Intraportal islet allografts in type I diabetes mellitus.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
J Miller
Publications and source records attributed to J Miller.
Regional cytokine changes following OKT3 induction for islet cell transplantation in humans: early increase in portal and systemic levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factors.
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C-Peptide↗
The effectiveness of teaching a relaxation technique to patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterization.
The effects of a relaxation technique (RT) on anxiety, vital signs, procedure length, and amount of diazepam given were examined in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization (CC). Forty patients were randomly assigned to an experimental (RT) or a control (no RT) group. No significant differences were found between groups in pre-CC or post-CC State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores, vital signs, or procedure length. The experimental group received significantly less diazepam, and their STAI scores declined significantly.
Adult↗
Building a strategic forecasting system for hospital foodservice operations.
Forecasting, which involves the manipulation of operational data, is a critical task in foodservice management. We propose a strategic forecasting system for foodservice management, which may be expedited by using decision support systems. The most notable potential for improved forecast performance and decision flexibility may rest with increasing forecasting information. This article provides a framework for building a strategic forecasting system that can help managers select and use appropriate forecasting models for foodservice operations.
Costs and Cost Analysis↗
Risk factors for hepatitis B at a residential institution for intellectually handicapped persons.
We conducted a cross sectional study to evaluate risk factors for hepatitis B (HBV) infection among residents and staff at Braemar Hospital in Nelson. We obtained serum and abstracted medical charts for 114 of the 122 (93%) residents; 129 of 226 (57%) staff members completed questionnaires and provided serum. Seventy (61%) of the residents had serological markers of past HBV infection, including 42 (37%) who were identified as carriers. Residents' risk of being infected increased by 17% for each additional year they had lived in this institution; there were no significant differences in the likelihood of having markers of HBV infection by a person's age at first admission, sex, ethnicity, admission diagnosis, medical history, or various behavioural attributes. Among staff, 20 (16%) showed evidence of past exposure to HBV, but none were identified as being carriers; of these, 5 (25%) reported having received hepatitis B vaccine. Excluding the vaccinated persons who were seropositive, there were no demographic or occupational risk factors that were significantly associated with having serological markers of past HBV exposure. To control further HBV transmission in this setting, all current and future residents, as well as staff members who have direct contact with residents, should be screened for serological markers of HBV and persons identified as being susceptible should be vaccinated.
Adult↗
Sequence and structural organization of the human gene encoding ciliary neurotrophic factor.
Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a potent polypeptide hormone whose actions appear to be restricted to the nervous system where it promotes survival, neurotransmitter synthesis and neurite outgrowth in certain neuronal populations. We have cloned the gene encoding human CNTF (hCNTF) and have characterized its structure and organization. The hCNTF gene appears to be a unique-copy gene with a simple genetic organization, since only a single intron interrupts the coding domain. The hCNTF gene is located on chromosome 11, as determined using human-hamster somatic cell hybrids. The CNTF protein is highly conserved in evolution. The amino acid (aa) sequences of rat and rabbit CNTF translated from cDNAs display approx. 85% homology with the deduced aa sequence encoding hCNTF.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
A heparin-binding growth factor secreted by macrophage-like cells that is related to EGF.
Macrophage-like U-937 cells secrete a 22-kilodalton heparin-binding growth factor that is mitogenic for BALB-3T3 fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, but not endothelial cells. The amino acid sequence predicted from complementary DNA clones indicates that the mitogen is a new member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family. This heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) binds to EGF receptors on A-431 epidermoid carcinoma cells and smooth muscle cells, but is a far more potent mitogen for smooth muscle cells than is EGF. HB-EGF is also expressed in cultured human macrophages and may be involved in macrophage-mediated cellular proliferation.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Computed tomography appearances of sagittal sinus thrombosis in a neonate.
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Humans↗
Effects of preliminary information in a Go versus No-go task.
A series of studies using a Go versus No-go task examined the question of whether preliminary information available early in the recognition of a stimulus is made available to later processes before stimulus recognition is finished, a question relevant to the controversy between discrete and continuous models. Experiment 1 showed that a Go response is faster following a cue indicating that the response probably would be required than following a cue indicating it probably would not be required. Experiments 2-7 were conducted to find out whether analogous preparation occurred when probability of the Go response was signalled by easily discriminable features of a single stimulus rather than a separate cue. The effect was observed when the easily discriminable features uniquely determined the name of the stimulus letter, but not when they merely indicated that the stimulus name was one of two visually similar letters. These results are consistent with the Asynchronous Discrete Coding model, in which the perceptual system makes available to later processes only preliminary information corresponding to discretely activated stimulus attributes.
Attention↗
Clinical observations related to head lice infestation.
Living lice and eggs were found in 19% of 2643 children examined in Israel. Boys and girls were equally infested. Bite reactions, pruritus, excoriations, lymphadenopathy, and conjunctivitis were the most common signs and symptoms. Bite reactions, pruritus, excoriations, and conjunctivitis were found more frequently in infested children than in noninfested children. Lymphadenopathy, eczema, influenza, herpes, crusts behind ears, blepharitis, seborrhea, psoriasis, erythema, vitiligo, secondary infections, and scars were equally common in both groups. The sequence of the skin reactions of a volunteer to continuous exposure to lice bites was as follow: phase I, no clinical symptoms; phase II, papules accompanied by pruritus of medium intensity; phase III, wheal formation immediately after the bite, followed by a delayed papular reaction and intense itching; phase IV, papular reaction with diminished reactivity of the skin and mild pruritus. Healed bite reactions reappeared when other parts of the skin were again exposed to the lice.
Animals↗
The prognostic value of deoxyribonucleic acid flow cytometric analysis in stage D2 prostatic carcinoma.
This study was designed to compare the prognostic potential of tumor grade and ploidy status in patients with stage D2 prostate cancer. Two outcome groups were selected on the basis of survival after orchiectomy: a bad outcome group consisting of 66 patients who died of the disease within 12 months and a good outcome group comprising 37 patients who survived beyond 5 years. Tumors were classified histologically as well (17%), moderately (17%) or poorly (66%) differentiated. Tumor grade was a significant predictor of outcome, with 76% of poorly differentiated tumors in the bad outcome group and 65% of well differentiated tumors in the good outcome group (p less than 0.005). Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) ploidy analysis was performed on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded samples of the primary tumor to yield 97 final tracings that were classified using set criteria for DNA ploidy status. Over-all, 54% of the tumors were nondiploid (33% aneuploid and 21% tetraploid) and the remaining 46% were diploid. DNA ploidy status was a significant indicator of outcome (p less than 0.001), with 64% of diploid tumors in the good outcome group and 88% of the nondiploid tumors in the poor outcome group. Tetraploid tumors behaved no differently from other nondiploid tumors. We conclude that DNA ploidy status and tumor grading are significant independent predictors of outcome after orchiectomy and when combined yield important additional prognostic information.
Carcinoma↗
Channel interaction and the redundant-targets effect in bimodal divided attention.
In bimodal divided attention tasks, people respond faster to simultaneously presented redundant targets than to single targets. Previous research supports "coactivation" models, in which redundant targets both activate the response. This study sought to determine whether redundant targets activate the response independently, with each target producing its own activation, or interactively, with activation produced by redundant targets being a joint function of both their identities. Experiment 1 used auditory targets varying in pitch and visual targets varying in location. Responses to redundant targets were faster when both were high or low than when they were incongruent. Experiment 2 varied joint probability of redundant pairs, and responses were faster to common pairs than rare ones. The results indicate that responses to redundant targets are a joint function of both identities, not a concatenation of independent activations.
Arousal↗
Threshold variability in subliminal perception experiments: fixed threshold estimates reduce power to detect subliminal effects.
In studies of subliminal perception, a threshold for awareness is usually estimated for each S (e.g., the stimulus duration that yields chance discrimination performance). This article shows that if the S's true threshold varies randomly from trial to trial, estimation of a fixed threshold has important consequences. Specifically, the estimated threshold approaches the minimum of the distribution of true thresholds, and the power of an experiment to detect subliminal perception is reduced. Because there is much evidence that true thresholds vary across trials, threshold variability may have seriously weakened previous experiments that tested for subliminal perception. Fortunately, it is possible to estimate the maximum power loss resulting from threshold variability and therefore to design an experiment with acceptable power even in the presence of variability.
Arousal↗
Child welfare and the role of women: a feminist perspective.
Linked by caretaking, the major stakeholders in the child welfare system are women and children. Contrary to general assumption, however, their rights and needs are not equally satisfied by the same service systems. A feminist reanalysis of basic policy aims, and of caretaking roles and functions, is crucial to the development of a more satisfactory child welfare system.
Child↗
Manipulation of body fat composition with sterculic acid can inhibit mammary carcinomas in vivo.
Sterculic acid, a delta-9-desaturase inhibitor, administered to rats caused a rise in the stearic:oleic acid ratio of total lipids in peripheral red cells, serum and liver (P less than 0.001). As a reduction in the stearic:oleic acid ratio has been described in cancer cells, we investigated the effect of sterculic acid on tumour growth. Female F344 rats were injected subcutaneously with two different doses of sterculic acid for 4 weeks prior to, and 4 weeks following, implantation of a nitrosomethylurea-induced mammary tumour. Tumour growth was inhibited equally by the two doses of sterculic acid (P less than 0.001). A rise in the stearic:oleic acid ratio of tumours was observed in rats treated for only 16 days with sterculic acid. Manipulation of the tissue stearic:oleic acid ratio inhibits transplanted mammary tumour growth in rats.
Adipose Tissue↗
Physiologic observations of pregnant women undergoing prophylactic erythrocytapheresis for sickle cell disease.
Five women in the second or early third trimester of pregnancy underwent prophylactic partial red cell exchange by automated erythrocytapheresis for sickle cell disease. The purpose of this pilot study was to characterize the hematologic, hemodynamic, and metabolic changes associated with this procedure. Pretransfusion hematocrit increased 49 percent by 3 to 5 days after the transfusion. Paired observations indicate a 14-percent drop in maternal oxygen consumption. There was a slight tendency for reduced posttransfusion cardiac output that resulted primarily from changes in maternal heart rate and not from changes in stroke volume. Left ventricular contractility also tended to decrease after transfusion. Neither fetal bradycardia nor alteration in the umbilical circulation by Doppler ultrasound was observed during the transfusion procedures. Despite substantial hematologic alterations, this procedure is associated with small or negligible changes in maternal hemodynamic and metabolic function for minimally symptomatic pregnant patients with sickle cell disease.
Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
Efficacy of caffeine versus expectancy in altering caffeine-related symptoms.
The study investigated the independent and interactive effects of caffeine and expectancy on caffeine-related symptoms. High- and low-caffeine consumers were randomly assigned to either an expectancy or nonexpectancy instructional set and one of four caffeine doses. Subjects were administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, (Spielberger & Gorsuch, 1970) and a Symptom Questionnaire (Christensen, White, Krietsch, & Steele, 1990) prior to and 45 min following consumption of one of the four caffeine doses. An analysis of covariance identified a significant main effect for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores and significant main and interaction effects for four Symptom Questionnaire items. However, when the alpha levels were corrected for the increased probability of Type I error, using the Bonferroni procedure, these effects failed to achieve significance. These results suggest that previous reports of subjective caffeine effects are also suspect because of their failure to control for the increased probability of Type I error.
Adult↗
Reaction time analysis with outlier exclusion: bias varies with sample size.
To remove the influence of spuriously long response times, many investigators compute "restricted means", obtained by throwing out any response time more than 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 standard deviations from the overall sample average. Because reaction time distributions are skewed, however, the computation of restricted means introduces a bias: the restricted mean underestimates the true average of the population of response times. This problem may be very serious when investigators compare restricted means across conditions with different numbers of observations, because the bias increases with sample size. Simulations show that there is substantial differential bias when comparing conditions with fewer than 10 observations against conditions with more than 20. With strongly skewed distributions and a cutoff of 3.0 standard deviations, differential bias can influence comparisons of conditions with even more observations.
Bias↗