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Biomedical subjects

S Robinson

Publications and source records attributed to S Robinson.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The late effects of Nazi persecution among elderly Holocaust survivors.

Eighty-six survivors of the Holocaust from a nonclinical population were interviewed to examine the recent mental state, coping and adjustment of elderly Holocaust survivors. Most of the interviewees suffered after the war and are still suffering from the results of persecution. Death camp survivors suffer more than survivors who were subjected to other forms of Nazi persecution. Despite the mental suffering, Holocaust survivors succeeded to cope and to adjust. They are successful at work and in society. They managed to raise warm families. They behaved and still behave as if fulfilling a testament to those who perished.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Goal-directed behavior in children with spina bifida.

A group of school-age children with spina bifida (n = 15) between the ages of 6 and 12 years were compared with an age- and IQ-matched control group of normal children (n = 15). Goal-directed behavior in these two groups was measured by videotaped observational measures of the number of different task-oriented play activities the children performed and the amount of time they spent in independent task-oriented activities. Measures of time spent off-task and in simple manipulation of the play materials were taken, as well as the number of social initiations the child directed to the examiner. The children with spina bifida spent less time in task-oriented activities than the control group, even though there were no group differences in the number of activities performed. The differences could not be explained by cognitive impairments or socioeconomic factors. These results suggest that children with spina bifida may have specific problems with sustaining goal-directed behavior, and need assistance in formulating and implementing a sequence of actions in order to achieve concrete short-term goals.

Attention↗
PubMed1990

Correlation of absorbance at 650 nm with the presence of phosphatidylglycerol in amniotic fluid.

Amniotic fluid absorbance at 650 nm was correlated with the presence of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) in the isolated surfactant fraction (10,000-g pellet). Shake test results were included. Two hundred ninety-seven samples were analyzed. PG was present in 222 of 226 samples in which the absorbance was greater than or equal to 0.250 and absent from 48 of 71 with an absorbance less than 0.250. PG was present in all 166 samples with a positive shake test and absent in 52 of 131 samples with a negative one. In 65 samples in which the shake test was negative and the absorbance greater than or equal to 0.250, PG was present in all but 4. The false-positive rate for the prediction of respiratory distress syndrome was 0.8% for the Shake test and 0.6% for the absorbance measurement. The results support the usefulness of the absorbance measurement as a simple and reliable procedure for assessing fetal lung maturity.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1989

[Effectiveness of various inhalation aids in children with bronchial asthma].

The effect on lung function of two puffs of a mixture of 1 mg disodium cromoglycate (DNCG) and 0.5 mg of reproterol hydrochloride (Aarane) administered by metered dose inhaler through 4 different spacer devices (Volumatic, Nebuhaler, InspirEase and Synchron-Aerosol) was tested in 18 asthmatic patients (age 8-15 years). There was no loss or gain in the effectiveness of treatment from the tested aerosol according to the type of inhalation device used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

TGF-beta 1-induced inhibition of mouse mammary ductal growth: developmental specificity and characterization.

TGF-beta 1, implanted into growing mouse mammary glands, was previously shown to inhibit ductal growth in an apparently normal and fully reversible manner. In this report we extend these findings to show that TGF-beta 1 inhibition is highly specific. In pregnant or hormone-treated mice, doses of TGF-beta 1 that were capable of fully inhibiting ductal elongation had little effect on the proliferation of lobuloalveolar structures. Additionally, the inhibitory action of TGF-beta 1 on ducts is epithelium-specific, resulting in cessation of DNA synthesis in the rapidly proliferating epithelium of mammary end buds, but does not inhibit DNA synthesis in the stroma surrounding the end buds. At the cellular level, transplant studies showed that TGF-beta 1 inhibited the regeneration of mammary ductal cells when implanted into mammary gland-free fat pads by suppressing the formation of new end buds, without inhibiting maintenance DNA synthesis in ductal lumenal epithelium; this observation indicates the potential of TGF-beta 1 to maintain patterning by suppressing adventitious lateral branching. The time-course of TGF-beta 1 inhibition of end buds was rapid, with cessation of DNA synthesis by 12 hr, followed by loss of the stem cell (cap cell) layer. The question of glandular exposure to TGF-beta 1 administered in EVAc implants was also investigated. Incorporation of TGF-beta 1 into EVAc was found not to degrade the hormone, while the release kinetics of the ligand from implants, its retention in the gland, and the demonstrable zone of exposure were consistent with observed inhibitory effects. These results support the hypothesis that TGF-beta 1 is a natural regulator of mammary ductal growth.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Follicle-stimulating hormone levels on cycle day 3 are predictive of in vitro fertilization outcome.

Cycle day 3 basal levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2) were measured in 441 patients in 758 consecutive cycles to determine their predictive value for stimulation quality and pregnancy rates in vitro fertilization (IVF). Patients with low basal FSH levels (less than 15 mIU/ml) had higher pregnancy rates per attempt than those with moderate levels (15 to 24.9 mIU/ml), both of which were higher than those with high FSH levels (greater than 25 mIU/ml). Basal LH and E2 values did not improve the predictive value beyond that provided by FSH. Ongoing pregnancy rates per attempt in the low, moderate, and high FSH groups were 17.0%, 9.3%, and 3.6%, respectively (P less than 0.01). The three groups differed significantly in the percentage of patients having two ovaries, the mean number of follicles aspirated per retrieval, the mean number of preovulatory oocytes obtained, and peak E2 values (P less than 0.01). Cycle day 3 FSH levels are predictive of pregnancy outcome and stimulation characteristics in IVF, and may be useful in counseling patients.

Estradiol↗
PubMed1989

Relative benefits of stepped and constant bore earmoulds: a crossover trial.

Twenty-one first-time hearing aid candidates took part in a crossover trial which compared a stepped earmould of the 8CR design with a standard constant-bore earmould, each fitted to a low-powered National Health Service behind-the-ear hearing aid. Before fitting the aid, and also after 2-week trials with each earmould, aided speech-in-noise discrimination scores were obtained, along with subjective ratings according to a series of descriptive scales, and overall preference for one or other of the aids. Aided speech-in-noise scores were, on average, 2.4% higher for the stepped earmould. Two-thirds of the subjects preferred the stepped earmould and it was also rated as more clear on a clear-hazy descriptive scale. After the 4 week trial period, there was a tendency for the stepped earmould to be preferred by subjects with more sensitive hearing thresholds at 2 kHz and higher aided speech-in-noise scores with either earmould, although this was not true at the initial fitting.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Ineraid (Utah) multichannel cochlear implants.

For the more than 200,000 individuals in the United States with a bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss, the cochlear implant offers a means of breaking this barrier of total silence. The pioneers in prosthetic research hoped that direct stimulation of the cochlea might at least give an awareness of sound through the auditory sense. There will be a review of five patients who were consecutively implanted with the Ineraid multichannel cochlear implant, with 1 year follow-up. All individuals were postlingually deafened adults and exhibited a bilateral profound hearing loss.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Mitoxantrone versus doxorubicin in combination chemotherapy for advanced carcinoma of the breast.

One hundred fifteen patients with metastatic carcinoma of the breast were treated in a randomized trial of mitoxantrone (Novantrone, Lederle Laboratories, Pearl River, NY) combined with vincristine and prednisolone (VMP) or doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH) combined with vincristine and prednisolone (VAP). In 100 evaluable patients, the objective response rates were 35% for VMP and 61% for VAP, the complete response rates being 6% and 13%, respectively. In responding patients, median time to progression was 6.2 months for VMP and 7.9 months for VAP. The median survival whether measured from primary diagnosis, first metastasis, or from the start of chemotherapy was similar for both regimens. Toxicity, particularly alopecia, was appreciably lower in the VMP treated patients, but subclinical cardiotoxicity was seen within the scheduled dosage for both combinations. We conclude that VAP is clearly more active, but clinically more toxic than VMP. There is no survival advantage conferred by the more toxic combination. Cardiac toxicity is a potential hazard with either drug combination.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1986

Deficient control of in vitro Epstein-Barr virus infection in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Infectious Epstein-Barr (EB) virus obtained from the B95-8 marmoset cell line was used to infect mononuclear cells from healthy controls and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and outgrowth of B cells into lymphoblastoid cell lines was assessed by visual microscopy and uptake of tritiated thymidine over a 28 day period. When undiluted virus was used lymphocytes from both patients with AS and RA and from normal controls outgrew into lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) by day 28 of culture. At dilutions of 1/10, 1/20, and 1/40, however, the control cells showed regression of proliferation at approximately day 14 of culture, whereas the cells from patients with AS and RA continued to proliferate and outgrew into LCLs (transformation scores of cells from patients with AS compared with controls at day 28 p less than 0.05 in all cases; thymidine uptake at a 1/40 dilution at day 28, patients with AS compared with controls p less than 0.01). Hence these results suggest that there is a defect in the cellular response to EB virus induced B cell proliferation in patients with AS similar to that seen with cells from RA donors.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1986

Psychiatric morbidity after screening for breast cancer.

One hundred and thirty two women with normal breast screening results were interviewed six months after their attendance at the Edinburgh Breast Screening Clinic. Eight percent of women said screening had made them more anxious about developing breast cancer. Thirty eight percent said they were more aware of the disease since screening but they regarded this as advantageous. Seventy percent of the women were still practising breast self-examination. There was no difference in the psychiatric morbidity of the screened sample when compared with a matched random sample community control group. Neither was there any difference in the General Health Questionnaire case rates before and after screening. Screening does not appear to increase the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. Twenty nine percent of the interview sample were examining their breasts more than once a month--21% once a week or more. However, these frequent self-examiners did not have a greater prevalence of psychiatric morbidity than their matched controls.

Aged↗