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Biomedical subjects

I Abraham

Publications and source records attributed to I Abraham.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Genetic regulation of tissue-specific expression of amylase structural genes in Drosophila melanogaster.

Laboratory strains of Drosophila melanogaster were screened for spatial variations in adult midgut alpha-amylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1) expression. No strain-specific differences were found anteriorly, but three patterns of activity were discerned in the posterior midgut: A, activity throughout most of the region; B, activity in the anterior part of the region; and C, little or no activity. Alleles of a control gene, map, are responsible for this tissue-specific regulation of activity; e.g., mapA homozygotes produce the A pattern and mapC homozygotes the C pattern. The map locus was placed at 2--80 +/- on the genetic map of chromosome 2R, about two crossover units distal to the Amy structural gene region for alpha-amylase. Electrophoretic studies showed that mapA is trans acting in mapA/mapC flies, allowing expression of amylase isozymes coded for by genes on the opposite chromosome. The map gene behaves as a temporal gene that is clearly separable from the tightly linked, duplicated Amy structural genes.

Amylases↗
PubMed1974

Dosage compensation of genes on the left and right arms of the X chromosome of Drosophila pseudoobscura and Drosophila willistoni.

We have investigated the occurrence of dosage compensation in D. willistoni and D. pseudoobscura, two species whose X chromosome is metacentric with one arm homologous to the X and the other homologous to the left arm of chromosome 3 of D. melanogaster. Crude extracts were assayed for isocitrate dehydrogenase (XR), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (XL?), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (XL?), and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (chromosome 2) in D. willistoni, and for esterase-5 (XR), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (XL?), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (XL?) and amylase (chromosome 3) in D. pseudoobscura. Our results indicate that a mechanism for dosage compensation is operative in both arms of the X chromosome of these two species.

Alleles↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of liposomal surface charge on the pharmacokinetics of an encapsulated model compound.

The pharmacokinetics of 3H-Triamcinolone Acetonide-21-palmitate entrapped in liposomes with neutral, negative and positive surface charge was investigated in the male New Zealand White rabbit after a single intravenous bolus injection. Drug concentration-time data monitored in whole blood showed bi-exponential decay and were analysed by a least-squares regression analysis procedure to obtain pertinent pharmacokinetic parameters. The significance of the observed differences in the pharmacokinetics after administration of each type of liposome was assessed by the Analysis of Variance test method. Significant differences (p less than 0.05) were found in alpha, beta, (t 0.5)alpha, K12, and Vc. Positive liposomes apparently encountered a larger initial apparent volume of distribution than the neutral or negative type, and consequently exhibited demonstrably lower initial blood drug concentration, (Cb)0. Liposomes with different surface properties were removed from circulation at different rates and this resulted in significant difference (p less than 0.01) in the concentration of circulating liposomes an hour following injection of each type of liposome. A mean of 66 per cent of the initial concentration of positive liposomes remained in circulation an hour after injection whereas 11 and 23 per cent respectively of the neutral and negative type remained in circulation during the same time period. Liposomes with different surface properties apparently exhibited similar total body clearance of the encapsulated compound.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Symptom experience associated with maintenance immunosuppression after heart transplantation: patients' appraisal of side effects.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate symptom experience related to side effects of immunosuppressive therapy in heart transplant recipients. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 105 heart transplant recipients (90 men; 15 women) with a median age of 56 years. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of triple therapy (cyclosporine, corticosteroids, azathioprine). Symptom frequency and symptom distress were assessed by an adapted version of the Transplant Symptom Frequency and Symptom Distress Scale, which includes 27 symptoms associated with side effects of immunosuppressive therapy. RESULTS: The most frequent symptom for both sexes was increased hair growth. Impotence and painful menstruation were experienced as the most distressing symptoms for men and women, respectively. Women reported a significantly higher level of symptom experience. The majority of the most frequent and most distressing symptoms were corticosteroid associated. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' perception of side effects completes the symptomatologic profile of immunosuppressive therapy. A gender-specific evaluation is indicated because symptom experience differs between the sexes.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reducing violence in a child psychiatric hospital through planned organizational change.

TOPIC: A successful attempt to reduce aggressive behaviors and counter aggressive staff interventions, including seclusion and restraint, in a child psychiatric hospital. PURPOSE: To offer a model for reducing violence within child psychiatric facilities. SOURCES: The agency in which this project was carried out was a 50-place public child psychiatric hospital affiliated with an urban university. Discussion includes the strategies utilized including utilization of practice-based research, assessment of the level of aggression within the agency, change in staff perception about the use of coercive interventions to manage behavior, revision of the behavior management program and of policies relating to crisis events, and increased involvement of families. CONCLUSIONS: This experience in reducing aggression within the hospital validates theory that suggests that violence within institutions is context-based, involving patients, staff, and the institutional climate. The authors believe that the outcomes support the proposition that the use of coercion is determined more by traditions of practice and the mindset of the staff than by clinical necessity, and that its use can be significantly reduced by organization interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cyclosporine absorption in two patients with short-bowel syndrome.

We present the cases of two patients with short-bowel syndrome who failed to achieve therapeutic cyclosporine serum concentrations on oral drug but were successful on intravenous administration. One patient received cyclosporine after renal transplantation for renal failure secondary to enteric oxalosis; the second received cyclosporine for active Crohn's disease. The rapid bowel transit time was the critical factor in limiting cyclosporine absorption in both cases. In studying oral and intravenous pharmacokinetic profiles, we support a zero-order kinetic model for oral cyclosporine absorption.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A summer institute on computer applications for nursing management: background, curriculum, and evaluation.

Nursing managers are faced with a growing number of computer applications for nursing management, yet they may lack the educational preparation to assist them in using these technologies for problem-solving and decision-making. This article describes a Summer Institute on informatics applications for nursing management taught by an international and multidisciplinary team of faculty members, and offered at the University of Limburg (Maastricht, The Netherlands). A discussion of professional, scientific, and educational issues serves as the foundation for curriculum content and instructional format. Evaluation data from both offerings are reviewed and underscore the professional relevance and didactic quality of the Summer Institute. The Summer Institute is presented as a possible model of continuing education in computer applications for nursing management transferable to Western European and North American countries.

Computer User Training↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Eight days of cyclosporine overdose: a case report.

A 25-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of rising trough cyclosporine concentrations thought to be due to self-administration of 4 times the normal dosage of the drug for 8 days. Her symptoms included colicky central abdominal pains and urinary retention; her serum creatinine concentrations were elevated. Whole blood cyclosporine and metabolite concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and monoclonal radioimmunoassays. The highest reported trough cyclosporine concentration was 5877 ng/ml, and AM1 (M17) concentration was 3425 ng/ml. A cyclosporine half-life of 91 hours was calculated. Nine days after the agent was discontinued the patient's serum creatinine concentration had returned to normal and her symptoms resolved. Due to the availability of three sizes of cyclosporine capsules, and the need for frequent dosage changes, continued vigilance is necessary to ensure that patients understand their drug regimen.

Adult↗