Biomedical subjects
R Seltzer
Publications and source records attributed to R Seltzer.
AIDS, homosexuality, public opinion, and changing correlates over time.
Comparing data from national Los Angeles Times surveys allows for an examination of changes in attitudes toward AIDS in 1985, when the crisis was first coming to public attention, and in 1987, when public opinion had a greater opportunity to stabilize. The primary predictors of public opinion did not change from 1985 to 1987, but there were somewhat less irrational attitudes among most segments of the population by 1987. However, among those who were conservative on the issue of homosexuality, personal concern for AIDS fell and support for repression grew.
Evaluation of a new reagent for covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol to proteins.
Methoxypolyethylene glycol of molecular weight 5000 was converted to a reactive succinimidyl carbonate form (SC-PEG). The usefulness of this new polymeric reagent for the covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol to proteins was evaluated. SC-PEG was found to be sufficiently reactive to produce extensively modified proteins under mild conditions within 30 min, showing the highest reactivity around pH 9.3. The commonly used succinimidyl succinate derivative of methoxypolyethylene glycol (SS-PEG) served as a reference standard to which the new reagent was compared. The stability of the polymer-protein linkages, studied on a series of PEG-modified bovine serum albumins, provided the single most important difference between the two activated polymers. Urethane-linked PEG-proteins obtained through the use of SC-PEG showed considerably higher chemical stability than SS-PEG-derived conjugates. The measured rate constants of aminolysis (using N alpha-acetyllysine) and hydrolysis showed that SC-PEG is slightly less reactive yet more selective of the two reagents. Hydrolysis of the active groups on SC-PEG was on average twofold slower than that on SS-PEG. The differences in the rates of aminolysis were even smaller than those in hydrolysis. PEG-trypsin conjugates produced by both activated polymers showed similar properties: they had no proteolytic activity, well-preserved esterolytic activity, and enhanced activity toward p-nitroanilide substrates. Michaelis-Menten constants of the modified enzymes were determined using N alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide. These measurements indicated that the attachment of PEG to trypsin caused an increase in both the rate of turnover of the substrate and its affinity toward the modified enzymes. Through a series of experiments involving the appropriate polymeric and low-molecular-weight model compounds, it was demonstrated that these increases in amidolytic activity were unrelated to tyrosyl residues acylation by either one of the activated polymers.
Ultrasonic patterns observed in hepatic metastases from breast carcinoma: diagnosis and evolution.
A retrospective analysis was made of 78 patients presenting breast neoplasm with hepatic metastases confirmed by ultrasound. Clinical hepatomegaly was present in 61%. The serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) was elevated in 72%, the serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) in 56%, the serum alkaline phosphatase (Aph) in 86%, and the gamma-glutamil transpeptidase (GGT) in 76%. A hypoechogenic multiple nodular pattern (HMN) was observed in 69%, a diffuse hypoechogenic pattern (DH) in 15%, and a mixed multiple nodular pattern (MMN) in 11%. No single nodular pattern was presented in any patient. The univariate analysis showed a better survival rate in patients with a mixed pattern (mean 11 months, range 1-29 months) (p = 0.027). No significant differences were observed regarding the remaining patterns, age, presence or not of hepatomegaly, or altered enzymatic values.
The efficacy of educational movies on AIDS knowledge and attitudes among college students.
University students from five classes were randomly assigned to seeing either a movie on AIDS or a movie on first aid. Six weeks later, both groups of students filled out a questionnaire measuring their knowledge of AIDS, attitudes toward AIDS, and attitudes toward homosexuals. In general, the differences between the two groups on the knowledge and attitudes measures were slight. In particular, there was little effect on social attitudes. The showing of one educational movie on AIDS (particularly the movie that was used in this experiment) appears to be insufficient to educate students on this issue.
Asthma in Timisoara. Diary of a glimpse at the Romanian medical system.
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Maintenance of pulp vitality following surgical removal of a symptomatic cementoma.
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The impact of crime victimization and fear of crime on attitudes toward death penalty defendants.
A 1983 telephone survey of 610 respondents in two Maryland counties found that the general disposition of the respondents toward the criminal justice system was a better predictor of abstract attitudes toward the death penalty than either the respondents' fear of becoming crime victims or whether they had been victims of crime. Yet respondents' fear of crime victimization was a better predictor of their willingness to impose the death penalty or to accept mitigating circumstances during the penalty phase of a capital case than their abstract attitudes toward the criminal justice system. Respondents who were "somewhat" afraid of crime victimization were less likely to support the death penalty than were respondents who were "very" afraid or "not" afraid of victimization. These finding indicate that previous research on the death penalty may have been flawed because the wording of the questions asked was too abstract and unidimensional.
Major salivary glands in branchial arch syndromes.
In five patients with branchial arch syndromes the presence of the salivary glands was demonstrated. Clinical, sialographic, and scintigraphic examinations revealed morphologic defects and diminished function of the parotid glands. Hyperfunction of the submandibular glands was assumed in the three patients in whom scintigraphic studies were performed. The findings may be of diagnostic value in patients in whom the clinical signs of the syndrome have remained occult.
The social worker as a health professional.
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Letter: Comparative tuberculin reactions.
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A simple synthesis and isolation of pure 1-vinyl-6-methoxytetral-1-ol: an intermediate in the total synthesis of oestrogens.
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