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Biomedical subjects

D Jue

Publications and source records attributed to D Jue.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Isolation, sequencing and expression of the gene encoding a major protein from the backteriophage associated with Bartonella henselae.

The gene encoding a 31-kDa major protein (Pap31) associated with the bacteriophage harbored in Bartonella henselae was cloned and sequenced. Analysis of the resulting sequence revealed an open reading frame of 837 nucleotides coding for a protein of 279 amino acids. pap31 was then subcloned downstream of the lacZ promoter in pUC19. pap31 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and the linear amplicon was used as template for in-vitro transcription and translation. A protein with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 31 kDa was synthesized from this reaction. Upon analysis of the deduced aa sequence, a potential signal sequence and a consensus signal peptidase cleavage site were identified, indicative that Pap31 is modified posttranslationally, and the mature protein may be targeted to the host membrane.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Outpatient geriatric evaluation and management: is there an investment effect?

The effectiveness and efficiency of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) was compared to usual outpatient primary care (UPC). Although GEM had no overall impact on health care utilization or cost of care for the entire study period, significant reductions were found during the sixteen- to twenty-four-month study period, suggesting a possible investment effect. In the first eight months of the study, GEM patients incurred 34.8% more in health care costs than UPC patients, but in the final eight months of the study the cost of care for UPC patients exceeded that for GEM patients by 37.8%.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Outpatient geriatric evaluation and management. Results of a randomized trial.

The effectiveness and efficiency of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) was compared with usual outpatient primary care (UPC). One hundred sixty frail elderly outpatients were assigned randomly to GEM or UPC and assessed at baseline and at 8 months on measures of (1) health and functional status, (2) psychosocial well-being, (3) quality of health and social care, (4) use of inpatient and outpatient services, and (5) cost of care. The results indicate that GEM was significantly more effective than UPC in reducing mortality, increasing patient satisfaction, and improving the quality of health and social care. However, it was not effective in reducing health care use or the cost of care.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

The effectiveness and efficiency of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) with usual primary care (UPC). DESIGN: A 2 x 3 randomized controlled group design. SETTING: A 450-bed Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) that provides general medical and surgical care to eligible veterans. PARTICIPANTS: One-hundred sixty male subjects (mean age = 72 years), who were above average users of VAMC outpatient clinics and who had at least two Activity of Daily Living (ADL) or Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) impairments, were assigned to GEM (n = 80) or UPC (n = 80). MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected about patients' (1) health and functional status, (2) psychosocial well-being, (3) quality of health and social care, (4) health care utilization, and (5) health care costs. Data were obtained before randomization, and again at 8 and 16 months. RESULTS: The results indicated that GEM was more effective than UPC in improving some aspects of the quality of health and social care and in increasing patient satisfaction with care. GEM also reduced emergency room use, and showed a trend toward decreasing acute admissions. It was not effective, however, in improving patients' psychosocial well-being. Except for a short-term survival advantage, it was also not effective in preventing deterioration in their health and functional status. Further, GEM did not reduce overall utilization of outpatient or inpatient services, and it significantly increased total outpatient health care costs. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient GEM improves patient satisfaction and some aspects of the quality of care patients' receive but does not reduce the cost of outpatient or inpatient care. Longer-term follow-up studies are needed to determine whether reductions in emergency room use and inpatient admissions persist over time and result in reductions in the overall cost of care.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Epitope mapping in proteins of hepatitis E virus.

A series of synthetic peptides derived from proteins encoded by open reading frames 2 and 3 (ORF2 and ORF3) of the hepatitis E virus was used in an enzyme immunoassay to determine the localization of epitopes in these proteins. Five peptides spanning almost the entire ORF3 protein sequence and 12 peptides from the ORF2 protein were synthesized. Serum samples collected from outbreaks in three different regions of the world (Turkmenistan, Kenya, and Mexico) were analyzed by a peptide-based enzyme immunoassay. Primary analysis of the peptides was accomplished with the use of serum samples obtained from Middle Asia. Four of 5 peptides from the ORF3 protein and 4 of 12 peptides from the ORF2 protein specifically reacted with antibody from sera of HEV-infected patients. Peptides representing immunodominant epitopes were used for the analysis of serum samples from outbreaks in Kenya and Mexico. The data indicate that these synthetic peptides may be used to develop a diagnostic test to detect antibody to the hepatitis E virus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Homogenization of tandemly repeated nucleotide sequences by distance-dependent nucleotide sequence conversion.

Previous work revealed that recurrent mutations (= mutation occurring more than once) in the tandemly repeated arrays present in nontranscribed spacers (NTS) of ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) are clustered, i.e., they most frequently occur in repeats with adjacent or alternate distribution. A possible explanation is that the likelihood of heteroduplex formation, a prerequisite of gene conversion, decreases with the distance between repeats. To test this possibility, evolution of an array of 11 initially homogeneous repeats was computer simulated using three models, two assuming that the likelihood of heteroduplex formation decreases with increasing distance between the repeats and one assuming that it is constant. Patterns of mutation distribution obtained in computer simulations were compared with the distribution of mutations found in the repeated arrays in the NTS of seven rDNA clones. The patterns of mutations generated by the models assuming that the likelihood of heteroduplex formation decreases as distance between the repeats increases agreed with the patterns observed in rDNA; the patterns generated by the model assuming that the likelihood is independent of distance between repeats disagreed with the patterns observed in the rDNA clones. The topology of the heteroduplex formed between DNA in adjacent repeats predicts that the most frequently occurring conversions in the NTS repeated arrays will be shorter than the length of the repeat. The topology of the heteroduplex also predicts that if the heteroduplex leads to crossing over a circular repeat is excised. It is speculated that the circle can transpose or can be amplified via rolling circle replication and subsequently transpose. It is also shown that homogenization of the NTS repeated arrays proceeds at different rates in different species.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

The presence of hemoglobin S and C Harlem in an individual in the United States.

The first reported case of hemoglobin S and C Harlem in an individual is described. The patient, a 35-yr-old female, had numerous crises during adolescence and early adulthood, but these occurred more infrequently as she grew older. Chemical evidence is presented for the characterization of both variant hemoglobins. The clinical course of this individual with Hb S in combination with Hb C Harlem appears to be similar to that for persons with sickle cell anemia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein repeat multiple antigen constructs (MAC).

In this study we characterized the immunogenic properties of three different multispecies multiple antigen constructs (MACs) carrying the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) repeats of human malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. We synthesized tetrameric MACs containing the antigenic repeats from the CSP of P. vivax-like parasite in two arms and CSP repeat sequences of either P. vivax type-1 (vivax-like/vivax type-1 MAC), P. vivax type-2 (vivax-like/vivax type-2 MAC), or P. falciparum (vivax-like/falciparum MAC) in the other two arms. Mice of four different genetic backgrounds (H-2a, H-2b, H-2d, and H-2k) were immunized with these MACs in Freund's adjuvant. All three MAC preparations were found to elicit antibodies to P. vivax-like CSP repeats in B10.BR, B10.A, and C57BL/6 mice. On the other hand, in B10.D2 mice only vivax-like/vivax type-1 MAC, but not the other two MACs induced antibodies to the P. vivax-like CSP repeats. In mice immunized with vivax-like/vivax type-1 MAC, antibodies to P. vivax type-1 CS repeat peptides were induced in B10.BR, B10.A, and C57BL/6 mice, but not in B10.D2 mice. Antibody responses to P. vivax type-2 repeats were not induced in any of the four strains of mice that were immunized with vivax-like/vivax type-2 MAC. While B10.BR, B10.A, and C57BL/6 mice produced antibodies to NANP repeats of P. falciparum CSP following immunization with vivax-like/falciparum MAC, B10.D2 mice failed to elicit antibodies to this repeat. All the sera that showed positive reactivity to peptides in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were found to react with sporozoites by IFA. In conclusion, these results showed that naturally immunogenic epitopes from different species of malaria parasites can be incorporated in a single vaccine construct to induce immune responses against multiple epitopes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗