Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Thornburg.
Thanks to the ADA, employers can capitalize on the abilities of disabled persons, rather than create barriers to employment. This article explains some common myths that have shaped hiring practices in the past and provides practical interviewing tips.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Peptidyl fluoromethyl ketones (FMKs), with the amino acid sequence Phe-Ala held constant but with variable N-terminal groups, were synthesized and tested for inhibition of the cysteine proteinase cathepsin B. The FMKs were effective in inhibiting cathepsin B activity in vitro. The inhibition was time dependent and was not reversed by dialysis, suggesting covalent modification of the enzyme. Cathepsin B activity present in livers and kidneys of rats treated with FMKs was reduced by 22-91% 4 hr after a single oral dose of 25 mg/kg. The FMKs inhibited the severity of inflammation and the extent of cartilage and bone damage in adjuvant-induced arthritis. These effects were seen during the late-stage of the disease with no effect on onset or incidence of disease. This is consistent with inhibition of protease-mediated damage. These FMKs or derivatives may be of clinical value in the treatment of arthritis.
The five core causes of health claims can be reduced if organizations focus on the "at-risk" employees who compose 10 percent of the workforce.
Measuring white-collar productivity is difficult in any setting but the complex operations of hospitals--where work load can vary hour to hour--are now being measured for peak efficiency. By developing standards and working with formulas and computer models, HR professionals are measuring productivity and predicting staffing needs.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Time--there is never enough of it. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything at work and at home. Today's employees, forced to choose between work obligations and family responsibilities, often feel frazzled and guilty. Some employers recognize these conflicts and are finding ways to lighten the work/family load. They are offering a sophisticated combination of dependent-care options, flexible work hours and family-related benefits tailored to meet the needs of the employees within their specific industries. HRMagazine looks at leaders in six major industries--manufacturing, health, communications/technology, financial management, government and retail. No one can give employees that 25-hour day that everyone feels they need to juggle all their work and family obligations. But these industry leaders have provided a nurturing environment where employees can successfully balance those obligations.
Copper poisoning developed in 1 adult and 3 juvenile llamas after excessive dietary intake of copper resulted in an incorrect copper:molybdenum ratio. Total dietary copper was determined to be 36 mg/kg of feed, with a copper:molybdenum ratio of 16.6:1. Clinical signs associated with the toxicosis included acute onset of anorexia and lethargy. Liver enzyme activities (aspartate amino transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transferase) and serum copper concentration were high in specimens obtained within 48 hours before death. Gross necropsy findings were limited to mild hepatomegaly. Histologically, hepatic lesions included acute massive necrosis of hepatocytes with and without bile duct proliferation, double hepatic plates with loss of orientation, anisocytosis, anisokaryosis, and an intralobular mosaic pattern of necrosis involving half of the hepatocytes. Analysis of hepatic copper concentrations suggested that juvenile llamas develop signs of poisoning at lower hepatic copper concentrations, compared with adults.
Malignant cells must traverse basement membranes during their migration to sites distant from the primary tumor. Since basement membranes are thought to be a critical barrier to the passage of tumor cells, we have constructed a model basement membrane-stromal matrix consisting of laminin and type IV collagen reconstituted onto a disk of type I collagen for use in an in vitro assay of invasiveness. Metastatic tumor cells and leukocytes are able to cross this barrier, whereas nonmetastatic tumor cells, fibroblasts, and epidermal cells cannot penetrate it. Those tumor cells that penetrate the barriers were found, when isolated and subcultured, to be more invasive and to produce more metastases than the parental population. This assay system should be useful for studying the invasiveness of tumor cells and for isolating highly invasive variants.