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Biomedical subjects

M A Watson

Publications and source records attributed to M A Watson.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Human growth hormone gene and the highly homologous growth hormone variant gene display different splicing patterns.

Stably transfected cell lines containing the normal human growth hormone (hGH-N) and human growth hormone-variant (hGH-V) genes have been established in order to study the expression of these two highly homologous genes. Each gene was inserted into a bovine papillomavirus shuttle vector under the transcriptional control of the mouse metallothionein gene promoter and the resultant recombinants were transfected into mouse C127 cells. The transfected cells containing the hGH-N gene secrete two hGH proteins, 91% migrating at 22 kD and 9% migrating at 20 kD, the same relative proportions synthesized in vivo by the human pituitary. S1 nuclease analysis of mRNA from these cells confirms that 20 kD hGH is encoded by an alternatively spliced product of the primary hGH-N gene transcript in which the normal exon 3 splice-acceptor site is bypassed for a secondary site 15 codons within exon 3. Although the hGH-V gene is identical to the hGH-N gene for at least 15 nucleotides on either side of the normal and alternative exon 3 AG splice-acceptor sites, hGH-V synthesizes only a 22-kD protein. Reciprocal exchange of exon 3 and its flanking intron sequences between the hGH-N gene and the hGH-V gene, eliminates the synthesis of the 20-kD protein in both resultant chimeric genes. These results directly demonstrate that both the major 22-kD and the minor 20-kD forms of pituitary hGH are encoded by the alternative splicing products of a single hGH-N gene transcript. This alternative splicing is neither species nor tissue-specific and appears to be regulated by at least two separate regions remote from the AG splice-acceptor site.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

They are not alone: lending support to family care givers.

Families caring for a frail elderly loved one at home face numerous problems and crises and often become incapacitated, sometimes breaking down completely, in their efforts to cope. Research indicates that education, information and referral services, and support and respite services can significantly improve coping abilities and relieve care givers' burden. During the past eight years, the Neurological Sciences Center's Education & Family Support Services (E&FSS) of Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, OR, has become a leader in developing these services for families. E&FSS programs include Helping You Care; Caregiver Series; Caregiver Support Group; POPS; Polishing Our People Skills; Neurological Coalition; Caregiver's Respite Program; Legal/Financial Planning class; and the E&FSS Resource Center. The program also provides public education in the form of three major programs each year, videotapes, and fact sheets. The program benefits the facility by providing direct revenues, referring clients to medical services and physicians, and enhancing the facility's image in the community.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Indexing civil commitment in psychiatric emergency rooms.

A reliable prototype index, Three Ratings of Involuntary Admissibility (TRIAD), was developed to reflect the way psychiatric emergency room clinicians apply legal criteria for involuntary commitment. The interrater reliability coefficients--Pearson's r--of the TRIAD system for rating patients are 0.94, danger-to-self score; 0.89, danger-to-other score; 0.77, grave-disability score; and 0.89, total-admissibility score. TRIAD scores accounted for 82 percent of 89 disposition decisions in two metropolitan county hospital psychiatric emergency rooms. Study results indicate that (1) psychiatric emergency room clinicians shared constructs of danger to self, danger to others, and grave disability; (2) these constructs are reliably applied in actual cases; (3) TRIAD is a valid reflection of these constructs; and (4) case disposition is predictable from the severity of the patient's status with regard to these criteria.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed1985

Dinitrochlorobenzene skin testing predicts response to hepatitis B vaccine in dialysis patients.

The pattern of seroconversion and anti-HBs titres after 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine was studied in 40 haemodialysis patients who had been grouped on the basis of their cell-mediated immune (CMI) response into strong or weak reactors. CMI response was determined by means of a dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) skin test. Titres of anti-HBs were comparable to those in healthy controls in 13 of 14 (93%) strong reactors but in only 9 of 26 (35%) weak reactors. Strong reactors had an equally satisfactory seroconversion rate with either 20 micrograms or 40 micrograms of vaccine whereas weak reactors had a negligible seroconversion rate with the 20 micrograms dose. In terms of hepatitis B prophylaxis, haemodialysis patients with a well preserved CMI response require only 20 micrograms of vaccine, with a consequent saving in cost. In contrast, it will be necessary to devise more effective immunisation schedules for most patients with a poor CMI response.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Low-dose D-penicillamine therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. A controlled, double-blind clinical trial.

Two hundred twenty-five patients with active severe rheumatoid arthritis were admitted to a multiclinic, controlled, double-blind trial comparing the use of 500 mg D-penicillamine per day, 125 mg D-penicillamine per day, and placebo. One hundred seventy-one patients completed at least 30 weeks of therapy. The 500 mg D-penicillamine group demonstrated statistically significant improvement over the placebo group in grip strength, average circumference of swollen proximal interphalangeal joints, and patient assessment. While the trend was for greater improvement with the larger dose of D-penicillamine, there was no statistically significant difference among the 3 groups in duration of morning stiffness, walking time, physician's assessment, number of swollen joints, or scores for tender and swollen joints. The slight increase in efficacy of higher dose D-penicillamine was associated with increased toxicity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

HLA antigens in Yakima Indians with rheumatoid arthritis. Lack of association with HLA-Dw4 and HLA-DR4.

Women of the Yakima Indian Nation, a northwest Native American population, are known to have an increased prevalence of a rheumatoid arthritis-like disease characterized by erosive arthritis, frequent involvement of metacarpophalangeal and wrist joints, and positive rheumatoid factor. These patients are frequently positive for antinuclear antibodies and often demonstrate adverse reactions to gold therapy. HLA antigens were determined for 29 Yakima Indians with this disease, but there was no increased frequency of either HLA-Dw4 or HLA-DR4, in contrast to other populations with rheumatoid arthritis. There was, however, a trend toward an increase in HLA-B40 and a decrease in HLA-DR8. The relative risk for rheumatoid arthritis in Yakima Indians was 2.53 in the presence of B40 and 0.28 in the presence of DR8.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1982

Methotrexate: a perspective of its use in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

MTX has been available for clinical use since 1951, and although it is widely accepted as a chemotherapeutic agent, its use in nonmalignant disorders has been sporadic and not well documented. Its mechanism of action is imprecisely understood but appears to involve both anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. The most extensive use of MTX in benign conditions has been in the treatment of psoriasis and more recently in psoriatic arthritis as well as polymyositis, sarcoid, and Reiter's syndrome. In addition, pilot studies have been carried out using MTX in patients with resistive RA. We have used MTX in 67 patients with severe RA. Maintained on oral pulse treatment schedule at 7.5 to 15.0 mg/week, approximately 75% had an improved global response with a significant decrease in active joints and ESR. Thirty-three patients have remained on therapy for periods of less than 1 year to more than 10 years. Thirty-four have discontinued treatment: 11 because of inefficacy, five with gastrointestinal complaints, three because of liver function abnormalities, and eight because of apprehension. Two patients died of neoplasm. Of the potential side effects of this agent, hepatotoxicity remains a serious consideration. We treat with attention to risk factors and rely on liver function tests to alert us to increased risk. There are data to suggest that a cumulative dose of MTX beyond 1.5 gm needs tissue surveillance. MTX appears to provide safe and effective treatment in resistive RA but requires further definitive trails.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1981

Cell-mediated immunity during RDT and the outcome of transplantation.

Previous studies have demonstrated depression of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in uraemia. We have measured CMI in a group of 248 patients on regular dialysis using a quantitative dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) skin test which gives a score of 0 to 15. Ninety-eight of these patients subsequently had first cadaver transplants and the relationship between the DNCB score and graft survival has been examined. Graft survival was found to decline progressively with higher DNCB scores. Blood transfusion also had a major influence on graft survival and the relation between the DNCB score and outcome was observed in all the blood transfusion groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Behavior cytogenetics and Turner's syndrome: a new principle in counseling and psychotherapy.

In the orthodox theory and practice of psychotherapy and counseling, each case is considered to be unique or idiodynamic in terms of psychodynamic history. According to a new and still unorthodox principle, a syndrome may have a common psychodynamic denominator, shared by all or most carriers of the syndrome. As illustrated with reference to Turner's (45,X) syndrome, application of this new principle expedites the psychodiagnostic and psychotherapeutic procedures.

Androgens↗