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Biomedical subjects

J Johnson

Publications and source records attributed to J Johnson.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Retroperitoneal node biopsy in paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma.

UNLABELLED: Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) was used in 121 Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS) III patients with nonmetastatic paratesticular (PT) rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) to assess retroperitoneal lymph node (RPLN) involvement so as to determine the need for x-ray therapy (XRT). Clinical node evaluation (CNE) was accomplished by a computed tomography (CT) scan in 105 and a sonogram in six. Pathological node evaluation (PNE) was performed in 113: lymphadenectomy (9 bilateral, 85 unilateral) and biopsy in 19. Vincristine and actinomycin D were used for 1 year postoperatively in 89%; all patients who had positive PNE received RPLN XRT. This study compares CNE with PNE and evaluates predictors of relapse and survival. FINDINGS: There were clinically negative nodes (cN0) in 81% of the 121 patients. Among cN0 patients, 14% had positive nodes (pN1). Of the clinically positive (cN1) patients, 94% had pN1. RPLN relapse occurred in only two of the 121 patients. Initially both had cN0 and one had PNE that was negative. For all 121 patients, the 5-year survival was 91%. For cN0 patients, the 5-year survival was 96% compared with 69% for cN1 patients (P < .001). Among the children in whom treatment failed, nodes were cN1 in 5 of 11 (45%) compared with 15 of 107 (14%) in those whose treatment did not fail (P < .008). CONCLUSIONS: (1) Results of RPLN imaging studies were negative in 81% of patients with PT RMS (specificity 99%, sensitivity 57%). (2) RPLN recurrence is uncommon (even when RPLN are initially involved) if regional XRT and appropriate chemotherapy are used.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Patterns of neuropsychological deficit in cases of schizophrenia spectrum disorder with and without a family history of psychosis.

This study was designed to identify the types of neuropsychological deficits that are unique to familial and nonfamilial forms of schizophrenia. Seventy-two patients who met Research Diagnostic Criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, mainly schizophrenic, were divided into two groups on the basis of the presence or absence of a family history of psychosis. The two groups were then compared for differences on six neuropsychological parameters as well as for differences in psychotic symptoms. Multivariate analyses indicated that schizophrenic patients with a family history of psychosis showed significantly higher levels of overall neuropsychological deficit and significantly greater deficits on tests of motor-control and abstraction and problem-solving. Factor analyses indicate that schizophrenic patients with a family history of psychosis show a pattern of specific neuropsychological deficits, while schizophrenic patients without a family history show a pattern of more consistent cognitive deficits. The results of this study indicate that recent-onset schizophrenic patients with and without a family history of psychosis show distinctly different patterns of neuropsychological dysfunction. These data suggest that abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and nonprimary motor areas may be associated with an increased familial risk for psychotic disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Amplification of ionophore resistance in a field strain of Eimeria tenella by treating free sporozoites with monensin in vitro.

Monensin resistance in a field strain of Eimeria tenella (FS139) was successfully amplified by an in vitro method. Sporozoites of parent FS139, designated as FS139(0), were treated with monensin at 5 micrograms ml-1 before inoculation into chickens. Oocysts developing from these drug-treated sporozoites were designated FS139(5). Sporozoites of FS139(5) were then treated with a higher level of monensin (25 micrograms ml-1), which produced another line called FS139(25). Sporozoites of FS139(25) received a monensin treatment of 100 micrograms ml-1 which yielded line FS139(100). After one passage in chickens, sporozoites of FS139(0), FS139(25) and FS139(100) were treated with either 0, 1, 25, or 100 micrograms ml-1 of monensin and inoculated into chicken primary kidney cell cultures to observe sporozoite invasion rates and development of first generation schizonts. Data on invasion rates and development of schizonts showed that FS139(100) was the most drug-resistant line while FS139(25) was the second most resistant line compared with the parent line FS139(0). These in vitro treatment techniques could be used to develop resistant coccidia for laboratory study of the physiological mechanisms of resistance.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Regional blood flow in asphyxiated fetuses with seizures.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine ovine fetal regional blood flow changes during asphyxia of such severity that it results in seizures. STUDY DESIGN: Six ovine fetuses were exposed to severe asphyxia produced by maternal uterine artery occlusion for up to 90 minutes. Fetal blood pressure and heart rate, blood gases, acid base status, electrocorticogram, electromyogram and regional blood flow (radioactive microspheres) measurements were recorded. RESULTS: During the asphyxial insult pH fell from 7.39 +/- 0.01 (mean +/- SEM) to 6.99 +/- 0.01 at 60 minutes, base excess from 4 +/- 1 to -16 +/- 1 mEq/L, and oxygen content from 3.5 +/- 0.4 to 0.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/L (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in fetal heart rate or blood pressure. The fetal electrocorticogram was profoundly suppressed during asphyxia, and seizure activity began 50 +/- 19 minutes after the release of occlusion in all surviving animals. Blood flow increased to the heart and adrenals during asphyxia and decreased to spleen, gut, kidneys, and carcass (p < 0.05). There was no change in combined ventricular output and umbilical blood flow. There was no significant increase in total cerebral perfusion. CONCLUSION: When the ovine fetus is exposed to asphyxia of sufficient severity to produce neurologic damage (seizures), the pattern of redistribution of blood flow is comparable to the response to lesser asphyxia, except that a significant increase in total brain blood flow does not occur. This finding may have an important association with the development of long-term neurologic damage.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1994

Medullary renal dysplasia mimicking renal tumor in the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.

The known association of Wilms' tumor with the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome has prompted a surveillance regimen for children with this problem. Herein we report a case of medullary renal dysplasia that was a new onset by documented ultrasound. The association of medullary renal dysplasia with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is discussed as well as the management of this problem.

Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

An analysis of the structure and antigenicity of different forms of human thyroid peroxidase.

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is an important enzyme in the production of thyroid hormone and one of the major autoantigens in autoimmune thyroid disease. The gene for human thyroid peroxidase encodes a single 933 amino acid polypeptide chain. However, several reports have suggested that it exists in both high- and low-molecular-weight forms and the exact structure of the native enzyme is not known. We examined the structure of TPO using two monoclonal antibodies against different portions of TPO, a polyclonal mouse antiserum raised against a 300 amino acid fragment of TPO and autoantibodies directed against TPO obtained from patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. Western blots performed under nonreducing conditions identified three bands of approximately 220-230 kDa and two bands of 105 and 110 kDa that appeared to be immunologic TPO. After reduction, the TPO activity migrated as a smear of bands from 105 to 110 kDa, suggesting that the higher molecular weight form of the enzyme is a disulfide-linked dimer. Patients with autoimmune thyroid disease showed higher rates of recognition of the dimer than the reduced monomer when serologic reactivity was analyzed by Western blots. Eighty-three percent (40 of 48) of patients with Graves' disease and 76% (34 of 45) of Hashimoto's disease patients recognized the dimer form of TPO, while 48% (23 of 48) of Graves' and 60% (27 of 45) of Hashimoto's patients recognized reduced monomer TPO, even though both forms were denatured with SDS. Antibodies against different portions of the TPO chain all bound to the 105 kDa bands, indicating that the TPO chain is not bisected during posttranslational processing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Survey of pediatricians' management practices for recurrent abdominal pain.

Surveyed general pediatricians (N = 116) regarding six content areas: (a) diagnostic procedures utilized during the initial evaluation sequence of a child with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP); (b) factors that influence decisions to order additional evaluations; (c) management practices following negative evaluation results; (d) factors influencing decisions about consultation with or referral to a mental health professional; (e) attitudes about the etiology of RAP; and (f) the frequency in which pediatricians encountered children with RAP and referred them to mental health services. Results of this survey are presented and discussed from a biopsychosocial perspective. Limitations of the survey, implications of the results for integrating mental health professionals into the evaluation and treatment process of RAP patients, and directions for future research are discussed.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1994

Assessing anger expression in children and adolescents.

Anger expression styles are associated with psychological and physical well-being among adults. Little is known about the role of anger expression in children's functioning. This lack of knowledge has resulted, in part, from a lack of validated tools for anger expression measurement. The Pediatric Anger Expression Scale-3rd edition (PAES-III; Jacobs, Phelps, & Rohrs, 1989; Jacobs & Kronaizl, 1991) has been proposed as a reliable and valid assessment instrument of anger expression styles. The PAES-III includes three scales that measure anger turned inward, anger expressed outwardly, and anger controlled cognitively or behaviorally. We evaluated the psychometric properties of this instrument when it is administered verbally to children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, children with juvenile diabetes mellitus, and healthy children. Internal consistency was adequate for anger-in and anger-out, but marginal for anger-control. Concurrent validity was supported for the total sample. A principal components analysis suggested a four-factor model of anger expression. Overall, the PAES-III was found to have psychometric limitations. Use of a modified PAES-III may facilitate pediatric behavioral medicine research addressing risk factors for maladjustment among children with chronic illnesses.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Risk of falls after hospital discharge.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of falls within the first month after hospitalization and risk factors associated with falling during this period. DESIGN: Cohort study with 1-month follow-up after hospital discharge. SETTING: 370-bed community hospital. PATIENTS: Consecutive sample of 214 patients, aged 70 years and over, hospitalized for medical illness more than 48 hours and discharged to the community. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: terminal illness, neurologic diagnosis, discharge to skilled nursing facility. MEASUREMENTS: Information was obtained at hospital admission, discharge, and 1 month after discharge. Initial assessment included demographic data, vision, mood, pre-admission function, and use of assistive device. Discharge assessment included length of hospital stay, use of assistive device, need for professional help after discharge, medications cognition, and functional status. Patients were assessed 1 month after discharge for history of confusion and falls. Main outcome measure was falls in the first month after discharge. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (13.6%) fell during the month after discharge. Major risk factors for falls included, at discharge, decline in mobility (P = 0.005), use of assistive device (P = 0.002), and cognitive impairment (P = 0.05), and after hospital discharge, self-report of confusion (P = 0.002). Patients who were functionally dependent and needed professional help after discharge had the highest rate of falls (20.2%). In contrast, only 8.4% of independent patients not requiring professional help fell (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There is a high incidence of falls after hospital discharge, particularly among patients who are functionally dependent. Further study is needed to determine to what extent acute illness and hospitalization may influence falls risk.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1994

Pioneer oral streptococci produce immunoglobulin A1 protease.

As part of a longitudinal study of the relationship between bacterial colonization and the secretory immune response, 367 isolates of pioneer viridans streptococci collected from 40 breast- and bottle-fed neonates within the first month postpartum were tested for the production of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) protease and glycosidases. Fifty percent of the streptococci isolated produced IgA1 protease, including all isolates of Streptococcus oralis and S. sanguis, 60.7% of S. mitis biovar 1 isolates, and some isolates that could not be identified. Three cleavage patterns of alpha 1 heavy chains were observed. Six isolates of S. mitis biovar 1 that did not produce IgA1 protease attacked the alpha 1 chain. Incubation of IgA1 protease-negative S. mitis biovar 1 isolates with IgA1, either prior to or together with S. sanguis, rendered the IgA1 paraprotein resistant to cleavage by the IgA1 protease of S. sanguis. The ability of some pioneer streptococci in the human oral cavity to produce IgA1 protease and of others to modify the susceptibility of IgA1 to cleavage by IgA1 protease perhaps enhances their ability to survive in this habitat.

Female↗
PubMed1994

Differential response of human cells to deletions and stop codons in the gamma(1)34.5 gene of herpes simplex virus.

Earlier studies have shown that herpes simplex virus mutants lacking the gamma(1)34.5 gene are totally avirulent on intracerebral inoculation of the virus into mice and induce premature shutoff of protein synthesis in human neuroblastoma (SK-N-SH) cells but not in Vero cells. We report the following. (i) Whereas deletion mutant R3616, lacking 1,000 bp of the gamma(1)34.5 gene, caused premature shutoff of protein synthesis in both SK-N-SH and human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF), mutants R4009 and R930 (mutant F), carrying stop codons in all six frames, 27 and 210 codons from the initiation codon of the gamma(1)34.5 genes, respectively, induced shutoff of protein synthesis in SK-N-SH cells but not in HFF. The differences in behavior between the R3616 deletion and R4009 stop codon mutants cannot be attributed to differences in the rate of induction of premature shutoff of protein synthesis and the multiplicity of infection. HFF do not produce detectable truncated gamma(1)34.5 protein or truncated mRNA. (ii) Some clonal lines of SK-N-SH cells carrying a gamma(1)34.5 gene driven by a metallothionein promoter express the gamma(1)34.5 gene constitutively and do not require induction by cadmium to complement the gamma(1)34.5- virus. One clonal cell line complements the gamma(1)34.5- virus only after induction by cadmium. These results are consistent with previous conclusions that the phenotype of premature shutoff of protein synthesis is associated with absence of the gamma(1)34.5 protein and indicate that the amounts of gamma(1)34.5 protein necessary to complement the gamma(1)34.5- viruses are small. We conclude that human cells differ in the manner in which they respond to the presence of stop codons. Shutoff of protein synthesis in HFF infected with the stop codon mutants could have been precluded by small amounts of gamma(1)34.5 protein produced by splicing out of an intron containing the stop codon, downstream initiation of translation, or tRNA suppression of the stop codon.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Phosphoinositide turnover signaling stimulated by ET-3 in endothelial cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Endothelin (ET) B-type receptor-mediated signal transduction after stimulation with ET-3 was examined in cultured aortic endothelial cells obtained from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The purpose of this study was to elucidate ETB receptor-mediated response in endothelial cells from hypertensive rat models. Non-isopeptide-selective displacement and affinity in these binding experiments suggest that aortic endothelial cell receptors for ET-3 correspond to ETB receptor subtypes. These receptors for ET-3 were similar in WKY and SHR endothelial cells. ETB receptor mRNA expression in cultured endothelial cells was also similar in WKY and SHR. However, the cytosolic free Ca2+ level in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ as well as the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate level in response to ET-3 were greater in endothelial cells from SHR than in those from WKY. Phospholipase C and protein kinase C activities after stimulation with ET-3 were also greater in SHR than in WKY. The 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha production was also augmented in SHR, although nitric oxide formation and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate production after stimulation with ET-3 were similar in WKY and SHR. We conclude that the phosphoinositide turnover signaling stimulated by ET-3 is augmented in cultured aortic endothelial cells from SHR compared with those from WKY.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Panic disorder and gastrointestinal symptoms: findings from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area project.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical experience and recent reports suggest that there is a high prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with panic disorder and that there is a high prevalence of panic disorder in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, a functional gastrointestinal disorder. To assess gastrointestinal symptoms in a nonpatient, community-based sample, the authors surveyed the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with panic disorder and other or no psychiatric disorders obtained in a national community survey. METHOD: Subjects were 13,537 respondents at four sites of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Epidemiological Catchment Area project. DSM-III diagnoses were determined by using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed from the somatization disorder section of the DIS. RESULTS: Individuals with panic disorder had a significantly higher rate of endorsing gastrointestinal symptoms, including those typically associated with irritable bowel syndrome, than those with other or no psychiatric diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest a diagnostic overlap between panic disorder and irritable bowel syndrome, with similar demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. Limitations of the study are discussed in terms of medical assessment and self-report inventories. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Henry Maudsley on Swedenborg's messianic psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Creativity, religiosity and madness have long been thought to be aetiologically interrelated. METHOD: Henry Maudsley's little known pathography of the 17th century Swedish philosopher and polymath, Emanuel Swedenborg, was examined. RESULTS: Swedenborg developed a messianic psychosis in middle life, considered by Maudsley to be a monomania, possibly due to epilepsy. Many of Swedenborg's contemporaries thought of him, however, as a religious eccentric. Under criticism from Swedenborg's followers, Maudsley avoided further reference to Swedenborg, and the pathography was lost from view. CONCLUSIONS: Renewed interest is deserved in the contentious issues of the nature of religiosity and its relationship to psychotic experience.

England↗