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Biomedical subjects

L Cohen

Publications and source records attributed to L Cohen.

At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Experiences of disclosure in women infected with HIV.

In this qualitative focus group study, we explored issues of disclosure for women infected with HIV. The sample included 19 women who participated in one of four focus group sessions. Participants talked about and described their experiences sharing information about their HIV infection with others. Content analysis was used to code the data and identify major issues. Participants uniformly expressed concern about disclosing their HIV status because they expected and feared negative responses from others. Descriptions of disclosure revealed an evaluative process involving an analysis of potential risks and benefits. Three themes that represent concerns about disclosure were identified: discrimination, confidentiality, and the context of disclosure. Based on the findings, we concluded that these concerns are important factors influencing disclosure decisions and the use of supportive services and resources. The findings have implications for designing interventions to assist women in coping with the diagnosis of HIV and to promote their quality of life.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Competitive effects of verapamil and calcium ion as regulators of myocardial enzyme leakage.

Verapamil (Vp) has been found to augment the creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage from isolated mouse heart incubated in vitro at 25 degrees C. This leakage was concentration-dependent, and in the second hour followed the Henri-Michaelis-Menten kinetics model. Least-squares estimates obtained with this model for the Km values of verapamil were 0.38 +/- 0.16 mM (CK leakage) and 0.51 +/- 0.21 mM (LDH leakage). Calcium ion inhibited this effect of verapamil, completely abolishing it when the [Ca2+]:[Vp] greater than or equal to 2. At lower [Ca2+], the effect of verapamil also followed hyperbolic kinetics; the Km of verapamil was increased, but the asymptomatic leakage rate at high [Vp] was not changed significantly. These features indicate that the calcium ion is a competitive inhibitor of verapamil-augmented enzyme leakage. These observations suggest that there may exist a common calcium ion and verapamil binding site, or two allosterically related binding sites, which represent a prime determinant of myocardial leakage. The concept of a vulnerable site that binds calcium ions and verapamil competitively and initiates or vitiates processes that influence myocardial enzyme leakage is attractive because it suggests new approaches to the problem of myocardial preservation. As verapamil is thought not to enter the cell, the site of the competitive inhibition may be the sarcolemmal coat.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Whose right to life?

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Abortion, Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Control and intrusive memories as possible determinants of chronic stress.

Amidst confusion about the nature and usefulness of the stress construct and distinctions between acute and chronic stress, research has begun to identify mechanisms by which stress affects health and by which stress can persist beyond the physical presence of the stressor. In addition, research has begun to identify reasons for selective vulnerability to chronic stress. One of the possible reasons for chronic stress following traumatic events is the disorganizing effect of loss of control and violation of expectations for regulating aspects of one's life normally under control. Data from a longitudinal study of chronic stress at Three Mile Island in the wake of the nuclear accident there suggest that loss of control and frequent experience of intrusive memories about the accident and its aftermath were related to persistent stress responding several years after the accident. The relationships between stress responding and conditioning and consolidation of stressful memories are considered as a basis for persistent intrusive memories and chronic stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endocrine levels at the start of treatment are associated with subsequent psychological adjustment in cancer patients with metastatic disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between hormonal profiles at the start of cancer treatment and subsequent psychological symptomatology. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and 18 patients with metastatic melanoma completed three assessments during the course of treatment: at the start of treatment (baseline), at the end of treatment (3 weeks after baseline), and at a follow-up appointment 1 month later. Cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine levels were measured at baseline using 15-hour urine samples. At each assessment, patients completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). RESULTS: Patients reported moderate levels of distress throughout treatment as measured by the IES and BSI. Norepinephrine levels at the start of treatment were positively associated with IES total scores at the end of treatment and at follow-up, and cortisol levels were positively associated with IES total scores at follow-up after adjusting for baseline IES and overall distress scores. Norepinephrine levels were also positively associated with depression scores at follow-up, and cortisol levels were positively associated with depression scores at the end of treatment and at follow-up after adjusting for baseline depression and overall distress scores. CONCLUSIONS: Hormonal profiles at the start of cancer treatment are associated with subsequent psychological adjustment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Absence of differences in platelet dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) oxidase polymorphism in health and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

Extracts of platelets were subjected to vertical starch gel electrophoresis followed by enzyme staining to further investigate earlier reports of a unique dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) oxidase polymorphism among boys with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) and their mothers. This was said to be distinct from those found in healthy controls. Platelets were separated from citrated venous blood by differential centrifugation and checked for purity by phase contrast microscopy. The isolated platelets were disrupted by freeze-thawing in Tris-HC1 buffer (0.02M, pH 8.2), and the resulting platelet extracts were electrophoresed for 15 hours at 130V at 4 degrees C. The starch gels were then sliced and stained with 0.2% DOPA and 0.1% MnCl2. Three electrophoretic patterns of DOPA oxidase activity were found in normal men and women: a single rapidly moving band; a single slowly moving band; and a broad band. These three patterns were also seen in boys with DMD, their mothers, and their fathers. Thus, a unique polymorphism was not found in boys with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy or their carrier mothers.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prenatal diagnosis of X-linked ichthyosis using molecular cytogenetics.

A case is presented in which X-linked ichthyosis was diagnosed prenatally using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Fetal sex was known by second trimester ultrasound in a woman with very low second trimester MSUE3. All of the 15 maternal peripheral blood metaphase spreads examined displayed two hybridization signals on one X chromosome (one in the steroid sulfatase region (Xp22.3) and one in the centromeric region), but only one hybridization signal (in the X centromeric region) on the other X chromosome. Thus, one of the X chromosome had a deletion in the Xp22.3 region, a result which was consistent with carrier status for steroid sulfatase deficiency and X-linked ichthyosis. In the 15 metaphase spreads that were examined from the amniotic fluid sample, the X chromosome displayed one hybridization signal in the control region, but no hybridization signal in the steroid sulfatase region. Thus, the X chromosome of this male fetus had a deletion in the steroid sulfatase region, a result that was consistent and demonstrated postpartum X-linked ichthyosis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychiatric symptom severity and length of stay on an intensive rehabilitation unit.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of psychiatric symptoms in the medical and surgical rehabilitation of patients on an intensive rehabilitation unit and to examine whether psychiatric symptom severity contributes to length of hospital stay (LOS). Forty-four patients (21 men and 23 women) were assessed at admission and before discharge with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Subjects were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D), Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, (PANSS), and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Thirty-six percent of subjects were cognitively impaired (MMSE < 25), 14% had significant depressive symptoms (Ham-D > 12), and 52% had significant negative symptomatology (PANSS-N > 15). A regression analysis yielded a model of three predictive factors. Gender, the PANSS General subscale, and the SANS Attention subscale accounted for 42.4% of LOS variance. These results indicate that psychiatric symptoms are common in medical rehabilitation inpatients and, together with demographic factors, are associated with increased LOS.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Are biological antagonists an alternative to synthetic fungicides for preventing postharvest diseases of fruits and vegetables?

In recent years, both the public and health authorities have become increasingly concerned about the presence of pesticides in our food supply and the environment. As a direct result of this mounting concern, research efforts for the development of alternative methods for the control of postharvest diseases of fruits and vegetables have been intensified. Considerable attention has been placed on assessing the potential of the use of biological antagonists as a viable alternative to the use of synthetic fungicides. Naturally occurring microbial antagonists have been shown to control several rot pathogens on diverse commodities. Such antagonists have various modes of action: antibiosis or competition for nutrients and space or both, induction of resistance in the host tissue, and direct interaction with the pathogen. The commercialization of certain antagonists to control postharvest decay of fruits and vegetables appears to be feasible and may present an alternative to synthetic pesticides.

Agriculture↗