can enhance the metabolic response to hyperalimentation without requiring an intravenous access route.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1983

Nephrotic syndrome and immune complex glomerulonephritis associated with chlorpropamide therapy.

Therapeutic drugs are well-recognized as a cause of the nephrotic syndrome in humans. However, documentation of the renal histopathologic features is lacking or incomplete in many cases. Even when accurate histopathologic information is available, there is little evidence to support a specific pathogenetic mechanism of renal injury in the vast majority of cases. We describe a patient with diabetes who had hepatitis and dermatitis in association with the use of chlorpropamide. In addition to these well-described toxic reactions to this drug, the nephrotic syndrome developed. Renal biopsy revealed the presence of a proliferative glomerulonephritis that was shown to be of an immune complex nature on immunofluorescence and electronmicroscopic study. Serial serum complement levels and circulating immune complex levels were consistent with an immunologically mediated reaction. Repeated renal biopsy documented resolution of the renal changes. Thus, in this patient, a drug-induced nephrotic syndrome was associated with a proliferative glomerulonephritis, probably due to the formation of immune complexes.

Chlorpropamide↗