Academic tenure: what does it mean?

Tenure is an integral aspect of academia. Because tenured faculty give esteem to individual physical therapy programs and to the profession as a whole, understanding the process of attaining tenure is vital to all physical therapy educators. Tenure in universities is described, and the process of attaining tenure is outlined. Criteria for tenure, factors related to transfer of faculty between universities, and considerations for terminating tenured faculty are also discussed. Departmental chairmen have a responsibility to ensure that the faculty members understand the tenure process and are given the opportunity to meet tenure criteria.

Profile of physical therapy educators in five countries

Physical therapy educators in Australia, Britain and Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, and South Africa were surveyed to develop a profile of physical therapy educators in these countries and to permit comparison with data on US and Canadian educators. Faculty members (N = 154) from 18 programs responded to a questionnaire consisting of 22 items related to education, experience, and professional activities. Most of the respondents (79%) held an entry-level qualification at the diploma or certificate level, and compared with US educators, a much lower percentage held academic degrees of any kind. Similarities between the respondents and US and Canadian educators were found in percentages of women, of those under 40 years of age, of those currently enrolled in academic programs, and of those with tenure; differences were found in hours spent teaching and number of faculty members who had published in the last two years. Understanding these similarities and differences may facilitate international faculty exchange programs and employment.

Joshua Harold Burn: 6 March 1892-13 July 1981

Joshua Harold Burn was born on 6 March 1892 in Barnard Castle, County Durham . He was fond of his birth place and was greatly interested in the history of the ancient town which had grown up around the castle, built by Bernard de Baliol (or Balliol) in the 12th century . Burn lived there until he went to Cambridge in 1909. He was the only child of John George Burn (1857-1932) and Mary Josephine Howson (1859-1937), who came fro m the Wycliffe family. Burn knew little about his father’s ancestry. However, he remembered his grandfather, Joshua Burn, vividly: ‘He must have been about 5 feet 10 or 11 inches. He was always upright in carriage and wore a black frock coat and trousers with a tall hat. He was an active member of the Wesleyan Church and for many years was a local preacher. At that time the villages surrounding Barnard Castle constituted a circuit and every chapel was visited every Sunday either by the Superintendent or the Second Minister or by a local preacher.’

Guanfacine: a new centrally-acting antihypertensive agent

The centrally-acting antihypertensive drug guanfacine was studied in a group of 11 moderate hypertensives. In doses of 2 mg daily, an average reduction in diastolic blood pressure of 10.8 mmHg was achieved. Side-effects were few when doses were maintained below 3 mg daily. The blood pressure reduction was associated with a fall in plasma renin activity and an average weight gain of 1.8 kg. When guanfacine was tried in 6 very severe hypertensives who had proved resistant to other antihypertensive drugs, a similar reduction in diastolic pressure of 7 mmHg was achieved using a dose of 3 mg daily. It is considered that guanfacine is a useful new antihypertensive drug, effective in mild hypertension, and side-effects are few if doses are maintained below 3 mg daily. Above this dose, side-effects became prominent, and these included sedation, dry mouth and constipation.

A thiol inhibitor produced by Aspergillus niger

A low molecular weight inhibitor of the thiol proteases papain and bromelain has been identified and partially purified from the culture filtrates of Aspergillus niger. Further studies have shown that this inhibitor reacts with compounds containing a free thiol group and as such it is capable of inhibiting other enzymes that contain a functional thiol group at their active site.

Dopaminergic system does not play a major role in the precipitated cannabinoid withdrawal syndrome

AIM

To determine the dopaminergic system involvement in precipitated cannabinoid withdrawal syndrome.

METHODS

The dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 or the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride was administered to rats chronically treated with either delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or vehicle. Subjects were then injected with either SR141716A or vehicle and behavior was observed for 1 h.

RESULTS

Administration of the cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716A to animals chronically treated with THC as described by Tsou et al (1995) produced a profound withdrawal syndrome. Treatment with dopamine antagonists did not attenuate cannabinoid precipitated withdrawal syndrome in THC tolerant animals while the agonists increased the syndrome.

CONCLUSION

It is unlikely that the dopaminergic system plays a major role in mediating the behavioral aspects of the cannabinoid withdrawal syndrome.

Growth characteristics of the fetal ligament of the head of femur: significance in congenital hip disease

Measurement of the length and width of the ligament of the head of femur (ligamentum teres) in 140 normal human fetuses between 12 weeks and term provides limits for growth changes in this structure. These observations provide no morphological evidence of a significant difference between males and females, or between the right and left sides, to explain the female and left hip preponderance reported in congenital hip disease. The ligament is shown to be variable in length, width, and shape, and it is not a distinctly linear structure through linearity may increase with age. Tests of femoral head mobility support the opinion that this ligament must play a role in fetal and neonatal hip joint stability. Weak correlation only was demonstrated between the ligament variables and acetabular depth, which suggests that ligament shape and socket shape are not closely related. Comparison of measurements from normal and 12 dysplastic or subluxated joints provides no evidence to support previous observations that this structure is unusually long in abnormal hip joints which are not frankly dislocated.

Purification of aspartate aminotransferase from Thermus aquaticus

A method is described for the purification of the enzyme aspartate aminotransferase from the thermophile Thermus aquaticus. The enzyme has been characterized with respect to its molecular weight on SDS PAGE and by amino acid analysis. Attempts to obtain N-terminal sequence data was unsuccessful, presumably due to a blocked N-terminus. The purified enzyme has been shown to be highly thermostable, having a half life of inactivation of about 6 hours at 100 degrees C, and to have a temperature optimum greater than 95 degrees C.

Activation of protein kinase C by short chain phosphatidylcholines

The acidic phospholipid requirement for protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme) activation has been well established, although the molecular nature of this lipid-protein interaction is unclear. The additional requirement for Ca2+ has provided the basis for several models involving charge interactions. We now report that short chain neutral phosphatidylcholines also activate the kinase. Examination of a large series of phosphatidylcholines of varying acyl chain length revealed a close correlation between the ability to form micelles and the ability to support kinase activity. Peak activation occurred in the concentration range just before the critical micelle concentration of each phospholipid. Activation was absolutely dependent on the presence of Ca2+ and diacylglycerol. The possible roles of Ca2+ and phospholipid in the activation process are reexamined in light of these unexpected results.

Role of physiotherapy auxiliary personnel in Nova Scotia: a descriptive survey

This study was designed to gather information and opinion on the impact and role of auxiliary personnel in physiotherapy, in Nova Scotia (NS). The physiotherapist/auxiliary ratio and present and future levels of education, supervision, and activities of auxiliary personnel were investigated. All NS physiotherapists registered with the Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists (NSCP) were surveyed by mailed questionnaire; one follow-up was sent. Two questionnaires were developed. Potential levels of the terms assistant and technician were defined to facilitate interpretation of the opinion statements. Questionnaire A was mailed to all registered physiotherapists (n = 279, response rate 83%). Questionnaire B was mailed with Questionnaire A to directors and clinic owners (n = 73, 79% response rate). Results showed a physiotherapist/auxiliary personnel ratio (excluding clerical) of 3.75:1. The majority of personnel were trained in-house. There was a trend toward less frequent supervision with more extensively trained auxiliary personnel. More respondents considered that formally trained assistants would best serve the profession of physiotherapy in the future. To conclude, this study adds to the body of knowledge of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and the NSCP. It should assist the NS Department of Health and Fitness in analyzing needs for training of auxiliary personnel in Physiotherapy, and provide data for future studies.

Conditions for the extraction of protease-free LMG proteins from calf thymus

Calf thymus LMG proteins are known to be susceptible to a wide variety of chromatin-associated proteases. We have investigated the use of different inhibitors to protect LMG chromosomal proteins from proteolytic degradation. In this work we have developed a preparative method for the extraction of LMG proteins from purified chromatin which provides an LMG protein extract devoid of proteolytic activity.

Suppression of noxious stimulus-evoked activity in the ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus by a cannabinoid agonist: correlation between electrophysiological and antinociceptive effects

The CNS contains a putative cannabinergic neurotransmitter and an abundance of G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors. However, little is known about the function of this novel neurochemical system. Cannabinold agonists produce antinociception in behavioral tests, suggesting the possibility that this system serves in part to modulate pain sensitivity. To explore this possibility, the effects of the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 on nociceptive neurons in the ventroposterolateral (VPL) nucleus of the thalamus were examined in urethane-anesthetized rats. After identification of a nociresponsive neuron, a computer-controlled device delivered graded pressure stimuli to the contralateral hindpaw. WIN 55,212-2 (0.0625, 0.125, and 0.25 mg/kg, i.v.) suppressed noxious stimulus-evoked activity of VPL neurons in a dose-dependent and reversible manner. Noxious stimulus-evoked firing was affected more than spontaneous firing. These effects were apparently mediated by cannabinoid receptors, because the cannabinoid receptor-inactive enantiomer of the drug (WIN 55,212-3, 0.25 mg/kg) failed to alter the activity of this population of cells. Administration of morphine (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.) produced effects that were very similar to those produced by the cannabinoid. WIN 55,212-2 (0.25 mg/kg, i.v.) failed to alter the responses of non-nociceptive low-threshold mechanosensitive neurons in the VPL WIN 55,212-2 produced antinociceptive effects with a potency and time course similar to that observed in the electrophysiological experiments, despite the differences in the anesthetic states of the animals used in these experiments. The antinociceptive and electrophysiological effects on VPL neurons outlasted the motor effects of the drug. Furthermore, the changes in nociceptive responding could not be attributed to changes in skin temperature. Taken together, these findings suggest that cannabinoids decrease nociceptive neurotransmission at the level of the thalamus and that one function of endogenous cannabinoids may be to modulate pain sensitivity.