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Biomedical subjects

L Douglass

Publications and source records attributed to L Douglass.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Promoting well-being within a parish.

Health reform is a social movement of profound human significance. Its impact will be felt by every person in our country. It is imperative that this movement result in healing and human fulfilment, not chaos and increased human pain. The first strategy for achieving positive health reform is to return much of the responsibility for health care to where it rightly belongs--the community. The second strategy is to develop more effective ways of fostering beneficial health behaviors in all persons.

Canada↗
PubMed1994

Effect of dietary calcium concentrations during gestation and lactation in the sow on milk composition and litter growth.

This study evaluated the effects of diets containing varying amounts of Ca on milk composition and litter characteristics of sows. Yorkshire sows were fed one of the following diets: low Ca (.38%; n = 5), standard Ca (.75%; n = 5), or high Ca (1.12%; n = 4). Diets were fed from d 42 of gestation to d 42 of lactation. Milk was collected on d 7 +/- 1, 21 +/- 1, and 42 +/- 1 of lactation. Lactose was greater (6.4%, P < .05) in milk from sows fed low Ca than in those fed standard (5.5%) or high (5.8%) Ca, but only on d 7 of lactation. No treatment effect or time x treatment interaction was detected for total protein or casein concentrations. Calcium increased (P < .05) over time irrespective of treatment. There was an increase (P < .05) in ADG on d 7 in pigs from high-fed (.28 kg) and low-fed sows (.20 kg) compared with those from standard-fed sows (.13 kg). In conclusion, body Ca is so physiologically regulated that minor dietary alterations have little overall effect on milk composition. Alterations in ADG for pigs, especially from sows fed high Ca, warrant further investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Cytokinin-mediated insect resistance in Nicotiana plants transformed with the ipt gene.

The bacterial isopentenyl transferase (ipt) gene involved in cytokinin biosynthesis was fused with a promoter from the proteinase inhibitor II (PI-IIK) gene and introduced into Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. Transcripts of the ipt gene were wound-inducible in leaves of transgenic PI-II-ipt plants. In leaf disks excised from fully expanded leaves, transcript levels increased 25- to 35-fold within 24 h and by 48 h were reduced by about 50%. In flowering plants, message levels were 2- to 5-fold higher than in preflowering plants. These plants were used to test for defensive properties of cytokinins against insects. Manduca sexta larvae consumed up to 70% less of the PI-II-ipt leaf material on flowering plants than larvae feeding on controls. Normal development of Myzus persicae nymphs was also delayed. Approximately half as many nymphs reached adulthood on PI-II-ipt leaves than on controls. Zeatin and zeatinriboside levels in leaves remaining on PI-II-ipt plants after hornworm feeding were elevated by about 70-fold and the chlorophyll a/b content was double that of controls. Exogenous applications of zeatin to the PI-II-ipt leaves enhanced the level of resistance to the tobacco hornworm and almost completely inhibited normal development of the green peach aphid nymphs. Transcript levels of an acidic chitinase gene were low and minimally inducible in PI-II-ipt leaves. The mode of action of the cytokinin gene product on enhanced insect resistance is not clear but may involve the products of secondary metabolic pathways.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed1990

Calcium and calmodulin levels in late embryonic and early hatched Japanese quail brain.

Characterizing the last phases of embryonic avian brain development are increased brain activity and increased absorption of shell calcium. The calcium-binding protein, calmodulin, regulates many activities of calcium. In neural tissue, calmodulin modulates neural transmission, and is required for the phosphorylation of synaptosomal proteins. Therefore, the objective was to compare levels of brain calcium and calmodulin in the Japanese quail. Brain extracts from embryonic days 11, 15, hatch, and 5 days post-hatch (n = 7/group) were analysed for calcium, protein and calmodulin. Despite increases in protein between embryonic (X = 0.126 and 0.145 mg/mg wet wt) and hatched groups (X = 0.183 and 0.221 mg), no significant increases in calmodulin were observed (237-279 ng/mg protein). Calcium levels in the brain were U-shaped with low levels at embryonic day 1 (341 micrograms/mg wet wt) and post-hatch day 5 (315 micrograms/mg wet wt) with higher levels on embryonic day 15 (425 micrograms/mg wet wt) and at hatch (433 micrograms/mg wet wt). Calmodulin levels do not show a developmental pattern similar to calcium and protein levels or with reports of brain activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Zinc status of highly trained women runners and untrained women.

Endurance training effects on zinc status were assessed by comparing 13 highly trained (HT) and 10 untrained (UT) women. Blood and 24-h urine samples before and after a 25-mg oral Zn load, and 3-d dietary records were evaluated. Mean daily Zn intakes did not differ and were below the Recommended Dietary Allowances for both groups. Fasting concentrations of plasma Zn, serum albumin, alpha 2-macroglobulin, and erythrocyte Zn content did not differ. However, HT women had significantly (p less than 0.05) higher urinary Zn excretion (HT: 6.7 +/- 0.8 and UT: 4.5 +/- 0.7 mumol/d) and reduced responses to the oral Zn than did UT in terms of maximal responses (HT: 11.0 +/- 1.6 and UT: 16.2 +/- 1.2 mumol/L) and areas under the curve (HT: 34.8 +/- 2.7 and UT: 43.6 +/- 2.7 mumol.L-1.4h-1). The greater urinary Zn excretion by HT women may reflect higher rates of skeletal muscle turnover. Whether their reduced responses to the Zn load reflect differences in plasma volume, entry or removal of plasma Zn, or absorption is unknown.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Trichinella spiralis: effect of high temperature on infectivity in pork.

Twenty gram samples of homogenized Boston shoulder from swine experimentally infected with Trichinella spiralis were sealed in plastic pouches, pressed to a uniform thickness of 2 mm, and subjected to water bath temperatures of 49, 52, 55, 60, and 63 +/- 0.5 C for intervals of 2 min to 6 hr, especially within the interval of 0 to 15 min. These times included a period of about 1 min at the start and a period of about 1 min at the end for temperature equilibration. Treated samples were rapidly chilled to 25 C and then digested in a 1% pepsin-HCl solution at 37 C for 18 hr to recover T. spiralis larvae. The recovered larvae were suspended in 2 ml saline; 1 ml of this suspension was introduced into the stomach of each of two rats. The linear equation, log (time) = 17.3 -0.302 (temperature), was calculated from the time required at each temperature for the inactivation of T. spiralis larvae. The correlation coefficient for that relationship was r = -0.994. Larvae heated in the meat to 55 C for 4 min retained their infectivity, but were rendered noninfective after 6 min at 55 C. At 60 C, larvae were not infective after only 2 min (zero dwell time); whereas at 52 C, 47 min were required to render the larvae noninfective. Larvae in meat heated to 49 C were infective after 5 hr but not after 6 hr. These data demonstrate that the destruction of infectivity of T. spiralis is time-temperature related.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Dare to care.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans↗