Genetics of albumin gainesville, a new variant of human serum albumin

A "new" slow-moving variant of serum albumin has been found in members of a single family of Irish descent from the vicinity of Gainesville, Florida. We have demonstrated that the electrophoretic mobility of albumin Gainesville is different from the mobilities of previously reported slow-moving albumins, and have provided evidence to support the hypothesis of linkage between the albumin and Gc loci

The use of a patient note to evaluate clinical skills of first-year residents who are graduates of foreign medical schools

Standardized patients (SPs) are being used with increasing frequency to teach and assess clinical skills at many U.S. and Canadian medical schools. National organizations responsible for the licensure and certification of physicians have recently undertaken large pilot projects to determine the merits of this method of performance-based assessment. These assessments typically use a multi-station examination where examinees move from room to room and examine SPs who simulate a variety of health complaints. There may also be non-patient-based stations where the examinees interpret X-rays, diagnostic studies, videotapes, and so forth. The study reported here is part of a project conducted by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), which uses SPs at multiple test sites to assess graduates of foreign medical schools

DNA polymerase activity as an index of lymphocyte stimulation: studies in Down's syndrome

The ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in vitro was studied in patients with Down's syndrome. The response was measured by the increase in DNA polymerase activity and the rate of incorporation of tritiated thymidine by the cultured lymphocytes. These activities were significantly lower in PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from patients with Down's syndrome compared with age- and sex-matched, mentally retarded patients without Down's syndrome from the same institution and the normal healthy volunteers. The impairment in response to PHA does not seem to be related to the presence of Australia antigen in patients with Down's syndrome or to institutionalization itself. In contrast to DNA polymerase activity and thymidine-(3)H uptake, there was no significant difference in the percentage of blast transformation in the three groups studied. The poor response of the lymphocytes from patients with Down's syndrome to a mitogenic stimulus could reflect an impairment of cellular immune functions in these patients which may be one of the factors contributing to the vulnerability of these patients to repeated or persistent infections