Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Rogers

Publications and source records attributed to M Rogers.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

SFAS No. 117 brings uniformity to financial statement formats.

Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 117 was issued to establish consistency in financial reporting among not-for-profit organizations, which are subject to various American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) audit guides. In addition, SFAS No. 117 was designed to close the gap between the statements of not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. The provisions of SFAS No. 117 are intended to override AICPA audit guides and statements of position when the two conflict.

Accounting↗
PubMed1995

Paclitaxel 3-hour infusion given alone and combined with carboplatin: preliminary results of dose-escalation trials.

Paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) by 3-hour infusion was combined with carboplatin in a phase I/II study directed to patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Carboplatin was given at a fixed target area under the concentration-time curve of 6.0 by the Calvert formula, whereas paclitaxel was escalated in patient cohorts from 150 mg/m2 (dose level I) to 175, 200, 225, and 250 mg/m2. The 225 mg/m2 level was expanded for the phase II study since the highest level achieved (250 mg/m2) required modification because of nonhematologic toxicities (arthralgia and sensory neuropathy). Therapeutic effects were noted at all dose levels, with objective responses in 17 (two complete and 15 partial regressions) of 41 previously untreated patients. Toxicities were compared with a cohort of patients in a phase I trial of paclitaxel alone at identical dose levels. Carboplatin did not appear to add to the hematologic toxicities observed, and the paclitaxel/carboplatin combination could be dosed every 3 weeks.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Prediction of caesarean section from ultrasound and clinical assessment of fetal size.

One hundred and five women with singleton pregnancies and cephalic presentation were assessed. Fundal height and a clinical estimate of fetal weight were recorded. The fetal biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference and femur length were measured with ultrasound. Ultrasound estimated fetal weight was calculated using 3 different formulas (Shepard, Campbell and CUHK). The liquor volume was assessed using the amniotic fluid index. Ultrasound was able to predict Caesarean section with more reliability than clinical assessment of fetal size or weight. The biparietal diameter, fundal height and amniotic fluid index were poor predictors of mode of delivery. The measurements which best predicted the mode of delivery were the fetal femur length and abdominal circumference. Femur length, but not abdominal circumference, was a statistically better predictor of Caesarean section than clinical estimation of fetal weight. There was no improvement in prediction using ultrasound estimated fetal weight.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1994

Hereditary mucoepithelial dysplasia.

We report an individual with the rare autosomal recessive condition known as hereditary mucoepithelial dysplasia. The diagnosis was based on clinical features and characteristic ultrastructural changes in oral mucosal biopsy specimens.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Chemical and glass thermometers for axillary temperatures: how do they compare?

Axillary temperatures recorded with a disposable chemical thermometer (DCT) measured a mean 0.29 degrees C higher than a mercury in glass thermometer (MGT) but differences could be wide. Differences between the same methods were however also wide. The DCT is safe and easy to use. Provided the higher readings are taken into consideration it is a suitable alternative to the MGT.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase enzyme activity and mRNA levels are not different in subcutaneous adipose tissue from Angus and American Wagyu steers.

We proposed that greater stearoyl coenzyme A (CoA) desaturase enzyme activity caused the elevated monounsaturated fatty acids observed in American Wagyu adipose tissue. Stearoyl CoA desaturase mRNA concentrations and enzyme activities were measured in subcutaneous adipose samples from Angus (n = 5) and American Wagyu (n = 5), fed to the Japanese market end point. A rat liver stearoyl CoA desaturase cDNA clone was used to measure the relative amounts of stearoyl CoA desaturase mRNA. Enzyme activities and mRNA concentrations, as measured by laser densitometry of slot-blot autoradiograms, were not significantly different between the two breeds at this stage of growth. This investigation has demonstrated that, at this stage of maturity, differences in fatty acid composition between Angus and American Wagyu steers cannot be attributed to differences in stearoyl CoA desaturase enzyme activity.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1994

Quantitative measurement of calcium flux through muscle and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

A new approach was developed to determine quantitatively the fraction of current carried by Ca2+ through an ion channel under physiological conditions. This approach entails the simultaneous measurement of membrane current and intracellular Ca2+ for single cells. Whole-cell patch-clamp techniques were used to measure current, and intracellular Ca2+ was monitored with the fluorescent indicator fura-2. To obtain a quantitative measure of the fraction of current carried by Ca2+, a cell-by-cell calibration method was devised to account for differences among cells in such factors as cellular volume and Ca2+ buffering. The method was used to evaluate the Ca2+ flux through muscle and neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs). In a solution containing 2.5 mM Ca2+ at a holding potential of -50 mV, Ca2+ carries 2.0% of the inward current through muscle nAChRs from BC3H1 cells and 4.1% of the inward current through neuronal nAChRs from adrenal chromaffin cells. The Ca2+ flux through neuronal nAChRs of adrenal chromaffin cells is insensitive to alpha-bungarotoxin. The influx of Ca2+ is voltage dependent, and because of the Ca2+ concentration difference across the cellular membrane, there is Ca2+ influx into the cell even when there is a large net outward current. At both muscle and neuronal cholinergic synapses, activity-dependent Ca2+ influx through nicotinic receptors produces intracellular signals that may have important roles in synaptic development, maintenance, and plasticity.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Post-translational processing of chromogranin A: differential distribution of phosphorylated variants of pancreastatin and fragments 248-313 and 297-313 in bovine pancreas and ileum.

Chromogranin A is a secretory protein expressed widely in neuroendocrine cells. It is known to be phosphorylated but the precise sites of phosphorylation are not known. We have isolated, from bovine pancreas and ileum, chromogranin A fragments corresponding to a region giving rise to a biologically active product, pancreastatin. Phosphorylation patterns were determined by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and alkaline phosphatase digestion followed by ion-exchange chromatography and radioimmunoassay. In the pancreas, there were unmodified, mono- and di-phosphorylated forms of the fragment chromogranin A(248-313) with Arg and Glu at positions 293 and 301 respectively; in addition, there were small amounts of monophosphorylated peptide with an alternative primary sequence of His and Lys at 293 and 301 respectively. Two products of cleavage, pancreastatin and the fragment 297-313, were also found in unmodified and monophosphorylated forms. In the ileum, peptides with both alternative primary sequences were found, pancreastatin was absent, and phosphorylation was generally less than in the pancreas. Chromogranin A-derived peptides therefore exhibit tissue-specific patterns of phosphorylation and cleavage, and at least two phosphorylation sites occur in the region giving rise to a biologically active product.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1993

Conversion of truncated and elongated prion proteins into the scrapie isoform in cultured cells.

The only known component of the infectious prion is a posttranslationally modified protein known as the scrapie isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc. Upon limited proteolysis, a protease-resistant fragment designated PrP 27-30 is formed. Using in vitro mutagenesis, we examined the role of the N and C termini in the formation of PrPSc in persistently infected, mouse neuroblastoma (ScN2a) cells. Neither deletion of amino acids 23-88, which are also removed by proteinase K in the formation of PrP 27-30, nor deletion of the five octapeptide repeats within this region altered synthesis of PrPSc. Elongation of PrP with one, two, four, or six octapeptide repeats in addition to the five found in wild-type PrP did not alter the synthesis of PrPSc. Truncation of the C terminus was accomplished by substituting a translation stop codon for the predicted glycosylinositol phospholipid (GPI) anchor-attachment signal corresponding to amino acids 231-254. Expression of this C-terminal PrP mutant in ScN2a cells produced PrPSc that appeared to lack a GPI anchor. We conclude that neither the GPI anchor nor the N-terminal 66 amino acids are required for the synthesis of PrPSc as measured by the acquisition of limited resistance to proteinase K digestion. Whether these truncated or elongated PrP molecules are competent to participate in the formation of infectious prions remains to be established.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Squalamine: an aminosterol antibiotic from the shark.

In recent years, a variety of low molecular weight antibiotics have been isolated from diverse animal species. These agents, which include peptides, lipids, and alkaloids, exhibit antibiotic activity against environmental microbes and are thought to play a role in innate immunity. We report here the discovery of a broad-spectrum steroidal antibiotic isolated from tissues of the dogfish shark Squalus acanthias. This water-soluble antibiotic, which we have named squalamine, exhibits potent bactericidal activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In addition, squalamine is fungicidal and induces osmotic lysis of protozoa. The chemical structure of the antibiotic 3 beta-N-1-(N-[3-(4-aminobutyl)]- 1,3-diaminopropane)-7 alpha,24 zeta-dihydroxy-5 alpha-cholestane 24-sulfate has been determined by fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy and NMR. Squalamine is a cationic steroid characterized by a condensation of an anionic bile salt intermediate with spermidine. The discovery of squalamine in the shark implicates a steroid as a potential host-defense agent in vertebrates and provides insights into the chemical design of a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Release of the cellular prion protein from cultured cells after loss of its glycoinositol phospholipid anchor.

Secreted forms of the sialoglycoprotein designated cellular prion protein (PrPC) have been identified that cannot be explained by alternative splicing. We report that secreted forms of PrPC derive from precursors that are bound to the plasma membrane by glycoinositol phospholipid (GPI) anchors. Secreted PrPC slowly appeared in the culture medium of metabolically radiolabelled cells after incubations of 8-24 h. Digestion of nascent PrPC with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) prevented the appearance of secreted PrPC. Secreted PrPC partitioned into the aqueous phase of Triton X-114 like PrpC-released PrPC. While the M(r) of PIPLC-released PrPC was reduced 2-4 kDa after treatment with aqueous hydroflouric acid, which removes the entire GPI anchor modification, the M(r) of secreted PrPC was unchanged. Both PIPLC-released and secreted PrPC were recognized by antiserum raised against a synthetic C-terminal peptide corresponding to residues 220-233 (amino acid 231 is the site of GPI attachment). We conclude that GPI-anchored PrPC is post-translationally processed to remove most, if not all, of the GPI modification and then shed into culture medium. Whether PrPC is shed after proteolysis near the C-terminus remains to be established. A minority of PrPC in normal Syrian hamster brain partitioned into the aqueous phase of Triton X-114 like shed PrPC, suggesting physiological significance.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Dual isotope brain SPECT imaging for monitoring cognitive activation: initial studies in humans.

A dual isotope, single photon emission tomography (SPECT) technique using 99Tcm-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) and 123I-iodoamphetamine (IMP) was investigated to determine its suitability for assessing regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes resulting from cognitive activation. The similarity of the 123I-IMP and 99Tcm-HMPAO distributions under the same physiological conditions was first investigated by administering the two agents to human subjects (n = 8) either simultaneously or at different times but during the performance of the same task. Normalized ratio images generated from the 99Tcm and 123I data showed that the two tracers distributed similarly in the left and right cerebral hemispheres when administered under similar physiological conditions. There was, however, a significant anterior/posterior gradient that appears to be the result of partial volume effects due to small differences in spatial resolution of the two agents. In two subjects, 99Tcm-HMPAO was administered during a resting period with eyes-closed and 123I-IMP was injected later during visual checkerboard stimulation. Ratio images showed a localized increase in the occipital lobes during the visual stimulation consistent with the expected increase in rCBF. The dual isotope strategy appears promising for study of changes in rCBF due to cognitive activation.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Increasing importance of Trichophyton tonsurans in childhood tinea in New South Wales. The pattern of childhood tinea in New South Wales, Australia 1979-1988: the emergence of Trichophyton tonsurans as an important pathogen in tinea capitis in white children.

A retrospective study was undertaken of 192 cases of culture proven tinea capitis occurring between 1979 and 1988 in a predominantly white population of children in New South Wales (NSW). The aim of the study was to identify whether Trichophyton tonsurans was increasing in importance in the causation of this condition in Australia as it was in many other parts of the world. The results of our study were compared with those of earlier Australian studies. Our study demonstrated that Trichophyton tonsurans is now equal in importance to Microsporum canis which was previously the strongly predominant organism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

A controlled trial of amnioinfusion: the prevention of meconium aspiration in labour.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of amnioinfusion on the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome, perinatal asphyxia and obstetrical intervention rate amongst patients with moderate and thick meconium-stained liquor. A total of 112 patients were studied in a prospective fashion; 60 received amnioinfusion and 52 served as controls. We have shown that amnioinfusion is a simple, relatively inexpensive and safe procedure. It benefits the patient in terms of reduction in the likelihood of operative intervention (specifically Caesarean section) for fetal distress and improvement in neonatal outcome with reduced frequency of neonatal acidaemia.

Acidosis↗