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Biomedical subjects

M Fink

Publications and source records attributed to M Fink.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
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Clinical laboratory test standards in new drug trials.

From a population of chronic schizophrenic patients receiving new psychotropic drug treatments, 48 were maintained on placebo medication for periods up to twenty weeks. Clinical pathological laboratory data were collected at the same intervals as in the drug-treated groups. While the range of laboratory findings was similar to the textbook standards, deviations ("abnormalities") were frequent. We conclude that each laboratory undertaking clinical drug evaluations should provide concurrent control data for placebo-treated subjects when reporting observations with novel compounds.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Botulinum toxin type A and EMG: a key to the understanding of chronic tension-type headaches?

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of chronic tension-type headache remains unclear, and the role of muscle tension is especially controversial. Botulinum toxin type A, a potent inhibitor of muscle tone, has been used to treat chronic tension-type headache. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether clinical response to treatment of chronic tension-type headache with Botox A parallels changes in resting muscle activity recorded through serial electromyography (EMG). METHODS: We randomly assigned eight patients with chronic tension-type headache to pericranial injection of 500 MU Botox A versus placebo (isotonic saline). RESULTS: At 6 and 12 weeks following treatment, there were no significant differences in clinical outcome between the placebo and the Botox A groups. This occurred despite EMG evidence of a reduction in resting muscle activity in the Botox A-treated patients. CONCLUSION: These results support the hypothesis that peripheral mechanisms such as increased muscle tone play, at most, a minor role in the pathophysiology of chronic tension-type headache.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Can delirium relieve psychosis?

A delirium presages a poor prognosis in hospitalized patients, but an incidental delirium is a feature of some psychiatric treatments. We report five cases in which delirium preceded the relief of affective and psychotic symptoms of a major mental illness. The experience stimulated a review of the literature on delirium in psychiatric treatments. Five inpatients (aged 53 to 69 years) with an exacerbation of chronic mental illness developed deliria from medications (n = 4) and electrolyte disturbance (n = 1). The deliria were managed with medication washout or correction of electrolyte imbalance. The progress of the patients was noted clinically and summarized. The clinical signs of delirium such as confusion, disorganized speech, sleep-wake cycle changes, and hallucinations persisted for 24 to 72 hours. As the delirium cleared, psychotic and affective symptoms improved or resolved. The improvements persisted for 1 to 5 months, with low doses of medications in two of the cases. A delirium may precede clinical improvement in affective and psychotic symptoms. Historically, some treatments for mental illness induce an incidental delirium (e.g., electroconvulsive therapy [ECT] and insulin coma). Why a delirium should presage a beneficial effect on psychosis is unclear, but the emergence of delirium may herald a beneficial pathophysiology.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of motor unit action potential characteristics and hand dominance using monopolar needle electrodes in the abductor pollicis brevis and abductor digiti minimi muscles.

This study examined specific electrical characteristics of voluntary single motor unit action potentials (SMUAPs): amplitude, duration, phase change, and rate of rise. These characteristics, which were detected from two intrinsic muscles of the hand--the abductor pollicis brevis and the abductor digiti minimi--were compared to hand dominance. Forty subjects participated in the study. Five characteristics were detected from each muscle using the quadrant technique while the subject produced a minimal isometric contraction. Based on results of an ANOVA [two-factor with replication] test, our study revealed no significant difference between muscles in the dominant and non-dominant hands. Descriptive statistics for each muscle characteristic are presented. This study has identified parameters for SMUAP characteristics detected in non-impaired individuals ranging in age from 20 to 43 years. The normative parameters serve as a valuable base from which one may examine potential neuronal damage from cumulative trauma disorders.

Action Potentials↗