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Biomedical subjects

S Zimmerman

Publications and source records attributed to S Zimmerman.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

[Leading symptom: the M-gradient in electrophoresis].

A survey is given on development, proof and clinical importance of an M-gradient which is to be demarcated in the electrophoresis. A M-gradient refers to an excessive increase of the number of monoclonic immunoglobulins (= paraproteins). As investigation method the electrophoresis on agar or agarose, respectively, is best suited. The immunoelectrophoresis is necessary for the further differentiation into several classes and types as well as for the demarcation of pseudo-M-gradients. The proof of a M-gradient alone does not allow a diagnosis. M-gradients obligatorily appear in the plasmocytoma, in Waldenstroem's macroglobulinaemia and associated neoplasias of the lympho-plasma-cellular tissue. However, M-gradients can also be observed in carcinomas, chronic liver diseases and chronic inflammatory processes as well as in clinically healthy persons in individual cases. The differentiation according to the cause of the M-gradient is possible only then, when the total clinical picture is taken into consideration, in individual cases, however, according to the course of the disease.

Electrophoresis↗
PubMed1967

Action of colcemid in sea urchin eggs.

The effects of Colcemid, the deacetyl-N-methyl derivative of colchicine, on the eggs of Arbacia punctulata were investigated. Colcemid in concentrations of 2.7 x 10(-5)M or greater blocks syngamy (the fusion of the pronuclei) in these eggs. Although a tenfold decrease in concentration of Colcemid usually permits the pronuclei to fuse, the subsequent division is blocked. In the sea urchin egg, the duration of presyngamy is about 15 min during which time there is no DNA synthesis. However, DNA synthesis is recorded in Colcemid-blocked cells prior to syngamy. Radioautographs of Colcemid-blocked cells which were immersed into thymidine-(3)H exhibited silver grains above each of the pronuclei. The action of Colcemid on Arbacia eggs is reversible. Nevertheless, exposures to 2.7 x 10(-5)M Colcemid for only 3 min, initiated 5 min after insemination, caused delays of 70 min in subsequent division. In general, cells are more sensitive to Colcemid prior to the time when the mitotic spindle is being assembled than at presyngamy stages. The results are discussed in terms of Colcemid action on pronuclear fusion and cell division.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A prospective study of shoulder disability resulting from radical and modified neck dissections.

A prospective longitudinal study of shoulder function after 103 neck dissections involving either preservation or sacrifice of the spinal accessory nerve is presented. The postoperative evolution and course of trapezius muscle denervation and resultant shoulder dysfunction were objectively determined for both radical and modified nerve sparing neck dissections. All patients were enrolled in a program of physical therapy aimed at maintaining range of motion at the shoulder joint. Shoulder function was examined preoperatively and for 12 months postoperatively with manual muscle strength testing, range of motion measurements, and electrodiagnostic testing. Results indicate that modified nerve sparing dissections are followed on the average by a significant, but temporary and reversible phase of shoulder dysfunction. By comparison, radical neck dissection is followed by profound and permanent trapezius muscle weakness and denervation.

Accessory Nerve↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Model testing for reliability and validity of the Outcome Expectations for Exercise Scale.

BACKGROUND: Development of a reliable and valid measure of outcome expectations for exercise appropriate for older adults will help establish the relationship between outcome expectations and exercise. Once established, this measure can be used to facilitate the development of interventions to strengthen outcome expectations and improve adherence to regular exercise in older adults. OBJECTIVES: Building on initial psychometrics of the Outcome Expectation for Exercise (OEE) Scale, the purpose of the current study was to use structural equation modeling to provide additional support for the reliability and validity of this measure. METHODS: The OEE scale is a 9-item measure specifically focusing on the perceived consequences of exercise for older adults. The OEE scale was given to 191 residents in a continuing care retirement community. The mean age of the participants was 85 +/- 6.1 and the majority were female (76%), White (99%), and unmarried (76%). Using structural equation modeling, reliability was based on R2 values, and validity was based on a confirmatory factor analysis and path coefficients. RESULTS: There was continued evidence for reliability of the OEE based on R2 values ranging from .42 to .77, and validity with path coefficients ranging from .69 to .87, and evidence of model fit (X2 of 69, df = 27, p < .05, NFI = .98, RMSEA = .07). CONCLUSION: The evidence of reliability and validity of this measure has important implications for clinical work and research. The OEE scale can be used to identify older adults who have low outcome expectations for exercise, and interventions can then be implemented to strengthen these expectations and thereby improve exercise behavior.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The influence of hydrostatic pressure on the distribution of histone mRNA in HeLa cells.

Hydrostatic pressure and HeLa S3 cells were used (as a model system) to investigate the relationship of the cytoskeleton and histone gene expression. Exposure of HeLa S3 cells to hydrostatic pressure of 1000 - 10,000 psi (6.89 x 10(3) - 6.89 x 10(4) kPa) disrupts the cytoskeleton and reduces H1 and core histone mRNA and actin mRNA levels as determined by hybridization to specific DNA probes. Soluble and insoluble cell fractions were isolated from HeLa cells after lysis in Triton X-100 buffered with PIPES and being subjected to low-speed centrifugation. The insoluble fraction was designated the cytoskeletal fraction. At atmospheric pressure, 76% of H4 histone mRNA is associated with the cytoskeletal fraction and 24% of the H4 histone mRNA is in the soluble fraction. At 6000 and 10,000 psi for a duration of 10 min, H4 mRNA levels in the cytoskeletal fraction were reduced to 52 and 41%, respectively. The reduction of mRNA in the cytoskeletal fraction is accompanied by a corresponding increase of mRNA in the soluble cell fraction. The other core (H2A, H2B, and H3) and H1 histone mRNA transcripts exhibited similar sensitivity to pressure treatment. The effects of pressure on histone gene regulation may be mediated through alteration of mRNA-cytoskeleton association.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Control of asthma in Canada: failure to achieve guideline targets.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree of asthma control achieved by patients with asthma in Canada and to describe the impact of poor asthma control. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional telephone interview survey of Canadians with doctor-diagnosed asthma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Random digit dialing was used to identify a representative sample of Canadians with asthma. A total of 801 adults and 200 parents of children aged four to 15 years were interviewed over the telephone. Telephone interviews were also conducted with 266 physicians. RESULTS: Only 24% of patients achieved disease control by meeting the six symptom-based criteria listed by the 1996 Canadian Asthma Consensus Guidelines as appropriate treatment targets. Fifty-seven per cent of patients failed to meet two or more of the six control criteria and were considered poorly controlled. Fifty-one per cent had required urgent care for out of control asthma at least once in the year before the survey. Nonetheless, 91% of patients thought that their asthma was adequately controlled. Physicians shared this optimism: 77% of family physicians and 90% of respirologists believed that they were usually able to achieve optimal asthma control in their patients. Few physicians gauged asthma control by tracking more than one or two symptoms, and just over one-half (54%) of patients surveyed recalled ever having had a lung function test. One-half (48%) of patients with poorly controlled asthma who used inhaled steroids did not understand the role of inhaled steroids; one-third (32%) of patients with poorly controlled asthma who used short acting bronchodilators misunderstood the action of quick relief bronchodilators. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Canadians with asthma suffer from inadequate control of their disease. Suboptimal control of asthma is associated with excess health care use. Inadequate monitoring by physicians and poor patient education may be factors contributing to this problem.

Anti-Asthmatic Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic effects of marijuana.

Marijuana and its constitutive cannabinoids--tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabidiol (CBD)--markedly affect mammalian cells. Cytogenetic studies have revealed that cannabinoids induce chromosome aberrations in both in vivo and in vitro studies. These aberrations include chromosomal breaks, deletions, translocations, errors in chromosomal segregation, and hypoploidy, and are due to the clastogenic action of cannabinoids or to cannabinoid-induced disruption of mitotic events or both. Conflicting reports of the cytogenetic effects of cannabinoids are partially explained by the different experimental protocols, cell types, and animals used by investigators. Cannabinoids also suppress macromolecular synthesis (DNA, RNA, and protein) as well as reduce the level of histone gene expression. In general these studies show that cannabinoids are detrimental to the health of an individual.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗