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Biomedical subjects

E C King

Publications and source records attributed to E C King.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Enzymatic breakdown of poly-gamma-D-glutamic acid in Bacillus licheniformis: identification of a polyglutamyl gamma-hydrolase enzyme.

A polyglutamyl gamma-hydrolase enzyme has been identified which catalyses the hydrolytic breakdown of poly-gamma-D-glutamic acid (PGA) from Bacillus licheniformis 9945a. The enzyme was found to be physically associated with the polymer and was activated by Zn2+ or Ca2+ salts. The enzyme can be solubilized from the polymer by treatment with 0.5% SDS and 1 mM ZnCl2 and can then be renatured onto exogenous PGA upon dilution below the detergent critical micellar concentration. The enzyme was partially purified by affinity chromatography, using immobilized PGA. Peptide thioesters containing one and two gamma-glutamyl units were synthesized as potential chromogenic substrates but showed no activity with the solubilized enzyme. Examination of 14C-labeled reaction products indicated that the enzyme is an endo-type hydrolase.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1995

Induction and relief of nasal congestion in ferrets infected with influenza virus.

Susceptible ferrets intranasally infected with influenza virus consistently responded with maximal nasal secretion of virus, febrile reaction, and influx of inflammatory cells into nasal lumen on day 2 post infection (d.p.i.). Polymorphonuclear leucocytes were the earliest predominant cell, followed by monocytes/macrophages while lymphocytes were maintained as a minor population throughout the 7-day period. Nasal congestion level, continuously monitored by computer aided active anterior rhinomanometry, was reproducibly maximal at 2 d.p.i., diminished in intensity the next day and returned to the basal level within 7 d.p.i. Nasal congestion was effectively relieved by a single intranasal dose of 0.1% oxymetazoline or 0.2% phenylephrine, or a single intragastric administration of pseudoephedrine. Intranasal delivery of a single dose of 1% pyrilamine relieved nasal congestion while 0.8% ipratropium bromide and 30% cimetidine were ineffective. These results suggested that nasal congestion is regulated by alpha-adrenergic receptors in the mucosal vasculature or by H1 histamine receptor, but is unaffected by inhibitors of nasal secretion regulated by the cholinergic nervous system. The present study indicates that the infectious rhinitis ferret model provides a reproducible nasal congestion pattern that can be objectively measured by a refined active anterior rhinomanometric system. This labour intensive measurement, however, makes it difficult either to conduct a large population animal study or to use it for a rapid throughput screening of new drugs. The temporal relation between the influx of inflammatory cells into the nasal lumen and the onset of nasal congestion underlies the model's relevance to the exploration of the pathogenic mechanism(s) during viral rhinitis.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMed1990

Designing services for the elderly.

Even after careful planning and a successful launch, even the best geriatric care program can not always expect smooth sailing, according to industry executives. Allen Mathies, president and chief executive officer at Huntington Memorial Hospital, cited a paradoxical side effect stemming from the success of his hospital's geriatric outreach programs. "On the one hand, by moving patients through a continuum of outpatients services, our program has helped to reduce the extraordinary costs associated with acute care hospitalization," he said. "On the other hand, those patients who are hospitalized tend to be more acutely ill. They use tremendous resources, but at a fixed reimbursement. There is a lack of recognition of our real costs by the payer." Why, then, do Huntington Memorial Hospital, Baptist Medical Center of Oklahoma, Morton F. Plant Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and other hospitals intend to continue their efforts on behalf of their communities' aging populations? The answer is that, reimbursement problems notwithstanding, benefits can be derived from making a commitment to geriatric care. "We have 19,000 people enrolled in our elder care program," Hupfeld said. "That's a powerful force. They vote. They lobby on our behalf. They support the hospital philanthropically. If you do a good job of reaching the older adults in your community, you'll find they are a powerful marketing force. They can do a lot for your image when it comes to reaching other market segments."

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Developing and negotiating transfer agreements in allied health.

The Kentucky Council on Higher Education has developed a statewide articulated system for allied health education. The articulated system permits entry and exit of prepared professionals at a variety of levels. The six disciplinary clusters included in the system are clinical laboratory sciences, dental auxiliaries, dietetics/nutrition, rehabilitation therapies, radiological sciences, and respiratory therapy. Competency-based education was used as the theoretical framework for developing and negotiating transfer agreements. Types of agreements included the block credit transfer agreement and the course specific transfer agreement. Agreements were negotiated between education systems and between specific programs/institutions. To date, approximately 30 transfer agreements have been negotiated. The process for negotiating transfer agreements included the following sequence: identify programs, develop a theoretical articulation model, rank order transfer agreements, determine the type of agreement, review respective curricula, determine the existing amount of transferable coursework, draft a pre-articulation agreement, schedule a meeting between faculty and administrators to discuss the agreement, and secure authorizing signatures on the final transfer agreement. Facilitators and barriers to negotiating agreements are discussed and recommendations offered for others who may be interested in developing transfer agreements.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed1984

Statewide articulation for allied health: a conceptual model in action.

Under the auspices of the Kentucky Council on Higher Education, and with the aim of delineating issues in allied health education and making recommendations for alleviating the issues, an indepth, two-year study was completed in 1975. The primary recommendations pertained to the development of a statewide plan for allied health education that would result in an articulated statewide system permitting entry and exit of prepared personnel at a variety of levels and improving inter-institutional efforts to share educational resources. In the following four years a foundation was laid for developing the system. An articulated system of allied health education was developed in six disciplinary clusters to serve as a model for other states: clinical laboratory, dental auxiliaries, dietetics/nutrition, rehabilitation therapies, radiological science, and respiratory therapy programs. All levels of programs within each discipline cluster existing in Kentucky are included in the system. The study includes a design phase and an implementation phase. During the design phase, six discipline advisory groups developed articulation models for the programs in each discipline. Implementation phase accomplishments include signed transfer agreements, development of model and core curricula, design for graduate follow-up, publications, development of manpower models, and increased cooperation among project participants.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed1983

A comparison of administrator, faculty/clinician, and student needs to facilitate statewide planning in allied health education.

Higher education state coordinating bodies are faced with the difficult task of developing coherent strategies and priorities for planning. To assist in this planning a needs assessment procedure involving administrators, faculty/clinicians, and students was used, and driving and restraining forces relevant to decision making were identified. The Nominal Group Technique was used to identify each population's needs which related to a statewide system for allied health education. The technique ordered the needs of each population. A kendall coefficient of concordance was calculated to test the hypothesis that there was no association between the ranks within a population. Needs were placed in two categories: those common to all three populations, and those unique to one population. Six needs common to the population were identified. Finally, the study reranked the six common needs according to perceived attainability.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1980

The relationship between biographic profile and job role preceptions of the allied health chair: a national study.

The purpose of the study was to construct a professional profile of medical technology and physical therapy baccalaureate chairs to compare male and female respondents in the areas of (1) biographic background, (2) career aspiration, (3) influence in decision making, (4) job-related stress, (5) goals important to role as chair, (6) skills important to role as chair, and (7) perception of ideal power. The response rate to a 1978 national survey was 72%. Statistical analysis on the 25 physical therapy females, 23 physical therapy males, and 20 medical technology female respondents revealed they were comparable in terms of the above variables. The three groups shared a common biographic profile except in the areas of marital status and clinical experience. These chairs exhibited low scholarly productivity and little interest in careers in academic administration or the clinical setting. Rather, they indicated sustained interest in departmental chair status or a return to fulltime faculty status. There was also perceived high participation in decision making, low to moderate job-related stress, and high concern for personal and faculty development. They agreed that selected administrative skills were necessary to their role as chairs. Finally, they reported that a considerable amount of power was necessary to their role as chairs in their institutions. Implications for chair development and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed1980

Laboratory staff development practices: a statewide study.

A statewide survey of staff development practices in New York State was completed to: 1) assess the current staff development practices for laboratory personnel in a variety of health care delivery settings; 2) determine the importance of selected laboratory practices to the professional growth of the laboratory staff; 3) make recommendations for staff development practices based on research findings. The study results are based on responses to a 1978 mail survey to laboratory staff employed in New York State. The most significant findings were that in over half of the laboratory settings surveyed three of six general types of laboratory staff development practices were nonexistent. Furthermore, regardless of size and/or type of laboratory setting, there were rare opportunities for staff development. The findings have implications for level of job satisfaction, level of professionalism, and even performance appraisal.

Humans↗
PubMed1980

The school of allied health--a political model of university governance.

Curtailment of direct federal funding coupled with greater governmental demands for fiscal accountability in the 1970s has led to events such as allied health program moratoria and a closer scrutiny of the fundamental goals of allied health schools. Resulting organizational stress has also stimulated an emergence of interest groups in these schools. This paper attempts to place these events in a historical and sociological context by: (1) summarizing three governance models; (2) relating these models to the organizational maturation of allied health schools in light of predictions from contemporary management theory; (3) discussing the interrelationships between organizational structure, age of allied health schools, and characteristics of allied health administrators; (4) describing variables of organizational transition that affect organizational effectiveness; and (5) making recommendations to assist schools in organizational planning so they can adjust to the potential negative impact of organizational maturation, shrinking resources, and increasing accountability. A series of recommendations from the Baldridge political model of contemporary organizational research is presented. These recommendations may help facilitate conflict resolution in schools of allied health.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1979

Status of clinical affiliation agreements: report on a national study.

During spring 1977, a survey of all accredited college based educational programs in 11 allied health disciplines was conducted to assess the nature and content of affiliation agreements, attitudes toward affiliation agreements and the extent to which clinical facilities are being reimbursed by academic institutions for providing clinical instruction. This paper summarizes the data across the 11 disciplines. In contrast to prior research, the formal contract emerges as the most frequently used form of agreement. Specific rights and responsibilities of academic and clinical educators, including personal and professional liability insurance, are delineated. Student rights and responsibilities receive less attention. Eight percent of respondents are charged an overall fee for use of clinical facilities; an additional 32% feel that payment may be required in the future. Recommendations include provision for increased attention to student rights and responsibilities and for legal counsel in developing affiliation agreements.

Contract Services↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral role of the mammillary efferent system.

The present study examined the effects of lesions of the mammillary system on spatial memory and arousal. Destruction of the medial mammillary nucleus or the mammillotegmental tract produces impairments on a delayed alternation task and greatly increases activity in the open-field. Lesions of the mammillothalamic tract produce a differential effect in that the spatial alternation deficit is accompanied by a general lethargy and unresponsiveness. It is suggested that the mammillary system plays a crucial role in the short-term storage of proprioceptive information necessary for the successive execution of maze choices. It also appears to play a role in the arousal state of the animal.

Animals↗