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Biomedical subjects

K Robinson

Publications and source records attributed to K Robinson.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

High levels of protection induced by a 40-mer synthetic peptide vaccine against the intestinal nematode parasite Trichinella spiralis.

Parenteral vaccination, using a 40-mer synthetic peptide from a 43,000 MW immunodominant glycoprotein secreted by the intestinal nematode parasite Trichinella spiralis, induced high levels of protection against a subsequent challenge infection in mice. The expulsion of adult worms from the gut was accelerated following vaccination with peptide 40-80, but peptides 81-120 and 121-160 were not protective. Mesenteric lymph node cells taken from T. spiralis-infected mice showed some proliferation in response to in vitro stimulation with peptide 40-80, but were unaffected by peptide 81-120. As expulsion of T. spiralis is known to be brought about by T-cell-mediated inflammatory events in the intestine, the ability of the 40-80 sequence to promote accelerated worm expulsion upon challenge infection may reflect induction of a specific and appropriate T-cell response. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a protective synthetic peptide vaccine against an intestinal nematode.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Purification of 14-3-3 protein and analysis of isoforms in chicken brain.

14-3-3 proteins are apparently ubiquitous eukaryotic proteins that comprise a large number of isoforms. We have used specific antibodies raised against each mammalian isoform to probe for 14-3-3 isoforms in adult hen brains. The results suggest that there is a remarkable degree of similarity in primary structure (at least in the regions containing the epitopes). Reverse-phase HPLC of the purified avian 14-3-3 proteins indicates a high overall degree of similarity in sequence and levels of expression of each isoform that are remarkably similar to their mammalian counterparts.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed1994

Mechanism of inhibition of protein kinase C by 14-3-3 isoforms. 14-3-3 isoforms do not have phospholipase A2 activity.

The ability of individual members of the 14-3-3 protein family to inhibit protein kinase C (PKC) has been studied by using a synthetic peptide based on the specific 80 kDa substrate for PKC (MARCKS protein) in two different assay systems. Recombinant 14-3-3 and isoforms renatured by a novel method after separation by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. were studied. The detailed effects of diacylglycerol and the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate on the inhibition were also investigated. This suggests that one of the sites of interaction of 14-3-3 may be the cysteine-rich (C1) domain in PKC. Since a region in secreted phospholipase A2 (PLA2) shares similarity with this domain, the ability of 14-3-3 to interact with mammalian PLA2 was studied. Cytosolic PLA2 has some similarity to the C2 region of PKC, and the effect of 14-3-3 on this class of PLA2 was also analysed. In contrast with a previous report, no PLA2 activity was found in brain 14-3-3, nor in any of the recombinant proteins tested. These include zeta 14-3-3 isoform, on which the original observation was made.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed1994

Open learning: the state of the art in nursing and midwifery.

In this paper the authors examine the differences between open and distance learning and describe a framework based on the two dimensions of contiguity and openness to identify four 'ideal type' teaching situations. In the second part of the paper, recent developments in higher education are summarised and the shift towards increased flexibility of education provision is highlighted. Finally, it is argued that alongside the debate about definitions and educational philosophies, there is an urgent need to evaluate the effectiveness of open and distance learning systems. Personal beliefs and assertions about the benefits of open/distance learning need to be replaced by sound evidence.

Education, Nursing↗
PubMed1994

Effects of two caregiver-training programs on burden and attitude toward help.

The purpose of this research was to determine which caregiver-training program (CTP) was most beneficial to caregivers. Two types of CTPs, a behavior management program and a social skills program, were implemented. The effects of the CTPs on attitude toward asking for help, attitude about using adult day care, are caregiving burden were explored. Thirty-three caregivers volunteered to participate. Of the caregivers, the majority were female spouses (n = 22), 76% were over age 60, and 68% had some college education. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two CTPs or a control group. Pretest was completed during the first phase of the training program. Both CTPs met for six sessions. The control group received no training. The posttest was conducted 1 month after completion of the CTPs. Differences between the three groups were analyzed by using ANOVA. No differences were observed between groups. Six of the subjects chose the alternate training program when given the opportunity for further training. Caregivers who participated in both CTPs experienced a decrease in objective burden and a more positive attitude toward asking for help and using adult day care.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Health workforce planning: an analysis of employer demand pertaining to the Victorian medical record administration & diagnostic coding workforces.

In 1990, LaTrobe University introduced the world's first Post-Graduate Diploma in Nosology, in response to unmet demand for diagnostic coders in Victoria. After the first graduates entered employment, a two-part study was undertaken. The composition, employment levels and projected institutional demand for the coding workforce (comprising medical record administrator coders, Nosologists and "unqualified" coders) were ascertained. In parallel, the current employment levels and projected demand for the institutional medical record administrator workforce also were investigated. The institutional variables of major health care role, annual inpatient discharges and operating sector were found to impact upon employment levels and demand for both workforces by current, prospective and non-employers. The study identified a minimal projected demand for nosologists, the reasons for which are postulated, and negligible projected demand for nonqualified coding personnel. The results highlight a health current and projected employer demand for both medical record administrators and medical record administrator coders.

Employment↗
PubMed1994

Vaccination against the nematode Trichinella spiralis in high- and low-responder mice. Effects of different adjuvants upon protective immunity and immune responsiveness.

Groups of NIH and C57BL/10 (B10) mice were vaccinated subcutaneously with excretory/secretory material from the nematode parasite Trichinella spiralis using a variety of different adjuvants, i.e. complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), 'TiterMax', alum and ISCOMs. ISCOMs were also given orally. NIH mice, known to be rapid responders to T. spiralis, expelled their worms earlier than usual with vaccination. The slow-responder B10 mice did not expel worms any earlier, no matter which adjuvant was used. The antibody isotype response profiles following vaccination with the four adjuvants did not differ significantly; however NIH mice generally produced higher levels of antibody than B10 and CFA induced the highest overall response. NIH cells yielded stimulation indices far in excess of the B10 following in vitro stimulation with T. spiralis antigen. Secretion of interleukin-5 (IL-5) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by these cells followed similar trends, i.e. higher levels from NIH than B10. A high IL-5 level in the NIH strain was accompanied by low-level IFN-gamma production following infection, whereas the IFN-gamma response was not observed in B10 supernatants. This study shows that vaccination using these adjuvants did not appear to modify the immune response qualitatively, but the magnitude of the response was affected greatly.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1994

Rapid HPLC determination of total homocysteine and other thiols in serum and plasma: sex differences and correlation with cobalamin and folate concentrations in healthy subjects.

High-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been utilized for the rapid determination of total homocysteine, cysteine, and cysteinylglycine in human serum and plasma. Our earlier procedure (Anal Biochem 1989;178:208), which used monobromobimane to specifically derivatize thiols, has been extensively modified to allow for rapid processing of samples. As a result, > 80 samples a day can be assayed for total homocysteine, cysteine, and cysteinylglycine. The method is sensitive (lower limit of detection < or = 4 pmol in the assay) and precise (intra- and interassay CV for homocysteine, 3.31% and 4.85%, respectively). Mean total homocysteine concentrations in plasma and serum were significantly different, both from healthy male donors (9.26 and 12.30 mumol/L, respectively; P < 0.001) and healthy female donors (7.85 and 10.34 mumol/L, respectively; P < 0.001). The differences in total homocysteine between sexes were also significant (P = 0.002 for both plasma and serum). Similar differences were found for cysteine and cysteinylglycine. We found a significant inverse correlation between serum cobalamin and total homocysteine in men (P = 0.0102) and women (P = 0.0174). Serum folate also inversely correlated with total homocysteine in both sexes.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Antibodies against the major brain isoforms of 14-3-3 protein. An antibody specific for the N-acetylated amino-terminus of a protein.

14-3-3 proteins are apparently ubiquitous eukaryotic proteins that comprise a large number of isoforms. They have been implicated in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes [reviewed in Aitken et al. (1992) Trends Biochem. Sci. 17, 498-501]. We have raised specific antibodies against each mammalian brain isoform of 14-3-3 employing peptides synthesised from the amino-terminal regions. The peptides were, like the proteins from mammalian brain, N-acetylated. The antiserum specific for the epsilon isoform did not recognise the recombinant form of this protein (lacking the N-acetyl co-translational modification) expressed in E. coli until it was chemically acetylated.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed1993

Structures of quinone imine metabolites related to the anti-cancer drug amsacrine.

(5): N-(9-Acridinyl)-3-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone monoimine, C20H14N2O2, M(r) = 314.3, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 13.451 (8), b = 7.007 (4), c = 17.864 (12) A, beta = 117.26 (4) degrees, V = 1497 (2) A3, Z = 4, Dm = 1.36 (1), Dx = 1.395 g cm-3, Mo K alpha, lambda = 0.71069 A, mu = 0.99 cm-1, F(000) = 656, T = 138 (5) K, R = 0.049 for 1556 reflections. (8): N-(9-Acridinyl)-2-methoxy-1,4- benzoquinone monoimine, C20H14N2O2, M(r) = 314.3, triclinic, P1, a = 9.365 (1), b = 13.318 (2), c = 6.918 (3) A, alpha = 96.45 (3), beta = 105.30 (2), gamma = 110.11 (1) degrees, V = 761.6 (4) A3, Z = 2, Dm = 1.35 (1), Dx = 1.371 g cm-3, Mo K alpha, lambda = 0.71069 A, mu = 0.98 cm-1, F(000) = 328, T = 292 (1) K, R = 0.075 for 1009 reflections. (13): N-(9-Acridinyl)-5-dimethylamino-2- methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone monoimine, C22H19N3O2, M(r) = 357.4, triclinic, P1, a = 8.091 (7), b = 10.078 (2), c = 11.716 (3) A, alpha = 108.39 (2), beta = 99.63 (4), gamma = 95.87 (3) degrees, V = 881.4 (9) A3, Z = 2, Dm = 1.33 (1), Dx = 1.347 g cm-3, Mo K alpha, lambda = 0.71069 A, mu = 0.95 cm-1, F(000) = 376, T = 173 (5) K, R = 0.034 for 1460 reflections. The molecular geometries are described and discussed.

Amsacrine↗
PubMed1993

Molecular epidemiology of recurrent oral candidiasis in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients: evidence for two patterns of recurrence.

The causative strains in 22 patients with recurrent oral candidiasis were examined using two DNA probes (a Histoplasma capsulatum DNA probe that cross-hybridizes with Candida albicans and a C. albicans strain-specific probe derived from repetitive sequence DNA). C. albicans was the causative organism in all 22 initial episodes of infection and was also obtained from 17 patients with recurrent oral disease. Molecular analysis showed that in 11 cases, the same isolate was identified in each episode. Six patients had a clearly different isolate of C. albicans causing a later episode of candidiasis. Five patients had different Candida species causing recurrent disease: 4, Torulopsis glabrata; 1, Candida parapsilosis. Patients with a new isolate (either new species or a new C. albicans strain) were more immunosuppressed and were significantly more likely (P < .001) than patients with the same recurrent strain to have received suppressive azole antifungal agents. These data indicate that the epidemiology of recurrent candidiasis in individual patients seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus is complex and that both failure of eradication of Candida from the oral cavity and new infection occur.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

Differential regulation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 enhancer in monocytes at various stages of differentiation.

We have demonstrated that stimulation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) enhancer in T cells is dependent upon at least four cis-acting elements, including two purine-rich binding sites, PuB1 and PuB2, which are capable of binding members of the ets family of proto-oncogenes, the pets (peri-ets) site, which lies just upstream of the PuB2 site, and a single kappa B site (D. M. Markovitz, M. Smith, J. M. Hilfinger, M. C. Hannibal, B. Petryniak, and G. J. Nabel, J. Virol. 66:5479-5484, 1992). In this study, we examined the regulation of the HIV-2 enhancer in cells of monocytic lineage. We found that in immature monocytic cell lines, the HIV-2 enhancer is markedly induced by phorbol esters and that all four cis-acting elements are required for activation. In mature monocytic cells, constitutive activity is high, with only modest stimulation following phorbol ester treatment. Mutation of any of the four cis-acting elements resulted in greatly reduced basal expression in mature monocytes. This is in contrast to HIV-1, in which developmentally controlled expression of the enhancer in monocytes is mediated largely through the kappa B sites alone [G. E. Griffin, K. Leung, T. M. Folks, S. Kunkel, and G. J. Nabel, Nature (London) 339:70-73, 1989]. Further, we demonstrated that although both Elf-1, an ets family member with significant similarity to the drosophila developmental regulatory protein E74, and Pu.1, a monocyte- and B-cell-specific member of the ets family, bind the purine-rich enhancer region, Elf-1 is the protein which binds predominantly in vivo. A nuclear factor(s) which binds the pets site, an element which has been described only in HIV-2, was detected in extracts of all of the monocytic cells tested. These findings indicate that the mechanism by which cellular factors regulate HIV-2 enhancer function in monocytic cells differs significantly from that of HIV-1 and may offer a partial explanation for the differences in the biological and clinical characteristics of the two viruses.

Base Sequence↗