Electronic communications and the new biology.
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Biology↗
Biomedical subjects
D Hines
Publications and source records attributed to D Hines.
Blood donation and transfusion practices: the 1990 American Association of Blood Banks Institutional Membership Questionnaire.
Responses to the 1990 American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) Institutional Membership Questionnaire were submitted by 2126 regional blood centers, hospital-based blood banks, and transfusion facilities. Data from 2117 of these facilities were considered to be valid. The questionnaire included information on blood donor demographics, number of units collected, and collection procedures; services performed; usage of blood components; and transfusion-transmitted diseases reported during 1989. Institutional members collected 7.4 million whole blood units, of which 90.8 percent were donated for allogeneic use, 6.0 percent were donated for autologous use, and 3.2 percent were donated for directed use. Approximately 630,546 allogeneic and directed-use blood donors were deferred, most often for low hemoglobin or hematocrit values. Approximately 225,205 full allogeneic and directed-donor units were discarded, primarily for elevated alanine aminotransferase levels or the presence of hepatitis B core antibody. The 14.3 million transfused components included 56.7 percent red cell-containing components, 27.4 percent platelets, 11 percent fresh-frozen plasma, and 4.8 percent cryoprecipitate. Institutional members reported 1397 cases of transfusion-associated hepatitis. In this group, 921 patients were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen after the transfusion; 339 (36.8%) were found to be hepatitis B surface antigen positive. The AABB Institutional Questionnaire results provide recent data on blood donor and transfusion-related activities that are vital to the evaluation of current transfusion medicine practices.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Combined APACHE II score and serum lactate dehydrogenase as predictors of in-hospital mortality caused by first episode Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
We retrospectively analyzed data from 75 hospitalized patients with a first episode of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia to compare the ability of four parameters, including admission serum albumin, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient, and the APACHE II score, to predict mortality and response to initial antipneumocystis therapy. The eight patients who died due to pneumocystosis and the 12 who failed initial antipneumocystis therapy had significantly higher admission mean APACHE II scores and serum LDH levels and lower mean serum albumin levels than did the 65 who survived and the 61 who responded to initial therapy (p less than 0.05 for each). Differences in mean alveolar-arterial oxygen gradients were not statistically significant with respect to survival or response to initial therapy. In a stepwise discriminant analysis of parameters associated with mortality, APACHE II score and LDH level were statistically significant (p less than 0.0001 for each). In a stepwise discriminant analysis of parameters associated with response to initial therapy, APACHE II score and LDH level were again statistically significant (p less than 0.0001, respectively). The addition of the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient and serum albumin level did not further increase the predictive ability of the discriminant analyses. When analyzed alone, neither the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient nor the serum albumin were statistically significant in each discriminant analysis. The APACHE II score combined with the serum LDH may be more useful than other parameters, singly or combined, to more closely match patients with regard to severity of illness due to first episode Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia when comparing experimental new therapies with standard agents.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Order of feature recognition in familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Three experiments measured order of processing for single faces presented to the left or right visual field (VF) using a same-different matching task. In contrast to earlier studies, the stimuli in the present experiments were carefully matched for overall similarity prior to the actual experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that a significant top-to-bottom order of processing occurred for line drawings of unfamiliar faces but not for line drawings of familiar faces. Experiment 3 found evidence supporting top-to-bottom processing for unfamiliar photographic face stimuli. The photographic stimuli in Experiment 3 were matched more quickly when presented in the left VF (right hemisphere); however, this VF asymmetry was not related to previously reported differences in order of processing. It is suggested that under some conditions faces presented to the right hemisphere may be processed more like familiar faces than faces presented to the left hemisphere; however, this difference is not critical for the left VF (right hemisphere) superiority often found in face recognition tasks.
Adult↗
Empiric antimicrobial therapy of domestically acquired acute diarrhea in urban adults.
From June 1985 to September 1987, 202 adults were enrolled in a randomized, double-blinded study comparing ciprofloxacin (500 mg) with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (160 mg/800 mg) or placebo for adults with acute diarrhea. All patients were treated on the day of presentation and received medication on a twice-daily schedule (every 12 hours) for 5 days. Bacterial isolates from these patients included 35 Campylobacter, 18 Shigella, and 15 Salmonella. Treatment at the time of presentation with ciprofloxacin compared with placebo shortened the duration of diarrhea (2.4 vs 3.4 days), and increased the percentage of patients cured or improved by treatment days 1, 3, 4, and 5. Similar significant differences for sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim compared with placebo were not seen.
Adult↗
3-13C-methionine-labelled E. coli alkaline phosphatase.
3-13C-methionine has been biosynthetically incorporated into E. coli alkaline phosphatase using strain CW3747 which is auxotrophic for Met. 13C NMR of the dimeric native enzyme labelled at the eight methionine residues of the primary structure shows a dispersion of resonance signals permitting resolution of at least five methionine environments, none of which coincide with the chemical shift position of free methionine. At acid pH, 13C signal intensity is shifted to a chemical shift consistent with solvent exposure. However, three discrete resonances are observed, suggesting a retention of defined structure. The labelled protein thus can serve as a probe of conformational alterations of the enzyme.
Alkaline Phosphatase↗
Comparative in vitro activity of A-56268 (TE-031) against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and Chlamydia trachomatis.
The in vitro activity of A-56268 (TE-031) was determined and compared with that of 13 antibiotics against 401 gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and 11 strains of Chlamydia trachomatis. A-56268 was very active against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and was among the most active of the agents tested against Listeria monocytogenes, streptococci and Chlamydia trachomatis. It was moderately active against Haemophilus spp., Vibrio spp., Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus. It was inactive against enterococci, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Campylobacter coli, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica. A-56268 was not consistently bactericidal or more active than erythromycin for any organism except Chlamydia trachomatis.
Animals↗
Hemispheric visual processing in face recognition.
Two experiments tested how facial details are used in recognizing face drawings presented to either the left or right visual field (VF). Subjects used inner and outer features about equally in both the left and right VFs. The major finding was a very strong tendency to recognize the upper facial features more accurately than the lower facial features. The top-to-bottom recognition difference occurred in both VFs, in contrast to an earlier study by J. Sergent (1982, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 8, 1-14). Methodological differences between the present experiments and Sergent's studies were discussed. It was concluded that both the left and right hemispheres recognize novel faces using top-to-bottom serial processing.
Adolescent↗
In vivo stimulation of granulopoiesis by recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.
Osmotic pumps containing Escherichia coli-derived recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) were attached to indwelling jugular vein catheters and implanted subcutaneously into Golden Syrian hamsters. Within 3 days, peripheral granulocyte counts had increased greater than 10-fold with a concomitant 4-fold increase in total leukocytes. Microscopic examination of Wright-Giemsa-stained blood smears from rhG-CSF hamsters showed that only the neutrophil subpopulation of granulocytes had increased. No significant changes in lymphocyte or monocyte counts were observed during the course of continuous rhG-CSF treatment. After subcutaneous injection at rhG-CSF doses of up to 10 micrograms X kg-1 X day-1 only granulocyte counts were affected. However, at higher dose levels, a transient thrombocytopenia was noted. Erythrocyte had lymphocyte/monocyte counts remained unaffected by rhG-CSF over the entire dose range (0.3-300 micrograms X kg-1 X day-1) studied. Total leukocyte counts increased 3-fold within 12 hr after a single s.c. injection of rhG-CSF. This early effect was associated with an increase in the total number of colony-forming cells and the percent of active cycling cells in the marrow. A sustained elevation of peripheral leukocyte and marrow progenitor counts was observed following seven daily s.c. injections of rhG-CSF. The ability of rhG-CSF to increase the production and release of granulocytes from the marrow may underlie the beneficial effect it produced on the restoration of peripheral leukocyte counts in hamsters made leukopenic by treatment with 5-fluorouracil.
Animals↗
Recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor: molecular and biological characterization.
Human or rodent bone marrow treated with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) in a CFU-GM assay yield predominantly granulocytic colonies. The specificity for granulocyte progenitors in vitro is also demonstrated in vivo by a five- to six-fold elevation in hamster peripheral blood neutrophils. Other cell types (monocytes, lymphocytes and eosinophils) remain stable. Analysis of mRNA from the bladder carcinoma cell line 5637 (1A6) shows the predominant species of mRNA codes for a mature protein of 174 amino acids. A small fraction of the mRNA can code for an alternative form of hG-CSF containing additional three amino acids between positions 35 and 36.
Animals↗
Perceptual interference and hemispheric specialization.
Two experiments evaluated the effect of stimuli presented at fixation on the recognition of faces or random shapes presented to the left or right visual half-field (VF). Increasing the processing demands of the center stimulus produced a large, linear decrease in recognition from both VFs for both faces and shapes. Recognition of random shapes was decreased more in the right visual field by center digits and in the left VF by center faces and shapes. In addition, interference was found between the VF faces and the center digits to the left of fixation. It was concluded that differences in the processing capacity of the two hemispheres are a function of the verbal-nonverbal nature of the stimuli at a later stage in processing but that the two hemispheres may also differ along other perceptual dimensions at an earlier stage of visual recognition.
Attention↗
Visual information processing in the left and right hemispheres.
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Attention↗
Independence of interaction and interpersonal attraction in a psychiatric hospital population.
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Adult↗
Task difficulty and visual similarity increase a distractor's effects on random shapes.
Recognition of random shapes followed by a visual distractor is altered by the type of distractor and whether the distractor needs to be attended. Three experiments tested which characteristics modify a visual distractor's effect on random target shapes presented for 75 to 150 msec. Exp. 1 showed that increasing the number of digits to be remembered (1, 3, or 8) increased the effectiveness of digits as distractors. Exeir effect as visual distractors for random target shapes. Random shapes were highly effective as distractors, while pictures of faces or comples colored pictures had a relatively small effect. In Exp. 3 decreasing the presentation time for novel visual distractors decreased recognition of the distractors but not of random target shapes. However, adding a three-digit distractor after the novel visual distractor did decrease recognition of target shapes. Exps. 2 and 3 showed that the order of the recognition tests of the target and distracting stimuli altered target recognition if and only if subjects did know which was to be reported first. These experiments indicate that the effect of a visual distractor depends on both the extent to which it is allotted attention and its visual similarity to the target stimulus.
Attention↗
Effects of amphetamine and nembutal on social exploration in the Mongolian gerbil.
Male Mongolian gerbils were injected intraperitoneally with amphetamine, nembutal, or saline and placed in a preference chamber one side of which contained a female gerbil. Amphetamine significantly decreased amount of time in contact with the females. Although the amphetamine effect held for both novel and familiar females, it was more marked for novel than for familiar females.
Animals↗
Differences in tachistoscopic recognition between abstract and concrete words as a function of visual half-field and frequency.
This experiment demonstrated that the greater right visual half-field (VHF) superiority for abstract words than for concrete words reported in two previous studies generalized to an independent, larger sample of abstract and concrete nouns. In addition, degree of concreteness was found to be positively related to overall recognition, with high concrete words averaging 38% correct, moderate concrete words averaging 30% correct, and abstract words averaging 20% correct. Analyses of ratio scores indicated that high frequency abstract words showed a significantly larger right VHF asymmetry than high frequency moderately concrete words or high frequency high concrete words. Groups of abstract, moderately concrete and high concrete words were also matched on right VHF recognition, to evaluate whether differences in VHF asymmetry were secondary to the differences in overall recognition. A significant interaction between VHF and word class was found, again indicating larger right VHF superiority for the abstract words. The data are consistent with previous suggestions that some left VHF concrete words are recongized by the right hemisphere.
Dominance, Cerebral↗
Recognition of random shapes followed at varying delays by attended or unattended shapes, digits, and line grids.
Three experiments evaluated the effect of poststimulus distractor characteristics in altering recognition of random shapes. Experiment 1 demonstrated that when 150 msec or 300 msec were allowed for processing the initial shape stimulus, recognition was lowered only when it was followed by an attended shape or digit distractor. Unattended shapes, digits, and line grids and attended line grids left recognition essentially perfect. Attended shapes lowered recognition more than attended digits. Experiment 2 found that attended shapes, digits, and line grids all masked random shapes when presented immediately upon offset of a random shape displayed for 50 msec. As processing time increased, digit distractors became less effective than shape distractors, while line grids lost all effect. The shape distractors lowered recognition up to 1,200 msec. Experiment 3 showed that the larger recognition loss produced by the shape distractor than by the digit distractor could not be attributed to differences in response procedure. It was suggested that memory for random shapes moves from brief visual storage to a limited capacity visual short-term memory. Attended shape distractors may eliminate the stimulus shape from visual short-term memory thus preventing long-term storage.
Attention↗
Recognition of verbs, abstract nouns and concrete nouns from the left and right visual half-fields.
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Awareness↗