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Biomedical subjects

J Scott

Publications and source records attributed to J Scott.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

Conjunctival cytology in hard and soft contact lens wear.

The conjunctival cytological profiles of asymptomatic healthy contact lens wearers are described. An impression biopsy technique (5 h after insertion of contact lenses) was used. Significantly higher cell counts (neutrophils and lymphocytes) were found amongst the soft lens wearers', biopsies compared to hard lens wearers' biopsies or control subjects' biopsies. It is postulated that conjunctival cytological examination may reveal early, subclinical, cytotoxic effects attributable to the preservatives and chelating agents in soft contact lens care systems.

Adolescent↗

Relationship between levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and its messenger RNA in sympathetic ganglia and peripheral target tissues.

We have developed a sensitive assay for the quantification of nerve growth factor mRNA (mRNANGF) in various tissues of the mouse using in vitro transcribed RNANGF. Probes of both polarities were used to determine the specificity of the hybridization signals obtained. Comparison of NGF levels with its mRNA revealed that both were correlated with the density of sympathetic innervation. Thus, vas deferens contained high levels of both NGF and mRNANGF, whereas skeletal muscle levels were barely detectable, indicating that in peripheral tissues NGF levels are primarily regulated by the quantity of mRNANGF and not by the rate of processing of NGF precursor to NGF. However, although superior cervical ganglia contained the highest levels of NGF, its mRNA was barely detectable. Thus, the high levels of NGF in sympathetic ganglia result from retrograde axonal transport rather than local synthesis. The quantity of NGF found in the submandibular glands of female animals was three orders of magnitude higher than expected from their mRNA levels. This observation is discussed in the context of the difference between the mechanism of storage and exocytosis of exocrine glands versus the constitutive release from other tissues.

Animals↗

Chromosomal localization of the human apoprotein CI gene and of a polymorphic apoprotein AII gene.

Human apoprotein(apo) CI and apo AII cDNA probes have been used to analyze the segregation of the human genes in panels of human-mouse hybrids. The apo CI (APOCI) gene segregates with chromosome 19 and the apo AII (APOA2) gene with chromosome 1. Somatic cell hybrids containing chromosome translocations were used to map the apo AII gene to the 1p21-1qter region. Human APOA2 is polymorphic for the restriction endonuclease Msp I. Comparison of human and mouse chromosome 1 reveals a conserved group including apo AII, renin and peptidase genes and suggests that APOA2 will be found distal to this group on human chromosome 1. The mouse apo AII gene is closely linked with genes that regulate HDL structure. Similar HDL regulatory genes will probably be found near human APOA2.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterisation of a cDNA encoding the precursor for human apolipoprotein AII.

cDNA clones encoding human apolipoprotein AII have been isolated from an adult liver cDNA library. Apo AII mRNA was shown to be approximately 600 bases in length by RNA blot hybridisation. The intracellular precursor of apo AII was inferred from the cDNA sequence to be a 100 amino acid polypeptide consisting of the 77 residue mature protein and an additional 23 amino terminal residues. The amino terminal extension, divisible into an 18 residue signal peptide and a 5 residue propeptide, is separated from the first amino acid of mature apo AII by dibasic residues. The 5' untranslated region of the message is 61 bases in length and the 3' untranslated region 113 bases. A polyadenylation signal is situated 14 bases 3' of the poly(A) tail.

Adult↗

Characterisation of mRNAs encoding the precursor for human apolipoprotein CI.

cDNA clones encoding human apolipoprotein CI have been isolated from an adult liver cDNA library. Apo CI mRNA was shown to have two species of approximately 580 and 560 bases by RNA blot hybridisation. The intracellular precursor of apo CI was inferred from the cDNA sequence to be an 83 amino acid polypeptide consisting of the 57 residue mature protein and an additional 26 residue amino terminal signal peptide. The 5' untranslated regions of the messages are 63 and 40 bases as determined by primer extension and the 3' untranslated region 111 bases. A polyadenylation signal is situated 10 bases 3' of the poly(A) tall. The mRNA level of apo CI in human liver was significantly greater than that of apo All and apo E.

Adult↗

The Kansas Family and Children's Trust Fund: funding prevention programs in the eighties.

The Kansas Family and Children's Trust Fund is an innovative approach to developing funding for community-based family violence prevention programs. Using a legislated trust fund which generates money from marriage license fees, the program has been developed based on three assumptions. First, funding at the federal level for programs to prevent family violence has probably reached its peak and has never been sufficiently secure as to allow for continuity in prevention programs from year to year. Second, there is a trend toward allowing local communities to assume a greater portion of the responsibility for developing social welfare programming. Third, in the long run more can be accomplished with a small amount of money given to a community-based organization which efficiently uses volunteer time than a larger amount of money given to an agency which has a large infrastructure to support. Information on the procedure utilized to enable passage of the Trust Fund legislation is included as well as a discussion of issues that arose in the legislation process. In addition, an explanation of the current funding procedures for accessing Trust Fund moneys is given along with examples of the types of programs that have received funding. Finally, examples are provided of similar approaches that have been used in other states as well as a call for additional innovative approaches to providing funding for child abuse prevention programs.

Child Abuse↗

Histological evaluation of quantitative scintigraphy of the salivary glands in a primate model.

To assess the accuracy with which quantitative scintigraphy reflects the true extent of parenchymal losses in diseased salivary glands, the parotid glands of vervet monkeys were unilaterally subjected to experimental injury and studied by scintigraphy and histomorphometry. The glandular 99Tcm pertechnetate uptake, relative to a standard dose, was expressed as the ratio of operated to unoperated sides. This was compared with the equivalent ratios of the weights of various salivary component tissues, morphometrically determined at necropsy. Our results suggest that uptake levels of 99Tcm pertechnetate are influenced predominantly by the mass of acinar rather than ductal tissue present. Furthermore, in comparisons between scans, because of the inherent variability in the results, quantitative scintigraphy is sensitive only to differences exceeding 25% of the gland mass.

Animals↗

Slow virus visna: reproduction in vitro of virus from extrachromosomal DNA.

Under permissive conditions of growth in tissue culture, the retrovirus visna multiples over the course of a few days to high titer and kills the host cell. We show that in this lytic life cycle, viral DNA is tightly associated with, but not covalently linked to, chromosomal DNA. This finding provides explanations for a number of the unusual properties of the lentivirus subfamily of retroviruses, and suggests potential mechanisms for the block in virus gene expression in vivo responsible for the slow infection in nature.

DNA Replication↗

In vitro lymphocyte recognition of islet cells following in vivo priming with allogeneic murine pancreatic islets.

Lymphocytes from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes have been shown to be sensitized to pancreatic tissue antigens. Mice immunized with homologous pancreatic islets have been found to develop glucose intolerance and insulitis. Since lymphocytes may be involved in diabetogenesis, we wished to determine if lymph node cells from islet-immunized mice can recognize and respond to islet cells in vitro. A.TL female mice were immunized with an emulsion of BALB/c islet homogenate and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA); sham-treated A.TL mice were injected with adjuvant and water. Mice were sacrificed 7-8 days later and the draining lymph nodes were removed. The lymph node cells were co-cultured with freshly prepared irradiated BALB/c islet cell, which served as stimulator cells. The co-cultures were incubated for 24-26 h at 37 degrees C, followed by a 16 h [3H]thymidine (TdR) pulse. A significant proliferation of lymph node cells from islet-primed mice was induced during the in vitro stimulation with irradiated islet cells when compared with lymph node cells from sham-treated mice (P less than 0.001). The response may be islet-cell-specific, since irradiated lymph node cells from BALB/c mice failed to elicit a proliferative response under the same culture conditions (P greater than 0.80).

Animals↗

Vitamin E and dapsone-induced hemolysis.

Sixteen patients, each receiving 100 mg of dapsone per day, were studied for evidence of hemolysis. Vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol acetate), 800 mg/day, was then administered for up to three months, and dapsone therapy was continued at the same dose. Hemolysis factors were reexamined immediately prior to cessation of vitamin E therapy. No substantial change was demonstrable for levels of hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, and haptoglobin at the end of vitamin E therapy, despite a significant rise in serum vitamin E levels. Erythrocyte survival measured in four patients before and at the end of vitamin E therapy also showed no substantial change. Erythrocyte Heinz body count, however, fell in nine of 15 patients studied, and none showed an increase in this measurement while receiving vitamin E. We conclude that in patients receiving dapsone at 100 mg/day, vitamin E therapy at 800 mg/day does not substantially ameliorate the hemolytic effect of this drug.

Adult↗

Diurnal variation of some cytological characteristics of the conjunctiva.

Variation of conjunctival cells of healthy non-contact lens wearing subjects is described using an impression biopsy technique over a period of nine waking hours. The total cell count was found to be highest on waking, falling to about half that value during the first 3 h, attributable almost exclusively to the change in the neutrophil count. A further slower decrease and finally a small increase in some cellular components was noted.

Cell Count↗

Primary cultures of bovine chromaffin cells synthesize and secrete vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP).

Dispersed cells of the bovine adrenal medulla express immunoreactive vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) after 24 hours in culture, although VIP could not be detected in extracts of bovine adrenal medulla or cortex. Immunoreactive VIP eluted from a reversed-phrase chromatography column with the same retention time as authentic porcine VIP1-28. VIP in chromaffin cells in culture appears to be contained in a secretory granule pool, since it, like methionine-enkephalin (met-enk) was released into the medium after exposure of cells to nicotine, carbachol, veratridine and elevated potassium in a dose-dependent manner. Dose-response curves for VIP and enkephalin release by the above secretagogues were similar but not identical. Enkephalins and VIP may either be contained in separate subpopulations of chromaffin cells or co-stored in the same cells.

Adrenal Medulla↗

Structure of a mouse submaxillary messenger RNA encoding epidermal growth factor and seven related proteins.

The structure of the messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the precursor to mouse submaxillary epidermal growth factor (EGF) was determined from the sequence of a set of overlapping complementary DNA's (cDNA). The mRNA is unexpectedly large, about 4750 nucleotide bases, and predicts the sequence of preproEGF, a protein of 1217 amino acids (133,000 molecular weight). The EGF moiety (53 amino acids) is flanked by polypeptide segments of 976 and 188 amino acids at its amino and carboyxl termini, respectively. The amino terminal segment of the precursor contains seven peptides with sequences that are similar but not identical to EGF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗