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Biomedical subjects

B Paterson

Publications and source records attributed to B Paterson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Expert decision making in relation to unanticipated blood glucose levels.

How people (N = 22) with long-standing Type I diabetes make everyday self-care decisions, specifically in regard to unanticipated blood glucose levels (UBGLs) was investigated using grounded theory. Participants differentiated between decisions made in familiar and typical situations and those made in novel situations. Decisions made in familiar situations were straightforward, arising from a confident appraisal of the cause of the UBGL. The primary focus of decision making in response to an UBGL in familiar situations was the decision about the course of action. The focus in unfamiliar situations was the appraisal of the cause of the UBGL. It was characterized by the participants' lack of confidence and by a non-linear progression in which the individual retraced previous phases of the decision-making process or proceeded to tangential steps. Participants matched the features of previously encountered situations to construct a story that explained the events in order to generate some plausible hypotheses. A number of contextual and mediating variables were identified as influencing the decision-making process and the decisions they made. The findings of this research demonstrate that the decision maker's familiarity with the situation influences the nature of the decision-making processes that are used.

Adult↗

Evaluation of patient-administered tampon specimens for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

BACKGROUND: The patient-administered tampon specimen has proven to be an easy and sensitive method for the diagnosis of genital Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in women by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This method avoids the need for endocervical sampling and stringent criteria for transport. GOAL: To evaluate two commercial amplification systems for the detection of C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae from tampon specimens. STUDY DESIGN: A group of 400 positive and negative tampon specimens tested by an in-house PCR method were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 previously collected tampons. Overall, 93 C trachomatis-positive and 77 N gonorrhoeae-positive specimens were evaluated. Each specimen was tested by Roche Cobas Amplicor and Abbott LCx (LCR), and results were compared to the in-house PCR method. RESULTS: Detection of C trachomatis by both assays was not significantly different from the in-house PCR assay. Fewer tampons were positive for N gonorrhoeae by LCR than either the in-house assay (P = 0.0001) or by Roche Amplicor (P = 0.01). However, tampon specimens tested by Roche Amplicor required DNA extraction to achieve comparative sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Both commercial assays can be applied to tampon-collected specimens for automated detection of sexually transmitted diseases. The detection of C trachomatis was similar to the in-house PCR test for both assays (P = 0.73, 0.68). Detection of N gonorrhoeae resulted in fewer positive tampon specimens when tested by ligase chain reaction than both Roche Amplicor and in-house PCR.

Chlamydia Infections↗

Supporting nursing staff exposed to violence at work.

An individual nurses risk of experiencing violence will vary related to his or her area of practice, role and work setting. The available evidence suggests that good practice in environmental design, security management and staff training may reduce but will not eliminate the probability of nurses experiencing assault. If we cannot prevent all violence then we must consider how we best support those who may be exposed to it. This paper thus explores the research on the effects of violence on nurses and critically examines the literature on staff support.

Humans↗

Living with diabetes as a transformational experience.

The construct of transformation has been presented in many research studies as the epitome of living with a chronic illness. Because it has been inadequately defined, however, many other concepts (e.g., hope, meaning, control) are used in ways that suggest considerable overlap and correspondence with transformation. This article represents an attempt to explicate the structures and processes of transformation as they were revealed in a qualitative inquiry into the experience of individuals with Type I diabetes. In the accounts constructed with participants in this study, the process of personal transformation was significant in the attainment of healthy outcomes. The authors describe this transformation and examine its relationship to control and to the valued outcomes of intensified sense of self, meaning, and mastery.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

School screening in remote aboriginal communities--results of an evaluation.

As part of ongoing quality assurance, the effectiveness of the school screening program in meeting the health needs of Aboriginal children in a rural district in the Northern Territory Top End was evaluated. The major health problems of Aboriginal children were analysed for their suitability for screening programs. A prospective cross-sectional study used routinely collected field data from the school screening program in 1993. To ascertain follow-up, children who had failed screening tests had their clinic notes reviewed. A total of 774 children from 11 remote communities were screened. The results confirmed high level of disease, with rates for anaemia, malnutrition and trachoma reaching 39%, 22% and 26% respectively. Nearly one-third failed the hearing screening, urinalysis was abnormal in 19%, 3% failed visual acuity and 6% were considered to have abnormal heart auscultation. Many of the major health problems did not meet the recommended criteria for screening programs and others would be better dealt with by ongoing surveillance rather than a single screening. Some abnormalities found on screening were inadequately investigated and/or treated. This evaluation has demonstrated a limited role for school screening in identifying and meeting the health needs of Aboriginal children living in remote areas. In collaboration with the NT Department of Education, a school-age child health policy, including a new school-age child health surveillance program, is being developed. This promotes greater participation by communities, families and schools with the aim of improving the health and learning outcomes for all school-age children in the NT.

Adolescent↗

Shifting images of chronic illness.

PURPOSE: To describe results of a meta-study of client roles in two decades of qualitative research on elements of chronic illness experiences. While a vast body of qualitative health research has uncovered insider perspectives on a range of chronic diseases and their related illness experiences, systematic analysis has not been attempted, and research has not yet contributed to coherent theoretical developments. ORGANIZING CONSTRUCT: Health care relationships as articulated in the context of insider research into chronic illness experience. SOURCES: Elements of meta-theory, meta-method, and meta-data-analysis in the available qualitative research reports addressing chronic illness experience published 1980 through June 1996. Of over 400 published reports, 158 met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to systematic analysis on a number of themes, one of which is reported in this article. METHODS: Data selection, reduction, thematic analysis, and synthesis using constant comparative analysis. FINDINGS: Early conceptualizations of individuals with chronic illness shift from a focus on loss and burden toward images of health within illness, transformation, and normality. Parallel conceptualizations of health care relationships appropriate to chronic illness shift from client-as-patient to client-as-partner for the 15-year period. CONCLUSIONS: Meta-study permits critical analysis of the location of current inquiry into the larger context of systematic patterns in knowledge development. Researchers are cautioned against uncritical acceptance of current trends in interpretation.

Canada↗

Complete cDNA sequence and tissue localization of N-RAP, a novel nebulin-related protein of striated muscle.

We have cloned and sequenced the full-length cDNA of N-RAP, a novel nebulin-related protein, from mouse skeletal muscle. The N-RAP message is specifically expressed in skeletal and cardiac muscle, but is not detected by Northern blot in non-muscle tissues. The full-length N-RAP cDNA contains an open reading frame of 3,525 base pairs which is predicted to encode a protein of 133 kDa. A 587 amino acid region near the C-terminus is 45% identical to the actin binding region of human nebulin, containing more than 2 complete 245 residue nebulin super repeats. The N-terminus contains the consensus sequence of a cysteine-rich LIM domain, which may function in mediating protein-protein interactions. These data suggest that the encoded protein may link actin filaments to some other proteins or structure. We expressed full-length N-RAP in Escherichia coli, as well as the nebulin-like super repeat region of N-RAP (N-RAP-SR) and the region between the LIM domain and N-RAP-SR (N-RAP-IB). An anti-N-RAP antibody raised against a 30 amino acid peptide corresponding to sequence from N-RAP-IB detected recombinant N-RAP and N-RAP-IB, but failed to detect N-RAP-SR. This antibody specifically identified a 185 kDa band as N-RAP on immunoblots of mouse skeletal and cardiac muscle proteins. In an assay of actin binding to electrophoresed and blotted proteins, we detected significant actin binding to expressed nebulin super repeats and N-RAP-SR, but only a trace amount of binding to N-RAP-IB. In immunofluorescence experiments, N-RAP was found to be localized at the myotendinous junction in mouse skeletal muscle and at the intercalated disc in cardiac muscle. Based on its domain organization, actin binding properties, and tissue localization, we propose that N-RAP plays a role in anchoring the terminal actin filaments in the myofibril to the membrane and may be important in transmitting tension from the myofibrils to the extracellular matrix.

Actins↗

A self-administered technique for the detection of sexually transmitted diseases in remote communities.

The control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in remote rural communities would be enhanced by a sensitive self-administered method for the detection of asymptomatic infection. Results of conventional methods for the detection of STDs were compared with results of tampon-collected specimens analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 480 women. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalis were detected by routine methods in 4 (1%), 14 (3%), and 41 (9%) samples, respectively, while PCR detected these organisms from 52 (11%), 26 (5%), and 75 (16%) tampons, respectively. The detection of each organism was significantly greater by PCR in tampon-collected samples than by routine conventional methods (P < .01). Discrepant results were confirmed by separate primers in 40 of 48 specimens for N. gonorrhoeae, in 11 of 12 specimens for C. trachomatis, and in 31 of 32 specimens for T. vaginalis. Tampons tested by PCR provide an acceptable and sensitive method for detection of STDs in women living in remote areas.

Animals↗

A C. elegans E/Daughterless bHLH protein marks neuronal but not striated muscle development.

The E proteins of mammals, and the related Daughterless (DA) protein of Drosophila, are ubiquitously expressed helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription factors that play a role in many developmental processes. We report here the characterization of a related C. elegans protein, CeE/DA, which has a dynamic and restricted distribution during development. CeE/DA is present embryonically in neuronal precursors, some of which are marked by promoter activity of a newly described Achaete-scute-like gene hlh-3. In contrast, we have been unable to detect CeE/DA in CeMyoD-positive striated muscle cells. In vitro gel mobility shift analysis detects dimerization of CeE/DA with HLH-3 while efficient interaction of CeE/DA with CeMyoD is not seen. These studies suggest multiple roles for CeE/DA in C. elegans development and provide evidence that both common and alternative strategies have evolved for the use of related HLH proteins in controlling cell fates in different species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

cDNA cloning of mouse nebulin. Evidence that the nebulin-coding sequence is highly conserved among vertebrates.

Nebulin is a family of giant myofibrillar proteins with molecular masses ranging over 700-900 kDa. Using a human nebulin cDNA probe, we isolated three nebulin cDNA clones from a mouse skeletal muscle cDNA library. These three clones, labeled 8c. 7a and 4b. carry inserts of 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 kb, respectively. In Northern blots, each insert detected the same approximately = 25 kb message from skeletal muscle as the human nebulin probe, while detecting no messages from cardiac muscle. Sequence data in combination with reverse-transcriptase PCR indicates that clones 7a and 8c overlap to form 4076 bp contiguous sequence. Alignment with the published full-length human nebulin sequence indicates that clone 4b overlaps with clone 7a over 1596 bp. However, after the first 798-bp overlap, the sequence of these two mouse nebulin clones diverge, suggesting that they derive from distinct transcripts encoding isoforms of mouse nebulin. The mouse nebulin clones encode a series of = 245-residue super repeats, each of which can be subdivided into seven = 35-residue, weakly repeating modules centered around a conserved tyrosine residue, consistent with the human nebulin sequence. The mouse nebulin clones align along the central third of the full-length human sequence, corresponding to super repeats 8-16 of the 22 super repeats found in human nebulin. The translated sequence is greater than 90% identical to the human sequence, with the exception of a 200-amino-acid region at the C-terminus of clone 4b, which is less than 60% identical. In genomic Southern blots, a mouse nebulin probe detected a homologous sequence in a wide variety of vertebrate species under stringent conditions. However, no significant hybridization was observed to genomic DNA from invertebrates and microorganisms, even under very low stringency. The sequence and Southern-blot data suggest that the nebulin sequence is highly conserved among vertebrate species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Teacher-induced countertransference in clinical teaching.

Although it is acknowledged that clinical teaching is an interpersonal process that is relational in nature, little has been written regarding the conflicts and feelings that can exist within the student-teacher relationship. The article is a discussion of the concept of countertransference in psychotherapy, specifically as to how it may be applied to understanding clinical teachers' subjective responses to students. The authors present arguments to support the fit between the concept of countertransference and clinical teaching, focusing on the negative effects of a teacher's countertransference in clinical teaching. The implications of the concept of countertransference in clinical nursing education is explored.

Countertransference↗

A cell initiating human acute myeloid leukaemia after transplantation into SCID mice.

Most human acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cells have limited proliferative capacity, suggesting that the leukaemic clone may be maintained by a rare population of stem cells. This putative leukaemic stem cell has not been characterized because the available in vitro assays can only detect progenitors with limited proliferative and replating potential. We have now identified an AML-initiating cell by transplantation into severe combined immune-deficient (SCID) mice. These cells homed to the bone marrow and proliferated extensively in response to in vivo cytokine treatment, resulting in a pattern of dissemination and leukaemic cell morphology similar to that seen in the original patients. Limiting dilution analysis showed that the frequency of these leukaemia-initiating cells in the peripheral blood of AML patients was one engraftment unit in 250,000 cells. We fractionated AML cells on the basis of cell-surface-marker expression and found that the leukaemia-initiating cells that could engraft SCID mice to produce large numbers of colony-forming progenitors were CD34+ CD38-; however, the CD34+ CD38+ and CD34- fractions contained no cells with these properties. This in vivo model replicates many aspects of human AML and defines a new leukaemia-initiating cell which is less mature than colony-forming cells.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

Violence at work.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Emergency Service, Hospital↗

The view from within: perspectives of clinical teaching.

This article presents the findings of a year-long exploratory and descriptive research study designed to explore and describe the perspectives of six Canadian nurse educators regarding clinical teaching. A perspective consists of a teacher's theoretical, knowledge and value claims in regard to teaching. The participants' perspectives revealed how they intended to teach in the clinical area, as well as how they perceived and responded to situations which arose in clinical learning experiences. The research highlights the need to explore the possible consequences of teachers' value and knowledge claims with all clinical teachers, particularly novices.

Clinical Competence↗

Caring in nursing education: an analysis.

Caring has been cited by many authors as the core value of nurse educator-student relationships. Others have discussed the need for caring to be translated and transmitted in the practices of nursing education. However, a clear conceptualization of what caring in nursing education is and how it is transmitted to students does not yet exist. The following is an exploration of the concept of caring in nursing education as it is revealed in nursing research and literature. The authors present a critical analysis of the definitions, objectives, attributes and constraints of caring in nursing education. What is currently known and perceived about caring in nursing education, as well as what is not known and what needs to be known, is highlighted. Imperatives for future research are identified.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗