Interrelationship between TP53 gene deletion, protein expression and chromosome 17 aneusomy in gastric adenocarcinoma

Background  

This study evaluates the existence of numerical alterations of chromosome 17 and TP53 gene deletion in gastric adenocarcinoma. The p53 protein expression was also evaluated, as well as, possible associations with clinicopathological characteristics.     

Contemporary issues in the training of UK health and social care professionals--Looking after people with a learning disability

The health and social care of people labelled with 'learning disability' has historically been a disputed territory for those individuals working within the nursing and allied health professions. In recent times this situation has seen public debate as instances of poor care and avoidable deaths have received a high profile in the popular and professional presses. Here we report on a local initiative where students can study for a joint honours award which allows them to practise as a generic social worker and a learning disability nurse. We believe that the inter-professional perspective improves their ability to manage the increasingly complex aspects of health and social care that this client group demands. Furthermore, we suggest that if a similar model were to be applied at a foundation module level to the training of ALL health and social care professionals, then the results would be a win/win situation for all parties. This would also go some way to meeting the recommendations of Sir Jonathan Michael's report, Health Care for All (DH, 2008).     

Nurse-Led Behavioral Management of Diabetes and Hypertension in Community Practices: A Randomized Trial

Background

Several trials have demonstrated the efficacy of nurse telephone case management for diabetes (DM) and hypertension (HTN) in academic or vertically integrated systems. Little is known about the real-world potency of these interventions.

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of nurse behavioral management of DM and HTN in community practices among patients with both diseases.

Design

The study was designed as a patient-level randomized controlled trial.

Participants

Participants included adult patients with both type 2 DM and HTN who were receiving care at one of nine community fee-for-service practices. Subjects were required to have inadequately controlled DM (hemoglobin A1c [A1c] ≥ 7.5 %) but could have well-controlled HTN.

Interventions

All patients received a call from a nurse experienced in DM and HTN management once every two months over a period of two years, for a total of 12 calls. Intervention patients received tailored DM- and HTN- focused behavioral content; control patients received non-tailored, non-interactive information regarding health issues unrelated to DM and HTN (e.g., skin cancer prevention).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and A1c were co-primary outcomes, measured at 6, 12, and 24 months; 24 months was the primary time point.

Results

Three hundred seventy-seven subjects were enrolled; 193 were randomized to intervention, 184 to control. Subjects were 55 % female and 50 % white; the mean baseline A1c was 9.1 % (SD = 1 %) and mean SBP was 142 mmHg (SD = 20). Eighty-two percent of scheduled interviews were conducted; 69 % of intervention patients and 70 % of control patients reached the 24-month time point. Expressing model estimated differences as (intervention – control), at 24 months, intervention patients had similar A1c [diff = 0.1 %, 95 % CI (−0.3, 0.5), p = 0.51] and SBP [diff = −0.9 mmH g, 95% CI (−5.4, 3.5), p = 0.68] values compared to control patients. Likewise, DBP (diff = 0.4 mmHg, p = 0.76), weight (diff = 0.3 kg, p = 0.80), and physical activity levels (diff = 153 MET-min/week, p = 0.41) were similar between control and intervention patients. Results were also similar at the 6- and 12-month time points.

Conclusions

In nine community fee-for-service practices, telephonic nurse case management did not lead to improvement in A1c or SBP. Gains seen in telephonic behavioral self-management interventions in optimal settings may not translate to the wider range of primary care settings.KEY WORDS: Diabetes, Hypertension, Implementation     

Reliability and validity of the SF-12 health survey among people with severe mental illness

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work was to assess the reliability and validity of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 12-Item Health Survey (SF-12) in a large sample of people with severe mental illness (SMI). METHODS: We examined the internal factor structure of the SF-12, compared component scores for this sample with normative levels, examined test-retest reliability, and examined convergent and divergent validity by comparing SF-12 scores to other indexes of physical and mental health. RESULTS: The SF-12 distinguished this sample of people with SMI from the general population, was stable over a 1-week interval, consisted of 2 fairly distinct factors, and was related to physical and mental health indexes in expected ways. CONCLUSIONS: The SF-12 appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring health-related quality of life for people with SMI.     

Oxidative metabolism of the human eosinophil

We have compared the oxidative metabolism of human eosinophils (80%-90% purity) to that of neutrophils. Hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt activity of eosinophils was higher than that of neutrophils under either resting or phagocytizing conditions. Eosinophil HMP shunt activity also was stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate, a membrane- active agent. Eosinophils showed a marked incorporation of 125I into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material under resting conditions, which increased markedly during phagocytosis. Eosinophils likewise showed a greater reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium dye during phagocytosis than did neutrophils. Measurement of other parameters of oxidative metabolism indicated that eosinophils generated superoxide anion following phagocytosis and also elicited a burst of chemiluminescence similar to that observed during phagocytosis by neutrophils. Measurement of NADPH oxidase activity demonstrated that this enzyme was 3-6 times more active in fractions isolated from eosinophils than in corresponding fractions isolated from neutrophils; this was observed over a range of substrate concentrations. The eosinophil enzyme sedimented differently than the neutrophil enzyme with differential centrifugation; neither showed sedimentation characteristics of peroxidase. These data indicate that eosinophils possess a similar, although in some ways more potent, oxidative burst than neutrophils and are consistent with a role for NADPH oxidase in the initiation of that burst.     

Sequence of the bovine CD44 cDNA: comparison with human and mouse sequences

CD44 is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in leukocyte adherence, T-cell activation and lymphocyte homing. We have isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone which encodes for bovine CD44. The predicted amino acid sequence of bovine CD44 has an overall high similarity with that of human and mouse CD44, 79.5 and 73.2%, respectively. In all three species, CD44 has a similar transmembrane region and cytoplasmic tail. In addition, all of the cysteine residues and a majority of the putative N-linked glycosylation sites in the extracytoplasmic domain are conserved between bovine, human and mouse. All three species have an area of low interspecies similarity within the extracytoplasmic domain. This area has a similarity of 34% between bovine and human, 27% between bovine and mouse, and 35% between human and mouse. The location of this area of low similarity is conserved between species.