Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Hill

Publications and source records attributed to D Hill.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Targeting of castor bean glyoxysomal isocitrate lyase to tobacco leaf peroxisomes.

The cDNA encoding castor bean endosperm isocitrate lyase (ICL) was expressed under the control of the promoter of the small subunit of pea ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase in transformed tobacco. ICL protein was detected using anti-ICL antibodies on immunoblots of total leaf protein extracts. Nycodenz density gradient separation of the extracts from the transgenic tobacco leaves showed ICL co-fractionated with hydroxypyruvate reductase, a peroxisomal matrix marker protein, and away from lactate dehydrogenase, a cytosolic marker protein. Immunoelectron microscopy of ultrathin leaf sections demonstrated the location of ICL within the matrix of the leaf peroxisomes of the transgenic plants. In vitro transcribed and translated ICL was also imported into leaf peroxisomes isolated from germinating sunflower seeds. The in vivo and in vitro import of this protein into leaf peroxisomes provides strong support for the notion that the import machinery of glyoxysomes and peroxisomes is very similar.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1993

Cytokines and alcoholic liver disease.

It is clear that cytokines cause metabolic disturbances that are similar to known complications of AH. TNF appears to be a proximal mediator of multiple types of experimental liver injury and TNF activity is elevated in ALD, as are the levels of certain other cytokines. On the other hand, low physiologic amounts of cytokines appear to be important for liver regeneration (and perhaps are beneficial to the organism as a whole). Goals for evaluation of anticytokine therapy in ALD will be: (1) determining the timing and type of the particular anticytokine employed (such as, immediate administration of antibody followed by an inhibitor of cytokine production), (2) appropriate monitoring of drug effects on cytokine metabolism as well as liver function and outcome, and (3) maintenance of the regenerative or positive physiologic effects of cytokines while blocking the cytolytic effects. Thus, we predict that ultimate anticytokine therapy will be directed at conserving the positive growth-enhancing effects of cytokines while attenuating their cytolytic effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Factors affecting the efficacy of a community-based quit smoking program.

Community-based Fresh Start courses have been running at local community centres throughout Victoria since February 1983. This paper describes the key features of this program and identifies the factors which relate to smoking cessation. Data were collected from 3298 participants who attended a program between February 1983 and June 1988. All participants were asked to complete three short questionnaires: on arrival at the course, at the conclusion of the course and a year after finishing the course. Although most participants had made previous unsuccessful quit attempts and perceived quitting to be difficult, attendance at the course had a major impact on their reported smoking. At the conclusion of the course at least 51% of participants had quit smoking and the remaining participants had reduced their smoking by an average of 50%. At the 1 year follow-up, at least 23% of participants were non-smokers and the remaining participants had reduced their smoking by an average of 21%. Successful quitting at the end of the course and at the 12 month follow-up was positively related to the number of sessions attended and the perceived likelihood of quitting, and negatively related to initial cigarette consumption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Changes in sun-related attitudes and behaviours, and reduced sunburn prevalence in a population at high risk of melanoma.

This study aimed to determine trends in exposure to sunlight in the context of a melanoma prevention programme by monitoring the prevalence of sunburn and sun-related attitudes and behaviours. Telephone interviews were conducted in a baseline summer (December 1987 to February 1988) and two subsequent summers after the introduction of the SunSmart health promotion campaign. Interviewing a sample of 4,428 adult residents of the Australian city of Melbourne took place throughout summer on Monday evenings. Behavioural and sunburn data were reported for the previous weekend and relevant attitudinal data were collected. After adjusting for ambient ultraviolet radiation levels and temperature, survey month, age, sex and skin type, a significant reduction in sunburn was found. The crude proportion of sunburnt dropped from 11% to 10% to 7% over 3 years and the adjusted odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) were as follows: Year 1/Year 2; 0.75 (CI 0.57-0.99) and Year 1/Year 3; 0.59 (CI 0.43-0.81). Substantial attitudinal shifts occurred over the 3 years. Hat wearing increased significantly each year (19%, 26%, 29%), as did sunscreen use (12%, 18%, 21%). However, the trends in mean proportion of body surface area covered by clothing were less clear cut (0.67, 0.64, 0.71). It is concluded that melanoma risk factor exposure of populations can change fairly rapidly and that well-conducted health promotion campaigns can play a part in producing such change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of a method to teach cardiothoracic surgery to medical students.

This report describes a method to teach undergraduate students the knowledge base and skills needed to maximize the educational value of a subsequent cardiothoracic surgical clerkship. Sixty-three fourth year medical students underwent a structured teaching programme in which groups of five students rotated through a series of six teaching stations. Subject material, presented during 20 min at each station, covered the key issues relating to coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, chest trauma, lung cancer, prosthetic heart valves, pacemakers, thoracic sepsis and dysphagia. Group knowledge increased significantly (P < 0.001) from a mean mark of 23% (s.d. 12) in a pre-test to a mean mark of 46% (s.d. 12) in a test conducted 1 month after the teaching. The time taken to conduct the structured teaching/assessment was 5 h compared with 32 h to run the same programme by the traditional ward tutorial system. The dollar cost to stage the structured teaching was less than that to run the traditional tutorial programme. It was concluded that the teaching method is effective, economical and practical and that it has a role in an undergraduate curriculum to prepare students for clinical clerkship.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1993

Laparoscopic culdotomy.

Laparoscopic culdotomy has been performed in 32 patients. The indications for the procedure included the removal of organs or tissue excised by operative laparoscopy, excision of vaginal endometriosis involving the pouch of Douglas and drainage of a pelvic haematoma. The surgical technique is described and no complications resulted from this technique. Laparoscopic culdotomy has advantages for the removal of lumps exceeding 1 cm, and for the drainage of a pelvic haematoma or pelvic abscess. It is also an integral step in the removal of infiltrating endometriotic lesions in the pouch of Douglas which are attached to the vagina.

Douglas' Pouch↗
PubMed1993

Laparoscopic removal of endometriosis in the pouch of Douglas.

Twenty-six patients with endometriosis in the pouch of Douglas were treated by laparoscopic excisional surgery; previous medical and surgical therapy had failed in 24 of them. Endometriosis in the pouch of Douglas occurred infrequently in association with bladder or ovarian endometriosis. Coital and rectal pain were markedly reduced or cured 6 months after surgery in all except 2 patients. Laparoscopic surgical excision of endometriosis is indicated when drug or other surgical treatments fail and may avoid the need for hysterectomy in some patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Biopsy diagnosis and conservative surgical treatment of adenomyosis.

Fifteen patients with dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia refractory to medical treatment were referred for surgical treatment. Pre-operative diagnosis of adenomyosis was suggested by vaginal ultrasound in 13 patients and was confirmed pre-operatively by myometrial biopsy in 5 and by transcervical myometrial biopsy at the time of endometrial resection in 7. Conservative surgery included endometrial resection (7), myometrial reduction by electrocautery (4), and myometrial excision (3). Marked improvement occurred in 4 of 7 patients after endometrial resection, 3 of 4 after myometrial reduction, and all of 3 having myometrial excision. Diagnosis of adenomyosis is improved by use of vaginal ultrasound and percutaneous or transcervical myometrial biopsy. Conservative surgical procedures including endometrial resection and myometrial reduction or excision may reduce the need for hysterectomy in the presence of adenomyosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Satisfaction of attenders during the establishment of an Australian mammography screening program.

We aimed to examine the satisfaction and the predictors of reported satisfaction with the service offered by a pilot mammography screening service. Information was collected from 481 attenders at the screening clinic and from 318 consecutive attenders at the recall clinic using two different standard self-administered questionnaires covering respectively six and five dimensions of satisfaction. For the screening clinic attenders, mean scores on most subscales indicated quite high levels of satisfaction. There were no significant differences among different samples over time for the perceptions of technical competence of the staff. Decreases in reported level of satisfaction were found for subscales measuring interpersonal skills, information giving, physical surroundings, convenience and accessibility, and general satisfaction. Waiting times, age and marital status were predictors in most satisfaction subscales. For those attending the recall clinic, mean satisfaction scores for most scales were high, except for the scale measuring satisfaction with the way the results were received. The median time between screening and recall visits for women in this study was 27 days (range 3 to 112 days). Attenders were most dissatisfied with the delay in getting results, an area where the service might improve.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

A systematic evaluation of the "I Can Cope" program using a national sample.

"I Can Cope" (ICC) is an educational program that provides resources that help people with cancer, their families, and their friends to cope more adequately with the disease and its consequences. Although the American Cancer Society (ACS) has offered this program since 1979, ICC never has been evaluated nationally. ACS developed the ICC Revision Work Group in 1990. This work group initiated a national evaluation of ICC to provide data in eight areas: demographics, class format, course objectives, course content, audiovisual and instructional materials, facilitator training, program implementation, and program evaluation. During 1991, data were collected from 219 facilitators, 241 ACS staff members, and 973 ICC participants in 49 states. Revision of the ICC program using the results of this evaluation currently is underway.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Brequinar sodium: monitoring immunosuppressive activity.

There has been remarkable consistency in our laboratory for the experimental results derived from a variety of allogeneic and xenogeneic models of organ transplantation using BQR, a primary immunosuppressive agent, to prevent graft rejection. Considerable knowledge exists in a number of species with respect to the dose-response immunosuppressive efficacy, organ specificity, peripheral drug measurements, toxic side-effects, species sensitivity, and synergistic drug interactions. Despite the complexity of transferring experimental results to the clinical setting, the cumulative experience with this new immunosuppressive compound suggests that it may be highly effective when used for clinical transplantation. The identification of a predictive monitoring technique(s) would provide clinicians with a highly sensitive marker to effectively regulate BQR posttransplantation immunosuppressive therapies. Although the maintenance of a "therapeutic window" of immunosuppressive efficacy did not necessarily prevent the rejection of allografts or xenografts in the rat models tested, there was an important correlation between elevated BQR levels and the onset of recipient toxicity. Increased morbidity and mortality was noted when BQR blood levels were elevated above 16 micrograms/mL. The measurement of pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway metabolites provided a direct correlation between graft viability, global depletion of nucleotides (UTP, CTP, ATP, GTP), and suppression of PHA-mitogenic lymphocyte proliferative responses when different doses of BQR were tested. The analysis of these parameters were less informative following combination therapy with CsA. As with other immunosuppressive agents, the difficulty in relying exclusively on plasma trough drug levels as an accurate means to project graft viability may be influenced by individual differences in absorption, metabolism, and excretion of the compound. Additional parameters that may provide valuable information for the posttransplant therapeutic course include drug bioavailability, peak levels, drug clearance, or inhibition of immune response. It is anticipated that these studies will provide important baseline information for further refinement of these monitoring techniques to aid in posttransplant patient management.

Animals↗