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Biomedical subjects

S Joseph

Publications and source records attributed to S Joseph.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Mapping the inside of the ribosome with an RNA helical ruler.

The structure of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in the ribosome was probed with hydroxyl radicals generated locally from iron(II) tethered to the 5' ends of anticodon stem-loop analogs (ASLs) of transfer RNA. The ASLs, ranging in length from 4 to 33 base pairs, bound to the ribosome in a messenger RNA-dependent manner and directed cleavage to specific regions of the 16S, 23S, and 5S rRNA chains. The positions and intensities of cleavage depended on whether the ASLs were bound to the ribosomal A or P site, and on the lengths of their stems. These data predict the three-dimensional locations of the rRNA targets relative to the positions of A- and P- site transfer RNAs inside the ribosome.

Anticodon↗
PubMed1997

Religiosity and sphere-specific just world beliefs in 16- to 18-year-olds.

One hundred forty-three (31 female and 112 male) English school pupils, 16 to 18 years old, completed the Francis Scale of Attitudes towards Christianity (FSAC; Francis & Stubbs, 1987), the Global Belief in a Just World Scale (GBJWS; Lipkus, 1991), and the Multidimensional Belief in a Just World Scale (MBJWS; Furnham & Procter, 1992). The MBJWS yields three subscale scores: Sociopolitical Just World Beliefs (SJW), Interpersonal Just World Beliefs (IJW), and Personal Just World Beliefs (PJW). Scores on the FSAC were not associated with scores on the GBJWS, the SJW, or the IJW, but they were positively associated, albeit weakly, with scores on the PJW.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Rifampin-monoresistant tuberculosis in New York City, 1993-1994.

All New York City patients whose cultures yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis with isolated resistance to rifampin in 1993 and 1994 were included in this study. Of the 96 patients, 48 (50%) had primary resistance, 32 (33%) had acquired resistance, and 16 (17%) had unclassified resistance; 66% had histories of illicit drug use, and 79% were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The median time to emergence of resistance was 40 weeks among the 32 patients with acquired resistance. Each of the HIV-infected patients with acquired resistance (cases, n = 29) was matched to two HIV-infected patients who had disease due to fully susceptible M. tuberculosis (controls, n = 58). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with the emergence of rifampin resistance were as follows: a sputum smear positive for acid-fast bacilli, advanced immunosuppression, and nonadherence to therapy.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

Lack of HLA-DR2-associated DRB1 gene in a family.

HLA-DR51 haplotypes co-express one DRB1 (B1*15 or B1*16) gene and one DRB5 gene. These haplotypes also carry two pseudogenes (DRB6 and DRB9) During routine HLA typing for transplantation, we observed an unexpected DR51 haplotype in two subjects (mother and daughter) in a family. Serological typing showed that these subjects are positive for DR51 and DQ6 but negative for DR15 and DR16. Investigations of genomic DNA by molecular techniques showed that these individuals carry DRB5*0101, DRB6*02 and DQB1*0602 genes, whereas the DRB1 gene associated with either DR15 (B1*1501 to B1*1504) or DR16 (B1*1601 to B1*1606) was not detected in the mother and daughter. It is possible that the new haplotype, DQB1*0602, DRB6*02, DRB5*0101, arose by deletion of DR2-associated DRB1 gene.

Female↗
PubMed1997

Limited utility of ICD-10 and DSM-IV classification of dissociative and conversion disorders in India.

Studies of psychiatric out-patients from India have found that diagnosis of some of the subcategories of the dissociative and conversion disorders of the ICD and DSM classificatory systems are rarely made in this setting. Moreover, it was found that a significant percentage of patients seen in psychiatric practice may not fit into the defined subcategories of dissociative (conversion) disorders of these systems of classification. We studied the prevalence of various ICD-10 and DSM-IV categories of dissociative (conversion) disorders and our own proposed category of 'brief dissociative stupor' (BDS), among all the in-patients of a psychiatric unit in a general teaching hospital, over a 2-year period. There were 18 patients who fulfilled our criteria for BDS and 18 patients in the second group which included all of the remaining subjects with a diagnosis of any other subcategory of dissociative disorder according to ICD-10. Our analysis revealed that there were no patients with a diagnosis of dissociative amnesia, fugue, stupor, trance and possession disorders or identity disorders. There were significantly more female patients in the BDS group, and they also had significantly more comorbid Axis-I diagnoses and panic attacks. Since 50% of our patients fulfilled the criteria for BDS, there is clearly a need for further studies to establish the prevalence of this subcategory in patients from other centres. The classification of these patients with this phenomenology is problematic. Inclusion of a subcategory of dissociative non-epileptic seizures, instead of dissociative convulsions, should improve the classification of dissociative (conversion) disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Attitudes towards emotional expression and post-traumatic stress in survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.

The relationship between self-reported attitudes towards emotional expression, assessed at three years after the accident, and post-traumatic symptoms, assessed at five years after the accident, was investigated in 37 survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. It was found that lower scores on the attitudes towards emotional expression scale, indicating more negative attitudes (e.g. 'I think getting emotional is a sign of weakness') were associated with higher symptom scores. This association remained even when retrospectively assessed perceptions of helplessness during the disaster and symptoms assessed at three years were partialled out. Implications for therapeutic intervention are discussed.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

Schizotypal traits and dimensions of religiosity.

In the present study the association between religiosity and schizotypal traits was investigated. Two hundred and one respondents completed self-report measures of schizotypal traits as well as measures of religiosity developed, on the basis of theoretical work on the nature of delusional thinking, to tap the dimensions of preoccupation, guidance, conviction, and emotional involvement. For women, no associations were found between scores on the religiosity and schizotypy scales. For men, however, higher scores on religious preoccupation were associated with higher scores on magical ideation. It would seem that religiosity is not clearly associated with schizotypal traits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Bully/victim problems and their association with Eysenck's personality dimensions in 8 to 13 year-olds.

BACKGROUND: Previous research which has investigated the association between bully-victim problems and Eysenck's personality dimensions has shown an association between victimisation and introversion and an association between bullying and psychoticism (Slee & Rigby, 1993). AIMS: The aim of the present study was to replicate these findings and to extend the investigation of the association between bully/victim problems and personality to children who are classified as both bullies and victims. SAMPLE AND METHOD: One hundred and seventy nine children ranging in age from 8 to 13 years (mean age = 11 years) completed the Bullying-Behaviour Scale and the Peer-Victimization Scale (Austin & Joseph, 1996), the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC: Harter, 1985), and the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ Junior: Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975). RESULTS: Forty-nine per cent of children were classified as involved in bullying either as bullies (11 per cent), victims (20 per cent), or bully/victims (18 per cent). Bullies scored lower on the lie scale, victims scored lower on the extraversion scale, and bully/victims scored higher on the neuroticism and psychoticism scales than children who were classified as not involved in bullying. CONCLUSION: These data provide evidence that bully/victims are a distinct group from either bullies or victims and that they may be the group of children who are most readily distinguished in terms of personality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Ischemic preconditioning is not additive to preservation with hypothermia or crystalloid cardioplegia in the globally ischemic rat heart.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the additive protective efficiency of ischemic preconditioning when used in combination with conventional clinically relevant cardioprotective methods of hypothermia or hypothermic cardioplegia during sustained global ischemia. Isolated rat hearts were aorta-perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer and were divided into six groups (n = 10 each). Group I: Ischemia at 34 degrees C for 60 min; Group PC + I: preconditioned (PC) ischemia at 34 degrees C, 2 episodes of 5 min ischemia and 10 min reperfusion at 34 degrees C followed by I; Group HI: hypothermic ischemia at 10 degrees C for 60 min; Group PC + HI: preconditioned (PC) hypothermic ischemia, 2 episodes of 5 min ischemia and 10 min reperfusion at 34 degrees C followed by HI; Group CPL + HI: single dose of 'Plegisol' cardioplegia followed by HI; Group PC + CPL + HI: preconditioned hypothermic cardioplegia, followed by CPL + HI. At the end of 60 min ischemia, all the hearts were reperfused at 34 degrees C for 30 min when post-ischemic recovery in left ventricular contractile function and coronary vascular dynamics was computed and compared. There was a significant depression in the post-ischemic recovery of developed pressure (Pmax), positive derivative of pressure (+dp/dt), negative derivative of pressure (-dp/dt) and heterometric autoregulation (HA) of contractile force in all the groups, with no major differences between the groups. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) was significantly elevated after I at 34 degrees C. Preconditioning (PC + I) prevented the rise in the LVEDP and this was accompanied by a significant reduction in the release of purine metabolites in the coronary effluents, particularly adenosine, during the immediate reperfusion period. Hypothermia (HI) provided essentially the same level of metabolic and mechanical preservation as offered by PC + I. Combination of hypothermia with preconditioning (PC + HI) or cardioplegia (PC + CPL + HI), did not further enhance the preservation. Post-ischemic recovery in the regional contractile function (segment shortening, %SS) followed nearly identical pattern to global (Pmax) recovery. Post-ischemic recovery in coronary flow (CF) was significantly reduced and coronary vascular resistance (CVR) was significantly increased in all the groups. Myogenic autoregulation (transient and sustained) was generally enhanced indicating increased vascular reactivity. Preconditioning did not alter the time-course of these changes. Preconditioned ischemia (34 degrees C) preserved left ventricular diastolic functions and prevented the contracture development after sustained ischemia reperfusion at 34 degrees C. This protective effect of preconditioning was possibly mediated by the reduction in the breakdown of purine metabolites. Hypothermia alone or in combination with crystalloid cardioplegia prevented the irreversibility of the ischemic injury but produced contractile and vascular stunning which was not improved by ischemic preconditioning. The results of this study indicate that preconditioning when combined with hypothermia or hypothermic cardioplegia offered no significant additional protection.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Determination of anticonvulsant effects on seizure thresholds using ramp generated cortical stimulation in conscious rats.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the new technique of direct cortical stimulation in conscious rats, using ramp generated pulse trains. In rats with electrodes permanently implanted in the frontoparietal cortex, twice daily stimulation for a fortnight, with ramp shaped trains of 2 msec duration, frequency 50 Hz, ramp time 200 sec and incrementing 5 microA per 0.1 sec yielded reproducible convulsive thresholds which could be repeated at short intervals over a period of time. Two different pharmacodynamic parameters viz Threshold for Localized Seizures (TLS) and Threshold for Generalised Seizure (TGS) could be distinguished. TLS is defined as the current (microA) required to elicit forelimb clonus or minimal restricted seizure activity and at the 14th session was found to be 650 +/- 91 microA (n = 14). TGS is defined as the current (microA), at which forceful clonic jerks and vigorous clonic activity without the tonic component occurred, and at the 14th session was found to be 1059 +/- 171 microA (n = 23). The effect of (doses, mg/kg, ip),phenytoin (PHY)10, carbamazepine (CBZ) 10 and 20; sodium valproate (SV) 300 and ethosuximide (ESM) 200 were studied on the TLS and TGS (n = 6). PHY, CBZ and SV significantly elevated both TLS and TGS, whereas ESM was ineffective. PHY and CBZ elevated thresholds within 0.5 hr and continued for 5 to 6 hr. For SV, significant elevation of TLS and TGS commenced at 5 to 10 min and lasted about 4 hr. Comparison of these results with conventional methods, suggests that this model provides a new dimension to profiling anticonvulsant compounds, with better extrapolation to clinical situations.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Mapping the rRNA neighborhood of the acceptor end of tRNA in the ribosome.

In order to map the rRNA environment of the acceptor end of tRNA in th e ribosome, hydroxyl radicals were generated in situ from Fe(II) attached via an EDTA linker to the 5' end of tRNA. Nucleotides in rRNA cleaved by the radicals were identified by primer extension, and assigned to the ribosomal A, P and E sites by standard criteria. In the A site, cleavages were found in the 2555-2573 region of 23S rRNA, around bases previously shown to be protected by A site tRNA, and in the alpha-sarcin loop, the site of interaction of elongation factors EF-Tu and EF-G. P site cleavages occurred in the 2250 loop, where a base pair is made with C74 of tRNA; and around the 2493 region in domain V. Interestingly, two clusters of nucleotides in 23S rRNA are accessible to both A site and P site tRNA probes. The first cluster is in the 1940-1965 region of domain IV, around the site of affinity labeling by the 3' end of tRNA, and the second cluster is around the bulged adenosine A2602, whose accessibility to chemical probes is enhanced by P site tRNA and decreased by A site tRNA. From the E site, cleavages occur in the 2390-2440 region, surrounding C2394, a base protected from dimethyl sulfate by E site tRNA, and in the phylogenetically variable stem at positions 1860/1880 of domain IV. Unexpectedly, no cleavages were detected in the central loop of domain V of 23S rRNA.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1996

Convergent validity of the Depression-Happiness Scale with measures of depression.

In recent years, the study of subjective well-being (SWB) has attracted much research interest. One recent operational definition of SWB is the McGreal and Joseph (1993) Depression-Happiness Scale. The aim of the present research was to investigate the convergent validity of the Depression-Happiness Scale with several other well established measures of depressive symptomatology. Subjects were 194 undergraduate students attending the University of Ulster. Lower scores on the Depression-Happiness Scale, indicating a higher frequency of negative thoughts and feelings and a lower frequency of positive thoughts and feelings, were associated with higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, the Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. These data provide further evidence for the convergent validity of the Depression-Happiness Scale.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Crisis support following the Herald of Free-Enterprise disaster: a longitudinal perspective.

Crisis support was assessed with survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry sinking at 3 and 6 years postdisaster. It was found that reported levels of support received from family and friends decreased over the first 3 years after the event but increased over the subsequent 3 years. In addition, higher retrospective ratings of crisis support received in the immediate aftermath of the disaster were found to predict lower levels of posttraumatic symptomatology as assessed by the Impact of Event Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at a later period. The results replicate earlier findings following the Jupiter Cruise ship disaster and are thought to have implications for the assessment and treatment of survivors at high risk of disturbance.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Chronic emotional processing in survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster: the relationship of intrusion and avoidance at 3 years to distress at 5 years.

Thirty-seven survivors completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES), a measure of intrusive and avoidant activity, at around 3 yr following the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between scores on the IES to scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y1) at around 5 yr subsequent to the event. Higher scores on the IES were able to predict higher scores on the BDI and the STAI-Y1 over and above scores on the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) which was also administered at around 3 yr on from the event. Implications for cognitive-behaviour therapy are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A dual representation theory of posttraumatic stress disorder.

A cognitive theory of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is proposed that assumes traumas experienced after early childhood give rise to 2 sorts of memory, 1 verbally accessible and 1 automatically accessible through appropriate situational cues. These different types of memory are used to explain the complex phenomenology of PTSD, including the experiences of reliving the traumatic event and of emotionally processing the trauma. The theory considers 3 possible outcomes of the emotional processing of trauma, successful completion, chronic processing, and premature inhibition of processing We discuss the implications of the theory for research design, clinical practice, and resolving contradictions in the empirical data.

Adaptation, Psychological↗