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Biomedical subjects

A Jerome

Publications and source records attributed to A Jerome.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The Yck2 yeast casein kinase 1 isoform shows cell cycle-specific localization to sites of polarized growth and is required for proper septin organization.

Casein kinase 1 protein kinases are ubiquitous and abundant Ser/Thr-specific protein kinases with activity on acidic substrates. In yeast, the products of the redundant YCK1 and YCK2 genes are together essential for cell viability. Mutants deficient for these proteins display defects in cellular morphogenesis, cytokinesis, and endocytosis. Yck1p and Yck2p are peripheral plasma membrane proteins, and we report here that the localization of Yck2p within the membrane is dynamic through the cell cycle. Using a functional green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion, we have observed that Yck2p is concentrated at sites of polarized growth during bud morphogenesis. At cytokinesis, GFP-Yck2p becomes associated with a ring at the bud neck and then appears as a patch of fluorescence, apparently coincident with the dividing membranes. The bud neck association of Yck2p at cytokinesis does not require an intact septin ring, and septin assembly is altered in a Yck-deficient mutant. The sites of GFP-Yck2p concentration and the defects observed for Yck-deficient cells together suggest that Yck plays distinct roles in morphogenesis and cytokinesis that are effected by differential localization.

Casein Kinase I↗
PubMed1998

Pulsed-exposure and postantibiotic leukocyte enhancement effects of amikacin, clarithromycin, clofazimine, and rifampin against intracellular Mycobacterium avium.

We investigated the postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of four agents against Mycobacterium avium in a human macrophage model under two different experimental conditions. For postantibiotic leukocyte enhancement (PALE), bacteria were exposed to antibiotics prior to their phagocytosis, whereas for pulsed exposure (PE), antibiotics were added after phagocytosis. In both cases, the drugs were used at their peak concentrations in serum (Cmax) for 2 h. The results showed two different patterns: one for the drug for which results under PE and PALE test conditions did not significantly differ (amikacin) and one for drugs for which PAE values were significantly higher under PE test conditions (clarithromycin, clofazimine, and rifampin). These data suggest that even a brief exposure of M. avium to peak concentrations of certain drugs in serum may result in prolonged and persistent suppression of bacterial growth inside human macrophages.

Amikacin↗
PubMed1991

Pain disability index: construct and discriminant validity.

The Pain Disability Index (PDI) was developed as a self-report measure of general and domain-specific, pain-related disability. This study's purpose was twofold: (1) to assess construct validity of the scale relative to other measures of pain-related disability and psychologic distress and (2) to assess the strength of the PDI, independent of pain intensity, in accounting for behavioral and psychologic aspects of disability. Results indicated stronger correlations for PDI factor 1 (discretionary activities) than factor 2 (obligatory activities), with factor scores significantly related to both psychologic distress and behavioral measures of disability. Partial correlation controlling for pain intensity demonstrated PDI factor 1 was significantly related to depression, employment status, and medication usage. The finding supports the usefulness of the PDI in providing important information on functional disability beyond what is provided by a simple measure of pain intensity.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A comparison of pharmacological (amitriptyline HCL) and nonpharmacological (cognitive-behavioral) therapies for chronic tension headaches.

Forty-one recurrent tension headache sufferers were randomly assigned to either cognitive-behavioral therapy (administered in a primarily home-based treatment protocol) or to amitriptyline therapy (with dosage individualized at 25, 50, or 75 mg/day). Cognitive-behavioral therapy and amitriptyline each yielded clinically significant improvements in headache activity, both when improvement was assessed with patient daily recordings (56% and 27% reduction in headache index, respectively), and when improvement was assessed with neurologist ratings of clinical improvement (94% and 69% of patients rated at least moderately improved, respectively). In instances where differences in treatment effectiveness were observed (headache index, somatic complaints, perceptions of control of headache activity), cognitive-behavioral therapy yielded somewhat more positive outcomes than did amitriptyline. Neither treatment, however, eliminated headache problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Can across-treatment changes in cumulative puff duration predict treatment outcome during nicotine fading.

The smoking behavior of 10 male and 15 female smokers was assessed weekly during a standardized nicotine fading program to examine the relationship between compensatory smoking (i.e., increases in the number of cigarettes smoked per day, expired air carbon monoxide (CO), or the frequency and duration of puffs) and posttreatment abstinence from tobacco. Subjects who continued to smoke or relapsed immediately following treatment (Nonabstainers) smoked significantly more cigarettes per day during the program (p less than .05) and exhibited greater across-treatment increases in the time spent puffing a cigarette (i.e., cumulative puff duration) (p less than .05) than subjects who successfully quit smoking (Abstainers). Both Nonabstainers and Abstainers exhibited across-treatment decreases in expired air CO (p less than .001). Similar analyses conducted between subjects who were abstinent versus relapsed 3-6 months following treatment revealed no significant differences in smoking behavior, although both groups exhibited similar across-treatment decreases in CO (p less than .001) and time spent smoking a cigarette (i.e., time alite) (p less than .05). The findings are discussed in reference to their relevance to (a) the development of differential assessment procedures to match smokers to appropriate treatments; (b) the determination of appropriate procedural modifications in the nicotine fading protocol; and (c) nicotine regulation research.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Enhancing the effectiveness of abortive therapy: a controlled evaluation of self-management training.

Research suggests that approximately one half of recurrent headache sufferers fail to adhere properly to drug treatment regimens with as many as two thirds of patients failing to make optimal use of abortive medications such as ergotamine. In spite of these findings there are no controlled studies that have attempted to evaluate methods for improving adherence to drug regimens for the treatment of chronic headache disorders. In an initial effort to address this adherence problem thirty-four recurrent migraine sufferers were randomized to abortive therapy with ergotamine tartrate plus caffeine (standard abortive therapy) or to standard abortive therapy accompanied by a brief educational intervention designed to facilitate the migraine sufferer's effective use of ergotamine. Patients who received the adjunctive educational intervention attempted to abort a greater percentage of their migraine attacks (70% vs 40%) and showed larger reduction in headache activity (e.g., 40% vs 26% reduction in month two of treatment). However, patients in both treatment groups used similar amounts of abortive medication when attempting to abort a migraine attack and showed similar reductions in analgesic medication use with abortive therapy. There results suggest that brief educational interventions designed to address the problem of patient adherence may yield significant improvements in standard therapies. We argue that such educational interventions deserve more attention in the headache treatment literature than they have received to date.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The effects of nicotine on locomotor behavior in non-tolerant rats: a multivariate assessment.

Previous studies assessing the effects of nicotine on the locomotion of non-tolerant rats have yielded mixed results. High doses of nicotine have been reported to decrease both rearing and locomotor behavior. Low doses of nicotine have either decreased or had no effect on rearing, and have been reported to increase, decrease or have no effect on ambulation. The present study utilized ten indices of locomotor behavior collected simultaneously, which allowed for a more fine-grained analysis of locomotor behavior than has been possible previously. The results indicated that nicotine decreased measures of vertical movement (rearing) in a dose-related fashion. Measures of ambulation revealed a more complex pattern: the number of movements increased in a dose-dependent fashion, while average speed of movement exhibited a dose-related decrease. The present results may help to explain the disparate results reported by earlier investigators.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluating two self-help interventions for smokeless tobacco cessation.

The need for effective, low-cost self-help treatment methods for smokeless tobacco (ST) addiction becomes more evident as rates of product use and associated morbidities increase. This study evaluated two self-help methods for ST cessation. One hundred ninety-eight ST users were randomized into two conditions: half received the LifeSign, a credit card-sized computer designed for gradual ST cessation, and half received the Enough Snuff self-help manual and a video. Subjects in both conditions received telephone support for their quit effort. The study was conducted entirely through phone and mail, allowing delivery of the intervention to both rural and urban users. Self-reported rates of sustained abstinence (no tobacco use at two months and six months) were 24.5% for the manual/video condition, and 18.4%, for the LifeSign condition.

Adolescent↗