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Biomedical subjects

E Eastman

Publications and source records attributed to E Eastman.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

The use of play therapy in the preparation of children undergoing MR imaging.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has become an important technique in the evaluation of a wide range of congenital and acquired conditions in children. The ability to image in multiple anatomic planes without the use of ionizing radiation has particular advantages. However scan times can be long, and the narrow bore and noise generated by most units make the procedure very intimidating to the young child. The use of surface coils may exacerbate this, often necessitating recourse to sedation or anaesthesia. We describe a technique involving play therapy which we have found useful in the preparation of young children for MR imaging and which has reduced the number of non-diagnostic scans and the need for sedation or anaesthesia.

Child↗
PubMed1991

x121: a localized maternal transcript in Xenopus laevis.

We describe the cloning and characterization of a partial cDNA, x121, that represents an RNA, which is localized in the animal hemisphere of Xenopus oocytes. This RNA is also detected in an animal to vegetal gradient during early cleavage stages. The x121 RNA titer decreases from fertilization through the gastrula stage, after which it is not detectable on northern blots. The amino acid composition of the x121 conceptual protein derived from cDNA sequencing reveals a large number of acidic residues similar in distribution to proteins that function as transcriptional activators.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Fibronectin biosynthesis in the rat aorta in vitro. Changes due to experimental hypertension.

This study was undertaken to determine if changes in fibronectin biosynthesis accompany the phenotypic changes that occur in aortic tissue following experimental hypertension. An in vitro procedure was developed to measure fibronectin synthesis in aortic rings obtained from normotensive or hypertensive rats. There was a three to sixfold increase in fibronectin biosynthesis by aortic rings taken from rats treated with deoxycorticosterone/salt for 7 and 21 d, the change being more pronounced at 21 d. In contrast, there was no major change at either time point in net incorporation into total protein. Studies comparing fibronectin biosynthesis in aortic rings from Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats at ages between 10 and 40 wk showed increased fibronectin biosynthesis in older animals of both strains, but only slight differences between strains. Studies using rats infused with angiotensin II showed a correlation between blood pressure elevation and increased aortic fibronectin biosynthesis. Western blot analysis of aortic extracts showed that the fibronectin content was increased in the hypertensive models. The in vitro procedure for measuring fibronectin biosynthesis appears to provide a reliable reflection of in vivo changes in fibronectin expression, and the methodology could prove useful for studying the factors influencing protein expression in vascular tissue.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

xlgv7: a maternal gene product localized in nuclei of the central nervous system in Xenopus laevis.

The Xenopus oocyte nucleus (GV) is a storehouse for a large number of proteins that are used during early development. We have cloned and characterized a cDNA coding for a maternal gene product that is localized in the GV and then becomes highly enriched in the nuclei of the central nervous system (CNS) of tadpoles and adult frogs. This cDNA (xlgv7) is 2.1 kb and hybridizes to a 2.4-kb RNA species on Northern blots. Southern blots of genomic DNA suggest that this gene is a member of a multigene family. The cDNA sequence reveals a long open reading frame (ORF) of 1773 nucleotides, with a putative nuclear targeting signal (Glu Arg Arg Lys Lys Lys Thr) at the extreme carboxyl terminus and an internal histidine (His)-rich region with a repeated conserved amino acid sequence between His pairs. The significance of this region is unclear, but the protein is a DNA-binding protein, and it is possible that this region is involved in this function. The xlgv7 protein also possesses a putative nucleotide-binding consensus sequence that is similar to the bacterial RecA and RecB and yeast RAD proteins. Protein xlgv7 exists as several isotypes that exhibit developmental and cell-specific changes during development. Northern blot analysis of the abundance of the xlgv7 mRNA shows an accumulation following neural induction at stages 15-16. There is a transient expression of the mRNA in the gut of tadpoles. In the adult, the mRNA is highly enriched in the brain and is absent or in very low abundance in other tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis of the protein shows that the protein is localized in the nuclei of the brain cells. We conclude that the xlgv7 gene product is a maternal protein that may serve several important functions, one of which may be in the development and maintanance of the CNS.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

The maternal store of the xlgv7 mRNA in full-grown oocytes is not required for normal development in Xenopus.

We have attempted to analyze the function of a maternal mRNA xlgv7 which is distributed as an animal-vegetal gradient in stage 6 oocytes using a combination of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide injection into oocytes followed by in vitro maturation and fertilization. Injection of 20 ng of the antisense oligodeoxynucleotide resulted in the destruction of the xlgv7 mRNA to undetectable levels. Upon maturation and fertilization the resulting embryos develop with no specific defects suggesting that the maternal store of xlgv7 in stage 6 oocytes is not required and that the embryo can develop solely with the maternal store of the xlgv7 protein. Also, these results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach in destroying a specific maternal RNA and assaying its effect on development.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Model Standards impact on local health department performance in California.

An evaluation of a state-local negotiation process to implement Model Standards in 18 California local health departments was conducted during 1985-87. Model Standards specific to California were developed by state and local public health officials for seven programs. Nine counties participated in state-local negotiations to set performance standards in these seven programs. During the two-year effort, greater use of Model Standards and more improvement in local program performance occurred in local health departments that participated in the state-local negotiation process. The use of Model Standards appeared to contribute to establishing program priorities, emphasizing the measurement of outcomes, improving data management systems, and evaluating the current performance of programs. While this state-local negotiation process is suggested as the preferred approach to encouraging the use of Model Standards in local health departments, it must be recognized that this process requires time and commitment of resources from both the state and local levels.

California↗
PubMed1982

The implementation of model standards in local health departments.

Four local health departments in California tested a process of state/local negotiations for the purpose of implementing model standards in community preventive health services. The standards, which covered five program areas, had been developed by a collaborative work group of representatives from the United States Conference of City Health Officers, the National Association of County Health Officials, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the American Public Health Association, and the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Evaluation of the project indicates that the success of the negotiation transactions and results varied, both among local health departments and program areas. A number of factors have been identified as influencing the negotiations, including the availability of baseline data, the extent to which individual programs are currently affected by required standards of performance, and health department attitude toward the project. The future utility of this model is considered within the broader context of changes now occurring in the financing and organization of public health within the United States. Project findings suggest that the Model Standards negotiations could provide state and local levels of government with a valuable management tool for determining health care priorities and generating objective programmatic data for budget justification.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗