Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M M Boyer.
Physician unions are seeing a resurgence both nationwide and in Pennsylvania. This first of two articles on the current trends toward unionization overviews the history of the movement, analyzes the current situation in Pennsylvania, and offers responses from physicians statewide.
Last month, we took a look at how physicians feel about unionization; this month we look more closely at the legalities involved. Though it's legal for physicians to form unions, it may not be possible for them to do everything they would like.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness in the 20 to 74-age group in the United States. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) have recommended guidelines for eye examination to assist primary care physicians in managing these patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the patterns of diabetic eye care offered by primary care physicians in the State of Indiana. A survey questionnaire was sent to 1279 primary care physicians in central Indiana. Of those surveyed, 259 (20%) responded. Thirty-five percent of respondents stated that they never refer patients for ocular examination while 26% refer all patients. The remainder refer on a case-by-case basis. Patients who are not referred have their fundus examined only 70% of the time by the primary care physician and 96% of these examinations are performed with an undilated pupil. When referred, 20% of Type I patients are referred at the time of diagnosis and 50% by one year. Of the Type II patients, only 2% are referred at the time of diagnosis and 70% by one year. Ophthalmologists receive 75% of the referrals while optometrists receive 20%. Our results show that a significant number of primary care physicians in the State of Indiana do not follow the recommended guidelines set forth for diabetic eye care.
An understanding of K+ channel structure is a critical step in developing an appreciation of the function and regulation of these proteins. We have begun a biochemical analysis of the early steps in K+ channel formation following translation into endoplasmic reticulum membranes. In our experiments, a series of K+ channel subunit protein deletions were constructed and then tested for posttranslational processing and assembly. We find that all deletions containing the S1 domain are inserted into the membrane. The loop between S1 and S2 is glycosylated; thus, this segment is topologically extracellular. Translated subunit proteins mix in the membrane, then assemble into tetramers. This subunit assembly is critically driven by a conserved, self-tetramerizing sequence in the N-terminal cytoplasmic region, which we have named the tetramerization 1 domain.