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Biomedical subjects

S Mintz

Publications and source records attributed to S Mintz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Bacterial contamination of human milk: container type and method of expression.

Common questions from nursing women include: is the bacterial contamination of expressed milk different if collected manually versus mechanically and is there a large increase in bacterial contamination if the milk is collected into clean versus sterile containers. Similarly, there are mixed reports, and secondarily confusion, among lactating women regarding the benefit of discarding the initial portion of a milk expression to limit bacterial contamination with skin flora. To answer these concerns, we have measured the number of colony-forming units (CFU)/milliliter in expressed milk from 16 women. The experimental design, used in a randomized fashion with each woman, employed both sterile and clean containers for collection and both the manual and mechanical techniques for milk expression. The number of milk specimens containing greater than 10(4) CFU/ml was not different between those collected in clean versus sterile containers or between those collected with a manual versus a mechanical technique. Finally, the initial milk expressed did not have a significantly greater amount of bacterial contamination than the milk collected later in the milk expression.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Peripheral ameloblastoma of the gingiva. A case report.

Reports of gingival peripheral ameloblastoma are extremely rare and have been sporadic. This paper reports a pertinent case of a 40-year-old woman who for 2 years had a progressively enlarging asymptomatic firm mass in the buccal gingival region of the lower premolars. Cupping of the underlying bone was radiographically demonstrated. The lesion was excised surgically together with extraction of the first premolar, and no evidence of recurrence was seen 5 years later. The clinical, radiological, and histopathological characteristics of gingival peripheral ameloblastoma were analyzed in the 33 previously reported cases. The differential diagnosis and treatment of this case report are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Comparison of health of occupants and characteristics of houses among control homes and homes insulated with urea formaldehyde foam. I. Methodology.

The methodology of a study in which a comparison is made of the health and house characteristics of the occupants of 231 control homes and 571 houses containing urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) is described. All homes and occupants were examined on two occasions separated by an interval of 12 months, during which two-thirds of the UFFI houses performed remedial work. The occupants were examined using a health questionnaire and a series of objective tests including pulmonary function, nasal airway resistance, sense of smell, nasal surface cytology, and patch tests. The houses were assessed using a questionnaire and measurements of indoor formaldehyde and carbon dioxide levels. No obvious bias has been identified in this survey with respect to the representativeness of the population studied, the classification of the UFFI and control groups, and the input from both the respondents and observers. The symptom responses made by individuals within the same households were not correlated. Quality control assessment of the objective health tests and formaldehyde sampling and assays demonstrated that these procedures remained stable over the two phases of the study, with the exception of the expected decrease in the pulmonary flow rates over 1 year and a small unexpected increase in the forced vital capacity and the forced expiratory volume in 1 s.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMed1988

Comparison of health of occupants and characteristics of houses among control homes and homes insulated with urea formaldehyde foam. II. Initial health and house variables and exposure-response relationships.

A health survey was conducted on 1726 occupants of urea formaldehyde foam insulated (UFFI) houses and 720 residents of control homes. The occupants of the UFFI houses showed a modest excess of many symptoms relative to the controls. This excess of complaints was contributed mainly by the residents of households which were intending to have their UFFI removed and by onsets which followed the installation of UFFI. There were no associated abnormalities in nasal airway resistance, sense of smell, pulmonary function, or patch tests for allergy to formaldehyde. However, the UFFI subjects intending to have their UFFI removed demonstrated a small increase in nasal epithelial squamous metaplasia. The indoor formaldehyde levels of the UFFI houses were about 20% higher than in the controls, while the carbon dioxide levels were similar in both groups. The UFFI subjects showed positive relationships between level of formaldehyde exposure and the presence of a number of symptoms, which were largely dependent on a small group of formaldehyde values that were in excess of 0.12 ppm. A number of the exposure-response relationships were enhanced by UFFI. These results suggested that some adverse health effects of UFFI were explained by formaldehyde alone while others were related to the combined effects of formaldehyde and an additional UFFI-related factor(s) which was not identified.

Carbon Dioxide↗
PubMed1988

Six-month double-blind, controlled trial of high dose, concentrated beclomethasone dipropionate in the treatment of severe chronic asthma.

A six-month double-blind controlled trial compared a 2,000 microgram per day dose of beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol (BDP), with current upper level doses of 800 micrograms per day of the standard BDP, in asthmatics requiring oral corticosteroids in addition to BDP and bronchodilators. Both groups showed a significant reduction in their oral steroid requirements during the study, with a 34 percent reduction in the lower dose group and a 57 percent reduction in the high dose BDP group while maintaining good symptomatic control of asthma; there was an associated improvement in baseline serum cortisol levels. Over the same period, the pulmonary function of the lower dose group showed significant worsening relative to that of the group receiving the high dose BDP which improved. There was no increase in dysphonia or oropharyngeal candidiasis among those using the concentrated BDP. We conclude that high dose concentrated BDP appears to be a safe medication in long-term steroid-dependent asthma, and is effective in reducing dependence on the use of oral corticosteroid with associated improvement both in pulmonary and adrenal function.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1987

Safety and efficacy of long-term treatment with inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate in steroid-dependent asthma.

An open long-term trial of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate was carried out in 32 asthmatic patients chronically dependent on systemic corticosteroids. Our objectives were to study the efficacy and safety of beclomethasone and to determine the proportion of patients in whom systemic steroids could be replaced by the new drug. All subjects had a clear history and physical findings of asthma as well as significant improvement in respiratory function after inhalation of salbutamol. Patients were followed for 4 to 8 years. Compared with a baseline period, patients receiving beclomethasone had reduced symptoms and needed less bronchodilator therapy, but their pulmonary function was unchanged. Bronchial biopsy specimens from seven patients who had been taking beclomethasone for as long as 8 years did not differ histologically from specimens from five asthmatic patients who had never taken the drug. Nine patients were able to stop taking systemic corticosteroids within 9 months, eight required them occasionally, and in eight the requirement was substantially reduced; the requirement did not change appreciably in the remaining seven. Inhaled beclomethasone is a safe and effective drug for chronic administration to asthmatic patients, and in 78% of our subjects the need for systemic steroids was substantially reduced or eliminated.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1986

Benign osteoblastoma of the mandible.

A rare case of benign osteoblastoma of the mandible, with clinical, radiologic, and histologic findings, is reported. The difference between benign osteoblastoma and osteoid osteoma is discussed, since these lesions share similar features that are seen in the case presented. It is suggested that both lesions should be diagnosed as one entity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Rheumatoid pleural effusion: lack of response to intrapleural corticosteroid.

Two cases of rheumatoid arthritis with large persistent, asymptomatic pleural effusions are presented. Repeated thoracentesis and intrapleural instillation of corticosteroid proved ineffective in management. However, the persistence of the effusion did not result in any respiratory complications. In one case the effusion disappeared spontaneously long after articular disease remitted, and in neither case did the size of the effusion parallel articular disease activity. It would appear that treatment directed solely at elimination of large rheumatoid pleural effusions is both unrewarding and unnecessary, as long as the underlying lung is normal.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Severity of asthma in skin test-negative and skin test-positive patients.

The standardized records of 144 asthmatic patients have been analyzed to determine whether the severity of their condition was correlated with the presence or absence of positive intradermal skin test reactions to a panel of seven allergen extracts (dust, feathers, Alternaria, Hormodendrum, mixed tree pollen, mixed grass pollen, and ragweed pollen). The skin tests were totally negative in 71 of the subjects, whereas in 73 subjects there was a strongly positive response to two or more allergens. The skin test-negative patients were older than the skin test-positive ones and had a shorter duration as well as a later onset of asthma. Also, they had lower serum-IgE levels and a lower frequency of a family history of atopic disease. Moreover, the skin test-negative group lost more time from their normal activities, required more visits to their doctor as a result of asthma, and were more frequently treated with oral corticosteroids. They additionally had greater air trapping on pulmonary function tests. However, when the groups were adjusted for the discordance in their age and duration of asthma, they tended to converge in the level of the variables that described the severity of their asthma. Thus the severity of asthma was found to be relatively similar in skin test-negative and skin test-positive patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Evaluation of respiratory variables in smelter and control workers before and during a shutdown period.

Thirty-six smelter workers examined in this pilot study were found to have a higher prevalence of cough and dyspnea and lower baseline lung function than did 31 controls. They also experienced decreases in forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) over the workweek while the controls did not. Baseline airflow rates and change in FVC and FEV1 over the workweek varied with levels of sulfur dioxide and particulates. Twenty-three smelter workers and 21 controls were seen on a second occasion, six months into an extended shutdown. The smelter workers continued to have a higher prevalence of cough and dyspnea and lower baseline lung function than the controls. There was, however, a slight increase in lung function in both the exposed workers and the controls during the shutdown. The results suggest that smelter workers may develop both acute and chronic work-related pulmonary effects and that the chronic effects may be nonreversible.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Longitudinal study of grain elevator and control workers with demonstration of healthy worker effect.

Changes in the respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function of 441 grain elevator workers and a control group of 180 civic workers during a three-year period were compared. The grain handlers who left their jobs during the interval between the first and second surveys were found to have shown a significantly higher prevalence of cough and shortness of breath at the beginning of the study period than those who remained employed; this difference was not observed among the civic workers. The grain and civic workers who were examined on both occasions showed similar longitudinal changes in their symptoms and pulmonary function. Nevertheless, the results of this study are biased by the healthy worker effect among the grain handlers.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Changes in respiratory variables of grain handlers and civic workers during their initial months of employment.

The health effects of employment as a grain handler were studied by examining workers on two occasions, firstly, immediately before or soon after they were hired and again about two and a half months after they were employed. Over this time there was a substantial increase in the prevalence of cough, sputum, and eye irritation, accompanied by small pulmonary function changes suggestive of a restrictive ventilatory defect. No comparable changes in symptoms were observed over a similar number of months in grain handlers employed for an average of nine years or in control workers consisting of newly hired or long term civic outside labourers. The long term grain handlers, however, developed a similar change in their pulmonary function. These findings indicate the occurrence of a change in the health of grain elevator workers after a relatively brief duration of employment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Olfactory neuroblastoma: report of case.

A case of olfactory neuroblastoma has been presented. The clinical signs and symptoms described in this case are not uncommon and often result in early misdiagnosis. The favorable prognosis for olfactory neuroblastoma dictates early diagnosis, using the clinical signs and symptoms along with adjunctive aids such as incisional biopsy, panoramic survey, and CT scanning. Surgical excision followed by radiation therapy in an early diagnosed case of olfactory neuroblastoma greatly increases the five-year survival rate.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Computerized tomography in the evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma.

Computerized tomography has proved useful in the evaluation of selected patients suffering blunt abdominal trauma. Seventeen patients with major multisystem injuries were treated using a protocol involving abdominal computerized tomographic scans for evaluation of intraabdominal injury. Significant solid organ injury was accurately diagnosed in 10 of 17 patients, 2 of whom eventually required surgical treatment. The remainder of the patients with intraabdominal solid organ injury diagnosed by computerized tomographic scan were followed under strict guidelines and recovered without surgery. Computerized tomography represents a quick, accurate diagnostic technique for dealing with blunt abdominal trauma in selected multiply injured patients.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1983

Variables of pulmonary allergy and inflammation in grain elevator workers.

The purpose of this study was to examine possible mechanisms of the obstructive and restrictive ventilatory defects of grain elevator workers. We found that grain handlers whose skin tests were positive to grain or fungal antigens had no excess of respiratory symptoms or pulmonary function abnormalities. Also, those having a possible work-related respiratory problem showed no response to inhalation challenge tests with grain dust extract. In addition, grain handlers exhibited neither an increase in positive serum precipitin tests with fungal antigens nor abnormal serum levels of C3 and C4, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor or antinuclear factor. However, their serum a1-antitrypsin level was elevated. The latter finding may be indicative of a pulmonary inflammatory process, but we have found no clear indication of a type 1 or 3 allergic state in grain elevator workers.

Adult↗