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Biomedical subjects

J Rice

Publications and source records attributed to J Rice.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Phase II study of neoadjuvant concurrent biochemotherapy in melanoma patients with local-regional metastases.

Our results with concurrent biochemotherapy in patients with stage IV melanoma have been encouraging. Based on these data, we conducted a phase II study to determine the clinical and histological response rate to neoadjuvant concurrent biochemotherapy in patients with local-regional metastases of cutaneous melanoma (stage III). A total of 65 patients with biopsy-proven, measurable and potentially resectable local-regional disease (nodal, satellite/in-transit metastases and/or local recurrence) were treated with cisplatin 20 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) on days 1 to 4, vinblastine 1.5 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 to 4, dacarbazine 800 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1 only, interleukin-2 9 MIU/m2 per day i.v. by 96 h continuous infusion on days 1 to 4, and interferon-alpha 2a 5 MU/m2 subcutaneously on days 1 to 5, repeated every 3 weeks. Patients underwent surgery after two to four courses of biochemotherapy. Those with tumour regression after two preoperative courses received two additional postoperative courses. Of the 64 patients assessable for clinical response, 28 (44%) had a partial response. Of the 62 patients whose response was assessed histologically, four (6.5%) had no evidence of viable tumour in the surgical specimen (pathological complete remission, pCR) and 27 (43.5%) had a partial response, giving an overall response rate of 50%. Tumour burden did not correlate with response, although patients who achieved a pCR had a significantly lower tumour burden (P = 0.02). Our phase II study indicates that neoadjuvant biochemotherapy is an active treatment for melanoma patients with local-regional metastases. However, it is unclear if biochemotherapy is more active than chemotherapy alone; phase III randomized trials are ongoing to answer this question in patients with stage IV disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in subgroups of alcoholics and controls: results from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism.

OBJECTIVE: Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) B activity levels were evaluated to determine whether low platelet MAO activity is a marker for alcoholism, correlates of alcoholism (e.g., cigarette smoking), or a subtype of alcoholism. METHODS: Adult women (n = 788) and men (n = 685) participating in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism study were evaluated with a semistructured interview, and blood samples were obtained for determination of platelet MAO activity using tryptamine (0.1 mM) as substrate. DSM-III-R alcohol-dependent individuals were subgrouped using four currently available methods (e.g., two variations of the type 1/type 2 scheme, primary versus secondary typology, type A/type B dichotomy). RESULTS: In the overall sample, subjects' gender, cigarette smoking status, and the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism site at which their platelets were prepared explained 22% of the variance in platelet MAO activity levels, and multivariate analysis showed that carrying a broad diagnosis of alcohol dependence did not uniquely explain any additional variance in platelet MAO activity levels. Furthermore, within each of the alcoholic subgrouping methods tested, there were no significant differences in platelet MAO activity for type 1 versus type 2, type A versus type B, or primary versus secondary alcoholics. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking and male gender are associated with decreased platelet MAO activity levels. After considering these factors, a diagnosis of alcohol dependence does not predict any additional variance in MAO-B activity. Phenotypes of alcoholics (e.g., type 1 versus type 2, type A versus type B, primary versus secondary) do not differ in platelet MAO activity. The results suggest that decreased platelet MAO activity is not a trait marker of alcoholism or one of its subtypes; but, rather, is a state marker of cigarette smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Isoquinolines as antagonists of the P2X7 nucleotide receptor: high selectivity for the human versus rat receptor homologues.

1-[N, O-Bis(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62) and N-[1-[N-methyl-p-(5 isoquinolinesulfonyl)benzyl]-2-(4 phenylpiperazine)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (KN-04) potently inhibit the human lymphocyte P2Z receptor, an ATP-gated cation channel [Br J Pharmacol 120:1483-1490 (1997)]. Although the molecular identity of the lymphocyte P2Z receptor has not been established, it shares many functional characteristics with the cloned P2X7 nucleotide receptor. We have tested whether these isoquinolines inhibit P2X receptor function in human embryonic kidney 293 cells that stably express the human or rat recombinant P2X7 receptors. ATP activation of cation currents and uptake of the organic dye ethidium were potently inhibited by KN-62 and KN-04 in human embryonic kidney cells expressing the human P2X7R but not the rat P2X7R, even though these species homologues share 80% amino acid identity. Introduction of the first 335 amino acids of the human P2X7R sequence conferred KN-62 sensitivity to the rat P2X7R; this suggests that isoquinolines interact with residues in the amino-terminal half (containing the large extracellular loop) of the human P2X7R. KN-62 and KN-04 also potently inhibited ATP-gated Ca2+ influx and ethidium uptake in several leukocyte cell lines (THP-1, BAC1.2f5, and BW5147) that natively express the human or murine P2X7R mRNA. The ability of isoquinoline sulfonamides to potently inhibit human and murine P2X7R signaling will be a useful tool for identifying P2Z/P2X7 functional responses in other cell types. The substantial differences in pharmacological sensitivity between rat and human P2X7R may also indicate structural domains important in channel/pore activation.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1998

An unusual case of left upper lobe pulmonary edema.

This is a report of an unusual case of left, predominantly upper lobe, pulmonary edema secondary to paravalvular mitral regurgitation (MR) complicating mitral valve replacement. Transesophageal echocardiography proved helpful in making the diagnosis of MR and suggesting the mechanism of the pulmonary edema.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

A family-based analysis of the association of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) with alcoholism.

The possible association of the DRD2 locus, and in particular the Taql-A1 allele, with alcoholism remains controversial, in part because of differences in allele frequencies among populations. To avoid problems associated with differences in allele frequencies in different populations, we tested whether the DRD2 locus is associated with alcohol dependence in a large family-based sample. Neither the transmission/disequilibrium test nor the Affected Family-Based Controls test provide any evidence of linkage or association between the DRD2 locus and alcohol dependence.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1998

Amplitude of visual P3 event-related potential as a phenotypic marker for a predisposition to alcoholism: preliminary results from the COGA Project. Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism.

Recent data collected at six identical electrophysiological laboratories from the large national multisite Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism provide evidence for considering the P3 amplitude of the event-related potential as a phenotypic marker for the risk of alcoholism. The distribution of P3 amplitude to target stimuli at the Pz electrode in individuals 16 years of age and over from 163 randomly ascertained control families (n = 687) was compared with those from 219 densely affected alcoholic families (n = 1276) in which three directly interviewed first-degree relatives met both DSM-III-R and Feighner criteria at the definite level for alcohol dependence (stage II). The control sample did not exclude individuals with psychiatric illness or alcoholism to obtain incidence rates of psychiatric disorders similar to those of the general population. P3 amplitude data from control families was converted to Z-scores, and a P3 amplitude beyond 2 SD's below the mean was considered an "abnormal trait." When age- and sex-matched distributions of P3 amplitude were compared, members of densely affected stage II families were more likely to manifest low P3 amplitudes (2 SD below the mean) than members of control families, comparing affected and unaffected offspring, and all individuals; all comparisons of these distributions between groups were significant (p < 0.00001). P3 amplitude means were also significantly lower in stage II family members, compared with control family members for all comparisons, namely probands, affected and unaffected individuals (p < 0.0001), and offspring (p < 0.01). Furthermore, affected individuals from stage II families, but not control families, had significantly lower P3 amplitudes than unaffected individuals (p < 0.001). Affected males from stage II families had significantly lower P3 amplitudes than affected females (p < 0.001). Recent linkage analyses indicate that visual P3 amplitude provides a biological phenotypic marker that has genetic underpinnings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Linkage of an alcoholism-related severity phenotype to chromosome 16.

There is substantial evidence for a significant genetic component to the risk for alcoholism. In searching for genes that contribute to this risk, the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence may not be the optimal phenotype; rather, creation of a more homogeneous phenotype will lead to a more homogeneous genetic etiology. Items from the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism collected from 830 individuals in 105 alcoholic families were used in a latent class analysis to identify a more homogeneous alcoholism-related phenotype. A four-class solution was chosen: class 1, unaffected group; class 2, mildly problematic group; class 3, moderately affected group; and class 4, severely affected group. Classes 3 and 4 had higher symptom endorsement probabilities than classes 1 and 2 for items reflecting severe alcohol dependence, and were combined to provide enough sibling pairs for genetic linkage analysis. A total of 291 markers distributed throughout the genome, with an average intermarker distance of 14 cM, were genotyped. Linkage analysis was performed to detect loci underlying classes 3 and 4, the moderately and severely affected alcoholics, of whom 88% met the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism, and >99% met ICD-10 criteria for alcohol dependence. Evidence for a locus on chromosome 16, near the marker D16S675, was found with a maximum multipoint lod score of 4.0. Analysis of additional markers on chromosome 16 yielded a lod score of 3.2, narrowed the critical region, and placed the gene between D16S475 and D16S675 in a 15 cM interval.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Initial genome scan of the NIMH genetics initiative bipolar pedigrees: chromosomes 4, 7, 9, 18, 19, 20, and 21q.

An initial genome scan was performed on 540 individuals from 97 families segregating bipolar disorder, collected through the National Institutes of Mental Health Genetics Initiative. We report here affected-sib-pair (ASP) data on 126 marker loci (approximately 68,000 genotypes) mapping to chromosomes 4, 7, 9, 18, 19, 20, and 21q, under three affection status models. Modest increases in identical-by-descent (IBD) allele sharing were found at the following loci: D4S2397 and D4S391 (P < 0.05) on 4p, D4S1647 (P < 0.05) on 4q, D7S1802 and D7S1869 (low P = 0.01) on 7p, D9S302 (P = 0.004) on 9q, and D20S604 on 20p and D20S173 on 20q (P < 0.05). In addition, five markers on 7q displayed increased IBD sharing (P = 0.046-0.002). Additional ASP analyses on chromosomes 18 and 21q marker data were performed using disease phenotype models defined previously. On chromosome 18, only D18S40 on 18p and D18S70 on 18q yielded a slight elevation in allele sharing (P = 0.02), implying that the reported linkages in these regions were not confirmed. On chromosome 21q, a cluster of markers within an approximately 9 cM interval: D21S1254, D21S65, D21S1440, and D21S1255 exhibited excess allele sharing (P = 0.041-0.008). Multilocus data on overlapping marker quartets, from D21S1265 to D21S1255, which were consistent with increased IBD sharing (P < 0.01, with a low of 0.0009), overlapped a broad interval of excess allele sharing reported previously, increasing support for a susceptibility locus for bipolar disorder on 21q.

Alleles↗
PubMed1997

Genetic analysis of bipolar disorder: summary of GAW10.

Participants in the Bipolar Disorder component of Genetic Analysis Workshop 10 had access to five distributed data sets containing chromosome 18 marker data and five data sets containing chromosome 5 data. A total of 25 groups participated in analyses and applied a myriad of methodologically innovative approaches to these data. Contributors focused on how to: (1) best define the phenotype from the spectrum of affective diagnoses; (2) test for a parent-of-origin effect in the transmission of bipolar illness and assess whether sharing in affected sib pairs depends on the sex of the transmitting parent; (3) evaluate the effects of misspecification of marker allele frequencies; (4) examine the putative candidate loci provided; (5) investigate the mode of inheritance; and (6) perform a meta-analysis to combine multiple data sets in a single analysis. Taken as a whole, the results would appear suggestive, but not definitive for linkage to a bipolar susceptibility locus on chromosome 18. The evidence for linkage appeared to increase as the diagnostic definition of the phenotype was broadened. Multipoint analyses seem to provide less evidence. It is possible that, because adjacent markers may be present in different data sets, the multipoint methods are combining marker data from different studies in a more comprehensive way than single marker analyses. Evidence on chromosome 5 and evidence for candidate loci were minimal. A discussion of problems inherent in combined analyses is given.

Alleles↗
PubMed1997

Healing wounds.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Australia↗
PubMed1997

Hospital leadership for quality: theory and practice: II. Quality performance evaluation.

Hospitals need excellent leadership to be efficient in the use of scarce stakeholder resources and to be effective in the competitive provision of services to multiple customers. This paper is the second report on a study conducted with cooperation of the executive team at a large government-funded hospital in Brisbane, Australia. The overall study focused on linking the leadership concepts and attributes of the members of the executive with an overall evaluation of quality practice in the hospital. The first paper reported the leadership results. This paper reports the quality practice and its links with leadership. The study revealed use of data, understanding of processes and the formation of supplier partnerships as the areas of hospital activity most limiting the ability to improve. Little impact of leadership attributes was found, contrary to studies conducted elsewhere. This may be due to the strong influence of different professional groups within the hospital, since domains of leadership influence largely coincided with these groups.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Behavioral genetics '97: ASHG statement. Recent developments in human behavioral genetics: past accomplishments and future directions.

The field of behavioral genetics has enormous potential to uncover both genetic and environmental influences on normal and deviant behavior. Behavioral-genetic methods are based on a solid foundation of theories and methods that successfully have delineated components of complex traits in plants and animals. New resources are now available to dissect the genetic component of these complex traits. As specific genes are identified, we can begin to explore how these interact with environmental factors in development. How we interpret such findings, how we ask new questions, how we celebrate the knowledge, and how we use or misuse this knowledge are all important considerations. These issues are pervasive in all areas of human research, and they are especially salient in human behavioral genetics.

Adoption↗
PubMed1997

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Characteristics of Hybridization of Species-Specific Fluorescent Oligonucleotide Probes to rRNA of Marine Nanoflagellates.

Identification problems restrict quantitative ecological research on specific nanoflagellates. Identification by specific oligonucleotide probes permits use of flow cytometry for enumeration and measurement of size of nanoflagellates in statistically meaningful samples. Flow cytometry also permits measurement of intensity of probe binding by cells. Five fluorescent probes targeted to different regions of the small subunit rRNA of the common marine flagellate Paraphysomonas vestita all hybridized with cells of this flagellate. Cells fixed with trichloroacetic acid gave detectable signals at a probe concentration of 15 aM and specific fluorescence increased almost linearly to 1.5 fM, but at higher concentrations nonspecific binding increased sharply. Three flagellates, P. vestita, Paraphysomonas imperforata, and Pteridomonas danica, all bound a general eukaryotic probe approximately in proportion to their cell size, but the specific P. vestita probe gave 14 times more fluorescence with P. vestita than with either of the other flagellates. Cell fluorescence increased during the early growth of a batch culture and decreased toward the stationary phase; cell size changed in a comparable manner. Cell fluorescence intensity may allow inferences about growth rate, but whether fluorescence (assumed to reflect ribosome number) merely correlates with cell biomass or changes in a more complex manner remains unresolved.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Stability of diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the 1-year temporal stability of a National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) lifetime diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study. METHOD: In that study, 20,862 individuals, aged 18 years and over, at five sites were evaluated by lay interviewers using the DIS (wave 1). All of those who were available 12 months later were reinterviewed (wave 2). In the present study, the temporal stability of wave 1 obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnoses at wave 2 was examined, as well as relationships with comorbid diagnoses. The consistency of reports of "new-onset" illness was also examined. Factors contributing to these measures were evaluated. RESULTS: The temporal stability of the diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder was very low. Subjects with a stable diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder had a higher rate of both obsessions and compulsions, an earlier age at onset, and more comorbid anxiety, affective, and alcohol abuse/dependence disorders at initial assessment. The originally reported 1-year incidence estimates for obsessive-compulsive disorder primarily reflect data from subjects at wave 2 who reported the onset of symptoms as preceding the wave 1 interview. Older and less-educated subjects had significantly higher error rates in reporting onset. CONCLUSIONS: The DIS diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder has poor validity, leaving the true incidence and prevalence of the disorder unknown. Older and less-educated subjects require special attention in the design of instruments for use with community samples.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Barbiturate anticonvulsants: a neuropsychological and quantitative electroencephalographic study.

We studied 11 epileptic children aged 7 to 14 years with quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) and neuropsychological tests, both on and off the barbiturate anticonvulsants phenobarbital and mephobarbital, comparing them to 13 controls matched for age and IQ who received testing at similar intervals. Neuropsychological tests employed were the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), Bender-Gestalt, controlled oral word association test (COWAT), selected subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, Purdue Peg Board, Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised, and Achenbach Behavior Rating Scale. There was no difference between on- and off-drug quantitative EEG in percentage power of any frequency band between 0.6 and 32 Hz. Neuropsychological data from all 11 subjects were analyzed with a two-factor analysis of variance with repeated measures on the time factor. The only difference from controls was on the Stroop Test. Parents reported clear behavioral changes in 6 of 11 subjects, but in 4 of these children the behavioral changes were sufficiently mild that parents chose to continue the barbiturate anticonvulsants: irritability, oppositional attitude, and overactivity were described. Mephobarbital was reported by parents to cause less severe problems than phenobarbital in subjects who had taken both barbiturate anticonvulsants. Barbiturate anticonvulsants have no effect on quantitative EEG and limited effects on neuropsychological tests in school-aged children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Parenting styles, adolescent substance use, and academic achievement.

This article investigates how children and their parents rate their parenting styles, and how this rating is associated with academic achievement, alcohol, and tobacco use. We surveyed students and their parents in two public school districts. A total of 386 matched parent-child pairs from eighth- and ninth-grade students were analyzed for parent and student classification of parents as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or mixed parenting styles. Agreement on parenting styles between parents and children was poor. Students perceived parents as less authoritative, less permissive and more authoritarian than parents considered themselves. High grades were associated with child and parent perception of higher authoritativeness, lower permissiveness, and lower authoritarianism. Child tobacco and alcohol use was associated with child perception of lower authoritativeness, and higher permissiveness while parent perception of parenting style was not associated with child substance use. This study provides further evidence that parenting styles and adolescents' perceptions of them are associated with child achievement and substance use. While we cannot determine whether child or parent perception of parenting style is more accurate, child perception is more strongly associated with grades and substance use than is parent perception. It is likely that parents would benefit from understanding how they are perceived by their children.

Adolescent↗