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J K Roberts

Publications and source records attributed to J K Roberts.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Testing the validity of the lacunar hypothesis: the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study experience.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Few studies have attempted to validate the "lacunar hypothesis." The accuracy of identifying lacunar and other nonlacunar mechanisms of infarction will be increasingly important in evaluating potential stroke treatments. The aim of this study was to determine the value of lacunar syndromes in predicting radiologic lacunes and the value of clinicoradiologic lacunes in predicting "lacunar infarction" as final stroke mechanism. METHODS: From 1990 to 1994, 591 patients with cerebral infarction, who were from northern Manhattan and over the age of 39, were prospectively examined. Data were collected on the admitting clinical syndrome (lacunar or nonlacunar) and brain imaging findings. Lacunar syndromes were categorized as pure motor hemiparesis (PMH), pure sensory syndrome (PSS), sensorimotor syndrome (SMS), ataxic-hemiparesis (A-H), and other lacunar syndromes. Brain imaging findings were classified as radiologic lacune or nonlacune. Positive predictive values, sensitivities, and specificities of lacunar syndromes for identifying radiologic lacunes were calculated. The final mechanism of infarction was determined after review of all the diagnostic tests and compared among the lacunar groups. RESULTS: Lacunar syndromes occurred in 225 cases. PMH was the most common lacunar syndrome, accounting for 45%, SMS 20%, A-H 18%, and PSS 7%. Lacunar syndromes had an overall positive predictive value (PPV) of 87% for detecting radiologic lacune: PSS 100%, A-H 95%, SMS 87%, and PMH 79%. Among the 195 patients who presented with a lacunar syndrome and had this condition confirmed radiologically, 147 were classified as having a final diagnosis of lacunar mechanism of infarction (PPV = 75%). Atherosclerosis accounted for 17 (9%), cardioembolism 10 (5%), cryptogenic 17 (9%), and other unusual causes 4 (2%). CONCLUSION: While lacunar syndromes, especially PSS and A-H, are highly predictive of lacune, in about one in four patients presenting with lacunar syndromes confirmed radiologically the condition is associated with nonlacunar mechanisms of infarction. Noninvasive neurovascular and cardiac evaluations are still warranted even among patients with lacunes.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Low thromboembolic risk without anticoagulation using advanced-design left ventricular assist devices.

BACKGROUND: A major limitation of cardiac assist devices has been the high incidence of thromboembolic events and their requirement for systemic anticoagulation. The Thermo Cardiosystems HeartMate 1000 IP left ventricular assist device (LVAD) employs a design that may reduce thromboembolic risk and obviate the need for systemic anticoagulation. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-three patients with nonreversible heart failure were supported with the HeartMate LVAD as a bridge to heart transplantation. All patients were monitored prospectively for thromboembolic events. Anticoagulation regimens and occurrence of subclinical thromboembolic events, including those seen by transcranial Doppler examinations in selected patients, were also recorded. RESULTS: Total time of LVAD support use was 531.2 patient-months. Twenty-three patients (10%) received warfarin postoperatively for 42.4 patient-months (8.2% of total support time). Six patients (2.7%) had thromboembolic events, representing 0.011 events per patient-month of device use. CONCLUSIONS: The thromboembolic complication rate associated with this LVAD is acceptably low despite the minimal anticoagulation employed in this series, allowing consideration of long-term device use for the treatment of heart failure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Isolation of a flax (Linum usitatissimum) gene induced during susceptible infection by flax rust (Melampsora lini).

In a susceptible infection of flax (Linum usitatissimum), the obligate rust pathogen (Melampsora lini) can grow in the leaf without triggering the hypersensitive resistance response. The rust establishes specialized structures (haustoria) in plant mesophyll cells and induces changes in plant subcellular organization. Subtraction hybridization methods were used to isolate cDNA clones of mRNAs that have altered expression in infected leaves. Most of the cDNAs recovered were of fungal origin, but one clone, pFIS 1 (flax inducible sequence No. 1), recovered from several independent experiments, was a plant-specified mRNA that showed a 10-fold increase in steady-state levels during susceptible growth. The increase in fis 1 mRNA levels was not seen in the resistant reaction (hypersensitive reaction) and the predicted protein sequence (551 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 61 kDa) has no similarity to known pathogenesis-related proteins. Searches of sequence data bases showed that fis 1 encodes a protein which contains amino acid sequence motifs that are conserved in all previously characterized aldehyde dehydrogenases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Gibberellin-regulated expression of a myb gene in barley aleurone cells: evidence for Myb transactivation of a high-pI alpha-amylase gene promoter.

Functional analysis of a barley high-pI alpha-amylase gene promoter has identified a gibberellin (GA) response complex in the region between -174 and -108. The sequence of the central element, TAACAAA, is very similar to the c-Myb and v-Myb consensus binding site. We investigated the possibility that a GA-regulated Myb transactivates alpha-amylase gene expression in barley aleurone cells. A cDNA clone, GAmyb, which encodes a novel Myb, was isolated from a barley aleurone cDNA library. RNA blot analysis revealed that GAmyb expression in isolated barley aleurone layers is up-regulated by GA. The kinetics of GAmyb expression indicates that it is an early event in GA-regulated gene expression and precedes alpha-amylase gene expression. Cycloheximide blocked alpha-amylase gene expression but failed to block GAmyb gene expression, indicating that protein synthesis is not required for GAmyb gene expression. Gel mobility shift experiments with recombinant GAMyb showed that GAMyb binds specifically to the TAACAAA box in vitro. We demonstrated in transient expression experiments that GAMyb activates transcription of a high-pI alpha-amylase promoter fused to a beta-glucuronidase reporter gene in the absence of GA. Our results indicate that the GAMyb is the sole GA-regulated transcription factor required for transcriptional activation of the high-pI alpha-amylase promoter. We therefore postulate that GAMyb is a part of the GA-response pathway leading to alpha-amylase gene expression in aleurone cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

A square signal wave method for measurement of brain extra- and intracellular water content.

Brain tissue electrical impedance is a commonly used method to evaluate the dynamics of brain edema. We have found the square wave impedance method simpler and more cost-effective than the currently used sine wave impedance method. This square wave method avoids the necessity for expensive frequency control and amplitude-phase measuring devices as well as simplifying on-line data processing. In our experiments the electrical impulse was generated by a pulse generator of Macintosh data acquisition system. The signal (I = 11 muA, t = 2-20 ms) was delivered every 2-3 s external electrodes of a tetrapolar system through a specially designed isolation-calibration device. This electrode system was inserted into the cerebral cortex of experimental animals (rat). The cerebral cortex was found to have linear electrical properties in the 5-30 muA range. Our impedance measurement system was tested in calibration trials, and showed system reliability and accuracy. The system was also tested in pilot experiments, in vivo, in a rat brain osmotic edema model.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Plasmacytoma of the middle ear and mastoid.

Extramedullary plasmacytomas are rare plasma cell tumors of the soft tissue that predominantly occur in the head and neck. They are most commonly seen in the upper respiratory passages and oral cavity. There have been only a few reports in the world literature of plasmacytomas occurring within the temporal bone. This report presents a case of plasmacytoma of the middle ear and mastoid that presented as a middle ear mass. Work-ups for systemic dissemination and multiple myeloma were negative, classifying this as a localized extramedullary plasmacytoma. This is the first report in the English literature of this malignant tumor occurring as an isolated lesion within the middle ear and mastoid. The patient was treated with surgical debulking and radiotherapy with complete resolution of the tumor. Although extremely rare, plasmacytoma should to be included in the differential for soft tissue tumors of the middle ear and mastoid.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1993

The safety and efficacy of bedside tracheotomy.

Many institutions require that tracheotomies be performed in the operating room. Movement of critically ill patients dependent on multiple life support systems is technically difficult, labor intensive, and potentially dangerous for the patients. Between 1983 and 1992, 1088 tracheotomies were performed on patients ages 1 week to 94 years at the University of Rochester affiliated hospitals on critically ill patients as isolated procedures. The procedure was performed in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) on 996 patients, (92.9%), whereas 92 patients (7.1%) had tracheotomies in the operating room (OR1). An additional 346 tracheotomies took place in the operating room in conjunction with other head and neck procedures (OR2). Incidence of perioperative bleeding (within 48 hours) was 2.3% in the ICU group, 2.1% in the ORI group, and 2.0% in the OR2 group. Incidence of stomal infection was also similar among the three groups at 1.8%, 2.1%, and 1.5%, respectively. Tube dislodgement in all groups was a complication. No statistical differences were noted among the three groups (ICU, OR1, OR2) at the p < 0.01 level. Criteria for performing the tracheotomy in the ICU are delineated and discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Identification of an isozyme form of protein synthesis initiation factor 4F in plants.

We showed previously that wheat germ extracts contain two forms of protein synthesis initiation factor 4F that have very similar functional properties (Browning, K. S., Lax, S. R., and Ravel, J. M. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 11228-11232). One form, designated eIF-4F, is a complex containing two subunits, p220 and p26. The other form, designated eIF-(iso)4F, is a complex containing two subunits, p82 and p28, which are antigenically distinct from the subunits of eIF-4F. Both the p26 subunit of eIF-4F and the p28 subunit of eIF-(iso)4F are m7G cap-binding proteins. In this investigation, affinity-purified antibodies to the p220 and p26 subunits of wheat germ eIF-4F and to the p82 and p28 subunits of wheat germ eIF-(iso)4F were used to determine if isozyme forms of eIF-4F are present in maize and cauliflower. Extracts from wheat germ, maize root tips, and cauliflower inflorescences were partially purified by adsorption on m7GTP-Sepharose and elution with m7GTP (MGS eluate). Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with antibodies to the subunits of the wheat germ factors showed that the MGS eluate from maize contains polypeptides that react with antibodies to the p82 and p28 subunits of wheat eIF-(iso)4F, as well as polypeptides that react with antibodies to the p220 and p26 subunits of wheat eIF-4F. The MGS eluate from cauliflower also contains polypeptides that reacted with antibodies to the subunits of wheat eIF-(iso)4F. These results indicate that both maize and cauliflower contain the isozyme form of eIF-4F. In addition, it was found that the factors in the MGS eluate from maize support polypeptide synthesis in a system from wheat deficient in eIF-4F and eIF-(iso)4F, whereas the factors in the MGS eluate from cauliflower support polypeptide synthesis only to a small extent.

Brassica↗
PubMed1992

Estimation of Ammonium Ion Distribution between Cytoplasm and Vacuole Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Evidence is presented that intracellular ammonium is trapped in vacuoles of maize (Zea mays L.) root tips because of rapid movement of ammonia between cytoplasm and vacuoles. The concentration of cytoplasmic ammonium is estimated to be <15 mum at extracellular ammonium concentrations up to 1 mm. The implications for pathways of ammonium assimilation are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Contribution of Malate and Amino Acid Metabolism to Cytoplasmic pH Regulation in Hypoxic Maize Root Tips Studied Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

(31)P-, (13)C-, and (15)N-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to determine the roles of malate, succinate, Ala, Asp, Glu, Gln, and gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) in the energy metabolism and regulation of cytoplasmic pH in hypoxic maize (Zea mays L.) root tips. Nitrogen status was manipulated by perfusing root tips with ammonium sulfate prior to hypoxia; this pretreatment led to enhanced synthesis of Ala early in hypoxia, and of GABA at later times. We show that: (a) the ability to regulate cytoplasmic pH during hypoxia is not significantly affected by enhanced Ala synthesis. (b) Independent of nitrogen status, decarboxylation of Glu to GABA is greatest after several hours of hypoxia, as metabolism collapses. (c) Early in hypoxia, cytoplasmic malate is in part decarboxylated to pyruvate (leading to Ala, lactate, and ethanol), and in part converted to succinate. It appears that activation of malic enzyme serves to limit cytoplasmic acidosis early in hypoxia. (d) Ala synthesis in hypoxic root tips under these conditions is due to transfer of nitrogen ultimately derived from Asp and Gln, present in oxygenated tissue. We describe the relative contributions of glycolysis and malate decarboxylation in providing Ala carbons. (e) Succinate accumulation during hypoxia can be attributed to metabolism of Asp and malate; this flux to succinate is energetically negligible. There is no detectable net flux from Glc to succinate during hypoxia. The significance of the above metabolic reactions relative to ethanol and lactate production, and to flooding tolerance, is discussed. The regulation of the patterns of metabolism during hypoxia is considered with respect to cytoplasmic pH and redox state.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Quantitation of Rates of Transport, Metabolic Fluxes, and Cytoplasmic Levels of Inorganic Carbon in Maize Root Tips during K Ion Uptake.

Our aim was to determine whether fixation of inorganic carbon (C(i)), due to phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity, is limited by the availability of C(i) in the cytoplasm of maize (Zea mays L.) root tips. Rates of C(i) uptake and metabolism were measured during K(2)SO(4) treatment, which stimulates dark C(i) fixation. (13)C(i) uptake was followed by (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); 5 millimolar K(2)SO(4) had no significant effect on (13)C(i) influx. The contribution of respiratory CO(2) production to cytoplasmic HCO(3) (-) was measured using in vivo(13)C-NMR and (1)H-NMR of cell extracts; K(2)SO(4) treatment had no effect on respiratory CO(2) production. The concentration of cytoplasmic HCO(3) (-) was estimated to be approximately 11 millimolar, again with K(2)SO(4) having no significant effect. These experiments allowed us to determine the extent to which extracellularly supplied (14)C(i) was diluted in the cytoplasm by respiratory CO(2) and thereby measure phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase activity in vivo using (14)C(i). PEP carboxylase activity in root tips was enhanced approximately 70% over controls within 12 minutes of the addition of 5 millimolar K(2)SO(4). The activity of carbonic anhydrase, which provides PEP carboxylase with C(i), was determined by saturation transfer (13)C-NMR to be more than 200 times that of PEP carboxylase in vivo. The regulation of PEP carboxylase in K(2)SO(4)-treated roots is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

A maize ribosome-inactivating protein is controlled by the transcriptional activator Opaque-2.

Although synthesis of the cytosolic maize albumin b-32 had been shown to be controlled by the Opaque-2 regulatory locus, its function was unknown. We show here that b-32 is a member of the large and widely distributed class of toxic plant proteins with ribosome-inactivating activity. These ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that remove a single base from a conserved 28S rRNA loop required for elongation factor 1 alpha binding. Cell-free in vitro translation extracts were used to show that both maize and wheat ribosomes were resistant to molar excesses of b-32 but not to the dicotyledonous RIP gelonin. We extracted RIP activity from kernels during seed maturation and germination. The amount of RIP activity increased during germination, although the amount of b-32 protein remained fairly constant. Expression of a maize RIP gene under the control of an endosperm-specific transcriptional regulatory may be an important clue prompting investigation of the biological basis for RIP expression in seeds of other plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Hypoxia enhances phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4A in maize root tips.

We have identified two isoforms of initiation factor 4A (eIF-4A) in maize root tips, with distinct isoelectric points and similar molecular mass (approximately 50 kDa). Both isoforms of maize eIF-4A cross-react with antibodies raised against wheat germ eIF-4A, and one of the maize proteins (higher pI isoform) comigrates with purified wheat germ eIF-4A on two-dimensional gels. The two maize eIF-4As were indistinguishable by comparative peptide fingerprint analysis, which also showed a very strong similarity between eIF-4A in maize roots and wheat germ. Maize eIF-4As copurify with eIF-4F and eIF-(iso)4F on a 7-methyl-GTP-Sepharose affinity column, indicating that they are part of the 5'-cap-binding complex. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting of proteins from 32P-labeled maize root tips revealed that the lower pI isoform of eIF-4A is phosphorylated. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide maps of trypsin-digested eIF-4A contained one principal phosphorylated fragment; phosphoamino acid analysis indicated phosphorylation of threonine. In oxygenated maize root tips, the ratio of phosphorylated to nonphosphorylated eIF-4A is approximately 0.2. This ratio increases to approximately 1 within 20 min following the onset of hypoxia, due to interconversion between the two maize eIF-4A isoforms. The hypoxia-induced phosphorylation of eIF-4A is discussed with respect to metabolic responses, and the translational control of gene expression, in hypoxic plant tissues.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional↗
PubMed1991

Cytoplasmic malate levels in maize root tips during K+ ion uptake determined by 13C-NMR spectroscopy.

13C-NMR spectroscopy was used to determine the level of cytoplasmic malate in maize root tips that exhibited different rates of malate synthesis. Intracellular malate was 13C-labeled at carbons 1 and 4 by perfusing root tips with 5 nM H13CO3-. This labeling reflects the activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and malate dehydrogenase (production of [4-13C]malate), and fumarase (scrambling of 13C-label between C1 and C4 of malate). In vivo 13C-NMR spectra contained a clearly resolved resonance from cytoplasmic [4-13C]malate, while the resonance from cytoplasmic [1-13C]malate overlapped with others. After 90 min of H13CO3- treatment, 13C-labeling of organic acid pools had reached steady-state. Thereafter, the ratios [13C]malate/[12C + 13C]malate and [1-13C]malate/[4-13C]malate in tissue extracts remained constant; evidence is presented that these ratios were the same for both cytoplasmic and total cellular malate. Hence, the intensity of the cytoplasmic [4-13C]malate signal was proportional to the amount of cytoplasmic malate in root tips. Potassium sulfate stimulate malate synthesis in maize root tips, relative to root tips perfused with HCO3- alone; total cellular malate doubled after approx. 1 h of 5 mM K2SO4-treatment. Cytoplasmic malate increased from approx. 3.5 mM to approx. 7.5 mM within 45 min of the onset of K2SO4-treatment, declining slightly thereafter. The possible effects of these changing cytoplasmic malate concentration on the enzymes involved in malate metabolism are discussed.

Cytoplasm↗