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Biomedical subjects

M Cohen

Publications and source records attributed to M Cohen.

At least 829 records · Page 46Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Parent-time: psychoeducational groups for parents of adolescents.

Many parents find their children's entry into adolescence a particularly stressful time. This article reports on a series of groups providing support, information, and help in problem solving that was devised for parents who are troubled by the changes taking place in their children but who are not necessarily in need of psychiatric intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Scoring system to aid in diagnoses of appendicitis.

Problems related to the diagnosis of appendicitis are evidenced by the significant negative laparotomy rate. The present study sought to assess the feasibility of decreasing this diagnostic error by studying two groups of patients and identifying and weighing details of history, physical examination and laboratory findings utilizing 23 predictive factors. One hundred consecutive cases of proven appendicitis (AAp) were retrospectively reviewed and compared with 100 consecutive cases that had normal appendices removed because of erroneous preoperative diagnosis of appendicitis (NAp). Rates of occurrence for each predictive factor were determined separately for both groups. These were converted into weights which were then added to yield a diagnostic score for each patient. A cutoff point established the score which designated one group for observation and the other for surgery. Scores were assessed at three different points by balancing risks of missed diagnoses against benefits of avoiding unnecessary operations. Seven predictive factors had differentiating weights and reached statistical significance (p less than or equal to 0.05):-sex, age, duration of symptoms, GU symptoms, involuntary right lower quadrant muscle spasm, right-sided rectal mass, and white blood cell count. Using these seven predictors, at a "-3" cutoff, 38% NAPs would have been spared laparotomy and about 5% of the AAps would have been indicated for observation. Analysis indicated little risk in observing the 5% AAp (5/7 history less than or equal to 1 day), and progressive improvement for NAps with increasing time. This simple scoring system could have eliminated over one third of the unnecessary laparotomies in the present sample, indicating potential value as an aid in surgical decision-making.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Two helping alliance methods for predicting outcomes of psychotherapy. A counting signs vs. a global rating method.

This paper reports on the development of measures of helping alliances in psychotherapy, i.e., the patient's experience of the treatment or relationship with the therapist as helpful, or potentially helpful. The helping alliance counting signs measure, which is the special focus of this paper, entails the counting of certain types of patient statements (signs) which are identified in a manual. The main findings were: a) these types of statements were found to be "scorable" with moderate interjudge agreement; b) scores based on the manual showed moderate agreement with a similar helping alliance manual based upon global ratings; c) scores were fairly to moderately consistent from early to late in treatment; d) scores predicted outcome significantly, e.g., early positive signs of helping alliance correlated .57 (p less than .01) with rated benefits, and .59 (p less than .01) with change in the first target complaint (Battle, C., Imber, S., Hoehn-Saric, R., et al. Target complaints as criteria of improvement. Am. J. Psychother., 20: 184-192, 1966); and e) basic background similarities between patient and therapist, such as in age and religious activity, attained highest correlations with the helping alliance measure, e.g., the sum of 10 similarities correlated .60 (p less than .01) with early positive helping alliance counting signs.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Behavioral and physiological effects of ethanol in high-risk and control children: a pilot study.

Blood and breath acetaldehyde levels were measured following ethanol ingestion (0.5 ml/kg) in 11 boys familially at risk for alcoholism and 11 age-matched controls. No significant differences were found between groups for acetaldehyde, objective, or subjective measures of intoxication. Previous reports of acetaldehyde as a marker of risk for alcoholism were not confirmed. Baseline behavioral state predicted response to alcohol. Children tended to have a subjective response in a direction opposite from the baseline mood state.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1983

Further purification and characterization of high-molecular-weight polysaccharide from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Previously published reports on high-molecular-weight polysaccharides from immunotype 1 and 2 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa indicated the presence of high levels of mannose in these preparations. This mannose has been found to be due to the presence of a yeastlike mannan in high-molecular-weight polysaccharide preparations. The source of the mannan was found to be the tryptic soy broth used to grow the bacteria. Mannan could be removed from the polysaccharide preparations by chromatography over columns of concanavalin A-Sepharose. The resulting polysaccharides had the same serological reactivity against rabbit antisera and the same immunogenic properties in mice as did the mannan-containing polysaccharides. Comparison of mannan-depleted polysaccharide with preparations of high-molecular-weight polysaccharide obtained from either ultrafiltered tryptic soy broth or a chemically defined medium showed that these polysaccharides were immunologically and chemically similar. Human immune responses to mannan-depleted polysaccharide from the immunotype 1 strain of P. aeruginosa were comparable with those previously seen in humans receiving mannan-containing polysaccharides. Thus, we found that P. aeruginosa high-molecular-weight polysaccharides prepared in either tryptic soy broth and then subjected to concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography, ultrafiltered tryptic soy broth, or a chemically defined medium were immunologically and chemically comparable.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Successful removal of an acute brain stem hematoma in a young child.

Several days after receiving a blow to the occipital region, a 5-year-old boy presented with acute symptoms and signs of a space-occupying-lesion in the posterior fossa. A CAT scan revealed a mass with increased density in the region of the fourth ventricle. A suboccipital craniectomy disclosed a subependymal hematoma bulging into the fourth ventricle. The hematoma was evacuated, and the child subsequently made a complete recovery. It is stressed that surgical intervention should be considered in all such cases and particularly in young patients who show progressive neurological deficits.

Brain Stem↗
PubMed1983

Alcohol consumption and pulmonary function. A cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

The impact of alcohol consumption on pulmonary function was examined in 1,067 men. Subjects were classified according to their average weekly alcohol consumption, and spirometry was performed twice on all subjects over a 5-year interval. A multiple regression analysis indicated that alcohol consumption did not significantly influence baseline levels of forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after controlling for age, height, cigarette smoking habits, and educational attainment. Similarly, alcohol consumption did not significantly influence follow-up levels of FVC or FEV1 after controlling for age, height, cigarette smoking habits, educational attainment, and baseline pulmonary function. Although these results do not rule out a possible independent effect of alcohol on pulmonary function, any such effect would be relatively small.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Is treatment for alcoholism effective in persons on methadone maintenance?

A randomized prospective study of 625 drug addicts on methadone maintenance revealed that 105 (17%) were active alcoholics, 47 (8%) were inactive alcoholics, and 473 (76%) were not alcoholics. The active alcoholics were randomly assigned to abstinence therapy, controlled drinking with behavior modification, or a control group receiving the usual clinic services. There were no differences between treatment and control groups at baseline and during follow-up of up to 2 1/2 years, and there was no relation between remission and treatment, suggesting that the effectiveness of currently employed specific interventions for alcoholism in active alcoholic addicts maintained on methadone cannot be demonstrated.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1983

Congenital intestinal aganglionosis in white foals.

A congenital and probably hereditary neurological defect has been identified in the intestinal tract of six foals produced from the breeding of overo (a type of spotting pattern) horses. The foals had white hair and pink skin with the exception of occasional pigmented foci about the muzzle, ventral abdomen, and hindquarters. The foals appeared normal at birth, but within a few hours developed symptoms of colic. At necropsy, the only significant finding was a narrow, pale segment of large intestine. This abnormality either was confined to the small colon and rectum or involved the entire colon and rectum. Microscopically, myenteric and submucosal neuronal plexuses were absent throughout the large intestine and extensive portions of the small intestine. The only other significant finding was the lack of melanin in the skin.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

A double-blind comparison of indoramin and propranolol in the treatment of moderate to severe essential hypertension.

In a double-blind study, patients with moderate to severe essential hypertension were treated randomly with either indoramin or propranolol orally. The dose of both drugs was increased as necessary, to a predetermined level, in order to reduce the diastolic (Phase V) blood pressure to 100 mmHg or less. Patients were followed up for 12 weeks. There were 23 patients on propranolol and 27 on indoramin. The blood pressure in 22 patients on propranolol and 25 patients on indoramin was satisfactorily controlled in both the supine and standing positions. Mean supine blood pressure decreased from 181.3 +/- 14.2/116.2 +/- 6.8 mmHg to 140.6 +/- 7.1/95.7 +/- 3.6 mmHg after 12 weeks of treatment in patients receiving propranolol and from 188.3 +/- 18.9/118.4 +/- 8.7 mmHg to 144.7 +/- 7.3/95.7 +/- 2.5 mmHg in those treated with indoramin. There were no significant differences between the effects on supine and standing blood pressures and blood pressure control was maintained throughout the 12-week period in patients receiving indoramin and those receiving propranolol. Propranolol reduced the mean heart rate by approximately 16 beats/min in both the supine and standing positions. The maximum effect was seen 4 weeks after starting treatment and was maintained throughout the study. Sinus bradycardia (heart rate less than 60/min) occurred in 9 (39%) patients receiving propranolol. Indoramin caused a small but significant reduction in mean heart rate of approximately 4 beats/min in both the supine and standing positions. The maximum effect was seen after 2 weeks of treatment and was maintained for the rest of the duration of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The effect of amniotic fluid aspiration on pulmonary function in the adult and newborn rabbit.

Aspiration of uncontaminated human amniotic fluid was investigated in adult and newborn rabbits and compared with three other experimental groups: 10% meconium solution, saline, and sham-injected controls. Fluids were injected into the trachea of adult animals (4 or 6 ml/kg body weight), newborn vaginally-delivered animals (a mean volume of 8 ml/kg), and cesarean-delivered animals before their first breath (a mean volume of 11 ml/kg). In adult animals aspirating amniotic fluid or saline, arterial PO2 measured over a 24-h period showed a mean difference between groups of less than 5% for both 4 and 6 ml/kg. Meconium aspiration produced a greater depression in PO2 than amniotic fluid aspiration (a mean difference of 16 and 31% for 4 and 6 ml/kg, respectively) and animals aspirating meconium showed a deteriorating trend over 24 h, whereas animals aspirating amniotic fluid improved. One of eight adult animals aspirating amniotic fluid died versus four of five aspirating meconium. All five animals aspirating saline 6 ml/kg survived. Lung weight and resting volume of adult animals aspirating amniotic fluid were not significantly different from animals aspirating saline or nothing. Lung pressure volume curves from adult animals aspirating amniotic fluid were nearly identical to controls. Histology showed significantly greater atelectasis in adult animals that received 6 ml/kg amniotic fluid than controls, but this was not different from saline. There was no association between the number of cells in amniotic fluid and arterial PO2 after aspiration or any other aspect of pulmonary function measured.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1983

Alcoholism among narcotic addicts and patients on methadone maintenance.

There was no difference in prevalence of current alcoholism between new admissions to a methadone-maintenance treatment program (MMTP) and patients already in MMTP at least one year, by previous treatment for drug misuse, or between MMTP patients and the population of the surrounding community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Immunocytochemical localization of the functional fraction of lipoprotein lipase in the perfused heart.

The functional (heparin-releasable) fraction of myocardial lipoprotein lipase (LPL) has been located at the lumen surface of capillary endothelium by means of an indirect immunocytochemical perfusion method for electron microscopy. The primary step immunoreactant was an IgG fraction of goat antiserum directed against LPL from rat heart. The second step antibody, conjugated with horseradish peroxidase, was rabbit IgG directed against goat IgG. Peroxidase reaction product, when present, appeared at the surface an in invaginations of the lumenal plasma membrane of capillary endothelium and also on chylomicrons adherent to that membrane. The highest coverage by such product occurred when the highest heparin-releasable heart LPL activity was attained after fat-feeding of rats. Coverage was low when a low level of heparin-releasable heart LPL activity was induced by carbohydrate-feeding. Coverage was very low in the perfused hearts after heparin-release of functional LPL activity. The positive association between these immunocytochemical results and actual levels of functional LPL activities indicates that functional LPL in the isolated rat heart is at the lumen surface of capillary endothelium.

Animals↗