Biomedical subjects

M Casimiro

Publications and source records attributed to M Casimiro.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Clinical databases and data protection: are they compatible?

In the current climate of clinical governance and audit, and in the setting of an active academic unit, an effective clinical database is an invaluable tool. In this article, we will present our neurovascular database, discuss the issues related to setting up the ideal clinical database, discuss the problems related to accurate data input and review the legal requirements of data protection. The success of a clinical database is reflected by the completeness of the data, the accessibility of the information and how useful it has proven to be. After 4 years of experimentation we currently use a database designed on Microsoft Access. The form is a single page. Junior medical staff input the information as medical staff have been found to be the most reliable personnel for data input in terms of accuracy. However, time is generally in short supply amongst this group. For our purposes, the ideal database is one that is simple, that can be used to flag up cases, rather than provide all of the information and ensures a complete dataset. The arrival of the UK 1998 Data Protection Act has put many clinical databases and registries in jeopardy, and introduced further bureaucracy to research. We discuss the Act and its interpretation by the General Medical Council, Medical Research Council, British Medical Association, Department of Health and our own trust with respect to databases and research.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗

PubMed1996

The RpoN-box motif of the RNA polymerase sigma factor sigma N plays a role in promoter recognition.

The RNA polymerase sigma factor sigma N (sigma 54) is characterized by the presence, near the C-terminal end of the protein, of a highly conserved sequence of 10 amino acids (ARRTVAKYRE) that has been termed the RpoN box. In order to examine the function of this motif, which is predicted to adopt an alpha-helical structure, we have isolated a number of mutations that alter residues within the box and examined the properties of the sigma N derivatives encoded by them. Certain mutations that alter charged and potentially exposed residues within the motif result in transcriptionally inactive proteins with impaired promoter recognition but no impairment in core RNA polymerase binding. We therefore suggest that the RpoN box could play a direct or indirect role in recognition of the -24, -12 promoter consensus that is characteristic of sigma N-dependent genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Medicine: the first step on the road to holiness?

The connections of Medicine and Religion are thoroughly documented in the primitive societies, and it comes as no surprise to see them together. Here we describe the true story of a Portuguese physician of the late 19th century whose image today is venerated in such a way as to compare him to a saint and to bestow upon him miraculous powers of healing. We propose that modern day physicians can learn from the example of this man that the role of doctor encompasses not only scientific and technical mastery but, most of all, piety, humanity and compassion.

History, 19th Century↗