Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Ullman

Publications and source records attributed to S Ullman.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Clinical evidence for hepatitis B transmission resulting from corneal transplantation.

PURPOSE: Two cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after penetrating keratoplasty are presented. METHODS: An extensive clinical and serologic investigation of these two transplant recipients was performed. In addition, the medical histories, autopsy reports, and specimens of blood from the two deceased corneal tissue donors were retrieved and studied. RESULTS: Serum from both donors was positive for hepatitis B surface antigen; the clinical history and serologic testing of both recipients strongly suggest that the HBV infection in each case was acquired from donor corneal tissue. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, these are the first documented cases of HBV infection after corneal transplantation. Eye banks should continue to screen donors for HBV.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Follow-up of 151 patients with high-titer U1RNP antibodies.

We performed a longitudinal follow-up study of clinical findings in 151 patients with high-titer antibodies against U1 ribonucleoprotein (U1RNP) as measured by haemagglutination. Formal connective tissue disease (CTD) diagnoses were assigned and diagnostic transitions analysed. One-hundred eighteen females and 33 males entered the study; the mean duration of follow-up was 7.1 years. Mean age at entry was 34.7 years; 73% of the patients had early disease (duration < 2 years). Fifty-six patients (37%) presented with a definite diagnosis, most often mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD, n = 40), followed by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 11) and systemic sclerosis (SSc, n = 5). Of 84 patients (56%) presenting with nonspecific symptoms of possible, "undifferentiated" CTD, 58 developed MCTD, 4 SSc and 2 SLE. By the end of the follow-up period. 127 patients had developed a well-defined CTD; final diagnoses were: MCTD (n = 97), SLE (n = 18), SSc (n = 12). We conclude that CTD in the context of high-titer anti-U1RNP antibodies may be transitive and sequential in nature, although the diagnostic criteria for MCTD previously proposed by our group seem to delimit a clinically stable condition in most patients in this subgroup.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Spatial context in recognition.

In recognizing objects and scenes, partial recognition of objects or their parts can be used to guide the recognition of other objects. Here, the role of individual objects in the recognition of complete figures and the influence of contextual information on the identification of ambiguous objects were investigated. Configurations of objects that were placed in either proper or improper spatial relations were used, and response times and error rates in a recognition task were measured. Two main results were obtained. First, proper spatial relations among the objects of a scene decrease response times and error rates in the recognition of individual objects. Second, the presence of objects that have a unique interpretation improves the identification of ambiguous objects in the scene. Ambiguous objects were recognized faster and with fewer errors in the presence of clearly recognized objects compared with the same objects in isolation or in improper spatial relations. The implications of these findings for the organization of recognition memory are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Generalization to novel images in upright and inverted faces.

An image of a face depends not only on its shape, but also on the viewpoint, illumination conditions, and facial expression. A face recognition system must overcome the changes in face appearance induced by these factors. Two related questions were investigated: the capacity of the human visual system to generalize the recognition of faces to novel images, and the level at which this generalization occurs. This problem was approached by comparing the identification and generalization capacity for upright and inverted faces. For upright faces, remarkably good generalization to novel conditions was found. For inverted faces, the generalization to novel views was significantly worse for both new illumination and viewpoint, although the performance on the training images was similar to that on the upright condition. The results indicate that at least some of the processes that support generalization across viewpoint and illumination are neither universal (because subjects did not generalize as easily for inverted faces as for upright ones) nor strictly object specific (because in upright faces nearly perfect generalization was possible from a single view, by itself insufficient for building a complete object-specific model). It is proposed that generalization in face recognition occurs at an intermediate level that is applicable to a class of objects, and that at this level upright and inverted faces initially constitute distinct object classes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Fractionated epibulbar I-125 plaque radiotherapy for recurrent mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the bulbar conjunctiva.

PURPOSE/METHODS: A patient with recurrent conjunctival mucoepidermoid carcinoma was treated successfully with surgical excision of the tumor and fractionated epibulbar I-125 plaque radiotherapy. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Local excision with fractionated epibulbar plaque radiotherapy is an effective means of eradication in select cases of recurrent mucoepidermoid carcinomas of the conjunctiva. This treatment may avoid more aggressive surgical treatment and preserve vision.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Ulcerated haemangioma successfully treated with interferon alfa-2b and topical granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

OBJECTIVE: We tested whether healing and regression could be promoted by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interferon in a 6-month-old girl with an ulcerated haemangioma resistant to systemic steroid therapy. METHODS: Interferon alfa-2b (Introna, Schering-Plough) was given subcutaneously once daily at a dose of 3 million units/m2 for 5.5 months and rhGM-CSF (Molgramostim, Leucomax; Sandoz/Schering-Plough) 3.33 units was applied on the wound surfaces once and concomitantly with the initiation of interferon therapy. RESULTS: The ulcer healed completely within 1 month and the haemangioma almost totally regressed within 6 months. CONCLUSION: Local application of rhGM-CSF appears to be effective in promoting ulcer healing in an ulcerated haemangioma otherwise responding to interferon treatment.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1994

Screening for autoantibodies to the nucleolar U3- and Th(7-2) ribonucleoproteins in patients' sera using antisense riboprobes.

In this study we report the detection of autoantibodies to the nucleolar U3- and Th(7-2) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles in sera from patients with connective tissue diseases. The method described employs radioactively labelled antisense U3- and Th RNA which are hybridized to immunoprecipitated U3- or Th RNA from a HeLa cell extract. Of the 66 sera that were screened with this method seven sera (11%) precipitated only Th RNP, 16 sera (24%) precipitated only U3 RNP and 4 sera (6%) precipitated both U3- and Th RNP. Both anti-U3 RNP and anti-Th RNP activity appeared to be mostly associated with scleroderma or scleroderma-associated diseases. Using this method we also showed that some of the Th RNP particles in a cell extract are associated with the La autoantigen. We conclude that for the identification of immunoprecipitated RNAs this method is very sensitive and provides unambiguous data.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1993

[Serology in patients with scleroderma].

In order to evaluate the practical clinical value of centromere, Scl-70, and nucleolar antibodies as demonstrated routinely by the Autoimmune Department of the Serum Institute of Copenhagen, 1293 sera from 497 patients with scleroderma (SSc) and other connective tissue diseases were tested for the three antibodies and for other nuclear antibodies. The three antibodies were found in 32, 15 and 15%, respectively, of sera from patients with SSc. Since more than one of the three antibodies was rarely demonstrated in any one serum, one of them was found in two thirds of sera from patients with SSc. The specificity of the three antibodies for SSc was 95% or more. Centromere antibody was found most frequently in patients with limited SSc. Scl-70 antibody was found almost exclusively in sera from patients with extensive SSc (involving the skin of the trunk). In such sera, centromere antibody was found in only 21%. Scl-70 antibody was overrepresented and centromere antibody was underrepresented in sera from patients with pulmonary involvement, the converse being true for sera from patients with calcinosis, esophageal involvement and telangiectasia.

Antibody Specificity↗
PubMed1992

Low-level aspects of segmentation and recognition.

This paper discusses two problems related to three-dimensional object recognition. The first is segmentation and the selection of a candidate object in the image, the second is the recognition of a three-dimensional object from different viewing positions. Regarding segmentation, it is shown how globally salient structures can be extracted from a contour image based on geometrical attributes, including smoothness and contour length. This computation is performed by a parallel network of locally connected neuron-like elements. With respect to the effect of viewing, it is shown how the problem can be overcome by using the linear combinations of a small number of two-dimensional object views. In both problems the emphasis is on methods that are relatively low level in nature. Segmentation is performed using a bottom-up process, driven by the geometry of image contours. Recognition is performed without using explicit three-dimensional models, but by the direct manipulation of two-dimensional images.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1992

[Leprosy--still a possibility in Denmark].

A case of borderline tuberculoid leprosy in a 27 year old woman from the Philippines is presented. The diagnosis was made after repeated biopsies. Only a single mycobacterium was present and the histology of the initial biopsies was inconclusive. This case emphasizes that leprosy is still imported to Denmark, and that the diagnosis is often difficult and delayed for years.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Clinical manifestations in patients with autoantibodies specific for nuclear lamin proteins.

IgG antibodies to nuclear lamin proteins have been found in serum samples from 31 patients using immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, performed against a nuclear lamina preparation from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Antilamin antibodies were most prevalent among patients with nonerosive, seronegative polyarthritis, or patients showing serum antiphospholipid reactivity as well. It is possible that anti-lamin antibodies may thus be a marker for a subgroup of polyarthritis patients who have a different prognosis from that of those with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism for the combined occurrence of anti-lamin and antiphospholipid autoantibodies is obscure. Future studies will answer whether these two antibodies represent a distinct antibody profile in patients with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Lipoid proteinosis.

Lipoid proteinosis (Urbach-Wiethe disease) is a rare, recessively inherited disorder that is characterized by the deposition of hyaline-like material in the skin, oral cavity, and other tissues. It usually appears in infancy with hoarseness. We report a case of lipoid proteinosis in a 10-year-old boy that demonstrates the characteristic clinical, histologic, and ultramicroscopic features of this disease.

Child↗
PubMed1991

[Systemic lupus erythematosus. 1. Disease manifestations, infections, thrombotic episodes, causes of death and survival in a case load of 173 patients followed for 13.9 years].

One hundred and seventy-three patients had systemic lupus erythematosus according to the 1982-ARA-criteria. The mean disease duration at the time of the study was 16.4 years, and the patients were followed by three Copenhagen clinics for a mean of 13.9 years until 1987/88 or death. Half of the patients had nephropathy, 61 patients developed severe infections, and 39 patients had thrombotic episodes. Fifty-six patients died during the observation period, 24 due to active lupus (12 of kidney failure), 12 because of infections, and 11 because of atherosclerotic cardio-vascular disease. The patients had 10-, 15- and 20-year survival rates of 80, 65 and 48 per cent. The deaths were evenly distributed throughout the observation period.

Adult↗