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Biomedical subjects

H Brody

Publications and source records attributed to H Brody.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Unforced errors and error reduction in tennis.

Only at the highest level of tennis is the number of winners comparable to the number of unforced errors. As the average player loses many more points due to unforced errors than due to winners by an opponent, if the rate of unforced errors can be reduced, it should lead to an increase in points won. This article shows how players can improve their game by understanding and applying the laws of physics to reduce the number of unforced errors.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

Bounce of a tennis ball.

The bouncing of a tennis ball on a tennis court surface is analysed by making several simplifying assumptions about the physics of the interaction. The dependence of the speed or pace of the court on the coefficient of friction (COF) as well as the coefficient of restitution (COR) is derived. The mathematics of a court's speed is investigated to see how much slow courts tend to reduce the speed of the game. It is found that players must increase their racket head speed by 25% if they wish to compensate for the extra loss of ball speed on slow courts.

Humans↗

Views of United States physicians and members of the American Medical Association House of Delegates on physician-assisted suicide.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the views of physicians and physician leaders toward the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. DESIGN: Confidential mail questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: A nationwide random sample of physicians of all ages and specialties, and all members of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates as of April 1996. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic and practice characteristics and attitude toward legalization of physician-assisted suicide. MAIN RESULTS: Usable questionnaires were returned by 658 of 930 eligible physicians in the nationwide random sample (71%) and 315 of 390 eligible physicians in the House of Delegates (81%). In the nationwide random sample, 44.5% favored legalization (16.4% definitely and 28.1% probably), 33.9% opposed legalization (20.4% definitely and 13.5% probably), and 22% were unsure. Opposition to legalization was strongly associated with self-defined politically conservative beliefs, religious affiliation, and the importance of religion to the respondent (P <.001). Among members of the AMA House of Delegates, 23.5% favored legalization (7.3% definitely and 16.2% probably), 61.6% opposed legalization (43.5% definitely and 18.1% probably), and 15% were unsure; their views differed significantly from those of the nationwide random sample (P <.001). Given the choice, a majority of both groups would prefer no law at all, with physician-assisted suicide being neither legal nor illegal. CONCLUSIONS: Members of the AMA House of Delegates strongly oppose physician-assisted suicide, but rank-and-file physicians show no consensus either for or against its legalization. Although the debate is sometimes adversarial, most physicians in the United States are uncertain or endorse moderate views on assisted suicide.

Adult↗

The internal morality of medicine: an evolutionary perspective.

A basic question of medical ethics is whether the norms governing medical practice should be understood as the application of principles and rules of 'the common morality' to medicine or whether some of these norms are 'internal' or 'proper' to medicine. In this article we describe and defend an evolutionary perspective on 'the internal morality of medicine' that is defined in terms of the goals of clinical medicine and a set of duties that constrain medical practice in pursuit of these goals. This perspective is developed by means of a critical examination of the 'essentialist' conception of the internal morality of medicine advocated by Edmund Pellegrino and the critique of internal morality approaches by Robert Veatch and Tom Beauchamp.

Bioethics↗

Using DNA-tagged mutagenesis to improve heterologous protein production in Aspergillus oryzae.

Using DNA-tagged mutagenesis to improve heterologous protein production in Aspergillus oryzae. Fungal Genetics and Biology 29, 28-37. Restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) has been employed as a mutagen to generate two insertion libraries in an Aspergillus oryzae strain expressing a Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase. The REMI libraries were created using linearized plasmid containing the A. oryzae pyrG and either BamHI or EcoRI enzyme. The libraries were screened for lipase production, and mutants with increased production were isolated. The genomic DNA flanking the integration event was cloned from one of the mutants with increased lipase titers (DEBY10.3). Nucleotide sequence of the flanking DNA revealed similarity to the Aspergillus nidulans palB gene. Disruption of the palB gene in a strain producing lipase resulted in increased lipase expression. Additionally, complementation of the palB phenotype of DEBY10.3 led to a decrease in lipase production. These lines of evidence demonstrate that the increase in lipase yield in DEBY10.3 is linked to the palB phenotype generated by the integration of the pyrG gene into the palB gene. The results also demonstrated that tagged mutagenesis with REMI can be used to identify genes that influence expression of heterologous proteins.

Aspergillus oryzae↗

A history of dermatologic surgery in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Dermatologic surgery has a long and distinguished history in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To examine the specific contributions of American dermatologic surgeons. METHOD: The medical literature on cutaneous reconstructive and cosmetic surgery for the last century and a half was researched. RESULTS: Numerous American dermatologic surgeons have had a major impact on scientific and technological discoveries in cutaneous surgery. Dermatologic surgeons have been significantly involved in cutaneous surgery since the second half of the 19th century. Dermatologic surgeons have contributed many important advances to the fields of chemical peeling, cryosurgery, dermabrasion, electrosurgery, hair transplantation, soft tissue augmentation, tumescent liposuction, laser surgery, phlebology, Mohs chemosurgery, cutaneous reconstruction, wound healing, botulium toxin, blepharoplasty, and rhytidectomy. CONCLUSION: Dermatologic surgeons in the United States have contributed significantly to the history of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Dermatologic surgeons have been leaders in advancing this field and are poised to continue in the future.

Dermatology↗

The placebo response. Recent research and implications for family medicine.

The placebo response is commonly invoked as a factor in the therapeutic relationship between the family physician and the patient, but important recent literature can be difficult for family physicians to access. Coordinated interdisciplinary research into the placebo response as it occurs in primary care settings is lacking. Although there is controversy about the nature and scope of the placebo response, important suggestions are emerging about its psychological mechanisms (expectancy and conditioning) and the biochemical pathways that act as psychosomatic linkages (endorphins, catecholamines and cortisol, psychoneuroimmumunology). The available research justifies interventions by family physicians that maximize the placebo response in everyday patient encounters. These include the sustained partnership approach, working with patients on the narratives they construct to explain illness, listening to patients, providing them with satisfactory explanations, expressing care and concern, and enhancing their sense of control. Notable opportunities exist for family medicine investigators to expand the understanding of this phenomenon.

Endorphins↗

Deletion of the trichodiene synthase gene of Fusarium venenatum: two systems for repeated gene deletions.

The trichodiene synthase (tri5) gene of Fusarium venenatum was cloned from a genomic library. Vectors were created in which the tri5 coding sequence was replaced with the Neurospora crassa nitrate reductase (nit3) gene and with the Aspergillus nidulans acetamidase (amdS) gene flanked by direct repeats. The first vector was utilized to transform a nitrate reductase (niaD) mutant of F. venenatum to prototrophy, and the second vector was utilized to confer acetamide utilization to the wild-type strain. Several of the transformants lost the capacity to produce the trichothecene diacetoxyscirpenol and were shown by hybridization analysis to have gene replacements at the tri5 locus. The nit3 gene was removed by retransformation with a tri5 deletion fragment and selection on chlorate. The amdS gene was shown to excise spontaneously via the flanking direct repeats when spores were plated onto fluoroacetamide.

Amidohydrolases↗

Commentary: what we have here, is a failure to communicate.

The physician in Erde's clinical case study performed poorly in a number of aspects of informed consent and good physician-patient communication. However, the patient also failed to perform some of his own duties to participate in effective communication and so shares at least some responsibility for the bad outcome.

Ethicists↗