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Biomedical subjects

R Hall

Publications and source records attributed to R Hall.

At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Drinking style of parents of alcoholic and control probands.

One aspect of the familial component of alcoholism is the use of alcohol among the parents of affected individuals. Both the individual and concordant drinking styles of the parents of 291 inpatient alcoholic probands and 71 non-alcoholic control subjects were measured using family history methods. Social drinking was almost twice as prevalent among fathers of controls compared to fathers of alcoholics. Problem drinking was more than twice as prevalent among the fathers of alcoholics compared to fathers of controls. The abstinence rate for fathers of both groups was similar. Mothers' drinking styles were similar to the fathers' pattern for both groups. Concordance of drinking style in the parental pair was examined. Similarity in drinking style for the parents of control probands was greatest for social drinking. For parents of alcoholic probands high concordance was also found by problem drinking. Overall a great similarity in drinking style was found for the parents of control probands compared to the parents of alcoholic probands.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence for immunological cross-reaction between sporozoites and blood stages of a human malaria parasite.

Malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) show a complex pattern of development in the mammalian host and many studies support the view that the surface of the sporozoite, injected by the mosquito, has no antigens in common with the erythrocytic stage of development. For example, immunization with the erythrocytic parasites generates antisera with negligible titre by indirect immunofluorescence to the sporozoite surface. Although monoclonal antibodies prepared against erythrocytic stages were reported to show cross-reaction to the sporozoite stage, this appeared to be due to cytoplasmic antigens exposed by the method of sporozoite preparation, and in Plasmodium knowlesi, a cDNA clone coding for the circumsporozoite antigen, the major protein of the sporozoite surface, showed no hydridization to mRNA isolated from the erythrocytic stages. Here, however, we present evidence for an antigenic determinant shared by the sporozoite surface and the erythrocytic stages of the human malaria parasite, P. falciparum. Moreover, our studies show that the antigen(s) elicit a strong immune response in man.

Animals↗
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Major surface antigen gene of a human malaria parasite cloned and expressed in bacteria.

The late blood stages of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, carry a major surface antigen, p190, of molecular weight (Mr) 190,000. This antigenically variable protein is actively processed, first as the parasite matures and again when it is released into the blood stream and invades a new erythrocyte to initiate a cycle of growth. It elicits a strong immune response in man; all tested adult sera from endemic areas have antibodies against this protein. Our evidence indicates that purified p190 can alter the course of parasitaemia in monkeys with falciparum malaria. We have also succeeded in cloning part of the gene for p190 and expressing it in Escherichia coli. To this end we have developed a new technique, antibody select, which greatly simplifies final identification of expressing clones.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Phonological awareness therapy and articulatory training approaches for children with phonological disorders: a comparative outcome study.

Sixty-one children, aged 3.6-5.0, with developmental phonological disorders (PD) participated in a study comparing the effects of metaphonologically (MET) or articulation-based (ART) therapy. Maturational effects were controlled for by the inclusion of 59 normally speaking control children of the same age range. Measures of phonological (speech) output and phonological awareness were taken before and after therapy for all subjects and at 3 months post-therapy for PD children. Results showed that PD children improved significantly in both phonological output and awareness skills across the intervention period compared with control children, but that there was no significant difference on the awareness measure between ART and MET groups. ART and MET groups differed from each other on one measure of speech improvement only, with the ART group making more change than the MET group on individual probe scores. Follow-up measures for both therapy groups indicated that there was little difference between the groups on phonological awareness change or speech development 3 months after intervention, though there was a trend for MET children to continue to make more long-term change than the ART group on one output measure. Additional analysis showed that there were generally few significant implications for outcome between PD children with good initial phonological awareness skills and those who initially had poor phonological awareness skills.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

XX/"XO" sex determination system in a population of Peruvian owl monkey, Aotus.

The chromosome complement of a group of owl monkeys with typical pelagic features characteristic of Aotus inhabiting the upper Amazonian region in South America was analyzed by various band techniques. A diploid chromosome number of 2n = 52 is reconfirmed in the females. A Y-autosome translocation resulting in a complement of 2n = 51 in the males constitutes a unique XX/"XO" sex chromosome system in this population. Karotypic comparison of this Peruvian Aotus (2n - 52 female/51 male) with the Bolivian Aotus (2n = 50 female/49 male) shows the existence of a large degree of analogy of chromosome banding. However, complicated inter- and intra-karyotypic differences between the two chromosome races can be depicted, and substantiates our postulation that the owl monkey is an evolutionary actively diverging species.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A competitive polymerase chain reaction to quantify DNA of Leptosphaeria maculans during blackleg development in oilseed rape.

An assay based on the competitive polymerase chain reaction technique was developed to quantify Leptosphaeria maculans during blackleg disease development in oilseed rape leaves. By means of primers specific to the highly virulent type of L. maculans, a heterologous internal control template was prepared by amplifying and cloning DNA from Leptosphaeria korrae under low-stringency annealing conditions. Coamplification of L. maculans with the internal control DNA provided accurate quantification of 1 to 10(9) copies of target DNA. The assay was applied to a comparative study of L. maculans colonization of resistant and susceptible rape cultivars. The assay revealed that lesion size was associated with the quantity of L. maculans DNA during the first 12 days after inoculation of the susceptible cultivar Westar and the moderately resistant cultivar Legend. In these cultivars, the quantity of DNA per lesion increased during the first 12 days after inoculation and then declined. This decline in detectable fungal DNA coincided with abundant sporulation, rapid necrosis, and the onset of leaf senescence. Trace amounts of L. maculans DNA were detected in the resistant cultivar Glacier, in which lesion size was similar to that in the wounded, uninoculated check. The assay is rapid, accurate, and very sensitive and can be incorporated into conventional disease screening programs.

Ascomycota↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Soft playing splint for protection of significant hand and wrist injuries in sports.

A simple custom-made soft splint has been devised to allow safe sports participation for significant hand and wrist injuries. Made from readily available materials, this "rubber splint" has been used successfully in 113 injuries reviewed in this report. This splint is a result of a modification of an original "Duke" splint described by Dobson, Davis, Lincoln, and Basset, (Exhibit at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, San Francisco, California, 1971) and the soft cast used at the University of Virginia by McCue and Gieck (personal communication).

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developing a medical device package.

Effective packaging is vital to achieve an effective medical device, and it is essential that designers of sterile medical device packaging are fully aware of all of the factors involved. These considerations include not only the requirements of the package in terms of appropriate method of sterilization, product-packaging interactions, and shelf-life, but also the environment in which the product will be used, the needs of the production facility, and what storage and distribution hazards the packaged product may encounter. In this article, the author provides a comprehensive packaging brief for designers, which clearly defines the needs of the manufacturer and the customer.

Equipment Design↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking cessation: a consensus statement with special reference to primary care.

Nicotine addiction is a serious medical condition that needs to be treated like any other chronic disease. Primary care must play a key role in smoking cessation and offering help should be a routine part of primary care practice. As the most frequent opportunity for intervention lies within primary care, GPs should ensure that they raise the issue of stopping smoking at least annually with their smoking patients. When the smoker is ready to stop, the initial personal involvement of the GP is likely to increase the chance of a successful quit attempt. Follow-up may be with another healthcare professional. The support of healthcare professionals for the smoker who is motivated to quit, combined with appropriate pharmacotherapy, can substantially increase the chances of a successful quit attempt. Secondary care staff should also make every effort to help people to stop smoking and should communicate effectively with primary care--opportunities during hospitalisation are frequently missed. Specialist smoking cessation clinics have an essential role in providing more intensive specialist treatment and the expertise to partner and support the primary care effort. Smoking cessation is one of the most cost-effective healthcare interventions that can be made.

Family Practice↗