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PubMed1994

Design and application of PDBlib, a C++ macromolecular class library.

PDBlib is an extensible object-oriented class library written in C++ for representing the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules. The software design strategy, features of many of the 129 classes currently distributed with the library, and two sample applications which use the library are described. Version 1.0 of the library represents the structural features of proteins, DNA, RNA and complexes thereof, at a level of detail on a par with that which can be parsed from a Protein Data Bank (PDB) entry. However, the memory-resident representation of the macromolecule is independent of the PDB entry and can be obtained from other sources, e.g. relational and object-oriented databases. PDBlib classes are organized into four categories: (i) classes that model the macromolecule; (ii) classes that enhance the extensibility of the library; (iii) classes that provide navigation facilities of the object-oriented macromolecular structure representation; and (iv) a class that loads a PDB file into the memory-resident object-oriented representation. A number of general-purpose procedures that return features of this representation and that are relevant to all biological disciplines are included in (i). The library has been used to develop PDBtool, a prototype structure verification tool, and PDBview, a structure rendering tool that requires no specialized graphics hardware and software. Current work centers on making the macromolecular structures represented by PDBlib persistent using a commercial object-oriented database and providing an additional class library, MMQLlib, to query those structures.

Databases, Factual↗

PubMed1996

A greedy strategy for finding motifs from yes-no examples.

We define a motif as an expression Z1.Z2...Zn with sets Z1, Z2,..., Zn of strings in a specified family omega called the type. This notion can capture the most of the motifs in PROSITE as well as regular pattern languages. A greedy strategy is developed for finding such motifs with ambiguity just from positive and negative examples by exploiting the probabilistic argument. This paper concentrates on describing the idea of the greedy algorithm with its underlying theory. Its experimental results on splicing sites and E. coli promoters are also presented.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1990

Watching G proteins at work.

It has been known for over a century that rod photoreceptors in the living retina contract and swell in response to light. Although it is still not known whether this structural light-response is of any functional significance, it has recently been possible to correlate the underlying molecular processes with the activation and deactivation of the photoreceptor G protein, transducin. The technique of light-scattering allows the monitoring of minute changes in cell dimensions, and using this non-invasive experimental approach it can be shown that certain properties of the coupling between transducin and rhodopsin are different in a structurally well-preserved system as compared with rod material used for conventional biochemical studies. Thus, not unlike a psychiatrist, who often learns more about a patient's 'interiors' by observing the body language than by direct interrogation, a biochemist, studying the 'body language' of a cell, may extract information about delicate 'cell interior processes' that would be perturbed by more direct experimental approaches.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Pharmacological therapies for the prevention of fractures in men.

RATIONALE: Pharmacological therapies for fracture prevention usually target osteoporosis, a skeletal disorder characterised by compromised bone mass or quality (or both). As most participants in osteoporosis trials are women, a review of pharmacological therapies for fracture prevention in men was warranted. OBJECTIVES: To determine the benefits and harms of bisphosphonates, parathyroid (PTH) or parathyroid-related protein (PTHrP) analogues, denosumab, and romosozumab therapy for the prevention of fractures in men. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and two trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO ICTRP) until 14 October 2025, with no restrictions on date or language of publication. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials that compared bisphosphonates, PTH or PTHrP analogues, denosumab, or romosozumab (alone or with calcium or vitamin D, or both) with placebo, other drugs, or non-pharmacological therapies in men aged 50 years or older. Our primary comparison was bisphosphonates versus placebo. OUTCOMES: Critical outcomes were incidence of hip fractures, symptomatic vertebral fractures, other (not hip or vertebral) fractures, disability, participants with adverse events, study withdrawals due to adverse events, and participants with serious adverse events. Our primary time point was the final time point reported in the trials. RISK OF BIAS: We used Cochrane's RoB 2 tool to assess risk of bias. SYNTHESIS METHODS: We used a random-effects model for meta-analysis employing the Mantel-Haenszel approach, and the DerSimonian and Laird method to estimate between-trial variance. We assessed the certainty of evidence using GRADE. INCLUDED STUDIES: Seventeen trials (4132 participants) met our inclusion criteria. The average age of participants ranged from 52 to 73 years. Twelve trials used a placebo comparator versus bisphosphonate (7 trials, 2548 participants), PTH or PTHrP analogues (4 trials, 569 participants), denosumab (1 trial, 240 participants), and romosozumab (1 trial, 244 participants). For the other planned comparisons, a bisphosphonate was compared to vitamin D/vitamin D analogues (2 trials, 434 participants), to calcitonin (1 trial, 32 participants), to PTH or PTHrP analogues (1 trial, 19 participants), or to another bisphosphonate (1 trial, 301 participants), and one trial compared a bisphosphonate plus calcium to calcium tablets alone (46 participants). SYNTHESIS OF RESULTS: Placebo-controlled trials were largely susceptible to bias in selection of the reported result (83%), while most trials without a placebo control were also susceptible to bias arising from the randomisation process (100%) and in measurement of the outcome (80%). We are very uncertain about the effect of bisphosphonates on the incidence of hip fractures, symptomatic vertebral fractures, or other (non-hip non-vertebral) fractures compared to placebo at the final follow-up (up to two years). We downgraded the certainty of evidence once for risk of bias, twice for imprecision (very low event rates), and once for suspected publication bias. The certainty of evidence for incidence of other fractures was further downgraded for indirectness, as it was unclear if hip fractures were also included in the outcome. At up to two years, 2/875 participants (2 per 1000) in the bisphosphonate group reported hip fractures compared with 2/760 (3 per 1000) in the placebo group (risk ratio (RR) 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 8.51; I² = 36%; 4 trials, 1635 participants); 5/1021 (4/1000) participants in the bisphosphonate group had a symptomatic vertebral fracture compared to 7/855 (8/1000) participants in the placebo group (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.14 to 1.74; I² = 0%; 5 trials, 1876 participants); 25/1130 participants (16/1000) in the bisphosphonate group reported other (non-hip non-vertebral) fractures compared to 19/913 participants (21/1000) in the placebo group (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.45; I² = 0%; 6 trials, 2043 participants). Bisphosphonates probably do not increase the risk of adverse events: 1024/1374 participants (746/1000) receiving bisphosphonates reported adverse events compared to 826/1174 participants (704/1000) receiving placebo (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.19; I² = 75%; 7 trials, 2548 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) or serious adverse events: 329/1329 participants (272/1000) receiving bisphosphonate reported serious adverse events compared to 323/1128 participants (286/1000) receiving placebo (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.08; I² = 0%; 6 trials, 2457 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). We downgraded the certainty of evidence once due to potential bias for adverse events and serious adverse events. We are very uncertain if bisphosphonates result in more withdrawals due to adverse events: 41/1374 participants (25/1000) in the bisphosphonate group withdrew due to adverse events compared with 43/1174 participants (37/1000) in the placebo group (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.18; I² = 37%; 7 trials, 2548 participants; very low-certainty evidence). We downgraded the certainty of evidence once for risk of bias, once for indirectness, and once for imprecision. No trial reported disability. We are very uncertain about the effects of PTH or PTHrP analogues, denosumab, or romosozumab compared to placebo on fracture outcomes. We are very uncertain about the effects of PTH/PTHrP analogues on total adverse events, withdrawals due to adverse events, and serious adverse events. Denosumab may not increase the risk of adverse events or serious adverse events compared to placebo, while the evidence for withdrawals due to adverse events is very uncertain. Romosozumab probably does not increase the risk of adverse events and may not increase the risk of serious adverse events or result in more withdrawals due to adverse events. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We are very uncertain about the effects of bisphosphonates compared to placebo on the incidence of hip fractures, symptomatic vertebral fractures, or other (non-hip non-vertebral) fractures in men at up to two years of use. Bisphosphonates probably do not increase the risk of adverse events or serious adverse events, and we are very uncertain if they result in more withdrawals due to adverse events. We downgraded the certainty of evidence for indirectness, imprecision (low event rate), and serious risk of bias in selection of the reported result, as it was unclear if all studies fully reported every fracture. We found similar results for PTH or PTHrP analogues, denosumab, or romosozumab versus placebo. Larger, longer placebo-controlled studies are needed to determine whether pharmacological therapies are beneficial for reducing fractures in men. FUNDING: This Cochrane review had no dedicated funding. REGISTRATION: Protocol (2021): https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD014707.

Humans↗

PubMed1989

A relational database of protein structures designed for flexible enquiries about conformation.

A relational database of protein structure has been developed to enable rapid and flexible enquiries about the occurrence of many aspects of protein architecture. The coordinates of 294 proteins from the Brookhaven Data Bank have been processed by standard computer programs to generate many additional terms that quantify aspects of protein structure. These terms include solvent accessibility, main-chain and side-chain dihedral angles, and secondary structure. In a relational database, the information is stored in tables with columns holding the different terms and rows holding the different entries for the terms. The different relational base tables store the information about the protein coordinate set, the different chains in the protein, the amino acid residues and ligands, the atomic coordinates, the salt bridges, the hydrogen bonds, the disulphide bridges and the close tertiary contacts. The database was established under ORACLE management system. Enquiries are constructed in ORACLE using SQL (structured query language) which is simple to use and alleviates the need for extensive computer programs. A single table can be searched for entries that meet various criteria, e.g. all protein solved to better than a given resolution. The power of the database occurs when several tables, or the entries in a single table, are cross-correlated. For example the dihedral angles of proline in the fourth position in an alpha-helix in high resolution structures can be rapidly obtained. The structural database provides a powerful tool to obtain empirical rules about protein conformation. This database of protein structures is part of a joint project between Birkbeck College and Leeds University to establish an integrated data resource of protein sequences and structures (ISIS) that encodes the complex patterns of residues and coordinates that define protein conformation. The entire data resource (ISIS) will provide a system to guide all areas of protein modelling including structure prediction, site-directed mutagenesis and de novo protein design. The availability of ISIS is described in the paper.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed1993

Feature expressions: creating and manipulating sequence datasets.

Annotation of features, such as introns, exons and protein coding regions in GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ entries is now standardized through use of the Features Table (FT) language. The essence of the FT language is described by the relation 'expression-->sequence', meaning that each FT expression evaluates to a sequence. For example, the expression M74750:1..50 evaluates to the first 50 bases of the sequence with accession number M74750. Because FT is intrinsic to the database definition, it can serve as a software- and platform-independent lingua franca for sequence manipulation. The XYLEM package makes it possible to create and manipulate sequence datasets using FT expressions. FEATURES is a program that resolves FT expressions into their corresponding sequences. Annotated features can be retrieved either by feature key or by expression. Even unannotated portions of a sequence can be retrieved by user-generated FT expressions. Applications of the FT language include retrieval of subsequences from large sequence entries, generation of chromosome models or artificial DNA constructs, and representation of restriction maps or mutants.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1996

The effect of dietary protein restriction on the progression of diabetic and nondiabetic renal diseases: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dietary protein has long been thought to play a role in the progression of chronic renal disease, but clinical trials to date have not consistently shown that dietary protein restriction is beneficial. PURPOSE: To use meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of dietary protein restriction in previously published studies of diabetic and nondiabetic renal diseases, including the recently completed Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study. DATA SOURCES: The English-language medical literature published from January 1966 through December 1994 was searched for studies examining the effect of low-protein diets in humans with chronic renal disease. A total of 1413 patients in five studies on nondiabetic renal disease (mean length of follow-up, 18 to 36 months) and 108 patients in five studies of type I diabetes mellitus (mean length of follow-up, 9 to 35 months) were included. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized, controlled studies were selected for nondiabetic renal disease; randomized, controlled studies or time-controlled studies with nonrandomized crossover design were selected for diabetic nephropathy. DATA EXTRACTION: Data in tables, figures, or text were independently extracted by two of the authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: The relative risk for progression of renal disease in patients receiving a low-protein diet compared with patients receiving a usual-protein diet was calculated by using a random-effects model. In five studies of nondiabetic renal disease, a low-protein diet significantly reduced the risk for renal failure or death (relative risk, 0.67 [95% Cl, 0.50 to 0.89]). In five studies of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, a low-protein diet significantly slowed the increase in urinary albumin level or the decline in glomerular filtration rate or creatinine clearance (relative risk, 0.56 [Cl, 0.40 to 0.77]). Tests for heterogeneity showed no significant differences in relative risk among studies of either diabetic or nondiabetic renal disease. No significant differences were seen between diet groups in pooled mean arterial blood pressure (diabetic and nondiabetic patients) or glycosylated hemoglobin level (diabetic patients only). CONCLUSION: Dietary protein restriction effectively slows the progression of both diabetic and nondiabetic renal diseases.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in disease states and inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: To review the animal and human data defining the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the pathogenesis of the septic shock syndrome, the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and related pathologic states. DATA SOURCES: The international English language literature from 1975 to present formed the basis for this review. MEDLINE was used to identify pertinent animal and human studies. STUDY SELECTION: Those animal and human studies that focused on the mechanisms of action of TNF, its role in the inflammatory cytokine network, and the potential uses of anti-TNF therapies were emphasized. DATA EXTRACTION: Animal studies were selected based on the relevance of the model to the pathogenesis of the human systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Where they provided supportive evidence, human studies were selected on the basis of study design. DATA SYNTHESIS: TNF plays a major role in systemic inflammatory response syndrome secondary to infection, burns, trauma or hemorrhagic shock, and pancreatitis. TNF influences the outcome of other infectious processes, including allograft rejection, ischemia-reperfusion injury, delayed-type hypersensitivity, and granuloma development. The administration of anti-TNF antibodies, soluble TNF receptors, and related fusion proteins may limit organ damage and decrease mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: Although the regulated release of TNF may exert normal physiologic effects, the uncontrolled production of TNF may lead to organ dysfunction and death. TNF mediates a variety of other physiologic processes that are unrelated to sepsis syndrome. New anti-TNF therapies appear to attenuate the injurious actions of TNF.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Informational parameters and randomness of mitochondrial DNA.

The informational content of genomes of nuclear and mitochondrial origin is examined. By using the parameters of Shannon's information theory the language of mitochondrial DNA is shown to be more similar to the language of bacterial DNA than to that of nuclear DNA in more evolutionarily advanced animals. Moreover, using the parameters of Kolmogorov's theory on randomness, genes of different organisms (Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) coding for the same protein (subunit 9 of ATPase) are shown to have, if both of mitochondrial origin, a similar degree of randomness, whereas genes coding for the same protein, both belonging to the same organisms, exhibit a quite different degree of randomness when one is of mitochondrial origin and the other of nuclear origin. These results are in favor of the symbiotic origin of mitochondria.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed1982

In search of more complex genetic codes--can linguistics be a guide?

Striking similarities have been pointed out between the structures of the human language and the genetic code. The primary genetic code utilizes the principle of linear representation much like e.g. the Indo-European languages do. There are numerous indications that more complex secondary and tertiary structural elements in DNA direct highly specific interactions with proteins. Thus, more complex genetic codes might exist which might be superimposed on DNA sequences coding for polypeptides or might be extended to "non-coding" DNA sequences. Structural features of highly complex languages, like Chinese or Egyptian hieroglyphics using conceptual expression patterns have been compared to the more complex ways of encoding. It is proposed that the application of linguistic principles may be helpful in the computer analyses of known DNA sequences. There is considerable evidence for the innate specification at least for the basic structural elements of human languages. This innate specification may be the cause for language university. Based on the striking structural similarities between language and genetic code, the question is raised to what extent and in what way DNA sequences might be related to the innate specification of human languages.

Computers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Insulin-like growth factors as determinants of follicular fate.

OBJECTIVE: To review the English-language literature as it relates to the rat intraovarian insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system, special emphasis being placed on the hypotheses under study. METHODS: A thorough literature review of the English-language literature. RESULTS: Current data support the view that intraovarian IGF-I may act as an amplifier of gonadotropin hormonal action. The role of IGF-I as a determinant of follicular fate remains a matter of study. CONCLUSIONS: The intraovarian IGF-I system may play a central role in ovarian physiology by amplifying gonadotropin hormonal action and, possibly, by playing a role in determining follicular fate.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Tumor necrosis factor in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.

OBJECTIVES: To review the immunologic role of the cytokines and the specific role that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays in response to infection. The influence of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on TNF, the cytokine cascade, and resultant pathologies are also reviewed. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search of the international English language literature from 1960 to the present was reviewed, but data from the past 5 yrs primarily formed the basis for this review. STUDY SELECTION: Those studies detailing the interaction of lipopolysaccharide, TNF, and other cytokines, and their roles in combating infection were emphasized. Investigations that described animal and human results served as the primary database. DATA EXTRACTION: Animal studies were selected based on the relevance of the model to the pathogenesis of the human clinical syndrome. Where they provided supportive evidence, patient studies were selected on the basis of study design. DATA SYNTHESIS: TNF plays a key role in the normal immune response to infection, limiting the spread of pathogens. Exaggerated physiologic responses occur under the influence of high concentrations of TNF that are released in response to overwhelming infection, resulting in aberrations in coagulation, cell adhesion, chemotaxis/transmigration, and vascular integrity. These pathologic effects may be inhibited by anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies and recombinant soluble receptor inhibitory proteins. CONCLUSIONS: TNF exerts both physiologic and pathologic effects in response to infection; these events may lead to organ dysfunction and death. Anti-TNF therapies appear to attenuate the injurious effects of TNF.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Are syntax errors due to the amino acid sequence of neuroleukin involved in the pathogenesis of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)?

The main principles of this hypothesis are very general: (i) signal-detection from background noise is one central issue in electronics; (ii) an important source of misunderstanding at different levels of communication is the fact that a given signal may have different meanings in different contexts; (iii) the unique role of chance in developmental biology is generally appreciated (37). In AIDS the basic defect would be the human specific inability to distinguish between the amino acid sequence of neuroleukin and peptides derived from the gp120 envelope protein of HIV, resulting in a slowly progressing failure of the CD4+ T cell-mediated immunity. In IDDM the postulated HLA class II-dependent hypersensitivity to immunological noise could predispose to random contacts between cells with a different signalling language. In the ensuing dialogue neuroleukin secreted by T cells would imply a continuous demand for insulin secretion to pancreatic beta cells resulting in diabetes. This hypothesis does not contradict with the provocative ideas proposed by Duesberg concerning the relationships between HIV and AIDS (24) and the known data on the genesis of IDDM.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1993

Tumor necrosis factor: an updated review of its biology.

OBJECTIVE: To review the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the pathogenesis of the septic shock syndrome. DATA SOURCES: The international English language literature from 1985 to present formed the basis for this review. MEDLINE was used to identify pertinent animal and human studies pertaining to the clinically relevant aspects of TNF and related cytokines. STUDY SELECTION: Those studies that focused on developments that may lead to advances in the therapy for septic shock syndrome were emphasized. Investigations that described in vivo and human results served as the primary database. DATA EXTRACTION: Animal studies were selected based on the similarity of the model pathogenesis and outcomes to the human clinical sepsis syndrome. Patient studies were selected on the basis of study design and sample size. DATA SYNTHESIS: The normal role of TNF and pathologic effects consequent to the excessive production of TNF in response to an overwhelming infection or injury are reviewed. Evidence establishes the role of TNF in septic shock syndrome. Novel therapies, such as anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies, soluble TNF receptors, or soluble TNF receptor-immunoglobulin G heavy chain fusion proteins, may confer protection against septic shock syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: TNF plays a major role in the pathogenesis of the septic shock syndrome. TNF exerts a range of beneficial and injurious effects that may ultimately lead to organ dysfunction and death. The burst of TNF release after endotoxemia promotes the progression of the shock syndrome even in the absence of further TNF release. New therapies targeted to the attenuation of TNF may hold promise for the management of patients with septic shock syndrome.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Integrating database homology in a probabilistic gene structure model.

We present an improved stochastic model of genes in DNA, and describe a method for integrating database homology into the probabilistic framework. A generalized hidden Markov model (GHMM) describes the grammar of a legal parse of a DNA sequence. Probabilities are estimated for gene features by using dynamic programming to combine information from multiple sensors. We show how matches to homologous sequences from a database can be integrated into the probability estimation by interpreting the likelihood of a sequence in terms of the bit-cost to encode a sequence given a homology match. We also demonstrate how homology matches in protein databases can be exploited to help identify splice sites. Our experiments show significant improvements in the sensitivity and specificity of gene structure identification when these new features are added to our gene-finding system, Genie. Experimental results in tests using a standard set of annotated genes showed that Genie identified 95% of coding nucleotides correctly with a specificity of 91%, and 77% of exons were identified exactly.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2025

Deep learning-based annotation of plant abiotic stress resistance genes for crops.

The declining costs of DNA sequencing have expanded genomic data, crucial for understanding plant abiotic stress responses and crop improvement. However, accurate gene annotation remains challenging. To address this limitation, we propose the PASRGA, a deep learning approach that leverages transfer learning and contrastive learning to annotate genes related to drought, salt, cold, and UV resistance. PASRGA achieves high F1-scores, area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC), area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC), and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) in annotating stress resistance genes, significantly outperforming the general protein annotation model CLEAN, the plant phosphatase gene annotation model PF-NET, the top-ranked model in the CAFA5 challenge NetGO 4.0, and four traditional machine learning methods. Its effectiveness was further validated with a salt stress treatment experiment in Eutrema salsugineum. To facilitate crop breeding practices, we utilized PASRGA to annotate the genomes of 17 major crops. To improve accessibility and utility, we incorporated both manually curated and PASRGA-predicted gene data, together with the PASRGA tool, into the PlantASRG database (https://bioinfor.nefu.edu.cn/PlantASRG/). This comprehensive resource aims to support crop breeding initiatives and ensure food security.

Crops, Agricultural↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dietary protein and blood pressure.

OBJECTIVE: - To review published and presented data on the relationship between dietary protein and blood pressure in humans and animals. DATA SOURCES: - Bibliographies from review articles and books on diet and blood pressure that had references to dietary protein. The bibliographies were supplemented with computerized MEDLINE search restricted to English language and abstracts presented at epidemiologic meetings. STUDY SELECTION: - Observational and intervention studies in humans and experimental studies in animals. DATA EXTRACTION: - In human studies, systolic or diastolic blood pressure were outcome measures, and dietary protein was measured by dietary assessment methods or by urine collections. In animal studies, blood pressure and related physiological effects were outcome measures, and experimental treatment included protein or amino acids. DATA SYNTHESIS: - Historically, dietary protein has been thought to raise blood pressure; however, studies conducted in Japan raised the possibility of an inverse relationship. Data analyses from subsequent observational studies in the United States and elsewhere have provided evidence of an inverse relationship between protein and blood pressure. However, intervention studies have mostly found no significant effects of protein on blood pressure. Few animal studies have specifically examined the effects of increased dietary protein on blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: - Because of insufficient data and limitations in previous investigations, better controlled and adequately powered human studies are needed to assess the effect of dietary protein on blood pressure. In addition, more research using animal models, in which experimental conditions are highly controlled and detailed mechanistic studies can be performed, is needed to help provide experimental support for or against the protein-blood pressure hypothesis.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A model program for providing health services for migrant farmworker mothers and children.

A bilingual, multidisciplinary team of health professionals collaborated with a migrant health center in North Carolina to develop a model program to deliver primary health care services to migrant farmworker women and children. The program included case finding and outreach, coordination of maternal and child health services locally as well as interstate, and innovative health education programming. Data were collected on the health status of 359 pregnant migrant farmworker women and 560 children, ages birth to 5 years, the majority of Mexican descent, who received primary care services at the center. The mean age of the women was 23.1 years and their mean gravidity was 2.9. Dietary assessments showed that the protein intakes of most met or exceeded the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances, but their consumption of foods in the milk-dairy group and the fruit-vegetable group was below recommended standards. Low hematocrit was a common problem among the women (43 percent) and, to a lesser extent, among the children (26 percent). Among the infants and children, 18 percent were obese. Black American women had the highest proportion of low birth weight infants. The project emphasized coordinated services for migrant farmworker mothers and children, such as transportation services, language translation, followup, and advocacy. An outreach strategy involved case finding, home visits, and services by lay health advisors. By the third year of the project, there were increases in the average number of prenatal visits, the proportion of women entering prenatal care in their first trimester, and in the use of well-child services. The project demonstrated effective methods for delivering culturally appropriate health care services to migrant farmworkermothers and children using bilingual public health professionals.

Adult↗