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PubMed1996

Quality of life improvement in patents with osteoarthritis: the potential for office-based assessment.

OBJECTIVE: This study presents the initial findings from our evaluation of the Nottingham Health Profile, a short and simple quality of life instrument, to determine its ease and robustness as a routine office tool for evaluating changes in the quality of life for arthritis patients undergoing joint replacement. METHODS: Thirty-five patients awaiting total joint replacement surgery were asked to complete the Nottingham Health Profile at their pre-operative clinic. A post-joint replacement evaluation profile, with a self-addressed stamped envelope, was mailed to each participant 3-4 months post-surgery. The profile was self-administered on both occasions. RESULT: The follow-up response rate was 69%. The t-test for the paired difference of related populations was used to determine pre-test and post-test changes. Significant improvement was found in the profile's 6 subscales, with energy, pain, and physical mobility significant at the 0.001 level, emotion and social isolation significant at the 0.005 level, and sleep significant at the 0.05 level. The before and after comparison of the profile's global self-assessment of health was not significant. CONCLUSION: Preliminary findings suggest that the Nottingham Health Profile is a useful office tool for the routine assessment of intervention-related changes in quality of life. The instrument was easy to self-administer and was associated with a mail return response rate consistent with other investigations using the profile. Even with a small sample size, the profile rendered data consistent with large-scale research evaluations of changes in quality of life for joint replacement patients. The finding that patients' global health status measures did not change despite improvements in quality of life subscales indicates that the instrument reliably netted out the quality of life benefits of the arthritis-related intervention from the patients' total burden of illness.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1993

Asbestos disease risk communication conducted by the New Jersey Department of Health.

Since October 1985, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has required hospitals to report all patients with a discharge diagnosis of asbestosis. As follow-up to a needs assessment survey of these patients, the NJDOH developed an educational packet including an information bulletin titled "Asbestos Disease: Medical and Legal Facts for Employees" and a pre-stamped postcard evaluation survey. The packet was sent to 1,418 patients reported by hospitals; 433 patients returned the evaluation questionnaire. The survey assessed attitudinal responses (were the materials helpful and easy to understand?) and behavioral responses (did the respondent plan on discussing the materials with a doctor or lawyer?) to the information in the packet. Of the postcard respondents, 85% found the materials helpful, and approximately half indicated that they would discuss the materials with a doctor or lawyer. Of the 33% who were proxy respondents, half appeared not to have understood that the materials had relevance to them as family members. Modifications to the protocol for the asbestos disease educational packet were made based on the evaluation data. Limitations of the evaluation survey and the value of process evaluations in risk communication projects are discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed1986

Pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy.

Samples of lumbosacral trunk, posterior tibial nerve, and sural nerve obtained at autopsy from diabetic and nondiabetic patients without mononeuropathy multiplex were evaluated using 1-mu-thick epoxy sections and teased nerve fiber preparations. Focal fascicular lesions characterized by reduced density of myelinated axons within fascicles were found predominantly in the specimens from diabetics, mainly in the posterior tibial nerve and lumbosacral trunk. In severe examples, the perineurium and even surrounding epineurium were damaged, stamping the lesions as ischemic. In addition, identical lesions were found in biopsies of nerves of nondiabetics with vasculitis. Density of myelinated fibers at the three sites demonstrated a proximal-distal graded loss that was significantly greater in the diabetic samples. The loss from the lumbosacral trunk to the posterior tibial nerve was correlated with the density of focal lesions in the lumbosacral trunk in the diabetic (p = 0.025), indicating that distal fiber loss was partly due to the focal lesions. Teased nerve fiber abnormalities were common only in sural nerves of diabetics, suggesting that they are secondary. We conclude that beyond the possible metabolic abnormalities involved in the genesis of diabetic polyneuropathy, focal fascicular lesions, likely due to diabetic microangiopathy, are also important in the development of diabetic neuropathy.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Ambulatory monitoring of physical activity and symptoms in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are associated with substantial physical disability. Determinants of self-reported physical disability are poorly understood. This investigation uses objective ambulatory activity monitoring to compare patients with FM and/or CFS with controls, and examines associations of ambulatory activity levels with both physical function and symptoms during activities of daily life. METHODS: Patients with FM and/or CFS (n = 38, mean +/- SD age 41.5 +/- 8.2 years, 74% women) completed a 5-day program of ambulatory monitoring of physical activity and symptoms (pain, fatigue, and distress) and results were compared with those in age-matched controls (n = 27, mean +/- SD age 38.0 +/- 8.6 years, 44% women). Activity levels were assessed continuously, ambulatory symptoms were determined using electronically time-stamped recordings at 5 time points during each day, and physical function was measured with the 36-item Short Form health survey at the end of the 5-day monitoring period. RESULTS: Patients had significantly lower peak activity levels than controls (mean +/- SEM 8,654 +/- 527 versus 12,913 +/- 1,462 units; P = 0.003) and spent less time in high-level activities when compared with controls (P = 0.001). In contrast, patients had similar average activity levels as those of controls (mean +/- SEM 1,525 +/- 63 versus 1,602 +/- 89; P = 0.47). Among patients, low activity levels were associated with worse self-reported physical function over the preceding month. Activity levels were inversely related to concurrent ambulatory pain (P = 0.031) and fatigue (P < 0.001). Pain and fatigue were associated with reduced subsequent ambulatory activity levels, whereas activity levels were not predictive of subsequent symptoms. CONCLUSION: Patients with FM and/or CFS engaged in less high-intensity physical activities than that recorded for sedentary control subjects. This reduced peak activity was correlated with measures of poor physical function. The observed associations may be relevant to the design of behavioral activation programs, because activity levels appear to be contingent on, rather than predictive of, symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Covalent microcontact printing of proteins for cell patterning.

We describe a straightforward approach to the covalent immobilization of cytophilic proteins by microcontact printing, which can be used to pattern cells on substrates. Cytophilic proteins are printed in micropatterns on reactive self-assembled monolayers by using imine chemistry. An aldehyde-terminated monolayer on glass or on gold was obtained by the reaction between an amino-terminated monolayer and terephthaldialdehyde. The aldehyde monolayer was employed as a substrate for the direct microcontact printing of bioengineered, collagen-like proteins by using an oxidized poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp. After immobilization of the proteins into adhesive "islands", the remaining areas were blocked with amino-poly(ethylene glycol), which forms a layer that is resistant to cell adhesion. Human malignant carcinoma (HeLa) cells were seeded and incubated onto the patterned substrate. It was found that these cells adhere to and spread selectively on the protein islands, and avoid the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) zones. These findings illustrate the importance of microcontact printing as a method for positioning proteins at surfaces and demonstrate the scope of controlled surface chemistry to direct cell adhesion.

Aldehydes↗

PubMed2006

Compression-inhibited pore formation of polyelectrolyte multilayers containing weak polyanions: a scanning force microscopy study.

Morphological changes of poly(acrylic acid)/poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) multilayers induced by low pH were investigated by scanning force microscopy. The weakened interaction between the charged polymer chains in the protonation process is believed to be the reason for this variation. Kinetic studies have shown that during protonation phase separation and dissociation of the multilayers took place successively. The compression of the multilayers, however, caused a transition of the multilayers from a rubbery state to a glassy state. As a result, the closely compacted multilayers lost their sensitivity to pH change. An increase of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, can decrease the free energy of the multilayers, and stabilize the films. By compression of the multilayers with a rubber stamp having geometric patterns, films with spatially localized pores were produced.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1991

Very early detection of changes associated with cellular activation using a modified flow cytometer.

A sample station modification previously described has been redesigned to provide greater flexibility and enhanced performance. The improved modification provides mixing and temperature regulation in a compact unit that mounts close to the nozzle holder for reduced transit times, allowing for addition of mediators to a sample in place on the flow cytometer, with observation of results in approximately 1 s. An electronic circuit activated at the time of injection generates full-scale pulses in the forward scatter channel. This provides the data with a time stamp for direct correlation of injection and cellular response. A detailed description of the modification, performance verification data, and practical applications in the measurements associated with cellular activation are presented.

Calcium↗

PubMed2004

Genotyping by dynamic heating of monolayered beads on a microheated surface.

A miniaturized bead-based dynamic allele-specific hybridization (DASH) approach for single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis is presented. Chips with integrated heater and temperature sensors for open-surface DNA analysis were microfabricated. Microcontact printing using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp was employed to create monolayers of immobilized beads on the surface of the chip. This chip allows fast, well-controllable temperature ramping. The temperature distribution was homogeneous over the entire heater area. All three possible variants of an SNP site of a synthesized oligonucleotide were accurately scored using the bead-based DASH approach. Our assay has a nonoptimized temperature ramping rate of 4 degrees C-6 degrees C/min compared to earlier reported values of 2 degrees C-3 degrees C/min, thereby reducing the total analysis time by a factor of 2. Reliable DASH measurement data from areas as small as 12 x 13 microm was achieved. Our bead-based DASH approach has enabled a dramatic volume reduction and is a step towards developing a cost-effective high-throughput DASH method on arrays of single beads.

Alleles↗

PubMed1995

Simulation of spatial learning in the Morris water maze by a neural network model of the hippocampal formation and nucleus accumbens.

Cells in the hippocampal formation show spatial firing correlates thought to be critical to the role played by this structure in spatial learning. Place cells in the hippocampus proper show location-specific activity, whereas cells in the postsubiculum fire as a function of momentary directional heading. One question which has received little attention is how these spatial signals are used by motor structures to actually guide spatial behavior. Here we present a model of how one kind of spatial behavior, instrumental learning in the Morris water maze, could be guided by the spatial information in the hippocampal formation. For this, we concentrate on the hippocampal projection to the nucleus accumbens, which is strongly implicated in instrumental learning. In the model, simulated firing patterns of place cells and head direction cells activate "motor" cells in the "accumbens." Each motor cell causes a particular locomotor movement in a simulated rat. In this way, the "rat" locomotes through the simulated environment. Each step places the animal in a slightly different location and directional orientation, which, in turn, activates a different set of place and head direction cells, thus causing the next locomotor response, and so on. Connection strengths between cells are initially set randomly. When the animal encounters the reward location, however, connections are altered, so that recently active synapses are strengthened. Thus, successful moves in a particular locational and directional context are "stamped in." Simulated rats show rapid learning, similar in many ways to that of actual rats. In particular, they generate efficient routes to the goal after minimal experience, and can do so from somewhat novel starting positions. Consideration of the model architecture shows that 1) combined use of directional and place information is an example of a linearly inseparable problem and that 2) some types of novel route generation, often thought to require a "cognitive mapping" strategy, can be generated from the S-R type model used here.

Animals↗

PubMed2007

Voluntary childlessness is increased in women with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: The women's health aspect of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a newer area of study; childbearing issues have received little attention despite the fact that IBD affects women predominantly during their childbearing years. The aim of this study was to better understand patients' considerations about pregnancy-related issues and to examine trends in childbearing so that physicians are able to better tailor their advice to IBD-specific concerns. METHODS: Data were gathered from specific questions in 3147 surveys mailed anonymously to all members of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Illinois Carol Fisher chapter. The subjects were provided a pre-addressed, pre-stamped return envelope and were instructed to return their completed surveys with no identifying information. Subjects were from the Illinois community. Females IBD patients were 15-44 of age and were members of the CCFA Illinois Carol Fisher chapter. RESULTS: In this study, 169 females age 15-44 years with IBD, 110 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 59 with ulcerative colitis (UC), were identified. Most subjects were white. IBD patients had a higher rate of voluntary childlessness (CD 18%, UC 14%) than the 6.2% seen in the general population (P = 0.001 for CD, P = 0.08 for UC). Women with UC had a lower rate of temporary childlessness (CD 28%, UC 13.6%) than the general population (33%) (P = NS and P < 0.0001 for UC). The rates of nonvoluntary childlessness in IBD were similar to the general population. Women with IBD also had fewer children than their state and national counterparts. The state of the patients' IBD, including those who had gone through a previous pregnancy with IBD, did not alter their resolve to have children. The educational level of our subjects was higher than the nationwide and statewide levels; 76% of the subjects used contraception before diagnosis of IBD, and 82% used it after diagnosis. The most common choices were oral contraception, barrier methods, and abstinence. This study was unable to compare the lifetime rates of complications of pregnancy with population-based controls because such data were unavailable. Furthermore, their findings in this study may not be generalized to all ethnic groups because our population was mostly white. CONCLUSIONS: Women with IBD had a higher rate of voluntary childlessness and fewer children than the general population. These observations are likely attributable to a higher educational achievement and to racial background of the patients rather than to IBD-related reasons. Although contraception use in patients with IBD was lower that in the general population, use was higher after the diagnosis of IBD than before the diagnosis. Contraceptive choices and adoption rates were similar to the general population. Women with CD were more affected by miscarriages after diagnosis with IBD than those with UC.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

THC therapeutic research by independent and state-sponsored investigators: a historical review.

A brief history of the control and use of cannabis in the United States is presented. Essential to the discussion are the federal law: the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937; the Controlled Substances Act of 1970; and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1962. On mandate of Congress in 1968, initial studies were directed to determine effects of long-term use in man. The annual reporting of the status of "Marihuana and Health" was established. In the early 1970s, the scope of research was broadened to include evaluation of THC for use in certain medical conditions. Interest in therapeutic research may have been influenced by anecdotal reports of benefit for nausea and vomiting of cancer chemotherapy and for elevated intraocular pressure of glaucoma, by the lobbying for laws to legalize marihuana by special interest groups, and by the passage of state "Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research" acts (CSTRA). A listing of approved INDs in four therapeutic categories, a chart comparing the components of laws passed by 25 states, and a bibliography of suggested reading for further contact with the subject matter are included.

Cannabinoids↗

PubMed2007

Microcontact printing of laminin on oxygen plasma activated substrates for the alignment and growth of Schwann cells.

Microenvironment mimicking biological situation is a vital issue in tissue regeneration. With much progress being made, one of the major challenges remains to develop a convenient method to fabricate the scaffold microenvironment suitable for cell attachment and proliferation. This article demonstrates the efficacy of microcontact printed laminin, an extracellular matrix protein, on three different oxygen plasma treatment substrates-tissue culture polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate) films, and chitosan films-for alignment and growth of the Schwann cells in in vitro culturing. Replica molding of polydimethylsiloxane elastomeric stamps, fabricated from patterned SU-8 structure on silicon master, was used to print laminin on the three substrates. Pattern and growth of Schwann cells for low (10(3) cells/cm(2)) and increased cell density (2 x 10(4) cells/cm(2)) on the varied substrates with and without microcontact printed laminin were characterized. Results of in vitro cell culture of Schwann cells showed a high degree of cell orientation on the laminin-micropatterned substrates for both cell densities. However, different cell seeding densities will strongly impact the morphology and orientation of Schwann cells. Microcontact printing proves to be a convenient means to pattern cell-recognition molecules on scaffold for cell-guilded growth in tissue regeneration.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Two-photon fluorescent microlithography for live-cell imaging.

Fluorescent dyes added to UV-cure resins allow the rapid fabrication of fluorescent micropatterns on standard glass coverslips by two-photon optical lithography. We use this lithographic method to tailor fiduciary markers, focal references, and calibration tools, for fluorescence and laser scanning microscopy. Fluorescent microlithography provides spatial landmarks to quantify molecular transport, cell growth and migration, and to compensate for focal drift during time-lapse imaging. We show that the fluorescent patterned microstructures are biocompatible with cultures of mammalian cell lines and hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, the high-relief topology of the lithographed substrates is utilized as a mold for poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamps to create protein patterns by microcontact printing, representing an alternative to the current etching techniques. We present two different applications of such protein patterns for localizing cell adhesion and guidance of neurite outgrowth.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Hard to swallow dry: kinetics and mechanism of the anhydrous thermal decomposition of acetylsalicylic acid.

The methods of thermal analysis and mass spectrometry have been used to study the kinetics and mechanism of the anhydrous thermal decomposition of acetylsalicylic acid. Both thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) show that decomposition occurs in two steps. Mass-spectrometric analysis of the residue left after the first decomposition step (approximately equal to 60% mass loss) suggests that in the condensed phase, acetylsalicylic acid decomposes by first forming linear oligomers that are further converted into cyclic oligomers. Model-free isoconversional kinetic analysis of TGA traces has been used to determine global activation energies as a function of the extent of reaction. This method of analysis has also been used to make kinetic predictions of shelf life at ambient temperatures (20-40 degrees C) under anhydrous conditions for acetylsalicylic acid. Our estimate of a shelf life of 876 days (approximately equal to 2.4 years) for 5% decomposition at 30 degrees C is in good agreement with shelf lives of 2-3 years that are stamped on over-the-counter aspirin bottles. Hence, this approach can be used to systematically study the factors that determine the decomposition kinetics of aspirin and may be used for express screening of pharmaceuticals in order to identify those with desirable thermal stabilities.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2002

An analysis of the relationship between job satisfaction and job stress in correctional nurses.

Stamps and Piedmonte's Index of Work Satisfaction and Harris's Nurse Stress Index were completed by 287 registered nurses employed in state prison health care facilities in order to assess job satisfaction and job stress among correctional nurses. Correctional nurses' expectations about job satisfaction were influenced by pay and autonomy. This finding was consistent with studies of hospital nurses. Important sources of job satisfaction were professional status and interaction with employees. Analysis of differences between expectations and sources of job satisfaction may provide understanding of career benefits and sources of dissatisfaction. Time pressures and organizational support and involvement were sources of stress. Multivariate analyses showed an inverse relationship between stress and job satisfaction. Information about job satisfaction and work stress and their correlates may be used to develop strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of correctional nurses.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Poverty, food programs, and childhood obesity.

Sixteen percent of children 6-11 years of age were classified as overweight in 1999-2002, four times the percentage in 1965. Although poverty has traditionally been associated with underweight as a result of poor diet, researchers have recently pointed to a paradox in the U.S., which is that low income and obesity can coexist in the same population. This paper first examines whether income is linked to overweight in school-age children. Second, it explores whether food programs such as the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, and the School Breakfast Program are associated with overweight among children in different income groups. The data come from the nationally representative 1997 Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement. No evidence either that poor children are more likely to be overweight or that food programs contribute to overweight among poor children was found.

Body Mass Index↗

PubMed2006

A substitution matrix for structural alphabet based on structural alignment of homologous proteins and its applications.

Analysis of protein structures based on backbone structural patterns known as structural alphabets have been shown to be very useful. Among them, a set of 16 pentapeptide structural motifs known as protein blocks (PBs) has been identified and upon which backbone model of most protein structures can be built. PBs allows simplification of 3D space onto 1D space in the form of sequence of PBs. Here, for the first time, substitution probabilities of PBs in a large number of aligned homologous protein structures have been studied and are expressed as a simplified 16 x 16 substitution matrix. The matrix was validated by benchmarking how well it can align sequences of PBs rather like amino acid alignment to identify structurally equivalent regions in closely or distantly related proteins using dynamic programming approach. The alignment results obtained are very comparable to well established structure comparison methods like DALI and STAMP. Other interesting applications of the matrix have been investigated. We first show that, in variable regions between two superimposed homologous proteins, one can distinguish between local conformational differences and rigid-body displacement of a conserved motif by comparing the PBs and their substitution scores. Second, we demonstrate, with the example of aspartic proteinases, that PBs can be efficiently used to detect the lobe/domain flexibility in the multidomain proteins. Lastly, using protein kinase as an example, we identify regions of conformational variations and rigid body movements in the enzyme as it is changed to the active state from an inactive state.

Databases, Protein↗

PubMed1999

Protein microarrays for gene expression and antibody screening.

Proteins translate genomic sequence information into function, enabling biological processes. As a complementary approach to gene expression profiling on cDNA microarrays, we have developed a technique for high-throughput gene expression and antibody screening on chip-size protein microarrays. Using a picking/spotting robot equipped with a new transfer stamp, protein solutions were gridded onto polyvinylidene difluoride filters at high density. Specific purified protein was detected on the filters with high sensitivity (250 amol or 10 pg of a test protein). On a microarray made from bacterial lysates of 92 human cDNA clones expressed in a microtiter plate, putative protein expressors could be reliably identified. The rate of false-positive clones, expressing proteins in incorrect reading frames, was low. Product specificity of selected clones was confirmed on identical microarrays using monoclonal antibodies. Cross-reactivities of some antibodies with unrelated proteins imply the use of protein microarrays for antibody specificity screening against whole libraries of proteins. Because this application would not be restricted to antigen-antibody systems, protein microarrays should provide a general resource for high-throughput screens of gene expression and receptor-ligand interactions.

Antibody Specificity↗