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Biomedical subjects

D Roth

Publications and source records attributed to D Roth.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Healthier work environments through action research.

A team of nurses and a university-based nurse researcher describe a nursing theory-based action research plan to promote a healthier work environment. The process combines research and practice to achieve desired outcomes within an acute-care setting.

Health Promotion↗
PubMed1994

Continuity of care and client outcomes in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program on chronic mental illness.

The impact on services and outcomes of the local mental health authorities (LMHAs) developed under the RWJF Program on Chronic Mental Illness (CMI) was evaluated in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo. Two cohorts of clients with CMI discharged from an episode of acute 24-hour care were recruited in each city: the first cohorts were drawn shortly after the demonstration began and the second, two years later. The LMHAs in the three Ohio cities increased case management for the second cohorts at two months, but not at 12 months, after hospital discharge. The second cohorts in Baltimore and Cincinnati experienced lower turnover among case managers during the year after discharge, but there was no significant improvement in client outcomes. Creation of LMHAs may be a necessary, but not sufficient, step toward improving outcomes and should be followed by improvement in the quantity and quality of services.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1993

Antioxidant and neutrophil-inhibiting properties of new 2-O-methyl-6-(alkylthio)ascorbic acid derivatives.

A series of new 6-(alkylthio)ascorbic acids was synthesized, and their inhibitory effects on lipid peroxidation and the oxidative burst of human neutrophils were tested. Of 12 structurally different lipophilic ascorbic acid derivatives 6-S-n-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-6-deoxy-6-thio-L-ascorbic acid (7b; B-003) inhibited the Fe2+/ADP-induced lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes with an IC50 value of 2 microM. In human neutrophils, 7b most potently inhibited the fMLP-induced oxidative burst in a cell density-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 0.6 microM at 5 x 10(5) cells/mL. Shorter alkyl chain lengths decreased the inhibitory potency for both lipid peroxidation and oxidative burst, but in general no correlation was found between the two parameters. Likewise, 6-S-n-hexadecyl-3-O-methyl-6-thio-L-ascorbic acid (7c; B-015), the regioisomer of 7b, was a potent antioxidant but did not affect the oxidative burst. Since superoxide anions generated by xanthine/xanthine oxidase were not quenched by 7b, it became evident that its target was somewhere between receptor stimulation and NADPH-oxidase activation. By measuring the cellular concentrations of 7b and 7c, an accumulation of the first was found explaining its potency and the dependence on cell density. Expecting a pKa value of 3.3 for 7b and 7.7 for 7c a protonophore action of 7b was likely and could be verified by the drop in intracellular pH (pHi) which did not occur with 7c. Ionophores such as nigericin, CCCP, or propionic acid also lowered the pHi but did not inhibit the oxidative burst, indicating that the pHi drop was not the cause for this inhibition. 7b also strongly inhibited the fMLP-induced secretion of azurophilic (IC50 = 7 microM) and specific (IC50 = 2.5 microM) granules.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Identification of a key domain in annexin and 14-3-3 proteins that stimulate calcium-dependent exocytosis in permeabilized adrenal chromaffin cells.

Calcium-dependent secretion in digitonin-permeabilized adrenal chromaffin cells is stimulated by exogenous annexin II and 14-3-3 proteins. These proteins share a conserved domain that has been suggested to be involved in specific protein-protein interactions. We examined whether this domain was involved in secretion by using a synthetic peptide (P16) of sequence KGDYQKALLYLCGGDD corresponding to the C-terminus of annexin II. P16, but not truncated peptides, prevented the stimulation of secretion by 14-3-3 proteins and produced a partial inhibition of control secretion. These data suggest that the shared annexin/14-3-3 domain is important in the mechanisms controlling Ca(2+)-dependent secretion and may play a key role in protein-protein interactions during exocytosis.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed1993

Feelings of Fatness Questionnaire: a measure of the cross-situational variability of body experience.

The Feelings of Fatness Questionnaire (FOFQ) was developed to assess the variability of bodily feelings of thinness-fatness across life situations. The FOFQ, three other conventional measures of perceptual and cognitive-affective body experience, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Eating Attitudes Test were administered to 132 undergraduate women. The FOFQ demonstrated acceptable construct validity and revealed considerable variation in "felt" body experience across psychosocial contexts. Problems with summary measures of body experience and possible cognitive processes mediating the relationship between context and subjective body experience are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Molecular monitoring of the immunosuppressive effects of cyclosporine in renal transplant patients by using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

We have developed a rapid (24 hours) quantitative PCR assay to measure the direct effect of cyclosporine on IL-2 mRNA production by activated PBMC cultures from renal transplant patients. The PBMCs were purified from normal laboratory volunteers (group A, n = 26), CsA-treated renal transplant patients with good renal function, tested between 3 and 8 weeks (group B, n = 14) or between 2 and 8 years (group C, n = 15) after surgery, and stimulated with PHA in media supplemented with either patient serum or pooled commercially obtained AB serum. The mRNA was then isolated and, using semiquantitative PCR or quantitative PCR with a competitive inhibitor, the relative levels or exact levels of IL-2 mRNA (in attomoles) could be measured. A 3-day confirmatory lymphoproliferation assay of [3H]thymidine incorporation was also performed on the samples. Kinetic analysis of the data from group A showed that the peak level of IL-2 transcription into mRNA occurred at 6 hours after mitogen stimulation. Increasing in vitro concentrations of CsA in this group resulted in lower IL-2 mRNA levels and a shift in the peak time to 12-24 hours. In the transplant recipients, there was no correlation between individual CsA blood levels and proliferation responses. However, some correlation was found between CsA blood levels and IL-2 mRNA levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Differential effects of IFN-gamma on kidney cell expression of MHC class II molecules, kidney cell associated molecules and their stimulatory capacity in mixed lymphocyte kidney cell culture.

Mixed cell co-cultures of lymphocytes responding to kidney cells (MLKC), islets of Langerhans (MLIC) and mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC), were used to clarify mechanisms in allogeneic and autoimmune (tissue-associated) antigen presentation. Fresh kidney cortical tubular cells (KC), Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK), and dog kidney (6247) (DK) cell lines were used in MLKC reactions, and islets of Langerhans were used in the MLIC as putative antigen presenting cells (APC). The stimulating cells were treated with purified or recombinant dog interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and the detection of class II MHC molecule expression was assessed by a moneclonal antibody (mAb) (B1F6). Transcription of MHC class II mRNA and IFN-gamma mRNA was measured by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction, and detection of a kidney cell (tissue-associated) antigen molecule was assessed by the mAb I1F6 that recognizes 72 and 150 kDa tubular cell protein(s) (KT1). The MDCK cell line constitutively expressed low levels of MHC class II molecules and KT1. The steady-state level of the MHC class II mRNA transcription was virtually unaltered by treatment with IFN-gamma (400 units) for 48 hours; however, the MHC cell surface protein expression was enhanced. The KC and DK cell lines constitutively expressed KT1, but not MHC class II molecules; these cells required a minimum of 4000 units, and a 62-hour incubation with IFN-gamma was needed to upregulate both surface MHC class II molecules and the transcription of corresponding specific mRNA. In the MLKC reaction both the MDCK and DK cell lines, as well as fresh KC cells, could serve as lymphocyte activators. This could be amplified by exogenous IFN-gamma. The removal of APC from the responding T cell population did not reduce the IFN-gamma effect. This indicates that IFN-gamma treatment allows for the expression of all of the co-stimulating factors and/or adhesion molecules necessary for these cells to serve as (surrogate) APC (direct as opposed to indirect antigen presentation). The requirements for purified IFN-gamma to increase this amplification was greater in the MLKC reactions with kidney cells than in the MLC reactions. The mAbs anti-IFN-gamma and I1F6 differed in their ability to inhibit lymphocyte proliferation depending on the different cell types involved. The I1F6 inhibited the MDCK and DK cell-driven MLKC (in the absence of exogenous IFN-gamma).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The in-vitro effect of antineoplastic agents on proliferative activity and cytoskeletal components of plaque-derived smooth-muscle cells from human coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND: Restenosis after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty remains the major clinical problem limiting the long-term efficacy of the treatment. Recent advances in the understanding of the biology of restenosis indicate that its cause is predominantly a multifactorial stimulation of smooth-muscle cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate the in-vitro effect of antineoplastic agents on smooth-muscle cells isolated from human coronary plaque material. METHODS: Atherosclerotic tissue from coronary arteries was extracted from 15 patients of both sexes by thrombendarterectomy. Cells were isolated using enzymatic disaggregation and identified to be smooth-muscle cells with fluorescent antibodies for smooth-muscle-specific alpha-actin. The antineoplastic agents cytarabine (500-0.005 micrograms/ml), doxorubicin (50-0.0005 micrograms/ml), and vincristine (10-0.0001 micrograms/ml) were added to the cultures. Six days after seeding, the cells were trypsinized and then counted. RESULTS: All three antineoplastic agents had a strong dose-dependent antiproliferative effect on cultured smooth-muscle cells. After the application of cytostatic agents, cells either became rounded or underwent complete lysis. Cytoskeletal elements, such as actin, microtubules, and vimentin, were largely altered. CONCLUSION: This investigation examined the potential role of antineoplastic therapy in the prevention of restenosis after coronary angioplasty. The development of new intravascular delivery systems, such as coated stents, may open the way for local antiproliferative strategies in interventional cardiology.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Anonymous cocaine screening in a private obstetric population.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence of cocaine use in private obstetric patients during their prenatal care and at admission to delivery units. METHODS: Urine samples were collected anonymously during routine sampling from 1425 patients in six private hospitals and four private physicians' offices. RESULTS: Positive cocaine metabolites were identified in three of 555 urine specimens (0.54%) obtained from hospitals and in two of 870 (0.23%) obtained from private offices during prenatal examinations. The total positive urine cocaine results were five of 1425 (0.35%). CONCLUSIONS: Universal screening in a private obstetric population similar to that found in Denver would not be cost-effective. We urge health care providers to ask patients about substance abuse and to screen patients who are at high risk for substance use.

Cocaine↗