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Biomedical subjects

M Dolgin

Publications and source records attributed to M Dolgin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Family functioning predictors of adjustment in children with newly diagnosed cancer: a prospective analysis.

Theoretically-driven investigations on the potentially modifiable predictors of individual differences among newly-diagnosed pediatric cancer patients may facilitate the identification of children at risk for adjustment problems. Within a risk and resistance conceptual model, family functioning was investigated concurrently and prospectively as a predictor of adjustment in newly-diagnosed pediatric cancer patients at Time 1 (within 1 month after diagnosis), Time 2 (6 months postdiagnosis), and Time 3 (9 months postdiagnosis). The family relationship dimensions of cohesion and expressiveness most consistently predicted the psychological and social adjustment of children with newly-diagnosed cancer over a 9-month period after initial diagnosis. These findings are discussed in terms of the treatment implications for enhancing child adjustment to newly-diagnosed cancer and biomedical treatment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Perceived physical appearance and adjustment of children with newly diagnosed cancer: a path analytic model.

More intensive medical treatment protocols have been initiated with the goal of improving survival of pediatric cancer patients. Evaluation of the adjustment of this cohort of children with newly diagnosed cancer being treated with these modern regimens is essential in order to enhance quality of life. Children with cancer who experience disease and treatment-related changes in physical appearance are hypothesized to be at greater risk for psychological and social adjustment problems given society's attitudes toward visible physical differences. Within a risk and resistance theoretical framework, perceived physical appearance was investigated as a predictor of depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and general self-esteem in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients. In support of the a priori conceptual model, path analysis findings indicate that perceived physical appearance has direct and indirect effects on depressive symptoms and social anxiety with the indirect effects mediated by general self-esteem. Exploratory analysis suggests that the effect of perceived physical appearance on general self-esteem may be attenuated by modifiable competence/adequacy domains which have implications for the development of treatment interventions for children with newly diagnosed cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Perceived social support and adjustment of children with newly diagnosed cancer.

The negative impact on psychologic adjustment from the stress of living with newly diagnosed cancer is hypothesized to be affected by perceived social support. Thirty children with newly diagnosed cancer completed standardized assessment instruments measuring depressive symptoms, state anxiety, trait anxiety, social anxiety, general self-esteem, and perceived social support from classmates, parents, teachers, and friends. Their parents completed a standardized assessment instrument measuring internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Perceived classmate, parent, and teacher social support were variously correlated with the psychologic adjustment parameters in the hypothesized direction of greater support predicting lower psychologic distress and higher self-esteem. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified perceived classmate social support as the most consistent predictor of adaptation, providing further evidence of the essential function of the social environment of the school setting in affecting the adjustment of children with newly diagnosed cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

The impact of social skills training on the adjustment of children with newly diagnosed cancer.

Randomized 64 children ages 5 to 13 years with newly diagnosed cancer to either a Social Skills Training experimental treatment group or a School Reintegration standard treatment group. Children who received explicit training in social skills reported higher perceived classmate and teacher social support at the 9-month follow-up in comparison to pretreatment levels, while parents reported a decrease in internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and an increase in school competence. Methodological improvements for Phase III clinical trials are addressed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Physiologic and psychobehavioral research in oncology.

A major thrust in research in psychosocial oncology is the study of the interaction of psychologic and physiologic variables. This discussion reviews the current status and future directions of such research. Areas addressed include pain, nausea and vomiting with chemotherapy, sexuality, effects of cancer on psychologic and neuropsychologic function, impact of psychologic factors on cancer and its treatment, and psychoneuroimmunology. In addition, specific recommendations for strategies to facilitate research in these areas of psychosocial oncology are proposed.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The role of aortic valve calcium in the detection of aortic stenosis: an echocardiographic study.

One hundred fifty-three men (mean age 67.0 +/- 10.0 years) with basal systolic murmurs and aortic valve calcium on the echocardiogram (group II) were studied to assess the relationship between the grade of calcium and severity of aortic valve obstruction. Patients were subdivided into group IIA (hypertension, no coronary artery disease), group IIB (coronary artery disease, no hypertension), group IIC (hypertension and coronary artery disease) and group IID (neither hypertension nor coronary artery disease). Group I consisted of 21 normal age-matched men (mean age 60.5 +/- 10.9 years). Aortic valve calcium was graded as 1+ (63 patients), 2+ (54 patients), or 3+ (36 patients) according to the degree of involvement. Left ventricular wall thickness was greater in group II than in group I, and close correlation between wall thickness parameters and grade of aortic valve calcium was observed for group IID. Of 31 catheterized patients, none of seven with 1+ aortic calcium and 11 of 14 with 3+ calcium had gradients greater than or equal to 50 mm Hg. With 3+ calcium the valve area was 0.8 +/- 0.4 cm2, and with 1+ calcium it was 2.8 +/- 0.7 cm2 (f = 0.0006). The presence of 3+ calcium or grade 2+ calcium combined with a left ventricular ejection time index greater than 433 msec and a left ventricular mass greater than 300 gm was highly suggestive of severe aortic stenosis and could be used to separate patients to be considered for invasive studies from those with benign aortic valve sclerosis.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1980

Systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve with and without asymmetric septal hypertrophy. Role of left ventricular posterior wall motion.

Abnormal systolic anterior (SAM) motion of the mitral valve without asymmetric hypertrophy of the interventricular septum was observed in 16 patients (group 1). 5 of the 16 patients had no other evidence of heart disease and the remaining 11 had a variety of cardiac disorders. Left ventricular dimensions, septal and posterior wall thickness, left ventricular ejection fraction, the mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening, and the mean velocity of the posterior wall and septal contraction was measured by echocardiography in all patients in group 1. These measurements were compared with similar measurements in 14 patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (group 2) and in 11 normal subjects (group 3) to evaluate the role of the left ventricular contractility with particular reference to the left ventricular posterior wall motion in production of SAM. All patients with SAM (groups 1 and 2) showed significantly higher indexes of left ventricular contractility, particularly posterior wall velocity, and normalized mean posterior wall velocity, when compared to the normal subjects. The significantly higher posterior wall and the normalized mean posterior wall velocities in all patients with SAM suggest that the exaggerated systolic anterior motion of the left ventricular posterior wall plays an important role in production of SAM in the presence or absence of asymmetric septal hypertrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Incidence of mitral valve prolapse in subjects with thoracic skeletal abnormalities--a prospective study.

The incidence of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in 80 patients with various thoracic skeletal abnormalities (TSA) was examined prospectively using compete history and physical examination, chest x-rays, electrocardiography, phonocardiography, and echocardiography. There were 76 males and four females, ranging in age from 18 to 80 years. Thirty-four patients had narrow anteroposterior diameter of the chest (asthenic habitus) (Group 1), 13 had straight back (Group 2), and 33 had pectus excavatum (Group 3). Twenty-five of the 80 patients (31 per cent) had evidence of MVP, 22 by echocardiographic criteria and three by phonocardiographic criteria. The incidence of MVP in this predominantly male population was substantially higher than that reported in the general adult population. Thoracic skeletal abnormality is an important nonauscultatory feature of mitral valve prolapse syndrome. The association between TSA and MVP may be a manifestation of a single connective tissue defect during embryonic development of the bony thoracic cage and the atrioventricular valves. All patients with TSA, even when asymptomatic, should be screened for MVP by noninvasive investigations. The recognition of MVP in patients with TSA may be of potential value in prevention of life-threatening endocarditis and cardiac arrhythmia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Complications due to cloth wear in cloth-covered Starr-Edwards aortic and mitral valve prostheses--and their management.

Five cases of complications due to cloth wear in cloth-covered composite-seat Starr-Edwards aortic and mitral valvular prostheses are described. The complications of cloth wear were recurrent systemic emboli in three patients, two with aortic and one with mitral prosthesis, and severe hemolytic anemia in two patients with aortic prosthesis. The over-all incidence of clinically significant complications due to cloth wear in aortic and mitral valve prosthesis was 2.5 per cent. The diagnosis of cloth wear is impossible before reoperation and it was made by exclusion of other causes of recurrent transient cerebral ischemic attacks or systemic emboli and by exclusion of other causes of hemolytic anemia. Clinical and laboratory findings suggestive of cloth wear are described. Aggressive management of complications of cloth wear by reoperation is likely to prevent disabling or lethal consequences. Porcine xenograft aortic and mitral bioprostheses were used in these patients to replace the cloth-covered valvular prostheses. The symptoms due to cloth wear were abolished in all patients by reoperation, and all patients are off anticoagulants postoperatively. The operative mortality rate for reoperation in this small group of patients was zero.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

First-degree trifascicular block unmasked by sinus arrhythmias. Report of a case studied with intracardiac electrocardiography.

A case is presented in which first-degree block in all three fascicles of the intraventricular conduction system results in a QRS complex with no specific features of fascicular block. During spontaneous sinus arrhythmia the typical features of RBBB and LAH appear at the longest sinus cycles. This is associated with shortened P-R and H-Q intervals. During shorter sinus cycles, near equalization of delay in each fascicle is associated with delay in His-Purkinje conduction but loss of the typical features of bifascicular block as the ventricular myocardium becomes activated more synchronously. Documentation of the changing patterns of ventricular activation is provided by His bundle electrocardiography.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

The diagnosis or ventricular tachycardia with ventriculo-atrial conduction.

A 57 year old man developed recurrent tachycardia with QRS complexes of 0.13 second in duration at a rate of 140 beats per minute. Inverted P waves appeared to follow each QRS complex in the electrocardiographic leads II, III and aVF. The differentiation between ventricular tachycardia with1 : 1 V-A conduction and supraventricular tachycardia with aberrant ventricular conduction was difficult to make from the surface electrocardiogram. This differentiation is important for selection of appropriate therapy. The diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia with 1 : 1 V-A conduction was clearly established in this case on simultaneous recording of surface electrocardiogram, His bundle electrogram and high right atrial electrogram.

Cardiac Catheterization↗