Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid And Its Methyl Ester Used In In Vitro And In Vivo Systems Of Human Bladder Cancer, Vanaja Manivasager, Paul Wan Sia Heng, Jinsong Hao, Wei Zheng, Khee Chee Soo, Malini Olivo

Pharmaceutical Science and Research

The use of 5-aminolevulinic acid and its esters to induce endogenous porphyrins for the purpose of detection of epithelial cancers is being studied extensively in many centres around the world. The challenge is to prepare an efficacious formulation for the purpose of cancer detection. Photodynamic diagnosis of cancer using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and its ester derivatives is being actively investigated. In this study, we compared ALA with ALA methyl ester (AME) derivative in terms of PpIX fluorescence intensity in in vitro and in vivo systems of bladder carcinoma. For the in vivo system consisting of RT112 xenografts, the modes of …

The Accelerated Residency Program: The Marshall University Family Practice 9-Year Experience, Stephen M. Petrany, Richard Crespo

Family and Community Health

Background: In 1989, the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) approved the first of 12 accelerated residency programs in family practice. These experimental programs provide a 1-year experience for select medical students that combines the requirements of the fourth year of medical school with those of the first year of residency, reducing the total training time by 1 year. This paper reports on the achievements and limitations of the Marshall University accelerated residency program over a 9-year period that began in 1992.Methods: Several parameters have been monitored since the inception of the accelerated program and provide the basis for comparison …

Macro-Microscopic Fluorescence Imaging Of Human Npc Xenografts In A Murine Model Using Topical Vs. Intravenous Administration Of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid, Vanaja Manivasager, Paul Wan Sia Heng, Jinsong Hao, Wei Zheng, Khee Chee Soo, Malini Olivo

Pharmaceutical Science and Research

The use of 5-aminolevulinic acid to induce endogenous porphyrins for the purpose of detection of epithelial cancers is being studied extensively in many centres around the world. The challenge is to prepare an efficacious formulation of 5-ALA for the purpose of cancer detection. In this study, we compared two formulations of topical 5-ALA applications with intravenous administration in NPC/CNE-2 xenografts on balb/c nude mice. One of the formulations was a gantrez muco-adhesive patch and the other was a polyvinyl-pyrolidone muco-adhesive patch. The Karl Storz fluorescence endoscopy system was used to obtain macroscopic fluorescence images. Microscopic fluorescence imaging was done by …

Regulation Of Retinoic Acid Receptor Α By Protein Kinase C In B16 Mouse Melanoma Cells, Goran Boskovic, Dinakar Desai, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

We have previously found that retinoic acid stimulates the expression of protein kinase Cα (PKC) in B16 mouse melanoma cells. Because it has been reported that PKC can phosphorylate retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and alter its function, we determined whether changes in the level and/or activity of PKC could affect the expression or function of the RAR in B16 melanoma. Using in vivophosphorylation and band shift techniques, we could not demonstrate that altering PKC activity and/or protein level changed thein vivo phosphorylation of RARα. However activation of PKC resulted in increased RARα protein. Increased receptor protein correlated with …

Role Of Lipid Peroxidation And Antioxidant Enzymes In Omega 3 Fatty Acids Induced Suppression Of Breast Cancer Xenograft Growth In Mice, W. Elaine Hardman, Jesus Munoz Jr., Ivan L. Cameron

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Background:

Supplementing mice with high levels of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) increases the n-3 PUFAs in cell membranes, increases the susceptibility of the cells for lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreases the growth rate of mammary and other tumors. However, the results of an earlier study indicated that a factor in addition to LPO was involved in the reduction in tumor growth in n-3 PUFAs fed mice. Athymic mice bearing MDA-MB-231 human breast carcinoma xenografts, were fed fish oil concentrate (FOC) or control diets, with and without supplemental Vitamin E (2000 IU /kg diet) and were sacrificed both before …

Effect Of Student Involvement On Patient Perceptions Of Ambulatory Care Visits, Todd W. Gress, John A. Flynn, Haya R. Rubin, Lisa Simonson, Stephen Sisson, Traci Thompson, Frederick L. Brancati

Internal Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To determine if patient satisfaction with ambulatory care visits differs when medical students participate in the visit.

DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: Academic general internal medicine practice.

PARTICIPANTS: Outpatients randomly assigned to see an attending physician only (N = 66) or an attending physician plus medical student (N = 68).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patient perceptions of the office visit were determined by telephone survey. Overall office visit satisfaction was higher for the “attending physician only” group (61% vs 48% excellent), although this was not statistically significant (P = .16). There was no difference between the …

Serotyping Group B Streptococci In A Small Community Hospital: An Analysis Of Distribution And Site Of Isolation, Jennifer M. Smith, Jason A. Rexroth, David G. Chaffin, Susan H. Jackman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Objective: To determine the prevalence and site of isolation of different serotypes of group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization or infection at a small community hospital.

Methods: GBS isolates were obtained from a small community hospital and were then serotyped as la, Ib, II, III, IV, V or non-typeable. Hospital records were reviewed for patient sex, age and pregnancy status as well as the site of GBS isolation.

Results: GBS serotypes Ia, III and V were most common and accounted for over 60% of the total number of isolates. Serotype Ia was most prevalent in reproductive-age females, while serotypes V and …

Murine Epidermal Cell Antigen (Skn)-Directed Autoimmunity Induced By Transfer Of Cd4+ T Cells, Susan H. Jackman, Shivaleela Keerthy, Giselle Perry

Biochemistry and Microbiology

While pathogenic T cells have been identified for several diseases with epithelial cell damage, an autoimmune T cell-mediated response targeted against a known keratinocyte antigen has not been reported. Previously we described an autoimmune response directed to the mouse epidermal cell antigens, Skn. For our murine model, primed Skn-immune lymphocytes are adoptively transferred to recipients, which develop lesions at the site of mild skin trauma. In this study we investigated the nature of the autoimmune component of the Skn response. A time-course study demonstrated a relationship between the number of primed Sknimmune cells injected and the severity of skin lesions …

Siva-1 Binds To And Inhibits Bcl-Xl-Mediated Protection Against Uv Radiation-Induced Apoptosis, Li Xue, Fei Chu, Yuan Cheng, Xiangjie Sun, Alip Borthakur, Manjunath Ramarao, Pramod Pandey, Mei Wu, Stuart F. Schlossman, Kanteti V. S. Prasad

Clinical & Translational Sciences

We previously cloned Siva-1 by using the cytoplasmic tail of CD27, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, as the bait in the yeast two-hybrid system. The Siva gene is organized into four exons that code for the predominant full-length Siva-1 transcript, whereas its alternate splice form, Siva-2, lacks exon 2 coding sequence. Various groups have demonstrated a role for Siva-1 in several apoptotic pathways. Interestingly, the proapoptotic properties of Siva-1 are lacking in Siva-2. The fact that Siva-1 is partly localized to mitochondria despite the absence of any mitochondrial targeting signal, it harbors a 20-aa-long putative amphipathic …

Health Care Organization Managers Beware-Understand Your Ethical Constraints, Ashish Chandra, Andrew Sikula Sr.

Management Faculty Research

Review of the book Business Ethics in Healthcare: Beyond Compliance.(2001). Leonard J. Weber. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 196 pp.