Showing papers by "University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus published in 1994"

Patient-related barriers to management of cancer pain in Puerto Rico

Abstract: Two hundred and sixty-three ambulatory patients older than 21 years of age who were attending clinics at an oncology hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were studied. They completed a questionnaire (BQ-PR) that measures 8 concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics, such as fears of addiction and tolerance and the belief that reporting pain can distract a physician from focusing on curing one's disease. Ninety percent of the patients had at least some concern about each of the 8 topics, and mean scores on the 8 subscales were near the midpoint on a 0–5 scale. There were significant inverse relationships between level of education, income, and BQ-PR total score. Those persons who experienced cancer-related pain on the day they completed the questionnaire were categorized as using adequate versus not adequate analgesic medication, a determination that was based on a comparison of their level of pain to the medication they were using. Those who were not using adequate analgesic medication had higher BQ-PR total scores than did those who were using adequate medication.

Alternative Reproductive Tactics and Reproductive Success in Male Rhesus Macaques

Abstract: Male rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago use rank-dependent alternative reproductive tactics. High-ranking males can form long-term consorts and guard female mates while low-ranking males frequently resort to quick copulations under the cover of vegetation. No single reproductive tactic provided the Group S males with a definitive reproductive advantage during the one-year study. Males using the long-term tactic and the quick, stealth tactic sired five offspring each, but fewer males used the long-term consort tactic. Males using the long-term reproductive tactic have significantly greater mating success than males using the quick, sneaky tactic, and may have greater reproductive success. The highest-ranking males who form long-term consorts had the greatest degree of reproductive success. This indicates that for the highest-ranking males, forming long-term consorts is the most effective reproductive tactic. The effectiveness of alternative tactics for high-ranking males (i.e. consort disruption and possessive following) was equivocal. Consort disruption had no immediate effect on reproductive success. Possessive following may have resulted in the siring of two offspring by the alpha male, but was ineffective in other cases, where the females were inseminated by subordinate males. The effectiveness of the quick, furtive tactic was demonstrated by the siring of 45% of the infants by males who used this tactic.

Prevalence and distribution of introns in non-ribosomal protein genes of yeast.

Abstract: Relatively few genes in the yeast Saccharornyces cerevisiae are known to contain intervening sequences. As a group, yeast ribosomal protein genes exhibit a higher prevalence of introns when compared to non-ribosomal protein genes. In an effort to quantify this bias we have estimated the prevalence of intron sequences among non-ribosomal protein genes by assessing the number of prp2-sensitive mRNAs in an in vitro translation assay. These results, combined with an updated survey of the GenBank DNA database, support an estimate of 2.5% for intron-containing non-ribosomal protein genes. Furthermore, our observations reveal an intriguing distinction between the distributions of ribosomal protein and non-ribosomal protein intron lengths, suggestive of distinct, gene class-specific evolutionary pressures.

Effects of Gentamicin on Glomerular Renin Release

Abstract: Gentamicin nephrotoxicity is associated with impaired glomerular function. To examine whether the effects of gentamicin on glomerular function are mediated through alterations in the renal-angiotensin system, basal and stimulated glomerular renin release was assessed in isolated glomeruli from control and gentamicin-treated rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (220 ± 20 g) were studied immediately after treatment with gentamicin sulfate (4 mg/kg BW/day, n = 6) for 1 or 2 consecutive weeks and after 1 week of recovery from 2 weeks of treatment. Control rats received an equivalent volume of saline (n = 9). After the respective treatment, renal renin content was measured. In addition, glomeruli from control and gentamicin-treated rats were isolated and glomerular renin release was measured under basal conditions and after stimulation with the calmodulin inhibitor trifluoperazine (1 × 10−4 M). Renin concentration was determined in aliquots of the supernatant by measuring the generation of angiotensin I using radioi...

Serum and urine biochemical diversity among wild‐caught and colony‐born Aotus nancymae

Abstract: Serum and urine analytes were compared between adult wild-caught and adult colony-born owl monkeys (Aotus nancymae), to determine if normative clinical pathology data were similar Significant differences (P < or = 005) were noted in serum protein, glucose, sodium, urine calcium, calcium clearance, and fractional clearance of calcium between the two groups The results suggest that reference data for feral owl monkeys is not completely applicable to colony-born animals, however, the differences are too small to be of clinical significance