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Biomedical subjects

W Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to W Murphy.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The human c-myc oncogene: structural consequences of translocation into the IgH locus in Burkitt lymphoma.

We have determined the sequence of the normal human c-myc gene and compared it to portions of a c-myc gene that has been translocated into the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus in a Burkitt lymphoma cell. The normal c-myc gene is encoded in three discrete exons divided by two large intervening sequences. Its mRNA is transcribed from two active promoters located about 150 nucleotides from one another. Each promoter initiates transcription of a long (approximately 550 bp) untranslatable leader sequence encoding the entire first exon. This exon and additional 5' flanking sequences are tightly conserved between mouse and man. In the Burkitt cell BL22, the rearranged c-myc gene retains both promoters and is unchanged in its amino acid coding domains. Translocation of this gene joins it to the immunoglobulin heavy chain switch region at a point approximately 1000 bp 5' to the dual c-myc promoters. These genes are joined in opposite transcriptional orientation. The structure of the translocated gene and the nature of its linkage to the immunoglobulin locus and the presence of two c-myc promoters and consequently two long leader sequences raise novel possibilities for the activation of an oncogene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Therapists' and chronic pain patients' perceptions of treatment outcome.

Pain is a complex phenomenon which is influenced by multiple factors; likewise, assessment of chronic pain patients' response to treatment is influenced by many variables. A physician, psychologist, physical therapist, and occupational therapist rated the extent of recovery of 40 chronic pain patients who had spent 4 to 6 weeks in an inpatient chronic pain treatment program. Each patient also rated his/her own degree of improvement. In addition, therapists and patients reported which factors were the primary determinants of their outcome ratings. Although therapists rated the patients as significantly more improved than the patients rated themselves, there was still a high degree of similarity between therapists' and patients' view of recovery. Therapists and patients were in high agreement concerning which patients were classified as treatment successes or failures. Furthermore, activity level and ability to cope with pain were frequently endorsed by therapists and patients as important determinants of recovery rating. Contrary to a previous report, the results of this study suggest that pain patients are not necessarily poor judges of (their own) treatment results. Perhaps more importantly, this study supports the use of a broad-based multidimensional approach to assessing treatment outcome for chronic pain patients.

Adult↗

[Dynamic study of the diffusion and clearance of proteins in human interstitial tissue].

The application of a venous tourniquet leads to distension of the distal venous and capillary circulation and a local increase in plasma volume. In the normal subject, plasma volume returns to its initial level within approximately 10 sec of tourniquet release. In subjects affected by cyclical oedema, the local increase in plasma volume persists several minutes after tournique release. Radioactive labelling of plasma proteins shows that this delay is associated with the retention of plasma proteins by the tissues. These proteins are subsequently cleared by lymphatic drainage or diffusion back into veins. These results suggest that the combination of tournique test with the labelling of plasma proteins measures capillary and venous permeability as well as tissue protein clearance kinetics.

Body Fluid Compartments↗

Serial multiple-site biopsies in patients with bladder cancer.

A prospective study was done on 52 patients with bladder cancer to determine the incidence of atypia, carcinoma in situ and carcinoma in selected site biopsies from normal-appearing mucosa at the time of initial and subsequent endoscopy. Biopsies at initial endoscopy revealed abnormalities in 33 per cent of the patients, while 77 per cent of 43 patients undergoing 3-month selected site biopsies had at least 1 abnormal biopsy during a 1-year period.

Adult↗

Molecular and genetic approaches to the analysis of the informational content of the mitochondrial genome in mammalian cells.

Our laboratory has been involved in the last few years in investigations aiming at analysing by molecular approaches the informational content of the mitochondrial genome in mammalian cells and the mechanisms and control of its expression, H eLa cells and other mammalian cell lines have been utilized for these studies. These investigations, as well as work carried out in other laboratories, have yielded a considerable amount of information concerning the mechanism, products and regulation of transcription of mitochondrial DNA (mit-DNA), the apparatus and products of mitochondria-specific protein synthesis in animal cells, and the number and topology of the sites on mit-DNA which code for the primary gene products identified so far. It is the purpose of the present report to summarize the latest observations in this area, as well as some recent results on the isolation and characterization of chloramphenicol-resistant variants of a human cell line. Reference is made to previous review articles 1,2,3 for the earlier work.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

Hypercalcemic hyperparathyroidism in hypophosphatemic rickets.

A 25-year-old white woman with sporadic hypophosphatemic rickets presented with a 7 year history of chronic mild hypercalcemia, osteitis fibrosa cystic and hypercalcemic nephropathy. Serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone was elevated by greater than 100-fold and a 3.5 g parathyroid tumor was found at operation. Survey of the literature reveals that of 9 previous cases in which hypercalcemic hyperparathyroidism occurred in association with hypophosphatemic rickets, only two had classical x-linked familial hypophosphatemic rickets. It appears more than likely that this unusual combination of skeletal diseases represents the chance occurrence of primary hyperparathyroidism in patients with underlying x-linked familial hypophosphatemic rickets rather than a complication of phosphate therapy.

Adolescent↗

Nonsurgical closure of large arteriovenous fistulas.

We report a nonsurgical closure of large postnephrectomy arteriovenous fistulas in two patients. To out knowledge, this method has not previously been attempted because of the large size of the communication and the risk of pulmonary embolization. However, the development of new embolization techniques makes a nonsurgical approach feasible and safe.

Adolescent↗

An electron microscope study of the relative positions of the 4S and ribosomal RNA genes in HeLa cells mitochondrial DNA.

The 4S RNA genes in HeLa mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been mapped by electron microscopy using the electron-opaque label ferritin. This method is based on the high affinity interaction between the protein, avidin,and biotin. 4S RNA, covalently coupled to biotin, was hybridized to single-stranded mtDNA. The hybrids were then labeled with ferritin-avidin conjugates. The positions of ferritin-labeled 4S RNA genes were determined relative to the rRNA genes on both heavy (H) and light (L) strands of mtDNA. This region was recognized as a duplex segment after hybridization either with rRNA in the case of H strands or with DNA complementary to rRNA in the case of L strands. Our studies suggest that at least nineteen 4S RNA genes are present in the HeLa mitochondrial genome. On the H strand, we have confirmed the nine map positions found in a previous electron microscope mapping study (Wu et al., 1972) and obtained evidence for three additional 4S RNA genes. On the L strand, seven 4S RNA genes have been mapped. The nineteen genes are distributed more or less uniformly around the genome. There is a pair of closely spaced genes, approximately 150 nucleotides apart, on the H strand, and another closely spaced pair on the L strand.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Distribution of repetitive and nonrepetivite sequence transcripts in HeLa mRNA.

Polyadenylated messenger RNA extracted from HeLa cells was hybridized with a mass excess of HeLa DNA. The kinetics of the hybridization reaction demonstrated that most of the messenger RNA is transcribed from nonrepetitive DNA. The amount of messenger RNA hybridized to DNA was measured both with and without prior RNase treatment. Comparison of the results indicates that within the limits of detection, HeLa messenger RNA does not contain repetitive sequence elements covalently linked to nonrepetitive sequence transcripts. However, a small fraction of the HeLa messenger RNA preparation is transcribed entirely from repetitive DNA sequences. This fraction represents about 6% of the total polyadenylated messenger RNA preparation.

Adenosine↗