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MICdb: database of prokaryotic microsatellites.

The MICdb (Microsatellites Database) (http://www.cdfd.org.in/micas) is a comprehensive relational database of non-redundant microsatellites extracted from fully sequenced prokaryotic genomes. The current version (1.0) of the database has been compiled from 83 genomes belonging to different phylogenetic groups. This database has been linked to MICAS, the web-based Microstatellite Analysis Server. MICAS provides a user-friendly front-end to systematically extract data on microsatellite tracts from genomes. The database contains the following information pertaining to the microsatellites: the regions (coding/non-coding, if coding, their GenBank annotations) containing microsatellite tracts; the frequencies of their occurrences, the size and the number of repeating motifs; and the sequences of the tracts. MICAS also provides an interface to Autoprimer, a primer design program to automatically design primers for selected microsatellite loci.

DNA Primers↗

Physical activity among minority populations: what health promotion practitioners should know--a commentary.

Leisure time and moderate-level physical activity participation in the United States is low among the majority of the population. Minority populations are especially inactive and report having fewer opportunities and access to be physically active. Physical activity programs utilizing a strong health promotion framework (including needs assessment, program plan and design, program implementation, and evaluation) are limited, particularly among minority populations. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of physical activity, briefly review and describe current literature, identify the need for physical activity programs among minority populations, and relate the concepts of a health promotion framework to physical activity programs that are usable among practitioners. The article also provides health promotion practitioners with various resources for improving physical activity programs.

Adolescent↗

Inhibitors of the enzyme purine nucleoside phosphorylase as potential therapy for psoriasis.

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) is one of the enzymes comprising the purine salvage pathway , and is responsible for the catalysis of the reversible phosphorolytic cleavage of purine ribonucleosides and 2'-deoxyribonucleosides. The pivotal role of PNP in T-cell proliferation has been demonstrated in patients with inherited PNP deficiency, where T-cell levels may be 1-3% of normal. This observation helped establish the critical role of PNP in T-cells and provided a rationale for developing inhibitors of PNP. Inhibitors of PNP may be useful for treating a variety of T-cell related autoimmune diseases including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn s disease and T-cell cancers. In this manuscript, the x-ray crystal structure of the PNP enzyme is described. Results of a structure-based drug design program aimed at designing small-molecule inhibitors of PNP are also described. Of the many classes of compounds synthesized, studied and reviewed, only one, the 3-pyridinylmethyl-9-deazaguanine (BCX-34, 39) analog has been used in clinical trials. Both topical and oral formulations of BCX-34 were studied in psoriatic patients and the results of these clinical trials are described.

Drug Design↗

DMDX: a windows display program with millisecond accuracy.

DMDX is a Windows-based program designed primarily for language-processing experiments. It uses the features of Pentium class CPUs and the library routines provided in DirectX to provide accurate timing and synchronization of visual and audio output. A brief overview of the design of the program is provided, together with the results of tests of the accuracy of timing. The Web site for downloading the software is given, but the source code is not available.

Computer Graphics↗

Mobile screening mammography for the corporate customer.

While the concept of mobile imaging services is not new, mobile screening mammography has recently gained a great deal of attention, and several mobile breast screening programs are in operation throughout the United States. This article describes the development of a mobile breast screening program designed to attract corporations' employees as its primary source of participants. The design of the program, corporate concerns and operational issues are discussed as well as the findings of its first year of operation.

Data Collection↗

A school-based intervention program to prevent adolescent smoking.

Research has shown that tobacco use usually begins in early adolescence, results in an increase in future health problems, and ultimately affects national health care costs. Despite the messages about the dangers of smoking, young people continue to smoke. A school-based tobacco education program designed to produce a more favorable attitude about the positive effects of not smoking and increase knowledge of the hazards of smoking was implemented for 6th graders in a parochial middle school. After the intervention, there was a significant increase in knowledge about tobacco but no change in attitudes regarding the use of tobacco. The results have implications for school nurses who design and teach programs to prevent tobacco use.

Adolescent↗

"Does skinny mean healthy?" Perceived ideal, current, and healthy body sizes among African-American girls and their female caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: To qualitatively and quantitatively examine body image ideals and perceived weight-related health among African-American girls and their female caregivers to inform intervention development for Girls Rule!, an obesity prevention pilot program. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Formative study using qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and validated quantitative body image silhouette assessment among girls (N=47) and caregivers (N=44). The participants were a convenience sample of African-American church members from North Carolina. Differences were evaluated between perceived: 1) current and ideal body size; 2) current and unhealthy body size; and 3) ideal and unhealthy body size. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent of the girls and 77% of the caregivers were overweight or obese. Three body image themes emerged from the qualitative interviews: 1) being fat is unhealthy; 2) caregivers are role models (positive and negative) for body image ideals; and 3) smaller body size is important for wearing fashionable clothing. A series of 9 body silhouettes were used to assess perceptions of both girls and caregivers. Overall, both girls (2.9 +/- 1.4) and caregivers (4.4 +/- 1.4) ideal body size was significantly (P<.01) smaller than their current body size (3.7 +/- 1.3 girls; 6.3 +/- 2.2 caregivers). Both girls (3.7 +/- 1.4) and caregivers (6.7 +/- 2.0) indicated that their current body sizes were statistically significantly (P<.05) smaller that what they considered to be unhealthy (7.9 +/- 1.4 girls; 7.9 +/- 1.2 caregivers). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that most of these African-American participants were not satisfied with their current body size and desired a smaller body. At the same time, both girls and caregivers failed to recognize the potential health consequences associated with their current body size. Critical issues for designing obesity prevention programs include positive role modeling within the family and addressing the association of body size with health risk.

Adult↗

Intervention approaches to conduct disorders in young children.

The scope of the problem in regard to childhood aggression or conduct disorders is large and far exceeds the resources for dealing with them. Moreover, such children are at high risk for developing serious adolescent and adult psychological problems. Nurse practitioners are placed in strategic positions to be able to screen for, identify and treat early signs of conduct disorders in young children. This review describes assessment procedures and the essential components of a parent training program designed to help families reduce childhood aggression. By intervening with families early, nurse practitioners may be able to design effective preventive programs and improve the prognosis for these children.

Adult↗

An approach to preliminary studies of interlaboratory comparative results for estrogen and progesterone receptors.

Determining estrogen and progesterone (ER/PR) expression has clinical relevance in managing invasive breast carcinoma. Recent studies employing multivariate analyses which control for multiple factors have generally reaffirmed the role of ER and PR as prognostic determinants and management tools. Little information is available regarding the interlaboratory reproducibility of such testing in the clinical setting. Although ER/PR techniques based on cellular extracts have usually been used to make receptor determinations, immunohistological assays are gaining increasingly wider acceptance. The frequent admixture of non-neoplastic mammary parenchyma in tissue selected for ER and PR studies can yield false-positive results when using the cellular extraction assays, but are easily recognized with an immunohistological approach. Furthermore, specimen economy is preserved--particularly when formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material is used for the immunohistological assay, an important issue as more small tumors are excised. The College of American Pathologists Cell Markers Resource Committee provides clinical laboratory professionals an opportunity to compare results with peers and to participate in an immunohistology education program. Designing such a program for ER and PR immunohistological assays is presented.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

[Prevention of lung cancer through smoking control activities in Japan].

Three kinds of smoking cessation programs have been developed by the Osaka Cancer Prevention and Detection Center. The first program is "Smoking Quit Contest," in which self-help materials are mailed to applicants and prizes are given by lot to those who succeed in quitting. The second program is a "Smokebusters" smoking cessation program designed for outpatients. The third program is designed for people undergoing screening during routine health check-ups, which are widely conducted in communities and workplace in Japan. To reduce lung cancer mortality in Japan, smoking cessation programs such as those described here should be widely implemented and the prevalence of smoking among men in Japan should be reduced at least to the levels in the U.S. and in western Europe.

Female↗

Organizing Asian Pacific Islanders in an urban community to reduce HIV risk: a case study.

We present a case study of community organization efforts within the Asian Pacific Islander communities of San Diego County to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. We utilized a five-phase process to implement the strategies of locality development, social planning, and social action: community analysis, program design and initiation, program implementation, program maintenance and consolidation, and program reassessment. An evaluation of the process indicates that there were increases over time in the project's activities as well as in the levels of interagency connectedness. This is one of the few reported efforts to organize Asian Pacific Islander groups to address HIV transmission. Key elements that led to the successful organization of the original project into a tax-exempt nonprofit entity (the Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project) were emphasis on community ownership, reliance on group consensus, use of "gatekeepers" to access communities, simultaneous multilevel programming, and service to the community as a "coordinating" entity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Contraception in adolescents included in a family planning program].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the motives of consultation, kinds of contraceptive methods and side-effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) in adolescent users of a family planning program. DESIGN: Family planning program at the District Primary Care Unit, Cádiz, Spain. PATIENTS: 283 adolescent females who requested attendance in a family planning program from January 1993 until January 1994. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A medical history of every adolescent was carried out and every patient was examined. Those who were recommended the use of OCs passed through 3 controls: at the beginning, after the 6th month and after 1 year. These controls consisted in recording sexual risk behaviours as well as several analytic tests. RESULTS: Most adolescents requested the prescription of contraceptive methods (81.7% of the most prescribed and demanded methods were OCs). We found no serious side-effects after 1 year, so we can conclude that OCs are an usefull contraceptive choice for sexually active adolescents because of its security, acceptance and easy use.

Adolescent↗

Duckweed based wastewater treatment (DWWT): design guidelines for hot climates.

Conventional wastewater treatment systems are expensive in either investment or running costs. On the other hand, waste stabilisation ponds may be unable to meet effluent standards for nutrients. Wastewater treatment using duckweed therefore becomes more significant as an option capable of achieving effluent standards and generating revenue from selling the duckweed. However existing duckweed based wastewater treatment (DWWT) systems have high land requirements despite being able to reduce concentrations of organic compounds and pathogens to acceptable levels. Improved guidelines for the design of DWWT are necessary to obtain a reliable and cost-effective wastewater treatment plant using duckweed. This guideline provides a DWWT design program using spreadsheets for different configurations of wastewater treatment units using duckweed. The design program developed suggests that a combination of anaerobic ponds, DWWT systems and maturation ponds can minimise land requirements and capital costs while achieving specified effluent standards. In order to achieve effluent standards, the land required is typically from 1.5 to 1.8 m2/capita (excluding associated facilities), capital costs are in the range from 7.9 to 9.7 USD/capita, with a retention time from 15 to 18 days. Income generation is dependent mainly on the social and cultural acceptability of duckweed use within the community.

Adsorption↗

Improving breastfeeding practices on a broad scale at the community level: success stories from Africa and Latin America.

Large-scale community-level behavior change programs designed to improve breastfeeding practices were implemented in Bolivia, Ghana, and Madagascar. These programs reached sizable populations: Bolivia, 1 million; Ghana, 3.5 million; and Madagascar, 6 million. Over 3 to 4 years, timely initiation of breastfeeding (within 1 hour of birth) increased from 56% to 74% (P < .001) in Bolivia, 32% to 40% (P < .05) in Ghana, and 34% to 78% (P < .001) in Madagascar. Marked increases in exclusive breastfeeding of infants 0 to 6 months of age were also documented: from 54% to 65% (P < .001) in Bolivia, 68% to 79% (P < .001) in Ghana, and 46% to 68% (P < .001) in Madagascar. In Ghana and Madagascar, significant results were seen within 1 year of community interventions. The authors conclude that large-scale programs designed to improve breastfeeding practices are feasible and should be a central component of any child survival strategy.

Adolescent↗

Not ready for hospice: characteristics of patients in a pre-hospice program.

CONTEXT: There are many patients with terminal illness for whom hospice care would be appropriate, but they either never enroll or enroll very late. In a pre-hospice program designed to help patients make the transition into hospice, we observed that many patients did not make the transition. OBJECTIVES: To understand more about the transition to hospice and the functions of a pre-hospice program, this paper compares patients who enrolled in hospice with those who died in the pre-hospice program. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Data were collected from a retrospective review of the charts of 123 consecutive patients who enrolled in a prehospice program between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The patient's decision to transfer to home hospice or (perhaps, by not making a decision) to remain enrolled in the pre-hospice program until death. RESULTS: At the end of the research period, 38 patients had transferred to hospice and 36 had died without transfer. The remaining 49 patients had uncertain outcomes at the end of the research period. Patients who transferred to hospice were older (P = .02) and more likely to have secondary insurance (P = .05). In addition, those who enrolled in hospice were more likely to live alone (P = .03) and have psychosocial concerns noted by staff on admission (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Many patients died in this program that was designed only for transition to hospice. We found statistically significant differences characterizing the groups associated with transferring to hospice. Further studies to find out why these differences exist will be important in order to provide excellent end-of-life care for more people.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Comprehensive primary care at the neighborhood level: an Israeli experiment that failed.

This paper is an analysis of the first stage of a demonstration program designed to integrate within neighborhood clinics various health and welfare services that were previously provided separately. The program included the active participation of quasi-public, governmental, private, philanthropic, and university institutions. The purpose here is to understand the failure to achieve the original goals and purposes. The analysis takes an organizational perspective, and should contribute to a better understanding of why programs designed to change existing service-delivery systems are inclined to fail. Although this is a case-study of a demonstration program in Israel, the findings should have relevance and interest for academicians and professionals in other countries.

Community Health Centers↗

Empowering organizations: approaches to tobacco control through youth empowerment programs.

Whereas most evaluations of youth empowerment focus on individual outcomes (i.e., were individual youths empowered?), this article focuses on the program as the unit of analysis and seeks to explain how organizational structures, program design features, and processes lead to organizational empowerment (OE). OE is defined as organizational efforts that generate psychological empowerment among members and organizational effectiveness needed for goal achievement. Case studies of five American Legacy Foundation-funded tobacco control youth empowerment programs were conducted during the first 2 years of implementation. Using an OE framework, the authors assessed program design features of the youth empowerment programs that contributed to or detracted from processes leading to OE. Comparing and contrasting the programs led to the identification of models and strategies that contribute to OE. Ecological influences of the state contexts (i.e., political climate, history of tobacco control, and public health infrastructure) were also examined.

Adolescent↗