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Biomedical subjects

J K Skipper

Publications and source records attributed to J K Skipper.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Xenopus liver: ontogeny of estrogen responsiveness.

Estradiol-17 beta stimulates the synthesis of numerous proteins exported into the culture medium by Xenopus tadpole liver tissue obtained after stage 50 and throughout metamorphosis to stage 66. Although estrogen-induced vitellogenin can be detected as early as stage 54, it is a minor percentage of the exported proteins until after the completion of metamorphosis. In hepatic tissue obtained after metamorphosis, the hormone evokes the synthesis of vitellogenin specifically without affecting the labeling of other secreted proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Evaluating inpatient costs: the staging mechanism.

Inpatient records at a short-term hospital over two years were analyzed according to the stage or degree of severity of their discharge diagnosis to examine their utilization of services. Patients with a more severe disease stage for surgical and medical conditions generated substantially higher total charges, ancillary charges, and had longer lengths of stay. At the 75th percentile (representing that value at which three-quarters of the cases fall below it in magnitude), increases in total charges from Stage I to II for ulcer of stomach, appendicitis, and diverticulitis were 103, 168, and 110 per cent, respectively. Ancillary charges for these diseases showed even greater increases, 167, 200, and 160 per cent, respectively. Components of ancillary charges revealed similar trends. The results suggest that a twofold review mechanism incorporating length of stay and charges, using the staging technique, would make the review procedure more discriminating in identifying cases appropriate for review.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1977

Regulation by estrogen of the vitellogenin gene.

The vitellogenin gene is inactive in the liver of male Xenopus laevis, unless exogenous estrogen is administered. We have previously shown that conventional doses of estradiol-17beta result in the appearance of new hepatic messenger RNAs, some of which are encoded for vitellogenin. We now report that much higher doses of the hormone (2 mg/frog per day for 4 days) are required to elicit maximal responses. The relative levels of membrane-bound polysomes and vitellogenin mRNA were determined as a function of time and dose of hormone. Translation of total polysomal RNA in a cell-free system derived from wheat germ was used to estimate the relative levels of vitellogenin messenger RNA. Faithful translation of this messenger RNA was indicated by two lines of evidence: labeled cell-free products were immunoprecipitated with antivitellogenin antibody, and the migration of the major labeled product in sodium dodecyl sulfate/acrylamide gels was identical to that of native vitellogenin. Our results establish conditions for maximal estrogen-induced responses in this system, and are compatible with the hypothesis that a major regulatory mechanism of steroid hormones in the control of protein synthesis is that of gene activation and regulation of messenger RNA levels.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Quality assurance in undergraduate medical education at the Medical College of Ohio.

This paper reports a four-year experience in teaching evaluation of care at a three-year medical school, the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. Informal patient care evaluation evolved to more structured medical care evaluation in seminars and by chart audits. The introduction of professional standards review organizations prompted the teaching and evaluation of the quality and cost of primary care, especially as it applies to learning clinical tasks.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1975

Teaching students the relationship between quality and cost of medical care.

The usefulness of hospital charges as a means of teaching medical students the relationship between the quality of the cost of medical care provided by primary care physicians (internists and family physicians) is presented. The comparative role of these two types of primary care physicians as "generators of costs" is described. The cost of hospital care provided by primary care physicians is also compared with the cost of care provided by the cardiologist, a prototype of the highest quality of secondary and tertiary care for cardiovascular diseases. Data indicate that internists generated hospital costs that were consistently higher than family physicians. Moreover, a comparison of costs generated by internists, family physicians, and cardiologists in managing patients with cardiovascular diseases revealed that cardiologists generated lower costs than the other two types of specialists. It is believed that case studies such as this will provide evidence that will enable undergraduate medical students to reflect upon their own attitudes toward their developing role as "generators of cost".

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

The influence of social factors in expectations of pain associated with osteoarthritis.

A survey was conducted on a sample of 113 individuals who might not be under medical care at the time of the study. A stratified random sample was drawn from two lists; one from a population of college teaching faculty who for purposes of the study were defined as upper class, and a second from individuals interviewed in various lower class neighbourhoods in a large metropolitan area. Among other questions the respondents were asked about the amount of pain they would expect to have with arthritis. Lower class, Blacks, and women respondents expect greater amounts of pain than do upper class, Whites, and men. Age, religion, and whether or not a person is married and living with a spouse do not appear to be important factors in an individual's expectations of the amount of pain associated with arthritis.

Adult↗