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Biomedical subjects

A Krinsky

Publications and source records attributed to A Krinsky.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Batter up! Relapse prevention for homeless veteran substance abusers via softball team participation.

Thirty-four veterans of a residential rehabilitation program for homelessness and substance abuse participated on a community-based softball team. Compared to nonparticipants, participants stayed in treatment longer and were more likely to complete all aspects of the program (inpatient and outpatient). They also were more likely to be abstinent from drugs/alcohol, employed, and housed 3 months postdischarge. Participation appeared to enhance outcomes by providing in vivo opportunities for practicing coping skills and developing supportive relationships. A softball program may be a viable adjunct treatment in which formally taught cognitive-behavioral skills can be applied in a natural, but semistructured setting.

Adult↗

A sonographic screening method for Down syndrome.

We describe a potential screening method for the second trimester detection of the fetus with Down syndrome by the use of standard sonographic biometry. Retrospective assessment of the biparietal diameter, femur length, and biparietal diameter/femur length ratio in 55 fetuses with Down syndrome and 544 control fetuses was performed at two medical centers. Adequate numbers of cases and controls were available to permit statistically significant comparisons between the groups at 15 to 23 weeks' gestation. Fetuses with Down syndrome displayed no statistically significant differences in the cephalic index or the biparietal diameter compared with controls at a given gestational age. Significant femur length shortening was observed, but the greatest statistical difference was noted for the biparietal diameter/femur length ratio. This ratio was found to decrease with gestational age in the normal population and was consistently elevated in the Down syndrome population (compared with control) throughout the second trimester. With a cutoff value of 1.5 SD above the normal population mean for the biparietal diameter/femur length ratio, 50% to 70% of fetuses with Down syndrome could be identified in 6% of the total population (p less than 0.0001). This preliminary study suggests that the biparietal diameter/femur length ratio may prove superior to current Down syndrome screening methods and, as a third independent variable, may significantly enhance the sensitivity and specificity of combined maternal age/maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening modalities.

Down Syndrome↗

Confirmation of the assignment of genes of human immunoglobulin heavy chains to chromosome 14 by analysis of Ig synthesis by man-mouse hybridomas.

Hybridomas were produced by fusing the NS1 mouse myeloma line, which does not produce mouse heavy chain Ig, with human peripheral B lymphocytes from a normal individual. Two vigorously growing colonies from this fusion were found to secrete human Ig heavy chains and were recloned. Two secondary clones, which secreted human chains, were again recloned. Among the tertiary clones, two were identified which produced intracellular human Ig chains, but did not secrete immunoglobulin. These tertiary clones were recloned, generating 6 quaternary clones which failed to produce human Ig heavy chains, and 15 quaternary clones which produced intracellular Ig chains. Hybrid clones from each successive subcloning were examined for their human chromosomal content and only those clones which were found to be individually chromosomally distinct, a total of 56 clones in all, were used to analyze the segregation of human chromosomes and human Ig heavy chain synthesis. Results of this study indicate concordant segregation of human Ig heavy chain synthesis and chromosome 14. These studies therefore confirm the previous assignment by C. M. Croce et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1979. 76: 3416) of the genes for human Ig heavy chains to chromosome 14.

Alleles↗

Quantitative studies of spike foci induced by minimal concentrations of penicillin.

The minimal concentrations of penicillin which induce stable recurrent spikes (20,000 U/ml) and which elicit stable recurrent after-discharges (100,000 U/ml) were determined. A quantitative study of the inter-relationships, variability and changes with time of a number of spike parameters (spike latency, spike amplitude, amplitude of prepositivity, spike duration and spike frequency) was performed. The study adds new information on the pathogenesis of the experimental spike focus and serves as baseline for quantitative evaluation of the effects of anticonvulsants on the characteristics of the primary spike focus and on after-discharges.

Animals↗