Designing the hospital gift shop.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Architectural Accessibility↗
Biomedical subjects
C Jones
Publications and source records attributed to C Jones.
A tool to measure the change in health status of selected adult patients before and after intensive care.
If the effect of intensive care on the patient is to be fully assessed then the health status of patients before and after admission to ICU must be measured. The validity of a simplified system which can also use relatives, where necessary, as informants on the patients' pre-morbid health status has been evaluated. In a District General Hospital Intensive Care Unit a questionnaire based survey of 85 patients admitted over a period of eight months used a new specially-designed instrument and compared this with the Functional Limitations Profile (FLP) and the Perceived Quality of Life instrument (PQL). Relatives completed the health status questionnaire as soon as possible after the patient's admission and patients completed a suitably modified version at discharge from ICU. Patients were sent the FLP, PQL and modified health status questionnaire six months and one year after discharge. Questionnaires were completed by 59 paired relatives and patients. Questions were answered in the same way by relatives and patients; 42 of the 59 pairs of results were in agreement within two points of better or worse health. The closest responses were provided by wives in daily contact with their partner. At six months post ICU discharge, 49 patients completed the follow-up questionnaires, 12 patients had died and three were too confused to co-operate. Twenty-one patients (25%) were lost to follow-up. At one year post ICU discharge, 43 patients completed the follow-up questionnaires, one other patient had died and three still remained confused.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adult↗
Physical mapping of chromosome 21.
Chromosome 21, the smallest human chromosome, has been the subject of intense study because it is the chromosome which, when present in an extra copy, leads to Down Syndrome. Moreover, there are genes important for several human genetic disorders on this chromosome, and a significant number of individuals with aneuploidies of regions of the chromosome have been identified. A high fidelity, high resolution physical map of chromosome 21 will be of immense value in generating an accurate genotype/phenotype map of the chromosome and in identifying and isolating genes on the chromosome which may be responsible for various human genetic disorders. Here we describe the current status of our attempts to create such a map. This includes attempts to integrate various physical mapping approaches. Progress towards construction of a minimal set of yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) spanning the chromosome is described.
Chromosome Mapping↗
Life after layoff--what really happens.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Alberta↗
Biomaterials in medicine--a bioengineering perspective.
Biomaterials are considered with an emphasis on those used in artificial organs. Attention is drawn to the importance of the polymeric biomaterials and factors which affect their properties. Functions of membranes, sorbents, blood tubing, ventricular diaphragms and cell culture substrates are examined in order to obtain a summary of fundamental properties. Observations are made on the importance of blood compatibility assessment and its association with a biomaterial structure-property relationship. Blood-biomaterial interactions are discussed in terms of an overall relationship between the three components--blood, biomaterial and antithrombotic agent, with examples given of factors influencing each component. Cell-biomaterial interactions are examined in the areas of toxicity evaluation and the promotion of cell attachment and growth, where an overall relationship is described for the cell, growth medium and growth factors, and the biomaterial acting as a substrate.
Animals↗
Measurement of the tau lepton electronic branching fraction.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Journal Article↗
Structural characterization of a novel class of glycophosphosphingolipids from the protozoan Leptomonas samueli.
Aqueous phenol extraction of the lower trypanosomatid Leptomonas samueli released into the aqueous layer a chloroform/methanol/water-soluble glycophosphosphingolipid fraction. Alkaline degradation and purification by gel filtration chromatography resulted in a tetrasaccharide (phosphatidylinositol (PI)-oligosaccharide A), and a pentasaccharide (PI-oligosaccharide B), each containing 2 mol of 2-aminoethylphosphonate and 1 mol of phosphate. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry suggested that the structure of PI-oligosaccharide A is [formula: see text] and that of PI-oligosaccharide B is as shown. [formula: see text] Both compounds contain an inositol unit linked to ceramide via a phosphodiester bridge. The major aliphatic components of the ceramide portion are stearic acid, lignoceric acid, and C20-phytosphingosine. These novel glycolipids fall within the glycosylated phosphatidylinositol (GPI) family, since they contain the core structure Man alpha (1-->4)GlcNH2 alpha (1-->6)myo-inositol-1-PO4, which is also found in the glycoinositolphospholipids and lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania spp., the L. major promastigote surface protease, the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor of Trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein, and the lipopeptidophosphoglycan of Trypanosoma cruzi. The glycophosphosphingolipids of Leptomonas have features in common with the glycolipids of both Leishmania and T. cruzi, resembling the former by the alpha (1-->3) linkage of mannose to the GPI core, while the 2-aminoethylphosphonate substituent on O-6 of glucosamine and the presence of ceramide in place of glycerol lipids is more reminiscent of T. cruzi. Thus these data lend some support to the hypothesis that both T. cruzi and Leishmania evolved from a Leptomonas-like ancestor.
Animals↗
The (4;11)(q21;q23) chromosome translocations in acute leukemias involve the VDJ recombinase.
Chromosomal region 11q23 is frequently rearranged in acute lymphocytic leukemias (ALLs) and in acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs), mostly in reciprocal exchanges with various translocation partners. The most common of these translocations is t(4;11)(q21;q23). It is present in approximately 10% of ALL patients, most frequently in very young children. We have recently cloned a region of chromosome 11, the ALL-1 locus, found to be rearranged in malignant cells from patients with the t(4;11), t(9;11), t(11;19), t(1;11), t(6;11), t(10;11), and del(11q23) chromosomal abnormalities. Here we report the cloning and characterization of chromosomal breakpoints from leukemic cells with t(4;11) aberrations. The breakpoints cluster in regions of 7-8 kilobases on both chromosomes 4 and 11. The presence of heptamer- and nonamer-like sequences at the sites of breakage suggests that the VDJ recombinase utilized for immunoglobulin gene rearrangement is also directly involved in these translocations. We also show that leukemic cells with t(4;11) express altered RNAs transcribed from the derivative chromosomes 11 and 4.
Acute Disease↗
Some characteristics of blood shed into the Solcotrans postoperative orthopaedic drainage/reinfusion system.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the suitability of blood shed into the Solcotrans orthopaedic autotransfusion system as a source of autologous blood for transfusion. DESIGN: Blood samples were taken from patients after surgery and from shed blood within the Solcotrans units. SETTING: Surgery was performed at a public hospital. PATIENTS: All six patients underwent total knee replacements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measurements were made of haemoglobin, haematocrit, platelets, pH, potassium, plasma haemoglobin, fibrinogen, D-dimer, plasminogen activator, thromboplastin and fibrinopeptide A. The non-activated partial thromboplastin time was estimated. Shed blood was compared with homologous whole blood to assess the thrombogenic potential of shed blood in vitro. RESULTS: The haemoglobin and haematocrit levels of the shed blood were significantly lower than venous blood (P = 0.008). Levels of potassium in shed blood were normal although there was significant haemolysis. Shed blood was depleted of clotting factors, with increased levels of D-dimer (16-128 g/L). Activation of the coagulation pathway within the shed blood was shown by a shortened non-activated partial thromboplastin time (90-120 s), and detectable levels of thromboplastin. Propionibacterium acnes was isolated from one of the units. CONCLUSION: Reinfusion of large volumes of shed blood should probably be avoided, but use of the Solcotrans orthopaedic transfusion system in conjunction with other autologous transfusion practices can reduce the patient's requirement for homologous blood.
Blood Coagulation Tests↗
Herbal medicine use, Epstein-Barr virus, and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Herbal medicine use is thought to be linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) either through its ability to reactivate the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or through a direct promoting effect on EBV-transformed cells. To investigate this, 104 histologically confirmed NPC cases and 205 matched controls were studied in The Philippines. Blood was collected to assess antibody titers against EBV, and an interview was administered which elicited information concerning herbal medicine use and other risk factors for NPC. Subjects strongly positive for anti-EBV antibodies (Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen [EBNA]) (titers greater than or equal to 1:80) were at a 21-fold excess risk of disease (95% confidence interval, 8.4, 51.8). Herbal medicine use was also associated with NPC (relative risk, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.4, 4.5). Associations persisted after adjustment for education, smoking, Chinese ancestry, and consumption of salted fish. Exposure to herbal medicines among subjects testing negative/weakly positive for anti-EBNA antibodies was not associated with an elevation in risk (relative risk, 0.6), strong positivity to anti-EBNA antibodies in the absence of herbal medicine use was associated with a significant 16-fold excess risk of disease, and exposure to herbal medicines among subjects testing strongly positive for anti-EBNA antibodies was associated with a significant 49-fold excess risk of NPC when cases were compared to controls. Similar results were obtained when other serological measures of EBV exposure were used. Anti-EBV antibody titers were elevated in herbal medicine users compared to nonusers among cases but not among control subjects. This suggests that, if herbal medicines interact with EBV in the development of NPC, they do not do so by reactivating EBV infection but rather through a direct proliferative effect on EBV-transformed cells. Although the interaction between EBV and herbal medicines is biologically plausible, larger, more detailed studies need to be conducted to validate this preliminary finding.
Antibodies, Viral↗
Evolutionarily different alphoid repeat DNA on homologous chromosomes in human and chimpanzee.
Centromeric alphoid DNA in primates represents a class of evolving repeat DNA. In humans, chromosomes 13 and 21 share one subfamily of alphoid DNA while chromosomes 14 and 22 share another subfamily. We show that similar pairwise homogenizations occur in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), where chromosomes 14 and 22, homologous to human chromosomes 13 and 21, share one partially homogenized alphoid DNA subfamily and chromosomes 15 and 23, homologous to human chromosomes 14 and 22, share another extensively homogenized subfamily. Such a pattern of homogenization presumably predates speciation 3-10 million years ago. However, the alphoid DNA on these human and chimpanzee chromosomes is not orthologous but originates from two evolutionarily different repeat families. It follows that dramatic sequence evolution has occurred in a concerted fashion among the chromosomes in one or both species during or after separation.
Animals↗
Human intestinal mucin-like protein (MLP) is homologous with rat MLP in the C-terminal region, and is encoded by a gene on chromosome 11 p 15.5.
A cDNA specific for a human intestinal mucin (MLP) was amplified by PCR from cDNA of cultured human colonic adenocarcinoma cells, LS174T. The human cDNA shared high sequence homology with a corresponding rat intestinal mucin (MLP) cDNA in the 3' terminal region, and hybridized to the same mRNA (approximately 9.0 Kb) that was recognized by a probe for the MUC-2 human intestinal mucin gene. The gene encoding our human mucin peptide also mapped to chromosome 11 p 15.5, the known locus of MUC-2. Our findings suggest that human MLP and MUC-2 are encoded by the same gene and that rat and human intestinal mucin share a common C-terminal amino acid structure.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Detection of an unstable fragment of DNA specific to individuals with myotonic dystrophy.
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is the most common form of adult muscular dystrophy, with a prevalence of 2-14 per 100,000 individuals. The disease is characterized by progressive muscle weakness and sustained muscle contraction, often with a wide range of accompanying symptoms. The age at onset and severity of the disease show extreme variation, both within and between families. Despite its clinical variability, this dominant condition segregates as a single locus at chromosome 19q13.3 in every population studied. It is flanked by the tightly linked genetic markers ERCC1 proximally and D19S51 distally; these define the DM critical region. We report the isolation of an expressed sequence from this region which detects a DNA fragment that is larger in affected individuals than in normal siblings or unaffected controls. The size of this fragment varies between affected siblings, and increases in size through generations in parallel with increasing severity of the disease. We postulate that this unstable DNA sequence is the molecular feature that underlies DM.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19↗
Multiple red nodules on lower abdomen. Metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Abdominal Neoplasms↗
Higher rate of evolution of X chromosome alpha-repeat DNA in human than in the great apes.
The rate of introduction of neutral mutations is lower in man than in other primates, including the chimpanzee. This species is generally regarded as our closest relative among the great apes. We present here an analysis of sequences of X chromosomal alphoid repetitive DNA from man and the great apes, which supports the closer relationship between man and chimpanzee and indicates a considerably increased rate of recombination in the human repeat DNA. These results indicate that the 'molecular clock' is running more quickly in man.
Animals↗
Recombinant human secretory phospholipase A2: purification and characterization of the enzyme for active site studies.
A secreted form of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is thought to play an important role in inflammatory diseases. To characterize this enzyme the cDNA encoding a low molecular weight PLA2 was cloned from a human placental cDNA library. The cDNA encoding the human PLA2 was subcloned into an expression vector and subsequently transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. A stable CHO cell clone, secreting ca 1 mg/L of recombinant PLA2 into the medium, was scaled up in culture to 180 L. The recombinant enzyme was purified from the cell supernatant to apparent homogeneity by a novel procedure combining adsorption to poly(vinylidene difluoride) membranes, ion exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. The final recovery of PLA2 activity was 58%. A direct comparison between the purified recombinant human PLA2 and PLA2 purified from human synovial fluid, including molecular weight, antigenicity, ionic dependence, substrate specificity and sensitivity to known PLA2 inhibitors, indicated that the two enzymes exhibit identical biochemical properties. These results show that the recombinant PLA2 can be efficiently expressed and purified in sufficient quantities to characterize the enzyme active site, to aid in the rational development of PLA2 inhibitors as potential anti-inflammatory drugs, and to investigate further the role of PLA2 in inflammatory disease.
Animals↗
Isolation and mapping of polymorphic cosmid clones used for sublocalization of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) locus.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is characterized by neoplasia of the parathyroids, the pancreas, and the pituitary. Tumorigenesis involves unmasking of a recessive mutation at the MEN1 locus, which has been mapped to the centromeric part of chromosomal region 11q. In order to localize the MEN1 gene further and to make its isolation possible, a number of new markers were isolated. Two radiation-reduced somatic cell hybrids were identified that only contained markers close to and flanking the MEN1 region. DNA from these hybrids was used for the construction of a cosmid library, and clones containing human inserts were isolated. In addition, cosmid clones were isolated for locus expansion of 7 other markers that were mapped to the 11q12-13.2 region. The 33 newly isolated clones together with 25 previously published markers from this region were analyzed in a panel of radiation-reduced somatic cell hybrids. From the hybridization pattern, the region was divided into 11 parts. New restriction fragment length polymorphisms were identified in 7 of the newly isolated cosmid clones and in one plasmid. These were then used to sublocalize meiotic cross-overs more precisely in two MEN1 families, thus refining the mapping of the disease gene.
Blotting, Southern↗
Mapping and characterization of 129 cosmids on human chromosome 11p.
We constructed cosmid libraries from human-hamster somatic cell hybrids that possess all or part of the short arm of chromosome 11 as their only human complement and isolated 129 human 11p clones. These cosmids map to 22 of 25 intervals distinguished by a hybrid panel for chromosome 11p. Forty-eight single-copy sequences were subcloned from 25 cosmids. Six of 17 (35%) single-copy sequences tested identify 11 new polymorphisms. Restriction endonuclease analysis identified CpG islands in 16 of 68 cosmids (23.5%). Analysis of the distribution of restriction endonuclease sites recognizing CpG dinucleotides showed that clusters of these sites, including those associated with the 5' region of an 11p13 Wilms' tumor gene, WT1, can span greater distances than generally recognized. The cosmids reported here should contribute to the construction of long-range physical maps and the isolation of additional genes on the short arm of chromosome 11.
Blotting, Southern↗