Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Reed

Publications and source records attributed to D Reed.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Women's self-disclosure of HIV infection: rates, reasons, and reactions.

A survey of 65 ethnically diverse women at 2 outpatient HIV clinics revealed relatively low rates of disclosure of HIV-positive serostatus to extended family members, somewhat higher rates for immediate family members, and highest rates for lovers and friends. Spanish-speaking Latinas were less likely to disclose their serostatus or to discuss HIV-related worries with others than English-speaking Latinas, African Americans, and Anglo Americans. Reasons for disclosure and nondisclosure varied by target. In general, targets reacted positively to disclosure. Implications for clinicians treating women with HIV infection are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Performance of the Coumatrak system in a large anticoagulation clinic.

There is a need to monitor anticoagulation accurately, inexpensively, and rapidly. The accuracy and precision of a simple fingerstick method was studied in a large outpatient anticoagulation clinic using the Coumatrak method. The Coumatrak apparatus has been studied in the home setting, and three recent reports suggest that it is practical, accurate, and possibly superior to the standard method. These results differ from recently published studies. This technique was found to be less than acceptable in precision and accuracy. This method requires further study before it can be recommended for wide-spread use in making decisions for patient care.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Health and functioning among the elderly of Marin County, California: a glimpse of the future.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to obtain information concerning the health status of the theoretically advantaged elderly population of Marin County, California, and to compare these data with those from other populations with different levels of socioeconomic status. METHODS: An age-stratified sample of 2,018 community-dwelling elderly residents of Marin was selected, and these participants were interviewed between 1989 and 1991. Interview items included medical history of life-threatening diseases and chronic conditions, reported and observed disabilities, and life-style characteristics. RESULTS: While the residents of Marin had lower mortality rates than the total U.S. population, there were few meaningful differences in measures of health and function in comparison to other elderly populations with substantially lower levels of socioeconomic status. The main exceptions were better memory performance and lower depressive symptomatology in Marin. Because of the many methodological differences, these comparisons must be viewed with caution. CONCLUSION: The general pattern of findings in this study indicates that while death has been postponed in this socioeconomically advantaged population, the prevalence of disease and disability has not. If true, this implies that residents of an affluent community can spend a longer rather than shorter period of their late life in a state of infirmity and in need of medical care. This appears to be especially true for women.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Information processing and social competence in chronic schizophrenia.

The relationship between social competence and information processing among individuals with chronic schizophrenia was investigated. Thirty-eight inpatients participated in a role play test of social competence and completed a battery of information-processing tasks. Information processing was found to be significantly related to social competence, even after controlling for patient demographics, chronicity, and symptomatology. Higher global social competence was related to more efficient early information processing on a continuous performance/span of apprehension task. Composite indices of specific social competence (i.e., paralinguistic and nonverbal skills) were related to other aspects of information processing (e.g., reaction time). Implications for behavioral assessment and cognitive rehabilitation are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Cigarette smoking and protection from Parkinson's disease: false association or etiologic clue?

We reviewed 46 published reports associating cigarette smoking and Parkinson's disease. Although the majority indicated an approximate halving of smoking frequency in persons with Parkinson's disease, many observers have suggested that the effect could be a spurious result. That the association may be real is suggested by at least six observations: (1) the consistency of findings between independent studies of different design, conducted by different investigators, in different nations, over 35 years; (2) the association's predominance and strength in prospective studies; (3) the apparent detection of a dose-response relation; (4) the inability to explain the association by confounding variables; (5) the flaws in certain arguments against the association's validity; and (6) the identification of a similar association, of similar magnitude, between smoking and reduced occurrence of Alzheimer's disease. A protective association of cigarette smoking for Parkinson's disease may constitute an important etiologic clue.

Female↗
PubMed1995

Norplant removal facilitated by use of ultrasound for localization.

Two case reports are presented, describing the use of a 7-MHz ultrasound transducer to locate and visualize Norplant rods that could not easily be removed. The first patient was referred to the radiology department for a sonogram for unrelated reasons; her self-reported history led to the attempt to locate a retained Norplant rod. The second patient was first referred by a physician for the stated purpose of rod localization. After ultrasonic localization of the retained rods, both patients returned to their physicians' offices and underwent successful removal of the rods. Morbidity related to difficult rod retrieval can be reduced by using ultrasound for localization.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

In planta transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Transformants of Arabidopsis thaliana can be generated without using tissue culture techniques by cutting primary and secondary inflorescence shoots at their bases and inoculating the wound sites with Agrobacterium tumefaciens suspensions. After three successive inoculations, treated plants are grown to maturity, harvested and the progeny screened for transformants on a selective medium. We have investigated the reproducibility and the overall efficiency of this simple in planta transformation procedure. In addition, we determined the T-DNA copy number and inheritance in the transformants and examined whether transformed progeny recovered from the same Agrobacterium-treated plant represent one or several independent transformation events. Our results indicate that in planta transformation is very reproducible and yields stably transformed seeds in 7-8 weeks. Since it does not employ tissue culture, the in planta procedure may be particularly valuable for transformation of A. thaliana ecotypes and mutants recalcitrant to in vitro regeneration. The transformation frequency was variable and was not affected by lower growth temperature, shorter photoperiod or transformation vector. The majority of treated plants gave rise to only one transformant, but up to nine siblings were obtained from a single parental plant. Molecular analysis suggested that some of the siblings originated from a single transformed cell, while others were descended from multiple, independently transformed germ-line cells. More than 90% of the transformed progeny exhibited Mendelian segregation patterns of NPTII and GUS reporter genes. Of those, 60% contained one functional insert, 16% had two T-DNA inserts and 15% segregated for T-DNA inserts at more than two unlinked loci. The remaining transformants displayed non-Mendelian segregation ratios with a very high proportion of sensitive plants among the progeny.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗
PubMed1994

Prospective study of cigarette smoking and the risk of developing idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

A 26-year follow-up study of 8,006 men enrolled in the Honolulu Heart Program examined the effect of cigarette smoking on the risk of developing idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Cases were identified through an ongoing search of hospital records and by the review of death certificates and medical records of local neurologists. Men who had smoked cigarettes at any time prior to study enrollment in 1965 had a reduced risk of developing idiopathic Parkinson's disease (relative risk = 0.39). Examination of smoking by pack-years revealed an apparent dose-response effect on the risk of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, but not on the age of onset. Coffee drinking was also associated with reduced risk, apparently because of its association with cigarette smoking. Although the detrimental health effects of cigarette smoking would far outweight any possible protective effect for smoking and Parkinson's disease, the association of smoking with apparent protection may contribute to understanding the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Changing cognitive functioning in rehabilitation of schizophrenia.

A three-factor model is proposed for clinical assessment of cognitive and neuropsychological impairments in schizophrenia. The first factor is stable, pervasive and vulnerability-linked. The second and third include executive, memory and conceptual abilities and are episode-linked. The third factor may be amendable to psychosocial treatment.

Cognition Disorders↗
PubMed1994

A comparison of lesions in small intracerebral arteries among Japanese men in Hawaii and Japan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This report examines the hypothesis that the higher risk of stroke among Japanese men in Japan compared with those in Hawaii is related to pathology in small intracerebral arteries by comparing the prevalence of such lesions in autopsied participants from two cohorts of Japanese men in Japan and Hawaii. METHODS: Existing histological sections from the left basal ganglia from 232 men from Japan and 175 men of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii were examined for selected abnormalities in arteries between 100 and 300 microns in diameter by three pathologists. The presence of lacunar infarcts was also noted, and information about cerebral infarcts, cerebral hemorrhages, and atherosclerosis in the circle of Willis was available for the Hawaii group. RESULTS: Lacunar infarcts and all small intracerebral artery lesions except medial fibrosis were more common at every age in Japan than in Hawaii. By cause of death, all lesions were three or more times more prevalent among men who died of stroke than of noncardiovascular causes in both areas. In the Hawaii group, the small intracerebral artery lesions were significantly associated with autopsy evidence of cerebral and lacunar infarcts, and with atherosclerosis in the large arteries of the circle of Willis. Among a large number of risk factors measured at the baseline examination in Hawaii, only high blood pressure and reported usual Asian diet were significantly associated with one or more measures of small intracerebral artery lesions. CONCLUSIONS: An overview of the accumulated data indicated that small intracerebral artery pathology plays an important role in the high risk of stroke in Japanese men in Japan compared with those in Hawaii. These studies support the idea that hypertension is a necessary factor in the causal pathway, but also indicate that some other factors are involved. Some aspect of an Asian diet continues to be of importance for future research.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Anal intercourse and disclosure of HIV infection among seropositive gay and bisexual men.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected gay and bisexual men (n = 609) randomly selected from two HIV outpatient clinics in Los Angeles completed confidential, self-administered questionnaires at the clinics, reporting sexual activities and disclosure during the previous 2 months. Approximately 9% had engaged in unprotected insertive anal intercourse with one or more partners. This activity was 3.27 times more likely to have occurred with seropositive partners than with partners who were seronegative or whose serostatus was unknown. Fourteen men (2.3% of total sample) had engaged in unprotected insertive anal sex with 25 seronegative or unknown serostatus partners who were not informed of their risk of infection. Thirty-three men (5.4% of total sample) had engaged in this activity with 37 seropositive partners who were informed. Clinicians and other health professionals can play an important role in helping to control the HIV epidemic by discussing with seropositive patients the importance of using safer sex and informing sexual partners. Such discussion should include information about the potentially negative health effects of unprotected sex between seropositive persons.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Professionals' prognoses for individuals with mental retardation: search for consensus within interdisciplinary settings.

Previous studies have shown a lack of consensus in professionals' prognoses for individuals with mental retardation. The present study was designed to continue the investigation of professionals' prognoses for the achieved capabilities and residential and vocational placement of individuals with mild, moderate, or severe mental retardation. Four professional groups (N = 567 subjects) from 50 of the 52 University Affiliated Programs throughout the country were surveyed. The Prognostic Beliefs Scale was used. Results showed that physicians had significantly lower expectations and more pessimistic prognoses for children with moderate or severe mental retardation than did the other professionals. The only consensus on prognosis was for children with mild mental retardation. Results call into question one of the assumed benefits of interdisciplinary teams--communication--and its impact on professionals' expectations and prognoses for individuals with mental retardation.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Human aldehyde dehydrogenase. cDNA cloning and primary structure of the enzyme that catalyzes dehydrogenation of 4-aminobutyraldehyde.

Human liver aldehyde dehydrogenase (E3 isozyme), with wide substrate specificity and low Km for 4-aminobutyraldehyde, was only recently characterized [Kurys, G., Ambroziak, W. & Pietruszko, R. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 4715-4721] and in this study we report on its primary structure. Polyclonal antibodies, specific for the E3 isozyme and three oligonucleotide probes derived from amino acid sequence of the E3 protein, were used for isolation of the first cDNA clone encoding the human enzyme (1503 bp; coding for 440 amino acid residues). Additional clones were obtained by using the first isolated clone as a probe. The largest clone of 1635 bp coded for 462 amino acid residues; it was longer at the 3'end of the cDNA non-coding region. The identity of the clone was established by DNA sequencing and by comparison with peptide sequences derived from the E3 protein, which constituted approximately 29% of the total primary structure of the E3 isozyme. The start codon was never encountered despite a variety of different approaches (500 amino acid residues were expected on the basis of SDS-gel molecular-mass determination of the E3 isozyme subunit). Despite the great catalytic similarity between the E3 and E1 isozymes [Ambroziak, W. & Pietruszko, R. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 13011-13018], the primary structure of the E3 isozyme has only approximately 40.6% of positional identity with that of the E1 isozyme. Sequence comparison with GenBank and Protein Identification Resource database sequences indicated no primary structure of aldehyde dehydrogenase more closely resembling the E3 isozyme than that of Escherichia coli betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (52.7% positional identity), a prokaryotic enzyme specific for betaine aldehyde.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1993

A protein-tyrosine/serine phosphatase encoded by the genome of the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584.

Protein-tyrosine phosphorylation has long been regarded as an exclusively eukaryotic phenomenon. Although some non-eukaryotes, mainly viruses, possess genes encoding protein-tyrosine kinases or protein-tyrosine phosphatases, these were probably appropriated from the eukaryotic hosts that constitute the sites of action of these enzymes. Herein we identify a gene, iphP, from the chromosome of the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584 that contains the His-Cys-Xaa-Ala-Gly-Xaa-Xaa-Arg sequence characteristic of known protein-tyrosine phosphatases. The expressed gene product, IphP, displayed protein-tyrosine phosphatase activity toward phosphotyrosine residues on reduced, carboxyamidomethylated, and maleylated lysozyme with optimum activity at pH 5.0. In addition, IphP dephosphorylated the phosphoseryl groups on casein that had been phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Cell lysates of N. commune probed with antibodies to phosphotyrosine indicated the presence of a tyrosine-phosphorylated protein of M(r) approximately 85 kDa. This tyrosine-phosphorylated protein was detected in cells grown in the presence of combined nitrogen but not in nitrogen-deficient media that induces the formation of differentiated N2-fixing cells (heterocysts). Together, these data suggest a role for protein-tyrosine phosphorylation in regulating cellular functions in this cyanobacterium. IphP is the first protein-tyrosine phosphatase to be discovered that is encoded by the chromosomal DNA of any prokaryote. Given the free-living nature of N. commune and the phylogenetic antiquity of the cyanobacteria, these findings suggest for the first time the existence of a protein-tyrosine phosphatase of genuine, unambiguous prokaryotic ancestry, thus raising fundamental questions as to the origin and role of tyrosine phosphorylation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Dose response relationship between plasma ACTH and cortisol after the infusion of ACTH1-24.

The authors examined the dose response relationship between plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations after the administration of various doses of ACTH1-24 (0.025 micrograms, 0.125 micrograms, 0.25 micrograms, 1 microgram, 250 micrograms) in dexamethasone-suppressed normal volunteers. A logarithmic dose-response relationship between the dose of ACTH administered and plasma cortisol concentration was found. Although there was considerable variability in plasma ACTH concentrations, there was, however, a definite correlation between area under the curve for ACTH and area under the curve for cortisol after the various doses of ACTH.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1993

13C-NMR determination of the molecular dynamics of cholesterol in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles.

Using 13C-NMR measurements of T1, T2 and the nuclear Overhauser enhancement factor at 50.32, 90.56 and 150.87 MHz, we have measured the dynamics of cholesterol in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) vesicles from 28 to 50 degrees C. Using the model-free approach of Lipari and Szabo, we have found that at 37 degrees C the motion of the rigid steroid ring can be described by an equal contribution from two effective motions with correlation times of 63 and 0.85 ns. The C26 and C27 carbon atoms of cholesterol were found to have an effective correlation time of 8 +/- 2 ps and a value for the square of the generalised order parameter of 0.03 +/- 0.01. The corresponding values for the C25 carbon atom were 17 +/- 4 ps and 0.09 +/- 0.02, showing slower motion and greater order for this carbon atom, which is nearer to the rigid steroid ring. Apart from the effect of vesicle size on T2, no concentration dependence of the dynamics of cholesterol was detected over the cholesterol concentration range 2-30 mol%. The order parameters and correlation times from the present 13C-NMR experiments are shown to be compatible with those from 2H-NMR experiments. This establishes the validity of the present approach, which we are currently extending to low concentrations of cholesteryl oleate in DMPC vesicles.

Carbon Isotopes↗