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Biomedical subjects

M Rice

Publications and source records attributed to M Rice.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

A comparison of parent and adolescent reports describing the health-related quality of life of adolescents treated for cancer.

Our objectives were to compare adolescent and parent ratings of the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of adolescents treated for cancer, to compare the HRQL of adolescents who were on treatment vs. the HRQL of those who were off treatment following their diagnosis with cancer and to assess the HRQL of adolescents who were at different points of time following their diagnosis with cancer. The HRQL of 70 adolescents (aged 10 to 18 years) consecutively attending the Women's and Children's Hospital Oncology Clinic in South Australia was assessed by means of standard questionnaires. Parents completed the Child Health Questionnaire, the Functional Status II(R) Questionnaire and the Impact-on-Family Scale. Adolescents completed the self-report version of the Child Health Questionnaire. In general, there was good agreement between parent and adolescent reports. However, parents of adolescents receiving active treatment for cancer reported that their illness was having a greater impact on the adolescents' physical functioning than was reported by the adolescents. The psycho-social functioning of adolescents in single-parent families was reported also by parents to be worse than that of adolescents in 2-parent families. The physical functioning of adolescents had only a weak relationship with parental status but a significant relationship with treatment status. Despite generally good agreement between parent and adolescent reports describing the HRQL of adolescents treated for cancer, it cannot be assumed that reports from parents are always an accurate reflection of the views of the adolescents. Studies examining the influence of independent factors on adolescents' HRQL must take into account differences in reports from these 2 informants and the possibility that key independent variables have differing relationships with the various domains which comprise adolescents' HRQL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of troponin T and troponin I as predictors of cardiac events in patients undergoing chronic dialysis at a Veteran's Hospital: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the usefulness of the cardiac troponins as predictors of subsequent cardiac events in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing dialysis. BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and I (cTnI) are cardiac markers that are specific for cardiac muscle. They are also excellent prognostic indicators for patients presenting with chest pain. Although cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in dialysis patients, standard methods to diagnose acute coronary syndromes in patients with renal failure are often misleading. METHODS: A six-month prospective study was done in a university-affiliated Veterans Hospital's dialysis clinic. Forty-nine patients undergoing chronic dialysis with no complaints of chest pain were followed for cardiac events occurring in the six months after cardiac troponin measurements. These included unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and cardiac death. An additional 83 patients with renal failure but who were not undergoing dialysis were also examined. RESULTS: Within six months all three dialysis patients with elevated cTnI at entry into the study suffered an adverse complication (specificity and positive predictive value = 100%). Twenty-five patients had cTnT elevated at >0.10 ng/ml (53%). Patients with diabetes were more likely to have elevated troponin T levels (64% vs. 25%, p = 0.01). All six patients developing cardiac events within three months had elevations of cTnT >0.1 ng/ml (sensitivity = 100%). Whereas the specificity of cTnT was only 56% for a near-term cardiac event, the negative predictive value of cTnT using a cutoff of < or = 0.1 ng/ml was 100%. On restratifying patients using a cutoff value of cTnT of >0.2 ng/ml, only nine of 49 dialysis patients (18%) had elevated levels. In patients with renal failure not undergoing dialysis, only three of 83 (4%) had elevated troponin I or T. None of these patients suffered a cardiac event in the next six months. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective pilot study clearly delineates the troponins as important prognosticators in asymptomatic otherwise "stable" patients on chronic dialysis, especially those with concomitant diabetes mellitus. It also appears that troponins are more likely to be elevated in dialysis patients than other patients with renal failure not on dialysis. The above suggests that the combination of cTnI and cTnT might be very effective in elucidating cardiac risks of patients with renal failure undergoing chronic dialysis.

Angina, Unstable↗
PubMed1999

Longitudinal follow-up of the intellectual and academic functioning of children receiving central nervous system-prophylactic chemotherapy for leukemia: a four-year final report.

This longitudinal investigation extends our prospective study of the intellectual and academic functioning of children treated for cancer to 4 years after diagnosis. In the longer term, the children who received central nervous system (CNS) chemotherapy experienced greater neurocognitive deficits, particularly in the area of academic achievement, than did the children who did not receive CNS chemotherapy. Specifically, the CNS chemotherapy-treated children scored lower on academic tests of reading at 3 and 4 years after diagnosis. The results suggest that CNS chemotherapy prophylaxis may adversely effect the development of higher-order mental abilities and cognitive skills during the late-effects period and may also impair academic achievement.

Achievement↗
PubMed1998

Analysis of factors influencing kinetics of herpes simplex virus transcription utilizing recombinant virus.

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) transcription program is a regulated cascade in which early and late phases of gene expression are separated by viral DNA replication. While promoters controlling expression of transcripts encoding immediate-early proteins contain virus-specific cis-acting elements, these are in the context of cellular promoter elements, and the promoters controlling expression of other viral transcripts contain only cellular cis-acting elements. We had developed and continue to refine a general method for the production of recombinant viruses in which modified promoters can be inserted into nonessential loci within the viral genome through homologous recombination. This approach has been especially useful in defining the features of model promoters of the various kinetic classes. Our work suggests that class-specific differences in promoter architecture are critical factors in the ability of the cellular transcription machinery to form stable preinitiation complexes at various phases of infection and, thus, mediate kinetic class-specific transcription. Early (beta) promoters contain a TATA box and upstream activation elements while sequences downstream of the TATA homology are dispensible for transcription. Late transcripts can be catagorized as either leaky-late (beta gamma) or strict late (gamma) depending on whether they are readily detectable prior to viral DNA replication. Promoters controlling both types are clearly distinct from early ones in that sequences near the transcription start site which resemble consensus mammalian initiator elements are required along with the TATA box and activator elements. Strict late promoters do not contain elements upstream of the TATA box but include what appears to be a class specific element downstream of the transcription start site.

DNA Replication↗
PubMed1998

Influence of parental and family adjustment on the later psychological adjustment of children treated for cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between parental adjustment and family adjustment during the period after the children's diagnosis of cancer and the psychological adjustment of children 2 years after their diagnosis. METHOD: The study used a prospective design. Children aged 2 to 5 years with cancer and their parents and families (n = 38) were assessed immediately after the children's diagnosis and again 2 years after the diagnosis. Path analysis was used to investigate the relationship between parental and family adjustment during the period after diagnosis and the psychological adjustment of the children 2 years after their diagnosis. RESULTS: Maternal adjustment during the period after the children's cancer was diagnosed had a significant relationship with the children's psychological adjustment 2 years after diagnosis. In contrast, the adjustment of fathers and family adjustment appeared to have a more limited impact on the later psychological adjustment of the children. CONCLUSION: The level of distress experienced by mothers after the children's diagnosis may have an important influence on the later psychological adjustment of the children. It is possible that this is due to the impact of maternal distress on the capacity of mothers to care for their children during the children's treatment for cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Daytime CPAP titration: a viable alternative for patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for patients diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The implementation of CPAP therapy has traditionally been based on full-night titration studies or split-night protocols. This study compared a group of patients who received a regular nocturnal CPAP titration with patients who received a daytime CPAP titration. The objective of the study was to determine if daytime CPAP titration is a viable alternative for the implementation of CPAP treatment in patients with severe OSA. STUDY DESIGN: Fourteen patients (13 men and one woman) received a daytime CPAP titration (day group). The day group was matched to 18 patients (17 men and one woman) who were titrated under a full-night regular nocturnal study (night group). Eligible patients were those with severe OSA (respiratory event index > 40). The groups were matched by age, sex, and body mass index. RESULTS: Daytime and nocturnal CPAP titration studies yielded sufficient amounts of rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep to help determine CPAP settings. Importantly, the diurnal and nocturnal CPAP titrations resulted in comparable therapeutic pressures as well as comparable resolution of sleep-disordered breathing. After 1 week of treatment, the groups exhibited similar CPAP use and comparable improvements in subjective sleepiness as indicated by their increase in sleep/wake activity inventory scores. CONCLUSIONS: Daytime CPAP titration studies may be a viable alternative for the efficient and expedient implementation of CPAP therapy among some patients with severe OSA.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A novel link between REC2, a DNA recombinase, the retinoblastoma protein, and apoptosis.

The REC2 recombinase is essential for recombinational repair following DNA damage as well as for successful meiosis and gene targeting in the corn smut Ustilago maydis. Here we report that overexpression of REC2 induced apoptotic cell death in human HuH-7, Hep G2, and Hep 3B hepatoma cells. Apoptosis was related to recombinase activity and was significantly increased by inhibition of retinoblastoma (Rb) expression with transforming growth factor-beta1. REC2-induced apoptosis was associated with a significantly reduced percentage of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and a significant reduction in G2/M only in the Rb(-/-) Hep 3B cells. Overexpression of REC2 resulted in increased abundance of the hyperphosphorylated form of Rb. However, by immunoprecipitation REC2 was associated primarily with hypophosphorylated Rb, suggesting that REC2 may be involved in modulating the phosphorylation state of Rb. The A and B pocket domains with the spacer amino acid sequence and the carboxyl-terminal region of Rb were required for maximal binding to REC2. Overexpression of Rb significantly inhibited REC2-induced apoptosis even in the presence of transforming growth factor-beta1. Taken together, these data suggest a novel interaction of Rb with the recombinase REC2 and a role for this complex in bridging DNA recombination and apoptosis.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1997

The cloning and overexpression of a cruciform binding protein from Ustilago maydis.

The structural gene HMP1 encoding a cruciform DNA binding protein from Ustilago maydis has been cloned. Gene isolation was enabled by a polymerase chain reaction procedure using primers designed from amino acid sequence obtained from the purified protein. DNA sequence determination has revealed that the gene encodes a protein containing 98 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 10151. Comparison of the cDNA and genomic sequences indicated the presence of a single intron in the 5' coding region of the gene. The gene was over-expressed as a translational fusion with a hexahistidine leader sequence enabling affinity purification of the protein on an immobilized metal matrix. Protein isolated after over-expression exhibited cruciform binding activity, conforming earlier purified native protein results. Sequence analysis indicated that no HMG box was present and very little homology to other known cruciform binding proteins was found. It is plausible that HMP1 represents a novel class of proteins that recognize such secondary structures.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Liver hemostasis using high-intensity focused ultrasound.

Liver hemorrhage, the major cause of death in hepatic trauma, is notoriously difficult to control. We report on the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to arrest the bleeding from incisions made in rabbit livers. A HIFU transducer, with a spherically curved aperture of 6.34 cm2 area, a focal length of 4 cm and a frequency of 3.3 MHz was used. In approximately 94% of the incisions, the hemorrhage was reduced to a slow oozing of blood in less than 2 min. The maximum temperature of liver tissue around the incision area, during HIFU application, was measured to be 86 degrees C. The mechanism of hemostasis, confirmed by histological examination, appears to be coagulative necrosis of a volume of liver tissue around the incision. We believe that acoustic hemostasis, with the unique characteristic of "volume cauterization," offers a novel method for the management of liver hemorrhage and, thus, has major clinical implications.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Leukaemia presenting as marrow hypoplasia: molecular detection of the leukaemic clone at the time of initial presentation.

Occasional cases of transient marrow hypoplasia in childhood evolve into acute leukaemia. We studied two children who presented with marrow hypoplasia following infection and who developed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 2-3 months later. A simple polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) test for monoclonality showed that immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangements of the same size were present at the times of both hypoplasia and leukaemia, and DNA sequencing confirmed identity of these rearrangements. PCR-based quantification, using patient-specific primers, showed in both patients that the leukaemic clone made up 20-25% of the marrow cells during hypoplasia. In contrast, four patients with typical aplastic anaemia showed only polyclonal B-cell populations in the marrow. We conclude that the leukaemic clone was already present at the time of hypoplasia in the two index patients and that in future a simple PCR test for monoclonality could be used to screen patients with marrow aplasia or hypoplasia for the presence of a monoclonal B-cell population. Patients with monoclonal populations could then be monitored carefully for subsequent development of leukaemia.

Anemia, Aplastic↗
PubMed1997

A survey for torovirus in New Zealand cats with protruding nictitating membranes.

Faecal samples from 51 cats were examined by negative stain electron microscopy to investigate a possible association between the syndrome of bilateral protrusion of the nictitating membranes and torovirus infection. Although toroviruses were not observed in any sample, other viruses or virus-like particles were observed in faeces from one of 15 cats with the syndrome, six of 21 cats which had experienced prior episodes of the syndrome and four of 15 healthy control cats. The findings of this study do not support the hypothesis that the syndrome is associated with torovirus infection.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

The neuroprotective effect of the forebrain-selective NMDA antagonist CP101,606 upon focal ischemic brain damage caused by acute subdural hematoma in the rat.

The neuroprotective effects of drugs that act against excitotoxic damage, caused by glutamate, are well described in focal ischemia, but behavioral effects, and apparent failure in clinical trials of "first-generation" competitive N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, such as Selfotel (CGS19755), has led to interest in evaluating newer NMDA antagonists with fewer behavioral effects. We have therefore evaluated the neuroprotective effect of a new forebrain-selective polyamine site NMDA antagonist, CP101,606 in a rat subdural hematoma (SDH) model. An SDH was produced by slow injection of 0.4 ml autologous blood into the parietal subdural space. Brain damage was assessed histologically at eight coronal planes, in animals sacrificed 4 h after induction of hematoma. The drug was infused 30 min after induction of SDH. The reductions of ischemic brain damage achieved by CP101,606, was 29% for the low dose and 37% for the high dose. This novel glutamate antagonist has shown a magnitude of neuroprotection which is comparable with that seen with "first-generation" NMDA antagonists such as MK801, D-CPP-ene and CGS19755, in this same model. This new agent is claimed to have fewer psychomotor and behavioral effects than MK801, D-CPP-ene, and CGS19755.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Childhood cancer: a two-year prospective study of the psychological adjustment of children and parents.

OBJECTIVE: To follow prospectively the psychological adjustment of young children, parents, and families during the first 2 years after the children's diagnosis of cancer. METHOD: Children aged 2 to 5 years with cancer diagnoses and their parents and families (n = 38) were assessed immediately after diagnosis, 1 year after diagnosis, and 2 years after diagnosis. At each assessment, the psychological adjustment of the children and their families was compared with the adjustment of a cohort of children and families in the general community (n = 39). RESULTS: Children with cancer and their parents experienced significantly more emotional distress than children and parents in the community during the period immediately after diagnosis. However, the number of problems experienced by the children with cancer and their parents declined during the first year after the children's diagnosis and stabilized at a level comparable with that found among children and parents in the general community. CONCLUSION: Although the results are consistent with reports that suggest that in the longer term the prevalence of psychological problems among children with cancer is similar to that found among children in the general community, they also highlight the considerable distress experienced by children and parents during the period immediately after the children's diagnosis.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

Improvement in outcome of children with Wilms' tumour in South Australia over the last 30 years.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of children with Wilms' tumour over the last 30 years in South Australia. To compare the outcome of children treated before and after 1982, when standard treatment protocols were introduced. METHODOLOGY: Management approaches, survival rates and side-effects of treatment were identified from case notes. Pathology slides were reviewed to ensure all children were correctly diagnosed with Wilms' tumour. RESULTS: Children treated for Wilms' tumour prior to 1982 had an overall survival rate of 54%. Since 1982 there has been a significant improvement in outcome and the current survival rate is now 85%. Children treated since 1982 have also experienced fewer treatment related side-effects than children treated prior to 1982. CONCLUSIONS: There has been substantial improvement in survival from childhood Wilms' tumour over the past 30 years in South Australia. This is likely to be due to a combination of factors including standardization of treatment, tailoring of treatment to stage and histology, improved perioperative care, enhanced radiological techniques and higher levels of collaboration between relevant specialists.

Child↗