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Biomedical subjects

R Morse

Publications and source records attributed to R Morse.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

A DNA primer/probe system for the rapid and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-complex pathogens.

A 1.5 kb EcoRI-BamHI restriction fragment from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was found to hybridize specifically with genomic DNA from M. tuberculosis-complex organisms. Primers were designed from the terminal sequences of this fragment and used to amplify uniquely M. tuberculosis-group DNA in a polymerase chain reaction. It is suggested that a combination of these primers and probe will prove a useful tool for the early diagnosis of tuberculous infections.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1987

The major acid-soluble proteins of Bacillus subtilis spores: partial amino acid sequence and forespore location of their mRNAs.

In Bacillus subtilis the alpha, beta, gamma and delta components comprise 80-90% of the total acid-soluble spore proteins (ASSPs). Sequence analysis demonstrates that alpha and beta share 32 of their first 36 amino acids and are closely related to the A and C ASSPs of Bacillus megaterium spores, confirming the results of analysis of their cloned genes. Despite the difference in apparent size of gamma and delta, they have identical N-terminal sequences (37 residues). Unless gamma and delta derive from very recently duplicated genes, it appears that gamma is derived from delta, either in vivo or during isolation. Although the sequenced regions of gamma and delta have no homology to alpha and beta, outside of the previously recognized pentapeptide recognition sequence for the spore endopeptidase, they share 10 and 15 residue peptides flanking this sequence with ASSP B of B. megaterium, but in reverse order. At least two groups of ASSPs have, therefore, been conserved between B. subtilis and B. megaterium: the multigene AC alpha beta family and the B gamma (delta) group. Sequence conservation in each group implies selection for functions in addition to storage. Both the alpha and beta components of B. subtilis ASSPs and their mRNAs are located in the forespore compartment of cells at t5.5 of sporulation, the time of most rapid ASSP synthesis. The sizes of these transcripts (250-350 bp) and their ability to direct the in vitro synthesis of ASSPs of mature size, indicate that genes for these ASSPs are monocistronic, consistent with dispersed map location. Synthesis of ASSPs is, therefore, coordinately controlled by selective transcription in the forespore.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Language intervention: a pragmatic approach.

The approach to language intervention described in this paper provides a means of teaching pragmatically appropriate and effective uses of language in conversational contexts while simultaneously teaching the production and comprehension of specific linguistic forms. The approach, developed in work with seriously language-disabled young children, consists of a series of communication games. These games, which focus and intensify certain characteristics of conversational situations, teach vocabulary, syntax, and articulation as devices for serving the same pragmatic functions these devices serve in ordinary conversation. The games integrate the advantages of the traditional language lessons and those of incidental teaching. Spontaneous speech data collected before and after a 4-month interval from trained and contrast-group children suggest the positive impact of the intervention on the language performance of children with no or moderate cognitive delays, but the results do not suggest a similar impact on children with severe cognitive delays. The results suggest that the intervention merits further application and evaluation, with particular attention to the control of cognitive level.

Child↗
PubMed1984

The isolation of lambda phage carrying DNA from the histidine and isoleucine-valine regions of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome.

From a lambda gtWES library of the chromosome of Bacillus subtilis, phages carrying DNA from the hisA and ilv-leu regions were isolated. They were identified by their ability to form complementing plaques on hisB, ilvC or leuB mutants of Escherichia coli K12 under selective conditions and in the presence of a helper phage. The his phages complemented E. coli his A, B or D mutations and could transform seven mutations in the hisA region of the B. subtilis chromosome; each carried a single EcoR1 insert of about 8.2 kb. Phages complementing E. coli ilvC or leuB mutations and carrying the equivalent B. subtilis genes ilvC and leuC transformed a range of mutations in the B. subtilis ilv-leu region. The distribution of genetic markers carried by the phages suggests that the entire ilv-leu cluster from az1A through leuD is covered in the collection of phages obtained and is carried in three EcoR1 restriction fragments of approximately 6.7, 4.7 and 2.85 kb.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1980

Black female high school students and the use of beverage alcohol.

This study deals with a population group which has been neglected in the research literature; namely, Black female high school students from rural backgrounds. Not surprisingly, the proscriptive and abstinence norms in the community resulted in drinking styles of a surreptitious nature in a setting of less restraint. Consequently, there were some signs of problems with alcohol such as experiencing complications, getting high, and drinking for utilitarian reasons. The factors which influenced the girls to drink, however, were similar to those of other studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relations between drawing cubes and copying line diagrams of cubes in 7- to 10-year-old children.

Previous research has suggested both links and differences between children's copying of line diagrams and their drawings of solid objects. If the diagram represents a familiar object, children make more errors than when copying a diagram of a nonobject or unfamiliar object, as if they are drawing from their representation of the object rather than copying the surface features of the diagram. However, copying a diagram yields fewer and different types of errors than drawing the equivalent solid, which suggests a different process. In Experiment 1 (n = 72), possible relations between copying and drawing are investigated by asking children to draw a solid cube, then to copy or trace a line diagram of the cube in oblique projection, and finally to draw the solid again. Copying was better than drawing, and there was positive transfer to a subsequent drawing. Tracing was very accurate, but transfer to drawing did not occur, possibly because of the automatic nature of tracing. In Experiment 2 (n = 120) different groups received versions of the copying task that differed in the extent to which temporal order of line copying was structured. Asking children to copy the lines in a systematic order led to improved copies, but this performance did not carry over to a subsequent drawing of the solid. In contrast, when temporal ordering of line copying was not manipulated, there was positive transfer from copying to the subsequent drawing. In Experiment 3 (n = 80), provision of structure that emphasized faces by color-groupings of lines or coloring faces led to improved copies and did not hinder transfer to drawing the solid. Experiment 4 (n = 90) showed that in a solid drawing task emphasis on faces but not edges produced a positive effect, both on the immediate drawing and on a subsequent drawing of a plain cube. We conclude that emphasis on order of line copying improves performance in a copying task because in that case line-to-line matching is an important element of the skill, whereas this does not aid drawing of the solid object, in which the focus is primarily on representation of faces and their interrelations.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vitamin plasma levels in long-term enteral feeding patients.

Plasma levels of vitamins were determined in eight patients who were nourished with long-term enteral feeding using commercial formulas. The type and quantity of the formula were individually tailored to the patients' needs. Caloric intake (mean +/- SEM) amounted to 1564 +/- 97 kcal/day. Vitamins intake from the formulas, expressed as percent of Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA), was as follows: pantothenic acid, 222 +/- 44%; vitamin B12, 206 +/- 34%; vitamin C, 376 +/- 51%; thiamine, 207 +/- 34%; niacin, 207 +/- 34%; riboflavin, 207 +/- 34%; pyridoxine, 222 +/- 17%; biotin, 113 +/- 13%; vitamin A, 93 +/- 4%; and folic acid, 104 +/- 14%. Plasma levels of thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, and vitamin B12 were within normal limits in all patients. Two patients had lower than normal plasma levels of nicotinic acid despite the high intake. Plasma biotin levels were above normal in all patients, with a mean of 931 +/- 140 pg/ml (N: 200-500 pg/ml). Ascorbic acid levels were within or above normal, but no correlation with intake was found. Carotene levels were measured in five patients and found to be below the lower limit of normal, a reflection of lack of intake from the enteral formulas. The plasma vitamin A levels were normal in all patients. It is concluded that feeding with commercial enteral formulas results in normal plasma levels of vitamins in patients maintained on these formulas for over 6 months. The excessive amounts of vitamins in the formulas do not result in elevated plasma levels, except for Biotin.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Achieving high quality long-term care for elderly people: consumers' wishes and providers' responsibilities.

The organisation of long-term care for older people has major implications for all hospital and community health services. However, even health professionals have a poor understanding of the structure and purpose of long-term care and national professional bodies are still not giving enough attention to the issues involved. In the wider context, care of disabled older people has received little public debate in the UK despite the ethical, social, and financial issues involved and despite the recent major organisational changes in the health service. The past ten years have seen a huge expansion in private residential and nursing homes with a concomitant fall in NHS long-stay beds. Currently, approximately 500,000 elderly people in the UK are living in some form of long-stay care facility, and many other elderly people with multiple disabilities are being supported at home and should also be included under the umbrella of long-term care. Ensuring appropriate, equitable, and high-quality care is a responsibility not only for health and social services but also for society as a whole. This conference, organised jointly by the Royal College of Physicians, the British Geriatrics Society, and Age Concern England, with support from the Department of Health, was a much-needed and welcomed initiative. Over 200 delegates attended, consisting of doctors (geriatricians, psychiatrists, general practitioners), nurses (public and private sector), social services representatives, Department of Health representatives, managers of nursing homes, and members of charities such as Age Concern and the Relatives Association.

Aged↗