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Biomedical subjects

B Williams

Publications and source records attributed to B Williams.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

A community-based smoking-cessation program: self-care behaviors and success.

Given the serious health consequences of smoking, nurses need to be well-informed on how to help various client populations with smoking cessation. Much recent research is focused upon effectiveness of various programs to enhance self-efficacy and self-management skills necessary to succeed in permanent smoking cessation. This study used a model based on Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory to examine specific variables of importance in smoking cessation using descriptors relevant to understanding self-care actions. The model is used to examine the outcomes of a community-based smoking-cessation program. Results indicate that 15% of the final sample quit smoking and 42% reduced smoking while participating in the program. Additional findings are helpful in describing actions taken by subjects who were and were not successful in quitting. Remedies suggested by the American Lung Association booklet "Freedom from Smoking for You and Your Family" were reported by subjects to be helpful in dealing with the most common problems experienced during smoking cessation. Results are applied to public health nursing, emphasizing that smoking cessation is "a process" in which individuals learn strategies that work for them.

Community Participation↗
PubMed1994

Simultaneous presentation of sarcoidosis and acute myeloid leukaemia: predisposition to pulmonary haemorrhage.

A case of coexistent acute myeloid leukaemia and sarcoidosis is reported. This was complicated by recurrent pulmonary haemorrhage during reinduction and consolidation chemotherapy. A review of published papers on malignancy and sarcoidosis, in particular acute leukaemia is given. The outcome of most cases of acute leukaemia and sarcoidosis is poor with respiratory complications a frequent cause of death in this group. It is proposed that modifications to treatment to avoid pulmonary toxicity and maintenance of platelet counts above 40 x 10(9)/l are warranted to reduce the risk of this complication.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Glucose-induced changes in Na+/H+ antiport activity and gene expression in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. Role of protein kinase C.

Increased Na+/H+ antiport activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension and vascular disease in diabetes mellitus. The independent effect of elevated extracellular glucose concentrations on Na+/H+ antiport activity in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) was thus examined. Amiloride-sensitive 22Na+ uptake by VSMC significantly increased twofold after 3 and 24 h of exposure to high glucose medium (20 mM) vs. control medium (5 mM). Direct glucose-induced Na+/H+ antiport activation was confirmed by measuring Na(+)-dependent intracellular pH recovery from intracellular acidosis. High glucose significantly increased protein kinase C (PKC) activity in VSMC and inhibition of PKC activation with H-7, staurosporine, or prior PKC downregulation prevented glucose-induced increases in Na+/H+ antiport activity in VSMC. Northern analysis of VSMC poly A+ RNA revealed that high glucose induced a threefold increase in Na+/H+ antiport (NHE-1) mRNA at 24 h. Inhibiting this increase in NHE-1 mRNA with actinomycin D prevented the sustained glucose-induced increase in Na+/H+ antiport activity. In conclusion, elevated glucose concentrations significantly influence vascular Na+/H+ antiport activity via glucose-induced PKC dependent mechanisms, thereby providing a biochemical basis for increased Na+/H+ antiport activity in the vascular tissues of patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1994

Immunohistochemistry of parasitic subepidermal vesiculobullous disease in American badgers (Taxidea taxus).

Some populations of free-ranging American badgers (Taxidea taxus) develop a distinctive seasonal dermatitis due to the subcutaneous filariid Filaria taxideae. Subepidermal vesicles that contain filarial ova develop in thinly haired skin of the inguinal area, proximal thigh, and ventral abdomen. The purpose of this study was to establish by immunohistochemistry whether basement membrane components colocalized with the roof or floor of vesicles and to confirm that filarial ova occur in intradermal vessels. Samples of skin with characteristic F. taxideae-induced subepidermal vesicles were collected from 10 adult male (n = 8) and female (n = 2) badgers. Samples were fixed in formalin for 1-4 days and processed routinely into paraffin wax. Immunohistochemical staining for basement membrane was attempted with anti-collagen IV antibodies (AM168-5M, AR079-5R, AB748) and antilaminin antibodies (MA078-5C, AR078-5R, L-9393). Optimal results in skin from badgers were obtained using a biotin-streptavidin technique and AR079-5R (anti-human collagen IV) and AR078-5R (anti-murine laminin). There was positive staining of the floor of vesicles in 5 of 6 badgers tested with antibodies to laminin and collagen IV. In 5/10 badgers, filarial ova and first stage F. taxideae larvae were found in dilated vascular channels of the upper dermis, and these vessels stained positively for factor VIII-related antigen. The results suggest that F. taxideae-induced subepidermal separation occurs consistently in the lamina lucida portion of the basal lamina and that filarial ova occur in dermal vessels.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of prescription and medical records in reflecting patient antihypertensive drug therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the completeness of prescription records, and the extent to which they agreed with medical record drug entries for antihypertensive medications. SETTING: Three clinics affiliated with two staff model health maintenance organizations (HMOs). PARTICIPANTS: Randomly selected HMO enrollees (n = 982) with diagnosed hypertension. METHODS: Computer-based prescription records for antihypertensive medications were reviewed at each location using an algorithm to convert the directions-for-use codes into an amount to be consumed per day (prescribed daily dosage). The medical record was analyzed similarly for the presence of drug notations and directions for use. RESULTS: There was a high level of agreement between the medical record and prescription file with respect to identifying the drug prescribed by drug name. Between 5 and 14 percent of medical record drug entries did not have corresponding prescription records, probably reflecting patient decisions not to have prescriptions filled at HMO-affiliated pharmacies or at all. Further, 5-8 percent of dispensed prescription records did not have corresponding medical record drug entry notations, probably reflecting incomplete recording of drug information on the medical record. The percentage of agreement of medical records on dosage ranged from 68 to 70 percent across two sites. Approximately 14 percent of drug records at one location and 21 percent of records at the other had nonmatching dosage information, probably reflecting dosage changes noted on the medical record but not reflected on pharmacy records. CONCLUSIONS: In the sites studied, dispensed prescription records reasonably reflect chart drug entries for drug name, but not necessarily dosage.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1994

Diagnosis of histoplasmosis by antigen detection during an outbreak in Indianapolis, Ind.

In this study we examine the sensitivity of Histoplasma capsulatum var capsulatum antigen detection for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis. This was a retrospective review of the sensitivity of antigen detection in patients who were diagnosed as having self-limited, chronic pulmonary, or disseminated histoplasmosis during an outbreak in Indianapolis, Ind. All patients had clinical and laboratory evidence of histoplasmosis, and specimens of urine or serum that were obtained from the patients were tested for H capsulatum var capsulatum antigen. Of the 195 patients who were studied, the following forms of the infection were found: disseminated (n = 108), self-limited (n = 70), chronic pulmonary (n = 14), and asymptomatic (n = 3). Antigen was detected in 92%, 21%, and 39% of the patients with the disseminated, chronic pulmonary, and self-limited forms of histoplasmosis, respectively. Tests for the antigen are most useful in patients with clinical findings of disseminated infection. Antigen detection also may be useful in those patients with more severe pulmonary involvement, especially during the first month of illness when serologic tests for antibodies may be negative.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1994

Synergistic induction of thermotolerance in murine natural killer cells by interferon alpha and mild heat shock.

Splenic lymphocytes from C3H/HeN mice were primed in vivo or in vitro with the interferon inducer poly inosine:cytosine (Poly IC) or in vitro with interferon alpha (IFN alpha) and evaluated for their natural killer (NK) activity after exposure to hyperthermia for defined periods. Lytic activity against cells of the NK-susceptible Moloney lymphoma cell line YAC by Poly I:C- or IFN alpha-primed spleen cells exhibited thermotolerance to 41, 42 and 43 degrees C exposure compared to unprimed cells. Spleen cells were also incubated for 1 h at 40 or 37 degrees C prior to exposure to 42 degrees C. Incubation at 40 degrees C produced a modest increase in thermal resistance to 42 degrees C by otherwise unprimed spleen cells. Spleen cells that had been primed by Poly I:C or IFN alpha followed by 1 h at 40 degrees C were rendered even more resistant to hyperthermia at 42 degrees C. These data suggest that two host responses to viral infection, fever and production of IFN alpha, may endow cells involved in the inflammatory response (in this case NK cells) with resistance to more severe stress. Further, IFN alpha and fever may synergize in this protective mechanism.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Variations in the accuracy of obstetric procedures and diagnoses on birth records in Washington State, 1989.

The authors abstracted a sample of 7,536 hospital medical records to validate the accuracy of the coding of obstetric information on 1) birth certificates, 2) a statewide computerized hospital discharge abstract data system, and 3) a linked file merging birth certificates and the hospital abstract data for Washington State deliveries occurring in 1989. Measures of accuracy of coding of delivery method and obstetric procedures varied greatly among the 23 hospitals that participated in the study. Computerized hospital discharge data were generally more complete and accurate than were birth certificate data. The linked file was more likely to identify obstetric procedures than was either source alone. For example, only 84.1% of cesarean deliveries noted in the hospital charts were identified on birth certificates (range among hospitals, 37-100%). Using the linked file, the authors identified 99.8% of cesarean deliveries (range, 97-100%). Linked birth certificate-hospital abstract files may become an excellent source of data for epidemiologic and health care studies; however, further training of medical record personnel and standardization of coding are needed to improve the quality of computerized data on obstetric events.

Birth Certificates↗
PubMed1993

Generation of normal lymphocyte populations by Rb-deficient embryonic stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Mice homozygous for a loss-of-function mutation of the recombination-activating gene-2 (RAG 2), which is required for the rearrangement of antigen receptor genes, do not produce mature B and T lymphocytes. But chimeric mice that result from injection of normal embryonic stem (ES) cells into blastocysts from RAG2-deficient mice develop normal mature lymphocyte populations, all of which are derived from the injected ES cells; we have called this process RAG2-deficient blastocyst complementation. Using ES cells with homozygous mutations, RAG-2-deficient blastocyst complementation could provide a physiological assay with which to determine the potential role of almost any gene in the development and/or function of lymphocytes. To test the general utility of this system, we have used it to test the differentiation-potential of ES cells that harbor homozygous loss-of function mutations of their retinoblastoma susceptibility (Rb) gene loci. We chose Rb for this analysis because of its widespread function in the control of the cell cycle and cell differentiation, the adverse effect of homozygous germline mutations of Rb on hematopoiesis in fetal liver, and the embryonic lethality that results when the homozygous Rb mutation is introduced into the germline. RESULTS: Homozygous Rb mutant ES cells can develop into phenotypically normal, mature B and T lymphocytes in the RAG-2-deficient background. Strikingly, Rb-deficient B and T cells do not have major defects in either activation or function. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated the efficacy of the RAG-2-deficient blastocyst complementation system for evaluating the role of critical genes in lymphocyte development. Our results indicate that Rb expression is not intrinsically required for B-cell or T-cell function, despite the normally high levels of Rb expressed in lymphoid cells.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1993

Direct evidence for tyrosine and threonine phosphorylation and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase by vasopressin in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are members of a 40-45-kDa family of serine/threonine protein kinases that phosphorylate several substrates including microtubule-associated protein-2, S6 kinase, and myelin basic protein. Activity of MAP kinases is regulated by growth factors that stimulate the phosphorylation of threonine 188 and tyrosine 190 in the kinase. In this paper direct evidence is presented for tyrosine and threonine phosphorylation of MAP kinase in concert with elevated activity in response to vasopressin in primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells. Activation of MAP kinase is correlated with activation of S6 kinase activity related to S6 kinase II. Data support the concept that the activation of MAP kinase by vasopressin is mediated by pertussis toxin-independent biochemical pathways.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1993

The effects of daily recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration on normal granulocyte donors undergoing leukapheresis.

The effects of daily administration of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) to eight normal volunteers donating granulocytes for neutropenic relatives undergoing marrow transplantation were studied. Granulocyte donors consisted of seven marrow donors (5 syngeneic, 2 HLA identical) and one haploidentical son who had not donated marrow. All donors were administered daily rhG-CSF at a mean dose of 5 micrograms/kg/d (range 3.5 to 6.0) for a mean of 11.75 days (range 9 to 14 days), and granulocytes were collected a mean of 7.6 times (range 4 to 12). RhG-CSF was well tolerated and only minor side effects were observed. All donors became anemic from marrow donation and the removal of red blood cells during the collection procedures. Red blood cell transfusions were not given. All donors had a decrease in platelet counts and the magnitude of the decrement appeared to be greater than in historical donors. This was due in part to increased removal of platelets with the collection product, but a direct effect of rhG-CSF on platelet production cannot be excluded. The mean precollection granulocyte level was 29.6 x 10(9)/L (range 11.8 to 79.8), which was a 10-fold increase over baseline. The mean number of granulocytes collected was 41.6 x 10(9) (range 1.3 to 144.1), which was a six-fold increase over historical donors not receiving rhG-CSF. The mean granulocyte level 24 hours after transfusion into neutropenic recipients was 0.95 x 10(9)/L (median 0.57 and range .06 to 9.47). This study indicates that rhG-CSF is safe to administer to normal individuals, significantly improves the quantity of granulocytes collected, and results in significant circulating levels of granulocytes in neutropenic recipients. Further studies to evaluate rhG-CSF in normal granulocyte donors are warranted.

Adult↗