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Biomedical subjects

J S Gordon

Publications and source records attributed to J S Gordon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Regulation of stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase expression in human retinal pigment epithelial cells by retinoic acid.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is a regulatory enzyme involved in the synthesis of the monounsaturated fatty acids palmitoleate and oleate. The regulation of SCD is of physiological importance because the ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids is thought to modulate membrane fluidity. Differential display analysis of retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells identified SCD as a gene regulated by retinoic acid. Two SCD transcripts of 3.9 and 5.2 kilobases in size were found to be expressed in these cells by Northern blot analysis. All-trans-retinoic acid (all-trans-RA) increased SCD mRNA expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner; an approximately 7-fold increase was observed with 1 microm all-trans-RA at 48 h. SCD mRNA expression was also increased by 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA) as well as 4-(E-2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-1-propenyl)benzoic acid (TTNPB), a retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-specific agonist. AGN194301, a RAR alpha-specific antagonist, suppressed the SCD expression induced by all-trans-RA, TTNPB, and 9-cis-RA. These results indicate the involvement of RAR alpha in the induction of SCD expression by retinoic acid. However, AGN194204, a RXR (retinoid X receptor) pan agonist, also increased SCD mRNA expression. This increase was not blocked by AGN194301, suggesting that an RAR-independent mechanism may also be involved. Thus, SCD expression in retinal pigment epithelial cells is regulated by retinoic acid, and the regulation appears to be mediated through RAR and RXR.

Alitretinoin↗
PubMed2001

The White House commission in Washington, DC, and Washington State.

The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy was created March 8, 2000, by executive order. The 2-year commission will ultimately report to the president on legislative and administrative recommendations for ensuring that US public policy maximizes the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine. In this column, the chair of the commission will offer his thoughts about the goals and work of this key advisory body.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed2001

Tobacco cessation through dental office settings.

There is increasing interest in broadly inclusive public health interventions that involve low-cost, self-help materials and minimal support from professionals. Dental health care workers (DHCWs) are a largely untapped resource for providing advice and brief counseling to tobacco-using patients, and there are good reasons to believe that they can be effective in this role. The results of our randomized clinical trials have shown that a brief dental office-based intervention can be effective in helping smokeless tobacco users to quit and smokers to reduce their use and become more ready to quit. A third clinical trial tested the effectiveness of two methods of disseminating the smokeless tobacco intervention to DHCWs throughout the western United States. Workshops were more effective than self-study in effecting behavior change, although our analyses indicate that self-study was more cost-efficient. These studies have demonstrated the viability of using dentists and dental hygienists to provide brief cessation advice and supportive materials in the context of regular oral health visits to encourage their patients to quit. The results of these studies also support the timeliness of further dissemination and diffusion of this program to practitioners, dental schools, and dental hygiene programs.

Dental Clinics↗
PubMed2000

A self-help cessation program for smokeless tobacco users: comparison of two interventions.

While the use of smokeless tobacco products has increased, there has been a paucity of research evaluating interventions to help users quit. This study is the first large-scale randomized trial evaluating two levels of self-help cessation intervention with adult smokeless tobacco (SLT) users. Smokeless users in five Northwest states were recruited to call a toll-free number and 1069 users were randomized to receive one of two interventions, Manual Only (MAN) or Assisted Self-Help (ASH), who received a video and two support phone calls in addition to the manual. The study demonstrated that low-cost minimal interventions done by mail and phone can help a sizable proportion of SLT users quit both SLT and all tobacco use. Follow-up data at 6 months showed that subjects in the ASH condition had a significantly higher quit rate for both smokeless (23.4% vs. 18.4%, p < 0.05) and all tobacco use (21.1% vs. 16.5%, p < 0.05), using an intent-to-treat model. Further analysis revealed that use of the recommended cessation procedures mediated the effect of intervention condition on outcomes. This may be the result of phone counselors getting subjects to carry out behavioral cessation procedures. Public health implications for this intervention are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Raising questions about antidepressants.

Antidepressant medication has apparently become the most popular treatment for depression in the USA. Several beliefs about the efficacy of antidepressant medications prevail among mental health professionals and the public. This paper explores relevant research data and raises questions about these beliefs. Many of the common beliefs about these medications are not adequately supported by scientific data. The following issues are raised: (1) industry-funded research studies which result in negative findings sometimes do not get published; (2) placebo washout procedures may bias results in some studies; (3) there are serious questions about the integrity of the double-blind procedure; (4) the 'true' antidepressant drug effect in adults appears to be relatively small; (5) there is minimal evidence of antidepressant efficacy in children; (6) side effects are fairly common even with the newer antidepressants; (7) combining medications raises the risk for more serious complications; (8) all antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms; (9) genetic influences on unipolar depression appear to be weaker than environmental influences; (10) biochemical theories of depression are as yet unproven; (11) biological markers specific for depression have been elusive; (12) dosage and plasma levels of antidepressants have been minimally related to treatment outcome; (13) preliminary evidence suggests that patients who improve with cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy show similar biological changes as those who respond to medication, and (14) the evidence suggests that psychological interventions are at least as effective as pharmacotherapy in treating depression, even if severe, especially when patient-rated measures are used and long-term follow-up is considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Relationship between tobacco use and self-reported oral hygiene habits.

A sample of 34,897 dental patients completed written surveys assessing their tobacco use, frequency of brushing and flossing and perception of oral health problems. Brushing two times per day was reported by 73.5 percent of the patients and flossing one time per day by 35.6 percent. Tobacco users brushed and, particularly, flossed much less frequently than did nonusers. Compliance with daily flossing regimens was particularly low among smokeless tobacco users. Tobacco users also reported more oral health problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Using the hygiene visit to deliver a tobacco cessation program: results of a randomized clinical trial.

To examine the effectiveness of advising patients who use tobacco to quit, the authors conducted a randomized clinical trial to test a brief office-based intervention with all tobacco users in 75 fee-for-service dental practices in Oregon. The authors found that the dental hygienist-delivered intervention was effective in getting smokeless tobacco users to quit at three and 12 months and to sustain abstinence at both three and 12 months. They found that the program was not effective for cigarette smokers. The authors discuss the public health implications of program dissemination and widespread program adoption.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1996

Alternative medicine and the family physician.

The seven categories of alternative medicine, as established by the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine, are mind-body interventions, bioelectromagnetic therapies, alternative systems of medical practice, manual healing methods, pharmacologic and biologic treatments, herbal medicine, and diet and nutrition. Mind-body approaches have been shown to be effective in a variety of conditions. Acupuncture and homeopathy are alternative systems of medical practice that may be beneficial. Chiropractic manipulation for low back pain and infant message for enhancing growth are two methods of manual healing. While the literature on herbal medicine is vast, most of it focuses on a single approach for a specific condition. Traditional herbalists use a combination of herbs individualized for the specific person. As more and more people turn to alternative therapies, it is important for family physicians to be open to their patients' interest in alternative approaches.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed1996

Hair follicle growth controls.

Research in hair biology has embarked in the pursuit for molecules that control hair growth. Many molecules already have been associated with the controls of hair patterning, hair maturation, and hair cycling and differentiation. Knowing how these molecules work gives us the tools for understanding and treating patients with hair disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Targeting expression of a dominant-negative retinoic acid receptor mutant in the epidermis of transgenic mice results in loss of barrier function.

To study the effects of retinoic acid on the skin in vivo, we have subverted the activity of endogenous receptors by targeting expression of a dominant negative mutant of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR alpha) to the epidermis of transgenic mice. At birth, mice expressing the mutant RAR alpha transgene exhibited a marked phenotype of a red, shiny skin that was somewhat sticky to touch. Severely affected neonates died within 24 hr. Histological changes in the epidermis were subtle with the phenotypic stratum corneum appearing slightly thinner and more loosely packed than in controls. Electron microscopic studies revealed that lipid multilamellar structures were not present between cells in the stratum corneum of phenotypic mice. When assayed for transepidermal water loss, phenotypic skin lost water at a rate three times faster than controls, suggesting that neonatal lethality resulted from loss of epidermal barrier function. The absence of a functional lipid barrier in transgenic mice first became evident at E17 when lipids were extruded initially into the intercellular space. We have identified a potential pathway linking inhibition of retinoid signaling with disruption of the lipid barrier that involves peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. This study documents the role of the retinoid signaling pathway in formation and maintenance of a functional epidermis and provides the first evidence that this is mediated in part by modulation of lipid metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Toward an integration of psychologic, social, and biologic factors in depression: effects on outcome and course of cognitive therapy.

The present study attempted to integrate key variables from 3 major domains of theory in depression (cognition, stress, and psychobiology) that are typically studied separately in analyses of course and response to cognitive therapy. Dysfunctional attitudes, negative life events, or sleep electroencephalogram were assessed in 53 outpatients before treatment with cognitive therapy. High levels of dysfunctional attitudes were found to be associated with poorer response to treatment but not for those patients who had experienced a severe negative life event. Examination of the length of time required to achieve remission revealed an effect for rapid eye movement (REM) latency as well as the interaction between REM latency and life events. These results are discussed in terms of the promise of integrative research in the study of depression and its treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Retinoic acid suppression of loricrin expression in reconstituted human skin cultured at the liquid-air interface.

Retinoids have been shown to modulate the expression of proteins involved in epidermal differentiation. To examine this effect in an in vitro skin model, we evaluated the effect of retinoic acid on the expression of two cell envelope proteins, loricrin and involucrin, and an early marker of epidermal differentiation, keratin 1, in a reconstituted human skin equivalent cultured at the liquid-air interface. Retinoic acid, a known inhibitor of keratinization in monolayer and raft cultures, was evaluated for its ability to alter the expression and distribution of these markers of epidermal differentiation. Retinoic acid (10(-6) M) suppressed loricrin expression in skin cultures as determined by both protein and mRNA analysis. In contrast, no inhibition of involucrin or K1 expression was observed at the protein level at the same retinoic acid concentration. However, some suppression of K1 mRNA transcription was observed in retinoic acid-treated cultures. These results demonstrate that in differentiating cultures of reconstituted human skin, loricrin expression is markedly inhibited by retinoids, K1 less so, and involucrin not at all.

Base Sequence↗