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Biomedical subjects

J Kerner

Publications and source records attributed to J Kerner.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

The effect of cold and fasting on the carnitine concentration in the brown adipose tissue of rats.

The ratio of aceytlcarnitine to carnitine was unchanged in the interscapular brown fatty tissue of rats which were kept at 5 degrees C. The quantity of total acid soluble carnitine relative to the fat-free dry weight was also unchanged. On the other hand a small decrease of the environmental temperature from 23 degrees C to 18 degree C and 20 degrees C resulted in a significant increase in the acetylcarnitine to carnitine ratio.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ethnic differences in knowledge and attitudes about BRCA1 testing in women at increased risk.

Informed consent for BRCA1 mutation testing will require adequate knowledge of patterns of inheritance of cancer and the benefits, limitations, and risks of DNA testing. This study examined knowledge about the inheritance of breast cancer and attitudes about genetic testing for breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility in women at increased risk. Knowledge and attitudes were measured in 407 African American and Caucasian women aged 18-75 who had at least one first-degree relative (FDR) with breast and/or ovarian cancer. The average knowledge score was 6.0 out of a total of 11 (S.D. = 2.15). Compared to Caucasian women, African American women had lower levels of knowledge and had more positive attitudes about the benefits of genetic testing. There were no significant ethnic differences in attitudes about the limitations and risks of testing, however, income was negatively associated with this outcome. Ethnic differences in knowledge and attitudes about genetic testing for breast-ovarian cancer risk may be attributable to differences in exposure to genetic information and referral by health care providers.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Improving knowledge of the prostate cancer screening dilemma among African American men: an academic-community partnership in Washington, DC.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown that African American men are at greater risk than other men for prostate cancer in terms of both incidence and mortality. At the same time, the utility of screening asymptomatic men for prostate cancer remains controversial. The combination of high incidence and high mortality with the uncertain benefits of screening poses a difficult problem for African American men. This study was part of an ongoing project that sought to develop and evaluate health education materials designed to help African American men make an informed decision about prostate cancer screening. The project represented a collaboration between the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia and the Lombardi Cancer Center of Georgetown University. METHODS: The authors conducted eight focus groups with 44 members of the Prince Hall Masons. The focus groups covered men's understanding of prostate cancer screening and their preferences for methods of health education. RESULTS: Participants demonstrated a high level of awareness of the availability of prostate cancer screening, a low awareness of the screening controversy, and a desire for detailed epidemiologic information and information about the benefits and limitations of screening. The preferred forms of educational materials were video and print-based materials, which the research team has recently developed. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the feasibility of developing an academic-community collaboration with the goal of improving a health-related problem in the African American community. A randomized trial is underway to evaluate the impact of the video and print education materials.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes of plasma free amino acids and renal clearances of carnitines in premature infants during L-carnitine-supplemented human milk feeding.

Eighteen breast-fed infants with a mean post-natal age of 26 days (range 16-41 days) were studied. Following 1 control day, the infants were fed for 7 consecutive days with pooled human milk supplemented with 300 nmol L-carnitine/ml milk. Both plasma fractions of acid-soluble carnitines increased as a consequence of carnitine application. The level of beta-hydroxybutyrate also increased significantly. Of the circulating free amino acids, the levels of alanine (p less than 0.025) and glutamine (p less than 0.01) were found to be lower, with a decreased urea level (p less than 0.005) by the last day of carnitine administration, compared with the control day. The urinary output of total nitrogen also decreased. There were no statistically significant changes in the level of free fatty acids and glucose. On the control day, the renal clearance rate of esterified carnitines significantly exceeded that of free fraction, thus the relative renal reabsorption calculated on the base of creatinine excretion rates was higher for free (mean 98.1%) than for acylated (mean 90.6%) carnitine. In response to enhanced carnitine intake, the clearance rates for each fractions of carnitines significantly exceeded the presupplementary values. The increased clearance rates was more pronounced for free (mean 13.2-fold) than for esterified (mean 8.08-fold) carnitines. Despite the increased clearance rates, considerable relative reabsorption was seen for free carnitines (mean 70.0%) as well as for acylcarnitines (mean 65.3%).

Absorption↗