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Biomedical subjects

M E Jenkins

Publications and source records attributed to M E Jenkins.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Outpatient burn management.

The outpatient environment is appropriate for the management of many minor or moderate burn injuries. Ambulatory care moves across the continuum of recovery from treatment of the acute insult, through the rehabilitative phase of care, to surgical reconstruction. The patient and family actively participate with the multidisciplinary team in the design of a holistic plan of care. Ongoing evaluation of progress is provided to achieve optimal outcomes based on standards of care and standards of practice.

Ambulatory Care

Radiation-sensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Five Arabidopsis mutants have been isolated on the basis of hypersensitivity of leaf tissue to UV light. For each mutant, the UV-hypersensitive phenotype (uvh) was inherited as a single recessive Mendelian trait. In addition, each uvh mutant represented a separate complementation group. Three of the mutations producing the UV hypersensitive phenotype have been mapped relative to either genetic markers or physical microsatellite polymorphisms. Locus UVH1 is linked to nga76 on chromosome 5, UVH3 to GL1 on chromosome three, and UVH6 to nga59 on chromosome 1. Each uvh mutant has a characteristic pattern of sensitivity based on UV sensitivity of leaf tissue, UV sensitivity of root tissue, and ionizing radiation sensitivity of seeds. On the basis of these patterns, possible molecular defects in these mutants are discussed.

Arabidopsis

Isolation of uvh1, an Arabidopsis mutant hypersensitive to ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation.

A genetic screen for mutants of Arabidopsis that are hypersensitive to UV light was developed and used to isolate a new mutant designated uvh1. UV hypersensitivity in uvh1 was due to a single recessive trait that is probably located on chromosome 3. Although isolated as hypersensitive to an acute exposure to UV-C light, uvh1 was also hypersensitive to UV-B wavelengths, which are present in sunlight that reaches the earth's surface. UV-B damage to both wild-type and uvh1 plants could be significantly reduced by subsequent exposure of UV-irradiated plants to photoreactivating light, showing that photoreactivation of UV-B damage is important for plant viability and that uvh1 plants are not defective in photoreactivation. A new assay for DNA damage, the Dral assay, was developed and used to show that exposure of wild-type and uvh1 plants to a given dose of UV light induces the same amount of damage in chloroplast and nuclear DNA. Thus, uvh1 is not defective in a UV protective mechanism. uvh1 plants were also found to be hypersensitive to ionizing radiation. These results suggest that uvh1 is defective in a repair or tolerance mechanism that normally provides plants with resistance to several types of DNA damage.

Arabidopsis

Isolation of DNA damage-inducible promoters in Escherichia coli: regulation of polB (dinA), dinG, and dinH by LexA repressor.

A new genetic screening method has been developed to isolate Escherichia coli promoters which are components of the SOS regulon. Plasmids containing the regulatory regions of polB (dinA) and two new loci, dinG and dinH, were characterized. Galactokinase gene fusion experiments indicated that transcription of these genes is inducible by treatment with mitomycin and conforms to a classical model of SOS regulation involving simple LexA repression. Mapping studies using the E. coli DNA library of Kohara et al. (Y. Kohara, K. Akiyama, and K. Isono, Cell 50:495-508, 1987) revealed that dinG and dinH are located at 17.8 and 19.8 min on the chromosome, respectively. The nucleotide sequence of the dinH regulatory region contains a segment which is very similar to previously characterized binding sites for LexA protein. An asymmetric, noncanonical 20-bp LexA operator in the cloned dinG promoter region was identified. Additional experiments have revealed that the nucleotide sequence of the gene immediately downstream of the DNA damage-inducible polB locus encodes a polypeptide which has extensive sequence homology to several known and putative DNA and RNA helicase proteins. This gene, which is not regulated by the LexA repressor, has been designated hepA. The predicted amino acid sequence of the product of hepA contains several highly conserved sequence motifs that are also found in enzymes such as the RecQ and UvrB proteins of E. coli and the Rad3 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Amino Acid Sequence

A prospective trial of prophylactic intravenous immune globulin for the prevention of infections in severely burned patients.

A prospective randomized double-blind study evaluated the efficacy of i.v. immune globulin in preventing infectious complications in severely burned patients. Fifty patients were randomized to receive either i.v. immune globulin or placebo. Each group of patients was treated with twice weekly infusions for either 5 weeks or until the patients' wounds were covered. Patients treated with the immune globulin had an immediate correction of their depressed serum IgG levels, however there was no change in the infection or mortality rates. No adverse effects were noted with the immune globulin treatments. One potential weakness of this study was the greater burn surface area and a higher incidence of inhalation injury in adult patients treated with i.v. immune globulin compared to controls.

Adolescent

An outcome study of anorexia nervosa in an adolescent unit.

This paper describes a follow-up study of 21 adolescent girls treated for anorexia nervosa in an adolescent unit operating a strict refeeding programme with hospital stay averaging six months. Outcome at three-year follow-up (using Morgan's General Outcome categories) was good for ten girls (48 per cent), intermediate for four (19 per cent) and poor for five (24 per cent). Two girls were unclassified; one was diagnosed as manic depressive psychosis and the other as bulimia nervosa. An interesting finding is the lack of separation from parents at long-term follow-up. The relevance of the findings to the particular treatment approach and provision of future services is discussed.

Adolescent

Down's syndrome and thyroid dysfunction.

A child with Down's syndrome (DS) and associated hyperthyroidism is described and studies pertinent to DS and thyroid function are discussed. A majority of data supports a hypothesis of immunological abnormalities in DS, with resultant thyroid dysfunction. It is puzzling that overt disease is not more common in DS, since the incidence of thyroid autoantibodies is high and autoimmunity and Hashimoto's thyroiditis are often associated with clinical thyroid disease. A physician who cares for children should consider thyroid disease in any child with DS who manifests a single compatible symptom. Palpation of the thyroid gland is essential during each physical examination.

Adolescent

Drug therapy in children.

Foolproof guidelines and rules for the administration of drug therapy to children are not available. In particular, the use of weight, height, and age as the basis for drug dose calculations can lead to serious errors in dosage. Extreme care must be used in the treatment of pregnant women as most drugs cross the placenta. The potential effects of a drug on the fetus must be weighed against the need for the drug in the mother.Special attention must be given to the lactating or breast-feeding mother since most drugs are excreted in breast milk and potentially can adversely affect the nursing infant. Where possible, drug therapy in children should be avoided. If drugs are specifically indicated, the dosage should be calculated after considerable scrutiny of the total management and the goals of the management regimen. Careful followup of every child on even the simplest drug is mandatory.

Adult