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Biomedical subjects

M L Wolbarsht

Publications and source records attributed to M L Wolbarsht.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Reproducible estimation of retinal vessel width by computerized microdensitometry.

An objective method for reliably estimating the width of retinal vessels is presented. A computerized microdensitometer scans film negatives of fundus photographs and reconstructs black and white images of the fundus on a visual display terminal. After this initial scan, a desired region of a retinal vessel is selected with moveable cursors, and a cross-sectional density profile through the vessel is plotted. Vessel width is determined by the half-height width of the profile of the minimum (least transmitting) and average background film densities. Measurement sites can be accurately reproduced on different negatives by landmark mapping. A series of ten fundus photographs were taken of three healthy human eyes, and the width of the superior temporal vein was measured in two places on alle negatives. The coefficient of variation of the six sets ranged from 1.2 and 3.4% with an average of 2.2%.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1990

Transmission of a Gaussian scanning beam through circular, square, and slit apertures: Part I. Theory.

Energy and power values for Gaussian profile scanning laser beams through circular, square, and slit apertures may be required for hazard analysis in laser safety programs. Equations describing the transmitted power for a Gaussian beam concentric and eccentric with circular, square, and slit apertures are given. Simple expressions of transmitted power and energy with a scanning laser beam across the square and slit apertures are derived. For the circular aperture, the transmitted power and energy can be calculated conveniently by using the correction factors from the graphic values or from the computer programs.

Energy Transfer↗
PubMed1989

Hyperoxia during reperfusion is a factor in reperfusion injury.

Imposition of ischemia should result in accumulation of lactic acid with an attendant drop in pH. Subsequent reperfusion would result in hyperoxia, in the affected tissue, due to the Bohr Effect. O2- should therefore be produced in greater than normal amounts, due to this transient hyperoxia, and may contribute to reperfusion injury. Tissue acidification, during extreme exercise or in diabetes mellitus, may similarly lead to hyperoxia and to tissue damage by O2-.

Free Radicals↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of ocular protection filters in field situations.

A computer program has been developed to simulate eye movement during pursuit tracking to test the effectiveness of filters protecting the eyesight of individuals exposed to laser radiation. Two types of retinal damage are considered: macular lesions and retinal injury causing vitreous or subretinal hemorrhage. The retinal damage caused by optical radiation in the visible and near infrared of the spectrum differs from almost all other types of hazards in their proabilistic nature. That is, a small movement of the laser beam or change of eye position decreases or increases the probability of injury by several orders of magnitude. A laser beam combines the problem of a small source with extreme directionality with the probabilistic nature of this hazard location in space, and we now add the probabilistic nature of the action of the protective filter, i.e., a dependence upon angle of incidence. From this combination, an even more probabilistic picture of injury or disablement emerges. When it is necessary to plan the probabilities during military operations of mission fulfillment or injury with regard to various types of lasers in the battlefield ++environment, the problem must be analyzed very carefully. Our solution of the problem indicates the type of injuries to be expected and their dependence upon the various parameters of the angle of incidence of the lasers on the protective filters in the viewing system.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1989

Future applications of lasers in surgery and medicine: a review.

The experimental use of lasers in surgery and medicine began only shortly after the development of the first working laser system. However, the development of practical, effective, and safe surgical lasers has been lengthy with many obstacles and delays. Today the laser is used for a wide variety of surgical operations. The fundamental limits and potential for future applications of lasers in surgery and medicine are discussed.

Forecasting↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of retinal exposures from repetitively pulsed and scanning lasers.

Threshold damage in the macaque retina is shown to be equivalent for the argon-krypton (Ar-Kr) 647 nm and the helium-neon (He-Ne) 632.8-nm lines for exposures to continuous wave (CW) radiation from 1 to 1,000 s. This equivalence allows interpolation from experiments with 647-nm, exposures at power levels that are unavailable with the He-Ne laser. To simulate He-Ne laser scanner exposures, 40-microseconds pulses of 647-nm light transmitted through a revolving disk with holes in the periphery were used to expose the retinas of monkeys under deep anesthesia at pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) of 100, 200, 400, and 1,600 Hz for exposure durations of 1, 10, 100, and 1,000 s. The thresholds between laser exposure at 488 nm (Ar-Kr) and between laser exposure at 647 nm (Kr) are compared to assess thermal versus photochemical effects on the retina. The threshold for 488-nm pulses was consistently lower than that for 647-nm pulses at all PRFs and exposure times. The difference in thresholds increased with exposure time and PRF. The sharp decreases in 488-nm thresholds at 100-s exposure times for each PRF can be interpreted as a basically photochemical effect. The radiant exposure required for damage at 647 nm was several orders of magnitude above the radiant exposure from typical He-Ne scanner applications. From the similarity of the macaque retina to the human retina, it is concluded that no realistic ocular hazard exists from exposure to scanning laser systems of 1 mW or less, operating at higher than 100 Hz.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Phenylephrine-induced anterior chamber hypoxia.

The effect of topical phenylephrine 10% solution on anterior chamber oxygen tension (PO2) was studied in cats using an oxygen-sensitive electrode inserted into the midanterior chamber. A decrease in anterior chamber PO2 was usually observed within eight to 25 minutes and declined steadily thereafter. Within two hours, the drug caused a dramatic 60% reduction in anterior chamber oxygen tension (P less than or equal to .0005). We suggest that the mechanism for this phenylephrine-induced anterior chamber hypoxia is reduced blood flow, mediated by the direct vasoconstrictive effect of the drug and compression of the iris vasculature (induced by dilatation). The resulting decrease in the caliber of the iris arteries produced a parallel decrease in blood volume and flow which resulted in diminished PO2. Phenylephrine 10% may contribute to hypoxia and exacerbate the underlying pathology in those disorders where hypoxia plays an important causal role.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

The effect of timolol on anterior-chamber oxygenation.

The effect of timolol maleate, a nonspecific beta-blocking agent, on anterior-segment oxygenation was studied using oxygen-sensitive microelectrodes inserted into the mid-anterior chamber of 13 cat eyes. The anterior-chamber oxygen tension was monitored continuously for two hours following the topical application of three drops of timolol 0.5%. Although a small, but significant, decline in oxygen tension of 19% was observed over the initial 90 minutes (P less than or equal to .05), the overall 10% decrease at the end of two hours was not considered either clinically or statistically significant when compared with a group of controls. Timolol, since it does not contribute significantly to hypoxia, may therefore be a more prudent choice for lowering intraocular pressure in disorders where hypoxia is believed to play an important role, such as in neovascular glaucoma and sickle-cell hyphema.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Retinal oxygenation from the choroid in hyperoxia.

The extraordinarily high rate of blood flow in the cat choroid allows the choroidal oxygen tension to rise to levels close to the arterial PO2, even with oxygen enriched breathing mixtures. The high PO2 in the choroid can elevate the oxygen tension of the inner retina above the saturation PO2 of hemoglobin when oxygen enriched breathing mixtures at one atmosphere or less are used as shown by polarographic oxygen tension measurements in the preretinal vitreous in cats.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Incidence and characteristics of McCollough aftereffects following video display terminal use.

After using video display terminals (VDT), some persons notice that achromatic patterns appear faintly colored hours after terminal use. We investigated the incidence of this effect, the McCollough effect (ME), among 125 VDT users. Subjects completed a questionnaire regarding work habits and certain life-style aspects. They were shown photographs of varying spatial frequencies to identify the adapting stimulus responsible for the ME. The incidence of ME after routine use of VDTs was 19.1%. The adapting stimulus was the repeating character lines of the VDT. No aspect of life-style investigated appeared to predispose an individual to develop the ME. Those subjects who developed the ME did not differ from those who did not in age, sleep, caffeine consumption, use of medication, refractive errors, or computer usage, nor did they have a higher incidence of ocular defects or eye strain.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1986

Ocular oxygenation: the effect of phenylephrine on anterior chamber oxygen tension.

Phenylephrine preparations are widely used in medicine for their vasoconstrictive and mydriatic effects. The effect of phenylephrine, a powerful alpha-receptor stimulant, on anterior chamber oxygen tension (Po2) was studied using a polarographic electrode inserted into the mid anterior chamber of cats. A commercial 10% solution was applied topically. A decrease in anterior chamber Po2 was usually observed in 8-24 minutes and declined steadily thereafter. Prior to treatment, the mean anterior chamber Po2 was 26 +/- 3 torr; 1/2 hour after treatment it decreased to 20 +/- 7 torr. After 1 hour it dropped to 13 +/- 8 torr and was further reduced to 11 +/- 6 torr by 2 hours. By 90 minutes, the drug had caused a 58% reduction in anterior chamber oxygen tension. This drop is similar to that reported for epinephrine. It is suggested that the mechanism for most of this decrease is reduced blood flow, mediated by the direct vasoconstrictive effect of the drug in addition to compression of the iris vasculature induced by dilation. The resulting change (reduction) in caliber of the iris arteries produces a parallel change (reduction) in blood volume and flow resulting in a diminished Po2. The clinical implications of this conclusion in disorders where hypoxia is felt to play a causal role such as neovascular glaucoma, diabetes, pregnancy and hyphema in sickle cell disease are explored.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1986

The relationship between retinal vessel tortuosity, diameter, and transmural pressure.

Increases in retinal vein tortuosity are thought to be caused by increases in vascular transmural pressure. We have attempted to determine the relationship between retinal vessel tortuosity, diameter, and transmural pressure by examining the effects of changes in transmural pressure on latex tubes with fixed ends. As the transmural pressure is raised, tube diameter increases, but tortuosity does not begin increasing until a critical pressure is reached. Above the critical pressure, tortuosity increases more rapidly than diameter. Our results support the above hypothesis and also suggest that at high transmural pressures, retinal vessel tortuosity is a more sensitive indicator than is the diameter of changes in retinal venous transmural pressure, but diameter is more sensitive than tortuosity at lower pressures.

Humans↗
PubMed1986

Spectral coding in cat retinal ganglion cell receptive fields.

We have examined the spectral-coding properties of ganglion cell receptive fields in the cat retina. Two classes of spectral coding were found. The first class consists of cells in which color opponency is spatially local. That is, the opponent cone types cover the same (center or surround) region of the receptive field. The second class consists of cells that show color opponency only to large stimuli (relative to center diameter). Center and surround regions of cells of this class have different spectral sensitivities. Individually the regions are nonopponent. When both regions are stimulated, a spectral opponency is revealed. For example, we recorded from one unit in which the ON-center was mediated by the 556-nm cone type and the OFF-surround was mediated by both 450- and 556-nm cone types. Large-field, threshold-level stimulation in the short-wavelength end of the spectrum produced OFF-responses, while in the long-wavelength end produced ON-responses. For a small stimulus, cells of the second class could mediate spatial vision, largely unaffected by the chromatic properties of the stimulus. Cells of the second class (center/surround opponent) were more commonly encountered than cells of the first class (locally opponent). Color-opponent units of X, Y, and W types were all found.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Testing visual capabilities for medical surveillance or to ensure job fitness.

A rationale is presented for designing screening-type eye examinations to document visual capabilities for specific jobs or changes in visual function following exposure to specific ocular hazards. Possible applications to clinical situations are also discussed. A battery of tests that includes contrast (glare) sensitivity, distortions in macular imaging, and color vision is detailed for use with three populations: automobile driver's license applicants, visual display operators, and laser users, including military as well as nonmilitary installers and repairers of optical fibers for communications.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed1984

Neovascularization of the iris: an experimental model in cats.

Neovascularization of the iris was induced in cats by removing the vitreous and lens and creating a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. The presence of new blood vessels on the anterior surface of the iris was verified from the second month onward by slit lamp examination, as well as by light microscopy six to twelve months after the operation. Control eyes undergoing vitrectomy and lensectomy, but without retinal detachment, did not develop rubeosis iridis. This model may allow investigation into causes and therapy of rubeosis iridis.

Animals↗