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Biomedical subjects

B Spencer

Publications and source records attributed to B Spencer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Effects of insulin on the translocation of protein kinase C-theta and other protein kinase C isoforms in rat skeletal muscles.

Protein kinase C (PKC)-theta is a newly recognized major PKC isoform in skeletal muscle. In this study we found that insulin provoked rapid biphasic increases in membrane-associated immunoreactive PKC-theta, as well as PKC-alpha, PKC-beta and PKC-epsilon, in rat soleus muscles incubated in vitro. Effects of insulin on PKC isoforms in the soleus were comparable in magnitude with those of phorbol esters. Increases in membrane-associated PKC-theta, PKC-alpha, PKC-beta and PKC-epsilon were also observed in rat gastrocnemius muscles after insulin treatment in vivo. Our findings suggest that PKC-theta, like other diacylglycerol-sensitive PKC isoforms (alpha, beta and epsilon), may play a role in insulin action in skeletal muscles.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Insulin increases mRNA levels of protein kinase C-alpha and -beta in rat adipocytes and protein kinase C-alpha, -beta and -theta in rat skeletal muscle.

Effects of insulin of levels of mRNA encoding protein kinase C (PKC)-alpha, PKC-beta, PKC-epsilon and PKC-theta were examined by ribonuclease protection assay in primary cultures of rat adipocytes in vitro, and in rat adipose tissue and gastrocnemius muscle in vivo. In all cases, insulin increased the levels of PKC-alpha mRNA and PKC-beta mRNA, and, in muscle, insulin also increased the level of PKC-theta mRNA. PKC-epsilon mRNA levels, on the other hand, were not altered significantly. Insulin also stimulated the apparent translocation of PKC-alpha, -beta, -epsilon and -theta, to the membrane fractions of adipocytes, adipose tissue and gastrocnemius muscles, and, in some instances, total PKC levels were diminished, e.g. PKC-alpha and PKC-beta in cultured adipocytes in vitro and/or whole adipose tissue in vivo, and PKC-alpha and PKC-theta in the gastrocnemius muscle. Thus, insulin-induced increases in PKC mRNA may have been partly compensatory in nature to restore PKC levels following translocation and proteolytic losses. However, much more severe depletion of PKC-alpha and PKC-beta by phorbol ester treatment in cultured rat adipocytes in vitro resulted in, if anything, smaller increases in PKC-alpha mRNA and PKC-beta mRNA, and it therefore appears that insulin effects on PKC mRNA levels were not simply due to decreases in respective PKC levels. In addition, effects of insulin, particularly on PKC-beta mRNA, could not be attributed to increased glucose metabolism, which alone decreased PKC-beta mRNA in cultured adipocytes in vitro. We conclude that insulin-induced translocation and degradation of PKC-alpha, PKC-beta and PKC-theta are attended by selective increases in their mRNAs. This mechanism of increasing mRNA may be important in maintaining PKC levels during the continued action of insulin.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed1992

AIDS and absolutism.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Trends in the organization of cervical cancer screening.

Cervical cytological screening has been available in the UK for several decades, but has not achieved a significant reduction in the incidence of and mortality from cervical cancer. In this paper we describe past problems of cervical screening, discuss the impact of recent innovations to computerize call and recall, and suggest further improvements for the future.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed1989

Cervical screening: what are the communication problems?

Computer-managed call and recall schemes offer the opportunity for effective cervical screening. However, such schemes involve several different agencies, often independent of one another. As a result, problems of communication can arise. This paper discusses potential areas of difficulty and presents some suggestions for improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Computer-managed call and recall for cervical screening: a typology of reasons for non-attendance.

Three pilot studies looked at women who had not attended for cervical screening following a computer-generated invitation to a health authority clinic. From these a typology of reasons for non-attendance for computer-managed screening has been developed, specifying inaccessibility, ineligibility, unsuitability, failure of communications, misclassification and refusal because of practical problems, inappropriate beliefs or attitudinal barriers. Underlying the typology are issues connected with the inaccuracy of the database, service organization and provision, and the characteristics of the women themselves.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed1989

A randomized controlled trial of the provision of a social support service during pregnancy: the South Manchester Family Worker Project.

A pilot scheme was introduced in Manchester to provide additional social support to pregnant women at above average risk of giving birth to a low-birthweight baby. The help of lay workers, known as family workers, was made available to eligible women. The effect on infant birthweight of offering the help of a family worker was assessed by a randomized controlled trial. No significant differences were observed between the experimental and control group, but on a number of grounds the interpretation of this finding is not straightforward, and further research is recommended.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed1989

Well you can come in but i'm not having it. The role of the health visitor in computer-managed cervical screening.

Health visitors called on women who had not attended for a cervical smear test, following an invitation via a computer-managed scheme. Reasons for non-attendance were identified and the study showed that health visitors can be successful in encouraging some non-attenders to be screened. However, there are problems involved in undertaking such a role, which must be acknowledged if the health visitors's time is to be used effectively.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMed1988

Reasons for non-attendance for computer-managed cervical screening: pilot interviews.

A pilot interview study looked at reasons why women did not attend a clinic following an invitation for a cervical smear test offered via a computer-managed scheme. Three broad issues were identified. First, the inaccuracy of the computer database (the FPC register) meant some women were inaccessible because they no longer lived at the address recorded. Other women were ineligible or unsuitable within the criteria of the scheme but had been sent invitations inappropriately because their screening records were incomplete or out of date. Second, aspects of service organisation and provision led to misclassification of some attenders as non-attenders and to various failures of communication such as non-receipt of the invitation or health education leaflet or unsuccessful attempts to rearrange appointments. In addition, the appointment or venue offered could be unsatisfactory. The third issue concerned the characteristics of the women which sometimes interacted with practical problems connected with service provision. Other women believed the test to be inappropriate for themselves while some were deterred by the prospect of the test itself. In general, embarrassment was pervasive and reflected in preferences for different types of service provision. Women who had neither attended nor been otherwise tested were particularly likely to express feelings of fear and fatalism. General attitudes to the test were favourable but this was not always applied personally. A typology of reasons for non-attendance for computer-managed cervical screening is presented.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1987

Synthesising research findings and practical experience to formulate principles in cervical screening.

Compared particularly with Scandinavian countries, the effects of cervical screening in the United Kingdom have been disappointing, both in terms of women screened and in relation to incidence and mortality. The underlying problem is the under-representation of women most at risk of cervical cancer in the screened population. In this paper we examine two possible hypotheses for such under-representation: one concerns the behavioural aspects of women's failure to attend and the second the effect of the organisation of current screening services on their attendance. We outline the features that an effective service would need to incorporate and propose principles for the development of a screening system designed to maximise the potential of the cervical smear test.

Behavior↗
PubMed1985

Attendance for cervical screening--whose problem?

Despite the existence of an effective screening technique for cancer of the cervix, incidence and mortality from this disease have not declined in the United Kingdom. The basic problem is that women most at risk of the disease are under-represented in the screened population. The evidence for two different points of view to explain this situation is examined. These viewpoints are the failure of the women to attend, and the failure of the service to meet the needs of women. This paper argues that the evidence supports the view that the organisation of the existing screening service impedes the maximum participation of at-risk women. We discuss the features that an effective service needs to incorporate, and put forward principles for the development of a more effective screening system, namely, that it should be provider-initiated and user-oriented.

Attitude to Health↗