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Biomedical subjects

M McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to M McCarthy.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Attribution of injury to alcohol involvement in young adults seriously injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 40% of all traffic fatalities are associated with the use of alcohol. Hospitalization for serious injury after a motor vehicle crash related to use of alcohol may be an opportunity to change drinking behaviors in non-alcohol-dependent drinkers, thereby reducing the risk for future disability and death. OBJECTIVES: To determine the degree to which non-alcohol-dependent adults aged 18 to 45 years with alcohol-related vehicular trauma attributed their injury to use of alcohol. METHODS: During hospitalization, 132 subjects involved in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes were interviewed. The interviews included the question, "To what extent do you believe your alcohol consumption was responsible for this injury?" Responses were measured on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (totally). RESULTS: In response to the question about attribution of injury to alcohol, 37.8% of subjects responded "not at all," 24.3 responded "somewhat," and 37.9% responded "mostly" or "totally." Spearman rank correlation between attribution of injury to alcohol involvement and blood alcohol content at admission was r = 0.440 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: More than 60% of patients injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes attributed their injury partly or totally to use of alcohol. When alcohol-free, hospitalized patients with higher blood levels of alcohol on admission were more likely than those with lower levels to attribute their injury to alcohol. Hospitalization for a motor vehicle crash related to use of alcohol provides an opportunity for interventions to decrease drinking.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1999

The Arabidopsis det3 mutant reveals a central role for the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase in plant growth and development.

In all multicellular organisms growth and morphogenesis must be coordinated, but for higher plants, this is of particular importance because the timing of organogenesis is not fixed but occurs in response to environmental constraints. One particularly dramatic developmental juncture is the response of dicotyledonous seedlings to light. The det3 mutant of Arabidopsis develops morphologically as a light-grown plant even when it is grown in the dark. In addition, it shows organ-specific defects in cell elongation and has a reduced response to brassinosteroids (BRs). We have isolated the DET3 gene by positional cloning and provide functional and biochemical evidence that it encodes subunit C of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase). We show that the hypocotyl elongation defect in the det3 mutant is conditional and provide evidence that this is due to an alternative mechanism of V-ATPase assembly. Together with the expression pattern of the DET3 gene revealed by GFP fluorescence, our data provide in vivo evidence for a role for the V-ATPase in the control of cell elongation and in the regulation of meristem activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

The development of retinal ganglion cell dendritic stratification in ferrets.

A signature feature of mature ferret retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is the stratification of their dendrites within either ON or OFF sublayers of the retinal inner plexiform layer (IPL). Dendritic stratification is achieved through the gradual restriction of RGC dendrites which initially ramify throughout the IPL. We examined the time course of stratification by retrogradely labeling ferret retinas with DiI at various postnatal ages. Stratification of beta and alpha RGC dendrites into either the ON or OFF sublayers of the IPL begins around postnatal day 5, when class-specific morphologies begin to emerge, and is largely completed by eye opening, at the end of the first postnatal month. Our results imply that dendritic stratification of ferret ON and OFF RGCs, as in other mammals, occurs independently of visually driven activity.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

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PubMed1999

Health-related quality of life as a predictor of mortality following coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Participants of the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on Processes, Structures, and Outcomes of Care in Cardiac Surgery.

CONTEXT: Health-related quality of life has not been evaluated as a predictor of mortality following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Evaluation of health status as a mortality predictor may be useful for preoperative risk stratification. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the Physical and Mental Component Summary scores from the preoperative Short-Form 36 (SF-36) health status survey predict mortality following CABG surgery after adjustment for known clinical risk variables. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study conducted between September 1992 and December 1996. SETTING: Fourteen Veterans Affairs hospitals. PATIENTS: Of the 3956 patients undergoing CABG surgery only and who were enrolled in the Processes, Structures, and Outcomes of Care in Cardiac Surgery study, the 2480 who completed a preoperative SF-36. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality within 180 days after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 117 deaths (4.7%) occurred within 180 days of CABG surgery. The Physical Component Summary of the preoperative SF-36 was a statistically significant risk factor for 6-month mortality after adjustment for known clinical risk factors for mortality following CABG surgery. In multivariate analysis, a 10-point lower SF-36 Physical Component Summary score had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.39 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.77; P=.006) for predicting mortality. The SF-36 Mental Component Summary score was not associated with 6-month mortality in multivariate analyses (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.92-1.29; P=.31). CONCLUSIONS: The Physical Component Summary score from the preoperative SF-36 is an independent risk factor for mortality following CABG surgery. The baseline Mental Component Summary score does not appear to be predictive of mortality. Preoperative patient self-report of the physical component of health status may be helpful for risk stratification and clinical decision making for patients undergoing CABG surgery.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗
PubMed1999

Technique for harvesting keratolimbal allografts from corneoscleral buttons.

PURPOSE: To report a method for obtaining thin keratolimbal lenticules from cadaveric corneoscleral buttons for corneal epithelial stem cell allografts. METHOD: A standard silicone orbital sizing sphere and three 25-gauge needles were employed to fix the corneoscleral button to facilitate excision of keratolimbal lenticules. RESULT: Limbal stem cells in the form of keratolimbal lenticules were obtained without difficulty. CONCLUSION: With this technique, thin keratolimbal lenticules of good quality can be obtained efficiently, inexpensively, and without specialized instruments.

Cadaver↗
PubMed1999

Identifying genes predisposing to atopic eczema.

BACKGROUND: Genetic and environmental factors are known to play a role in the development of atopic diseases, such as asthma, eczema, and rhinitis. However, the atopy gene (or genes) has yet to be defined. Studies of familial asthma have identified several regions that may contain genes predisposing to atopy, but the data for candidate regions do not show agreement, which may be due to heterogeneity, ascertainment bias, or stochastic factors. Factors such as an early age of onset, a positive family history, and a clearly defined phenotype favor a genetic origin and improve the chance of identifying genes that predispose to atopy. OBJECTIVE: We sought to define genes that predispose to the development of atopic eczema. METHODS: We have studied nuclear families with multiple cases of early-onset atopic eczema for involvement of the candidate regions on chromosomes 5q31 (IL gene cluster), 11q13 (high-affinity FCepsilon receptor), 14q11.2 (mast cell chymase), and 16p12 (IL-4 receptor alpha-chain, IL4RA gene). RESULTS: Using a recessive model, we find a maximum parametric log of the odds of linkage score of 2. 25 and nonparametric score of 2.54 (P =.006) for a region on chromosome 5q31, which we postulate contains a gene predisposing to atopic eczema, but lack of support for linkage to 11q13. Transmission disequilibrium tests do not support an association with candidate polymorphisms in the mast cell chymase and IL4RA genes. CONCLUSION: We have identified a clinically homogeneous cohort of patients with atopic eczema to identify genetic factors predisposing to the development of atopy. We postulate that there are certain loci that predispose to atopy in general and other loci that determine which of the atopic phenotypes is expressed.

Adolescent↗