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Biomedical subjects

K Johnson

Publications and source records attributed to K Johnson.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

The DM mutation; diagnostic applications in the Finnish population.

A pair of marker loci, D19S63 and D19S51, which are tightly linked to the myotonic dystrophy (DM) locus, were used to evaluate diagnostic applicability in the Finnish population. Results were then compared to direct detection of the mutation. The D19S63 locus revealed a linkage disequilibrium, since in 16 DM families as many as 75% of DM chromosomes carried the same allele 3 for D19S63, and 25% carried allele 1. However, when the data for D19S51 and D19S63 were considered together as a haplotype, the statistical significance of this linkage disequilibrium was considerably reduced. As expected, the best method for reliable evaluation of the carrier risk was direct analysis of the mutation. Thirteen particularly difficult cases were resolved and in 46% of them the decision could be made only by direct visualization of the mutation. However, in a few cases where the size of the CTG-repeat expansion was close to the normal size range, linked markers proved to be useful to determine the affected chromosomes. Present findings indicate that analysis of the D19S63 locus coupled to direct demonstration of the mutation provides the basis for DNA diagnostics of DM in the Finnish population.

Alleles↗
PubMed1993

Individual differences in vowel production.

It is often assumed that a relatively small set of articulatory features are universally used in language sound systems. This paper presents a study which tests this assumption. The data are x-ray microbeam pellet trajectories during the production of the vowels of American English by five speakers. Speakers were consistent with themselves from one production of a word to the next, but the articulatory patterns manifested by this homogeneous group were speaker specific. Striking individual differences were found in speaking rate, the production of the tense/lax distinction of English, and in global patterns of articulation. In terms of a task-dynamic model of speech production, these differences suggested that the speakers used different gestural target and stiffness values, and employed different patterns of interarticulator coordination to produce the vowels of American English. The data thus suggest that, at some level of speech motor control, speech production tasks are specified in terms of acoustic output rather than spatiotemporal targets or gestures.

Female↗
PubMed1993

Dendritic excitability and a voltage-gated calcium current in locust nonspiking local interneurons.

1. The active properties of axonless nonspiking interneurons in the thoracic nervous system of the locust Schistocerca americana were studied in vivo with the switched current-clamp technique from dendritic impalements, and in vitro with the whole-cell variation of the patch-clamp technique. 2. In 20% of in vivo recordings, depolarization of a dendrite to potentials more positive than about -40 mV evoked resonant behaviour and/or regenerative potentials. The latter were slow (half width: 20-30 ms), small (base-to-peak amplitude: 25-35 mV), and were often followed by a pronounced after hyperpolarization (AHP). 3. The slow regenerative potentials sometimes had multiple peaks separated by incomplete repolarizations. The voltage envelope of such potentials was always broader than that of spikes with single peaks. In other recordings, a same depolarizing pulse could evoke several regenerative potentials with different waveforms. These results suggested the presence of multiple dendritic initiation sites separated by regions of inexcitable membrane, allowing decremental conduction and the passive fusion of spike envelopes. 4. Graded active responses could also be evoked on rebound from short hyperpolarizations such as inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) provided that the membrane was already depolarized to about -40 mV. IPSPs evoked by several presynaptic interneurons differed in their ability to evoke rebound potentials suggesting that some synaptic sites were electrically closer than others to regions of active membrane. 5. Patch-clamp recordings from somata of nonspiking neurons isolated from 75% embryos and grown in culture medium for 1-2 days revealed the presence of an inactivating inward current resistant to 0.5-1 microM tetrodotoxin (TTX). The inward current was carried equally well by Ba2+, and sensitive to blockade by Cd2+ (0.5 mM), Ni2+ (0.75 mM), or Co2+ (2.5 mM). 6. The current activated around -40 mV, with voltage-dependent activation (time-to-peak approximately 20 ms at -35 mV and 1-2 ms at 0 mV). Tail currents evoked upon repolarization were well fitted by a single exponential (tau = 1-2 ms). Deactivation time constants shorter than 300 microseconds, however, could not be measured. 7. The current inactivated rapidly in a voltage-dependent manner, following two-exponential kinetics. A very small persistent component could be explained by the overlap between activation and inactivation curves, greatest at approximately -20 mV. The voltage of half-inactivation was about -25 mV. At a resting potential of -58 mV, 90% of the current was available for activation. Recovery from steady-state inactivation followed the sum of two or more exponential processes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

A role for glycosphingolipid accumulation in the renal hypertrophy of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus.

Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) and related glycosphingolipids have been implicated as causal elements in both the growth of cells and in the regulation of hormonal signaling. We therefore studied whether the renal hypertrophy induced by diabetes was associated with enhanced synthesis of glycosphingolipids. 16 d after the induction of diabetes, increases in renal size and concentration of glucocerebroside and ganglioside GM3 were observed paralleling an increase in UDP-Glc concentration. GlcCer synthase and beta-glucosidase-specific activities were no different between control and diabetic kidneys. The apparent Km of the GlcCer synthase with respect to UDP-Glc was 250 microM and was unchanged in the diabetic kidneys. The observed concentrations of UDP-Glc were 149 and 237 microM in control and diabetic kidneys, respectively. The UDP-Glc level is thus rate limiting with regard to GlcCer synthesis. To determine whether the changes in glycolipid content were functionally significant, diabetic and control groups were treated with the GlcCer synthase inhibitor, D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoyl-amino-3-morpholino-1- propanol, 2 wk after the induction of diabetes. Kidney weights in the diabetic rats treated with D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol were no different than the control groups. Morphometric analysis of glomerular volumes paralleled changes in renal growth. Glycosphingolipid formation may therefore represent a significant pathway for glucose utilization in early diabetic nephropathy.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Pathogenesis of gastric particulate lung injury: a comparison and interaction with acidic pneumonitis.

Experimental aspiration pneumonitis studies in general have focused on the pathogenesis of the acidic component of the lung injury, although the injury produced by the particulate component of gastric contents largely has been ignored. The present study compares the inflammatory potential of small gastric particles to acidic lung injury and examines their interaction. Washed and filtered rat gastric food particles, 2-30 mu were resuspended in saline/HCl, pH = 5.3 or 1.25 at different particle densities and instilled intratracheally into anesthetized rats. Nonlethal lung injury was assessed at different times postaspiration by measuring changes in lung permeability and histology. Maximal survival after lung injury in this model occurred at a particle concentration of 40 mg/mL and at a volume of 1.5 mL/kg. Under these conditions, the alveolar capillary leak was less severe during the first 4 h after injury than that seen with a maximal nonlethal acidic injury (1.5 mL/kg, pH = 1.25). However, after 4 h postinjury the alveolar capillary leak increased to levels that were no different from the acidic injury. When the small gastric food particles were suspended in saline/HCl, pH = 1.25, the alveolar capillary leak was increased synergistically. Intratracheal instillation of inert, 10 mu (glass) particles, 40 mg/mL at 1.5 mL/kg, did not result in an increase in lung injury or interact additively or synergistically with acidic saline. Histologically, the small gastric particle injured lungs were associated with focal inflammatory changes as the acidic damage was diffuse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acids↗
PubMed1993

Cholinergic agents in the laryngeal chemoreflex model of sudden infant death syndrome.

The laryngeal chemoreflex results in apnea, laryngospasm, and cardiovascular changes that can be fatal when a liquid stimulus is placed on the laryngeal mucosa of infant mammals. This study of 35 piglets assessed the effects of the cholinergic agents atropine and edrophonium on this laryngeal reflex response. Atropine, when placed intrathecally, resulted in a significant reduction of apnea as well as a decrease in the cardiovascular changes that occur during the reflex 60 minutes following its injection. Edrophonium, when placed intrathecally, resulted in a significant prolongation of apnea as well as death by asystole in 2 animals during laryngeal stimulation. Atropine placed intravenously also resulted in a significant reduction of apnea length, but required greater than 180 minutes to do so.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Is an "ideal" service institution image the same for all referral sources? The case of chemical dependency treatment programs.

In a competitive market like chemical dependency treatment, segmenting the professional referral market according to an "ideal" service image may offer a service institution a strategic advantage. Results of this study suggest that while different professionals in a referral market may attach differential importance to the same service feature, a favorable or unfavorable "image" seems to encompass how well both the professional and the professionals' client are treated by the service institution.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Myotonic dystrophy: size- and sex-dependent dynamics of CTG meiotic instability, and somatic mosaicism.

Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder which results from elongations of an unstable (CTG)n repeat, located in the 3' untranslated region of the DM gene. A correlation has been demonstrated between the increase in the repeat number of this sequence and the severity of the disease. However, the clinical status of patients cannot be unambiguously ascertained solely on the basis of the number of CTG repeats. Moreover, the exclusive maternal inheritance of the congenital form remains unexplained. Our observation of differently sized repeats in various DM tissues from the same individual may explain why the size of the mutation observed in lymphocytes does not necessarily correlate with the severity and nature of symptoms. Through a molecular and genetic study of 142 families including 418 DM patients, we have investigated the dynamics of the CTG repeat meiotic instability. A positive correlation between the size of the repeat and the intergenerational enlargement was observed similarly through male and female meioses for < or = 0.5-kb CTG sequences. Beyond 0.5 kb, the intergenerational variation was more important through female meioses, whereas a tendency to compression was observed almost exclusively in male meioses, for > or = 1.5-kb fragments. This implies a size- and sex-dependent meiotic instability. Moreover, segregation analysis supports the hypothesis of a maternal as well as a familial predisposition for the occurrence of the congenital form. Finally, this analysis reveals a significant excess of transmitting grandfathers partially accounted for by increased fertility in affected males.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Thrombomodulin activity and localization.

An overview on the properties, actions and localization of thrombomodulin (TM) in situations of tissue injury and in selected tumors is presented. The localization and activity of TM after injury to vascular endothelium shows that following balloon catheter denudation of the endothelium of the rabbit aorta, the activity and immunohistochemical staining is markedly reduced. The functional and antigenic levels approach the control levels approximately one week after the initial injury. The results suggest that the neointimal smooth muscle cells express TM. This phenotypic plasticity of the neointimal smooth muscle cells may be important in conferring thrombo-resistance to the lumenal lining cells of vessels after injury. Studies are also reviewed on the use of soluble recombinant TM to prevent thrombosis after ligature of vessels in an experimental model. Further characterization on the immunohistochemical distribution of TM in normal tissues and tumors shows that staining with a monoclonal anti TM antibody can be very useful in separating mesotheliomas from pulmonary adenocarcinomas. These studies may lead to insights concerning the role of TM in tissue-injury-repair and tissue differentiation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

An informative panel of somatic cell hybrids for physical mapping on human chromosome 19q.

A panel of 22 somatic cell hybrids divides the q arm of human chromosome 19 into 22 ordered subregions. The panel was characterized with respect to 41 genetic markers. In most cases, a single fragment of chromosome 19 was present in each hybrid. In two cell lines the presence of multiple fragments of the chromosome was demonstrated by segregation of these fragments in subclones. On the basis of the results of marker analysis in this panel, the most likely order of the markers tested is MANB-D19S7-PEPD-D19S9-GPI-C/EBP-TGFB1++ +-(CYP2A,BCKDHA,CGM2,NCA)-PSG1-(D19S8, XRCC1)-(ATP1A3,D19S19)-(D19S37,APOC2)-C KM-ERCC2-ERCC1-(D19S116,D19S117)- (D19S118,D19S119, D19S63,p36.1,D19S112,D19S62,D19S51,D19S54, D19S55)-pW39-D19S6-(D19S50,TNNT1)-D19S2 2-(HRC,CGB,FTL,PRKCG)-qter. This gene order is generally consistent with published physical and genetic mapping orders, although some discrepancies exist. By means of a mapping function that relates the frequency of cosegregation of markers to the distance between them, estimates were made of the sizes, in megabases, of the 19q subregions. The relative physical distances between reference markers were compared with published genetic distances for 19q. Excellent correlation was observed, suggesting that the physical distances calculated by this method are predictive of genetic distances in this region of the genome and, therefore, are just as useful in estimating relative positions of markers.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Lyme disease in outdoor workers on Assateague Island: high tick-exposure but low disease risk.

Lyme disease is endemic to the Assateague Island area. Using a questionnaire and serosurvey, we examined the extent of tick exposure, compliance with recommended Lyme disease personal preventive activities, and risk of the disease in 86 outdoor workers on Assateague Island before and after the summer of 1989. Despite high self-reported tick exposure and relatively long employment durations on the island, there was no evidence of current or past infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Lyme disease knowledge and use of several personal strategies were high, but compliance with these preventive strategies was not universal. These data suggest that even in this high-risk population, intensive educational efforts are necessary to encourage Lyme disease preventive behavior, but the current level of compliance may have decreased the risk of Lyme disease on the island.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Molecular genetics diagnosis of Steinert's myotonic dystrophy].

Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is the most common neuromuscular disease with adult onset (incidence 1 in 8000). The biochemical basis of this autosomal dominantly inherited disease is still unknown. The most striking features are myotonia and progressive muscular wasting. There is high variability of disease severity in patients from different families, but also within the same family. For practical reasons three subtypes can be defined: The classical adult onset form of the disease, a mild form with late onset and/or very moderate symptoms, eg. cataracts only, and the most severe congenital form which is transmitted by affected females. Furthermore, the progression of DM in affected families may exhibit an increase in the severity of the disease in successive generations. This observation is called anticipation. Very recently the DM gene has been cloned and an unstable DNA sequence specific for the disease has been characterized. Detection of an enlarged DNA fragment due to the expansion of a trinucleotide (CTG) repeat within the DM gene can be used for direct DNA diagnosis in affected individuals and persons at risk. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between the length of fragment expansion and the degree of disease severity in gene carriers. We report here our preliminary results of the investigation of over 70 patients and demonstrate the clinical usefulness of this new method by the findings in three families.

Adult↗