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M Dolan

Publications and source records attributed to M Dolan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Exploring the Mycoplasma capricolum genome: a minimal cell reveals its physiology.

We report on the analysis of 214kb of the parasitic eubacterium Mycoplasma capricolum sequenced by genomic walking techniques. The 287 putative proteins detected to date represent about half of the estimated total number of 500 predicted for this organism. A large fraction of these (75%) can be assigned a likely function as a result of similarity searches. Several important features of the functional organization of this small genome are already apparent. Among these are (i) the expected relatively large number of enzymes involved in metabolic transport and activation, for efficient use of host cell nutrients; (ii) the presence of anabolic enzymes; (iii) the unexpected diversity of enzymes involved in DNA replication and repair; and (iv) a sizeable number of orthologues (82 so far) in Escherichia coli. This survey is beginning to provide a detailed view of how M. capricolum manages to maintain essential cellular processes with a genome much smaller than that of its bacterial relatives.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Violent incidents in an adolescent forensic unit.

Violent incidents in psychiatric institutions have been the focus of much study over the past few decades. But there has been little work looking at similar incidents in child and adolescent units. The authors set out to examine whether some of the patterns observed in adult populations are true of adolescent groups. The Gardener Unit was considered appropriate in light of reports of a higher frequency of assaultative behaviour among younger clients and because of the nature of problems presented by clients needing a secure environment. All violent incidents are automatically recorded. The violent incident register was examined between 1 June 1991 and 1 June 1992 and the information cross-checked with case notes and nursing reports. Demographic details, etc. were obtained from case notes. The results indicated a slightly higher daily incident rate than adult studies. At least half of the population were involved in some form of violent episode over the 12-month period. The majority of incidents were minor in nature. Nursing staff were the most frequent targets, although females showed an excess of inwardly directed aggression (self harm). A prior history of violent behaviour did not serve as a realistic predictor of frequency of violent incidents in this study. With increasing concern regarding the care of this disturbed group of young people, it was felt important to look closely at the nature of and handling of violent incidents on this unit. A second paper will consider in detail how these incidents were dealt with.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Neuroleptic induced sudden death--a case report and critical review.

A case report illustrates possible pathophysiological mechanisms of sudden death in psychiatric patients. Difficulties with the tendency to implicate phenothiazines as the cause of death are discussed in light of evidence that the death investigation and autopsy are often incomplete. Some suggestions are made to reduce the risk of a fatal outcome following a violent incident.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Transfer delays in a special hospital population.

Forty-four cases referred for transfer/trial leave from a Special Hospital in the latter part of 1989 were followed up and their progress on 1 January 1992 was examined. Thirty-four were accepted but only 19 moved out to psychiatric units offering treatment under conditions of lesser security. Three of the original 44 patients were discharged by Mental Health Tribunals and one has died. Twenty-three have never left maximum security. Factors largely beyond the control of Special Hospital consultants accounted for most of the delay in the transfer procedure. Fifty-eight per cent of the total time taken for transfer was attributable to delays by regional/district services i the assessment, response and admission of cases. Noticeable delays in receiving Home Office recommendations were also encountered in restricted cases. Suggestions for improving current standards are made.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Infection control instruction and screening for students.

Cook County Hospital is a large, municipal teaching hospital with multiple academic affiliations. We sought to provide uniform infection control orientation and screening for students because many had no previous training in body substance isolation systems or infection control and trainees may be more likely to be exposed to hospital-acquired infections because of their inexperience. Each student or visiting resident must complete an educational program once each year. The program consists of a pretest, a video, and group discussion, with examples of needle-disposal boxes and protective gear, information about ways to avoid needlesticks and mucosal splashes, what to do if a contact occurs, and information on isolation and tuberculosis. The session ends with a posttest, which is then retained on file. All trainees are also required to provide a "certificate of compliance" with the hospital's infectious disease serology screening program, which includes measles, rubella, and hepatitis B surface antigen testing, as well as tuberculin skin testing. Trainees must provide an updated form annually. The program is costly, both in dollars and in personnel time, for visiting students and the hospital. Tuberculin skin test screening detected a cluster of purified protein derivative skin test conversions in medical students.

Chicago↗
PubMed1994

Discovery of an enzootic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi in Neotoma mexicana and Ixodes spinipalpis from northern Colorado, an area where Lyme disease is nonendemic.

An intensive enzootic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi was seen in populations of the Mexican wood rat, Neotoma mexicana, and Ixodes spinipalpis ticks in northern Colorado. Cultures of rodent ear tissue and ticks yielded 63 spirochetal isolates: 38 N. mexicana, 2 Peromyscus difficilis, and 23 I. spinipalpis. All 63 isolates were identified as B. burgdorferi sensu lato by polymerase chain reaction; a representative subset was characterized as B. burgdorferi by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. A tick-derived spirochete isolate was infectious to laboratory mice and I. scapularis, the principal vector of Lyme disease in endemic areas of the United States. The risk of human contact with infected I. spinipalpis appears to be minimal from this epidemiologically silent focus in northern Colorado, since this tick is restricted to wood rat nests in this semiarid environment.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Psychopathy--a neurobiological perspective.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic and conceptual issues relating to psychopathy are widely debated, but advances in our understanding of the aetiology are limited. METHOD: A PSYCHLIT computerised database search of publications covering five decades was supplemented by tracing back through references from existing review work. RESULTS: Over 200 articles were extracted, and 95 were selected for review. CONCLUSIONS: It is timely to evaluate the rôle of brain dysfunction. Biological determinants are under-researched and the lack of consistency in operational definitions in published research precludes anything more than tentative conclusions about the genetic, biochemical or electrophysiological correlates of psychopathy and antisocial behaviour. A multi-modal research programme is required in the search for a comprehensive model of psychopathy that can guide both research efforts and clinical interventions.

Aggression↗
PubMed1992

The correlation between clinical diagnosis of knee pathology and findings at arthroscopy.

175 patients referred for arthroscopy were studied prospectively to assess the accuracy of clinical examination supplemented by standard radiology in the evaluation of knee symptoms. Clinical diagnosis of medial meniscal tears was inaccurate while greater confidence could be placed in the diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus tears. Clinical accuracy rates could be improved if patients with minimal symptoms were excluded from arthroscopy examination.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries↗
PubMed1991

Coming down from the ivory tower. Putting research into practice.

Nursing research is often seen as belonging to the world of academics, far removed from the everyday practicalities of clinical practice. By making it accessible and asking nurses to define their response to research, a nursing development unit caused nurses to re-evaluate their practice.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Co-morbidity: lessons learned about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from developing PTSD scales for the MMPI.

Results from efforts to develop and validate PTSD measures are promising, but a "gold standard" has not been achieved. Keane, Malloy, and Fairbank (1984) have developed an MMPI PTSD subscale that has been cross-validated with clinicians' classification of PTSD at acceptable levels of agreement, specificity, and sensitivity. There is, however, room for improvement. Empirical evidence is presented that indicates that the next round of efforts to increase reliability and validity of PTSD measures must account for the presence/absence of co-morbidity (i.e., the simultaneous occurrence of other psychiatric disorders). For example, differences are noted in MMPI group profiles and PTSD scales between psychiatric patients and substance abusers. Second, different MMPI items emerge as indicative of PTSD; these vary as a function of the presence of other Axis I disorders among groups of Vietnam combat veterans who seek treatment for substance abuse. Results substantiate that different MMPI items for classifying PTSD occur with groups that differ in co-morbidity. Improvements in PTSD scale development are more likely when the contributions of pre-existing or subsequently co-occurring psychiatric disorders are taken in account, as well as variations in level of personality maturity. The evidence suggests that a "family" of PTSD scales need to be developed that take into account co-morbidity differences.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Ethnicity: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differences among black, white, and Hispanic veterans who differ in degrees of exposure to combat in Vietnam.

Clinical observations and empirical evidence suggest that, among Vietnam combat veterans, Blacks are more maladjusted than Whites (e.g., Parsons, 1985; Penk et al., 1985). The prediction that minority group status is associated with poorer post-war adjustment and higher rates of PTSD was examined among Vietnam combat veterans who were seeking treatment for addiction disorders. Adjustment scores among groups comparable in combat exposure were found to be similar for both Whites and Hispanics; Blacks, however, score significantly higher on both PTSD symptoms on MMPI scales. These findings indicate that ethnicity contributes importantly to PTSD in selected instances, but that minority group status alone does not account for observed differences. Additional research is indicated in which careful attention is given to the complicating and interacting role of addiction disorders in sampling.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Transforming activity of DNA from rat liver tumors induced by the carcinogen methyl(acetoxymethyl)nitrosamine.

Altered c-Ha-ras genes have been frequently detected in the DNA of spontaneous or chemically induced mouse liver tumors. To determine if ras gene mutation is a frequent event during liver carcinogenesis in rats, we examined the transforming activity of DNA from liver tumors that developed in rats injected with methyl(acetoxymethyl)nitrosamine (DMN-OAc) after a partial hepatectomy. Three weeks after the injection of DMN-OAc, rats were fed a diet containing phenobarbital. This carcinogen acts only on replicating liver cells. Six of eight tumor DNAs induced the transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. The transforming activity was stable upon a second round of transfection, and the transformants were tumorigenic in nude mice. Southern blot analysis of transformant DNAs showed that the transforming activity was not due to the acquisition of a ras (Ha, Ki, or N), neu, myc, A-raf, v-raf, erbA, or erbB gene of rat origin. Several transformants' restriction enzyme sensitivity was analyzed, and their activity indicated that similar transforming sequences were present in at least two tumors and that one tumor contained two different transforming sequences. These results suggest that during hepatocarcinogenesis induced in rats by DMN-OAc, alterations in the ras gene family occur infrequently or not at all and that several different genes (which are not homologous to common oncogenes) become activated and are capable of transforming NIH 3T3 cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

The gift.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Aged↗