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Yellowlees PM, Burke MM, Gonzalez AD, Fisher A, Chan SR, Hilty DM, McCarron RM, Scher LM, Sciolla AF, Shore J, Xiong G, Fine J, Bannister J, Iosif AM. Patient and Provider Satisfaction with Asynchronous Versus Synchronous Telepsychiatry in Primary Care: A Secondary Mixed-Methods Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Telemed J E Health 2024; 30:e1049-e1063. [PMID: 38011623 PMCID: PMC11035926 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2023.0238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP) consultations are a novel form of psychiatric consultation. Studies comparing patient and provider satisfaction for ATP with that for synchronous telepsychiatry (STP) do not exist. Methods: This mixed-methods study is a secondary analysis of patients' and primary care providers' (PCPs) satisfaction from a randomized clinical trial of ATP compared with STP. Patients and their PCPs completed satisfaction surveys, and provided unstructured feedback about their experiences with either ATP or STP. Differences in patient satisfaction were assessed using mixed-effects logistic regression models, and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis with an inductive coding framework. Results: Patient satisfaction overall was high with 84% and 97% of respondents at 6 months reported being somewhat or completely satisfied with ATP and STP, respectively. Patients in the STP group were more likely to report being completely satisfied, to recommend the program to a friend, and to report being comfortable with their care compared with ATP (all p < 0.05). However, there was no difference between the patients in ATP and STP in perceived change in clinical outcomes (p = 0.51). The PCP quantitative data were small, and thus only summarized descriptively. Conclusions: Patients expressed their overall satisfaction with both STP and ATP. Patients in ATP reported more concerns about the process, likely because feedback after ATP was slower than that after STP consultations. PCPs had no apparent preference for STP or ATP, and reported implementing the psychiatrists' recommendations for both groups when such recommendations were made, which supports our previous findings. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02084979; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02084979.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M. Yellowlees
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Michelle M. Burke
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Alvaro D. Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Alice Fisher
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Steven R. Chan
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Veterans Administration Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | | | - Robert M. McCarron
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Lorin M. Scher
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Andres F. Sciolla
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Jay Shore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Glen Xiong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Jeffrey Fine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Jennifer Bannister
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Ana-Maria Iosif
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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Lieng MK, Aurora MS, Kang Y, Kim JM, Marcin JP, Chan SR, Mouzoon JL, Tancredi DJ, Parish M, Gonzalez AD, Scher L, Xiong G, McCarron RM, Yellowlees P. Primary Care Physician Adherence to Telepsychiatry Recommendations: Intermediate Outcomes from a Randomized Clinical Trial. Telemed J E Health 2021; 28:838-846. [PMID: 34726542 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2021.0389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To compare clinical recommendations given by psychiatrists and the adherence to these recommendations by primary care physicians (PCP) following consultations conducted by asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP) and synchronous telepsychiatry (STP). Materials and Methods: ATP and STP consultations were compared using intermediate data from a randomized clinical trial with adult participant enrollment between April 2014 and December 2017. In both study arms, PCPs received written recommendations from the psychiatrist after each encounter. Independent clinicians reviewed PCP documentation to measure adherence to those recommendations in the 6 months following the baseline consultation. Results: Medical records were reviewed for 645 psychiatrists' consult recommendations; 344 from 61 ATP consultations and 301 from 62 STP consultations. Of those recommendations, 191 (56%) and 173 (58%) were rated fully adherent by two independent raters for ATP and STP, respectively. In a multilevel ordinal logistic regression model adjusted for recommendation type and recommended implementation timing, there was no statistically significant difference in adherence to recommendations for ATP compared with STP (adjusted odds ratio = 0.91, 95% confidence interval = 0.51-1.62). The profiles of recommendation type were comparable between ATP and STP. Conclusions: This is the first PCP adherence study comparing two forms of telemedicine. Although we did not find evidence of a difference between ATP and STP; this study supports the feasibility and acceptability of ATP and STP for the provision of collaborative psychiatric care. Clinical Trial Identifier NCT02084979.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica K Lieng
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA.,School of Medicine, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Magi S Aurora
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA.,Department of Family Medicine, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Young Kang
- School of Medicine, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Joseph M Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - James P Marcin
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Steven R Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA.,Veterans Health Administration, Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Jamie L Mouzoon
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Daniel J Tancredi
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Michelle Parish
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Alvaro D Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Lorin Scher
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Glen Xiong
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Robert M McCarron
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Peter Yellowlees
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Technology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, California, USA
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Yellowlees PM, Parish MB, Gonzalez AD, Chan SR, Hilty DM, Yoo BK, Leigh JP, McCarron RM, Scher LM, Sciolla AF, Shore J, Xiong G, Soltero KM, Fisher A, Fine JR, Bannister J, Iosif AM. Clinical Outcomes of Asynchronous Versus Synchronous Telepsychiatry in Primary Care: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e24047. [PMID: 33993104 PMCID: PMC8335606 DOI: 10.2196/24047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP; delayed-time) consultations are a novel form of psychiatric consultation in primary care settings. Longitudinal studies comparing clinical outcomes for ATP with synchronous telepsychiatry (STP) are lacking. OBJECTIVE This study aims to determine the effectiveness of ATP in improving clinical outcomes in English- and Spanish-speaking primary care patients compared with STP, the telepsychiatry usual care method. METHODS Overall, 36 primary care physicians from 3 primary care clinics referred a heterogeneous sample of 401 treatment-seeking adult patients with nonurgent psychiatric disorders. A total of 184 (94 ATP and 90 STP) English- and Spanish-speaking participants (36/184, 19.6% Hispanic) were enrolled and randomized, and 160 (80 ATP and 80 STP) of them completed baseline evaluations. Patients were treated by their primary care physicians using a collaborative care model in consultation with the University of California Davis Health telepsychiatrists, who consulted with patients every 6 months for up to 2 years using ATP or STP. Primary outcomes (the clinician-rated Clinical Global Impressions [CGI] scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF]) and secondary outcomes (patients' self-reported physical and mental health and depression) outcomes were assessed every 6 months. RESULTS For clinician-rated primary outcomes, ATP did not promote greater improvement than STP at 6-month follow-up (ATP vs STP, adjusted difference in follow-up at 6 months vs baseline differences for CGI: 0.2, 95% CI -0.2 to 0.6; P=.28; and GAF: -0.6, 95% CI -3.1 to 1.9; P=.66) or 12-month follow-up (ATP vs STP, adjusted difference in follow-up at 12 months vs baseline differences for CGI: 0.4, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.8; P=.07; and GAF: -0.5, 95% CI -3.3 to 2.2; P=.70), but patients in both arms had statistically and clinically significant improvements in both outcomes. There were no significant differences in improvement from baseline between ATP and STP on any patient self-reported ratings at any follow-up (all P values were between .17 and .96). Dropout rates were higher than predicted but similar between the 2 arms. Of those with baseline visits, 46.8% (75/160) did not have a follow-up at 1 year, and 72.7% (107/147) did not have a follow-up at 2 years. No serious adverse events were associated with the intervention. CONCLUSIONS This is the first longitudinal study to demonstrate that ATP can improve clinical outcomes in English- and Spanish-speaking primary care patients. Although we did not find evidence that ATP is superior to STP in improving clinical outcomes, it is potentially a key part of stepped mental health interventions available in primary care. ATP presents a possible solution to the workforce shortage of psychiatrists and a strategy for improving existing systems of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02084979; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02084979.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Yellowlees
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Michelle Burke Parish
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Alvaro D Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Steven R Chan
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Veterans Administration Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Donald M Hilty
- Northern California Veterans Administration, Mather, CA, United States
| | - Byung-Kwang Yoo
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - J Paul Leigh
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | | | - Lorin M Scher
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Andres F Sciolla
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Jay Shore
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Glen Xiong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | | | - Alice Fisher
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Jeffrey R Fine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Bannister
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Ana-Maria Iosif
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Gonzalez AD, Wang G, Waters EM, Gonzales KL, Speth RC, Van Kempen TA, Marques-Lopes J, Young CN, Butler SD, Davisson RL, Iadecola C, Pickel VM, Pierce JP, Milner TA. Distribution of angiotensin type 1a receptor-containing cells in the brains of bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic mice. Neuroscience 2012; 226:489-509. [PMID: 22922351 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.08.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
In the central nervous system, angiotensin II (AngII) binds to angiotensin type 1 receptors (AT(1)Rs) to affect autonomic and endocrine functions as well as learning and memory. However, understanding the function of cells containing AT(1)Rs has been restricted by limited availability of specific antisera, difficulties discriminating AT(1)R-immunoreactive cells in many brain regions and, the identification of AT(1)R-containing neurons for physiological and molecular studies. Here, we demonstrate that an Agtr1a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse line that expresses type A AT(1)Rs (AT1aRs) identified by enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) overcomes these shortcomings. Throughout the brain, AT1aR-EGFP was detected in the nuclei and cytoplasm of cells, most of which were neurons. EGFP often extended into dendritic processes and could be identified either natively or with immunolabeling of GFP. The distribution of AT1aR-EGFP cells in brain closely corresponded to that reported for AngII binding and AT1aR protein and mRNA. In particular, AT1aR-EGFP cells were in autonomic regions (e.g., hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, central nucleus of the amygdala, parabrachial nucleus, nuclei of the solitary tract and rostral ventrolateral medulla) and in regions involved in electrolyte and fluid balance (i.e., subfornical organ) and learning and memory (i.e., cerebral cortex and hippocampus). Additionally, dual label electron microscopic studies in select brain areas demonstrate that cells containing AT1aR-EGFP colocalize with AT(1)R-immunoreactivity. Assessment of AngII-induced free radical production in isolated EGFP cells demonstrated feasibility of studies investigating AT1aR signaling ex vivo. These findings support the utility of Agtr1a BAC transgenic reporter mice for future studies understanding the role of AT(1)R-containing cells in brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Gonzalez
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College, 407 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Bonfil RD, Gonzalez AD, Siguelboim D, Cuello Carrion FD, Ciocca DR, Villaronga A, Metz L, Mosso F, Fayad E, Reale M, Schmilovich AJ. Immunohistochemical analysis of Ki-67, p21waf1/cip1 and apoptosis in marker lesions from patients with superficial bladder tumours treated with vinorelbine intravesical therapy in a preliminary phase I trial. BJU Int 2001; 88:425-31. [PMID: 11564034 DOI: 10.1046/j.1464-410x.2001.02340.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate Ki-67 and p21Waf1/Cip1 expression and apoptosis, before and after treatment, in tumour biopsies obtained from patients with superficial bladder cancer who underwent vinorelbine intravesical therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty patients with high-risk superficial bladder cancer (including one or more of the following parameters: tumour diameter > 3 cm, histological grade 3, or multicentric tumours) were treated 1-6 times (weekly) with intravesical vinorelbine (50 mg/mL) instillations. Transurethral tumour marker biopsies were obtained one week before the first instillation of the drug and one week after the last. The biopsies were immunostained for Ki-67 and p21Waf1/Cip1 with monoclonal antibodies, on tissue sections derived from paraffin-embedded samples obtained before and after vinorelbine treatments. In addition, apoptosis was determined using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP biotin nick-end labelling (TUNEL) technique. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 in biopsies taken before or after treatment. However, p21Waf1/Cip1 showed significantly higher expression in biopsies obtained after vinorelbine treatment, with median (range) values of 40 (20-90)% before and 70 (50-80)% after (P < 0.001, paired nonparametric Wilcoxon test). The apoptotic index was significantly higher after vinorelbine therapy, with median (range) values of 0.89 (0.06-3.8)% before and 2.25 (0.17-18.7)% after treatment (P < 0.001, paired nonparametric Wilcoxon test). Despite the brief treatment and few patients there was a clinical response in nine patients, together with low toxicity in all. CONCLUSION The intravesical treatment of tumours with vinorelbine affects p21Waf1/Cip1 expression without blocking cell proliferation, although increasing apoptosis. The preliminary results suggest that vinorelbine may be useful for treating superficial bladder tumours, and thus a phase II study is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Bonfil
- Laboratory of Fundación de Investigación del Cáncer at CEFYBO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Gonzalez AD, Kaya M, Shi W, Song H, Testa JR, Penn LZ, Filmus J. OCI-5/GPC3, a glypican encoded by a gene that is mutated in the Simpson-Golabi-Behmel overgrowth syndrome, induces apoptosis in a cell line-specific manner. J Cell Biol 1998; 141:1407-14. [PMID: 9628896 PMCID: PMC2132788 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.141.6.1407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/1997] [Revised: 05/06/1998] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OCI-5/GPC3 is a member of the glypican family. Glypicans are heparan sulfate proteoglycans that are bound to the cell surface through a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor. It has recently been shown that the OCI-5/GPC3 gene is mutated in patients with the Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome (SGBS), an X-linked disorder characterized by pre- and postnatal overgrowth and various visceral and skeletal dysmorphisms. Some of these dysmorphisms could be the result of deficient growth inhibition or apoptosis in certain cell types during development. Here we present evidence indicating that OCI-5/GPC3 induces apoptosis in cell lines derived from mesothelioma (II14) and breast cancer (MCF-7). This induction, however, is cell line specific since it is not observed in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts or HT-29 colorectal tumor cells. We also show that the apoptosis-inducing activity in II14 and MCF-7 cells requires the anchoring of OCI-5/GPC3 to the cell membrane. The glycosaminoglycan chains, on the other hand, are not required. MCF-7 cells can be rescued from OCI-5/GPC3-induced cell death by insulin-like growth factor 2. This factor has been implicated in Beckwith-Wiedemann, an overgrowth syndrome that has many similarities with SGBS. The discovery that OCI-5/GPC3 is able to induce apoptosis in a cell line- specific manner provides an insight into the mechanism that, at least in part, is responsible for the phenotype of SGBS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Gonzalez
- Division of Cancer Biology Research, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada
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7
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Brown NF, Esser V, Gonzalez AD, Evans CT, Slaughter CA, Foster DW, McGarry JD. Mitochondrial import and processing of rat liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase II defines the amino terminus of the mature protein. Possibility of differential modification of the rat and human isoforms. J Biol Chem 1991; 266:15446-9. [PMID: 1869564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
[35S]Methionine-labeled porcine heart citrate synthase (used here as a positive control) and rat liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) were generated by in vitro transcription and translation of their cDNA constructs in appropriate Bluescript plasmids. Each product was imported into rat liver mitochondria in an energy-dependent manner to yield an immunoprecipitable protein of smaller size that comigrated with the corresponding purified enzyme. The size shift occurring with citrate synthase was consistent with the removal of the postulated 27-amino acid leader peptide. To determine the amino terminus of mature CPT II, [35S]methionine- or [3H]leucine-labeled material (after import and processing) was subjected to Edman degradation, followed by counting of the radioactivity released on each cycle. The results established that the precursor targeting peptide was cleaved between leucine 25 and serine 26 in the previously deduced amino acid sequence. Taken in conjunction with the recent report of Finocchiaro et al. (Finocchiaro, G., Taroni, F., Rocchi, M., Martin, A. L., Colombo, I., Tarelli, G. T., and DiDonato, S. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 661-665), the present results establish three key points concerning the rat and human forms of CPT II. First, it appears that in both species the initial translation product contains 658 amino acids and, upon mitochondrial import, is reduced in length by 25 residues through cleavage at an identical site. Second, the difference in electrophoretic mobility between the two mature proteins (documented earlier) presumably reflects either anomalous behavior of one of them on polyacrylamide gels or differential covalent modification. Finally, the recent suggestion by Brady et al. (Brady, P. S., Liu, J. S., Park, E. A., Hanson, R. W., and Brady, L. J. (1991) FASEB J. 5, A817) that our CPT II cDNA construct is incomplete in the 5'-coding region is refuted.
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Affiliation(s)
- N F Brown
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235
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Abstract
Extrastimulation in the atrial vulnerable zone may result in atrial fibrillation or flutter (AFF), especially with stimulation of multiple atrial sites. However, the clinical relevance of such vulnerability to AFF is unknown. Therefore, single twice-threshold extrastimuli were applied at three disparate right atrial sites in 45 consecutive unmedicated patients without overt heart failure. Group I consisted of 12 patients with documented spontaneous paroxysms of AFF. AFF was duplicated in 9 to 12 patients using extrastimulation in the vulnerable zone (5 in sinus rhythm, 4 requiring atrial pacing at 120 beats/min). Group II consisted of 33 patients without documented AFF dispite monitoring. Vulnerability to AFF was found in 12 of 33 patients (4 in sinus rhythm, 8 requiring atrial pacing). The duration of induced AFF did not discriminate between the two groups. Among the 12 Group II patients vulnerable to AFF, 3 had rapid palpitations, 2 had undiagnosed rapid tachycardias, 1 had atrial tachycardias and 1 junctional tachycardias. In vulnerable patients, the pause after AFF correlated with the pause after atrial pacing, but only 1 of 11 Group II patients with sick sinus syndrome was vulnerable. Thus, paroxysmal AFF may be duplicated with the extrastimulus technique if sufficient arial sites are stimulated, providing a model for evaluation of these arrhythmias. But atrial vulnerability, even to extrastimulation at normal heart rates, may be seen in patients suspected of atrial tachyarrhythmia in the absence of documented AFF, and does not contribute to the diagnosis of sinoatrial dysfunction.
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Abstract
The effects of digitalis on vulnerability to atrial fibrillation and flutter were assessed in man, using the model of repetitive atrial firing initiated by post-drive atrial extrastimulation. Nine patients without heart failure or significant mitral valve disease were tested before and 30 minutes after the administration of 0.01 mg/kg ouabain. When repetitive firing was manifested by flutter, neither the flutter cycle length nor the interval from the initiating beat to the first flutter beat was consistently altered by ouabain. Repetitive firing was found at the atrial site with the shortest functional refractory period. The vulnerable zone bordered this refractory period. The functional refractory period was lengthened after ouabain, from 231 +/- 13 to 246 +/- 15 msec (mean +/- standard error of the mean) (P less than 0.025). Partly because of prolonged refractoriness, the vulnerable zone was curtailed by ouabain, from 32.2 +/- 5.7 to 9.4 +/- 4.6 msec (P less than 0.001). This result suggests a protective effect of digitalis against atrial fibrillation and flutter independent of its hemodynamic actions.
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Engel TR, Leddy C, Gonzalez AD, Meister SG, Frankl WS. Electrophysiologic effects of hydralazine on sinoatrial function in patients with sick sinus node syndrome. Am J Cardiol 1978; 41:763-9. [PMID: 645582 DOI: 10.1016/0002-9149(78)90829-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The electrophysiologic effects of hydralazine were evaluated in nine hypertensive patients with sinoatrial dysfunction. Intravenous hydralazine, 0.15 mg/kg, caused no significant reduction in arterial blood pressure. Yet this dose of hydralazine increased heart rate from 61.9 +/- 4.1 beats/min (mean +/- standard error of the mean) to 68.6 +/- 4.9 (P less than 0.001). Sinus nodal recovery time upon termination of atrial pacing shortened from 3,207 +/- 1,098 to 2,064 +/- 573 msec (P less than 0.05) and second escape cycles shortened as well (P less than 0.025). Acceleration of heart rate and abbreviation of recovery time did not closely correlate with change in blood pressure (r = 0.41 and 0.18, respectively). Junctional escape beats became more frequent and junctional escape time shortened from 2,525 +/- 692 to 1,705 +/- 382 msec (P less than 0.05). Sinoatrial conduction time tended to shorten, but a significant change was not observed. Atrial tachyarrhythmias did not occur and atrial refractoriness was unchanged. Thus, a minimal blood pressure response to hydralazine was associated with enhanced automaticity. Hydralazine merits clinical trial for treatment of sick sinus syndrome with concomitant hypertension.
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