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Biomedical subjects

J Miner

Publications and source records attributed to J Miner.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Optical transmission through double-layer metallic subwavelength slit arrays.

We present measurements of transmission of infrared radiation through double-layer metallic grating structures. Each metal layer contains an array of subwavelength slits and supports transmission resonance in the absence of the other layer. The two metal layers are fabricated in close proximity to allow coupling of the evanescent field on individual layers. The transmission of the double layer is found to be surprisingly large at particular wavelengths, even when no direct line of sight exists through the structure as a result of the lateral shifts between the two layers. We perform numerical simulations using rigorous coupled wave analysis to explain the strong dependence of the peak transmission on the lateral shift between the metal layers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Synthesis and characterization of non-steroidal ligands for the glucocorticoid receptor: selective quinoline derivatives with prednisolone-equivalent functional activity.

A novel class of functional ligands for the human glucocorticoid receptor is described. Substituents in the C-10 position of the tetracyclic core are essential for glucocorticoid receptor (GR) selectivity versus other steroid receptors. The C-5 position is derivatized with meta-substituted aromatic groups, resulting in analogues with a high affinity for GR (K(i) = 2.4-9.3 nM) and functional activity comparable to prednisolone in reporter gene assays of glucocorticoid-mediated gene transcription. The biological activity of these novel quinolines was also prednisolone-equivalent in whole cell assays of glucocorticoid function, and compound 13 was similar to prednisolone (po ED(50) = 2.8 mpk for 13 vs ED(50) = 1.2 mpk for prednisolone) in a rodent model of asthma (sephadex-induced eosinophil influx).

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Propagation of genetically altered tumor cells derived from fine-needle aspirates of primary breast carcinoma.

Because primary breast tumors are diagnosed earlier in the clinic, procurement of sufficient amounts of tumor tissue for in-depth biological characterization is becoming increasingly difficult. We demonstrate here that relatively small numbers of tumor cells within samples of fine-needle aspirates (FNA) can be propagated in culture. Of 25 cases attempted, 12 were passageable, resulting in up to 10(7) viable cells. FNA-derived cultures were evaluated for anchorage-independence, c-erb-B2 overexpression, aneusomy, and pattern of allelic loss. In every case examined, the cultured cells closely resembled the original tumor tissue and displayed one or more tumor phenotypes. The incidence of erb-B2 overexpressing tumors was similar in passageable and nonpassageable cases (33% versus 31%, respectively). FNAs that are expanded from a wide range of clinical breast material could be useful for functional studies presently limited to rare established cell lines, such as aberrant signal transduction and gene regulation, and for testing potential anticancer vaccines and drugs.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1997

Using a performance improvement team to reinvent a mandatory education program.

BACKGROUND: To improve employee attendance at Annual Review Day, the day when all mandatory hospitalwide education requirements are presented. The Finley Hospital (Dubuque, Iowa) initiated a performance improvement team in March 1993. Data collected previous to 1993 indicated that the compliance goal of 90% was being met only with difficulty. PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT TEAM: Data indicated three main areas where improvements could be made-communication, enforcement, and curriculum. Recommendations of task forces, with team members as leaders, were implemented. Decisions were made to change Annual Review Day to a full-day format to include all mandatory education, make outcomes competency based, and maintain cost-effectiveness. TRIAL RUN AND EVALUATION: The one-year trial run began in 1994 with gradual changes in the program from a lecture and video format to an interactive game format. For example, at one point a crossword puzzle with information on infection control and bloodborne pathogens was added. The Jeopardy Game format, used to teach the principles of emergency preparedness, was added in June 1994. Full implementation of the curriculum, communication, and enforcement recommendations have resulted in 100% compliance. MAINTAINING THE GAIN: The performance improvement team has continued to monitor results and submit quarterly reports to the quality management department. All participants must complete and pass a competency-based test on the information covered; all 760 participants have passed. The curriculum task force continues to meet on a yearly basis to evaluate the ever-evolving format, analyze attendee evaluations, and consider annual changes to the format.

Accreditation↗
PubMed1995

Pediatrician's communication style: relationship to parent's perceptions and behaviors.

Investigated physician-parent communication styles and the effects of concordance between parent's desired communication styles and the communication style exhibited by physicians. Subjects were 107 parents of children scheduled for an appointment with a pediatrician at a general medical clinic. Parents and physicians completed rating forms indicating the degree to which parents desired each of four communication styles (information giving, interpersonal sensitivity, partnership, and directing one's own treatment). Parents and physicians also rated the degree to which they believed the physician exhibited each of these four styles. Follow-up interviews with parents assessed the level of satisfaction with the visit, perception that parent's concerns had been addressed, and subsequent telephone calls to the physician. Results indicated that physicians underestimated the degree of interaction desired by the parents. Parent desires for particular communication styles were not predicted by characteristics of the parents. Interaction variables predicted parent perceptions and subsequent need for contact with the physician.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The tryptophan repressor sequence is highly conserved among the Enterobacteriaceae.

Tryptophan biosynthesis in Escherichia coli is regulated by the product of the trpR gene, the tryptophan (Trp) repressor. Trp aporepressor binds the corepressor, L-tryptophan, to form a holorepressor complex, which binds trp operator DNA tightly, and inhibits transcription of the tryptophan biosynthetic operon. The conservation of trp operator sequences among enteric Gram-negative bacteria suggests that trpR genes from other bacterial species can be cloned by complementation in E. coli. To clone trpR homologues, a deletion of the E. coli trpR gene, delta trpR504, was made on a plasmid by site-directed mutagenesis, then crossed onto the E. coli genome. Plasmid clones of the trpR genes of Enterobacter aerogenes and Enterobacter cloacae were isolated by complementation of the delta trpR504 allele, scored as the ability to repress beta-galactosidase synthesis from a prophage-borne trpE-lacZ gene fusion. The predicted amino acid sequences of four enteric TrpR proteins show differences, clustered on the backside of the folded repressor, opposite the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix substructures. These differences are predicted to have little effect on the interactions of the aporepressor with tryptophan, holorepressor with operator DNA, or tandemly bound holorepressor dimers with one another. Although there is some variation observed at the dimer interface, interactions predicted to stabilize the interface are conserved. The phylogenetic relationships revealed by the TrpR amino acid sequence alignment agree with the results of others.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Infant feeding practices in a Russian and a United States city: patterns and comparisons.

The purpose of this research was to compare infant feeding practices in two rural cities, one located in the midwest of the USA and the other northeast of Moscow in Russia. During the month of October 1991, questionnaires were distributed to new mothers in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and in Rostov-Veliky, Russia. All new mothers were breastfeeding their infants in Russia at the time of hospital discharge. In the Wisconsin city, 60 percent of new mothers were breastfeeding. Russian mothers received more societal support for breastfeeding, with longer maternity leave and childcare facilities provided in the workplace.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Cholecystokinin concentration in specific brain areas of rats fed during the light or dark phase of the circadian cycle.

Measurement of peptide concentration in specific areas can be used as an initial investigative method for identifying brain sites in which the peptides may be acting. In this study cholecystokinin (CCK) concentration in specific hypothalamic and hindbrain areas of male Sprague-Dawley rats was measured in order to determine whether changes occurred as a result of feeding activity during different portions of the circadian cycle. Three groups of 40 rats each were studied: Group 1 were fasted 16 hr during the dark phase then sacrificed immediately or after a 20 min light phase meal. Group 2 were fasted 16 hr during the light phase then sacrificed immediately after lights out or after a 20 min dark-onset meal. Group 3 were fed ad lib and sacrificed immediately after light out or after a 20 min dark-onset meal. CCK was extracted from dissected areas and concentration was measured by RIA. There was no difference in CCK concentration of any of the 9 brain areas in rats fasted during the dark phase and fed during the light phase. In rats fasted during the light phase CCK concentration of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was greater in those that subsequently ate a meal at dark-onset than in those that did not eat (p less than 0.05). In ad lib fed rats CCK concentration was less in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) and greater in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) in rats that ate a dark-onset meal than in rats that did not (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗