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Biomedical subjects

J E Cooper

Publications and source records attributed to J E Cooper.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Elbow joint restriction: effect on functional upper limb motion during performance of three feeding activities.

This study was conducted to quantify and compare changes in upper limb joint motion during different feeding tasks when the elbow joint was restricted. Ten male and nine female volunteer subjects age 18 to 50 years participated; all were healthy, right dominant, with no upper limb pathology. A splint was used to restrict elbow joint motion. Three feeding tasks under both unrestricted and restricted conditions were randomly assigned; motion was recorded by a video-based three-dimensional motion analysis system. Elbow restriction resulted in significantly (p < .05) larger arcs of motion in shoulder flexion and internal rotation. Differences between feeding types were similar during both unrestricted and restricted conditions. Increased shoulder joint motion resulting from elbow joint restriction may require greater activity of shoulder girdle muscles increasing the risk of soft tissue problems and degenerative joint disease. Decisions regarding elbow immobilization should take into consideration potential effects upon total upper limb motion.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Investigations into causes of death of endangered molluscs (Partula species).

Molluscs of the genus Partula are threatened with extinction; captive populations of some species have shown a marked and unexplained decline in numbers. Histopathological, electron microscopical and bacteriological studies were carried out on normal and 'pathological' specimens of Partula species. Although tissue changes and microorganisms were detected, the findings did not suggest that infectious or non-infectious disease contributed significantly to the disease or death of the snails. Additional investigations are suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

An evaluation of structural and functional prefrontal deficits in schizophrenia: MRI and neuropsychological measures.

Magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess prefrontal brain structure in 17 schizophrenic, 18 psychiatric control, and 19 normal control subjects of comparable age, social background, and educational status, while three neuropsychological measures were used to assess prefrontal functioning. Schizophrenic patients had significantly smaller prefrontal areas than both psychiatric control and normal control subjects in all three planes. When posterior brain area and temporal lobe were entered into statistical analysis as covariates, they did not explain the prefrontal deficits. Schizophrenic patients made more perseveration errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task and had fewer correct responses on the Spatial Delayed Response Task than normal control subjects. Schizophrenic patients performed more poorly than psychiatric control subjects on the Block Design Test. No group differences were found on three other nonfrontal tasks. These data lend some support to the role of prefrontal deficits in the development of schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Localized Changes in Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Roots of Lotus pedunculatus after Infection by Rhizobium loti.

Two-dimensional paper chromatography in four solvent systems, high-sensitivity spray reagents, and UV absorption spectroscopy were used to separate and characterize flavonoids and isoflavonoids in roots and root nodules of 20-d-old Lotus pedunculatus Cav. Seedlings were grown either under sterile conditions or after inoculation with Fix(+) or Fix(-) strains of Rhizobium loti. Flavonoids rather than isoflavonoids predominated in all tissues. Flavonoid profiles in sterile and denodulated root tissues were remarkably similar, both qualitatively and quantitatively. At least 14 partially purified flavonoid aglycones and conjugates were found in root extracts; denodulated root tissues contained no compounds that were not also present in sterile roots. Fix(+) rhizobia were responsible for major postinfection shifts in plant flavonoid biosynthesis at the sites of nodule morphogenesis. Polymeric flavolans were absent from Fix(+) nodules but present in all root tissues and in Fix(-) nodules. Catechin was detected only in Fix(+) nodules.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Combined subtraction hybridization and polymerase chain reaction amplification procedure for isolation of strain-specific Rhizobium DNA sequences.

A novel subtraction hybridization procedure, incorporating a combination of four separation strategies, was developed to isolate unique DNA sequences from a strain of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. Sau3A-digested DNA from this strain, i.e., the probe strain, was ligated to a linker and hybridized in solution with an excess of pooled subtracter DNA from seven other strains of the same biovar which had been restricted, ligated to a different, biotinylated, subtracter-specific linker, and amplified by polymerase chain reaction to incorporate dUTP. Subtracter DNA and subtracter-probe hybrids were removed by phenol-chloroform extraction of a streptavidin-biotin-DNA complex. NENSORB chromatography of the sequences remaining in the aqueous layer captured biotinylated subtracter DNA which may have escaped removal by phenol-chloroform treatment. Any traces of contaminating subtracter DNA were removed by digestion with uracil DNA glycosylase. Finally, remaining sequences were amplified by polymerase chain reaction with a probe strain-specific primer, labelled with 32P, and tested for specificity in dot blot hybridizations against total genomic target DNA from each strain in the subtracter pool. Two rounds of subtraction-amplification were sufficient to remove cross-hybridizing sequences and to give a probe which hybridized only with homologous target DNA. The method is applicable to the isolation of DNA and RNA sequences from both procaryotic and eucaryotic cells.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Legal cases involving birds: the role of the veterinary surgeon.

Since the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, veterinary surgeons have had an increasingly important role to play in legal cases concerning wild animals, especially birds. This paper proposes guidelines for those who may be asked to investigate birds clinically, to carry out post mortem examinations or to perform laboratory tests. The importance of developing and using standard techniques is emphasised and attention is drawn to the need for more detailed research in the field of avian forensic pathology.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Balancing the scales of public interest: medical research and privacy.

Guidelines for the protection of privacy in the conduct of medical research have been issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council, approved by the Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, and gazetted on 1 July 1991 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. P19) to remain in force until 30 June 1994. This paper examines the guidelines and seeks to inform researchers, institutional ethics committees and the institutions those committees represent of their content. Responsibilities are placed upon those engaged in the conduct of research and those involved in undertaking ethical review who now have to decide that the public interest in conducting the research substantially outweighs the public interest in privacy. There is also an emphasis on the requirement for surveillance of research projects by institutional ethics committees which has not previously been apparent. Questions are posed to assist in deciding whether a particular research protocol is subject to the guidelines.

Australia↗
PubMed1991

Clinical and pathological findings in two Mauritian pink pigeons (Columba mayeri).

Two Mauritian pink pigeons (Columba mayeri) from a captive breeding programme, with locomotor disorders were examined clinically and post mortem. One bird was unable to fly owing to a permanent luxation of the left elbow. The other bird had an inclined foot caused by a medial curvature and outward rotation of the tarsometatarsal bone, a deformity similar to the previously recorded 'inclined feet' in birds bred in Mauritius.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Detection of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in dried skimmed milk: use of the polymerase chain reaction for amplification and detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes entB and entC1 and the thermonuclease gene nuc.

The polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the staphylococcal enterotoxin B and C genes (entB and entC1) and the staphylococcal nuclease gene (nuc). Two sets of primers ("nested primers") were found to be necessary for the detection of low copy numbers of purified DNA in diluent. These allowed detection of ca. 1 fg of purified target DNA, while 100 pg was required before detection of entB, entC1, and nuc with single primer pairs was possible. With nested primers, enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus cells could be detected in artificially contaminated dried skimmed milk samples at levels of ca. 10(5) CFU ml-1 within 8 h. No cross-reaction was observed between the highly homologous entB and entC1 genes. The method showed total specificity for entC1 when tested against a wide variety of other bacteria.

Animals↗