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Biomedical subjects

J Shaw

Publications and source records attributed to J Shaw.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Patterns of classroom discourse in an integrated, interpreted elementary school setting.

The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of classroom discourse experienced by an integrated deaf child with full-time interpreting services in an elementary setting. The child was videotaped for 3 hours during classroom instructional time. The videotapes were analyzed to determine patterns of discourse between the child and the teacher and the child and the interpreter, as well as to gauge the deaf student's accessibility to teacher-class discourse. It was found that the deaf student interacted predominantly with the interpreter; in fact, this student received more direct instruction from the interpreter than from the teacher. The discourse to which the student was exposed was largely academic, rather than cultural or social. Findings are discussed in terms of the extent to which implicit classroom discourse and cultural knowledge were inaccessible to the deaf student.

Child↗
PubMed1996

A single mutation that increases maize seed weight.

The maize endosperm-specific gene shrunken2 (Sh2) encodes the large subunit of the heterotetrameric starch synthetic enzyme adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase (AGP; EC 2.7.7.27). Here we exploit an in vivo, site-specific mutagenesis system to create short insertion mutations in a region of the gene known to be involved in the allosteric regulation of AGP. The site-specific mutagen is the transposable element dissociation (Ds). Approximately one-third (8 of 23) of the germinal revertants sequenced restored the wild-type sequence, whereas the remaining revertants contained insertions of 3 or 6 bp. All revertants retained the original reading frame 3' to the insertion site and involved the addition of tyrosine and/or serine. Each insertion revertant reduced total AGP activity and the amount of the SH2 protein. The revertant containing additional tyrosine and serine residues increased seed weight 11-18% without increasing or decreasing the percentage of starch. Other insertion revertants lacking an additional serine reduced seed weight. Reduced sensitivity to phosphate, a long-known inhibitor of AGP, was found in the high seed-weight revertant. This alteration is likely universally important since insertion of tyrosine and serine in the potato large subunit of AGP at the comparable position and expression in Escherichia coli also led to a phosphate-insensitive enzyme. These results show that single gene mutations giving rise to increased seed weight, and therefore perhaps yield, are clearly possible in a plant with a long history of intensive and successful breeding efforts.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Bidirectional uncoating of the genomic RNA of a helical virus.

An essential step in the initiation of a virus infection is the release of the viral genome from the other constituents of the virus particle, a process referred to as uncoating. We have used reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification procedures to determine the rate and direction of in vivo uncoating of the rod-shaped tobacco mosaic virus. The virus particles contain a single 6.4-kb RNA molecule that lies between successive turns of a helical arrangement of coat protein subunits. When the particles are introduced into plant cells, the subunits are removed via a bidirectional uncoating mechanism. Within 2-3 min, the part of the viral RNA from the 5' end to a position >70% toward the 3' end has been freed of coat protein subunits. This is followed by removal of subunits from the 3' end of the RNA and sequential uncoating of the RNA in a 3'-to-5' direction. An internal region of the viral RNA is the final part to be uncoated. Progeny virus particles are detected in the cells 35-40 min after inoculation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Dementing illnesses in rural populations: the need for research and challenges confronting investigators.

Expansion of the world's elderly populations has increased concerns about aging-related medical disorders like Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. In the United States, one fourth of those older than age 65 and at greatest risk for developing dementia live in rural environments that may influence its manifestation. The objectives of this study were to determine the need for and potential benefits of further epidemiological research concerning dementia and similar disorders in rural U.S. populations and to identify pertinent methodological issues related to rural dementia research. This study employed a National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE) document search based on the key words "cognitive disorders," "dementia," "Alzheimer's disease," and "rural," followed by recovery of literature resources references in the bibliographies of selected articles. Nineteen studies focusing on dementia or related disorders in rural settings have been reported from around the world. While four of these were conducted in the United States, only one rural dementia prevalence study has been undertaken in this country. Because of methodological variability, comparisons of prevalence estimates between these rural studies, as well as with those from urban investigations, is difficult. Nonetheless, there is reason to believe that certain potentially dementing illnesses are more common in rural populations. There is also evidence to suggest that the screening instruments commonly used in such studies tend to misclassify rural elders as "false positive" dementia cases. Information regarding dementing disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease, in rural populations is scarce. Preliminary observations that dementia may be more common in rural settings and that rural families are more likely to maintain their dementing elders in the community imply that further rural dementia research could yield important insights into the risk factors for these illnesses, the variables influencing their course, and the methods by which they can be more effectively managed. A determination of the reliability and validity of commonly used dementia screening instruments in rural populations would represent an important advancement in this area of research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Transplantation of cryopreserved fetal ovarian tissue to adult recipients in mice.

Sixteen-day-old fetal mouse ovaries were slowly frozen in 1.5 mol dimethylsulfoxide ml-1 and subjected to one of two thawing procedures--fast thaw or slow thaw. Fresh and frozen-thawed fetal ovaries were transplanted orthotopically (to the bursal cavity) to either bilaterally or unilaterally ovariectomized adult female recipients. Fresh fetal ovaries were also transplanted heterotopically (under the kidney capsule) to intact, bilaterally or unilaterally ovariectomized adult females. Transplantation of fetal ovaries to bilaterally ovariectomized adult recipients resulted in restoration of cyclic activity within 20.5 +/- 4.7 (mean +/- SEM) days or 23.4 +/- 0.8 days in orthotopic and heterotopic groups, respectively. Developing follicles and corpora lutea were observed within 4 weeks after transplantation of fetal ovaries to heterotopic sites and within 6 weeks after transplantation to orthotopic sites. After orthotopic transplantation, 33% of the recipients became pregnant. Orthotopic or heterotopic transplantation to intact of unilaterally ovariectomized recipients resulted in quiescence of the fetal ovary. After cryopreservation, transplantation of fetal ovaries to bilaterally ovariectomized recipients resulted in restoration of cyclic activity within 19.3 +/- 2.1 days and 23.4 +/- 5.1 days after transplantation in slow thaw and fast thaw groups, respectively. Fertility was restored to 86% of fast thawed and 25% of slow thawed fetal ovary transplants to bilaterally ovariectomized adult recipients. No ovarian tissue was observed on the side of the fetal graft in unilaterally ovariectomized recipients that received frozen-thawed fetal ovaries. These results demonstrate that cryopreserved fetal ovarian tissue can be transplanted to adult recipients with subsequent restoration of fertility and that this process is dependent on the absence of the ovaries of the recipients.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Gymnasts exhibit higher bone mass than runners despite similar prevalence of amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea.

Female athletes exhibit a higher prevalence of exercise-associated amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea compared with nonathletic women, and both conditions are related to reduced bone mineral density (BMD), particularly at the spine. This study investigated bone mass and oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea in two groups of competitive female athletes with different skeletal loading patterns: gymnasts and runners. Bone mineral density (g/cm2) of the femoral neck, lumbar spine (L2-4), and whole body was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (QDR-1000/W, Hologic Inc., Waltham, MA) in collegiate gymnasts (n = 21) and runners (n = 20), and nonathletic college women (n = 19). The runners and gymnasts had similar values for percent body fat (14.7 +/- 2.2% and 15.6 +/- 2.9%, respectively), which were lower (p < 0.001) than controls (22.3 +/- 3.0%). Lean body mass (LBM) did not differ among the groups, but when adjusted for body surface area, gymnasts had a higher LBM/height2 (p = 0.0001) compared with runners and controls. Muscle strength was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in gymnasts for quadriceps, biceps, and hip adductor force, compared with runners and controls. Gymnasts had a significantly later menarche age (16.2 +/- 1.7 years) compared with runners (14.4 +/- 1.7 years) and controls (13.0 +/- 1.2 years). The prevalence of oligo- and amenorrhea was 47% for gymnasts (6 amenorrheic, 4 oligomenorrheic), 30% for runners (3 amenorrheic, 3 oligomenorrheic), and 0% for controls. Furthermore, athletic groups had similar menstrual histories given the higher proportion of gymnasts who had experienced primary amenorrhea. When evaluated since menarche, however, runners had somewhat longer histories due to an earlier age at menarche and slightly older ages. Dietary calcium intake did not differ among groups, although mean values were below the RDA of 1200 mg/day. By athletic group, BMD at any site did not differ among women with amenorrhea versus oligomenorrhea versus eumenorrhea, although there was a trend for the regularly menstruating athletes in both groups to have slightly higher values. Lumbar spine BMD was lower (p = 0.0001) in runners (0.98 +/- 0.11 g/cm2) compared with both gymnasts and controls (1.17 +/- 0.13 and 1.11 +/- 0.11 g/cm2, respectively). Femoral neck BMD differed among all groups (p = 0.0001): gymnasts = 1.09 +/- 0.12 g/cm2 > controls = 0.97 +/- 0.10 g/cm2 > runners = 0.88 +/- 0.11 g/cm2. Whole body BMD was lower (p < 0.01) in runners (1.04 +/- 0.06 g/cm2) compared with gymnasts and controls (1.11 +/- 0.08 and 1.09 +/- 0.06 g/cm2, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1995

Quantitation of cytomegalovirus in the blood of liver transplant recipients.

An assay for quantitation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been developed. The assay combines DNA amplification and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection. In this study, the assay has been used to examine sequential buffy-coats from 32 consecutive liver transplant recipients. In a febrile patient, CMV titres in excess of 10(4) copies per 150,000 cells strongly suggest a diagnosis of symptomatic CMV infection. Antiviral therapy causes a rapid decline in viral titre. Viral titres are seen to rise presymptomatically in some patients. Median peak viral titres differ significantly between symptomatic patients (1.1 x 10(5)), asymptomatic CMV IgM-positive patients (1.7 x 10(3)), and asymptomatic CMV immunoglobulin (Ig)M-negative patients (2.9 x 10(2)). CMV quantitation can be used for diagnosis and surveillance and can also be used to monitor antiviral treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Are trees real?

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Letter↗