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Biomedical subjects

J Fagan

Publications and source records attributed to J Fagan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Use of a bilingual medical history questionnaire in the emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that a complete and rapid clinical history can be obtained using a self-administered, bilingual questionnaire. DESIGN: A post-test experimental design was used to evaluate time spent obtaining the history and information completeness for the two groups. SETTING: Urban county emergency department. PARTICIPANTS: All patients were non-English-speaking Hispanic women who presented with gynecologic complaints. METHODS: Fifty-five patients completed a history questionnaire in Spanish on a form that displayed their responses in English on the carbon copy. In the control group, a history was obtained using a bilingual interpreter. RESULTS: Average completion time was significantly less (t = 14.38; P < .0001) for the experimental group (chi 2 = 5.67 minutes; SD, 1.89) than for controls (chi 2 = 14.58 minutes; SD, 4.19). There was no statistical difference in review criteria for documentation between groups. CONCLUSION: Using a bilingual questionnaire to obtain a clinical history results in more rapid patient evaluation without affecting the quality of information obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Mothers of children with spina bifida: factors related to maternal psychosocial functioning.

Maternal self-perceptions of well-being and of satisfaction and competence in the parental role were examined in 50 mothers of children diagnosed with spina bifida. Adult companionship and social support were found to be highly correlated with maternal satisfaction, while quality of family environment significantly predicted maternal competence and well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

The impact of dream interpretation using psychological kinesiology on the frequency of recurring dreams.

Subjects reporting a recurring dream at least 4 times a month for a year or more were assigned to a dream recording control group and an experimental group which used muscle testing to guide dream interpretation. Dream frequency was recorded prior to and following a dream interpretation intervention (experimental subjects) or dream reporting session (control subjects). Dream frequency declined in the experimental group, suggesting that recurring dream frequency is a useful dependent variable, and that psychological kinesiology dream interpretation is a powerful intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Interactions among drugs, alcohol, and violence.

This paper identifies five research dilemmas in associating violence with substance abuse: (1) difficulty in establishing causal linkages; (2) problems associated with the legal status of substances; (3) ecological and individualistic fallacies; (4) measurement issues and problems with data sources; and (5) research design problems. The author then discusses social context and the role of rational choice as frameworks to explain the interaction among drugs, alcohol, and violence.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1990

Suicide in United States Army personnel, 1985-1986.

A sixth biennium of epidemiological data on suicide in the U.S. Army was compiled. The annual crude suicide rate per 100,000 soldiers-at-risk for 1985-1986 was found to be 13.8, an increase of 3.8 points from 1983-1984. Sex-specific, race-specific, age-specific, grade-specific, and marital-status-specific rates were studied, and can be compared with the same indices in the previous six biennia. The standardized mortality ratio was calculated for 1986 and was found to be 69, significantly lower than the 100 expected from a civilian population of the same size and age-sex-race composition as the U.S. Army. Demographic data and information on circumstances surrounding the suicidal act were also made available for comparison with previous data. Analysis of the suicidal person's psychosocial situation (as reflected in the kinds of personal problems recorded in the reports and investigations of the incident and as reflected in assessment made of the victims presuicidal "motivational state") showed remarkable constancy in the five time periods studied, and indicates a powerful, consistent association between a dyadic love-object relationship in total collapse and the completed suicide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Metacarpophalangeal pattern profile analysis in fragile X syndrome.

We analyzed the metacarpophalangeal pattern profile (MCPP) on 18 male individuals from 16 families with fragile X--fra (X), or Martin-Bell--syndrome and calculated a mean syndrome profile. Fourteen of 18 individuals with fra (X) syndrome had significant positive correlations which indicated clinical homogeneity. Discriminant analysis of individuals with fra (X) syndrome compared with a sample of normal individuals produced a correct classification rate of 88% based on a function of 3 MCPP variables that may provide a useful tool in screening individuals for the fra (X) syndrome. Discriminant and correlation analyses of individuals with Sotos sequence and individuals with fra (X) syndrome did not identify MCPP similarities. Therefore, there was no MCPP evidence in our study of patients with Sotos sequence and fra (X) chromosome expression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Contributions of family violence research to criminal justice policy on wife assault: paradigms of science and social control.

Criminal justice policy on family violence has evolved over the past two decades, informed by political activism as well as theory and research from divergent and often competing perspectives. Experimental research on mandatory arrest of men who assault female partners, policy research on special prosecution programs, and the development of treatment programs for men who batter, typify the strategies for applying criminal sanctions to family violence. However, other critical research on family violence has not been integrated into criminal justice policy, limiting policy development and intervention strategies to practices which reflect contemporary models of sanctions and social control. The limited contributions of family violence research to criminal justice policy reflect competing paradigms of social science, the challenge of family violence cases to the normative processes and the social organization of the criminal courts, and divergent perspectives on social control of offenders in family and stranger violence cases. Strategies for an integrated policy development process are suggested.

Criminal Law↗
PubMed1987

Crime at home and in the streets: the relationship between family and stranger violence.

Research and theory on violent behavior have treated aggression between intimates and aggression between strangers as separate phenomena. Major criminological works on violence and aggression have generally overlooked violence in the home. As a result, independent and distinct bodies of theoretical and practical knowledge exist regarding family violence and aggression toward strangers, and the relationship between family violence and violence directed against strangers is little understood. Estimates of the intersection of these behaviors vary extensively. Severity of domestic violence is associated with violence outside the home. Exposure to violence as a child consistently emerges as a strong explanatory factor for both domestic violence and the behavior of "generally" violent men. Behavior patterns appear to shift over time, from domestic violence only to violence toward both strangers and family members. However, an integrated theory of violent behavior by males provides explanations of both stranger and family violence. Early childhood socialization toward violence, modified by social and cultural supports during adolescence and adulthood, suggests a social learning paradigm. Hypotheses are developed that integrate and unify theories of stranger and family violence.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Studies of cystic fibrosis in Hutterite families by using linked DNA probes.

Several multigenerational S-leut Hutterite families with cystic fibrosis (CF) were ascertained. Linkage studies with DNA marker loci MET and pJ3.11 (D7S8) were performed to determine whether (1) the CF gene in this inbred population is linked to DNA markers on chromosome 7, as it is in outbred populations of European origins, and (2) ancestral origin(s) of the CF gene could be determined. Our results indicate that the CF gene in Hutterite families segregates with chromosome 7 markers, identified by probes metH and pJ3.11. Thus, the CF mutation in Hutterites is likely to be either at the same locus as or at one closely linked to that reported in outbred populations. Heterozygous carriers could be distinguished from normal homozygous sibs of affected individuals. In the families studied, three different chromosome 7 haplotypes carried the CF mutation, raising the possibility that the CF gene may have been introduced into this population by as many as three different ancestors.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7↗
PubMed1986

Chromatin structure of the cytochrome P-450c gene changes following induction.

The chromatin structure of cytochrome P-450c and P-450d genes, which in the liver are highly inducible by 3-methylcholanthrene, was studied in normal and carcinogen-treated rats by using a cDNA probe specific for P-450c and a genomic probe that recognizes both genes. Digestion with micrococcal nuclease revealed that the active genes are not present in the typical 200 base pair nucleosomal structure. Gene induction is associated with a rearrangement of the nuclear organization of the genes. By use of indirect end-label hybridization, three DNase I hypersensitive sites were mapped, one in the 5'-terminal region and two in the 3' region of the P-450c gene. Gene induction, by treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene, changes the location of the DNase I site present in the 5' region without affecting the sites present in the 3' region. Rat thymus chromatin does not contain these DNase I hypersensitive sites, suggesting that, in the liver, the chromatin structure is altered so as to allow tissue-specific expression of the P-450c gene. The chromatin structure of the highly inducible P-450c gene is compared to that of the P-450m gene, which is induced to a significantly smaller extent and is constitutively expressed.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Chromatin structure of a 3-methylcholanthrene-induced cytochrome P-450 gene.

Plasmids carrying fragments of a cytochrome P-450 gene, inducible by 3-methylcholanthrene, were used to study the chromatin structure of this gene in the liver of normal and carcinogen-treated rats. Digestion with micrococcal nuclease revealed that the gene is not present in the typical 200 base pair nucleosomal structure. By use of indirect end-label hybridization, four DNase I hypersensitive sites were mapped in the 5'-terminal region of the gene. An S1 nuclease sensitive site is located close to a DNase I site. Gene induction by treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene does not result in detectable changes in the DNase I hypersensitive sites. Rat thymus chromatin does not contain DNase I hypersensitive sites in the P-450 gene, suggesting that in the liver the chromatin structure is altered so as to allow tissue-specific expression of the gene. This paper is the first study on the chromatin structure of a gene coding for a member of the cytochrome P-450 family of enzymes. The implications of our results to the understanding of gene regulation of the P-450 genes are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Quantification of expression of linked cloned genes in a simian virus 40-transformed xeroderma pigmentosum cell line.

We wished to determine whether simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed xeroderma pigmentosum cells, despite their defective DNA repair, were suitable for DNA-mediated gene transfer experiments with linked genes. Expression of a nonselectable gene (cat, coding for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase [CAT]) linked to a selectable gene (gpt, coding for xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase [XPRT]) in the plasmid pSV2catSVgpt was quantified after transfection of SV40-transformed xeroderma pigmentosum [XP20s(SV40)] and normal human [GM0637(SV40)] fibroblast cell lines. A novel autoradiographic assay with [3H]xanthine incorporation showed 0.5 to 0.7% phenotypic expression of XPRT in both cell lines. Without selection, transient CAT activity was 20 times greater in the GM0637(SV40) than in the XP20s(SV40) cells, and transient XPRT activity was 5 times greater. Both of these transient activities were increased and equalized in both cell lines by transfection with pRSVcat or pRSVgpt. Genotypic transformation to gpt+ occurred at a frequency of 2 X 10(-4) to 4 X 10(-4) in both cell lines with pSV2catSVgpt. After 2 to 3 months in selective medium, stable expression of the (nonselected) cat gene was found in 11 (92%) of 12 gpt-containing clones derived from GM0637(SV40) cells and in 13 (81%) of 16 gpt-containing clones from XP20s(SV40) cells. However, the levels of CAT activity did not correlate with those of XPRT activity, and both of these activities varied more than 100-fold among different clones. Copies (1 to 4) of the gpt gene were integrated in four clones of the GM0637(SV40) cells having an XPRT activity of 1 to 5 nmol/min per mg, but 5 to 80 copies were integrated in four XP20s(SV40) clones with an XPRT activity of 0.8 to 1.8 nmol/min per mg. This study shows that XP20s(SV40) is as suitable for gene transfer experiments as the normal human line GM0637(SV40).

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1984

Induction of cytochrome P-450 mRNAs quantitated by in vitro translation and immunoprecipitation.

Cytochrome P-450 mRNAs were quantitated by in vitro translation of liver RNA followed by immunoprecipitation with antibodies specific for cytochromes P-450. The kinetics of cytochrome P-450 mRNA induction by 3-methylcholanthrene and by phenobarbital were examined, and differences in the types of cytochrome P-450 mRNAs induced by 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), beta-naphthoflavone (BNF), and phenobarbital (PB) in male and female rats were determined. Phenobarbital strongly induced the mRNA encoding a single peptide antigenically related to the phenobarbital-induced cytochrome P-450PB-B. Male rat liver contained 62% more translatable mRNA for this peptide than did female. 3-Methylcholanthrene and beta-naphthoflavone, but not phenobarbital, induced mRNAs encoding three peptides that were immunologically related to cytochrome P-450BNF/MC-B, which is induced by 3-methylcholanthrene. The levels of translatable mRNA coding for these peptides were twice as high in females as in males. Striking sex differences were observed in the levels of translatable mRNAs for peptides related to cytochrome P-450PB/PCN-E, which is induced by phenobarbital and by pregnenolone-16-alpha-carbonitrile. In females, only RNA preparations from the livers of phenobarbital-treated rats had significant levels of mRNAs encoding these peptides. In contrast, significant levels of these RNAs were observed even in untreated males, and the levels of these mRNAs increased markedly following phenobarbital treatment. All cytochrome P-450 inducers examined caused a 50 to 70% decrease in translatable albumin mRNA. This effect was specific for albumin mRNA, since levels of total translatable mRNA were not generally altered by these inducers. The kinetics of induction of cytochrome P-450 mRNA differed from those of induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity. Translatable cytochrome P-450 mRNA was increased as early as 4 h after phenobarbital treatment, peaked between 24 and 36 h, and dropped back to control levels by 120 h. The induction of AHH lagged behind the increase in translatable mRNA, remaining at control levels well after levels of translatable mRNA began to increase but then decreasing roughly in parallel with translatable mRNA. These findings suggest that transcription was not rate limiting for regulation of PB-inducible cytochrome P-450 activity. 3-Methylcholanthrene caused parallel increases in AHH activity and translatable cytochrome P-450 mRNA, but when translatable mRNA began to decrease after about 24 h, AHH activity remained high, suggesting that this P-450 mRNA was less stable than the enzyme for which it coded.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Incipient multiple personality in children. Four cases.

Despite extensive study of child abuse and increasing interest in multiple personality, there has been no way of identifying abused children who are potential multiples, and only rarely has multiple personality been diagnosed before adulthood. This article describes four cases where dual identity was claimed by the child and/or trance states were evident in response to questions or stimuli related to traumatic events. In addition, the three children who were treated according to a program developed to integrate multiple personalities in adults showed unification of consciousness and immediate disappearance of or reduction in symptoms, together with other positive personality changes. Improvements were maintained on follow-up. From behaviors noted in these children, together with symptoms found in published biographical and autobiographical accounts of the childhood of persons with multiple personality, a list of 20 behavioral signs was derived which should be of assistance in helping teachers and other professionals who have frequent contact with children to identify potential multiples. Six subjective items were also given to be used in interviewing suspected cases. Incidence of incipient multiple personality and approaches to differential diagnosis are discussed. Three levels of family pathology are described and treatment approaches are suggested for each category, together with cautions about the need for careful clinical judgment. Finally, a systematic play therapy approach to enable personality integration is detailed.

Abreaction↗