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Biomedical subjects

G Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to G Taylor.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

The coordinator attrition problem in the United States: myth or reality?

Excessive attrition among organ procurement coordinators has been suspected problem for many years. In 1994 the United Network for Organ Sharing undertook a procurement coordinator attrition study. Initially, focus groups were conducted in conjunction with the 1994 North American Transplant Coordinators Organization's annual meeting. In 1996, 69 executive directors from organ procurement organizations were surveyed on the subject of procurement coordinator attrition. Thirty-five executive directors responded, resulting in a 51% response rate. The UNOS procurement coordinator attrition study explored actual attrition rates, relationships of certain demographic factors to attrition rates, economic impact of attrition on the organizations, and various job tenure issues. The period under study was January 1, 1990 through December 31, 1993. Results did not demonstrate an industry-wide attrition problem. Additionally, the study revealed no enduring attrition problem in any single organization, and some organizations were found to have no attrition during the entire study period.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1998

Paediatric dental general anaesthesia rates and dental caries regionally and in districts in the former north western region.

OBJECTIVE: To chart paediatric dental general anaesthesia activity following implementation of the Poswillo Report recommendations and to characterise the relationship between dmft/DMFT and rates of paediatric dental general anaesthesia. DESIGN: An ecological study, using results of the NHS dental epidemiological surveys and routine NHS activity data. SETTING: The general, community and hospital dental services. SUBJECTS: Former regional and district health authorities' residents. OUTCOME MEASURES: Correlations between the regional and district rates of dental general anaesthesia and dmft/DMFT from the NHS dental epidemiology surveys. RESULTS: About half of all paediatric dental general anaesthetics are carried out in the General Dental Service. There were significant correlations between regional mean dmft/DMFT and under 18 combined dental general anaesthesia rates in 1991/2 and 1992/3. In the North West Region there were significant correlations between 0-4-year-old district dental general anaesthesia rates and dmft of 5-year-old children in 1989/90 (r = 0.45, P < 0.05) and 0-17-year-old district dental general anaesthesia rates and 12-year-old DMFT (r = 0.49, P < 0.05) in 1992/3. CONCLUSIONS: The number of paediatric dental general anaesthetics provided since the Poswillo Report was implemented (1991) has increased in the last two years (1993/4 and 1994/5). District rates of dental general anaesthesia bore little relation to dental need as measured by dmft/DMFT, except in 1989/90 for 5-year-old children and in 1992/3 for 12-year-old children. This suggests dental general anaesthesia is not provided in response to dental needs at a district health authority level.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

At risk of first or recurring heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: The self-reported prevalence of risk factors for heart disease among Canadians with and without heart disease is estimated. The characteristics associated with these risk factors are examined in order to identify groups to be targeted for primary and secondary prevention. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the household component of the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: For the population aged 20 and older with and without heart disease, bivariate and multiple regression analyses were used to determine associations between four risk factors (smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and inactivity) and demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status. MAIN RESULTS: According to the NPHS, 4.4% of people aged 20 and older reported that they heart disease. However, many more adults had risk factors for this disease. As well, about one-quarter of those without heart disease and half of those with heart disease had two or more risk factors. To some extent, many of these risks are modifiable. The groups particularly at risk were people older than 35, those with less than high school graduation, those in households with inadequate income, people who consumed three or more drinks a day, and residents of the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Current and future hospitalization after heart attack.

OBJECTIVES: This article provides an overview of patients who were hospitalized in 1993/94 because of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and projects how many AMI patients there could be in the future. DATA SOURCE: The Person-Oriented Information Data Base was used for this analysis. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Hospital inpatients who had a primary diagnosis of AMI were analyzed, as well as their subsequent hospitalizations for coronary heart disease in the fiscal year. The age-sex specific hospitalization rates were used with population projections to estimate future hospital use. MAIN RESULTS: Of the nearly 45,000 Canadians who were discharged from hospital in 1993/94 with a primary diagnosis of AMI, most (72%) had only one hospital stay within the fiscal year, but 18% had two related stays, and 10% had three or more. AMI patients were hospitalized an average of 14.6 days. The projected number of AMI patients and the number of hospital days used will increase by approximately 36% each decade to the year 2026.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Variations in angioplasty and bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This article describes rates of and times to revascularization procedures for heart attack patients. DATA SOURCE: The data are from Statistics Canada's Person-Oriented Information Data Base. Hospital discharge records for heart attack patients were linked for fiscal years 1992/93 and 1993/94. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Hospital patients admitted between April 1 and September 30, 1993 with a primary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were followed for six months to determine what percentage underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and/or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Analyses of time-to-procedure were performed for those patients who had not been hospitalized for AMI in the previous 12 months. MAIN RESULTS: Approximately 24,000 Canadians were discharged from hospital during the first half of fiscal year 1993/94 with a diagnosis of AMI. Within six months, 8.7% had an angioplasty and 6.7% had a bypass; overall, 14.9% were revascularized. Women were less likely than men to have a bypass, but angioplasty rates did not differ significantly. The rate of revascularization declined with age. After adjusting for age and sex, rates were higher in the western provinces.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Met and hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor expression in human gliomas.

Using double immunofluorescence staining and quantitative confocal laser scan microscopy, we show that the intensity of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and Met staining in human primary brain tumors increases with the grade of malignancy and is prevalent in both the infiltrating tumor cells and endothelial hyperplastic areas. HGF/SF and Met also are expressed in vitro in glioblastoma multiforme cell lines as well as in normal human astrocyte (NHA) cells. Moreover, HGF/SF stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of Met in both glioma cell lines and NHA cells, but only the glioma cell lines proliferate and become motile and invasive in response to HGF/SF, whereas the NHA cells are nonresponsive. These results implicate autocrine/paracrine Met-HGF/SF signaling in glioma tumorigenesis and suggest that HGF/SF signaling through Met is negatively regulated in NHA cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1997

Identification of two distinct populations of dendritic cells in afferent lymph that vary in their ability to stimulate T cells.

Immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometric analysis of dendritic cells from cattle afferent lymph has established that within the afferent lymph veiled cells (ALVC) there are two phenotypically distinct, major populations. One is CD11a+, CD5+, CD21- and expresses the bovine WC10 (workshop cluster 10) molecule and the Ag recognized by mAb CC81 but is not recognized by mAbs CC149 and IL-A24. The second ALVC subpopulation is CD11a-, CD5-, CD21+/-, workshop cluster 10- and is not recognized by mAb CC81 but is recognized by mAb CC149. Thus, the two populations, which can be identified by staining for CD11a, are defined by the differential expression of a number of Ag. The ALVC populations had differing capacities to stimulate T cells. CD11a- ALVC were more effective at stimulating proliferative responses in allogeneic CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. This was not related to binding of CTLA4Ig or CD40L fusion proteins, implying similar levels of expression of their ligands, CD80 and CD86 or CD40. Both subsets were able to present OVA to resting memory CD4+ T cells, indicating that both were able to take up and process soluble native protein. In contrast, the CD11a- ALVC were more effective in presenting respiratory syncytial virus Ag to resting CD4+ T cells. Considering the central role of dendritic cells in the initiation of immune responses in naive animals, the two cell types may have different roles in the induction of primary responses induced following infection or immunization.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Antigenically distinct G glycoproteins of BRSV strains share a high degree of genetic homogeneity.

Bovine respiratory syncytial (BRS) virus can be divided into antigenic subgroups based on the reactivity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the attachment glycoprotein, G. Further, the polyclonal antibody response of calves vaccinated with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing the G protein of a particular subgroup is also subgroup-specific. To investigate the genetic basis for the antigenic heterogeneity of the BRS virus G protein, the genes for the G protein from 6 BRS virus strains representative of the antigenic subgroups were cloned, sequenced, and compared with the prototype subgroup A strain, 391-2. There was only 10% nucleic acid difference and 15% amino acid difference between strains from different subgroups. These findings are in sharp contrast to the situation with human RS virus, where there is a 45% difference in amino acid identity between subgroups. In fact, the extent of amino acid difference between BRS virus subgroups is similar to the level of heterogeneity observed within human subgroups. Analysis of the reactivity of mAbs with peptides from the cysteine-rich region (174-188) of the G protein representing each antigenic subgroup indicated that amino acids at positions 180, 183, and possibly 184 are important in subgroup distinction. Taken together, these data suggest that although the genetic variation responsible for the antigenic differences determining subgroups among BRS viruses is more limited than that observed among human RS virus subgroups, the amino acid differences that exist have a profound effect upon antibody recognition.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Measuring morbidity from asthma in children.

AIMS: To develop new measures of asthma morbidity which would be applicable to children with asthma of all grades of severity. METHODS: This study used a cross sectional sample of asthmatic children. Traditional asthma morbidity measures (admission to hospital, use of Emergency Room, general practitioner, after hours deputising service and ambulance) were compared with new measures (school attendance, teacher assessment, parental perception of morbidity and parents emotional response to child's asthma). RESULTS: Data was obtained for 381 children with asthma. Children with poor school attendance were found in the severe group as judged by a composite score using traditional measures (r = 0.30, p < 0.0001). A new composite morbidity score based on two questions about parental perception of severity (how often has asthma prevented participation in activities and rating of severity of asthma in general over the last year) and two questions about parent emotional response to the child's asthma (how often has your child's asthma (a) made you feel frightened and (b) stopped family activities) was developed. This new measure of asthma morbidity was correlated with the composite score using traditional morbidity measures (r = 0.43, p < 0.0001) and with school attendance (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: These new morbidity measures are quick and easy to use, and provide an opportunity to measure asthma severity at the moderate to mild end of the severity spectrum. We recommend their use for both clinical assessment and research.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1997

Hydroxylamine-induced cleavage of the asparaginyl-glycine motif in the production of recombinant proteins: the case of insulin-like growth factor I.

Hydroxylamine-induced cleavage at the asparaginyl-glycine dipeptide site inserted between the two moieties of recombinant fusion proteins has been used at both the analytical and the preparative scale to obtain the mature protein. In this study a model protein containing a fusion precursor of insulin-like growth factor I was used to investigate the influence of the operating conditions on the cleavage reaction and the formation of undesired side products such as hydroxamate and deamidated analogs. Moreover, the stability of the cleavage site toward deamidation was examined and a chemometric study performed to define the effect of the reaction conditions on the cleavage yield and on the formation of side products.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Mutation analysis of the WT1 gene in sporadic childhood leukaemia.

The 10 coding exons of the WT1 gene, from 39 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon to 12 bp downstream of the stop codon, were examined for point mutations in a panel of 48 sporadic childhood acute leukaemias using the single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) assay. The panel included 33 cases of acute lymphocytic leukaemia and 15 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia. This is the first study in which sporadic childhood leukaemias have been examined for WT1 point mutations across the entire coding region of the WT1 gene, however, no tumorigenic point mutations or small deletions or insertions could be identified in these patients. A previously described polymorphism in exon 7, resulting in an A to G transition in an arginine codon, was observed at a frequency of 21.5%, equivalent to that seen in the normal population. This study suggests that point mutations in the coding regions of the WT1 occur infrequently in leukaemias of childhood.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent function is impaired in patients with angina pectoris and normal coronary angiograms.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilatation in syndrome X patients. Recently selective impairment of endothelium-dependent function has been reported in a small number of syndrome X patients. However, other investigators have reported impaired endothelium-independent function. METHODS: We infused the endothelium-independent vasodilators papaverine and glyceryl trinitrate, and endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine in the left coronary artery of 35 patients with syndrome X and in 17 control subjects (atypical chest pain, negative exercise test, and normal coronary angiograms). Coronary blood flow was measured with an intracoronary Doppler catheter positioned in the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery, and the artery diameter was assessed using quantitative coronary angiography. RESULTS: The mean increase in coronary blood flow in response to a 12 mg dose of papaverine was significantly less in the syndrome X group (185 +/- 74% vs 411 +/- 59%, P < 0.001). The increase in coronary blood flow in response to acetylcholine, at doses of 1, 3, 10, and 30 micrograms.min-1, was also significantly lower in the syndrome X group (12 +/- 13 (P < 0.05), 41 +/- 33, 57 +/- 68, and 124 +/- 87% (P < 0.001)) as compared to the control group (76 +/- 49, 214 +/- 116, 355 +/- 115, and 361 +/- 74%). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent dilatation of the coronary microvasculature is impaired in syndrome X.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1997

The prevalence of fragile-X syndrome in an institution for people with learning disability.

The prevalence of Fragile-X syndrome in those with learning disability has been reported. There is little agreement regarding the prevalence rate which varies between 0% and 16%. We report a study investigating the prevalence of Fragile-X syndrome in two institutions for those with learning disability, using DNA testing. We found a rate of 0.7%, which is one of the lowest record rates. We also found that physical signs could be used as a reliable discriminator to determine those likely to have the disorder. We conclude that indiscriminate mass screening of those with learning disability for the Fragile-X syndrome is probably not useful because, in adults, physical signs and a family history of learning disability can predict those likely to have the disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing the F, G or N, but not the M2, protein of bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) induce resistance to BRSV challenge in the calf and protect against the development of pneumonic lesions.

The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVV) encoding the F, G, N or M2 (22K) proteins of bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) were evaluated in calves, the natural host for BRSV. Calves were vaccinated either by scarification or intratracheally with rVV and challenged 6 to 7 weeks later with BRSV. Although replication of rVV expressing the F protein in the respiratory tract was limited after intratracheal vaccination, the levels of serum and pulmonary antibody were similar to those induced following scarification. The serum antibody response induced by the F protein was biased in favour of IgG1 antibody, whereas the G and the N proteins induced similar levels of IgG1:IgG2, and antibody was undetectable in calves primed with the M2 protein. The F protein induced neutralizing antibodies, but only low levels of complement-dependent neutralizing antibodies were induced by the G protein, and antibody induced by the N protein was not neutralizing. The F and N proteins primed calves for BRSV-specific lymphocyte proliferative responses, whereas proliferative responses were detected in calves primed with the G protein only after BRSV challenge. The M2 protein primed lymphocytes in only one out of five calves. Although there were differences in the immune responses induced by the rVVs, the F, G and N, but not the M2, proteins induced significant protection against BRSV infection and, in contrast with the enhanced lung pathology seen in mice vaccinated with rVV expressing individual proteins of human (H)RSV, there was a reduction in lung pathology in calves.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

A logistic regression model for the decision to perform access surgery.

Access surgery may be recommended to about 80% of patients who present with advanced forms of periodontal disease. In this report, a multivariate logistic regression analysis which incorporated several clinical parameters for each tooth examined, i.e., tooth type, furcation involvement, bleeding on probing, attachment level, probing depth, mobility and BANA test score, was conducted using generalized estimating equations (GEE). This approach identified parameters that were significantly associated at p < 0.05 level with the need for access surgery or extraction for periodontal purposes. The estimated probabilities derived from the GEE model were plotted over the complete spectrum of operating conditions to obtain a receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve. At a probability cutpoint of 0.8, the decision threshold for surgery/extraction at the pretreatment examination would have a sensitivity of 76.1% and a specificity of 75.3%. We have taken this 0.8 cut point to look at specific clinical decisions made by our examiners after the patients had received scaling and root planing plus 2 weeks unsupervised usage of systemic antimicrobials. The clinicians' decision was taken as the primary reference standard. The model's estimated decision agreed with the clinicians' decision in 226 of the 284 teeth, for an accuracy of 80%. The specificity was 90% and the sensitivity was 43%.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1997

Antigenic structure of the central conserved region of protein G of bovine respiratory syncytial virus.

Epitopes were resolved at the amino acid level for nine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against the central conserved region of protein G of bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV-G). Peptide binding studies showed which amino acids in the epitope contributed to antibody binding. The details of the epitopes were compared with the high-resolution structure of a synthetic peptide corresponding to the central conserved region of BRSV-G, and this indicated which face of the central conserved region is the antigenic structure. The major linear epitope of the central conserved region of BRSV-G is located at the tip of the loop, overlapping a relatively flat surface formed by a double disulfide-bonded cystine noose. At least one, but possibly two sulfur atoms of a disulfide bridge that line the conserved pocket at the center of the flat surface, is a major contributor to antibody binding. Some of the residue positions in the epitope have mutated during the evolution of RSV-G, which suggests that the virus escaped antibody recognition with these mutations. Mutations that occur at positions 177 and 180 may have only a local effect on the antigenic surface, without influencing the structure of the backbone, whereas mutations at positions 183 and 184 will probably have major structural consequences. The study explains the antigenic, structural, and functional importance of each residue in the cystine noose which provides information for peptide vaccine design. Additionally, analysis of the epitopes demonstrated that two point mutations at positions 180 and 205 define the preliminary classification of BRSV subgroups.

Amino Acid Sequence↗