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Biomedical subjects

S L Berry

Publications and source records attributed to S L Berry.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

A basic phospholipase A from the venom of the Australian king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) showing diverse activities against membranes.

1. A basic phospholipase A (MSPA) was isolated from the venom of the Australian king brown snake, Pseudechis australis. 2. MSPA had an approximate Mr of 13,000 and consisted of a single polypeptide chain of 119 amino acid residues cross-linked by seven disulphide bridges. 3. MSPA exhibited direct haemolytic, anticoagulant and myotoxic activities. 4. Treatment of MSPA with p-bromophenacyl bromide modified a single histidine residue, resulting in complete loss of enzyme activity.

Acetophenones↗
PubMed1987

Economics of Brucella ovis control in sheep: epidemiologic simulation model.

The epidemiology and economics of Brucella ovis control in a hypothetical, commercial sheep flock (100 rams and 2,500 ewes) were investigated. The investigation consisted of an epidemiologic simulation model, reported here, and a decision-tree analysis, reported in a companion paper. The epidemiologic model was designed to simulate the transmission and persistence of B ovis in a ram flock during the mating season as well as the nonmating (isolation) season. A constant contact rate was selected for the nonmating season and a varying contact rate was selected for the mating season to reflect changes in numbers of ewes in estrus. These contact rates were used to evaluate all possible combinations of 5 control alternatives for flock infection rates ranging from 0% to 38%. Vaccination was found to be more effective as a control strategy when the prevalence of flock infection was high (greater than 15%); however, it did not substantially reduce B ovis transmission when the prevalence of flock infection was low (less than 10%). The effect of increasing vaccine efficacy from 40% to 80% had minimal effect on incidence of new cases. The speed with which B ovis could be eradicated depended on the initial prevalence of infection and the screening tests used (palpation, semen testing for leukocytes, and ELISA). All combinations of screening tests verified the usefulness of palpation. Simulation model results indicated that it may be feasible to eradicate B ovis from flocks with moderate to high (10% to 38%) prevalence of infection by culling on the basis of 2 sequential tests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Economics of Brucella ovis control in sheep: computerized decision-tree analysis.

The epidemiology and economics of Brucella ovis control in a hypothetical, commercial sheep flock (100 rams and 2,500 ewes) were investigated. The investigation consisted of an epidemiologic simulation model, reported in a companion paper, and a decision-tree analysis, reported here. It was predicted from the simulation model that B ovis could be eradicated successfully in 2 test periods (less than 1 year) from a flock by using intensive screening and culling. A computerized decision-tree program was used to determine the economically optimal control strategy among several alternatives. Two versions of the program were used to determine the optimal alternative, based on minimizing the expected monetary loss (deterministic) and minimizing the associated risk (stochastic). The economically optimal alternative was to screen the rams by means of palpation, semen testing, and ELISA prior to the mating season. Rams positive to any test were culled. After the mating season was completed, the optimal action was to use ELISA for the remaining rams and to cull all that were ELISA positive. The cost of this alternative was approximately $6,150, or less than one half the annual cost of a vaccination program ($12,800) or no program ($13,550). Continuing palpation and semen testing were considered worthwhile on the basis of detecting new cases of B ovis infection and in maintaining high flock fertility. Similarly, the cost of annual use of ELISA was small (approximately $100), compared with the potential cost of not detecting a new case of B ovis infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Family diagnoses missed on a clinical inpatient service.

Methods for taking family psychiatric histories have been developed primarily for research rather than clinical settings. The authors compared family histories obtained independently by a research team and by PGY-3 residents on 52 consecutively admitted adult psychiatric inpatients. In contrast to the residents, the research team used a family tree, screening questions, and a structured interview based on diagnostic criteria and identified more than four times as many diagnoses in relatives as did the residents. The results demonstrate that a family history strategy derived from research methodology significantly enhances the gathering of important diagnostic information in a clinical inpatient setting.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1985

Sensory and social influences on ice cream consumption by males and females in a laboratory setting.

Both male and female undergraduates ate more ice cream when eating occurred in groups of three or four than when they ate alone. These subjects also ate more ice cream when offered three different flavors than when offered only one flavor of their own choosing. For women, both variety and eating in a group combined to enhance eating more than either variable did alone. For men, variety or eating in a group caused about the same enhancement of consumption but the combination of the two variables did not lead to further increases in intake. This latter result probably reflects a ceiling effect, but it could represent a true gender difference.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Suppression of play fighting by amphetamine: effects of catecholamine antagonists, agonists and synthesis inhibitors.

Moderate doses of amphetamine and methylphenidate profoundly depress play fighting in juvenile rats. To test the idea that this behavioral effect was dependent on the release of catecholamines (CAs) we administered haloperidol (0.05-0.8 mg/kg), chlorpromazine (0.5-5 mg/kg), phenoxybenzamine (0.5-20 mg/kg) or propranolol (0.5-20 mg/kg) alone or in combination with 0.5 or 1 mg/kg d-amphetamine sulfate. None of these CA antagonists reversed the suppression of play fighting (indexed by pinning) caused by amphetamine, but at higher doses haloperidol, chlorpromazine and phenoxybenzamine depressed both pinning and rearing. The presynaptic NE agonist clonidine (0.05-0.2 mg/kg) also failed to block the effects of amphetamine on play; instead it too depressed both pinning and rearing. Finally the CA synthesis inhibitor, alpha-methyltyrosine (total dose: 100 mg/kg) did not attenuate the suppression of play by amphetamine. Ephedrine (10-80 mg/kg) mimicked the effects of amphetamine on pinning, but apomorphine did not. At doses from 0.125-0.5 mg/kg apomorphine stimulated pinning while 1 mg/kg had no effect. The present findings confirm earlier reports that amphetamine suppresses play fighting but the mechanism of action remains obscure.

Aggression↗
PubMed1984

Metacomprehension of text material.

Subjects' abilities to predict future multiple-choice test performance after reading sections of text were investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, subjects who scored above median test performance showed some accuracy in their predictions of that test performance. They gave higher mean ratings to material related to correct than to incorrect test answers. Subjects who scored below median test performance did not show this prediction accuracy. The retention interval between reading and the test was manipulated in Experiment 2. Subjects who were tested after at least a 24-hr delay showed results identical to those of Experiment 1. However, when subjects were tested immediately after reading, subjects above and below median test performance gave accurate predictions for the first immediate test. In contrast, both types of subjects gave inaccurate predictions for the second immediate test. Structural variables, such as length, serial position, and hierarchical level of the sections of text were related to subjects' predictions. These variables, in general, were not related to test performance, although the predictions were related to test performance in the conditions described above.

Achievement↗
PubMed1981

Amino Acid Transport into Cultured Tobacco Cells: II. EFFECT OF CALCIUM.

The effects of calcium ions on lysine transport into cultured Wisconsin-38 tobacco cells were examined. In the presence of calcium, lysine was transported at a relatively low rate for 30 to 40 minutes followed by a period of increasing rates and subsequent stabilization at a higher rate after 2 to 3 hours. In the absence of calcium, transport was uniformly low.Time-dependent stimulation of lysine transport rate was observed after the cells had been preincubated in calcium-containing media. Similar treatments also resulted in the stimulated uptake of a variety of other amino acids, organic compounds, and sulfate. The stimulation of lysine uptake was apparently not due to nutrient starvation.Lysine transport was not stimulated in a time-dependent fashion by K(+), La(3+), Mg(2+), or Mn(2+). Cells with stimulated transport rates continued to exhibit high rates when washed with calcium-containing media followed by transport in calcium-containing media. All other cation wash treatments were inhibitory, although magnesium treatments resulted in partial preservation of stimulated transport rates. Cycloheximide inhibited the calcium/time-dependent stimulation of lysine transport and caused the stimulated rate to decay.The initial experimental treatments or the culture conditions may represent some form of shock that alters the membrane transport mechanism, thus reducing transport. The observed calcium/time-dependent stimulation may require protein synthesis and represents damage repair.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Phenelzine-induced sexual dysfunction treated with sildenafil.

This article describes the presence, in a 56-year-old male, of sexual dysfunction that was associated with phenelzine (Nardil) and was treated successfully with sildenafil (Viagra). The sexual dysfunction was assessed using the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale for males (ASEX-Male).

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measuring counterdependency in patients with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: Some reports have characterized patients with chronic pain as counterdependent, that is, having emotional suppression, idealization of relationships, strong work ethic, a caregiver role-identity, and self-reliance. However, research has been hampered because formal measures of these traits have been lacking. In this article, we describe a five-item self-report questionnaire, the Counterdependency Scale (CDS), designed to elicit each of these traits on a Likert scale. METHODS: The CDS was administered to 150 consecutive patients evaluated in an outpatient psychiatry consultation program. RESULTS: CDS scores were normally distributed and had significant interitem correlations and test-retest reliability (r = 0.68). As expected, subjects with chronic pain (N = 100) had higher mean CDS scores than those without chronic pain (t = 5.6, p = .000). CDS scores were independent of demographic variables and measures of anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and somatic amplification. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that counterdependency can be described by a distinct and measurable cluster of traits associated with chronic pain.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pain location and psychological characteristics of patients with chronic pain.

The authors assessed psychological characteristics of 140 medical outpatients with chronic non-malignant pain referred for psychiatric consultation. Subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS), and Counter-dependency Scale (CDS). The only psychological measure able to differentiate the chronic pain group from the control subjects was the CDS. However, SSAS scores were significantly higher in subjects having pain involving the head, chest, abdomen, or pelvis than in subjects having pain only in their backs or extremities. The latter subgroup had significantly higher CDS scores. The findings suggest that there are discrete subgroups within the chronic pain population defined by pain location and specific psychological characteristics.

Adult↗