Developing and implementing standards of practice for clinical pharmacy services.

The authors' department has attempted to bring more order to the provision and evaluation of clinical services through the development of "Clinical Standards of Practice." A pilot project was initially conducted on one satellite. Pharmacists were asked to prepare a list of minimum standards that could be agreed upon and that everyone believed were achievable even on the busiest days.

Sound-meaning relationships in speakers of Urdu and English: evidence for a cross-cultural phonetic symbolism.

Twelve English- and 12 Urdu-speaking males, ranging in age from 18 to 30 years, were asked to assign pure-tone frequencies as a "best fit" to visually presented shapes. Six basic figures were employed (circle, ellipse, right triangle, isosceles triangle, along with two historical psycholinguistic forms--uloomu and takete) and varied on three dimensions of size, complexity, and density. The results of the study indicate that there was consistency in the assignment of pure-tone frequencies to the dimensions of the figures and that the pattern of assignment was generally similar for both English- and Urdu-speaking subjects alike.

The human apolipoprotein C-II gene sequence contains a novel chromosome 19-specific minisatellite in its third intron.

The human apolipoprotein C-II gene was sequenced and found to contain four exons and three introns, with a major transcription initiation site located 26 base pairs downstream from a TATA sequence element. The third intron was found to be composed almost entirely of a novel 37-base pair minisatellite that is repeated six times. The minisatellite sequence was found to be present in approximately 60 different genomic locations.

Human ribosomal DNA fragments amplified in hamster cells are transcribed only by RNA polymerase II and are not silver stained.

Cloned human rRNA gene fragments that included the promoter region were introduced into Chinese hamster dihydrofolate reductase-deficient (dhfr-) cells by cotransformation with a dhfr minigene and amplified by selection for methotrexate resistance. The human ribosomal DNA was transcribed by RNA polymerase II, not RNA polymerase I or III. The metaphase chromosome regions containing the transcriptionally active human ribosomal DNA failed to show silver staining.

Regional localization and characterization of a DNA segment on the long arm of chromosome 21.

A human genomic DNA fragment, pAM37 (HGM8; D21S22), was mapped to chromosome 21q2.1-q2.21 by in situ hybridization.

Generation of human B-cell hybridomas secreting monoclonal anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein antibodies from a patient with neuropathy.

Human hybridomas that secrete monoclonal IgM anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein antibodies were generated by fusion with cells from a patient with peripheral neuropathy and IgM monoclonal gammopathy. Karyotypic analysis of the hybridoma cells revealed no chromosomal abnormalities. The cells were positive for cell-surface idiotype HLA-DR and the plasma cell antigen PCA-1, and negative for the B-cell determinant B4 and for Leu-1, which has been postulated to distinguish a subpopulation of B cells that secrete IgM with autoantibody activity.

[Status of microcirculation in patients with chronic gastritis and its relation to morphofunctional changes in the stomach].

Studies on 74 patients with chronic gastritis showed that the disease was accompanied by disorders of the microcirculatory bed of the bulbar conjunctiva characterized by the appearance of perivascular edema, inhomogeneity of the vascular caliber and coiling, change of arteriolovenular ratios, the formation of vascular glomerules, neglected zones, intravascular aggregation of erythrocytes and microthromboses. These changes were combined with disorders of the end blood flow of the gastric mucosa detected in its specimens. A degree of the above disorders depended on the expression of exacerbation and period of disease, peculiarities of lesion of the gastric mucosa, secretory and motor functions of the stomach.

Factors affecting decisions on practice locations.

Questionnaires designed to determine the major factors affecting the choice of practice were mailed to 305 graduates of the University of Oklahoma Tulsa Medical College and their spouses. Sixty-eight percent of the physicians responded. The results showed that graduates reared in large communities chose similar-sized communities as practice sites and placed high priority on their spouses' desires.

Mechanism for enhanced optical nonlinearities and bistability by combined dielectric-electronic confinement in semiconductor microcrystallites.

We propose a new type of mechanism for enhanced optical nonlinearities and intrinsic optical bistability that relies on the combination of intrinsic feedback due to local field effects and excitonic resonances in semiconductor crystallites. These effects will be further enhanced by quantum confinement in small crystallites.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy: the role of immediate cytologic assessment.

Fifty-two thoracic and 89 abdominal aspiration biopsy specimens assessed immediately by microscopic examination were evaluated prospectively. These biopsies were compared retrospectively with an equal number and type of biopsies that were not assessed immediately by microscopic examination. The comparison was made to determine whether the diagnostic accuracy and the complication rates of fine needle aspiration cytology would be improved by immediate microscopic assessment.

Mapping of the human APOB gene to chromosome 2p and demonstration of a two-allele restriction fragment length polymorphism.

ApoB is a large glycoprotein with an apparent molecular mass of 550 kDa on NaDodSO4/PAGE. It is a major constituent of most lipoproteins and plays an important role in their metabolism. Recently, apoB cDNA clones have been isolated from an expression library made with mRNA from a human hepatoma cell line.

Phenotypic and karyotypic transitions in the spontaneous transformation of a rat cell line.

After 20-50 transfers, a rat myofibroblast line, Hmf-n, 'spontaneously' transforms to an established (immortalized) line of smaller, rapidly cycling fibroblastoid cells (tHmf-f). From these 1 degree transformants, colonies of larger, slower growing anchorage-independent (tHmf-e) cells of epithelioid phenotype emerge. Both transformants grow in low serum and low calcium media, but the tHmf-f cells are highly tumorigenic in nude mice, have diminished substrate adhesivity, and limited anchorage independence, whereas tHmf-e are less tumorigenic, firmly substrate adherent, and markedly anchorage independent.

Biosynthesis of retinoyl-beta-glucuronide, a biologically active metabolite of all-trans-retinoic acid.

All-trans-retinoic acid is metabolized in vitro to a biologically active metabolite, retinoyl-beta-glucuronide. We have studied the synthesis of this metabolite in vitro. The identity of the product was established by cochromatography on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, beta-D-glucuronidase hydrolysis, and fast atom bombardment and collisionally activated decomposition/fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry.

Transcription of mouse rDNA and associated formation of the nucleolus organizer region after gene transfer and amplification in Chinese hamster cells.

Mouse rDNA can initiate transcription by using only Chinese hamster cell components, and this is associated with nucleolus organizer activity. To demonstrate this, we transferred a 3.2-kilobase segment of mouse rDNA containing the promoter, the transcription initiation site, and part of the external transcribed spacer to dihydrofolate reductase-deficient Chinese hamster cells by cotransformation with an abbreviated mouse dhfr gene.

Homogeneously staining regions (HSRs) of a rat hepatoma cell line are not early replicating.

The rat hepatoma cell line H4-IIE-C3 (H4) has homogeneously staining regions (HSRs) which contain multiple, tandemly repeated copies of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. We determined the time of replication of the DNA within these HSRs autoradiographically after incorporation of [3H]thymidine and by Hoechst 33258 and Giemsa staining after 5-bromodeoxyuridine (5-BrdU) incorporation. The DNA within the H4 HSRs is not early replicating, unlike that in other HSRs.

Activation of retinoic acid by coenzyme A for the formation of ethyl retinoate.

All-trans-retinoic acid is metabolized to a less polar metabolite in rat liver microsomes. This metabolite was proven to be ethyl retinoate by cochromatography on high-performance liquid chromatography, base hydrolysis to all-trans-retinoic acid, and gas chromatography/mass spectral analysis. The formation of ethyl retinoate is a specific enzymatic process; the apparent Km for all-trans-retinoic acid is 9.

Pattern of undermethylation of the major satellite DNA of mouse sperm.

Enzymatic hydrolysis and base analysis by high performance liquid chromatography showed that mouse satellite DNA had 30-50% less 5-methylcytosine in sperm than in somatic tissue (1.59 mols % vs 2.40-3.