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Biomedical subjects

L Robinson

Publications and source records attributed to L Robinson.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Restricted patterns of CD44 variant exon expression in human papillary thyroid carcinoma.

CD44 is a polymorphic family of cell surface proteoglycans and glycoproteins implicated in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion interactions, cell migration, and tumor metastasis. CD44 exists as a standard form and as multiple isoforms arising from alternative splicing of variant exons (termed v1-v10) encoding parts of the extracellular domain. We demonstrated previously that papillary thyroid carcinomas exhibit aberrant patterns of alternative CD44 mRNA splicing (G. Ermak et al., Cancer Res., 55: 4594-4598, 1995). In the present report, we use reverse transcription-PCR using a new high-performance polymerase formulation (Ex Taq; TaKaRa Shuzo Co., Ltd., Otsu, Japan) , followed by Southern hybridization, and demonstrate that alternative exon usage in papillary thyroid carcinomas is restricted primarily to exons v6, v7, v8, v9, and v10, with weak expression of v3. Expression of v8 is tightly linked to v9 and closely related to v10 expression. Also, v6 and v7 expression are closely related. Papillary thyroid cancers exhibit a marked increase in specific mRNA species containing combinations of exons v6 to v10. Several isoforms found in papillary cancers are not detectable in histologically normal tissue derived from the corresponding contralateral thyroid lobes. Examples include a 750-bp v6- and v7-containing PCR product and a 650-bp v8- and v9- containing PCR product. Finally, a novel 530-bp PCR product was discovered and shown to contain a subsegment from exon 4 joined to a subsegment of exon 13 (v8), followed by the complete sequence of exons 14 (v9) and 15 (v10). This novel isoform was present in both the papillary cancers and contralateral tissues. In conclusion, papillary thyroid cancers exhibit specific patterns of aberrant alternative CD44 splicing, distinguishing them from histologically normal thyroid tissue.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1996

Interaction of ETS-1 and ERGB/FLI-1 proteins with DNA is modulated by spacing between multiple binding sites as well as phosphorylation.

ETS is a family of transcription factors that contain a highly conserved ETS DNA binding domain. Various members of the ETS family are expressed in cells of hematopoietic lineage. ETS-1, ETS-2 and ERGB/FLI-1 are expressed at high levels in T-lymphocytes. HIV-1 infects T-cells and it has been shown that its LTR contains binding sites for various transcription factors. In this study we show that the HIV-1 core enhancer is directly regulated by ERGB/FLI-1 protein positively, as well as, negatively, depending upon the presence or absence of accessory factors in different cell types. In addition, we show that the ETS-1 transactivation activity is enhanced upon dephosphorylation of the Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase II phosphorylation site located in exon VII. Finally, we demonstrate that the spacing between the two EBS cores in palindromic or direct repeat sites play a crucial role in binding of ETS proteins to DNA.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

A case study of a human reliability assessment for an existing nuclear power plant.

This paper concerns a Human Reliability Assessment (HRA) carried out over a period of two years as part of a Nuclear Power Plant Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). The HRA involved all elements of the HRA process, from problem definition and task analysis, through error representation and quantification, to impact assessment, error reduction, quality assurance and documentation. The aim of this paper is to show the methodology of HRA as applied in a real PSA, highlighting various elements of the HRA, and how the HRA interfaced with the PSA. Comments are also given on practical aspects and impacts of the various approaches, and the usefulness of a hybrid HRA/PSA team approach.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Assessment of adult sibling grief: a review of measurement issues.

Over the past decade hospice care has been delivered to an increasing population of persons with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (PWAS) and their families. Adult siblings likely comprise a large number of these surviving family members. Investigations that examine sibling bereavement are scarce (Osterweis, Solomon & Green, 1984) and assessment of the unique experience of adult sibling grief requires careful consideration before existing measures can be applied. The purpose of this paper is to present theoretical and psychometric considerations regarding assessment of adult sibling grief that are pertinent for hospice workers who provide bereavement care to this population.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1996

The smoke-free university: anticipating health education needs of faculty and staff.

A survey instrument was developed to assess the anticipated impact of smoke-free university policy on faculty and staff and to recommend health education interventions based on stages of change theory and employee interest. Four months before the policy was implemented, the 25-item anonymous questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,000 faculty/staff. A majority of university workers (85.5%) are not smokers and approve of the no-smoking policy. Smokers (14.5%) are older than nonsmokers, are more likely to have a high school versus higher education, and are more likely to be maintenance or clerical workers. Most smokers smoke less than one pack per day and smoke outdoors during work hours. More smokers were in later stages of change (planning to stop soon) than expected. Interest in availability of smoking cessation activities differed by smoking status and change stage.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Pain elicited during intraoral infiltration with buffered lidocaine.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of buffered lidocaine with self reporting of pain elicited during maxillary labial and palatal infiltrations of permanent canines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A standardized, prospective clinical trial of adult volunteers using a cross-over design of 20 paired injections using conventional 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine as the control. RESULTS: Failed to establish a significant reduction in pain scores for either injection site when buffered lidocaine was injected intraorally.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Deregulated alternative splicing of CD44 messenger RNA transcripts in neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions of the human thyroid.

CD44 is a polymorphic family of immunologically related cell surface proteoglycans and glycoproteins implicated in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion interactions, lymphocyte activation and homing, cell migration, and tumor metastasis. CD44 exists as a standard form and as multiple isoforms, each generated by alternative splicing of up to 10 variant exons (termed v1-v10) encoding parts of the extracellular domain. Using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR and Southern hybridization, alternative CD44 mRNA splicing was examined in 10 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 8 nodular goiters, 9 adenomas, 2 cases of thyroiditis, and 3 histologically normal thyroid controls. The amount of input cDNA for the CD44 PCRs was standardized against an internal control gene (glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase). Four papillary carcinomas showed significant overexpression of CD44 transcripts migrating between 750 and 1000 bp. These cases demonstrated reduced levels of the 482-bp standard isoform transcript. In six papillary cancers, we found a prominent v6-containing isoform at 750 bp that was present in only trace amounts in normal thyroid tissue. It is of interest that similar findings were seen in the majority of the goiters and adenomas but not in the cases of thyroiditis. These results show that deregulation of alternative CD44 splicing is a common feature of disordered thyroid follicular cell growth, both in neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions. The data imply an important role for CD44, including CD44v6, in the pathogenesis of various thyroid lesions.

Adenocarcinoma, Papillary↗
PubMed1995

A database for estimating normal spinal motion derived from noninvasive measurements.

STUDY DESIGN: A database for estimated normal spinal motion was derived using a noninvasive, high-resolution, computer-aided system, which tracks the motion of skin markers strategically placed on the spine. Forty normal subjects, selected from hundreds of possible subjects according to rigorous inclusion/exclusion criteria, were tested on the system. OBJECTIVES: Patterns of estimated spinal motion were analyzed as a function of load, age, and sex, confirming a correlation between the movement of spinal segments and the motion of skin markers. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The Workers Compensation Board of Quebec funded and supervised the experiments necessary to establish a normative reference database for a high-resolution motion analysis system that permits a noninvasive assessment of spinal function. A previous study examined the correlation between the movements of the skin markers and the underlying bony structures for trunk flexion. Skin movement cannot be random and contains information characterizing both the spine and its surrounding soft tissues. METHODS: A noninvasive dynamic imaging system was used to measure normal spinal function under free movement. A high-resolution three-dimensional camera system collected basic kinematic data from strategically placed skin markers over the lumbar spine while the activity of paraspinal muscles was being recorded with surface electromyography. The measurements were analyzed for consistent, specific patterns recognizable as normal lumbar spine skin motion and reflecting normal lumbar spine function. A comparison was made with previous radiographic studies to confirm the correlation between the motion of skin markers and lumbar spine function. RESULTS: Lumbar skin marker motion patterns in normal subjects were consistent and varied little with load; gender had no effect except in the initial phase of a movement. There was less mobility but similar coordination in older subjects. No inconsistencies with previous radiologic investigations were found for sagittal and lateral plane movement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Podiatric disorders among children with Down syndrome and learning disability.

This study investigated podiatric pathology in seven- to 14-year-old children with Down syndrome (DS) and non-Down syndrome learning-disabled and non-learning-disabled age-matched controls. Several conditions, including pes planus, fissures, split toenails, increased plantar flexed first ray and a wide hallucal cleft were found to be more common in the DS group. Pes cavus and foot rigidity were more common in the non-DS learning-disabled group. In all groups the majority of children wore laced shoes, which were most ill-fitting among children with a learning disability. Approximately one-third in each group had abnormal foot-pressure prints. Greater care and professional awareness of podiatric pathology in children with learning disability is recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of amplified Q beta replicase and PCR assays for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Because of the long time required to isolate Mycobacterium tuberculosis in culture, there is an acute need for simple rapid methods for direct detection of M. tuberculosis from human sputum specimens. We have developed and characterized quantitative manual Q beta replicase and PCR assays for M. tuberculosis. The Q beta replicase assay was based on reversible target capture of M. tuberculosis 23S rRNA followed by amplification of a replicatable detector probe with Q beta replicase. For PCR assays, primers generating a 370-bp amplification product from the IS6110 insertion element were used in combination with a control plasmid containing an internal deletion in the IS6110 amplicon. Serial dilutions of M. tuberculosis were spiked into sputum and subjected to digestion and decontamination with N-acetyl-L-cysteine and NaOH. Assay conditions were optimized for hybridization and sample processing chemistries in order to maximize sample utilization. Following assay optimization, the sensitivities of the Q beta replicase and PCR assays of spiked sputum samples were 0.5 and 5.0 CFU per assay reaction, respectively. The effects of sputum matrix on each assay were examined by testing 20 patient sputum samples which had been cultured for M. tuberculosis. The culture-positive samples included smear-positive and smear-negative samples. The results of the Q beta replicase assay were not inhibited by sputum and were in 100% agreement with those of culture, including detection of 10 culture-positive specimens. However, using an internal control plasmid coamplified with each PCR as an indicator, we detected PCR inhibition in 9 of 20 samples tested. Decreasing the amount of sample assayed in the PCR 24-fold alleviated the inhibitory effects in all but two specimens, one of which was culture positive. The decreased sample utilization also resulted in a false-negative result with a third specimen which was culture positive for M. tuberculosis. Quantitative smear results and QB replicase assay estimates of the number of organisms present in these specimens were in close agreement. The QB replicase assay performed well in comparison with both culture and PCR and should offer a rapid means for detecting and controlling infection due to M. tuberculosis.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1995

Q-beta replicase-amplified assay for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly from clinical specimens.

We report the results of a study conducted to evaluate the performance of manual Q-Beta replicase-amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex assay compared with that of culture for detecting M. tuberculosis directly from digested sputum pellets. A total of 261 specimens submitted to three tuberculosis testing laboratories were analyzed. Culture and acid-fast bacillus smear results were provided by the tuberculosis testing laboratories. Of these 261 specimens, 34 (13% prevalence rate) were positive for M. tuberculosis by culture. The samples were digested and decontaminated by the testing laboratories by using their standard digestion and decontamination procedures. An aliquot of the digested and decontaminated pellet was sent to GENE-TRAK. The digested and decontaminated pellet was neutralized by washing it with 0.067 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.8), and the bacteria present in the washed pellet were heat inactivated at 100 degrees C for 15 min. The samples were combined with sample processing buffer containing GuSCN and were treated for 6 min in the GENE-TRAK Sample Processing Instrument to release the nucleic acids. The release rRNA was analyzed in a manual Q-Beta replicase assay format which incorporates elements of sandwich hybridization, reversible target capture, and Q-beta replicase signal amplification technologies. In comparison with culture, the overall assay sensitivity and specificity were 97.1 and 96.5%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 80.5%, and the negative predictive value was 99.5%. After analysis of discrepant results, the assay sensitivity and specificity were 97.3 and 97.8, respectively, and the prevalence rate was 14%. The positive predictive value and the negative predictive value were 87.8 and 99.5%, respectively. The Q-Beta replicase assay is rapid sensitive, semiquantitative, and specific for the direct detection of M. tuberculosis from clinical specimens.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1995

The floppy infant: a new manifestation of nonaccidental injury.

A 9-week-old infant who sustained a nonaccidental cervical spine fracture with spinal cord injury is reported. Such an injury has not been previously reported in such a young child. The clinical features raised initial difficulties in diagnosis, and management was hampered by the lack of recorded experience of such an injury in such a young infant. Conservative management was employed and the infant has made a partial recovery. The distinctive features of spinal injury in young children are discussed.

Battered Child Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Concurrent paclitaxel/cisplatin with thoracic radiation in patients with stage IIIA/B non-small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Nine patients with stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer were entered into a phase II trial designed to determine the feasibility of giving a combination of paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) plus cisplatin concurrent with thoracic radiation. Paclitaxel was given as a 24-hour infusion (135 mg/m2) followed by cisplatin (75 mg/m2) every 4 weeks, for a total of four cycles. Thoracic radiation was given concurrently with the first two cycles of chemotherapy, for a total dose of 64.8 Gy over 6 weeks. Neutropenia and esophagitis were the most common toxicities, with 66% of patients experiencing grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and 55% experiencing grade 3 or 4 esophagitis. Grade 3 pulmonary toxicity developed in 33% of patients. All patients were able to receive the full dose of radiation, although half of the patients required some modification of the chemotherapy regimen. There was one complete response and four partial responses, yielding a 56% overall response rate. This study demonstrates that it is feasible to treat patients with stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer with paclitaxel/cisplatin plus concurrent thoracic radiation, with a degree of toxicity comparable with that associated with a degree of toxicity comparable with that associated with other concurrent combined-modality regimens for this disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Human diversity and professional competence. Training in clinical and counseling psychology revisited.

Psychologists have increasingly recognized the need to appropriately train students to serve individuals from diverse groups. These groups have been characterized by racial-ethnic membership or defined by sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, and physical ability. Recent reports have documented that many applied graduate training programs still do not provide courses and experiences specific to working with diverse populations. This study presents results from a survey of 259 graduates of counseling and clinical psychology programs. Respondents were asked about training and professional work experiences with diverse groups. Results indicate restricted opportunities for training with diverse clients. Training experiences reported to be most effective are presented. Findings are discussed in light of continuing efforts to promote appropriate services.

Education↗
PubMed1994

Detection of Rochalimaea henselae DNA in specimens from cat scratch disease patients by PCR.

A PCR assay was developed by using degenerate primers that allow amplification of a 414-bp fragment of DNA from the rickettsia-like organisms Rochalimaea henselae and R. quintana. Internal oligonucleotides were used as hybridization probes, permitting rapid differentiation of these two Rochalimaea species. DNAs from 12 different isolates of R. henselae were amplified with the PCR primers, and the resulting 414-bp PCR product hybridized only with the R. henselae-specific probe. DNAs from four different isolates of R. quintana were amplified and produced a PCR product of the same size that hybridized only with the R. quintana-specific probe. DNAs from isolates of R. elizabethae, R. vinsonii, Bartonella bacilliformis, and Afipia felis failed to amplify the 414-bp fragment in the PCR assay. This two-step assay was applied to DNAs extracted from 16 fresh (unfixed) lymph node biopsy specimens and nine aspirates from patients with clinical cat scratch disease (CSD) to assay for the presence of R. henselae or R. quintana DNA in these samples. Twenty-one (84%) of 25 lymph node samples from CSD patients were positive for R. henselae, while none were positive for R. quintana. The characteristic 414-bp fragment was not amplified from eight lymph node tissue samples from non-CSD cases. These results provide evidence that R. henselae, and not R. quintana, plays the central role in the etiology of CSD.

Bacteriological Techniques↗