Biomedical subjects

Jane Shaw

Publications and source records attributed to Jane Shaw.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Fellowship training in family medicine at Brown: adding depth to breadth.

The Brown Family Medicine fellowship programs share a common goal of nurturing the future leaders of our specialty. In a complex and demanding practice environment our fellowships have contributed to the development and propagation of an adept Family Medicine specialist. These fellowships endorse our specialty's broad approach to healthcare through addressing primary care and prevention, but also enhance the future of our field through melding the breadth of our discipline with the depth of expertise and the stewardship of responsible leadership.

Academic Medical Centers↗

PubMed2004

Efficient virus-induced gene silencing in roots using a modified tobacco rattle virus vector.

Due to their capability of eliciting a form of posttranscriptional gene silencing (termed virus-induced gene silencing or VIGS), plant viruses are increasingly used as reverse-genetics tools for functional characterization of plant genes. RNA viruses have been shown to trigger silencing in a variety of host plants, including members of Solanacae and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Several factors affect the silencing response, including host range and viral tropism within the plant. The work presented here demonstrates that a modified tobacco rattle virus (TRV) vector retaining the helper protein 2b, required for transmission by a specific vector nematode, not only invades and replicates extensively in whole plants, including meristems, but also triggers a pervasive systemic VIGS response in the roots of Nicotiana benthamiana, Arabidopsis, and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). This sustained VIGS response was exemplified by the silencing of genes involved in root development (IRT1, TTG1 [transparent testa glabra], RHL1 [root hairless1], and beta-tubulin), lateral root-meristem function (RML1 [root meristemless1]), and nematode resistance (Mi). Roots of silenced plants exhibit reduced levels of target mRNA and phenocopy previously described mutant alleles. The TRV-2b vector displays increased infectivity and meristem invasion, both key requirements for efficient VIGS-based functional characterization of genes in root tissues. Our data suggest that the TRV helper protein 2b may have an essential role in the host regulatory mechanisms that control TRV invasion.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Transmission of murine scrapie to P101L transgenic mice.

The PrP protein is central to the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), and the amino acid sequence of this protein in the host can influence both incubation time of disease and targeting of disease pathology. The N terminus of murine PrP has been proposed to be important in the replication of TSE agents, as mutations or deletions in that region can alter the efficiency of agent replication. To address this hypothesis and to investigate the mechanisms by which host PrP sequence controls the outcome of disease, we have assessed the influence of a single amino acid alteration in the N-terminal region of murine PrP (P101L) on the transmission of TSE agents between mice. Mice homozygous for the mutation (101LL) were inoculated with TSE strains 139A and 79A derived from mice carrying a Prnp(a) allele, and 79V and 301V derived from mice carrying a Prnp(b) allele. Incubation times in 101LL mice were extended with all four strains of agent when compared with those in the corresponding mouse genotype from which the infectivity was derived. However, the degree to which the incubation period was increased showed considerable variation between each strain of agent. Moreover, the presence of this single amino acid alteration resulted in a 70 day reduction in incubation time of the 301V strain in Prnp(a) mice. The effect of the 101L mutation on murine scrapie incubation time appears therefore to be strain specific.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Tracking the merger: the human experience.

Research in two recently merged teaching hospitals has studied the effects of merger on the organizational culture of the hospitals and individual staff. Organizational culture is both a tool for managers introducing change and also an observable indicator of change, and hospitals have particularly strong cultures. After reviewing different approaches to analysing culture, and adopting Hofstede's six-dimensional model, the researchers describe one hospital as an aggressive, entrepreneurial, results-oriented organization, with a loosely controlled, devolved management, high expectations of staff and limited participation in decision making. The other is described as a tightly controlled, centralized and paternalistic organization, concerned for its staff and open to dialogue, with a principled commitment to partnership. The management's vision for the new trust combines elements of both cultures. In studying the effects of the merger on staff, the research documents individuals' journey through the merger experience, using Stuart's 'map' of the processes of change. The principal experiences are categorized as sensing, worry work, positioning, shock, hoping and sharing, holding on, letting go, moving, and moving on or away. Individuals' perceptions of the changing hospital cultures show a slow convergence but with new 'fault lines' opening up in the organization.

Decision Making, Organizational↗