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Biomedical subjects

R Betz

Publications and source records attributed to R Betz.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Activation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B in human tracheobronchial epithelial cells by inflammatory stimuli.

Recent studies have shown that surface epithelial cells play a major role in the defence and inflammatory reactions of the airways. How extracellular stimuli lead to increased gene expression in these epithelial cells is not well known. In this study, we asked whether the multiunit transcription factor, nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B, which regulates the expression of genes involved in defense and immune processes, is activated in airway epithelial cells following stimulation with inflammatory mediators and hydrogen peroxide. In addition, we studied whether this would be followed by upregulation of the NF-kappa B target gene product granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Activation of NF-kappa B in the SV40 transformed human tracheobronchial epithelial cell line 1HAEo- was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. GM-CSF concentrations in cell culture supernatants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. NF-kappa B was rapidly activated by exposure of cells to interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF). Exposure to H2O2 platelet activating factor (PAF) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) did not lead to increased NF-kappa B activation. Co-stimulation of IL-1 beta with H2O2 led to augmentation and prolongation of the effect on NF-kappa B activation compared to stimulation with IL-1 beta alone. GM-CSF concentrations increased following stimulation with IL-1 beta and H2O2, and the effect of IL-1 beta/H2O2 co-stimulation on GM-CSF concentrations was additive. These results suggest that NF-kappa B may represent an important transcription factor, controlling the expression of cytokine genes in airway epithelial cells.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1995

Familial periodic cerebellar ataxia without myokymia maps to a 19-cM region on 19p13.

Familial periodic cerebellar ataxia (FPCA) is a heterogeneous group of rare autosomal dominant disorders characterized by episodic cerebellar disturbance. A potassium-channel gene (KCNA1) has been found to be responsible for one of its subgroups, familial periodic cerebellar ataxia with myokymia (FPCA/+M; MIM 160120). A different subgroup that is not associated with myokymia (FPCA/-M; MIM 108500) was recently mapped to chromosome 19p. Here we have performed linkage analysis in two large families with FPCA/-M that also demonstrated neurodegenerative pathology of the cerebellum. Three markers in 19p13 gave significant lod scores (> 3.0), while linkage to KCNA1 and three known loci for spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA1, SCA2, and SCA3) was excluded. The highest lod score was obtained with the marker D19S413 (4.4 at recombination fraction 0), and identification of meiotic recombinants in affected individuals placed the locus between the flanking markers D19S406 and D19S226, narrowing the interval to 19 cM. A CAG trinucleotide-repeat expansion was detected in one family but did not cosegregate with the disease.

Cerebellar Ataxia↗
PubMed1993

Identification of a nuclear pheromone-sensitive protein kinase not identical to p34CDC28 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Nuclei of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells contain a protein kinase, the activity of which is drastically reduced in response to an activation of the mating signal pathway by pheromone. Inhibition of this pheromone-sensitive kinase is also observed under conditions of constitutive activation of the signal pathway in a temperature-sensitive cdc70 mutant. The enzyme, which by SDS-PAGE has a molecular mass of 34,500 Da, is a protein serine kinase that phosphorylates several endogenous substrates in nuclear extracts. The activity of this kinase is temperature-resistant in a temperature-sensitive cdc28 mutant, indicating that it is not identical to p34CDC28, the catalytic component of the cell cycle protein kinase complex.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed1992

The future for healthcare capital investments.

Hospitals have entered into a new era of capital planning. A number of factors will influence hospital buying behavior now that the Medicare capital regulations are being implemented. As purchasing responsibility for additional departments is continually folded into hospitals' central purchasing function there will be increased opportunities for group contracts. As resources shrink and demand for services increases, GPOs will be relied upon for their expertise and financial finesse. The emphasis will be on boosting the use of group contracts among existing members, rather then seeking additional members in a shrinking hospital market. Through effective purchasing, it is generally recognized that a hospital can recover and keep, at best, 5-10 percent of the cost of all purchased goods and services. Group purchasing organizations need to develop better strategies of cooperation with vendors, distributors and hospitals to help providers control capital costs. In this challenging environment, GPOs will aggressively target markets other than acute care as the source of their future growth, just as healthcare facilities are branching out. To accommodate changing needs, the strongest GPOs will continue their evolution into structures more like alliances, offering an array of other cooperative and support programs beyond the purchase of goods and services.

Capital Expenditures↗
PubMed1990

Sagittal plane analysis in idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation.

One hundred sixty patients with idiopathic scoliosis treated with Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation (CDI) underwent preoperative and postoperative sagittal plane analysis of the thoracic spine, thoracolumbar junction, and lumbar spine. The data suggest that mild to moderate improvements in thoracic hypokyphosis are possible. When crossing the thoracolumbar junction, reversal of rod bend and reversal of hooks on the derotation rod appear to provide the most physiologic sagittal contour. Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation to the mid and distal lumbar spine can preserve and, at times, enhance lumbar lordosis.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Sagittal plane analysis in idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation.

One hundred sixty patients with idiopathic scoliosis underwent preoperative and postoperative sagittal plane analysis of the thoracic spine, thoracolumbar junction, and lumbar spine. The data suggest that mild to moderate improvements in thoracic hypokyphosis are possible. When crossing the thoracolumbar junction, reversal of rod bend and reversal of hooks on the derotation rod appears to provide the most physiologic sagittal contour. Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation to the mid and distal lumbar spine can preserve and, at times, enhance lumbar lordosis.

Adolescent↗