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Biomedical subjects

J F Moore

Publications and source records attributed to J F Moore.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Extending the concept of social validity: behavior analysis for disease prevention and health promotion.

A broader definition of social validity is proposed wherein a socially valid behavior-change intervention is directed to a problem of verifiable importance, the intervention is valued and used appropriately by designated target groups, and the intervention as used has sufficient behavioral impact to substantially reduce the probability of the problem's occurrence in target populations. The verifiable importance of a problem is based on epidemiological data, and the value and appropriate use of an intervention are enhanced through the use of conceptual frameworks for social marketing and behavior change and considerable formative and pilot research. Behavioral impact is assessed through efficacy and effectiveness studies. Thus, the social validity of a behavior-change intervention is established through a number of interactive, a priori steps. This approach to defining social validity is related to critical analysis and intervention issues including individual and population perspectives and "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches to intervention design. This broader definition of social validity is illustrated by a project to reduce the risk of HIV infection among adolescents. Although the various steps involved in creating socially valid interventions can be complicated, time-consuming, and expensive, following all the steps can result in interventions capable of improving a nation's health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Altering shoppers' supermarket purchases to fit nutritional guidelines: an interactive information system.

This study reports the results of one effort to help supermarket shoppers alter food purchases to make purchases (and meals) that are lower in fat and higher in fiber. A prototype interactive information system using instructional video programs, feedback on purchases with specific goals for change, weekly programs, and the ability to track user interactions and intended purchases was evaluated. The major dependent measure was users' actual food purchases as derived from participants' highly detailed supermarket receipts. After a 5- to 7-week baseline phase, participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control condition for the 7- to 8-week intervention phase. A follow-up phase began 5 to 8 weeks after participants completed the intervention and discontinued use of the system. The results indicated that experimental participants, when compared to control participants, decreased high fat purchases and increased high fiber purchases during intervention, with evidence for some maintenance of effect in follow-up. Plans for increasing the use and impact of the system are discussed.

Dietary Fats↗
PubMed1990

Application of existing technology to meet increasing demands for automated sample handling.

As the clinical laboratory advances toward total automation, the marketplace is now demanding more-efficient sample-handling systems. These demands have arisen over a relatively short period of time, in part because of heightened concern over laboratory safety and the resulting manpower shortages. Adding sample-handling capabilities to existing instrumentation is often a challenge, because usually mechanical or system constraints are present that interfere. This challenge has been overcome in the DuPont Sample Management System (SMS), a second-generation general chemistry analyzer that incorporates the latest barcode and computer-interfacing technology. The development of the SMS system relies heavily on recent advances in technology, e.g., software modeling and computer-aided design. The SMS system includes a barcode scanner based on "charge-coupled device" technology, a random-access sample wheel, and new software that oversees the various functions.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1988

Selenium toxicosis in wild aquatic birds.

Severe gross and microscopic lesions and other changes were found in adult aquatic birds and in embryos from Kesterson Reservoir (a portion of Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge), Merced County, Calif., during 1984. Adult birds from that area were emaciated, had subacute to extensive chronic hepatic lesions, and had excess fluid and fibrin in the peritoneal cavity. Biochemical changes in their livers included elevated glycogen and non-protein-bound sulfhydryl concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activity but lowered protein, total sulfhydryl, and protein-bound sulfhydryl concentrations. Congenital malformations observed grossly in embryos were often multiple and included anophthalmia, microphthalmia, abnormal beaks, amelia, micromelia, ectrodactyly, and hydrocephaly. Mean concentrations of selenium in livers (94.4 ppm, dry weight) and kidneys (96.6 ppm) of birds collected at the Kesterson ponds were about 10 times those found at a nearby control area (8.3 and 12.2 ppm). We conclude that selenium present in the agricultural drainage water supplied to the Kesterson ponds accumulated in the food chain of aquatic birds to toxic concentrations and caused the lesion and other changes observed.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1988

StrateGene: object-oriented programming in molecular biology.

This paper describes some of the ways that object-oriented programming methodologies have been used to represent and manipulate biological information in a working application. When running on a Xerox 1100 series computer, StrateGene functions as a genetic engineering workstation for the management of information about cloning experiments. It represents biological molecules, enzymes, fragments, and methods as classes, subclasses, and members in a hierarchy of objects. These objects may have various attributes, which themselves can be defined and classified. The attributes and their values can be passed from the classes of objects down to the subclasses and members. The user can modify the objects and their attributes while using them. New knowledge and changes to the system can be incorporated relatively easily. The operations on the biological objects are associated with the objects themselves. This makes it easier to invoke them correctly and allows generic operations to be customized for the particular object.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1984

Phosphoglyceride biosynthesis by brain microsomes: centrophenoxine, SaH-42-348, and DH-990 inhibit phospholipid N-methylation.

The effects of centrophenoxine, SaH-42-348, and DH-990 on several enzymes involved in aminophospholipid biosynthesis in brain have been examined in vitro. Relatively high concentrations of centrophenoxine were required to achieve 50% inhibition of the microsomal enzymes CDP-ethanolamine:1,2-diacylglycerol ethanolaminephosphotransferase (EPT), CDP-choline:1,2-diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase (CPT), phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PME-NMT), and phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PDE-NMT). Intermediate concentrations of SaH-42-348 inhibited CPT (IC50 = 2.0 mM), EPT (IC50 = 1.9 mM), PME-NMT (IC50 = 0.19 mM), and PDE-NMT (IC50 = 0.17 mM). Of the three drugs tested, DH-990 was the most potent inhibitor of the phospholipid-synthesizing enzymes. Phosphatidylserine decarboxylase, a mitochondrial inner-membrane enzyme [A. K. Percy, J. F. Moore, M. A. Carson, and C. J. Waechter (1983) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 223, 484-494], was virtually unaffected by the three drugs added at millimolar concentrations. Kinetic analyses indicated that the inhibitory action of DH-990 on the brain enzymes was noncompetitive with respect to all substrates. The relatively high sensitivity of CPT (IC50 = 0.6 mM), EPT (IC50 = 2.2 mM), PME-NMT (IC50 = 2.5 microM), and PDE-NMT (IC50 = 2.5 microM) to inhibition by DH-990 in brain microsomes suggests that this compound may be useful for cellular studies on the possible relationships between phospholipid metabolism and neurobiological functions.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Control of phosphatidylethanolamine metabolism in yeast: diacylglycerol ethanolaminephosphotransferase and diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase are separate enzymes.

Membrane preparations from Saccharomyces cerevisiae catalyze the transfer of phosphoethanolamine and phosphocholine from the cytidine dinucleotide derivatives to endogenous and exogenous 1,2-diacylglycerols. Utilizing CDP-[14C]ethanolamine and CDP-[14C]choline as isotopic substrates, diacylglycerol ethanolaminephosphotransferase (EPT) and diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase (CPT) have been characterized in vitro. Both enzymes (i) require Mn2+; (ii) are stimulated by exogenous 1,2-diacylglycerols; and (iii) are inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and CMP. Yeast EPT and CPT can be clearly distinguished on the basis of their different (i) pH optima; (ii) thermal sensitivities at 50 degrees C; (iii) concentration-dependent inhibition by CMP; and (iv) sensitivities to the hypolipidemic drug, DH-990. Reversibility experiments demonstrate that CDP-ethanolamine can be resynthesized by enzymatic reactions involving CMP and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) formed from the cytidine dinucleotide derivative or by the decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine (PS). Similarly, CDP-choline can be reformed by the reaction of CMP with PC synthesized from CDP-choline or by the sequential N-methylation of PE. A double-isotope experiment provides evidence that PE molecules synthesized via CDP-ethanolamine or by the decarboxylation of PS are converted to phosphatidylcholine (PC) by the methylation pathway at similar, if not identical, rates. The N-methylation of the metabolically specific pool of PE, synthesized from CDP-ethanolamine, is drastically reduced in membranes prepared from choline-grown cells. Neither EPT nor CPT appear to be induced by the addition of ethanolamine or choline, respectively, to the growth medium. However, the addition of 10 mM choline to the growth medium results in a 46% reduction in EPT activity. This change in EPT activity may be a regulatory response to lower rates of PE N-methylation in choline-grown cells.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1983

Characterization of brain phosphatidylserine decarboxylase: localization in the mitochondrial inner membrane.

A membranous fraction from calf brain, sedimenting at 10,000g, catalyzes the decarboxylation of exogenous phosphatidyl[14C]serine presented in an aqueous dispersion in detergent. The product formed by the enzymatic decarboxylation reaction is chemically and chromatographically identical to phosphatidyl[14C]ethanolamine. The calf brain decarboxylase activity: (1) did not require divalent cations; (2) was optimally active at neutral pH; (3) exhibited maximal activity in the presence of 0.1% Cutscum or sodium taurocholate; (4) was inhibited by hydroxylamine or p-hydroxymercuribenzoate; and (5) has an apparent Km = 2.4 mM for the phospholipid substrate. When this fraction was further separated by metrizamide density centrifugation, 90% of the phosphatidylserine decarboxylase activity was associated with the mitochondria. Resolution of the inner and outer membranes of the mitochondria revealed that greater than 99% of the decarboxylase activity was bound to the inner membrane. In contrast to this result, diacylglycerol ethanolaminephosphotransferase, another enzyme responsible for phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis in brain, was greatly enriched in the microsomal fraction. The highest level of phospholipid N-methyltransferase activity was also localized in the microsomal fraction. Thus, phosphatidylethanolamine formation via cytidine diphosphate ethanolamine in brain occurs at a membrane site where it should be available for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine by stepwise methylation. In order for phosphatidylethanolamine formed by the decarboxylation reaction to be available for N-methylation, translocation from mitochondria to the microsomal site would be required.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Effects of chronic dietary lead in American kestrels (Falco sparverius).

American kestrels were fed a diet containing 0, 10, or 50 ppm lead (Pb) powder for at least 5 mo. Blood delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity in birds receiving 50 ppm Pb was as low as 20% of controls but no significant effects were noted in packed cell volume (PCV) or hemoglobin concentration (Hb). Mean liver Pb residues in birds fed 50 ppm Pb were 1.3 and 2.4 ppm (dry wt) for males and females, respectively. Liver Pb residues in birds fed 10 ppm Pb were not significantly greater than controls. There was no significant correlation between blood ALAD activity and blood Pb concentration, no consistent histopathological lesions were noted, and body and organ weights were not affected.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Properties of particulate and detergent-solubilized phospholipid N-methyltransferase activity from calf brain.

Calf brain membranes catalyze the enzymatic transfer of [CH3-3H]methyl groups from S-adenosyl-L-[CH3-3H]methionine into endogenous phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine (PME), phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine (PDE), and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Phospholipid N-methylation can be stimulated by the addition of exogenous PME or PDE, added in aqueous dispersions with sodium taurocholate. When membranes are incubated in the presence of exogenous PME, [CH3-3H]PDE represents 86% of the labeled phospholipid products. When exogenous PME is replaced by PDE, 91% of the label is incorporated into PC. Thus, under these in vitro conditions it is possible to assay PME- and PDE-N-methyltransferase activity separately. The calf brain phospholipid N-methyltransferase activity has also been solubilized by treating the membranes ultrasonically in the presence of Triton X-100 and 10 mM monothioglycerol. When the detergent extracts are incubated in the presence of exogenous PME, [CH3-3H]PDE represents 86% of the enzymatically labeled products. In the presence of exogenous PDE, more than 97% of the label is incorporated into PC. Optimal conditions for the membrane-bound and detergent-solubilized PME- and PDE-N-methyltransferase activity have been established. These conditions have been used as a basis for testing the hypothesis that the conversion of PME to PC is catalyzed by a single enzyme in calf brain. In these studies, PME- and PDE-N-methyltransferase activities have been found to be similar, if not identical, with respect to: (1) extractability with Triton X-100; (2) pH optimum; (3) response to divalent cations; (4) apparent Km for S-adenosyl-L-methionine and K1 for S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, (5) sensitivity to N-ethylmaleimide; and (6) thermal inactivation at 55 degrees. Overall, these results are consistent with the conclusion that in calf brain, PME and PDE are methylated by the same enzyme or by two phospholipid N-methyltransferases having very similar properties.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Organochlorine and metal residues in eggs of waterfowl nesting on islands in Lake Michigan off Door County, Wisconsin, 1977-78.

One egg from each of 114 red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) nests in 1977 and 92 nests in 1978 was collected and later analyzed for organochlorines, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polychlorinated styrenes (PCSs), and metals. One egg was also collected from each of the dabbling duck nests located. Twenty-nine of these eggs were analyzed for organochlorines and metals in 1977; 10 eggs were analyzed in 1978. All merganser eggs contained DDE, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dieldrin; all but one egg collected in 1978 contained DDT. DDE and PCB levels had declined since 1975 to a geometric mean of 7.4 ppm DDE and 20 ppm PCBs in 1977 and 7.6 ppm DDE and 19 ppm PCBs in 1978. Dieldrin residues in eggs had not declined from 1975 levels; the geometric mean was 0.78 ppm in 1977 and 0.76 ppm in 1978. Other organochlorines were present at low levels. Mercury residues averaged greater than 0.50 ppm in merganser eggs and had not declined since 1975. Other metals were present at low levels. Dabbling ducks generally had much lower organochlorine and Hg residues than mergansers; DDE and PCBs were the only organochlorines present in the majority of eggs. Geometric means of PCBs and DDT in dabbling duck eggs did not exceed 2.0 ppm and 1.0 ppm, respectively. PBBs and PCSs were detected only in a few merganser eggs, at low levels. Eggshell thickness for red-breasted merganser eggs averaged 0.359 mm in 1977 and 0.355 mm in 1978, which is only 2%-3% below pre-1946 thicknesses. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) eggshell thicknesses averaged 0.331 mm in 1977 and 0.377 mm in 1978.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Hospitals list nurse graduate expectations.

Development of an inventory of skills needed by nurses entering hospital practice has improved nursing college curriculumns and hospital in-service education in Arizona.

Arizona↗