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Biomedical subjects

R Sobel

Publications and source records attributed to R Sobel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Neuropsychological function in borderline personality disorder.

To evaluate the possibility of an underlying dimension of organicity in borderline personality disorder (BPD), a carefully diagnosed group of borderline patients was assessed across a wide range of neuropsychological functions and then was compared to an age- and education-matched non-patient control group. The BPD group had significantly lower Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores on the WAIS-R. The BPD group also was impaired significantly on motor skills, figural memory, complex visuomotor integration, social or interpersonal intelligence, and on a measure of susceptibility to interference. This pattern of deficits localized to the fronto-temporal regions and became more pronounced when a subgroup analysis was performed. This study suggests that subtle organic factors may be operative in some, but not all, BPD patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

T cell responses to myelin basic protein in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis-resistant BALB/c mice.

In strains of mice that are susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), cloned CD4+ T cells reactive with autologous myelin basic protein (MBP) have been shown to cause disease when transferred to naive syngeneic recipients. Recent reports indicate that under particular experimental conditions, 'resistant' strains of mice can also develop EAE, although cloned cells have not been isolated and characterized. An analysis of the characteristics of a panel of MBP-specific T cells and the antigen presenting capability of CNS-derived cells obtained from the resistant strain BALB/c is presented here. The data demonstrate that immunization of EAE-resistant BALB/c mice results in the activation of a heterogeneous group of T cells reactive with autologous MBP. Both peripheral antigen presenting cells, as well as microglia isolated from brains of BALB/c mice, are capable of stimulating these cloned MBP-specific T cells to proliferate. When optimally activated in vitro and then injected in vivo into syngeneic BALB/c recipients, three clones studied induced severe cachexia, resulting in loss of up to 35% of body weight before death. Two of the clones also induced clinical and histological EAE, while the third induced only occasional histological evidence of disease. Differences in epitope recognition, T cell receptor usage, cytokine profiles or regulatory mechanisms of self tolerance, may play important roles in preventing potentially destructive autoimmune reactions by these T cells capable of recognizing autologous myelin in the central nervous system.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Sexual activity and sex hormone levels in aging men.

A cross-sectional study of 60 men aged 65-80 was carried out to test the impact of the aging process on sexual hormones (testosterone, FSH, LH, prolactin), sexual activity, and the relations between them. Blood samples for hormone assays were taken between 8-9 A.M. in the primary care clinic at which the participants were registered. Data on sexual activity (coitus), sexual desire (libido), marital status, and age were obtained from the respondents by means of a structured interview. No relationship was found between testosterone (T) or prolactin (PL) and sexual activity. Nevertheless, a statistically significant relationship between FSH and LH versus age, and an inverse relationship between sexual activity and age were found. Hypogonadism (T level less than 3ng/ml) with normal levels of FSH and LH was observed in 11 respondents.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Smoking among kibbutz youth. Patterns, perceptions, and determinants.

A population of 54 high-school-aged kibbutz youth in Israel were studied to assess their smoking habits. Twenty (37%) were smokers. Among the smokers, 15 (75%) smoked daily, with four smoking as many as 10-20 cigarettes per day. Nearly half of the group believed smoking affected their health and were interested in stopping their use of cigarettes. Smokers when compared to nonsmokers had more positive peer relations (chi 2 = 9.308; p less than 0.01), less positive relations with parents (chi 2 = 8.293; p less than 0.01), more boredom with kibbutz life (chi 2 = 3.468; p less than 0.10), and less involvement with a hobby, sport, or reading (chi 2 = 3.133, p less than 0.10). Parents' smoking habits, marital status of the parents, students' self-evaluation of their academic performance, and youths' age and sex did not differentiate smokers from nonsmokers.

Adolescent↗