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Biomedical subjects

S Levin

Publications and source records attributed to S Levin.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Evaluation of the human interferon system in viral disease.

The interferon (IFN) system in man regulates viral replication, cell multiplication and immune functions. Its action against viruses takes place in two stages. The first is the production of IFN by cells following stimulation by a variety of IFN inducers including viruses, and the second is the action of this IFN on other cells inducing in them an antiviral state which prevents replication of infecting viruses. A series of assays is described which evaluates these different parameters of the antiviral IFN system. An attempt was made to correlate between IFN production and cell response to IFN on the one hand, and clinical status on the other. Results show that healthy persons have little or no IFN in the blood (mean less than 4 units/ml), and that in 94% their PBMC are not in an antiviral state. On the other hand, patients with acute viral diseases have significantly increased levels of IFN in their blood (mean 150 +/- 284 units/ml), and in 70% their cells are in an antiviral state. In some seriously ill patients with viral disease, the IFN system was found to be functionally deficient and treatment with human leucocyte IFN rapidly changed this. It is concluded that the examination of several biological parameters of the IFN system including the intracellular antiviral state induced by IFN is necessary in order to better evaluate this antiviral system. This will enable the clinician to obtain optimal pharmacokinetic information for determining which cases are most likely to respond to IFN therapy, and help to monitor the efficacy of this treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Pursuit eye movements in psychopathology: effects of target characteristics.

Tests of smooth pursuit eye movements using two types of targets, at three different frequencies, with two types of superimposed cognitive tasks were performed by 16 manic-depressive patients, 16 schizophrenic patients, and 14 normal subjects. The results showed that patients track more poorly than normals at all frequencies with either a real pendulum or an electronically driven target. Tracking efficiency of all subjects is improved by both superimposed cognitive tasks. Differences between patients and nonpatients exist under all experimental conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

White sponge nevus.

White sponge nevus (WSN) is one of a number of white lesions of the oral mucosa. It is an autosomal dominant disorder of wide variability and high penetrance. White sponge nevus is characterized by white, spongy lesions of the oral mucosa, although extraoral mucosae may also be affected. Onset is early in life, and both sexes are affected equally. There are no extramucosal lesions associated with WSN. The plaques of WSN are benign and may undergo alternate periods of remission and exacerbation. In two of our cases from an affected family, penicillin precipitated remission of the plaques.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Ergot poisoning.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Ergotism↗
PubMed1980

Acute myopathy associated with influenza A/Texas/1/77 infection. Isolation of virus from a muscle biopsy specimen.

Influenza A/Texas/1/77 was isolated from a muscle biopsy specimen from a patient with muscle weakness and increased serum creatine phosphokinase level. The patient was seen during an outbreak of influenza A/Texas/1/77 that was associated with myopathy. Isolation of this virus from this patient's muscle specimen suggests that the myopathy associated with influenza may be due to direct infection of skeletal muscle.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Horizontal and vertical pursuit eye movements, the oculocephalic reflex, and the functional psychoses.

Sixteen schizophrenic patients, 16 manic-depressive patients, and 14 nonpatient control subjects were tested for horizontal and vertical smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) and the oculocephalic reflex. All patients with impaired horizontal pursuit also displayed disrupted vertical pursuit, suggesting that a common mechanism underlies these abnormalities. The oculocephalic reflex was intact in 96% of the subjects whether or not pursuit was disrupted, suggesting that the locus of the eye movement disorder in psychosis may be cortical. For horizontal pursuit, there were significant differences between schizophrenics and nonpatient controls, and between manic depressives and nonpatient controls, but not between schizophrenics and manic depressives, suggesting that the SPEM disruption occurs with significant prevalence in major functional psychoses and not only in schizophrenia.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1980

Diagnostic and prognostic value of retinal hemorrhages in the neonate.

Ocular fundi of 410 newborns were examined for retinal hemorrhages within 24 hours after delivery. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the course of pregnancy and management of delivery influence the incidence of neonatal retinal hemorrhage (RH) and whether this incidence could be reduced by electronic monitoring of delivery. To assess the prognostic value of neonatal RH for future development of the child, the physical, motor, and psychologic states of 252 infants were examined 6 to 18 months following delivery. The incidence of RH was 37.3% and was not influenced by maternal age, parity, gestational age, course of pregnancy, birth weight, or electronic monitoring of delivery. The mode of delivery did influence the incidence of RH. Gesell developmental schedule showed no correlation between ocular findings and later development of the child.

Delivery, Obstetric↗
PubMed1980

Affect and verbal-nonverbal discrepancy in schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic family communication.

Verbal and nonverbal communication of affect was examined in schizophrenic and control families, using audio tapes and transcripts of family interactions. In Study 1, data were available for parents interacting with their schizophrenic child (index session) or with a well child (well-sibling session), and for two parent-child sessions in normal families. In Study 2, data consisted of index sessions only with schizophrenic, non-schizophrenic psychiatric, and normal families. Audio tapes were electronically filtered, and ratings were obtained on nonverbal (filtered speech) and verbal (transcript) samples. The double-bind hypotheses of different nonverbal expression of affect and greater verbal-nonverbal discrepancy in schizophrenic as compared to normal families were not supported. In both studies no overall differences were found between diagnostic groups in terms of nonverbal ratings, indicating that clinical perceptions of inappropriate and conflicted affect in schizophrenic families are not based on spontaneously produced simultaneous discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal channels of spoken communication.

Affect↗
PubMed1980

Immunological assay for the diagnosis of coeliac disease: interaction between purified gluten fractions.

Increased leukocyte migration inhibition factor (LIF) production by coeliac patients' lymphocytes is a reliable immunologic test for gluten-sensitive coeliac disease providing the small peptide subfractions of gluten are used as mitogens. To investigate discrepancies in results obtained in various published studies, subfractions (B2 and B3) of crude gluten peptic tryptic digest [Frazer's fraction III (F3)] were used singly and in combination as mitogens in coeliac patients and compared in various doses with F3. There was significant increased production of LIF with B2 or B3 when tested separately as compared to a mixture of B2 +/- B3 or to F3. LIF production with B2 or B3 was 23.7 +/- 6.9%; with B2 + B3, it was 10.65 +/- 14.7% (t = 4.05; P less than 0.0005); and with F3, it was 9.2 +/- 10.2% (t = 5.8; P less than 0.0005). There was no difference in the response between B2 + B3 and F3 (t = 0.4; P = 0.32). Studies of LIF production following stimulation by various doses and combinations of gluten mitogens in the same patient gave the best results with B2 or B3 in 10 microgram doses, with a tendency to less LIF production with higher dosages or combinations of B2 + B3 or F3, even to abolition of LIF production in some coeliac cases. The LIF assay is a reliable immunologic test for gluten sensitivity, providing the B2 or B3 subfractions are used as mitogens.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Neonatal neutrophilia: possible role of a humoral granulopoietic factor.

During the first days of life, newborn infants have leucocytosis with marked neutrophilia and a "shift to the left," the mechanism for which is as yet unknown. In an attempt to elucidate whether humoral granulopoietic factor(s) plays a role in this phenomenon, serial measurements of urinary and serum colony-stimulating activity levels were made in healthy newborn infants and normal older controls. Twenty-four-hr urine collections, serum samples, and complete blood counts were obtained from 30 full-term normal infants 24 hr and 4 days after delivery and in 13 of them on the 14th and 28th days of life as well. Specimens were assayed for their colony stimulating activity levels by their ability to stimulate bone marrow cells from C3HB mice to grow into colonies in soft agar. Elevated neutrophil, band form, and monocyte counts were found during the first day of life, which gradually decreased thereafter. Serum and urinary colony-stimulating activity levels were significantly increased (3- to 5-fold) over the controls on the first and fourth days of life, but declined to normal values by the 14th and 28th days.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1980

The effect of cervical encerclarge on uterine dimensions.

Observation of women who underwent cerclage of the uterine cervix in pregnancy indicated that during the first 24 hours after operation a marked increase of the uterine size takes place. Since this feature came rather as a surprise, seventy one cases were studied carefully.

Female↗
PubMed1980

Acute pneumococcal epiglottitis in immunocompromised adults.

3 cases of acute bacterial epiglottitis in immunocompromised adults are reported. All were due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, an unusual pathogen in this disease. Only 1 other case of acute bacterial epiglottitis also due to S. pneumoniae has been reported in an immunocompromised adult. The occurrence of this disease in 4 immunocompromised adults suggest that an Arthus reaction may not be important in the pathogenesis of acute epiglottitis due to S. pneumoniae.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1980

Granulocyte-macrophage colonies in cultures of human fetal liver cells: morphologic and ultrastructural analysis of proliferation and differentiation.

Fetal liver cells from 6-12-week-old human fetuses were cultured in soft agar to study growth patterns of the granulocyte-macrophage colony forming cells (CFU(c)) and to characterize the cellular components of these colonies by morphologic, cytochemical and ultrastructural methods. Liver cell suspensions prepared from 31 fetuses obtained by vaginal interruptions of pregnancies, were seeded in soft agar over feeder layers of normal human leukocytes. At all gestational ages examined, agar colony numbers ranged from 44 +/- 15 to 89 +/- 44/2 x 10(5) cells seeded. Colony frequencies, size and gross morphology closely resembled those derived from adult human marrow. Morphologic, cytochemical and ultrastructural examinations showed that 92% of the colonies were granulocytic with incomplete maturation, as found in adult human marrow colonies. Density fractionation of the cells produced a low density cellular fraction which gave a 3- to 5-fold improved cloning efficiency. This study shows that human fetal livers of 6-12 weeks gestational age contain CFU(c) comparable to that found in adult marrow in their frequency, size, density and dependence on colony stimulating factor, and which differentiate mainly into mature or immature granulocytes. It is suggested that the lack of granulopoiesis in vivo in the early human fetal liver is probably not related to CFU(c) deficiency or defective differentiation. An alternative explanation involving impaired regulatory mechanism(s) should be sought.

Cell Differentiation↗