Biomedical subjects
R C Taylor
Publications and source records attributed to R C Taylor.
Lyme disease: a proposed ecological index to assess areas of risk in the northeastern United States.
BACKGROUND: Recent public awareness has resulted in a demand for information about ways to reduce the risk of acquiring Lyme disease. METHODS: Twenty-two school properties and recreational areas within a Lyme disease endemic area of central Monmouth County, New Jersey were evaluated for risk of transmission using an ecological index on the suitability, amount, and access to Ixodes dammini habitat by target human populations and the abundance of infected adult ticks. RESULTS: The characterization of tick habitat accurately predicted the elimination of 11 sites from concern. Of the remaining 11 sites, six were classified high risk and five as moderate risk. On-site tick surveys identified infected I. dammini adults at only four sites (three risk; one moderate risk). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the use of selected ecological parameters provides a cost-effective method to rapidly identify areas at risk for Lyme disease transmission.
Identification of transforming growth factor beta family members present in bone-inductive protein purified from bovine bone.
Characterization of the polypeptides present in bone-inductive protein extracts from bovine bone has led to the cloning of seven regulatory molecules, six of which are distantly related to transforming growth factor beta. The three human bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) we describe herein, BMP-5, BMP-6, and BMP-7, show extensive sequence similarity to BMP-2, a molecule that by itself is sufficient to induce de novo bone formation in vivo. The additive or synergistic contribution of these BMP-2-related molecules to the osteogenic activity associated with demineralized bone is strongly implicated by the presence of these growth factors in the most active fractions of highly purified bone extract.
A computer-assisted, interactive radiology learning program.
A computer-assisted adjunct to traditional radiology teaching files is described. The student is presented with an image and questions with multiple choice answers. The student's choice leads to additional presentations that reinforce correct responses and provide a critique of incorrect answers. The process is under the control of a teaching script. Requirements for the system included the ability to present high-resolution radiology images along with text; high capacity for storing teaching scripts and images; ease of use by students and authors of teaching scripts; and reasonable cost. A prototype program was written in C-language and run on an IBM PS/2 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) with DOS. The hardware also included a 30 megabyte disk drive, an IBM Image Adapter/A and a 14 inch IBM 8514 monitor operating at a 1024 X 768 X 8 bit resolution. Image acquisition was accomplished with a high resolution Pulnix video camera (Pulnix Corp., Tokyo, Japan), with an Imaging Technology (Imaging Technology Corp., Weston, MA) frame grabber, attached to an IBM PC/AT. All hardware is available commercially. A sample teaching file was constructed using a case of ischemic colon after a cecal volvulus. Students used the system and provided a critique. Results indicate that computer-assisted teaching programs can be a valuable addition to traditional teaching methods in radiology.
Studies in tooth crown temperature gradients with the use of infrared thermography.
With the use of an infrared thermographic camera; temperature patterns over the crowns of teeth were recorded. The temperature of upper incisor teeth decreased from gingival margin to incisal edge by approximately 2.5 degrees C. Vital and nonvital teeth were the same temperature at rest, but after cooling with cold air, nonvital teeth were slower to rewarm than vital teeth. The infrared thermographic camera could provide a method of testing tooth vitality based on blood supply rather than nerve supply.
Liquid crystal thermography as a diagnostic aid and objective monitor for TMJ dysfunction and myogenic facial pain.
Liquid crystal contact thermography was used to assess both normal control patients and patients with temporomandibular joint and myofascial pain. The technique appears capable of detecting temperature changes around the TMJ and muscles of mastication. Patients with painful internal derangements of the TMJ have warm areas over the joint, and those with myogenic facial pain symptoms have areas of variable temperature over the masseter muscle. After successful nonsurgical treatment of these conditions, the thermograms return to normal.
Effects of platinum antitumor agents on in vitro assays of human antitumor immunity. I. Effects of cis-[pt (NH3)2Cl2] on the mixed lymphocyte tumor assay.
Human lymphoblast cell lines (LCL) were treated with the antitumor complex Cis-[pt(NH3)2Cl2] (CPDC). Direct effects of CPDC treatment on LCL growth, as well as on LCL recognition by human lymphocytes in vitro are reported. Treatment of LCL with 10 micro m CPDC strongly inhibits DNA and protein synthesis, but has little effect on LCL viability. At this concentration, CPDC also inhibits the proliferation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in response to mitogens or allogeneic cells. Therefore, studies of LCL recognition by human PBL were conducted using CPDC pretreated and extensively washed LCL. Recognition of CPDC pretreated LCL in the in vitro mixed lymphocyte tumor (MLT) cell assay for the activation phase of cellular immunity is reduced. The decrease in MLT response is not due to direct effects of the complex on the responding T lymphocytes, but may be due to lowered antigen expression of treated LCL or other mechanisms. If CPDC does enhance tumor rejection in vivo, it does not appear to be due to enhanced recognition by T cells.
Alternative services: the case of free clinics.
The viability of a political mobilization and reform strategy based on the provision of care of alternative social service agencies is examined in the context of the achievements of free medical clinics in the United States. The development of genuine alternatives to the contemporary American health care system is limited by the monopoly of organized medicine, the scarcity of funds for preventive care, a class-based health insurance system, and the inadvertent role of free clinics in legitimating existing structures. American medicine constrains and shapes clinic activities through its control of certification, its specialist divisions and priveleges, and its pervasive ideology. Free clinics' responses to these constraints can engender: (a) high worker turnover, low morale, legal jeopardy, and curtailment of self-help programs; (b) the reproduction of medical hierarchies; and (c) patient-imposed limitations to the acceptability of alternative therapies and therapists. Clinics often pay dearly for the meager funds available to them; strings attached to special grants can change the character of free clinics, their social composition, and the treatment they offer. The usefulness of the free clinic as a safety valve and training facility may actually legitimate the current organization of health care. Free clinics provide an alternative form of care, but in the long run they cannot be a base for radical social change.
Model reaction for biological reduction of nitrate involving Mo(III)/Mo(V).
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Integration in the crayfish antennal neuropile: topographic representation and multiple-channel coding of mechanoreceptive submodalities.
(1) Response patterns of interneuron populations in the antennal neuropile of the crayfish have been investigated by extracellular recordings made with a single electrode. Mechanical stimuli of the antennae are divided into submodalities and topographically represented. The submodalities include large movements of the entire antenna, directional aspects of movements and vibrations, and vibratory stimulation up to click repetition rates of 100. (2) Interneuron output is always patterned, ranging from simple bimodal types to complex multimodal patterns that extend over 40 msec. The interneuron output is "noisy" due to short- and long-term fluctuations in sensitivity producing temporal fluctuations in both output probability and output patterns. The response latencies both within and between populations cluster around several fixed latencies. (3) The axons of a group of neurons, sensitive to the same submodality, are located together and consequently can be recorded with a single electrode. Responses from the interneurons composing a population are similar in response to nonoptimal stimulation, but are synchronized and of high probability to optimal stimulation.
Physical and physiological properties of the crayfish antennal flagellum.
(1) Mechanoreceptors in the crayfish antennae are divided into four functional categories: vibration (13%), bidirectional displacement (19%), unidirectional displacement (45%), and position (23%) receptors. The distribution of receptors along the length of the flagellum follows a logarithmic progression, decreasing from about 40% at the base to less than 5% at the tip. (2) Vibratory stimulation of the antennae was found to induce a traveling wave. Because of an impedance gradient along the length of the flagellum, the traveling wave moves most efficiently from base to tip. The wave was observed to travel at an average velocity of 6.0 m/sec. (3) Large deflections of the tip are not uniformly transferred to the base, but decrease logarithmically. This due to the existence of the impedance gradient. (4) Receptor output probability was found to be greatest when low frequency/high intensity stimulation was applied to the flagellar base. (5) Characteristics of large (2 cm) posterior-going deflections of the flagellar tip that are effective in producing response differences are displacement: (a) amplitude, (b) velocity, and (c) acceleration.
Physical problems in obtaining records of the maxillofacial patient.
The maxillofacial prosthodontist has the dilemma of obtaining jaw relation records with structures that have been altered anatomically and/or physiologically. In the maxillae, problems associated with stability of the recording base require the prosthodontist to equalize pressure as best he can in obtaining jaw records. The maxillofacial prosthodontist is faced with the additional problem of altered mandibular movements. Five patients with lateral resections of the mandible were tested in a pilot study. These patients could not make protrusive or repeatable lateral movements. Anatomic correlations, especially the unilateral action of the mylohyoid muscle, may account for this pattern of abnormal mandibular movements. This study will continue.