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Biomedical subjects

D Beeson

Publications and source records attributed to D Beeson.

80 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

A system for the translation of receptor messenger-RNA and the study of the assembly of functional receptors.

The Xenopus oocyte translation system has been developed for the recognition of receptor messenger-RNA molecules. Observations with the nicotinic acetylcholine, GABA, glycine, glutamate and serotonin receptors show that the mRNAs coding for their subunits can be faithfully translated in the oocyte and the products processed, glycosylated, assembled to a receptor structure, inserted correctly in the cell membrane and organised to form the functional ion channel. The specific regulatory interactions between different sites on one receptor, as exemplified in the GABAA receptor, are established in this process. This system is of value for the detection of mRNAs for receptor gene cloning and for the study of receptor assembly and of the expression of multiple receptor genes. The receptor ion channels formed can also be studied in their own right in a highly accessible and controlled situation.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1979

Anxiety engendered by amniocentesis.

Anxiety was measured and compared in three groups of 12 pregnant couples undergoing amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal disorders. Significant elevations in anxiety were found in all groups prior to counseling on the day of the procedure and prior to receiving test results. Women who had previously given birth to a child with a chromosomal disorder displayed higher anxiety levels prior to amniocentesis than women whose indication for the procedure was age. Fathers in the previous trisomy group had higher anxiety levels prior to the receipt of test results as well as before the amniocentesis when compared to fathers in the maternal-age group. An experimental group of couples in which the women were over 35, received weekly calls from the genetic counselor. This intervention did not reduce median anxiety scores significantly for either men or women but did lower anxiety among the minority of extremely anxious mothers. Parental anxiety levels were interpreted based on interview data. Conditions which promote anxiety were contrasted to those which diminish it. Suggestions were made for amniocentesis counseling earlier in pregnancy and for identifying parents who would benefit by extra attention from counselors.

Amniocentesis↗