Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Gross.
The Cobb angle is the recommended standard for curvature assessment of scoliotic patients. Because the errors associated with this measure are thought to be significant, we conducted a study to quantify the variability of the Cobb measure among observers, within each observer's repeated measurements, and between the traditional protractor Cobb measurement and a computer-aided technique.
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Quantitative myocardial scintigraphy was performed in 40 patients with a medium prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD), i.e. in cases with diagnostic difficulties. The results were compared with those of coronary angiography and ventriculography performed within 6 months thereafter. Sensitivity of scintigraphy in 16 patients with CAD was 88% and specificity in 14 individuals without heart disease was 93%. But in 10 patients with non-coronary heart disease specificity decreased to 30%. Scintigraphic evidence of ischemia increased specificity to nearly 100% including patients with non-coronary heart disease but sensitivity was reduced to 69%. The results demonstrate that myocardial scintigraphy with 201Tl is useful in cases with suspected CAD if diagnostic difficulties arise during the early phase of investigation. But there are limitations due to a rather high prevalence of non-coronary heart disease in such groups.
A simple, fast, and specific HPLC-method to estimate retinol (vitamin A) in serum is reported. In the presence of small amounts of acetonitrile retinol is extracted quantitatively with n-hexane from serum. Neither the use of an internal standard nor evaporation to concentrate the extract is necessary. The HPLC-method avoids interferences of substances like phytofluenes, carotinoids or retinyl palmitate which is present in serum to a fraction of about 2-5%. The HPLC-method was applied to healthy adults and healthy children. The method allows about 100 determinations per day and operator.
The possible role of Met-tRNAf deacylase in the regulation of protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysate by the hemin-controlled translational repressor (HCR) or the double-stranded RNA-activated inhibitor (dsI) has been examined. Inhibition of protein synthesis by either HCR or dsI is associated with a marked increase in the steady state level of 48 S initiation complexes, containing a 40 S ribosomal subunit, globin mRNA, and a reduced level of Met-tRNAf, suggesting that the rate of 60 S subunit addition may be inhibited and that subunit-bound Met-tRNAf may become deacylated by Met-tRNAf deacylase. The addition of highly purified Met-tRNAf deacylase to lysate samples incubated with HCR or dsI reduces the [35S]Met-tRNAf labeling of 48 S complexes to even a lower level but has no effect on the high level of [35S]Met-tRNAf associated with 43 S complexes in the plus hemin control. The effect of added deacylase on the labeling of 48 S complexes with [35S]Met-tRNAf can be overcome by adding eIF-5 or a soluble reticulocyte protein that has been termed the reversing factor, but not by the addition of eIF-2. Added deacylase has no effect on the level of mRNA in 48 S complexes or the labeling of these complexes with [35S]fMet-tRNAf. When lysate samples were labeled with Met-tRNAf, purified from wheat germ or yeast, and doubly labeled with 32P at the 5' end and [35S]methionine aminoacylation, HCR reduced the level of 32P and 35S-labeled tRNAMetf in 48 S complexes to a similar degree, suggesting that once it has become deacylated, tRNAMetf dissociates from the 40 S subunit.
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The immediate antihypertensive effect of 10 mg nifedipine sublingually (nifedipine test), was measured in 19 chronic renal failure hypertensive patients on dialysis and 34 essential hypertensive patients with normal kidney function. The blood pressure decreased significantly in both groups. The minimal values were observed between 30 and 60 minutes after the sublingual administration of nifedipine. The blood pressure decreased from 178 +/- 3.3/104.0 +/- 3.9 to 136.0 +/- 4.7/87.5 +/- 5.1 mm Hg (p less than 0.001) in dialysis patients and from 176.8 +/- 4.5/107.1 +/- 2.4 to 133.0 +/- 3.0/81.7 +/- 2.2 mm Hg in essential hypertension patients (p less than 0.001). The decrease in blood pressure during the test had a significant positive correlation with the pre-test values. Thirteen hypertensive patients on dialysis and 20 essential hypertensive patients completed 2 weeks of daily oral nifedipine therapy, with a dose of 30 to 40 mg per day. The mean blood pressure at the end of the 2 weeks of treatment decreased from 179.5 +/- 4.5/108.5 +/- 5.3 mm Hg to 154.4 +/- 6.3/82.3 +/- 2.6 mm Hg (p less than 0.001) in dialysis patients, and from 176.8 +/- 5.8/110.3 +/- 2.9 to 151.3 +/- 5.3/93.5 +/- 2.6 mm Hg (p less than 0.001) in essential hypertension patients. The present results reveal that nifedipine has a powerful immediate as well as a long-term antihypertensive action in dialysis patients with high blood pressure. This effect is similar to that obtained in essential hypertensive patients.
Team care is commonly used in the management of patients with chronic rheumatic disease. The specialization of team members can improve patient care and increase efficiency. By enhancing patient rapport and providing optimal opportunities to reinforce instructions, team integration can provide further advantages. In addition, integrated team care can reduce obstacles to compliance, improve patient attitudes, decrease conflicts between treatment goals of various team members, and increase opportunities for feedback among team members. Guidelines are offered for the formation and operation of a rheumatology team.
HLA-typing was performed in 103 patients with moderate or severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Statistical analysis showed an association between HLA antigen B18 and Bw16 and the hearing deficit. A highly significant association was found between HLA antigen Bw16 and a hereditary bilateral moderate or severe sensorineural hearing loss.
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The control of protein synthesis by hemin in rabbit reticulocyte lysate is mediated by the formation of a high molecular weight protein inhibitor (or translational repressor) of polypeptide chain initiation from a precursor (prorepressor), which acts by phosphorylating the Mr 35,000 (alpha) subunit of eIF-2. We originally isolated a post-ribosomal supernatant factor from reticulocyte lysate, distinct from soluble eIF-2, that could completely reverse the inhibition of protein synthesis that occurs when reticulocyte lysate is incubated in the absence of hemin. We have found that this supernatant factor promotes the inactivation of the intermediate form of the translational repressor (generated within 1 h of incubation of the prorepressor in the absence of hemin), but only in the presence of GTP. This inactivation is not seen with the irreversible form of the translational repressor (generated after prolonged incubation of the prorepressor) and does not occur with other nucleoside triphosphates, dGTP or GDP. In addition, the inactivation reaction is not dependent upon Mg2+ and is not mediated by cyclic GMP. When lysate samples were pulsed with [gamma-32P]ATP at 15 min of incubation, the addition of the supernatant factor at zero time or after 7 min was associated with preventing or reversing the phosphorylation of eIF-2 alpha. In contrast, another soluble reticulocyte protein termed reversing factor can be separated from the supernatant factor on phosphocellulose, partly overcomes the effect of the irreversible translational repressor, and is associated with increased phosphorylation of eIF-2 alpha.
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A single recombinant lambda bacteriophage isolated from a human genome library contains two closely related human interferon genes of the leukocyte or alpha type. The two genes are separated by 12 kilobase pairs and are oriented in the same direction with respect to transcription. Comparisons of the DNA sequences of these two genes and interferon complementary DNA clones indicate that the two interferon genes lack intervening sequences.
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A recombinant lambda bacteriophage isolated from a human genome library contains the gene for fibroblast interferon (IFN-beta1). The DNA sequence of this gene is identical to the sequence of its mRNA and is devoid of introns.