To evaluate the effects of genetic screening and counseling in a population unselected for interest, adults in a health maintenance organization (HMO) were screened for beta-thalassemia trait as part of health care or multiphasic screening. Counseling was provided by either a trained physician or a videotape containing the same information, followed by an opportunity to question a trained physician. Knowledge of thalassemia, knowledge of genetics, and mood were assessed by standardized questionnaires and by interview immediately before and after counseling. Compared to controls, trait subjects demonstrated significant learning about thalassemia (P less than .001) and about genetics (P less than .001) and recorded significant mood changes, namely, surprise (startle) (P less than .05), increased alertness (decreased deactivation) (P less than .05), and decreased skepticism (P less than .01). Screening and genetic counseling for beta-thalassemia trait conducted as part of multiphasic screening of the population of a HMO, essentially and unselected population, can result in significant overall learning with acceptable effects on mood.

Adult↗

PubMed1978

Susceptibility of human population groups to colon cancer.

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Animals↗

PubMed1977

The identification of individuals at high risk for large bowel cancer: an overview.

Attempts to identify individuals with increased susceptibility to colon cancer before clinical manifestations of disease, have recently been made. Early stages of abnormal growth of colonic epithelial cells, and related factors that may contribute to the development of colonic neoplasia have been shown. Based on the identification of early findings, programs to prevent the evolution of malignancy in individuals at increased risk are under consideration at the present time.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1977

Serum stimulation of human fibroblasts: effect on non-histones of nuclear ribonucleoprotein and chromatin.

In quiescent human fibroblasts stimulated to proliferate by fresh medium plus 15% serum, no changes were seen in the incorporation of 3H tryptophan into the protein of nuclear ribonucleoprotein during the first three hours following re-feeding. This was in contrast to non-histone chromosomal proteins where the incorporation increased by 90% within ten minutes. The density of the formaldehyde fixed nuclear ribonucleoprotein in CsCl was 1.43-1.44 g/ml and this also did not change following stimulation. The electrophoretic profile of the proteins of nuclear ribonucleoprotein on SDS gels exhibited a predominant band corresponding to a molecular weight of 44,000 closely trailed by a band at 47,000 and other bands at higher molecular weight. This pattern was not altered by serum stimulation and the same was true for the more complex electrophoretic profile of the chromatin proteins. Following a 10-minute pulse of 3H-tryptophan at ten minutes after stimulation, there was a selective increase in the labeling of non-histone chromosomal protein of molecular weight 59,000; no change was seen in the labeling of any protein of nuclear ribonucleoprotein.

Blood↗

PubMed1977

Defective recognitive immunity in family aggregates of colon carcinoma.

Cancer-free individuals from family agregates of seemingly hereditary colon carcinoma were studied to determine the nature of their cell-mediated immune capacities in miexed leukocyte culture. Members of families who demonstrated no evidence of a precancerous condition such as polyposis coli did demonstrate substantial cellular immunopathology. Of these, 44% showed a decreased responsiveness of their peripheral mononuclear cells to allogeneic stimuli, and in a number of these individuals this deficiency clearly manifested itself as an inappropriate suppression of potentially normal lymphocyte blastogenic capacities by an adherent population of mononuclear leukocytes. This in vitro defect of recognitive immunity appears to be the same type of defect that has already been described for individuals with established maligancies. The pattern of phenotypic expression of this immunopathology within these families is not inconsistent with an hereditary disorder. Individuals from families with a known hereditary somatic precancerous condition usually did not demonstrate this immunopathology. It is appropriate to speculate that the defect of recognitive immunity in the former families could be contributory to the genesis of the colon carcinoma.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1977

[The physician as a superior therapeutic agent].

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Physician-Patient Relations↗

PubMed1976

Digestion of RNA of chromatin and nuclear ribonucleoprotein by staphylococcal nuclease.

Following a 1-h [3H]uridine pulse of cells of a human colon carcinoma line, 15% of the radioactivity in heterogeneous nuclear RNA associated with both chromatin and nuclear ribonucleoprotein was not digested to acid soluble fragments during a 2-h incubation with staphylococcal nuclease (EC 3.1.4.7). These [3H]uridine-labeled oligonucleotides were approximately 26 nucleotides in length. An RNA containing structure which sedimented no faster than 2 S could be isolated from the digests. Major and mino peptide species, of molecular weights 40 000 and 66 000, respectively, were associated with this structure isolated from either chromatin or nuclear ribonucleoprotein. The results demonstrate that some protein of nuclear ribonucleoprotein is complexed with the transcript while it is still associated with chromatin.

Cell Line↗