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Biomedical subjects

R Means

Publications and source records attributed to R Means.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Minority ethnic groups in dementia care: a review of service needs, service provision and models of good practice.

Sixty-seven English language articles were obtained for the review, the majority of which (44, 65.7%) had US origins. Broadly, the main issues covered in the literature were the under-utilization of services by minority ethnic groups; the prevalence of dementia in different ethnic groups; the experience of care giving in different racial groups and language as a factor in cognitive assessment. Although it has been argued that the instruments used to assess cognitive function are culturally biased, the available published evidence would seem to suggest that the fundamental issue is language ability, rather than minority group membership per se. Studies into the care giving experience amongst different ethnic or racial groups suffer from theoretical and methodological weaknesses. Studies of help-seeking among various ethnic groups in the US have found that many do not prioritize dementia as a health problem in the face of more pressing concerns. There was little consensus amongst the articles about whether services should be provided specifically for different ethnic groups, reflecting a lack of evidence concerning the efficacy of different models of service provision.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Younger people in dementia care: a review of service needs, service provision and models of good practice.

This paper reviews the literature on younger people (under 65 years of age) with dementia, in dementia care. Seventy-four relevant papers were identified by use of a search strategy derived from the methodology of systematic reviews, the majority of which originated in the UK (69, 93.2%). The need for specialist, flexible, age-appropriate, and dedicated services was a central theme in the literature. A person-centred approach was advocated within an individual or 'tailor made' model of care. However, the available evidence suggests that this model of good practice is not currently reflected in the majority of services provided in the United Kingdom. Overall, the literature argues that the needs of younger people with dementia are best served by inter-agency collaboration, early assessment, and an awareness of individual needs. Clearly, these proposals could usefully serve anybody with dementia, irrespective of age. However, aside from a few prevalence studies, and some exploratory work with small numbers of service users, little in the way of empirical work is available. The recommendations that have been made regarding dementia services for younger people are based largely on the practical experience of professionals and paid carers, rather than scientific evidence.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Production and characterization of SIV envelope-specific rhesus monoclonal antibodies from a macaque asymptomatically infected with a live SIV vaccine.

Five rhesus monoclonal antibodies (RhMAbs) were produced by rhesus EBV transformation of peripheral blood B cells from a rhesus macaque that had been asymptomatically infected with an attenuated, macrophage-tropic SIV strain, 17E-Cl. These MAbs recognized conformation-dependent epitopes on SIV gp120 and could not be mapped using synthetic peptides. All five RhMAbs were able to neutralize the vaccine strain and a heterologous isolate, SIV/DeltaB670. The RhMAbs did not cross-react with HIV-2; by contrast, four human MAbs derived from an HIV-2-infected person were broadly cross-reactive with both SIV and HIV-2 gp120s. Cross-competition analysis indicated that the five RhMAbs could be placed in two groups recognizing two nonoverlapping epitopes; while the HMAbs were placed in two additional competition groups. Binding of the three group I RhMAbs (1.7F, 3.11B, and 1.10A) as well as HMAb 17A was shown to be sensitive to specific amino acid alterations in V4 occurring in natural env variants. The results of this study demonstrate that RhEBV transformation provides a means to probe rhesus antibody responses to SIV infection at the monoclonal level. RhMAbs will allow structural and functional studies of envelope glycoprotein determinants that elicit protective immune responses against SIV.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Inhibition of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication by CD8(+) T lymphocytes from macaques immunized with live attenuated SIV.

Characterization of immune responses induced by live attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strains may yield clues to the nature of protective immunity induced by this vaccine approach. We investigated the ability of CD8(+) T lymphocytes from rhesus macaques immunized with the live, attenuated SIV strain SIVmac239Deltanef or SIVmac239Delta3 to inhibit SIV replication. CD8(+) T lymphocytes from immunized animals were able to potently suppress SIV replication in autologous SIV-infected CD4(+) T cells. Suppression of SIV replication by unstimulated CD8(+) T cells required direct contact and was major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restricted. However, CD3-stimulated CD8(+) T cells produced soluble factors that inhibited SIV replication in an MHC-unrestricted fashion as much as 30-fold. Supernatants from stimulated CD8(+) T cells were also able to inhibit replication of both CCR5- and CXCR4-dependent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains. Stimulation of CD8(+) cells with cognate cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes also induced secretion of soluble factors able to inhibit SIV replication. Production of RANTES, macrophage inhibitory protein 1alpha (MIP-1alpha), or MIP-1beta from stimulated CD8(+) T cells of vaccinated animals was almost 10-fold higher than that from stimulated CD8(+) T cells of control animals. However, addition of antibodies that neutralize these beta-chemokines, either alone or in combination, only partly blocked inhibition of SIV and HIV replication by soluble factors produced by stimulated CD8(+) T cells. Our results indicate that inhibition of SIV replication by CD8(+) T cells from animals immunized with live attenuated SIV strains involves both MHC-restricted and -unrestricted mechanisms and that MHC-unrestricted inhibition of SIV replication is due principally to soluble factors other than RANTES, MIP-1alpha, and MIP-1beta.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Hantavirus S RNA sequence from a fatal case of HPS in New York.

In April, 1995, the second fatal case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) occurred in the northeast in a New York State resident. Using the patient's lung tissue obtained at autopsy, the S genomic RNA segment of a hantavirus, designated H-NY1, was amplified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cloned, and sequenced. The S RNA was found to contain 2084 nucleotides, 6 nucleotides longer than reported by Hjelle et al. (1995) for the virus associated with the first northeastern case (RI-1). There were 101 nucleotide differences in the S RNA between the H-NY1 and RI-1, which result in the prediction of a single amino-acid change in the nucleocapsid (N) protein. Rodents were trapped for serologic and virologic studies at the patient's residence and work site. The white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) was the most frequently captured species and more than 50% of those trapped near the patient's residence showed serologic evidence of hantavirus infection. Using RT-PCR it was possible to amplify hantavirus S RNA sequence from the lung tissues of 8 out of 11 seropositive animals. No difference in nucleotide sequence was found between the HPS patient sequence and the P. leucopus sequence (nucleotides 189 to 599). These data are consistent with those of Hjelle et al. (1995) in suggesting that P. leucopus is the primary rodent vector for the etiologic agent of HPS in the northeastern United States.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Naloxone stimulates oxygen consumption but not ventilation in hypothyroid hamsters.

Male golden Syrian hamsters made hypothyroid by 5 wk of propylthiouracil (PTU) treatment and control hamsters given tap water were studied. Both groups of nine animals demonstrated increased oxygen consumption after SC naloxone administration relative to saline treatment. Naloxone stimulated ventilation and ventilation in response to hypoxic (10% O2) and hyperoxic, hypercapnic (7% CO2 in oxygen) challenges in control hamsters. Relative to their responses to saline, PTU-treated hamsters exhibited no stimulation of ventilation nor of ventilation in response to the gas challenges after naloxone treatment. These results suggest that (a) the stimulation of oxygen consumption by naloxone does not directly increase ventilation; and (b) thyroid hormone status in the hamster affects opioid modulation of ventilation.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Public policy and older people--where are we going?

During much of the 1960s and 1970s, housing and welfare provision for older people were part of the cinderella services (Means and Smith, 1985) that the majority of both practitioners and social scientists were happy to leave to the remit of a relatively small group of dedicated specialists. However, the 1980s have seen an important shift to that, as Johnson (1985), remarked, 'old age is now in fashion'. The six books under review represent one manifestation of this important trend. All the books agree that a major reason why an interest in older people is no longer a form of 'professional suicide' (Phillipson, 1982, p.107) is the cost implications of demographic trends. A government concerned to reduce public expenditure is faced with a significant growth in the old who are extensive users of expensive health and social services. This review article will begin by explaining briefly the main focus and arguments of each book. This will underline the diversity of issues addressed and perspectives taken. However, certain underlying themes are raised in all these books which will be discussed in the second half of the review. Are elderly people a homogeneous group? How do issues of class and gender impinge upon older people? What would represent the most appropriate spread of housing, health and social services provision for older people? What changes are feasible in the present fiscal and political climate? What directions should be argued for with regard to longer term policies?

Aged↗