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PubMedDate not supplied

Specialized ribosomes in Escherichia coli.

Specialized ribosomes, developed by de Boer and co-workers at Genentech, carry a mutation in the anti-Shine-Dalgarno region of 16 S ribosomal RNA, the site of messenger RNA binding. A complementary mutation in the ribosome binding site (the Shine-Dalgarno region) of a particular messenger RNA results in specific and efficient translation of that messenger RNA on the specialized ribosomes. With this system, a fraction of the cell's ribosomes can be dedicated to the translation of a single messenger RNA; the remaining wild-type ribosomes carry out the normal cellular translation processes. Specialized ribosomes have been used for the overproduction of proteins, analysis of the feedback regulation of ribosomal RNA synthesis, and mutational analysis of 16 S ribosomal RNA. Experimental results related to each of these topics are summarized and discussed, and other potential applications are described. In particular, we propose a novel technique for mutational analysis of 23 S ribosomal RNA, the primary RNA constituent of the large ribosomal subunit, using the specialized ribosome approach.

Base Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Symplectic molecular dynamics simulations on specially designed parallel computers.

We have developed a computer program for molecular dynamics (MD) simulation that implements the Split Integration Symplectic Method (SISM) and is designed to run on specialized parallel computers. The MD integration is performed by the SISM, which analytically treats high-frequency vibrational motion and thus enables the use of longer simulation time steps. The low-frequency motion is treated numerically on specially designed parallel computers, which decreases the computational time of each simulation time step. The combination of these approaches means that less time is required and fewer steps are needed and so enables fast MD simulations. We study the computational performance of MD simulation of molecular systems on specialized computers and provide a comparison to standard personal computers. The combination of the SISM with two specialized parallel computers is an effective way to increase the speed of MD simulations up to 16-fold over a single PC processor.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1997

Social HMOs and other capitated arrangements for children with special health care needs.

OBJECTIVE: Children with special health care needs are increasingly enrolling in managed care arrangements. However, existing managed care organizations, including traditional HMOs, are often poorly suited for caring for this population. In the adult health care area, new managed care entities, called Social HMOs (S/HMO) and Programs for the All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), have been created to integrate health and health-related services for chronically ill and disabled adults. We describe these models and assess their potential for serving children with special health care needs. METHOD: We reviewed the literature on managed care for children with special health care needs and evaluation findings from the S/HMO and PACE models for the elderly. RESULTS: Evaluations of the S/HMO and PACE models have yielded mixed findings. Some of the more positive accomplishments include lower use and expenditures for long-term care services compared to other demonstration projects, greater integration of primary care physicians in decision making concerning long-term care, and improved management of transitions between care levels. On the negative side, start-up has been slow, prospective members have been hesitant to enroll, intermittent and sometimes frequent operating deficits have emerged, no discernible positive effects on health or social outcomes are apparent, and no significant overall savings have emerged. CONCLUSIONS: With mixed results so far, caution is required in applying these or similar models for vulnerable child populations. However, given the inadequacies of traditional managed care for this population, we believe experimentation with new models of care that integrate health and health-related services is important. Such experimentation should be fostered only to the extent that the models are carefully designed and then implemented in a manner that protects the interests of children with special health care needs.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of dental licensure, specialization and continuing education in five countries.

Dental practice and education are becoming more globalized. Greater practitioner and patient mobility, the free flow of information, increasingly global standards of care and new legal and economic frameworks (such as European Union [EU] legislation) are forcing a review of dental licensure, specialization and continuing education systems. The objective of this study was to compare these systems in Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the US. Representatives from the five countries completed a 29-item questionnaire, and the information was collated and summarized qualitatively. Statutory bodies are responsible for licensing and re-licensing in all countries. In the two North American countries, this responsibility rests with individual states, and in Europe, with the countries themselves, mainly governed by the legal framework of the EU. In some countries, re-licensure requires completion of continuing education credits. Approaches to dental specialization tend to differ widely with regard to definition of specialities, course and duration of training, training facilities, and accreditation of training programmes. In most countries, continuing education is provided by a number of different entities, such as universities, dental associations, companies, institutes and private individuals. Accreditation and recognition of continuing education is primarily process-driven, not outcome-orientated. Working towards a global infrastructure for dental licensing, specialization and continuing education depends on a thorough understanding of the international commonalities and differences identified in this article.

Canada↗
PubMed1981

Hemispheres as independent resource systems: limited-capacity processing and cerebral specialization.

In this article, we develop as framework for understanding how cerebral specialization of function contributes to the flexibility of human information processing. We propose that the left and right hemispheres together form a system of two mutually inaccessible and finite pools of resources. Further, we propose that these two types of resources cannot be made available in different amounts at any given time. This framework is essentially a special case of a multiple-resources model of limited-capacity information processing. It accounts for a broad range of data from experiments involving perceptual and cognitive information processing, control of motor performance, and changes in electrical activity of the brain. It also provides insights into why the cerebral specialization literature has been plagued with problems that have made theorizing so difficult. In addition, the theory provides insights into mechanisms that might be responsible for patterns of task interference that are not easily handled by an information-processing model in which processes compete for supplies from a single pool of undifferentiated resources. Thus, the framework we are proposing has important theoretical and methodological implications for researchers in both divided attention and cerebral specialization.

Attention↗
PubMed2001

Genetic linkage of ecological specialization and reproductive isolation in pea aphids.

The evolution of ecological specialization generates biological diversity and may lead to speciation. Genetic architecture can either speed or retard this process. If resource use and mate choice have a common genetic basis through pleiotropy or close linkage, the resulting genetic correlations can promote the joint evolution of specialization and reproductive isolation, facilitating speciation. Here we present a model of the role of genetic correlations in specialization and speciation, and test it by analysing the genetic architecture of key traits in two highly specialized host races of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum pisum; Hemiptera : Aphididae). We found several complexes of pleiotropic or closely linked quantitative trait loci (QTL) that affect key traits in ways that would promote speciation: QTL with antagonistic effects on performance on the two hosts are linked to QTL that produce asortative mating (through habitat choice). This type of genetic architecture may be common in taxa that have speciated under divergent natural selection.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed1994

The special needs of children.

British literature related to the care of children in hospital states that they have 'special needs'. This concept is not defined; neither are different writers in total agreement about what these needs may be. This paper attempts to define needs, concluding that they are 'requirements that should be met'. Children are seen as dynamic beings because they are in a state of constant development, both physically and psychosocially. It is this state of development that makes their needs special to them. They have special requirements, which should be met in specific ways. Through the presentation of indicators of behaviours which would enable such needs to be met, it can be demonstrated that children should be cared for by people with the appropriate knowledge and understanding. When children are admitted to hospital there may be a number of different people involved in determining how a need should be met. An important part of this process should be nurses who have been specially educated for work with this age group.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Recent changes in phenotype and patterns of host specialization in Wolbachia bacteria.

Wolbachia are a genus of bacterial symbionts that are known to manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts, both by distorting the host sex ratio and by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility. Previous work has suggested that some Wolbachia clades specialize in particular host taxa, but others are diverse. Furthermore, the frequency with which related strains change in phenotype is unknown. We have examined these issues for Wolbachia bacteria from Acraea butterflies, where different interactions are known in different host species. We found that bacteria from Acraea butterflies mostly cluster together in several different clades on the bacterial phylogeny, implying specialization of particular strains on these host taxa. We also observed that bacterial strains with different phenotypic effects on their hosts commonly shared identical gene sequences at two different loci. This suggests both that the phenotypes of the strains have changed recently between sex ratio distortion and cytoplasmic incompatibility, and that host specialization is not related to the bacterial phenotype, as suggested from previous data. We also analysed published data from other arthropod taxa, and found that the Wolbachia infections of the majority of arthropod genera tend to cluster together on the bacterial phylogeny. Therefore, we conclude that Wolbachia is most likely to move horizontally between closely related hosts, perhaps because of a combination of shared vectors for transmission and physiological specialization of the bacteria on those hosts.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[Pharmaco-economic evaluation of Ginkgo special extract EGb 761 for dementias in Austria].

The aim of the study was to carry out an economic evaluation of the therapeutic effects achievable with ginkgo special extract Egb 761 in dementia in Austria. The care-cost savings that could be achieved with ginkgo special extract Egb 761 therapy were estimated on the basis of the extent to which it delayed growing dependency and an increasing need for care--this being ascertained from the active treatment/placebo differences on GERRI after 6 months of treatment with Egb 761 and evaluated using the rates of the Austrian Federal Care Allowance Law--and compared with the cost of this therapy. The duration of illness, the start and duration of treatment, and the Egb 761 dose were varied in a series of scenarios in a sensitivity analysis. In all the scenarios the care-cost savings exceed the costs of the ginkgo special extract Egb 761 therapy. The cost/savings ratio is most favourable when the treatment is started early and when it is used in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type. For every month by which the transition from the stage requiring a small to moderate amount of care to the stage requiring considerable or very considerable care can be delayed, one can save 812 [symbol: see text]. Prescribing ginkgo special extract Egb 761 for dementia makes sense from the national economic viewpoint because the product can yield care-cost savings that exceed the cost of the treatment itself.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Improving emergency medical services for children with special health care needs: does training make a difference?

This study evaluated the impact of a paramedic training program on emergency medical services (EMS) responses for children with special health care needs. EMS responses for children with a congenital or acquired condition or a chronic physical or mental illness, were reviewed. Responses, related to the child's special health care need, involving paramedics who had completed our training program were compared with responses with paramedics not participating in the training. There was significantly more advanced life support treatment for responses with paramedics completing the training program compared with other responses. However, there was no significant difference in transport to a hospital or in-hospital admission between these 2 groups. This finding suggests that existing EMS protocols may play a more important role in emergency treatment and transport of children with special health care needs than specialized training of already certified paramedics.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Source and route of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis transmitted to the surgical wound during cardio-thoracic surgery. Possibility of preventing wound contamination by use of special scrub suits.

The objective of this study was to trace the source and route of transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) in the surgical wound during cardio-thoracic surgery, and to investigate the possibility of reducing wound contamination by wearing special scrub suits. In total 65 elective operations for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with or without concomitant valve replacement were investigated. All staff present in the operating room wore conventional scrub suits during 33 operations and special scrub suits during 32 operations. Samples were taken from the hands of the scrubbed team after surgical scrub but before putting on sterile gowns and gloves, and from patients' skin (incisional area of sternum and vein harvesting area of legs) after preoperative skin preparation with chlorhexidine gluconate. Air samples were taken during operations. Samples were also taken from the wound just before closure. Total counts of bacteria on sternal skin and from the wound (cfu/cm2) were calculated as well as total counts of bacteria in the air (cfu/m3). Strains of MRSE recovered from the different sampling sites were compared by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). It was found that wearing special scrub suits did not reduce the number of air-samples where MRSE was found compared with conventional scrub suits. The risk factor most strongly associated with MRSE in the wound at the end of the operation was preoperative carriage of MRSE on sternal skin; RR 2.42 [95% CI 1.43-4.10], P= 0.021. By use of PFGE, it was possible to identify the probable source for four MRSE isolates recovered from the wound. In three cases the source was the patients own skin. Finding MRSE in air-samples, or on the hands of the scrubbed team, were not risk factors for the recovery of MRSE in the wound at the end of operation. In conclusion, with a total bacterial air count around 20 cfu/m3 and a low proportion of MRSE, the reduction of total air counts by use of tightly woven special scrub suits did not reduce air counts of MRSE or wound contamination with MRSE. The patients' sternal skin was the main source for wound contamination with MRSE

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[Effectiveness of specially equipped and staffed ambulances in the immediate treatment of cardiac emergencies (author's transl)].

Of 3079 medically justified calls of the special ambulances at Ludwigshafen 70.6% were medical emergencies, of which 1059 were cardiac emergencies, 66.9% of these being myocardial infarctions. One quarter of patients with the typical features of myocardial infarction died in the first few minutes, one third within the first half-hour of onset of symptoms. The use of the special ambulances markedly raised the severity of those cases of infarction admitted to hospital so that, despite appropriate therapeutic measures in the early phase, total mortaltiy of cases of myocardial infarction treated by ambulance and at hospital was 51.1%. On the other hand, very early measures (mechanical and electrical resuscitation, intravenous infusion) can be of decisive importance in patients who would otherwise die as a result of arrhythmias. Long-term survival had been achieved in 29% before use of the special ambulance, in 46.8% after its introduction. No correspondingly good results through very early treatment were achieved after attempted suicide: the death rate was 2.6% both before and after introduction of the special ambulances (470 and 497 cases, respectively).

Ambulances↗
PubMed1984

Repeated coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with patent atherosclerotic grafts: a special challenge.

The operative risk and results of reoperations in patients with long-standing atherosclerotic vein grafts are not well-known. We have had 38 such patients among our last 102 cases of repeated revascularization procedure (37.2%). Six out of those 38 patients were operated taking special measures to avoid atheromatous material displacement and they were compared to the remaining 32 operated on in a conventional way. In addition, all patients, as a group, were compared to another 64 patients undergoing the same procedure in the same time interval but presenting either healthy or occluded grafts. Perioperative myocardial infarction was specially studied. It was more frequent in those with atherosclerotic grafts (23.7 % versus 9.4%) and, among them, in those operated on in a conventional way (25% versus 16.7%). Operative mortality was also higher in the same groups: 13.2% versus 3.1% for atherosclerotic versus non atherosclerotic graft carriers and 15.6% versus none of those operated on in a conventional way versus those in whom special measures were taken. The late results so far are also suboptimal in the same risk groups, although a mean follow-up of 6 months is too brief a period of time. We can therefore conclude that patients with patent atherosclerotic vein grafts have a higher operative risk and worse long-term results, mainly related to a greater perioperative myocardial infarction rate. Special measures to avoid the latter event are warranted.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

PNP roles and interventions with children with special needs and their families.

Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) can create excellent professional roles caring for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) and their families. Children with chronic conditions represent an estimated 31% of the US population younger than 18 years (approximately 20 million children in 1988). Five percent of all children who have multiple special needs account for approximately 40% of all pediatric health care expenditures. Skill building is needed for PNPs who have traditionally focused on wellness and common acute illnesses in primary care settings. Role theory and research can guide PNPs in creating roles and interventions to improve the health, safety, and developmental outcomes for CSHCN and their families. Two roles are described, with examples of specific nursing interventions. Assisting child care centers to serve children and families with special needs is an ideal role for PNPs who have knowledge of health and regulatory issues. Another important PNP role is working with adolescents with special health care needs as they transition from pediatric to adult care. Many resources (such as those from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau) are available to assist PNPs to create new roles and interventions for CSHCN and their families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Covalently linked chlorophyll a dimer: A biomimetic model of special pair chlorophyll.

The synthesis of a covalent dimer of chlorophyll a which possesses properties strikingly similar to those exhibited by P700 special pair chlorophyll in vivo is described. The covalent dimer is characterized by several spectroscopic techniques. Hydrogen bonding nucleophiles, such as water, primary alcohols, and primary thiols, are effective in generating a species from solutions of 10 muM covalent dimer in hydrophobic solvents which absorbs light near 700 nm. Formation of this in vitro special pair is a rapid, spontaneous process at room temperature. The range of nucleophiles which promote this process suggests that amino acid residues may function in a similar fashion to form P700 in chlorophyll-protein complexes. The photochemical properties of this in vitro special pair mimic those of in vivo P700 species. The 697 nm absorption of the in vitro special pair undergoes photo-bleaching rapidly in the presence of iodine that results in the production of a cation radical which exhibits an electron spin resonance signal similar to that of oxidized P700 observed in Chlorella vulgaris.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Recognizing specialized terminology presented through different modes.

In the present study, the authors examined how previous experience and modes of presenting information affect the recognition of terms in new, specialized terminologies. The specialized terminology used was related to orienteering. Orienteering concepts representing features found in the woods may be communicated verbally (as definitions or words) or symbolically. There were 225 participants (101 reported no orienteering experience and 122 reported varying amounts of orienteering experience; 2 did not respond to that question) who tried to identify which of 5 entities was an orienteering definition, word, or symbol. Those with orienteering experience found that recognizing the specialized terminology was significantly easier than for those without experience. Recognizing symbols was significantly more difficult than recognizing definitions or words, particularly for non-orienteers. Performance of the orienteers was similar for the three modes. Within the orienteering group, the number of years of experience and usual course difficulty attempted were significant predictors of overall test success. Applications to training of both low-level specialized terminology (e.g., used in algebra), and higher level terminology (e.g., used in computer science) are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of the efficacy of conventional special blue light phototherapy and fiberoptic phototherapy in the management of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia.

The efficacy and usefulness of two types of phototherapy differing in the source, wavelength and irradiance of the light, conventional phototherapy consisting of special blue light and fiberoptic phototherapy, were compared in a relatively larger series of term newborns with non-haemolytic and more significant hyperbilirubinaemia than those in previous studies. In total, 108 newborns were allocated sequentially to receive either conventional phototherapy consisting of five special blue lamps or fiberoptic phototherapy. The average spectral irradiance measured at the skin surface level of newborns during the study period was significantly greater in the conventional phototherapy group. The special blue lamp of the conventional phototherapy unit had an emission spectrum almost identical to the bilirubin absorption spectrum, whereas the tungsten-halogen lamp of the fiberoptic phototherapy had a broad emission through the blue and green wavelengths (mainly in the green spectrum). Phototherapy was more effective in the conventional phototherapy group; the duration of exposure to phototherapy (h) was significantly shorter, and the overall bilirubin decline rate (as micromol/l/h and %/h) was significantly greater in the conventional phototherapy group. According to the nursing personnel, fiberoptic phototherapy was more comfortable than the conventional phototherapy frame because of the easier accessibility and handling of the infants during phototherapy. They complained of giddiness, nausea, glare, temporary blurring of vision and difficulty in detecting the skin colour changes of newborns with the blue light of the conventional phototherapy unit. Conventional phototherapy consisting of special blue fluorescent lamps with approximately twofold higher irradiance and an emission spectrum almost identical to the bilirubin absorption spectrum is preferable to fiberoptic phototherapy in the standard treatment of term newborns with non-haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia.

Color Therapy↗
PubMed2000

Cortical-organization in moles: evidence of new areas and a specialized S2.

The somatosensory cortex of several mole species (family Talpidae), with different peripheral sensory adaptations, was investigated and compared to determine common and specialized features of cortical organization. Previously unidentified medial representations of the trunk and limbs were found in all species, indicating that S1 in moles occupies a medial to lateral strip of cortex as in most other mammals. This finding suggests a large lateral forelimb representation, previously attributed to S1, is actually part of S2. In the face representation, evidence was found for three representations of the unusual nose of the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata). Each of these areas was divided into a series of modules (visible in cytochrome oxidase processed tissue) representing individual nasal appendages on the star. In the closely related but less specialized eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) and coast mole (Scapanus orarius), only two nose representations were identified in an area of cortex with a more uniform histological appearance. The results indicate that moles have enlarged somatosensory representations of the glabrous nose as compared to shrews and rats that instead have large vibrissal representations. In addition moles have a very large and specialized representation of the digging forepaw in S2. Since this part of S2 projects directly to the cervical spinal cord, the specialization may provide adaptive sensorimotor functions related to digging.

Animals↗