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T Mills

Publications and source records attributed to T Mills.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Construction of a transcription map around the gene for ataxia telangiectasia: identification of at least four novel genes.

We have constructed YAC, PAC, and cosmid contigs in the ataxia-telangiectasia gene region and used the assembled clones to isolate expressed sequences by exon trapping and hybridization selection. In the interval between D11S1819 and D11S2029, exons and cDNAs for potentially 13 different genes were identified. Three of these genes, F37, K28, and 6.82, are large novel genes expressed in a variety of different tissues. K28 shows sequence homology to the Rab GTP binding protein family and gene 6.82 homology to the rabbit vasopressin activated calcium mobilizing receptor, while gene F37 has no homology to any known sequence in the database. Three further clones, exon 6.41 and cDNAs K22 and E74, from the interval between D11S1819 and D11S2029, appear to be expressed endogenous retrovirus sequences. The fourth large novel genes, E14, together with two further possible novel genes, E13 and E3, was identified from exons and cDNAs in the more telomeric 300-kb interval between markers D11S2029 and D11S2179. These are in addition to the genes for mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA-acetyltransferase (ACAT) and the ATM gene in the same region. Genes E3, E13, and E14 do not show homology to any known genes. K28, 6.82, ACAT, and ATM all appear to have the same transcriptional orientation toward the telomere.

Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase↗
PubMed1997

Domestic violence in an inner-city ED.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) for male and female ED patients and to determine the demographics of DV. METHODS: The study design was a descriptive written survey of adults. We used the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA), a previously validated survey tool. The study was set in an inner-city ED with approximately 75,000 patients annually, most of them indigent. Patients 18 years or older who were able to give consent were included. Patients were excluded if they had a language barrier, were a prisoner, or had never had a partner. All patients presenting during 31 randomly selected 4-hour shifts during July 1995 were considered for the study. DV was defined as either physical or nonphysical on the basis of ISA scoring. The prevalence was determined for present (in the preceding year) and past (more than 1 year ago) abuse. Four violence parameters were calculated for patients who had a partner at the time of presentation: present physical, present nonphysical, past physical, and past nonphysical. Only the "past" parameters were calculated for patients who had had a partner in the past but had no partner at the time of presentation. We used the chi2 test to determine individually significant predictors of the four parameters. Logistic-regression models were constructed to determine the significant predictors of DV. Associations among the present physical, present nonphysical, past physical, and past nonphysical abuse categories were determined with McNemar's test. RESULTS: We enrolled 516 patients, 233 men and 283 women. On the basis of ISA scoring, 14% of men and 22% of women had experienced past nonphysical violence (P=.02, men versus women), and 28% of men and 33% of women had experienced past physical violence (P=.35). Of the 157 men and 207 women with partners at the time of presentation, 11% of men and 15% of women reported present nonphysical violence (P=.20), and 20% men and 19% of women reported present physical violence (P=.71). Using logistic-regression models, we determined that women experienced significantly more past and present nonphysical violence but not physical violence than men. For all four parameters, the victim's suicidal ideation and alcohol use were independently associated with DV. The victim's family history was strongly associated with past abuse. Using McNemar's test, we found that physical and nonphysical abuse were correlated in the past and present. CONCLUSION: Using a validated scale, we found that the prevalences of physical DV for men and women are high and that they are not statistically different in this population. Using chi 2 testing, we found that women had experienced significantly more past nonphysical violence than men; using logistic regression we found that they experienced significantly more nonphysical violence (both past and present) than men. DV was frequently associated with suicidal ideation, alcohol use, and family history of violence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Use of the NOSIE to predict assaults among acute psychiatric patients. Nurses' Observational Scale for Inpatient Evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The study evaluated the Nurses' Observational Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and other measures as predictors of assaults that occurred during psychiatric hospitalization. METHODS: On admission, the MMSE was administered to 335 acutely ill psychiatric patients, and diagnostic and demographic data were recorded. Immediately after admission, patients were rated by nurses using the NOSIE and by psychologists using the BPRS. Patients who committed assaults during hospitalization (N = 47) and those who did not were compared, and relationships between several variables and assaults were evaluated by t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, chi square tests, and analyses of variance. RESULTS: A high score on the irritability factor of the NOSIE and failure to complete the MMSE correctly predicted the occurrence or nonoccurrence of assault 81 percent of the time. None of the other variables examined were significantly related to assaults, including total scores on the BPRS and MMSE, psychiatric diagnosis, and several demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Scores on a test of distress level shortly after admission and failure to complete the MMSE on admission can help the clinician predict who will later engage in an assault.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Topical lidocaine adrenaline tetracaine (LAT gel) versus injectable buffered lidocaine for local anesthesia in laceration repair.

The objective of the study was to compare topical lidocaine adrenaline tetracaine (LAT gel) with injectable buffered lidocaine with epinephrine regarding pain of application or injection and anesthesia effectiveness. The study was a randomized prospective comparison trial in an urban emergency department. Physicians and patients ranked the pain of application, injection, and suturing according to a 10-cm visual analog scale. Sixty-six patients were entered, 33 in the LAT gel group and 33 in the injectable buffered lidocaine group. Injection was found to be significantly more painful than application of gel (P < 0.001). For anesthesia effectiveness, there was no difference according to patients (P = 0.48) or physicians (P = 0.83) for topical vs injectable forms. The number of sutures causing pain was not statistically different in the two groups (P = 0.28). In conclusion, LAT gel compared favorably with injectable buffered lidocaine for local anesthesia effectiveness and was significantly less painful to apply. It may be the preferred local anesthetic for this reason.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1996

Cutting thread at flexible endoscopy.

BACKGROUND: New thread-cutting techniques were developed for use at flexible endoscopy. A guillotine was designed to follow and cut thread at the endoscope tip. A new method was developed for guiding suture cutters. Efficacy of Nd: YAG laser cutting of threads was studied. Experimental and clinical experience with thread-cutting methods is presented. METHODS: A 2.4 mm diameter flexible thread-cutting guillotine was constructed featuring two lateral holes with sharp edges through which sutures to be cut are passed. Standard suture cutters were guided by backloading thread through the cutters extracorporeally. A snare cutter was constructed to retrieve objects sewn to tissue. Efficacy and speed of Nd: YAG laser in cutting twelve different threads were studied. RESULTS: The guillotine cut thread faster (p < 0.05) than standard suture cutters. Backloading thread shortened time taken to cut thread (p < 0.001) compared with free-hand cutting. Nd: YAG laser was ineffective in cutting uncolored threads and slower than mechanical cutters. Results of thread cutting in clinical studies using sewing machine (n = 77 cutting episodes in 21 patients), in-vivo experiments (n = 156), and postsurgical cases (n = 15 over 15 years) are presented. CONCLUSIONS: New thread-cutting methods are described and their efficacy demonstrated in experimental and clinical studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A comparative optical analysis of laser side-firing devices: a guide to treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the optical characteristics of five different laser side-firing fibres used to perform deep laser coagulation of the prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The intensity profile, angle of exit and beam divergence from the launch fibre were measured underwater (to simulate endoscopic conditions) for each fibre using both the Helium Neon(633 nm) and Nd:YAG(1064 nm) lasers. RESULTS: The intensity profiles and spot sizes varied among fibres but broadly fell within two groups characterized by large and small footprints (low and high power density). There was a maximum 5.5 fold difference in average power densities between the fibres. CONCLUSIONS: Not all side-firing devices are the same. Variations in the power density profiles among the fibres suggest that the choice of fibre is of critical importance in determining the type of laser tissue interaction (i.e. coagulation or vaporization) that will follow the use of that fibre.

Laser Coagulation↗
PubMed1986

Effect of gavage vehicle on hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride in CD-1 mice: corn oil versus Tween-60 aqueous emulsion.

This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of gavage vehicles on altering the severity of the subchronic hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Male and female CD-1 mice were gavaged with 0, 1.2, 12, and 120 mg/kg CCl4 in either a corn oil or 1% Tween-60 vehicle once daily for 5 consecutive days per week for 90 days. The study revealed that the hepatotoxicity was greater in the mid- and high-dose groups of mice that had received CCl4 administered in corn oil. Increases in serum enzyme activities were detected in the mid-dose groups of mice that were gavaged with CCl4 in corn oil. The serum enzyme activities were significantly higher in the high-dose groups of animals in which CCl4 was administered in corn oil. Histopathological findings indicated that hepatocellular changes following the administration of CCl4 at the mid- and high-dose levels were more frequent and more severe when CCl4 was given in corn oil than when it was administered in Tween-60. The experimental findings indicate that the no-observed-adverse-effect level from CCl4 exposure was lowered by an order of magnitude (from 12 to 1.2 mg/kg) and that the hepatotoxicity of CCl4 was enhanced in the high-dose treatment groups when corn oil was employed as the gavage vehicle.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The effects of porcine follicular fluid inhibin on gonadotropin secretion in the rabbit.

Porcine follicular fluid (pff), treated with charcoal to remove steroids, was used to determine whether inhibin is active in the laboratory rabbit. When pff (5 ml/4 kg body weight) was injected (ip) into does that had been castrated 2 weeks earlier, there was a significant decline in blood follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels; the decline lasted for 8-12 h. Blood levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) were suppressed, but only briefly at 3 h after injection. In other experiments, intact does which had been injected with pff 9 h and 10 min before receiving a single, i.v. injection of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) (10 micrograms/kg body weight) showed a sharp reduction in the concentration of LH in the blood samples collected 15, 30 and 60 min after LHRH administration. Secretion of FSH responded poorly to LHRH stimulation, and pff had little suppressive action on blood levels. Having established that the pff preparation had inhibin activity, its action on the postovulatory surge of FSH secretion was next examined. This release of FSH, which occurs 6 to 36 h after ovulation, has been hypothesized to be required for the establishment of pregnancy by stimulating the growth of the ovarian follicles supplying the luteotropic estradiol. To test this hypothesis, pff was injected into rabbits every 8 h for the first 5 days of pregnancy and found to block the postovulatory FSH surge. The patterns of secretion of LH and progesterone in the same pff-injected animals were, however, not altered from normal pregnancy patterns by pff.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Efficiency of canine renal blood flow autoregulation in kidneys with or without glomerular filtration.

In order to evaluate vascular (myogenic) and tubular (tubuloglomerular feedback) mechanisms involved in renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation, canine kidneys with filtration (normal) and without filtration (nonfiltering, NFK; ureteral-obstructed, UO) were studied. RBF was monitored in response to stepwise reductions in renal perfusion pressure of -20, -40, and -60 mm Hg from control pressure. None of the three groups demonstrated significant changes in RBF from their respective control values (normal, 380 ml/min/100 g; NFK, 179 ml/min/100 g; UO, 153 ml/min/100 g) until the lowest pressure (-60 mm Hg from control pressure). All three groups responded to the pressure reductions with significant decreases in renal vascular resistance. However, the calculated efficiency of the autoregulatory response for the NFK and UO groups was significantly less than for the normal group. Elimination of tubuloglomerular feedback (NFK and UO) did not necessarily eliminate renal vascular autoregulation, but did reduce the efficiency of autoregulation. It is suggested that both vascular (myogenic) and tubular (tubuloglomerular) mechanisms may coexist to efficiently autoregulate blood flow in normal filtering kidneys. However, a reduction in metabolic activity as a contributor to the reduced ability to autoregulate in these kidneys could be an additional possibility.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Victims of violence and psychiatric illness.

The authors investigated the relationship between physical and sexual abuse and psychiatric illness. The life experiences of 188 male and female psychiatric patients were reconstructed through an in-depth examination of psychiatric inpatient records. Almost half of the patients had histories of physical and/or sexual abuse; 90% of the abused patients had been victimized by family members. The abused patients' responses to chronic victimization included difficulty in coping with anger and aggression, impaired self-esteem, and inability to trust. The authors compare male and female victims and discuss the clinical implications of abuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Immunization with zona pellucida proteins results in abnormal ovarian follicular differentiation and inhibition of gonadotropin-induced steroid secretion.

Changes in rabbit ovarian hormonal responses and cellular differentiation of ovarian follicles after immunization with porcine zona pellucida (ZP) have been examined. Steroid and peptide hormone levels were monitored after immunization to evaluate ovulation and pseudopregnancy cycles in immunized and control animals. All immunized rabbits developed serum antibodies to specific ZP antigens and failed to form functional corpora lutea in response to hCG administration, as evidenced by the absence of elevated serum progesterone concentrations. This is in contrast to control rabbits, which had elevated progesterone levels 8-9 days after hCG administration. Furthermore, all immunized animals showed greatly increased serum levels of FSH and LH compared to those of control animals. These effects on ovarian function were apparent within 20 weeks of the primary immunization. Follicular development was analyzed by light and electron microscopies. The numbers of primary, secondary, and tertiary follicles in ovaries of immunized animals were markedly reduced within 7 weeks compared with control values. By 23 weeks, few if any growing follicles were present. Although numerous distinct clusters of cells with ultrastructural properties that resemble those of normal follicular cells were present in immunized animals, they contained no oocytes. These studies suggest that antibodies to ZP glycoprotein alter ovarian function by interfering with cells during the stage of follicle differentiation at which the ZP proteins are being synthesized and secreted. This system should provide an excellent model with which to study the early events associated with ovarian follicular cell differentiation and subsequent hormonal responsiveness.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Humoral and cellular immune responses of rabbits to sub-viral fractions of human cytomegalovirus.

We have raised specific sera against human CMV (strain AD 169) and have tested the immunogenicity of viral envelopes, removed using the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100. Glycine-buffered extracts of infected MRC-5 cells elicited virus-neutralizing antibody to a titre of 1/1600. Incubation of this material also elicited a considerable reaction against host cell antigens. Inoculation of viral envelope material in Freund's complete adjuvant also elicited virus-neutralizing antibodies. Specific in vitro transformation of peripheral blood lymphocytes taken from inoculated rabbits was not always demonstrable, but could be achieved with blood taken from one rabbit up to one year after the initial inoculation of envelope material.

Animals↗