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Biomedical subjects

J Jaeger

Publications and source records attributed to J Jaeger.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

School-based AIDS education for adolescents.

PURPOSE: To describe a program which utilizes medical students and persons with AIDS (PWAs) to provide for adolescents school-based education about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). METHODS: Two 1.5 hour classroom sessions were conducted by medical students and persons with AIDS for seventh and eighth grade students (n = 1,161 students) at two urban middle schools. In addition, a two hour informational session was provided for parents. A 49 question student health survey was used to evaluate adolescents' HIV knowledge, tolerance of persons with AIDS, and intentions to engage in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) safe behaviors. RESULTS: Significant (p < 0.01) increases in HIV knowledge and tolerance of persons with AIDS were observed, which persisted for three months. A significant (p < 0.01) improvement in intention to engage in HIV-safe behaviors was observed but did not persist for three months. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students and persons with AIDS can provide school-based AIDS education to early adolescents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Peroxide accumulation in detergents.

It is known that polyether detergents have a propensity for peroxide accumulation but the rate of this accumulation and the conditions under which it occurs are not well-appreciated. We here describe the use of the FOX (ferrous oxidation in Xylenol orange) assay as a screen for detergent peroxide accumulation. We also show that a chain-breaking antioxidant, but not a metal-chelating agent block peroxide accumulation in detergent stored in the light at room temperature.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene↗
PubMed1993

Crystallographic refinement and structure analysis of the complex of wheat germ agglutinin with a bivalent sialoglycopeptide from glycophorin A.

Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) elicits a number of biological effects in erythrocytes as a result of specific binding to the transmembrane protein glycophorin A. The structure of co-crystals of WGA (isolectin 1: WGA1) with a bivalent sialoglycopeptide fragment of glycophorin A (T5), determined at 2.0 A resolution, has been further refined and analyzed with respect to ligand-induced changes in the tertiary structure, mobility, solvation, saccharide conformation and protein/saccharide interactions at three independent N-acetyl-D-neuraminic (NeuNAc) binding sites. The final model, which includes the two independent WGA1 monomers (composed of domains A, B, C and D), two positions for bound T5 sialo-tetrasaccharide (NeuNAc-alpha 2,3-Gal-beta 1,3-(alpha 2,6-NeuNAc)GalNAc) and 386 water molecules, refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 17.1% (Fo > 1.0 sigma) and an average temperature factor of 31.99 A2. Comparisons between the tertiary structures of the liganded and unliganded WGA1 dimers indicate that the largest deviations from 2-fold symmetry are localized in domains engaged in sugar binding (B1 and C2) and at the C-terminal domain of monomer II (D2), forming a strong lattice contact. Interactions of the tetrasaccharide with amino acid ligands in the three binding sites and with water were carefully analyzed and compared. Bound conformations of terminal NeuNAc match to within a root-mean-square delta r of 0.3 A. The specificity-determining N-acetyl group superimposes best in comparison with other substituents of the sugar ring. Of the five domain binding sites that are not occupied in this dimeric crosslinked complex, only one is accessible to the NeuNAc monosaccharide as determined from a difference Fourier map at 3.0 A resolution.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1992

Neuropsychiatric rehabilitation for persistent mental illness.

The benefits of new knowledge on the psychobiology and neuropsychology of serious mental illnesses have been slow to impact on psychiatric rehabilitation technology. A literature review reveals that, at least in the case of schizophrenia, enough is known about neurobiological deficits and their impact on neurocognitive functioning to justify a more informed approach to psychiatric rehabilitation. Essential elements for a program of research are presented and preliminary data are reported examining the prevalence of executive deficits, correlations between neuropsychological deficits and social adjustment, and the nature of socially stigmatizing neuromotor deficits and their reliable assessment. In addition, early experience with the remediation of executive deficits is described and suggestions are made for future developments in this area. The authors conclude that barriers to the integration of knowledge from biological psychiatry and psychiatric rehabilitation have been largely related to academic "cultural" isolation, and that active cross fertilization of ideas is clearly justified by the present state of knowledge.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Remediation of neuropsychological deficits in psychiatric populations: rationale and methodological considerations.

The authors provide a literature review and methodological description of the emerging field of neuropsychiatric rehabilitation. Part I reviews literature that reveals compelling reasons for considering neuropsychological (NP) rehabilitation methods in patients with mental illness. NP deficits are prevalent in these patients and in contrast to psychopathology are predictive of social and occupational dysfunction, the most costly aspect of mental illness in both human and financial terms. NP deficits may explain the relatively poor outcomes from traditional vocational rehabilitation programs and there is evidence that they may be remediable. Part II summarizes methodological considerations required for research in this field. Methods for selecting optimal neuropsychiatric rehabilitation intervention techniques are reviewed and some suggestions are offered along with a brief theoretical discussion concerning their potential neural basis. Finally, design issues are reviewed, some tools for the measurement of outcome are offered, and methods are suggested for controlling for medications and environmental factors.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of dialkylglycine decarboxylase, a decarboxylating transaminase.

The pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme dialkylglycine decarboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.64) has been crystallized by vapor diffusion from a 15% polyethyleneglycol solution with sodium pyruvate as coprecipitant. The space group of the crystals is either P6(2)22 or the enantiomorph, P6(4)22, with one subunit of 46,500 Da per asymmetric unit. The unit cell has dimensions a = b = 152.7 A, c = 86.6 A, alpha = beta = 90 degrees, gamma = 120 degrees, and a solvent content of approximately 61%. diffraction extends to 2.3 A resolution.

Burkholderia cepacia↗
PubMed1990

[Drug therapy of disorders of cerebral performance. Randomized comparative study of dihydroergotoxine and Ginkgo biloba extract].

In a randomized trial lasting six weeks and involving 80 elderly patients with cerebrovascular disorders, the effectiveness and tolerance of dihydroergotoxine was compared with an extract of Ginkgo biloba. On the basis of psychometric tests and assessment scales, it was shown that treatment with either substance improved the condition of the patients. While, for the most part, intergroup comparison revealed no major statistically significant differences, such changes, affecting various parameters, were found during follow-up--more frequently within the dihydroergotoxine group than within the group treated with Ginkgo biloba extract.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Self-reported neuroendocrine effects of antipsychotics in women: a pilot study.

Although neuroendocrine adverse effects (NAEs) of antipsychotic agents in women have been widely reported, it has been generally assumed that either (1) tolerance to these effects develops with chronic use, (2) patients adjust to the effects, or (3) a trial of dopamine-agonist treatment is effective. We have begun to examine the prevalence of chronic adverse effects and their effect on compliance using a pilot study of self-reported NAEs, antipsychotic drugs, and compliance patterns in a naturalistic setting. Twenty chronic psychiatric outpatients who had been continuously prescribed antipsychotic agents for a minimum of six months were interviewed. The major finding is the greater antipsychotic dose exposure among those with self-reported NAEs compared with those without NAEs (781 +/- 606 chlorpromazine-equivalent mg/d vs. 125 +/- 117, p less than 0.001). High-potency agents were prescribed for all of the patients reporting amenorrhea and/or galactorrhea, although the relationship between potency group (high vs. low) and total neuroendocrine effects was not significant. Self-reported compliance was not significantly related to neuroendocrine adverse effects. However, a trend toward the association of self-reported galactorrhea and noncompliance (p = 0.08) is noted. The implications of these findings and a suggested approach for their replication in a more powerful statistical analysis is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Haloperidol blood levels and effects in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder: a progress report.

To test the hypothesis of a "therapeutic window," we have randomly assigned acutely exacerbating schizophrenic or schizoaffective patients to one of three plasma levels of haloperidol (HAL): 2-13, 13.1-24, or 24.1-35 ng/ml. Patients who did not improve after 6 weeks of this treatment were randomly assigned to one of the three haloperidol levels for another 6 weeks. The improvement was defined as at least 50 percent reduction of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) total score. The results obtained in 111 patients do not support any consistent relationship between plasma level of haloperidol and clinical improvement. Patients in the high haloperidol plasma range tended to have more side effects. These results suggest that the haloperidol doses used in clinical practice may be higher than necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Inpatient violence: trait and state.

This study compared patients who showed persistent violence, transient violence and no violence. The presence of neurological abnormalities was found to be the factor that differentiated most clearly among the three groups. The persistently violent patients, in addition to showing significantly more neurological abnormalities, also evidenced a more disturbed family background. Both violent groups had a higher incidence of violent crime prior to hospitalization than the nonviolent controls. A logistic regression model simultaneously relating the effects of six factors on violent behavior was developed and used to predict violent group membership.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Neurological impairment in violent schizophrenic inpatients.

This study relates violent behavior of schizophrenic inpatients to demographic, historical, EEG, neurological, and neuropsychological variables. Patients were classified into high (N = 28), low (N = 27), or no (N = 34) violence groups. There were no significant differences among the groups on demographic or historical variables, except for prevalence of violent crime, which was higher in both violent groups than in nonviolent patients. Neurological and neuropsychological abnormalities differentiated the groups, with the high violence group evidencing more abnormalities than the other two groups in the area of integrative sensory and motor functions. The authors suggest that violence as well as neurological and neuropsychological deficits may characterize a more severe form of schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Subjective symptoms: part of the negative syndrome of schizophrenia?

We present the psychometric and clinical psychopathological properties of the SDSS for the assessment of subjective symptoms as applied to various schizophrenic samples. The subjective deficit syndrome has not been obvious to most investigators, in part because the currently available scales, even those assessing negative symptoms, were not designed to capture it. While the subjective deficit syndrome is not specific to schizophrenia, it may explain what is widely observed as a major public health problem, namely, that officially "remitted" patients continue to fail in social and occupational functioning. The understanding of this syndrome is a prerequisite for better management of these remitted schizophrenic outpatients. Future longitudinal studies including outpatients are needed to address these issues further.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1988

Active site model of cytochrome P-450 LM2.

Based on (i) a detailed analysis of the physicochemical properties of selected benzphetamine derived substrates and (ii) the identification of Tyr-380 as active site residue trans to thiolate theoretical studies (computer aided molecular design) revealed a model of the substrate binding site of cytochrome P-450 LM2. The results indicate that substrates with a butterfly-like bulky conformation exhibit the highest intrinsic activity. Those substrates which preferably exist in an extended conformation are sterically hindered to intensively interact with the binding site which is demonstrated by computer graphics.

Benzphetamine↗
PubMed1988

Low frontal glucose utilization in chronic schizophrenia: a replication study.

Frontal/posterior ratios of cerebral glucose metabolism as determined by positron emission tomography were significantly lower in 13 chronic schizophrenic patients than in eight normal control subjects, as were absolute metabolic rates in both the frontal and posterior regions. The differences were not accounted for by cerebral atrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Predicting assaultiveness in psychiatric inpatients: a pilot study.

A sample of 87 psychiatric inpatients known to have been assaultive while in the hospital was contrasted with a matched group of nonviolent patients to identify the personal risk factors that distinguished the two groups. Data were collected using a personal history interview, a neurological examination, and an electroencephalogram. The four risk factors identified--neurological abnormality, history of violent crime, history of violent suicide attempts, and deviant family environment in childhood--were used to develop a statistical model predicting which subjects in a sample of newly admitted patients would become assaultive during the first three months after admission. The predicted classification of patients was found to be significantly related to subsequent assaultive behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Effects of amphetamine on local cerebral metabolism in normal and schizophrenic subjects as determined by positron emission tomography.

The effects of d-amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg PO) on regional cerebral glucose utilization were measured with Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Subjects included ten chronic schizophrenics and six controls who received amphetamine, and six chronic schizophrenics and nine controls who received placebo or no treatment. Amphetamine decreased glucose metabolism in all regions studied (frontal, temporal, and striatal) in normal and schizophrenic subjects. The metabolic effects of amphetamine were correlated with plasma level of the drug. Cortical atrophy was associated with a blunted metabolic response.

Adult↗