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Biomedical subjects

A Day

Publications and source records attributed to A Day.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Merosin promotes cell attachment and neurite outgrowth and is a component of the neurite-promoting factor of RN22 schwannoma cells.

The laminin-like protein merosin was purified from human placenta in intact form and as pepsin fragments and compared to laminin in heparin affinity chromatography and cell binding assays. Intact merosin and a small fragment of merosin comprising the last two repeats of the heavy chain g domain bind to heparin. Intact merosin and large pepsin fragments of merosin, but not the small C-terminal fragment, mediate the attachment and spreading of several types of cells and promote neurite outgrowth from neuronal cells similar to laminin and its corresponding fragments. Cells with various integrin-type receptors for laminin attached equally well to merosin and laminin, suggesting that several of the known laminin binding receptors also bind to merosin. Antibodies to the beta 1 subunit of integrins inhibited neurite outgrowth on merosin as well as on laminin, confirming the involvement of integrin-mediated interaction of cells with both merosin and laminin. Schwannoma cells, which have previously been shown to produce a laminin-like, neurite-promoting factor, synthesize merosin in vivo and in vitro as shown by protein and mRNA analysis. The results suggest that merosin, which is the more abundant basement membrane protein in the laminin family, has properties very similar to laminin despite differences in the structure of the heavy chain. Furthermore, merosin may be identical to or a component of the neurite-promoting factors previously reported from heart, muscle, and Schwann cells.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

The psychosocial impact of HIV infection in men with haemophilia: controlled investigation and factors associated with psychiatric morbidity.

The aim of the investigation was to establish the prevalence of psychosocial problems in men with haemophilia and HIV infection, and to identify factors associated with psychological morbidity. A cross-sectional controlled study including 37 HIV seropositive and 36 HIV seronegative men with haemophilia under the care of the Oxford Haemophilia Centre were included in the investigation. The outcome measures included current psychological status (PSE, POMS, Beck Hopelessness Scale and Self-Esteem) and psychiatric history; coping and health beliefs (Self-Control Schedule, Hardiness Scale, Health Locus of Control Scale); social functioning (Modified Social Adjustment Scale); and sexual functioning. The results showed that seropositive individuals, whether symptomatic or not, had significantly worse total PSE scores and had higher levels of hopelessness. In addition, symptomatics had worse depression scores (POMS) than seronegatives. However, levels of psychiatric morbidity were generally low, even in the seropositive group. High levels of psychological morbidity were associated with high levels of hopelessness, unfavourable social adjustment, past psychiatric history and symptomatic HIV disease. Seropositives reported greater negative impact on their sex lives, and sexually active seropositives reported a significantly greater prevalence of sexual dysfunction than seronegatives. The majority of seropositives reported regular condom use during intercourse, and also continuing concerns about infecting their sexual partners in spite of it. In summary, it was found that men with haemophilia an HIV infection have higher levels of psychological distress and sexual problems than seronegatives. The skilled staff involved in their treatment are in a good position to identify their difficulties and ensure that good care is provided.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Partners of men with HIV infection and haemophilia: controlled investigation of factors associated with psychological morbidity.

The study was concerned with determining the prevalence of psychosocial problems in partners of men with haemophilia and HIV infection, and with identifying factors associated with psychological morbidity. Partners of 17 HIV positive and partners of 19 HIV negative men with haemophilia were assessed in a cross-sectional controlled investigation. Outcome measures included current psychological status and psychiatric history; coping and health beliefs; and social and sexual functioning. Partners of HIV positive men with haemophilia, the majority of whom were asymptomatic, were not found to suffer more psychological difficulties than the partners of HIV negative men with haemophilia. However, partners of haemophiliacs regardless of HIV status suffer from higher levels of psychological distress than comparable women in the community, and those with past psychiatric history and current social difficulties are particularly at risk. The sexual relationships of couples with HIV positive men were more adversely affected than those of HIV negative couples.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Colloid solutions in the critically ill. A randomised comparison of albumin and polygeline 2. Serum albumin concentration and incidences of pulmonary oedema and acute renal failure.

All patients admitted to an Intensive Care Unit were assigned randomly to one of two groups, A and B. Group A received colloid volume replacement as 4.5% albumin whilst group B received a synthetic colloid, polygeline. This study describes the changes in serum albumin concentration in survivors and nonsurvivors in the two groups during their stay in the Intensive Care Unit. The incidences of renal failure and pulmonary oedema were also assessed. Serum albumin concentration decreased in all nonsurvivors. In survivors the serum albumin concentration decreased to a greater extent in the synthetic colloid group than in the albumin group. Despite the differences in serum albumin concentration there were no significant differences between the groups in the incidences of pulmonary oedema or renal failure.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1992

The psychosocial impact of HIV infection in gay men. A controlled investigation and factors associated with psychiatric morbidity.

This study aimed to establish the prevalence of psychosocial problems in gay men with HIV infection, and to identify factors associated with psychological morbidity. The study was a cross-sectional controlled investigation, which included 24 HIV seropositive and 25 seronegative gay men. Outcome measures included current psychological status and psychiatric history; coping and health beliefs; and social and sexual functioning. Seropositive subjects had worse scores on the PSE total score, and greater sexual difficulties. There were also differences in health beliefs and coping. Psychological morbidity was associated with hopelessness, previous psychiatric illness, symptomatic HIV disease, and low self-esteem.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Conservation in structure of TOC1 transposons from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

TOC1 transposons from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have an unusual arrangement of long terminal repeats. Polymorphic regions between TOC1 transposons were identified by restriction mapping on Southern blots. The variation in size of an internal MluI fragment defines two subclasses of TOC1 elements. Full-length cloned members of each subclass of TOC1 element were compared by electron microscope heteroduplex analysis. The cloned elements were co-linear over their entire length with no large sequence discontinuities. Base substitutions and small insertion/deletion events of less than 50 bp are responsible for forming the two subclasses of TOC1 elements.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

A transposon with an unusual LTR arrangement from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii contains an internal tandem array of 76 bp repeats.

TOC1, a transposable element from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, is 5662 bases long. The 217 and 237 base long terminal repeat sequences of TOC1 are unusually arranged around the 4600 and 123 base unique regions: [217]-4600-[237] [217]-123-[237]. Although TOC1 contains long terminal repeats and most TOC1 elements are complete, features shared with virus-like retroposons, its unique 4600 base region is more similar to the structure of the L1 family of non-virus retroposons: first, 11 3/4 tandemly repeated copies of a 76 base repeat are found 813 bases from the left end of TOC1, and second using the universal genetic code large open reading frames were not found in TOC1. The relationship between TOC1, virus-like retroposons and the L1 family of non-virus retroposons is unclear and may be very distant since only poor similarity was found between the TOC1 encoded ORFs and retrovirus polypeptides. The length of the tandem array of 76 base repeat sequences was conserved in most TOC1 elements and solo 76 base repeat sequences were not found outside TOC1 elements in the C. reinhardtii genome. Nucleotide substitutions allow all copies of the 76 base repeat to be distinguished from one another.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Structure and inheritance of sense and anti-sense transcripts from a transposon in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

We have studied the transcription pattern of a 5700 base-pair transposon (TOC1) in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Northern blotting and nuclease S1 protection experiments define three classes of major TOC1 RNAs that accumulate to different levels in a number of strains and segregate independently in the progeny of crosses: class 1 RNAs are unstable near full-length sense transcripts whose 5' end maps to the left 217 base-pair repeat of TOC1, class 2 and class 3 RNAs are large, discrete chimaeric transcripts containing full-length sense (class 2) and anti-sense (class 3) copies of TOC1. Sequence motifs common to the 5' non-transcribed regions of C. reinhardtii genes were found upstream from the putative initiation site of class 1 transcripts. A functional polyadenylation site was located in the far-right 237 base-pair repeat of TOC1. Class 1 TOC1 transcripts are initiated, and probably terminated, within the terminal repeats of TOC1 and may represent retrotransposition intermediates. Class 2 and 3 TOC1 transcripts co-segregate with specific TOC1 elements identified on Southern blots. The loci that control the production of high levels of class 1 transcripts could correspond to specific TOC1 elements, i.e. only a few TOC1 elements are transcribed, or to a regulatory locus. The accumulation of an 11,500 to 12,000 base sense transcript (class 2) is reduced two- to fourfold by the presence of a 9500 to 9700 base antisense transcript (class 3). In contrast, the accumulation of the 5' ends of class 1 transcripts are unaffected by the anti-sense TOC1 transcript.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of a brief psychological treatment for emotional disorders in primary care.

A randomized trial in general practice compared: (i) a brief psychological treatment (problem-solving) given by a psychiatrist; (ii) any treatment of the GP's choice, whether psychological or pharmacological. The patients had recent onset emotional disorders of poor prognosis. Patients in the problem-solving group showed significantly greater reductions in symptoms. Problem-solving as given by a psychiatrist was feasible in primary care and acceptable to patients. Problem-solving is now being evaluated as given by general practitioners trained in the method.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

The relationship between post-natal depression and mother-child interaction.

The study was based on an index group of 49 mothers who had had depressive disorders in the post-natal year, and 49 control mothers who had been free from any psychiatric disorder since delivery. Nineteen months after childbirth, the interaction between mother and child was assessed by blind assessors using defined observational methods. Compared with controls, index mother-child pairs showed a reduced quality of interaction (e.g. mothers showed less facilitation of their children, children showed less affective sharing and less initial sociability with a stranger). Similar but reduced effects were seen in a subgroup of index mothers and children where the mother had recovered from depression by 19 months. Social and marital difficulties were associated with reduced quality of mother-child interaction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Instability of a yellow mutation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is not due to TOC1 elements.

yc4 is an unstable yellow-in-the dark mutation found in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. yc4 reverts to the wild-type green-in-the-dark phenotype at a frequency of 1 X 10(-4) revertants per cell division. We have tested whether mutation and reversion of yc4 is due to the insertion and excision of the C. reinhardtii transposon TOC1. Southern blots showed differences in the distribution of TOC1 elements when the original mutant yc4 strain, which contained over 30 TOC1 elements, was compared with green-in-the-dark-revertants. However, analysis of the yc4 mutation in a different genetic background containing half the number of TOC1 elements showed that reversion of yc4 is not associated with loss of TOC1 elements.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1990

Frontal hypermetabolism and thalamic hypometabolism in a patient with abnormal orienting and retrosplenial amnesia.

A patient with verbal amnesia and a propensity to direct his attention to the right following a retrosplenial area lesion was studied with positron emission tomography using [F-18] fluorodeoxyglucose. These studies showed that the left thalamus was hypometabolic, and the anterior 2/3 of the left hemisphere was hypermetabolic when compared with the right. There were no significant differences seen in the medial temporal lobes. Based on this study, it is posited that interruption of hippocampal input into the anterior thalamus was responsible for the amnesia, and the left frontal hyperactivity was associated with the propensity to attend contralaterally.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A comparison of enprofylline and theophylline in the maintenance therapy of chronic reversible obstructive airway disease.

To compare the efficacy and side effects of two xanthine derivatives in the maintenance therapy of reversible obstructive airway disease, 242 patients were assigned in randomized, double-blind fashion to receive either oral enprofylline or theophylline for 5 weeks in addition to their usual maintenance regimens. After a week of placebo xanthine therapy, enprofylline-treated patients received 150 mg of this drug twice daily (b.i.d.) for 3 days, 300 mg b.i.d. for 2 weeks, and 450 mg b.i.d. for 2 weeks. Theophylline was administered in identical doses, except that the final dosage increase was not made if plasma theophylline was 12 mg/ml or higher. At 300 mg b.i.d., both drugs significantly increased morning peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), the mean increase above baseline being significantly higher for theophylline-treated patients (29.9 +/- 37.2 L/min) than for enprofylline-treated patients (17.4 +/- 36.9 L/min) (p = 0.023). At 450 mg b.i.d., improvement in morning PEFR was not significantly different between theophylline-treated (31.5 +/- 44.4 L/min) and enprofylline-treated groups (23.5 +/- 48.4 L/min). Evening PEFR, FEV1, and asthma symptom scores also improved significantly, demonstrating no significant difference between groups. The incidence of side effects was also similar between groups. We conclude that both enprofylline and theophylline offer useful bronchodilatation in the maintenance therapy of asthma, enprofylline, 450 mg b.i.d., being approximately equivalent to theophylline, 300 or 450 mg b.i.d.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Explanations by professional care staff, optimism and helping behaviour: an application of attribution theory.

It is demonstrated first that staff explanations of problem behaviour can be reliably coded using a modified form of the Attributional Style Questionnaire; and second, that staff explanations are related through staff optimism to anticipated helping behaviour. This supports the hypothesis that, in professional staff, an important determinant of helping is optimism arising from attributions of a patient's problems. The influence of affective judgements, as emphasized in Weiner's (1986) theory of helping behaviour, is not supported.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Couples referred to a sexual dysfunction clinic. Psychological and physical morbidity.

Two hundred couples referred to a sexual problems clinic were assessed in a standardised way for their suitability for sex therapy. The assessment focused on the nature of the sexual dysfunction, motivation for treatment, marital and relationship problems, psychiatric status, and physical problems. Approximately one-third of the couples were found to have significant marital and relationship problems, and more than 30% were suffering from psychiatric disorders, although these were usually of mild to moderate intensity. A third of males and 18% of females were suffering from physical disorders likely to contribute to the sexual dysfunction. Patients who were offered sex therapy and who completed their course of treatment were more likely to show high levels of motivation and an absence of physical disorders, marital relationship problems and psychiatric disorder. There should be careful assessment of couples suffering from sexual dysfunction before specific treatment is offered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Automated percutaneous discectomy: a prospective multi-institutional study.

A prospective multi-institutional study was carried out to evaluate automated percutaneous discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniations. Of the 327 patients who prospectively met the study criteria and were followed for longer than 1 year, 75.2% were successfully treated. When patients (n = 168) who prospectively did not meet the study criteria were treated, the success rate was 49.4%. One case of discitis was reported; otherwise, no other serious complications were noted, and specifically no vascular or nerve damage was encountered. This study indicates that automated percutaneous discectomy can be used successfully to treat lumbar disc herniations with minimal morbidity and emphasizes the need for proper patient selection.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Characterization of transcribed dispersed repetitive DNAs in the nuclear genome of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Four cDNAs (cDNAs 1-4), 162, 338, 321 and 167 bp in size, that contain repetitive DNA sequences, were isolated from C. reinhardtii. cDNAs 1, 2 and 3 hybridized to multiple transcripts in poly A+ RNA. Each of the four repeat families is comprised of an extremely heterogeneous population of interspersed nuclear DNA sequences most of which are less than 0.5 kbp in size. A large number of restriction fragment length polymorphisms were uncovered by using cDNAs 1 and 2 as hybridization probes. cDNA2 was compared to two different genomic DNA sequences: the first sequence was complementary to a central 136 bases of cDNA2, which is bordered by a 15-bp imperfect direct repeat; the second sequence lacks a poly-dA tail, but is otherwise colinear along its entire length with cDNA2. This suggests that some members of the cDNA2 repeat family contain signals for polyadenylation. The majority of accumulated transcripts that hybridize to cDNA2 have the same 5'-3' orientation as cDNA2.

Base Sequence↗