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Biomedical subjects

M Garnett

Publications and source records attributed to M Garnett.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Sustaining the cocoon: the emotional inoculation produced by complementary therapies in palliative care.

The aim of this study is to explore, from a medical sociological perspective, the use of complementary therapies by palliative care nurses. This paper shows how the conceptual vocabulary developed by Giddens [Giddens A. (1990) The Consequences of Modernity. Polity Press, Cambridge; Giddens A. (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity. Polity Press, Cambridge] relating to trust, ontological security, existential anxiety and the importance of protective cocoons, facilitates understanding of the use of complementary therapies in palliative care. This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. During analysis both thematic content and narrative form of the interviews are scrutinized. Analysis shows that the concepts Giddens developed enable the use of complementary therapies to be seen in new ways. In particular, they facilitate the application of a complementary therapy being seen as an emotional inoculation. Similar to the emotional inoculation Giddens speaks about, an infant receiving from its caretaker in childhood which enables a child to have a protective cocoon which it carries round with it throughout life and can draw on when faced with difficulties, the application of a complementary therapy in palliative care can be seen in terms of a booster injection being received by an adult, from their professional caretaker, in time of particular need. This injection sustains a person's protective cocoon at a time of vulnerability.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2001

The chimeric protein tyrosine kinase ETV6-NTRK3 requires both Ras-Erk1/2 and PI3-kinase-Akt signaling for fibroblast transformation.

There is increasing interest in the potential role of the NTRK family of neurotrophin receptors in human neoplasia. These receptor protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) are well-known mediators of neuronal cell survival and differentiation, but altered NTRK signaling has also been implicated in mesenchymal, hematopoietic, and epithelial malignancies. We recently identified a novel gene fusion involving one of the neurotrophin receptor genes, NTRK3, in the pediatric solid tumor, congenital fibrosarcoma. In these tumors (and subsequently demonstrated in several other human malignancies), a t(12;15)(p13;q25) rearrangement fuses the 3' portion of the ETV6 gene with exons encoding the PTK domain of NTRK3. The resulting ETV6-NTRK3 fusion protein functions as a chimeric PTK with potent transforming activity. However, previous studies failed to detect interactions between ETV6-NTRK3 and molecules known to link wild-type NTRK3 to its two major effector pathways, namely the Ras-Raf1-Mek1-Erk1/2 mitogenic pathway or the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase pathway leading to activation of the AKT survival factor. Therefore, it remains unknown whether ETV6-NTRK3 transformation involves altered NTRK3 signaling. We now report that ETV6-NTRK3 expression in NIH3T3 cells leads to constitutive activation of Mek1 and Akt, as well as to constitutively high expression of cyclin D1. ETV6-NTRK3-induced soft agar colony formation was almost completely abolished by inhibition of either the Ras-Raf1-Mek1-Erk1/2 or the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase-Akt pathway. Moreover, this inhibition dramatically reduced expression of cyclin D1. Our results indicate that ETV6-NTRK3 transformation involves a link between known NTRK3 signaling pathways and aberrant cell cycle progression and that Mek1 and Akt activation act synergistically to mediate these effects.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1993

The effects of cue level, hypnotizability, and state instruction on responses to leading questions.

Two sessions were conducted in which independent groups of 86 high- and 85 low-susceptible subjects, responding individually under waking or hypnotic instruction, answered high- and low-cued leading questions about a video event that depicted shooting at an airport. The two sessions were separated by 1 week, and the same questions were asked in both sessions. It was predicted that highly susceptible subjects responding under hypnotic instruction would show the most evidence of accepting false information via strongly cued leading questions. Results showed general effects for leading questions and level of susceptibility but no firm support for the involvement of hypnosis. Data are discussed in terms of both the linguistic and social factors that appear to have operated on subjects in the study, results overall highlight the strong influence of level of susceptibility on subjects' acceptance of false information.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A novel flow cytometric method for measuring protein digestion within the phagocytic vacuole of polymorphonuclear neutrophils.

When rhodamine is attached to albumin at a high molar ratio its fluorescence is quenched but fluorescence is released when the protein is digested and the dye released. Using this observation it is possible to measure protein digestion within the phagocytic vacuole of neutrophils. The assay is simple, rapid and measures digestion even in the presence of abnormal phagocytosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Measurement of tumour reactive antibody and antibody conjugate by competition, quantitated by flow cytofluorimetry.

Binding of unlabelled monoclonal antibody preparations has been assessed by competition at saturation with fluorochrome labelled homologous antibody for binding to antigen bearing target cells. The extent of competition was measured by quantitative flow cytofluorimetry, and simple mathematical procedures have been developed to allow the interpretation of competition data in terms of antibody binding activity. In the system studied, non-specific (non-competitive) fluorescence was minimal, but an iterative method to calculate its contribution to the measured signal is given. This approach has the advantage that the antibody preparation to be tested does not need to be labelled or modified; this is particularly important when evaluating the binding activity of therapeutic antibody conjugates. Comparison with a well characterized standard antibody preparation provides a rapid, sensitive and accurate quality control procedure. This test is also simple to perform, requiring only the mixing of labelled and unlabelled antibodies with target cells, a single incubation, followed by analysis without washing of the target cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Perturbational effects of inorganic cations on human erythrocyte membranes.

The perturbational effects of monovalent and divalent cations on human erythrocyte membranes were analyzed by examining their influence on kinetic and structural characteristics of trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) incorporation into the amino groups of protein and phospholipid structural components. The stimulatory effects of monovalent cations on TNBS incorporation, which were size-independent and attributed to nonspecific membrane alterations resulting from ionic strength factors, contrasted with the more pronounced stimulatory properties of divalent cations which were markedly size-dependent. These stimulatory effects of cations on TNBS incorporation were associated with alterations not only in rate but also in activation energy in incorporation. Changes in activation energy produced by divalent cations paralleled their ability to perturb membrane protein components and probably reflected changes in probe permeation. The rate of TNBS incorporation exhibited a dependence on divalent cation ionic radius which paralleled ion-induced perturbations in the labelling of the membrane amino phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine. Divalent cations differed both in the relative extent and in the characteristics of protein and phospholipid perturbation. Alkaline earth cations behaved as a rather homogeneous group while Ni++, Co++ and Mn++ constituted a second heterogeneous group. The influence of monovalent and divalent cations on the hemolytic behavior of intact erythrocytes paralleled their effects on TNBS incorporation into isolated membranes rather closely. It is suggested that TNBS incorporation may provide a valuable means of analyzing functionally relevant cation-induced alterations in biological membranes in general.

Butylamines↗