A clinical evaluation of upper immediate denture procedures.
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Denture, Complete, Immediate↗
Biomedical subjects
K Johnson
Publications and source records attributed to K Johnson.
Clinical efficacy of chloroquine or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in children under five from south-western Uganda with uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
We conducted a 14-day study (during March-May 1998) to assess the efficacy of chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for treating uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Uganda. Overall treatment failure rates were 43 (81.1%) of 53 chloroquine recipients and 16 (25.0%) of 64 SP patients. Strategies to improve the life-span of standard and affordable anti-malarial drugs are needed.
Antimalarials↗
Environmental influences, employment status, and religious activity predict current cigarette smoking in the elderly.
The objective of this study was to describe the smoking histories, patterns of cigarette use, and quitting behaviors in a predominantly African American sample of older adults. Study participants were a convenience sample of senior center attendees in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure depression, nicotine dependence, smoking motives, and readiness to quit. Results showed that living with another smoker increased the likelihood of current smoking (odds ratio = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.72-36.73). Being employed or seeking work was also associated with a higher likelihood of current smoking (odds ratio = 2.73, 95% CI = 2.00-118.76). Subjects who reported less frequent participation in organized religious activities were also more likely to smoke (odds ratio = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.17-50.38). Both former and current smokers identified personal will power and physician advice as the two most influential factors in successful smoking cessation. However, current smokers believed that nicotine replacement would aid in a successful cessation attempt, while former smokers did not endorse the efficacy of these products. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for intervention.
Aged↗
MHC class II expression and antigen presentation by human endometrial cells.
It has been demonstrated previously that mixed cell suspensions from the female reproductive tract consisting of human epithelial and stromal cells were capable of presenting foreign antigen to autologous T cells. There have been, however, no reported studies examining antigen presentation by isolated epithelial cells from the human female reproductive tract. It is now shown that freshly isolated epithelial cells from the uterine endometrium constitutively express MHC class II antigen and that class II was upregulated on cultured epithelium by interferon gamma (IFNgamma). Using a highly purified preparation, it was demonstrated that these epithelial cells were able to process and present tetanus toxoid recall antigen driving autologous T cell proliferation. Cells isolated from the basolateral sub-epithelium stroma were also potent antigen presenting cells in this model system. Thus, isolated endometrial epithelial cells were able to directly process and present antigen to T cells and may be responsible for the transcytosis and delivery of antigen to professional antigen presenting cells found in the sub-epithelial stroma.
Adult↗
The women-centered health care team: integrating perspectives from managed care, women's health, and the health professional workforce.
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Female↗
A web-based database for diagnosis of haematologic neoplasms using immunophenotyping by flow cytometry.
The interpretation of immunophenotyping results by flow cytometry involves pattern recognition of different haematologic neoplasms that may have similar immunologic marker patterns. The numerous markers available in the flow cytometry laboratory make these patterns difficult to remember, especially for those of uncommon neoplasms. We describe the design and implementation of a Web-based database for diagnosis of haematologic neoplasms using results of immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. This database aims to assist pathology and haematology residents in interpreting flow cytometry data, and is designed to reach a wide base of users who use a variety of browsers on different computer platforms. Five modules are developed in this comprehensive program: (a) differential diagnosis: to generate a list of differential diagnoses that closely match the marker results in a given case; (b) display of disorders: typical results of markers for each disorder; (c) display of markers: relevant information of each immunologic marker; (d) display of archived cases for a disorder: marker results of cases previously diagnosed for a disorder; and (e) display of summary for archived cases: summary of marker results of all the archived cases for each disorder. Our experience with this Web-based database in teaching pathology residents has been very encouraging. Since the World Wide Web is increasingly more accessible to computer users, it has become an ideal medium for distribution of clinical decision-support software.
Antigens, CD↗
In vitro generation of Epstein-Barr virus-specific cytotoxic T cells in patients receiving haplo-identical allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
Use of a partially mismatched related donor (PMRD) is an option for patients who require allogeneic transplantation but do not have a matched sibling or unrelated donor. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced lymphoma is a major cause of mortality after PMRD transplantation. In this study, we present a clinical grade culture system for donor-derived EBV-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) that do not recognize haplo-identical recipient cells. The EBV-specific CTLs were tested for cytolytic specificity and other functional properties, including ability to transgress into tissues, propensity for apoptosis, degree of clonality, stability of dominant T-cell clones, and Tc and Th phenotypes. The EBV-specific CTLs were routinely expanded to greater than 80 x 10(6) over a period of 5 weeks, which is sufficient for clinical application. A CD8+ phenotype predominated, and the CTLs were highly specific for donor lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) without killing of recipient targets or K562. Vbeta spectratyping showed an oligoclonal population that was stable on prolonged culture. The EBV-specific CTLs were activated (D-related human leukocyte antigen [HLA-DR+], L-selectin+/-) and of memory phenotype (CD45RO+). Expression of the integrin VLA-4 suggested that these CTLs could adhere to endothelium and migrate into tissues. The Bcl-2 message was upregulated, which may protect the CTLs from the apoptosis. The first demonstration of overexpression of bcl-2 in human memory CTLs. In addition, we show that lymphoblastoid cell lines used to generate CTLs are readily genetically modified with recombinant lentivirus, indicating that genetically engineered antigen presentation is feasible.
Adolescent↗
Deaf children's processing of auditory, visual, and combined stimuli.
One hundred eighty-four deaf children were presented auditory, visual (speechreading), and combined stimuli. Some subjects showed an enhancement of their processing abilities in the combined mode, some demonstrated no improvement, and others yielded reduced scores. A method of data analysis is proposed which could contribute to a better understanding of a subject's performance.
Adolescent↗
Endothelial function and hemodynamic responses during mental stress.
OBJECTIVE: The hemodynamic basis of blood pressure responses during psychological stress shows striking individual differences that share an interesting similarity with risk for cardiovascular disease. Factors accounting for these individual differences are poorly understood. The present study examined the relationship of vascular endothelial function to stress-induced hemodynamic responses. METHODS: Subjects were 40 healthy men and women, aged 25 to 44 years. Hemodynamic responses were assessed during exposure to a battery of four diverse laboratory stressors. Endothelium-dependent arterial dilation (EDAD) was measured by ultrasound imaging of the brachial artery in response to reactive hyperemia. RESULTS: High EDAD response was associated with lower resting systolic (p < .01) and diastolic blood pressure (p < .05). EDAD response was unrelated to blood pressure responses during stress. However, systemic vascular resistance responses during laboratory stress were significantly greater (p < .02) for individuals with low EDAD responses. CONCLUSIONS: Exaggerated systemic vascular resistance responses during stress may reflect endothelial dysfunction. This association may help explain the growing evidence of a relationship between stress hemodynamics and cardiovascular disease risk. The nature of this association is discussed in terms of a possible interplay between the sympathetic nervous system and the endothelium in regulation of vascular tone.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
A randomized trial of heparin and saline for maintaining intravenous locks in neonates.
PURPOSE: To determine the effects of saline, heparin 2 units (U) per ml saline, and heparin 10 U/ml saline flush solutions on the duration of intravenous (i.v.) locks and the incidence of i.v. infiltration in neonates. DESIGN: Randomized double-blind experiment. SETTING: Tertiary-care nursery. PARTICIPANTS: Neonates (N = 90) hospitalized at birth in the intensive, intermediate care, or newborn units. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total hours from the time the i.v. was inserted to the time the i.v. was removed; hours from the time the i.v. was first flushed to the time the i.v. was removed; number of i.vs. removed because of infiltration. RESULTS: No statistical or clinical differences between the three groups for duration of i.v. nor for incidence of complications. CONCLUSIONS: The use of heparin in i.v. lock flush solution did not affect the duration of i.v. locks nor the incidence of infiltration in neonates.
Anticoagulants↗
Adaptive dispersion in vowel perception.
The 'hyperspace effect' in vowel perception may be taken as evidence that adaptive dispersion is an active perceptual process. However, a previous study tested for adaptive dispersion in isolated vowel stimuli spoken in a voice unfamiliar to the listeners. The experiment reported in this paper addressed both of these potential concerns and found that both consonant context and talker familiarity modulate the hyperspace effect. However, the reductions induced by context and familiarity were slight. Listeners' preferred perceptual spaces remained hyperarticulated relative to the production vowel space.
Humans↗
Acoustic vowel reduction in Creek: effects of distinctive length and position in the word.
Eight speakers (4 male and 4 female) of the Muskogee dialect of Creek pronounced a set of words illustrating the vowels and diphthongs of Creek. These recordings were analyzed acoustically and data on vowel duration and vowel formant frequencies are presented in this paper. The ratio of the durations of dictinctively long and short vowels was 1.8. This ratio showed a sex difference, being larger for female speakers than it was for male speakers. Final lengthening was also observed: both distinctively long and short vowels were longer in word-final position than in word-initial position. The vowel formant data showed two additive, orthogonal phonetic vowel reduction processes: short vowel centralization and positional reduction. Short vowel centralization has been found in many languages. Distinctively long vowels in Creek tended to be more peripheral in the acoustic vowel space than were the distinctively short vowels. Positional reduction is also evident in these data: vowels in word-final position were reduced relative to vowels in word-initial position. Short vowel centralization was preserved in both positions in the word. Positional reduction has been documented in several languages, and these results from Creek lend support to the hypothesis that it is a general property of speech production. The results of this acoustic-phonetic study, the first such study of Creek, are discussed in light of cross-linguistic phonetic trends.
Adult↗
Differential effects of speaker and vowel variability on fricative perception.
Previous research has shown that listeners' identifications of synthetic fricative noises are influenced by both rounding on an adjacent vowel and by the sex of the speaker who produced the adjacent vowel. In each case, contextual information which indicates a longer vocal tract during the production of the fricative (vowel rounding, or male speaker) results in fewer "sh" responses to the items in an [s] to [integral of] continuum (i.e., listeners expect generally lower vocal tract resonances from longer vocal tracts). The experiments reported here indicate that these superficially similar perceptual effects interact differently with manipulations of presentation type (blocked vs. randomized) and the interstimulus interval. When tokens produced by different speakers were presented blocked by speaker, the perceptual effect of speaker differences was reduced, and the degree of reduction depended on interstimulus interval. However, neither of these manipulations had an impact on the perceptual effect of vowel rounding.
Acoustic Stimulation↗
The effect of anterior cruciate ligament trauma and bracing on knee proprioception.
We studied the effect that chronic anterior cruciate ligament disruption, functional bracing, and a neoprene sleeve have on knee proprioception by measuring the threshold to detection of passive knee motion in all three conditions. The threshold to detection of passive knee motion was worse in knees with chronic anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency when compared with uninjured knees. This difference was small, on average an additional 0.28 degree of flexion-extension rotation was required for the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee before the subject detected motion, and of questionable significance from a clinical and functional perspective. Wearing a functional brace or neoprene sleeve on the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee did not significantly change the threshold to detection of passive motion in comparison with the same knee without a brace, although improvements were observed. There was no relationship between the most common clinical means of characterizing altered biomechanics of the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee (that is, the magnitude of anterior-posterior knee laxity and the grade of pivot shift) and the threshold to detection of passive knee motion.
Adult↗
A moral dilemma: killing and letting die.
Most health care professionals believe that there is a clear difference between killing and letting die, i.e. between active and passive euthanasia. Philosophers, however, have repeatedly attacked the moral validity of their argument. This article explores various related issues and theoretical approaches to the distinction between acts and omissions.
Beneficence↗
The children's hour: the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is the product of a series of policy and political compromises and generates numerous structural and policy issues for states. CHIP entitles states to federal financial aid to provide health assistance to targeted children, through Medicaid expansions, new program implementation, or a product of the two. States that elect to operate CHIP programs apart from Medicaid have enormous discretion under the law to determine how they will structure their programs, the services they will cover, the form that benefits will take, and the conditions of participation and consumer protections that will apply. Determining what approach to take, as well as how to respond to the choices posed by the statute, represents a major test of how states address the needs of children and families.
Aid to Families with Dependent Children↗
Fundamentals of performance measurement.
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Managed Care Programs↗
Effect of stress reduction on daily glucose range in previously stabilized insulin-dependent diabetic patients.
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Adult↗