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S Adkins

Publications and source records attributed to S Adkins.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Assessing work retention issues.

Within 6 months, a 10-member Nursing Services task force created and administered a literature-based retention survey. Tool development and administration is described. The 33-item tool was completed by 85% of the staff. Responses led to the formation of work groups, charged with addressing dissatisfiers and communicating implementation strategies to the hospital at large.

Adult

Identification of two different point mutations associated with the fluoride-resistant phenotype for human butyrylcholinesterase.

The fluoride variant of human butyrylcholinesterase owes its name to the observation that it is resistant to inhibition by 0.050 mM sodium fluoride in the in vitro assay. Individuals who are heterozygous for the fluoride and atypical alleles experience about 30 min of apnea, rather than the usual 3-5 min, after receiving succinyldicholine. Earlier we reported that the atypical variant has a nucleotide substitution which changes Asp 70 to Gly. In the present work we have identified two different point mutations associated with the fluoride-resistant phenotype. Fluoride-1 has a nucleotide substitution which changes Thr 243 to Met (ACG to ATG). Fluoride-2 has a substitution which changes Gly 390 to Val (GGT to GTT). These results were obtained by DNA sequence analysis of the butyrylcholinesterase gene after amplification by PCR. The subjects for these analyses were 4 patients and 21 family members.

Amino Acid Sequence

Hydrogen peroxide generation by mitochondria isolated from regionally ischemic and nonischemic dog myocardium.

We occluded the left anterior descending coronary artery of anesthetized, open-chest dogs, for 1 or 2 h. Some hearts were reperfused for 1 h after 1 h of ischemia. We isolated mitochondria from the central ischemic zone (CIZ) and a surrounding nonischemic zone (NIZ) of the left ventricle, and assayed H2O2 production using a horseradish peroxidase-dual wavelength spectrophotometric technique. Mitochondria, studied in the absence of exogenous respiratory chain inhibitors, generated H2O2 during State 4 respiration with succinate as the substrate. NIZ mitochondria in all groups produced ca. 1.5 nmols H2O2/min/mg protein (no significant differences between groups). The State 4 O2 consumption rates of NIZ mitochondria from hearts subjected to 1 h ischemia plus reperfusion, or 2 h of ischemia (ca. 30 nmols/min/mg) were significantly higher than that of NIZ mitochondria of hearts subjected to only 1 h of ischemia (23 nmols/min/mg). Thus, the ratio between H2O2 produced and State 4 O2 consumption fell from 6.5% to 5%. Mitochondria from all CIZ samples had State 4 O2 consumption rates that were not different from corresponding NIZ values. However CIZ mitochondria of hearts subjected to 1 h ischemia without reperfusion produced less H2O2 (1.1 +/- 0.1 nmols/min/mg), and had a slightly reduced H2O2/O2 ratio (4.4 +/- 0.7%), compared with their NIZ samples (1.5 +/- 0.1 nmols/min/mg; 5.3%). Reperfusion after 1 h of ischemia abolished these regional differences. The CIZ mitochondria from hearts subjected to 2 h ischemia produced only 0.75 +/- 0.22 nmols H2O2/min/mg (2.5% of State 4 O2 consumption). These values were 50% of corresponding NIZ values, and were significantly less than for any other group or tissue region. If similar phenomena occur in conscious animals subjected to incomplete regional ischemia, especially of relatively brief duration or if accompanied by reduced intracellular defenses against oxidants such as H2O2, they suggest that mitochondria persist as H2O2 sources and so may contribute to the oxidant load and myocardial dysfunction.

Adenosine Diphosphate