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Biomedical subjects

E Swanson

Publications and source records attributed to E Swanson.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The radial forearm flap: reconstructive applications and donor-site defects in 35 consecutive patients.

Thirty-five consecutive patients treated with the radial forearm flap were reviewed. This flap was used in head and neck reconstruction in 25 patients, soft-tissue cover of an extremity in 9 patients, and as a new technique for penile reconstruction in 1 patient. Osteocutaneous flaps were used for mandibular reconstruction in 13 patients. In 6 patients innervated flaps were used to provide sensation on the dorsum of the hand or on the weight-bearing surface of the foot. There was only one total flap failure and no partial failures. Recipient-site complications were few, with prompt healing and very acceptable appearance. Donor-site complications included partial loss of the skin graft with tendon exposure in 10 patients (33 percent), an unsatisfactory appearance in 5 patients (17 percent), and one case of radial fracture (8 percent). On functional testing, there was no significant loss of strength or joint mobility in the donor extremity in 19/20 patients. The authors recommend measures to reduce donor-site morbidity and conclude that, with an acceptable donor site, this flap is valuable in a variety of reconstructive applications.

Adult↗

The radial forearm flap: a biomechanical study of the osteotomized radius.

An experimental study was undertaken to determine the effect of an osteotomy on radial strength and to compare two techniques used clinically to perform these osteotomies. Forty preserved human cadaveric radii were randomized into osteotomized (20) and nonosteotomized (20) groups. Osteotomized bones were further randomized into beveled-corner (10) and squared-corner (10) groups. A 9-cm-long, one-third thickness segment of bone was removed, similar to the defect resulting from a radial osteocutaneous transfer. All bones were tested to breaking using a four-point bending apparatus. Osteotomized radii were significantly weakened, with breaking strengths only 24 percent of the control group. Although the beveled osteotomy group appeared stronger than the squared osteotomy group, this finding was not significant with the numbers tested. In view of the weakness of the osteotomized radius, we recommend excising no more than one-third of the radial diameter and postoperative immobilization of the forearm for 8 weeks. A beveled osteotomy prevents overcutting at the corners and allows better visualization of the depth of cut. With these measures, the incidence of fracture may be reduced.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

MPTP and MPTP analogs induced cell death in cultured rat hepatocytes involving the formation of pyridinium metabolites.

MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) which has been shown to produce a Parkinson-like syndrome in humans and monkeys also causes cell death in cultures of rat hepatocytes. Treatment of cells with MPTP or its metabolite MPP+ (1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium ion), resulted in leakage of lactic acid dehydrogenase and 14C-labeled adenine nucleotides, as well as marked depletion of ATP and glutathione. Deprenyl, a specific inhibitor of monoamine oxidase-B, the enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of MPTP into MPP+, blocked the lethal effect of MPTP, but gave no protection from MPP+-induced cell death. The 4'-fluoro and 4'-chloro analogs of MPTP evoked toxicities similar to that of the parent compound, while N-butyl-PTP, 4'-amino-MPTP, and 2'-methyl-MPTP were relatively less toxic. N-Acetylamino-MPTP was found virtually nontoxic. The cell death produced by these analogs was also associated with leakage of [14C]adenine nucleotides, which is an indicator of loss of ATP from cells. All these compounds except the N-acetylamino analog were converted to corresponding pyridinium metabolites by liver cells when analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography and plasma desorption mass spectrometry. MPTP and its analogs also served as substrates for rat liver mitochondrial monoamine oxidase to varying degrees. Toxicity of various analogs, with the noticeable exception of 2'-methyl-MPTP, was inhibited by deprenyl. These findings indicate that the conversion of MPTP and its analogs to corresponding pyridinium metabolites is essential for the expression of toxicity.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗

Construction, purification and biological activities of recombinant human interleukin-2 analogs.

Fourteen human interleukin-2 (IL-2) analogs have been cloned and expressed in E. coli, starting from a chemically synthesized gene for human IL-2 optimized for expression in E. coli. These analogs were purified to greater than 95% purity as determined by SDS-PAGE, and were measured for biological activity in a 3H-thymidine incorporation assay using an IL-2 dependent murine T-cell line (CTLL). One analog was made which eliminated the N-terminal 23 amino acids from the protein by replacing one restriction endonuclease fragment with another. This analog, which begins at an internal methionine, had no detectable CTLL activity. Thirteen analogs were constructed using oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis. Four of these analogs were truncated at various residues near the C-terminus (residues 106, 116, 121 and 126). These analogs had at least 500-fold lower CTLL activities than the natural recombinant IL-2. The remaining nine analogs had substitutions at 1, 2, or all 3 of the three cysteine residues in the protein (residues 58, 105 and 125). Substituting an alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, or serine at residue 125 resulted in highly active molecules with CTLL activities similar to that of the natural recombinant IL-2. The analogs with alanine and serine substitutions at residue 125 actually had slightly higher CTLL activities than the natural recombinant IL-2. Substituting alanine for cysteine at position 125 and serine for cysteine at either position 58 or 105 yielded analogs with about 150-fold lower CTLL activities than natural recombinant IL-2. Substituting an alanine for the cysteine at position 125 and serines for cysteines at both positions 58 and 105 resulted in an analog with 30-fold lower CTLL activity than the natural recombinant IL-2. The ten analogs with less than 1.0% of the CTLL activity of natural recombinant IL-2 were tested for competition with the natural recombinant IL-2 by mixing a 10-to 100- fold excess of the analog with the natural recombinant IL-2 and assaying the mixture in the CTLL assay. None of these analog mixtures resulted in a lower activity than mixing the natural recombinant IL-2 with buffer alone, implying that none of these analogs effectively competes with the natural recombinant IL-2 for binding to IL-2 receptors during incubation with the CTLL cells. If reduced binding does occur, it may be the direct cause of their lower activities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Transcriptional regulation of a periodically controlled flagellar gene operon in Caulobacter crescentus.

Temporal regulation of flagellar gene expression in Caulobacter crescentus has been examined by a detailed analysis of the flbG-flaJ-flbH-flaK hook operon. The approximate location of the promoter for this 4.4 X 10(3) base-pair transcriptional unit was determined by deletion mapping, and the flaK gene was shown by nucleotide sequencing to code for the hook protein. flaK messenger RNA was quantified by S1 nuclease mapping with an internal restriction fragment of the gene as the 5'-labeled DNA probe. The results of these assays provide the first direct evidence that periodic expression of a flagellar gene in the C. crescentus cell cycle is regulated at the transcriptional level. The effect of altering the time of gene duplication in the cell cycle was examined by subcloning the complete hook operon on a plasmid that replicates throughout the S phase. The normal periodicity of flaK transcription and translation was maintained in this merodiploid strain, which suggests that replication alone is not sufficient to initiate flagellar gene expression. We also show that the three adjacent transcriptional units III, IV and V are required in trans for transcription of the book operon, and we discuss the possible role of these genes in the hierarchical regulation of the flagellar gene expression.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Physical mapping and complementation analysis of transposon Tn5 mutations in Caulobacter crescentus: organization of transcriptional units in the hook gene cluster.

Using the cloned DNA from the hook protein gene region of Caulobacter crescentus ( Ohta et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79:4863-4867, 1982), we have identified and physically mapped 19 Tn5-induced and 2 spontaneous insertion mutations to this region of the chromosome. These nonmotile mutants define a major cluster of fla genes that covers approximately 17 kilobases on the chromosome (hook gene cluster). Complementation analysis of the mutants using DNA fragments from the region subcloned in the broad host range plasmid pRK290 has shown that these fla genes are organized into at least five transcriptional units (I to V). Transcriptional unit II contains at least one gene in addition to the hook protein gene, which makes this the first operon described in C. crescentus. Expression of the hook protein gene and the genetically unlinked flagellin A and B genes by this set of mutants also furnishes additional insights into the hierarchial regulation of flagellar genes. We have found that the spontaneous insertion mutant ( SC511 ) of the hook protein gene ( flaK ) makes no flagellin A or B and that genes downstream from the hook protein gene are required in trans for expression of the hook protein operon and the flagellin A and B genes. Recombination and complementation results thus place flaK , flaJ , flaN , and flaO (R. C. Johnson and B. Ely , J. Bacteriol . 137:627-634, 1979) in the hook gene cluster, identify at least three new genes ( flbD , flbG , and flbF ), and suggest that this cluster may contain several additional, as yet unidentified, fla genes.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Aspirin usage and perioperative blood loss in patients undergoing unexpected operations.

The effect of aspirin on perioperative blood loss was studied in 52 patients undergoing unplanned operation. Twenty-two of 52 patients were found to have taken aspirin prior to operation. Five others were suspected of having taken aspirin or some aspirin-like drug prior to operation. All patients who remembered taking aspirin preoperatively had significantly decreased platelet thromboxane B2 levels caused by aspirin inhibition of platelet arachidonic acid metabolism. Eight of 22 patients who took aspirin had abnormal template bleeding times. No significant increase occurred in the perioperative blood loss of patients who had taken aspirin. Neither the aspirin induced decrease in thromboxane B2 levels nor the increase in template bleeding times was associated with an increased perioperative blood loss. We concluded that aspirin is commonly used prior to unplanned operations but that preoperative aspirin usage does not result in increased perioperative blood loss in patients with normal platelet counts and with normal coagulation factors. These results suggest that there is no need to delay operation in this group of patients because of recent aspirin ingestion.

Arachidonic Acids↗

The evolution of histones.

The amino acid sequences of bovine histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 and the first 107 residues of rabbit thymus histone H1 were examined using newly developed procedures designed to detect and evaluate weak similarities (de Haën et al., 1976). Using the McLachlan scoring system, regions of statistically significant similarity were found between several pairs of the four smallest histones. The probability that this set of similarities could result simply from chance was estimated to be less than 10(-5). No similarity was found between the H1 sequence and the other histones. The results are interpreted to indicate that at least the C-terminal portions of the core histones evolved from a common ancestral protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

An application of an effective interdisciplinary health-focused cross-cultural collaboration.

The phenomenon of cross-cultural collaboration is not new. What is lacking in the literature, however, is a discussion of how health professionals from various cultures, collaborating together, have addressed their patients' health care needs to improve their quality of life. Because of increased interest in global health issues, it seems logical that health professionals from various countries form collaborative partnerships to investigate and address these health issues. Although treatments to health problems are offered, it is not generally communicated in the literature how cross-cultural collaboration played a role in managing the process to solve the problem. By applying the concepts for global managers outlined by P. R. Harris and R. T. Moran (1996), this article describes how the investigators established a successful cross-cultural collaboration for conducting health research between teams in the United States and Russia.

Communication↗