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Biomedical subjects

E Barron

Publications and source records attributed to E Barron.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Gaining internal support for a marketing effort.

Franciscan Health System, Chadds Ford, Pa., developed a systemwide marketing initiative to assure positive participation from its internal market segments. In the first of a series, the author outlines the goals, objectives and positioning of the marketing mix used to achieve voluntary involvement from these segments.

Aged↗

Developing a market research survey.

This is the fourth in a series on a systemwide geriatric-care marketing initiative. Other articles outlined gaining voluntary involvement of internal marketing segments and detailed putting out a request for proposal to market research vendors. This article explores the development of a market research survey that meets the needs of the system's membership.

Aged↗

Comparative antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological effects of drugs known to inhibit calmodulin (TFP, W7 and bepridil).

The potential antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological actions of drugs known to inhibit calmodulin, i.e. trifluoperazine (TFP) and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene sulphonamide (W7) have been compared with bepridil, whose antiarrhythmic actions have previously been ascribed to blockade of the fast inward sodium current in cardiac tissue. Like bepridil, both TFP and W7 reduced the severity of arrhythmias evoked by 30 min of coronary artery occlusion in the anaesthetized rat. TFP (2.5-10 mg kg-1, i.v.), W7 (2.5-10 mg kg-1, i.v.) and bepridil (1-5 mg kg-1, i.v.) also antagonized the development of ventricular fibrillation induced by 5 min of occlusion followed by reperfusion. All three drugs also reduced mortality. TFP and bepridil also reduced the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular tachycardia whilst all 3 drugs reduced its duration. Although TFP was shown to possess alpha-adrenoceptor blocking properties, the classical alpha-blocker, phentolamine, failed to reduce significantly the incidence or severity of reperfusion arrhythmias. In contrast to bepridil (2-20 microM), which markedly reduced the maximum rate of depolarization (Vmax) of guinea-pig isolated papillary muscle, W7(5-50 microM) showed only weak effects on Vmax and was at least 10 times less potent than bepridil whilst TFP only reduced Vmax in high concentrations (40-100 microM) which lowered resting membrane potential. Unlike bepridil, neither TFP (4-40 microM) nor W7 prolonged the absolute refractory period. The results suggest that drugs which inhibit calmodulin confer protection against both ischaemia-and reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in the rat. Although the electrophysiological actions of bepridil would adequately account for its antiarrhythmic activity, the same cannot be said of W7 and especially TFP. In conclusion, calmodulin antagonism may constitute a mechanism of antiarrhythmic activity.

Action Potentials↗

Ambulatory surgery offers quality, savings.

A hospital's ambulatory surgical center has eased census pressures on inpatient units and has offered patients and third-party payers substantial cost savings for high-quality care.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗

Puromycin resistance in Chinese hamster cells: genetic and biochemical studies of partially resistant, unstable clones.

Resistance to 10 microgram/ml of puromycin has been analyzed in V79 Chinese hamster cells. Clones that were isolated in 10 microgram/ml of puromycin and subsequently cultivated in its absence consistently lost their resistance. One clone was analyzed in detail by recloning in the presence and absence of puromycin, and it was found that non-puromycin cultivated subclones also lost their resistance and regained inhibition profiles similar to the V79 parent. Reconstruction experiments between sensitive and resistant cells demonstrated that the yield of mutants was not affected by metabolic cooperation. The mutation rate was calculated to be 1 x 10(-7) per cell generation, and was the same within the limits of statistical error in a colchicine-produced polyploid derivative of the V79 line. Although a number of resistant clones were found to have polyploid karyotypes, the polyploid V79 lines was not more resistant to puromycin, nor did it possess a higher frequency of puromycin resistant cells. Studies employing radiolabeled puromycin established that resistance was due to a lowered uptake of puromycin and that an inverse relationship existed between resistance level and uptake rate.

Animals↗

Spontaneous mutation rate to thioguanine resistance is decreased in polyploid hamster cells.

The mutation rate to thioguanine resistance was 3.11 X 10(-6) in a near diploid V79 hamster cell line and 7.58 X 10(-8) in a near tetraploid derivative produced with colchicine. The specific activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoglycerate kinase of the tetraploid line were greater than that of the diploid which suggests that twice the number of active X chromosomes were present in the tetraploid. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that spontaneous variants resistant to thioguanine arise through mutation and chromosomal segregation, as has been suggested for induced mutations in tetraploid hamster cells.

Cell Line↗

Counseling women for tubal sterilization.

In view of the current concern about sterilization abuse, the federal government has issued guidelines to prevent women from being sterilized without their knowledge or consent. The authors describe a counseling program in a large inner-city hospital that followed these specifications.

Adolescent↗

Developing a model for technology assessment. A system helps its facilities prepare for technological change.

In 1991 the Franciscan Health System (FHS), Philadelphia, created a Technology Assessment Task Force to support specific goals and strategies in the FHS strategic plan and to help prepare its members for technological change. Because FHS is a large and diverse system, with facilities in seven states both on the East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, the task force needed to develop flexible recommendations with broad applicability. The task force recommended a time-phased approach for changing the way technology is identified, acquired, and used in FHS organizations. Key recommendations included (1) creating a standing FHS technology steering committee, (2) implementing a technology assessment model for selected technology activities, (3) sponsoring systemwide technology conferences, and (4) reviewing FHS technology actions, revising as appropriate. The system and hospital leadership adopted the task force's recommendations and are now implementing them.

Catholicism↗