Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R J Simpson

Publications and source records attributed to R J Simpson.

401 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Micropreparative protein isolation from polyacrylamide gels following detection by high-resolution dynamic imaging: application to microsequencing.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is a high-resolving technique for separating proteins. Until recently, its use as a micro-preparative method for isolating microgram amounts of protein in a form suitable for structural analysis was limited by the difficulty in recovering material from the polyacrylamide matrix. This problem has been largely overcome by the development of chemically inert membranes that retain proteins after electroblotting from the polyacrylamide gel. The immobilized proteins are suitable for chemical identification by direct microsequence analysis. Nevertheless, the overall recoveries of proteins using this electrotransfer/blotting approach are low (28%-30%). This paper describes a phase-contrast technique that allows the visualization of proteins during the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This approach is suitable for the quantitative detection of proteins. Since no fixing/staining step is employed, proteins can be recovered in high yield (50%-65%), by passive elution, in a form suitable for microsequence analysis. Methods and strategies for obtaining internal amino acid sequence information from proteins recovered from gels after visualization by high-resolution dynamic imaging are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior concerning diet and heart disease.

Demand for physician-based dietary treatment of hypercholesterolemia is increasing, but medical care providers feel that they lack the skills and confidence necessary to provide these services. Using a self-administered questionnaire, we studied the relationships among dietary knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to identify the educational needs of entering medical students. On average, dietary behavior and background knowledge of the diet-coronary heart disease association compared favorably to national dietary recommendations and knowledge of the U.S. public. However, practical knowledge necessary for diet counseling was weak, and attitudes about the "prudent" diet were poor. More favorable attitude scores were associated with healthier eating habits, while greater knowledge was not. Our results suggest that entering medical students already have a basic understanding of the diet-heart disease link, which is covered in the curricula of most medical schools. Medical education should include more emphasis on practical dietary knowledge and improving attitudes about the prudent diet.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological effects of an epidemiological study of benign prostatic hypertrophy.

The psychological impact of an epidemiological study of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) was assessed in a representative sample of practice list patients. Of the 889 men completing a general health self-report questionnaire previously validated in a screening programme, 75% knew nothing of problems of the prostate, and 84.5% were not at all worried about prostate problems prior to commencement of the study. Receiving the letter of invitation and the procedures neither increased nor reduced anxiety levels for 69% and 70% respectively. In the 227 men referred to hospital for further investigation the procedure increased anxiety in 28%, decreased anxiety in 20%, and had no effect on the remainder. The sample of 137 (16%) men who, prior to interview, were in some way worried about problems of the prostate had significantly more urinary tract symptoms than those who were not at all worried about prostatic problems. Despite being worried about prostatic problems and having significant urinary symptoms, this group was no more likely to have attended a GP for investigation and/or treatment. Results are discussed in relation to the possible psychological effects of general health screening and the reluctance of men to attend for consultation despite awareness and concern regarding urinary symptomatology.

Adult↗