Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K A Jackson.
Intranet technology has the potential to turn everything we've taken for granted in internal communication upside down. This paper looks at the uptake and use of Intranet technology in NHS Trusts in Scotland and discusses some of the uses of an Intranet system.
Population pharmacokinetics is playing an increasing role in clinical drug development. An overview of the population approach, including software and the advantages and limitations of the approach compared to the traditional approach to pharmacokinetic studies, is given. This paper also documents how the area has evolved over the past 15 years and addresses some of the issues that have arisen over the design and conduct of population studies. Finally, some alternative applications of the population approach are given for areas other than clinical drug development.
In research involving tissue derived from animals, the use of anesthesia before sacrifice is recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association and is strongly encouraged by university committees on the use of animals in research. In this study, the effects of anesthesia on the modulation of the GABAA receptor complex by ethanol, a benzodiazepine, and a barbiturate were determined. In vivo administration of the anesthetic methoxyflurane and CO2 before sacrifice resulted in a decrease in Cl- flux in mouse brain microsacs. These treatments also resulted in the loss of the ability of the GABAA receptor modulatory agents flunitrazepam and ethanol to enhance the Cl- flux in this assay system.
We have quantitated colony-forming unit megakaryocyte, (CFU-Mk), burst-forming unit megakaryocyte, (BFU-Mk), colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), and CD34+ cells in 98 mobilised PB samples from 53 patients mobilised by one of six protocols, including myelosuppressive chemotherapy alone (n = 22), or in combination with recombinant haemopoietic growth factors (n = 32), and growth factors alone (n = 17) or in combination (n = 27). The frequency of megakaryocyte progenitors (total Mk = CFU-Mk + BFU-Mk) in mobilised PB (mean 356, range 0-3240/10(6)) was similar to that in steady-state BM (mean 429, range 0-3315/10(6) n = 45). The levels of total Mk in mobilised PB (mean 1509, range 0-36 099/ml) showed a mean 75-fold increase compared with steady state PB (mean 20, range 0-86/ml, n = 15). In mobilised PB the levels of CFU-Mk were significantly correlated with levels of BFU-Mk (rs = 0.71, P < 0.0001) and the levels of megakaryocyte progenitors correlated significantly with those of myeloid progenitors (rs = 0.59, P < 0.0001) and CD34+ cells (rs = 0.69, P < 0.0001). The mobilisation of megakaryocyte progenitors into the circulation in response to high-dose chemotherapy and/or haemopoietic growth factors contributes to an understanding of the rapid platelet recovery following PBSC transplantation and suggests that the measurement of megakaryocyte progenitors may be a useful indicator for platelet reconstitutive capacity.
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Males rats were fed diets containing wheat bran, oat bran, barley or malted barley without or with 10 g/kg cholesterol + 1 g/kg cholic acid (referred to as "cholesterol"). Plasma total, HDL, and VLDL+LDL cholesterol concentrations were higher overall in rats fed cholesterol. There was a significant interaction between dietary cholesterol and cereal type. Higher concentrations of total and VLDL+LDL cholesterol were found in rats fed cholesterol with wheat bran than in those fed oat bran, barley or malted barley. HDL cholesterol concentrations were higher overall in rats fed wheat bran than in those fed oat bran or barley but not malted barley. Liver cholesterol pools were higher overall in rats fed cholesterol. In all animals fed oat bran, liver cholesterol was lower than in rats fed barley or malted barley. Hepatic HDL receptor activity was lower overall in rats fed cholesterol. There was no independent effect of cereal type on HDL receptor activity, but there was a significant interaction with dietary cholesterol. Activity tended to be higher in rats fed malted barley with cholesterol than in rats fed malted barley without cholesterol. LDL receptor activity was not affected by cereal type but was significantly lower overall in rats fed cholesterol.
Male rats were fed on either a non-purified rodent diet (JS) or cholesterol-free purified diets containing wheat bran (WB) or oat bran (OB). Some animals were allowed normal access to their faeces for coprophagy (coprophagy+), while in others coprophagy was prevented by placement of a plastic cup over the anus (coprophagy-). Direct ingestion of faeces from the anus was observed in the former groups. Food intake was unaffected by diet or coprophagy status and body weight gain was unchanged with OB- and JS- but was significantly lower with WB-. Plasma cholesterol was highest with WB and equally lower with OB and JS and was unaffected by coprophagy status. Plasma triacylglycerols were highest with OB and were unaffected by coprophagy status. Caecal digesta mass was highest with JS, intermediate with OB and lowest with WB. Digesta mass was unaffected by coprophagy status with WB and JS but was higher with OB-. Digesta moisture content was lowest with WB+ but highest with WB-. Digesta volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations were similarly lower with OB+ and OB-, but were significantly lower with JS- and WB- than in the corresponding coprophagy+ group. In all groups digesta butyrate concentrations were reduced by coprophagy prevention. Pools of total VFA, acetate and butyrate in the digesta were highest with JS. Pools of total VFA in digesta were highest with JS+, OB+ and OB- and lowest with WB+ and WB-. The propionate pool was highest with OB-, intermediate with OB+, and equally low in all other groups. The pool of butyrate was highest with JS+ and lowest with OB-.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Male pigs were fed a low fiber beef diet (control) or that diet with additional fiber either as wheat bran, oat bran or baked beans. Total large bowel digesta and volatile fatty acid (VFA) pools were highest in pigs fed the diet with baked beans, intermediate in those fed the diets with oat bran and wheat bran and lowest in those fed the control diet. In all groups digesta mass and total VFA pools rose from the cecum and then fell to the distal colon, and incremental effects of diet were the same at all sampling sites. For acetate and propionate pools there was a significant interaction between diet and anatomical site, but data conversion to logarithms abolished this interaction, indicating that all dietary effects were proportionately the same across sections. Consumption of the diets with wheat bran, oat bran and baked beans increased the total large bowel butyrate pool compared with consumption of the control diet. Digesta H+ concentrations fell along the large bowel and correlated positively with VFA concentrations in the median colon. Portal venous VFA concentrations correlated with VFA in the proximal colon only. Plasma cholesterol and biliary steroids were unrelated to portal venous propionate concentrations.
Leaf tissue of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was found to contain prolinebetaine, pipecolatebetaine, hydroxyprolinebetaine, and glycinebetaine. As n-butyl esters, these chemical species exhibit molecular cations at mass/charge ratio (m/z) 200, 214, 216, and 174, respectively, when analyzed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The underivatized betaines exhibit protonated molecular ions at m/z 144, 158, 160, and 118, respectively, when analyzed by desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Extensive (>45-fold) genotypic variation for hydroxyprolinebetaine level was identified in alfalfa. Because a significant inverse correlation between prolinebetaine and hydroxyprolinebetaine levels was observed among 15 alfalfa genotypes evaluated, it is possible that these compounds may be derived from a common intermediate. Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) contained prolinebetaine, but only traces of glycinebetaine, pipecolatebetaine, and hydroxyprolinebetaine. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) lacked prolinebetaine, pipecolatebetaine, and hydroxyprolinebetaine, but contained appreciable levels of both glycinebetaine and trigonelline. Trigonelline was not detectable in the leaf tissue of any alfalfa genotype or cultivar evaluated.
The future direction and challenges of hospital strategic planning require the knowledge and skills of material managers. The approach taken in participating in hospital planning efforts is not as important as the level of involvement. Understanding the strategic planning process at the hospital and knowing what information is critical to that process will improve the ability of the material manager to become an active participant and a valuable contributor to the strategic planning process. Cost management will continue to be the overriding concern of the health care industry in the 1990s. Hospitals will reorganize to control cost and improve productivity, while striving to maintain the quality of care. Material managers must align their departments with hospital strategic goals and assert their new roles in achieving those goals.
The management of anaesthesia and outcome of 75 treatments in 52 patients are discussed. Total intravenous anaesthetic techniques were used with venturi ventilation via a rigid bronchoscope. A number of complications occurred, but there was no death or major surgical complication. All complications except one were apparent intraoperatively or in the recovery room. As the considerable risk of intraoperative hypoxia was considered to outweigh the minimal risk of intratracheal fire or explosion, no attempt was made to limit inspired oxygen concentration (FIO2) during the application of the laser. The results of ventilation/perfusion studies and a recent diagnostic bronchoscopy were very helpful in patient selection.
Controlled burning reduced the number of viable eggs in an Aedes population. The effectiveness of the burn was related to the amount of rainfall, surface moisture and dry vegetation. A greater reduction in viable eggs occurred when the burn was close to the ground. Variable results were achieved if the surface was moist but there was a significant reduction in the number of viable eggs, due to a heavy amount of dry vegetation accompanied by low rainfall.
The neodymium-yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser has proved to be a useful therapeutic tool for the management of endobronchial lesions. Between October 1, 1986 and October 31, 1987, 31 patients received 41 laser treatments at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute mainly for bronchial obstruction, haemoptysis or persistent cough. Good symptomatic relief was obtained in the majority of patients with no operative mortality and a moderate morbidity. When the endobronchial lesion is malignant, concurrent radiotherapy is needed to prevent the early recurrence of the cancer.
Breast-milk lipids contain long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) not found in infant formulas. Because the erythrocyte membranes of formula-fed infants are depleted in long-chain PUFA, we sought food sources of these 20- and 22-carbon polyunsaturates suitable for use as dietary supplements. A variety of commercially available infant foods containing meats and egg products in addition to some whole foods (meat, eggs) were analyzed by gas chromatography. Commercially available infant foods contained only low levels of long-chain PUFA. The richest source of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA was found to be lamb brains but lamb and chicken livers as well as egg yolks also contained high levels. However, the lipid content of most whole foods including brains, eggs, and liver is so low that prohibitively large amounts of food would be required to be fed to infants. It is concluded that it is virtually impossible to supplement the diet of formula-fed infants to match the long-chain PUFA intake of breast-fed infants with currently available whole foods.
Segments of yeast genomic DNA containing two enolase structural genes have been isolated by subculture cloning procedures using a cDNA hybridization probe synthesized from purified yeast enolase mRNA. Based on restriction endonuclease and transcriptional maps of these two segments of yeast DNA, each hybrid plasmid contains a region of extensive nucleotide sequence homology which forms hybrids with the cDNA probe. The DNA sequences which flank this homologous region in the two hybrid plasmids are nonhomologous indicating that these sequences are nontandemly repeated in the yeast genome. The complete nucleotide sequence of the coding as well as the flanking noncoding regions of these genes has been determined. The amino acid sequence predicted from one reading frame of both structural genes is extremely similar to that determined for yeast enolase (Chin, C. C. Q., Brewer, J. M., Eckard, E., and Wold, F. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 1370-1376), confirming that these isolated structural genes encode yeast enolase. The nucleotide sequences of the coding regions of the genes are approximately 95% homologous, and neither gene contains an intervening sequence. Codon utilization in the enolase genes follows the same biased pattern previously described for two yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase structural genes (Holland, J. P., and Holland, M. J. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 2596-2605). DNA blotting analysis confirmed that the isolated segments of yeast DNA are colinear with yeast genomic DNA and that there are two nontandemly repeated enolase genes per haploid yeast genome. The noncoding portions of the two enolase genes adjacent to the initiation and termination codons are approximately 70% homologous and contain sequences thought to be involved in the synthesis and processing messenger RNA. Finally there are regions of extensive homology between the two enolase structural genes and two yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase structural genes within the 5- noncoding portions of these glycolytic genes.
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Fourth-grade students participated in a study to investigate 4 methods of cursive handwriting instruction. Groups were rated by two independent raters on 5 handwriting characteristics. Poor and average writers received one of 4 taped methods. Two pretests, 8 training trials, and 1 posttest were administered. The K-sample binomial test of equal proportions and post hoc multiple comparisons in sample proportions for tests of homogeneity were used to analyze the data. Significant differences were found among the methods on 4 of the 5 characteristics among poor writers. For poor writers, the highest proportions of improvement were noted using 1 of 3 methods. Significant differences were found on 2 of the 5 characteristics for average writers.