PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L M Epstein

Publications and source records attributed to L M Epstein.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Transcription of a satellite DNA in the newt.

Satellite 2 is an abundant, 330-bp tandemly repeated sequence in the genome of the newt, Notophthalmus viridescens. This sequence is distributed throughout the genome on each of the 11 chromosomes. Both strands of satellite 2 are transcribed on the lampbrush chromosomes during oogenesis, probably as a result of readthrough from upstream structural gene promoters. In addition to these heterogeneous nuclear transcripts, satellite 2 is homologous to stable, strand-specific cytoplasmic transcripts in a variety of different tissues. The majority of these transcripts correspond in size to the entire satellite 2 repeat unit, or to whole multiples of the repeat. The transcripts present in the ovary have been sequenced by primer extension and were found to be more homogeneous than eight independently cloned satellite 2 DNA repeats. We propose that the stable cytoplasmic transcripts are encoded by a small subset of genomic satellite 2 sequences.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Community health service planning in the education of medical students.

Few medical students gain practical experience in practical epidemiology during their undergraduate years or understand how this science is a prerequisite to decision-making in the health services. In an attempt to overcome this deficit a group of clinical students was asked to measure the incidence of cerebrovascular disease in the Cape Peninsula over a relatively short period in order that rehabilitation facilities could be planned for affected patients. The exercise proved extremely fruitful for both the staff and the students. For the latter it not only met the objectives outlined above but also forced them to enter the community and so gain a perspective of all health services provided. We suggest that this technique, which can be applied to many topics, is a useful way of introducing students to these important concepts.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗
PubMed1985

Association of infant mortality with lack of regular prenatal care in the Haifa subdistrict, 1980.

Results from a retrospective, matched case-control study on infant mortality in the Haifa subdistrict in 1980 are presented. Its most significant result was the demonstration of a positive association of lack of prenatal care with subsequent infant mortality among Jews. Of the Jewish mothers whose infants died, 19.2% did not attend a clinic regularly for prenatal care, compared with only 6.8% in the control group (P = 0.06). Among Arab mothers, the percentages were 30.0 and 25.0, respectively, and were not statistically significant. The most probable explanation is that regular prenatal care actually decreases neonatal mortality, but this study cannot confirm it directly. Other results were: none of the Arab mothers whose infants died had been under follow-up in a high-risk clinic during pregnancy, compared with 28.6% of the Jewish mothers whose infants died; and no association was demonstrated between infant mortality and mother's age or birth order.

Birth Order↗
PubMed1984

Rectosigmoid carcinoma occurring after ureterosigmoidostomy.

Reported are two patients with adenocarcinoma of the large bowel following ureterosigmoidostomy by 40 and 53 years. The interval of 53 years is the longest yet recorded in the literature. Long-term surveillance with endoscopy and urine cytology is advocated.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Campylobacter jejuni infections in Haifa subdistrict, Israel, summer 1981.

A study investigating the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Campylobacter jejuni infections in an urban community in Israel is presented. Most of the information was obtained by interviewing 76 patients who constituted a systematic sample out of a total of 215 patients suffering from acute Campylobacter jejuni diarrhoea during the summer of 1981. The crude annual incidence rate was 17 per 10 000. Age-specific incidence rate in infants up to one year of age was eight times higher than that in children 1-14 years of age. The median duration of infection until a negative culture was obtained in convalescent patients, was 10 days. No evidence of resistance to erythromycin was found. No statistically significant difference in keeping animals at home was found between the patients and a neighbourhood control group. The frequencies of the various complaints and clinical findings are described.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Mendelian and non-mendelian mutations affecting surface antigen expression in Paramecium tetraurelia.

A screening procedure was devised for the isolation of X-ray-induced mutations affecting the expression of the A immobilization antigen (i-antigen) in Paramecium tetraurelia. Two of the mutations isolated by this procedure proved to be in modifier genes. The two genes are unlinked to each other and unlinked to the structural A i-antigen gene. These are the first modifier genes identified in a Paramecium sp. that affect surface antigen expression. Another mutation was found to be a deletion of sequences just downstream from the A i-antigen gene. In cells carrying this mutation, the A i-antigen gene lies in close proximity to the end of a macronuclear chromosome. The expression of the A i-antigen is not affected in these cells, demonstrating that downstream sequences are not important for the regulation and expression of the A i-antigen gene. A stable cell line was also recovered which shows non-Mendelian inheritance of a macronuclear deletion of the A i-antigen gene. This mutant does not contain the gene in its macronucleus, but contains a complete copy of the gene in its micronucleus. In the cytoplasm of wild-type animals, the micronuclear gene is included in the developing macronucleus; in the cytoplasm of the mutant, the incorporation of the A i-antigen gene into the macronucleus is inhibited. This is the first evidence that a mechanism is available in ciliates to control the expression of a gene by regulating its incorporation into developing macronuclei.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Incidence of lung cancer in five towns in Israel, 1960-74.

Age-standardized incidence rates of lung cancer, based on data from the Israel Cancer Registry, were calculated in five urban areas in Israel during three 5-year periods: 1960-64, 1965-69 and 1970-74. The rates in these towns and during the different periods were compared. For both sexes the incidence was lowest in Jerusalem, the city with the lowest air pollution. The incidence rate of lung cancer in males during the entire period reviewed fell in all towns except for Tel Aviv, where it rose. Cancers of the urinary bladder and of the pancreas did not display these trends. Possible explanations for the differences are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The Community Project: the teaching implications of applied epidemiology.

The use of the epidemiological method in primary health care (PHC) has become an accepted part of the service. The team will utilize community-oriented data in order to assess the health needs of the population, perform continued surveillance of changes in the health of the people served and for service evaluation. This development in health services has to find its counterpart in the training programme for the future doctor. This paper describes a 6-year experience with a community project carried out in the framework of a clinical clerkship in Family and Community Medicine. The students were able to define the project, collect the data and analyse it, and frequently see the start of the implementation of the recommendations.

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed1983

Structure and expression of genes for surface proteins in Paramecium.

Surface proteins from 11 antigenic types of Paramecium tetraurelia vary in molecular weight from 251,000 to 308,000. The size of a series of polyadenylated RNAs obtained from these types were correlated with the sizes of the proteins and judged to be the mRNAs for the proteins. The mRNAs were used to identify genomic DNA clones containing complementary sequences. The gene for antigen A was present in one copy per genome, and the data suggest that extensive introns were absent. When restriction enzyme digests of DNA from cultures of paramecia with active and inactive genes were probed with portions of the cloned genes, no evidence for rearrangements or changes in gene dosage was found.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Clustering of chronic disorders--a community study of coprevalence in Jerusalem.

Associations between chronic disorders were appraised in a community survey in western Jerusalem in order to identify clusters of mutually related conditions. Two sets of interrelated diseases were observed. The first comprised coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and their complications. The second included migraine and other chronic disorders whose diagnosis was largely based on subjective symptoms. The presence of these complaint-based disorders was associated with a high prevalence of emotional symptoms, with reported difficulties in the life situation, and with frequent doctor visits. The design of appropriate programs of preventive and therapeutic intervention for this cluster of disorders remains an important challenge.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The epidemiology of varicose veins. A survey in western Jerusalem.

The prevalence and correlates of varicose veins were investigated in a community survey in a neighbourhood of western Jerusalem in 1969-71. The prevalence was 10% among men and 29% among women aged 15 and over; it rose with age in each sex. In both sexes, significant associations were found with standing at work and with region of birth. Among women, varicose veins were associated with weight, the wearing of corsets, and having ever been pregnant. Among men, there was an association with inguinal hernia. The findings support the aetiological role of prolonged standing and raised intra-abdominal pressure. Varicose veins were relatively uncommon among North African-born men and women aged 45 and over. This finding, which was not accounted for by the other observed associations, is consistent with the possible aetiological role of experiences before immigration, such as behavioural patterns laid down in early life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Migraine and non-migrainous headaches. A community survey in Jerusalem.

The epidemiology of migraine and non-migrainous headaches (NMH) was investigated in a community survey in a neighbourhood of western Jerusalem in 1969-71. Diagnoses were based on histories taken by physicians. Prevalence rates among persons aged 15 and over were 10.1% for migraine (including classical migraine, 2.1%) and 25.6% for frequent NMH (more than once a month). Both migraine and frequent NMH were more prevalent among women. Migraine showed a peak of prevalence among women aged 35-44. Both migraine and NMH were associated with negative self-appraisals of health, emotional symptoms, reports of unsatisfactory present and past life situations, and a reported tendency to 'try harder' and 'hurry more'. No significant relationships were found with blood pressure, education, region of birth, marital status, number of pregnancies, pregnancy status, oral contraceptives, menopause, cigarette smoking, diabetes, preference for a high or low pressure of activities, or the importance attached to striving for achievement. Headaches accompanied by nausea and visual aura occurred four times as often as might have been explained by a chance concurrence of these features, and the occurrence of these symptoms conformed with a Guttman scale. The findings support the concept of migraine as a specific entity, which should possibly be considered as part of a single continuum of headache and related manifestations.

Adolescent↗