Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “OKLAHOMA”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,081 records · Page 60Linked to original sources

Tulsa health care challenge: a compilation of issues and possible solutions.

The delivery of adequate health care to "all of the people" has become an increasing challenge in the United States. The problem of timely access to affordable health care is even more serious in Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Health Science Center, the OU College of Medicine-Tulsa, and Community HealthNET, Inc. have taken leadership roles in convening two Oklahoma Health Care Challenge summit meetings this past year. Tulsa community leaders are now addressing the seriousness of the local problem and, more importantly, are coming up with ways to alleviate it. The focus of the summits has centered on providing indigent care, which will provide relief to the Tulsa hospitals and physicians from the growing burden of charity care costs. The most beneficial results of these meetings have been a clearer definition of the problem specific to Tulsa, the recognition that the solution will require coalitions of multidisciplinary groups, and the realization that cooperation, as well as collaboration, is the key to success.

Delivery of Health Care↗

Health care for children in foster care.

Every month 6,600 children in Oklahoma live under the custody of the state, most as result of being abused or neglected by their own families. The state provides medical care to these children via the Medicaid program. The American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) has set forth a guideline for optimal care of these children. We discuss the current Oklahoma health care system for foster children and suggest changes that may move Oklahoma in the direction of the AAP recommendations. A more uniform, organized medical system may not only meet a foster child's medical needs but may also provide a degree of continuity to an otherwise discontinuous process.

Child↗

Evidence of mountain cedar pollen in Tulsa.

Over the past five winters atmospheric Juniperus (cedar) pollen was collected in December and January in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Evidence from phenology, wind patterns, and plant distribution indicate that this pollen is from Juniperus ashei (mountain cedar) populations in south central Oklahoma and possibly Texas. The presence of this highly allergenic pollen in the Tulsa atmosphere indicates the potential for allergy problems among sensitive individuals in northeast Oklahoma.

Air Pollutants↗

OAFP starts practice-based resource/research network.

The Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians, in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, has established a primary care practice-based research network with thirteen family practice offices currently participating. The practices are connected to each other and to the Health Sciences Center campuses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa by electronic mail and have begun their first research project involving the diagnosis and treatment of brown recluse spider bites in the primary care setting.

Computer Communication Networks↗

The first in situ split of a liver in the USA performed by two geographically distant transplant centers--enhancing, sharing, and expanding the cadaveric liver organ pool.

In situ split of the liver was performed in a heart-beating cadaveric organ donor for the first time in the U.S.A. by two geographically distant transplant centers. The procedure, initiated by a transplant team in Oklahoma City, was a joint project of the transplant teams from Oklahoma City and New York City. The in situ split resulted in two liver grafts. A left graft (left lateral segment) which was transplanted into a 7-year-old pediatric recipient in Oklahoma City and a right graft (right lobe and segment IV) which was transplanted into a 52-year-old adult recipient in New York City. Initial graft function was excellent in the two patients. The adult recipient was discharged home 10 days after the transplant and is doing well. The pediatric recipient died two and a half months later from multi-system organ failure. The recently introduced in situ split technique provides two excellent liver grafts from one donor and enhances sharing of liver grafts between transplant centers.

Cadaver↗

In memoriam Dr Marlene DeLuca. 1987 O. M. Smith Lecture. Firefly luciferase: mechanism of action, cloning and expression of the active enzyme.

The untimely death of Marlene DeLuca in 1987 has deprived the scientific community of an outstanding expert on bioluminescence. Earlier in that year she was honoured as the thirty-ninth recipient of the Otto Mitchell Smith Lectureship Award at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. On 20 March 1987 Dr DeLuca presented a scientific lecture entitled 'Firefly Luciferase--Mechanism of Action, Cloning, and Expression of the Active Enzyme' and a popular lecture at the banquet that evening entitled 'Light and Life'. She was selected for her excellence in research, her oral presentation ability, and her personableness. Marlene was the first woman so honoured. To honour Dr Otto M. Smith the Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Lambda Upsilon, a national chemistry honorary organization, inaugurated The Otto Mitchell Smith Lectureship in 1948 at Oklahoma State University. Former awardees include Nobel Laureates H. C. Brown, Stanford Moore, and Arthur Kornberg and the following prominent biochemists/molecular biologists: Robert A. Alberty, University of Wisconsin; Daniel E. Koshland, Brookhaven National Laboratory; Sol Spiegelman, University of Illinois; Carl Djerassi, Stanford University; and John T. Edsall, Harvard University. The lectureship honours Dr O. M. Smith, who was Director of the Research Foundation, professor, and Head of the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. As a tribute to Dr DeLuca's outstanding contribution to bioluminescence we reproduce here the edited text of her Otto Mitchell Smith Lectureship and a selected bibliography of her work on firefly bioluminescence.

Awards and Prizes↗

Sequence analysis of wheat and oat furovirus capsid protein genes suggests that oat golden stripe virus is a strain of soil-borne wheat mosaic virus.

In northern blots, cDNA probes prepared to soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV) RNA-1 and RNA-2 hybridized to RNA-1 and RNA-2, respectively, from a UK isolate of oat golden stripe virus (OGSV), as well as to their homologous RNAs. RT-PCR was used to amplify, clone and sequence a region of about 750 nucleotides spanning the capsid protein gene and part of the readthrough protein on RNA-2 from OGSV, a French isolate of SBWMV and two stable deletion mutants (Lab1 and Okl-7) of SBWMV isolates from Nebraska and Oklahoma respectively. There was very high (96.7-99.1%) nucleotide homology between all these sequences and the wild-type SBWMV sequences from Nebraska and Oklahoma. OGSV was more similar to SBWMV from France and Nebraska than were any of the isolates to SBWMV from Oklahoma. Of the few differences in the deduced amino acid sequences of the capsid proteins from the different isolates, OGSV differed from all SBWMV isolates only in one amino acid (isoleucine for valine at position 88). The high degree of similarity suggests that OGSV may best be classified as an oat strain of SBWMV.

Avena↗

Prevalence of previous appendectomy among patients needing gastrointestinal endoscopy.

BACKGROUND: The appendix may be an immune modulator of the gut, and its absence may lead to an increase in gastrointestinal illnesses. If this is true, we may expect patients needing endoscopy to have a higher prevalence of previous appendectomy. METHODS: We did a case-control study at the University of Oklahoma Hospital for 13 months. Subjects having endoscopic evaluation at the University of Oklahoma Hospital formed the study group. Patients seen at the general medicine clinic of the University of Oklahoma served as controls. We recorded the patient's name, age, sex, race, history of smoking, and history of appendectomy or tonsillectomy. RESULTS: The endoscopy group had 524 patients; 469 patients were in the control group. There were no differences based on race or history of smoking. There was greater prevalence of previous appendectomy in the endoscopy group (33.46% vs. 20.55%). The prevalence of tonsillectomy was 29.28% in the study group vs. 21.61% among the controls. Multiple regression revealed that history of appendectomy and not tonsillectomy was related to the performance of endoscopy. CONCLUSION: History of appendectomy is associated with greater performance of endoscopy.

Analysis of Variance↗

Pregnancy outcomes after recovery from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-hemolytic uremic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP-HUS) during a subsequent pregnancy is an important concern because pregnancy may increase the risk for relapse. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Outcomes of all pregnancies after recovery from TTP-HUS in the Oklahoma TTP-HUS Registry, a cohort of 301 consecutive patients during the period of 1989 through 2003, were assessed and compared to the total published experience. RESULTS: In the Oklahoma Registry, 3 of 7 (43%) women with idiopathic TTP-HUS, 2 of 11 (18%) women who were pregnant/postpartum, and 0 of 1 (0%) woman with a bloody diarrhea prodrome at their initial presentation were diagnosed with TTP-HUS during a subsequent pregnancy; all 5 women recovered. In published reports, 10 of 11 (91%) women with idiopathic TTP-HUS and 11 of 18 (61%) women who were pregnant/postpartum at their initial presentation, and all 11 (100%) women with congenital TTP-HUS were diagnosed with TTP-HUS during a subsequent pregnancy. Rates of recurrence in the Oklahoma Registry may be less because of case report bias for exceptional patients. Recurrent TTP-HUS was difficult to diagnose because other pregnancy-related complications were frequent. CONCLUSIONS: Although pregnancies in these women were often complicated, a future pregnancy may be a safe and appropriate decision for women who have recovered from TTP-HUS.

Cohort Studies↗

Infection of tick cells and bovine erythrocytes with one genotype of the intracellular ehrlichia Anaplasma marginale excludes infection with other genotypes.

Anaplasma marginale, a tick-borne rickettsial pathogen of cattle, is endemic in several areas of the United States. Many geographic isolates of A. marginale that occur in the United States are characterized by the major surface protein 1a, which varies in sequence and molecular weight due to different numbers of tandem repeats of 28 or 29 amino acids. Recent studies (G. H. Palmer, F. R. Rurangirwa, and T. F. McElwain, J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:631-635, 2001) of an A. marginale-infected herd of cattle in an area of endemicity demonstrated that multiple msp1alpha genotypes were present but that only one genotype was found per individual bovine. These findings suggested that infection of cattle with other genotypes was excluded. The present study was undertaken to confirm the phenomenon of infection exclusion of A. marginale genotypes in infected bovine erythrocytes and cultured tick cells. Two tick-transmissible isolates of A. marginale, one from Virginia and one from Oklahoma, were used for these studies. In two separate trials, cattle inoculated with equal doses of the two isolates developed infection with only one genotype. Tick cell cultures inoculated with equal doses of the two isolates became infected with only the Virginia isolate of A. marginale. When cultures were inoculated with different ratios of the Oklahoma and Virginia isolates of A. marginale, the isolate inoculated in the higher ratio became established and excluded infection with the other. When cultures with established infections of one isolate were subsequently infected with the other, only the established isolate was detected. We documented infection exclusion during initial infection in cell culture by labeling each isolate with a different fluorescent dye. After 2 days in culture, only a single isolate was detected per cell by fluorescence microscopy. Finally, when Anaplasma ovis infections were established in cultures that were subsequently inoculated with the Virginia or Oklahoma isolate of A. marginale, A. marginale infection was excluded. These studies confirm that infection exclusion occurs with A. marginale in bovine erythrocytes and tick cells, resulting in the establishment of only one genotype, and appears to be the first report of infection exclusion for Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species.

Anaplasma↗

Ehrlichia canis-like agent isolated from a man in Venezuela: antigenic and genetic characterization.

We report the first isolation and molecular and antigenic characterization of a human ehrlichial species in South America. A retrospective study was performed with serum specimens from 6 children with clinical signs suggestive of human ehrlichiosis and 43 apparently healthy adults who had a close contact with dogs exhibiting clinical signs compatible with canine ehrlichiosis. The evaluation was performed by the indirect fluorescent-antibody assay with Ehrlichia chaffeensis Arkansas, Ehrlichia canis Oklahoma, and Ehrlichia muris antigens. The sera from two apparently healthy humans were positive by the indirect fluorescent-antibody assay for all three antigens. Of the three antigens, samples from humans 1 and 2 showed the highest antibody titers against E. chaffeensis and E. muris, respectively. The remaining serum samples were negative for all three antigens. One year later examination of a blood sample from subject 1 revealed morulae morphologically resembling either E. canis, E. chaffeensis, or E. muris in monocytes in the blood smear. The microorganism, referred to here as Venezuelan human ehrlichia (VHE), was isolated from the blood of this person at 4 days after coculturing isolated blood leukocytes with a dog macrophage cell line (DH82). The organism was also isolated from mice 10 days after intraperitoneal inoculation of blood leukocytes from subject 1. Analysis by electron microscopy showed that the human isolate was ultrastructurally similar to E. canis, E. chaffeensis, and E. muris. When the virulence of VHE in mice was compared with those of E. chaffeensis, E. canis, and E. muris, only VHE and E. muris induced clinical signs in BALB/c mice at 4 and 10 days, respectively, after intraperitoneal inoculation. VHE was reisolated from peritoneal exudate cells of the mice. Only E. chaffeensis- and E. muris-infected mice developed significant splenomegaly. Western immunoblot analysis showed that serum from subject 1 reacted with major proteins of the VHE antigen of 110, 80, 76, 58, 43, 35, and 34 kDa. Human serum against E. chaffeensis reacted strongly with 58-, 54-, 52-, and 40-kDa proteins of the VHE antigen. Anti-E. canis dog serum reacted strongly with 26- and 24-kDa proteins of VHE. In contrast, anti-E. sennetsu rabbit and anti-E. muris mouse sera did not react with the VHE antigen. Serum from subject 1 reacted with major proteins of 90, 64, or 47 kDa of the E. chaffeensis, E. canis, and E. muris antigens. This reaction pattern suggests that this serum sample was similar to serum samples from E. chaffeensis-infected human patients in Oklahoma. The base sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of VHE was most closely related to that of E. canis Oklahoma. On the basis of these observations, we suggest that VHE is a new strain or a subspecies of E. canis which may cause asymptomatic persistent infection in humans.

Adult↗

Genetic analysis of the diversity and origin of hantaviruses in Peromyscus leucopus mice in North America.

Nucleotide sequences were determined for the complete M genome segments of two distinct hantavirus genetic lineages which were detected in hantavirus antibody- and PCR-positive white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) from Indiana and Oklahoma. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that although divergent from each other, the virus lineages in Indiana and Oklahoma were monophyletic and formed a newly identified unique ancestral branch within the clade of Sin Nombre-like viruses found in Peromyscus mice. Interestingly, P. leucopus-borne New York virus was found to be most closely related to the P. maniculatus-borne viruses, Sin Nombre and Monongahela, and monophyletic with Monongahela virus. In parallel, intraspecific phylogenetic relationships of P. leucopus were also determined, based on the amplification, sequencing, and analysis of the DNA fragment representing the replication control region of the rodent mitochondrial genome. P. leucopus mitochondrial DNA haplotypes were found to form four separate genetic clades, referred to here as Eastern, Central, Northwestern, and Southwestern groups. The distinct Indiana and Oklahoma virus lineages were detected in P. leucopus of the Eastern and Southwestern mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, respectively. Taken together, our current data suggests that both cospeciation of Peromyscus-borne hantaviruses with their specific rodent hosts and biogeographic factors (such as allopatric migrations, geographic separation, and isolation) have played important roles in establishment of the current genetic diversity and geographic distribution of Sin Nombre-like hantaviruses. In particular, the unusual position of New York virus on the virus phylogenetic tree is most consistent with an historically recent host-switching event.

Animals↗

Accumulation of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene product in oral leukoplakia.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To determine whether the protein of the suppressor gene p53 accumulates in leukoplakia of the oral cavity in individuals who use snuff; and (2) to determine whether a correlation exists between the accumulation of p53 protein and the degree of epithelial dysplasia present in oral leukoplakia. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of archival tissue specimens. SETTING: The University Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital affiliated with the Oklahoma University Medical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. PATIENTS: In the first part of the study, biopsy specimens of leukoplakia from 12 persons who used snuff were compared with specimens from uninvolved oral mucosa of the same persons and with biopsy specimens from 12 nontobacco-using persons. In the second part of the study, accumulation of p53 protein was determined in 42 archival paraffin-embedded specimens from oral leukoplakia and correlated with the degree of epithelial dysplasia. METHODS: Accumulation of p53 protein was assessed by immunoperoxidase staining with four different primary antibodies. Positive cells were counted in five consecutive high-power fields. RESULTS: In part one, the average number of positive cells in the leukoplakia of snuff-users (21.89 +/- 4.33; mean +/- SE) was higher than that of normal-appearing mucosa (4.00 +/- 1.0; p < 0.05) and that of nontobacco-using controls (7.00 +/- 5.04). In part two, the average number of positive cells was higher in the moderately dysplastic (140.36 +/- 30.03) and severely dysplastic lesions (232.86 +/- 26.85) than in the mildly dysplastic lesions (14.53 +/- 3.33; p < 0.05). The correlation between the degree of epithelial dysplasia and the number of cells positive is strong (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.853). CONCLUSIONS: The accumulation of p53 protein in leukoplakia of snuff-users is higher than in normal-appearing oral mucosa from both snuff-users and nontobacco-using controls. A strong correlation exists between the degree of epithelial dysplasia present in oral leukoplakia and the number of cells staining positive for p53. The accumulation of p53 protein holds potential as an intermediate end point in studies of chemoprevention of oral cancer.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Aeration management for stored hard red winter wheat: simulated impact on rusty grain beetle (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) populations.

Simulation studies were conducted to determine temperature accumulations below defined thresholds and to show the impact of controlled aeration on populations of the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrigineus (Stephens), a major secondary pest of stored wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.). Recorded data from weather stations in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, eastern New Mexico, and eastern Colorado (356 total) were used to determine hours of temperature accumulation below 23.9 degrees C in June and July, 15.6 degrees C in September and October, and 7.2 degrees C in December. At an airflow rate of 0.0013 m3/s/m3 (0.1 cubic ft3/min/bu), which requires 120 h of temperatures below the specified threshold to complete an aeration cycle, summer cooling at 23.9 degrees C in bulk-stored wheat could be completed throughout the hard red winter wheat zone except for extreme southern Texas. An early-autumn cooling cycle at 15.6 degrees C could not be completed throughout most of Texas and Oklahoma before the end of September. The late-autumn cooling cycle could be completed in all states except Texas by the end of November. Five geographic regions were delineated and the times required for completion of the summer, early-autumn, and late-autumn cooling cycles within each region were estimated. Population growth of the rusty grain beetle was modeled for San Antonio, TX; Abilene, TX; Tulsa, OK; Topeka KS; and Goodland, KS, by predicting the numbers of adults in the top, outer middle, outer periphery, and the center of the bin during a 1-yr storage season. Populations of C. ferrugineus in San Antonio and Austin were predicted to exceed the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) threshold of two beetles per kilogram of wheat in all four levels of the bin during late autumn, decline during the winter, and increase the following spring. In Midland, TX, and Oklahoma City, OK, populations were predicted to exceed the threshold only in the top and outer middle of the bin, whereas populations in the Kansas locations were not predicted to exceed the threshold at any time.

Air↗

Molecular detection and characterization of Ehrlichia canis from dogs in Turkey.

Seroprevalence of Ehrlichia canis antibodies among dogs in Turkey were previously reported, however, the ehrlichial organism has never been characterized in this region. The current study examined dogs from Ankara with febrile illness for E. canis infection with E. canis-specific PCR. Three of the 12 blood specimens from dogs showing clinical signs compatible with canine ehrlichiosis were found to be positive by PCR using E. canis-specific primers. E. canis detected in one of the blood specimens was designated as Kutahya strain. The representative E. canis strain was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Western blot analysis of the plasma sample from the dog infected with E. canis. The 16S rRNA sequence (1,388 bp) of the E. canis Kutahya was identical to that of Ehrlichia ovina from a sheep in Turkey and Venezuelan Dog Ehrlichia (VDE) and was closely related (99.9%) to that of type strain of E. canis, Oklahoma. The plasma of the dog infected with E. canis Kutahya was analyzed by Western blotting using the purified E. canis Oklahoma strain as antigen. The reactive antibody profiles of the dog infected with E. canis Kutahya was found to be similar to those of dogs infected with E. canis Oklahoma and VDE, suggesting the antigenic similarities among these strains. The findings in this study would help for a better understanding of epidemiology of canine ehrlichiosis. This is the first report of molecular detection and characterization of an ehrlichial agent in Turkey.

Animals↗

Balanced force and rotary shaping.

Studies on instrument performance in clear acrylic canals have Professor Emeritus of Endodontics indicated that the helical angle of the cutting edge is a contributing factor Oklahoma City Oklahoma in instrument overload and failure. In clinical trials, changing the design of modern shaping instruments to eliminate the inclined angulations of the Private Practice in Endodontics cutting edges has proven to be beneficial by reducing the risk of fracture. Norman, Oklahoma Yet another benefit of a nonhelical cutting edge is that the flute space is accessible past the segment so that the fragment can be bypassed rather easily and the apex can be shaped with hand instruments. It appears that this feature may reduce the impact of a separated instrument.

Dental High-Speed Equipment↗

Office management of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)--1990.

Human immunovirus (HIV) infections and related diseases continue to consume a major portion of health care resources nationwide and in the state of Oklahoma. There were 162 new cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosed in Oklahoma in 1989 and an additional 347 cases of other HIV infections were reported. It appears almost certain that few physicians in practice, if any, will escape seeing HIV-related illnesses. It is, therefore, important that all physicians have an adequate understanding of the basic management of these related illnesses. The reader is referred to our original article in the October 1988 issue of the Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which outlined the office management of HIV-positive patients. The current paper represents an update on this problem. Many of the original tenets and descriptions of management remain the same, and they will not be repeated.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

The ABCs of chronic hepatitis: reason out of confusion.

Chronic hepatitis is defined as a condition in which liver injury tests (aminotransferases or cholestatic enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase) are abnormal on several occasions (usually determined monthly) for more than 6 months. The causes or the disease processes that can lead to chronic hepatitis are numerous, making the diagnosis and particularly the evaluation of patients with chronic hepatitis difficult or even mystical for those who do not identify themselves primarily as hepatologists. It is for these latter individuals (the bulk of practicing gastroenterologists and physicians in other primary fields) that the following editorial is written. It is hoped that a structured approach to the problem of chronic hepatitis will enable these physicians to make decisions concerning specific disease etiologies and, as a result, medical therapies for chronic hepatitis for their patients and that these decisions be both rational and simple. The system to be presented has been utilized by the author for over a decade and has been found to be very useful in training medical and surgical house officers as well as gastroenterology fellows and has been equally useful for the faculty of gastroenterology and hepatology programs. It is currently being used in Oklahoma at the Oklahoma Transplantation Institute and Hepatic and Digestive Diseases Center of Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City.

Adult↗