Clarification of values in counselling and psychotherapy.

When an individual acts contrary to personal values, then there is dissonance, with consequences of guilt, anxiety, despair, or alienation. If unresolved and of sufficient strength these feelings may manifest in mental illness. Thus, clarification of values and resolution of value conflict are relevant to counselling and psychotherapy. A framework for the systematic examination of values in therapy is described. Values are classified as personal, social, environmental and sensate. In therapy, goals may be matched for congruence between personal values and overt behaviour. Processes which erode values and ways to maintain integrity of personal value systems are considered.


Survey of clinical psittacine bird sera for Salmonella typhimurium agglutinins.

Of 2407 serum samples from various kinds of psittacine birds submitted for Chlamydia serology, 2343 (97.4%) were negative, 25 (1.0%) were equivocal, and 39 (1.6%) were positive for Salmonella typhimurium agglutinins. In additional serum samples from two groups of African gray parrots, the prevalence of agglutinins was 0.0% (0/38) in the Timneh variety and 24.0% (6/25) in the Congo variety. In sera from one macaw, one cockatoo, and one Amazon parrot, which were negative for chlamydial antibody activity, there were strongly reactive agglutinins for S. typhimurium. Two Amazon parrots had antibody activity against Salmonella and Chlamydia antigens.


Adult attachments and sexuality: implications for understanding risk behaviours for HIV infection.

In response to the AIDS epidemic, there has been an intensification of interest in human sexuality research in general and "safe sex" practices in particular. Most research models have been somewhat mechanistic in focus, however, with little recognition of the significance of affectional needs in the formation and maintenance of sexual relationships. In this paper we propose that relationship issues are central to an understanding of the expression of sexuality, and that attachment theory provides a useful perspective on human sexual bonds. It is suggested that future research could usefully extend the conceptualisation of adult attachment styles by exploring the meaning of attachment relationships for gay and heterosexual couples, and the implications of attachment style for the behaviours associated with sexual relationships, including the negotiation of safe sex practices. Such research would have direct relevance for prevention programs relevant to HIV/AIDS.


Severe mortality in broiler chickens associated with Mycoplasma synoviae and Pasteurella gallinarum.

Severe economic loss due to high mortality and condemnation rates occurred on two commercial broiler facilities. Chickens had moderate-to-severe airsacculitis, pericarditis, perihepatitis, tracheitis, and synovitis. Pasteurella gallinarum was isolated from 16 of 18 pericardia, four of 14 livers, 11 of 16 air sacs, six of seven joints and one of 28 tracheas in pure culture. In addition, Mycoplasma synoviae was isolated from trachea and air sac. Lesions were suggestive of an Escherichia coli septicemia, but E. coli was isolated from only four of 28 tracheas and one of 14 livers in pure culture. A coronavirus was isolated from trachea and lung. Whether this coronavirus represented a vaccine or field strain of infectious bronchitis was not determined. These findings suggested that the severe lesions were due to a concomitant infection with an atypical strain of P. gallinarum.


Attributions of symptomatology: an exploration of family factors associated with expressed emotion.

This study explored family factors associated with Expressed Emotion (EE) in families with a member diagnosed with schizophrenia. Drawing on an attributional model of expressed emotion it was predicted that high EE relatives would have less knowledge of the illness and would attribute negative symptoms to the personality, rather than the illness, of the sufferer. Thirty-one caregivers of schizophrenic patients were interviewed. Results indicated that EE status was related to knowledge, coping and causal attributions of negative symptoms. Low EEs, as compared with High EEs, tended to have more knowledge of the illness and to cope better with the patient, and were less likely to attribute the cause of negative symptoms to the sufferer's personality. Support was therefore obtained for the utility of an attributional model in attempting to understand the determinants of levels of EE.


Ectopic egg yolk in the abdominal cavity of a cockatiel.

A mature cockatiel was presented to the teaching hospital with acute, severe dyspnea and a markedly enlarged abdomen. The bird died 2 hours after admission and was necropsied. A 3-cm egg yolk was present in the abdominal cavity and caused cranial displacement of the abdominal viscera. Death occurred acutely and was probably due to severe respiratory distress.


Long term secure care in Tasmania.

The aim was to determine the requirement in Tasmania for long term (greater than 28 days) secure ward beds, and to characterise the patients who use them. There was complete enumeration over an 18 month period. The results included that 3.6 long term secure beds were used per 100,000 general population. Compared to those who were discharged during the survey, those who were not discharged were older, had spent longer in psychiatric hospitals and were more likely to be male and to suffer from schizophrenia. All patients were white Australians. The conclusions included that for planning purposes a minimum of 4.6 long term secure beds was required per 100,000 general population. Also, Aboriginal people and people from non-English speaking backgrounds were not over represented in long term secure care in Tasmania. Finally, "good" and "poor" prognosis groups were identified and further work is required to determine how these can best be managed.


Is tardive anorexia a discrete diagnostic entity?

A study is described in which patients in three diagnostic groups were compared in an effort to delineate features of tardive anorexia (late onset anorexia nervosa). There were 18 patients in each diagnostic group. Patients with "classical" anorexia nervosa of less than 5 years duration were compared with patients older than 25 who had been chronically ill for more than 5 years and with those in whom the symptoms had begun de novo after the age of 25. Statistically significant differences were found to distinguish the third group as a distinct diagnostic entity. The association of loss precipitants and depressive symptoms has practical implications in the management of true anorexia tardive.


Attitudes of medical professionals towards patients with eating disorders.

A questionnaire examining attitudes to patients with eating disorders was completed by 352 medical and nursing staff in a general hospital. Patients with eating disorders were less liked than patients with schizophrenia and were seen as responsible for their illness almost to the same degree as recurrent overdose takers. Factor analysis showed a first factor in which patients with eating disorders were construed as vulnerable to external pressures (from others, the media) while also self-inducing their illness, and this was associated with treatment recommendations for education, urging the patient to take self-control and psychotherapy. The professions differed significantly in attitudes.


Knowledge and compliance towards lithium therapy among Chinese psychiatric patients in Hong Kong.

Although patient education is believed to promote medication compliance, the exact relationship between the acquisition of drug knowledge and compliance during lithium treatment is unclear. A survey of 50 Chinese patients on maintenance lithium therapy revealed that their medical knowledge about lithium treatment, as measured by a "Lithium Questionnaire," was very limited. Nonetheless, 70% of these patients were found, by multiple criteria, to be good compliers, and lithium compliance was apparently not affected by the amount of drug knowledge that patients possessed. It is argued that in the process of conducting patient education to enhance lithium compliance, a sound therapeutic alliance is more important than sheer knowledge acquisition.


The first lithium clinic in Hong Kong: a Chinese profile.

A study of 50 Chinese patients referred to the first lithium clinic in Hong Kong revealed a high prevalence of recurrent mania and rarely unipolar depression. A history of delusions and hallucinations, and re-diagnosis from schizophrenia to manic depressive psychosis, were common. Lithium was prescribed after 3.9 episodes of illness, and at a dosage of 1,191 mg despite a moderate serum level of 0.63 mmol/l. Laboratory monitoring was haphazard, and polypharmacy was common. This might pose unnecessary risks to some patients.


An Australian multicentre study of moclobemide versus amitriptyline in the treatment of depression.

This paper reports the results of a multicentre study of the new monoamine oxidase inhibitor, moclobemide, in the treatment of major depression. Moclobemide is a specific monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor which does not bind irreversibly to the enzyme, unlike the currently available MAOIs. Recent studies would suggest that in subjects taking moclobemide blood pressure elevation caused by tyramine is significantly less than that induced by the irreversible MAOIs, particularly when tyramine is administered in an oral form. Forty-eight patients with major depression were randomly allocated to treatment with either moclobemide or amitriptyline for 4 weeks in a double-blind comparison. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on measures of efficacy. Patients taking amitriptyline reported a greater number of side-effects and more patients in the amitriptyline group dropped out because of these. There were no reports of interactions with tyramine-containing foods.


Psychiatric morbidity in a Chinese primary school in Hong Kong.

The psychiatric morbidity among 718 Chinese primary school children from a lower middle social class area in Hong Kong was studied, using a two-stage design. The screening procedures included two parts, a multi-component scale and a battery of probing questions. The screening procedures achieved an overall sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 97%. The findings on prevalence were: (i) a total prevalence of all definite psychiatric cases of 16.3%; (ii) prevalence according to diagnostic categories: emotional disorder, 8.8%; conduct disorder, 2.0%; mixed disturbance of emotion and conduct, 3.0%; hyperkinetic syndrome, 1.0%; hyperkinetic conduct disorder, 1.0%; and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, 0.4%; (iii) boys 2.7 times more affected than girls; (iv) emotional disorder much more common than conduct disorder, even in boys; and (v) the prevalence of borderline cases was 19.5%. The mean duration of morbidity for all definite cases was 41.7 months. About half of all definite cases were seriously impaired in one or more areas of functioning and the other half moderately impaired. These results were compared with findings obtained from studies done in other countries.


A study of referrals of black children to a general hospital psychiatric outpatient clinic.

Five hundred and seventy-seven children who attended a child psychiatric out-patient clinic during 1987 were evaluated. Their clinical and demographic characteristics are described and management discussed. High on the list of presenting complaints were poor school performance and behavioural problems. Factors considered as influencing referrals are socio-economic, political, lack of school psychological services and facilities for the management of the intellectually handicapped. The most common diagnoses were mental retardation (39.5%) and epilepsy (16.2%).


Serious suicide attempts among adolescents in custody.

The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody has focused attention on people who are held in custody in police cells, prisons, remand centres and detention centres. A series of research papers has been released by the Royal Commission which delineates some important aspects of the needs of these people. Nearly half of the deaths which occur in these custodial settings appear to be self-inflicted. Suicide seems to be particularly common among younger age groups of those in custody [1,2]. This pattern parallels suicide levels among young people in the Australian community generally, so that suicide is now a leading cause of death among young Australians [3,4].


The psychological adjustment of offspring of adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a brief report.

This study describes the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems in the offspring of parents who are members of the Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis Support Group in South Australia. The results suggest that the offspring of adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder do not have more problems than other children and adolescents in the community. The study also highlights potential benefits of collaborative research conducted by research groups and self-help organisations.


Social networks and psychiatric morbidity in New Zealand women.

A random community survey of urban and rural New Zealand women revealed higher rates of psychiatric morbidity in subjects who reported poorer social support. Substantial differences in social networks were found between demographic subgroups. Rural women described better than expected social relationships, giving some support to the pastoral ideal of well integrated rural communities. Women in part-time employment also described better social networks. Elderly, low socio-economic, and widowed, separated and divorced women had poorer social relationships. It is suggested that normative values for social network measures for each demographic subgroup will need to be established before the clinical significance of deviations from the norm can be meaningfully evaluated. Also, the mechanisms linking social networks to health may vary in different subgroups.


Quantity frequency (consumption index) versus "CAGE" in the detection of alcoholism.

The aim of this study was to compare and validate two simple methods of detecting excessive alcohol drinkers in a Malaysian hospital population. All 621 patients in the Medical, Surgical and Orthopaedic units of the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur were screened with the "CAGE" Questionnaire (a four question screening test to discriminate excessive drinkers) and two questions on the frequency and quantity of drinking called the Consumption Index. All CAGE scores had poor agreement (K = 0.37 to K = 0.1) with a psychiatric diagnosis of alcohol abuse and dependence using DSM III diagnosis. Reasons why the Consumption Index is a better screening instrument than the CAGE are discussed.


A community study of mental disorders in elderly Singaporean Chinese using the GMS-AGECAT package.

A random sample of 612 elderly Chinese aged 65 and over living in the community in Singapore was assessed with the community version of the Geriatric Mental State (GMS) and the data analysed by the AGECAT program to provide computerised diagnoses. The prevalence of organic disorder (dementia) was 2.3%, depression 5.7%, neuroses 1.5% and paranoid disorder 0.5%. The results were generally lower compared to the study of elderly people in Liverpool using the GMS-AGECAT package. Concordance between AGECAT and the psychiatrist's diagnoses for organic disorder, depression, neuroses and paranoid disorder achieved kappa values of 0.87, 0.88, 0.58 and 1.0 respectively.


Diffuse Lewy body disease and progressive dementia in a young woman.

This report details the emergence of a progressive parkinsonian syndrome, dementia and behavioural disturbance in a 33 year-old woman which can be dated to the delivery of her first child. The findings of this case indicate that cortical Lewy body disease should be considered in any patient with temporoparietal dementia and idiopathic Parkinson's disease irrespective of the age of onset.


Effects of 2 mg and 4 mg atropine sulfate on the performance of U.S. Army helicopter pilots.

Atropine autoinjectors are issued to aviators for use in the event of organophosphate poisoning on the battlefield. This investigation assessed the effects of unchallenged 2 mg and 4 mg doses on flight performance, vision, tracking, cognitive performance, and electroencephalograms of 12 Army aviators. Effects were seen most often with the 4 mg dose in terms of aircraft control problems, vision disturbances, impaired tracking, reduced cortical activation, and decreased cognitive skill. These problems indicate helicopter tactical flight is dangerous after an unchallenged 4 mg dose. Other types of flight should also be avoided for at least 12 h after atropine.


Subjective and behavioral effects associated with repeated exposure to narcosis.

Below 30 m, nitrogen narcosis can severely degrade the performance of air breathing divers. Within the diving community it is generally thought that this effect can be reduced by repeating deep air dives on successive days but laboratory studies have found no strong evidence to support the notion of adaptation to narcosis. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that one's subjective impression or perception of narcosis may decrease during repeated exposure to hyperbaric air without parallel improvement on task performance. To examine this possibility, symptoms and performance were examined over the course of 5 days of repeated exposure to 30% nitrous oxide at 1 ATA. While the results revealed no clear cut changes in global perceptions of narcosis across days, several symptoms from an adjective checklist showed unequivocal signs of adaptation. With respect to performance effects, reaction time yielded no indications of improvement over days relative to the control. These findings suggest that subjective adaptation can occur without parallel performance improvement, an effect which could compromise safety and which may be of concern in other operational settings that involve repeated exposure to stimulus conditions which impact on performance and symptoms.


Comparison of toxicity rankings of six aircraft cabin polymers by lethality and by incapacitation in rats.

Polymeric aircraft cabin materials have the potential to produce toxic gases in fires. Lethality (LC50) in animal models is a standard index to rank polymers on the basis of their combustion toxicity. However, the use of times-to-incapacitation (ti) may be more realistic for predicting relative escape times from a fire. Therefore, LC50 and ti for polymers, polyamide (I), polystyrene (II), Nylon 6/6 (III), polysulfone (IV), polyethylene (V) and chlorinated polyethylene (VI), of different chemical classes were determined and compared. Male rats, 12/fuel loading, were exposed to the pyrolysis products from selected weights of each polymer for 30 min in a 265-L combustion/exposure system, and LC50 values were determined following a 14-d observation period. For each polymer, ti was measured at 16 g and at its respective LC50 using the inability of rats (n greater than or equal to 12) to walk in rotating cages as a criterion for incapacitation. LC50 (45.7-87.5 mg/L) of the polymers had the order of I less than II approximately III less than IV less than V less than VI, while their ti (6.6-21.1 min) at 16 g (60 mg/L) had the order of III approximately I less than V approximately II less than VI less than IV. Based on ti at LC50, polymers were grouped into III & V; I, II & VI; and IV. LC50 and ti did not exhibit the same relative toxic hazard rankings for these polymers; ti were also not equal at the LC50 concentrations. These findings demonstrate the possible involvement of different mechanisms of action for the combustion products of these polymers at the selected end points.


Reduced voluntary non-visual suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex gain during nitrous oxide narcosis.

The effect of subanesthetic nitrous oxide (N2O) narcosis (21%) on the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and on voluntary non-visual suppression of the VOR was studied in 12 subjects, using a velocity step rotational test. Gain and time constant of the VOR were calculated by computer. During tests, the subjects were required either to perform mental arithmetic or to attempt to follow an imaginary target rotating with them in the dark. Voluntary non-visual suppression of gain was significantly reduced during exposure to N2O, though there was no statistically significant effect of N2O on gain per se. The time constant was unaffected either by voluntary suppression or by N2O. The reducing effect of N2O on voluntary non-visual suppression of VOR gain is assumed to be due to reduced alertness. Reduced voluntary non-visual suppression of VOR may imply reduced visual-vestibular interaction, which might be one explanation of the complaints of dizziness associated with fatigue or with ingestion of certain sedatives.


Heat strain during at-sea helicopter operations and the effect of passive microclimate cooling.

Twelve Navy H-3 helicopter aircrew members were monitored (heart rate, skin and rectal temperatures) in both microclimate cooling (ice) vest and non-vest conditions during at-sea operations in the high heat environment of the Persian Gulf. During all flights and flight phases, ambient dry bulb temperatures ranged from 31.0 degrees C (in-flight) to 48.6 degrees C (hover). Heart rate was greatest during hover and on-deck (range: 89.9 to 145.0 beats/min) without an ice vest, yet was significantly reduced with ice (range: 79.7 to 86.0 beats/min) (p less than 0.05). Rectal temperature was not found to be different between vest and non-vest conditions; however, change across flight phases in both conditions was significant (p less than 0.05). Analysis of variance demonstrated significantly lower mean weighted skin temperatures (p less than 0.05) when wearing the ice vest. These data suggest that wearing a protective cooling vest can reduce the heat strain associated with helicopter flight in high heat environments.


Thermal convergence fails to predict heat tolerance limits.

Work under very hot, humid conditions may raise skin temperature (Tsk) to meet rectal temperature (Tre). This convergence has been said to produce imminent collapse and therefore to predict human tolerance limits for work in heat, especially for those wearing impermeable protective clothing. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of subjects to continue work beyond the time when they experienced convergence. A total of 15 healthy adult volunteers participated in two protocols: A) Each of nine subjects performed four experiments wearing impermeable clothing and walking on an inclined treadmill at a metabolic rate averaging 450 W with dry bulb temperature (Tdb) 29 or 38 degrees C; B) Each of nine subjects performed eight experiments wearing heavy, semipermeable clothing under a range of conditions involving Tdb = 22-40 degrees C, relative humidity 15-88%, and work load = 200-500 W. Convergence occurred in 42 cases; in the majority (60%) the subject continued walking until Tre rose to the criterion temperature 39 degrees C, working for 10-45 min after convergence. No subject approached collapse, nor did convergence have any special effect on the rate of rise of temperature or heart rate. Thus, while convergence marks severe, time-limited heat stress, it does not accurately predict tolerance limits in highly motivated subjects. Termination of work at convergence would unnecessarily truncate heat stress exposures, depriving investigators of valuable data and industrial users of a large portion of their safe work time.


Effects of hypoxemia at sea level and high altitude on sodium excretion and hormonal levels.

Acute hypoxemia at sea level is associated with decreased aldosterone secretion. This inhibition is thought to be mediated through secretion of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF). The interaction of these two hormones should result in enhanced renal salt excretion during hypoxemic conditions. This hypothesis was tested by administration of a standardized salt load to seven normal subjects during normoxemia at sea level (SL), acute hypoxemia (AH) at sea level, and high altitude (HA) (3,000 m). Urine and venous blood samples were collected and analyzed. A natriuresis and diuresis was observed only under AH conditions. It was accompanied by a decrease in plasma aldosterone levels, but did not correlate with changes in plasma aldosterone levels, ANF, or other hormones. Increased plasma renin activity (PRA) and increased norepinephrine levels were encountered at HA, suggesting sympathetic nervous system activation. No change in anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) levels with increased plasma osmolality was seen at HA. We conclude that excretion of a salt load during normobaric hypoxemia is enhanced by a decrease in plasma aldosterone levels, unrelated to changes in ANF or other hormones. The differences observed in norepinephrine, PRA, and ADH levels during HA versus AH conditions suggest that hypobaria or chronic hypoxemia may influence these hormonal responses.


The influence of prior exercise at anaerobic threshold on decompression sickness.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of exercise prior to decompression on the incidence of altitude decompression sickness (DCS). In a balanced, two-period, crossover trial, 39 healthy individuals (29 males, 10 females) of mean (S.D.) age 32.5 (7.7) years and body mass index 23.7 (3.4) were each exposed twice, without denitrogenation, to an altitude of 6,400 m (21,000 ft) in a hypobaric chamber. Under the experimental condition, subjects exercised at their predetermined anaerobic threshold levels for 30 min each day for 3 d prior to altitude exposure; the other condition was a non-exercise control. Under both conditions, subjects performed exercise simulating space extravehicular activities at altitude for a period of 3 h, while breathing 100% oxygen. There were nine preferences (untied responses) for DCS, four under control and five under experimental conditions; all were Type I, pain-only bends. No carryover effect between exposures was detected, and the test for treatment differences showed p = 0.56 (95% confidence interval = 0.34-0.58) for symptoms. No significant difference in DCS preferences was found after subjects exercised up to their anaerobic threshold levels during the days prior to decompression.


An assessment of Turkish Air Force pilots' anxiety and depression levels.

A popular conception of good morale is the perception of well-being, lack of distress, and absence of anxiety and depression. Therefore, the term "morale" is related to anxiety and depression. The purpose of this survey is to assess stress levels numerically by using anxiety and depression scores. We surveyed 345 active duty Turkish Air Force pilots and 70 non-flying Air Force officers (who served as control group) in 1988. Spielberger's State Trait Personality Inventory (STPI-A Trait) and Zung's Depression Scale (ZDS) were applied to both groups. The flier group reflected lower scores than the non-fliers. Different explanations are available, but we believe the most likely to be related to higher motivation and job satisfaction as well as ego strengths of fliers. These factors can increase the ability to cope with stressful conditions.


Assessing for preflight predictors of airsickness.

A total of 57 randomly selected male and female student pilots from an Introduction to Aviation private pilot course in a large aviation program of a midwestern university completed this study. These pilots were assessed for health status and surveyed for airsickness and associated symptoms by use of an Airsickness Inventory Questionnaire developed by the authors and a modified Self-Rating Anxiety Status Inventory Scale tool developed by W. K. Zung. Correlational analyses of scores from self-report inventories were used to evaluate strength of relationships between airsickness and anxiety. Multiple linear stepwise regressions were computed on variables of correlated symptoms for predictiveness of airsickness. Results of the study indicated 28.1% of pilots exhibited symptoms of airsickness. Significant correlations indicated moderate relationships between airsickness and the following preflight indicators: nausea and vomiting, tremors, face flushing, nightmares, urinary frequency, excessive nervousness, and anxiety index.


Spatial disorientation and dysfunction of orientation/equilibrium reflexes: aeromedical evaluation and considerations.

Loss of spatial awareness has been implicated as a direct causal factor in 4-10% of serious aircraft mishaps and 10-20% of fatal aircraft mishaps (7). Spatial disorientation in flight usually results from misperception of visual, vestibular, or proprioceptive cues. Pathologic causes have rarely been implicated. A student naval aviator with recurrent loss of spatial awareness due to a defective vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), presumably from vestibular neuronitis in adolescence, is reported. His chief complaint, an inability to focus on the instrument panel during turbulent instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), resulted in spatial disorientation and adverse flight attitude. A simple test of visual-vestibular interaction, the dynamic visual acuity test, could identify a defective vestibulo-ocular reflex in aviation personnel. An absent or defective vestibulo-ocular reflex has potential for disorientation in instrument flight. A comprehensive vestibular function test battery is indicated in individuals with recurrent or overwhelming spatial disorientation who fail a screening dynamic visual acuity test. The aeromedical disposition of vertigo and dysequilibrium is discussed.


Cortical localization of cognitive function by regression of performance on event-related potentials.

This paper demonstrates a new method of mapping cortical localization of cognitive function, using electroencephalographic (EEG) data. Cross-subject regression analyses are used to identify cortical sites and post-stimulus latencies where there is a high correlation between subjects' performance and their cognitive event-related potential (ERP) amplitude. The procedure was tested using a mental arithmetic task and was found to identify essentially the same cortical regions that have been associated with such tasks on the basis of research with patients suffering localized cortical lesions. Thus, it appears to offer an inexpensive, noninvasive tool for exploring the dynamics of localization in neurologically normal subjects.


Documentation of activity and rest of a U.S. National Guard attack helicopter battalion.

A. U.S. National Guard attack helicopter battalion was monitored in order to document the activity and rest obtained during the annual training exercises. A total of 39 soldiers wore wrist activity monitors during the 2-week training period. The data from these monitors discriminate activity from rest. Results indicated the following: 1) at some point during the exercises, everyone became sleep deprived; 2) the participants who received the most rest of the group were the enlisted headquarters personnel and the pilots; 3) the soldiers who received the least amount of sleep were the commander of the battalion and the maintenance personnel. Some recommendations are offered for future planning of National Guard training exercises.


Detection of early xerophthalmia by impression cytology and rose Bengal staining--a comparative study.

Twenty two cases were studied for early detection of Xerophthalmia by impression cytology and Rose Bengal staining. Patients were below 6 years of age and admitted in the paediatric ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Assessment were done by conjunctival impression cytology and staining with 1% Rose Bengal dye. Estimation of serum retinol level was done by HPLC to correlate conjunctival findings with biochemical status. The mean age of the subjects were 3.15 +/- 1.75. Rose Bengal staining was positive in 40% cases and impression cytology was in 60% cases. The mean serum retinol level of the diseased children were 10.5 +/- 3. ug/dl. The sensitivity of Rose Bengal staining was 53.3% and that of impression cytology was 80% in detecting vitamin A deficiency when compared with serum retinol level. The specificity of Rose Bengal staining was 40% and that of impression cytology was 100%. Sensitivity of impression cytology was 100% in patient with retinol level 10 ug/dl.


Studies on virulence determinants of Plesiomonas shigelloides.

Virulence determinants of nineteen strains of Plesiomonas shigelloides isolated from stool samples of diarrhoeal children were studied. Heat-labile toxin was detected in seven strains using rat ileal loop model and in none of the strains using Chinese hamster ovary cell assay system and by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Rat ileal loop model was used for the first time to assay toxin in P. shigelloides and is suggested to be a cheap and effective method of detecting labile toxin in the organism. Heat stable toxin, cytotoxin, hemolysin and hemagglutinin were not detected in the strains tested. Invasiveness could not be established by using HEp-2 cell assay system. The results of this study provide some experimental support for an etiological role for P. shigelloides in the production of diarrhoea.


Factors influencing development of bulbar deformity in duodenal ulcer disease.

Sixty subjects were carefully interrogated and repeatedly endoscoped with a view to studying the effect of sucralfate on healing and recurrence of duodenal ulcer disease. Degree of bulbar deformity was noted during each endoscopy. During the trial it appeared that deformity progressed more rapidly in late onset subjects (onset at or above 30 years of age). In eight subjects deformity became gross over a period of three years. Seven of them belonged to the late onset subgroup. Two subject had large ulcers and both belonged to the late onset subgroup, one had rapidly progressive disease. Out of six subjects with multiple ulcers four belonged to the late onset subgroup, two of the later had rapidly progressive disease.


Plasma ascorbate status in newly diagnosed diabetics exhibiting retinopathy--a finding that alarms.

Diabetics, who developed retinopathy within one year of detection of disease were found to have a significantly low plasma total ascorbate concentration compared to those who developed retinopathy 7-17 years after detection of DM. Traditional metabolic parameters did not show significant difference between the two groups. Thus a severe ascorbate deficiency may be an important determinant in the pathogenesis of retinopathy independent of metabolic status and duration of DM. It merits early supplementation of ascorbic acid to retard the progression of microvascular complication.


Disease profile in respect of health services of Upazila health complex.

This study was carried out to identify the disease profile in relation to medical services at upazila health complex. Thirty different types of diseases were identified. Diarrhoeal diseases were found to be highest (53%), the second highest was intestinal worms (44%). About ninety seven percent patient attended the OPD and only 2% were attended in the emergency Department. On average 172 patients were admitted per month and the highest of admission was found in the months of September and October. The average length of stay in the hospital was 11.6 days. Among the patients admitted 55% were male, and 45 were female. 5% pregnant mothers attended in U.H.C. for antenatal checkup and 2% mother were admitted into the hospital after delivery. Metronidazole was the drug of highest consumption followed by B-Complex and Penicillin.


Role of vitamin A and E in spondylosis.

A biomedical study was undertaken at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka to observe the effect of the antioxidative roles of vitamins A and E on the degenerative process occurring in spondylosis in human. A single and a double blind study were done. Thirty two patients suffering from spondylosis were selected for the study on the basis of certain criteria. The serum vitamin E level in most of the patients were lower (5.8 +/- 2.7 umol/L) than normal (11-41 umol/L). Vitamin E administration at a dose of 100 mg daily for three weeks resulted in a significant increase in serum vitamin E level accompanied by complete relief of pain. The serum vitamin A level of the patients were already within the normal (0.53-2 umol/L) range and vitamin A administration was not effective in relieving the pain. The results therefore strongly indicate that vitamin E is effective in curing spondylosis and most probably due to its antioxidant activity.


Scheduled running wheel activity indexes the specificity of pharmacological anorexia.

Nondeprived male Sprague-Dawley rats that were given scheduled access to running wheels for 60 min daily ran immediately and energetically. Intraperitoneal injections of 400 micrograms/kg pancreatic glucagon and 0.15 microgram/kg cholecystokinin octapeptide had no effect on scheduled running, but significantly inhibited feeding when the rats were offered condensed milk instead of access to the running wheels. This is consistent with the hypothesized function of these peptides as postprandial satiety signals. In contrast, 0.5 mg/kg amphetamine and 75 microM/kg LiCl, which produced similar degrees of anorexia, inhibited running by about 50%. Amphetamine, but neither peptide, also inhibited water drinking and disrupted the behavioral sequence of postprandial satiety. The distance run during scheduled running tests was inversely related to body weight, but the patterns of the drugs' effects were not altered by baseline running differences. Scheduled wheel running is a robust consummatory behavior that appears to provide a relatively valid, simple, and sensitive test of the behavioral specificity of pharmacological anorexia.


Evidence for separate control of estrous and circadian periodicity in the golden hamster.

To study the relationship between estrous and circadian periodicity, we investigated the period of the estrous cycle in two types of female golden hamsters: normals (circadian period approximately 24 h) and tau mutants (circadian period approximately 20 h). Records of running wheel activity, general locomotor activity, body temperature, vaginal secretion, and sexual receptivity of hamsters kept under constant lighting conditions indicated an estrous period of approximately 96 h for both groups of animals. The fact that animals with different circadian periods have the same estrous period suggests the existence of separate mechanisms in the control of circadian and estrous periodicity. Circadian periodicity is determined by a pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, whereas estrous periodicity is determined by positive and negative feedback loops involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads. Coupling of the two mechanisms takes place under at least some conditions, but additional research is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms by which this is accomplished.


Preoperative operant circling training facilitates recovery following unilateral substantia nigra lesion in rats.

This study was undertaken to examine (1) whether pre- and/or postoperative training, using water reinforcement, to turn in circles (rotation) affects the behavioral symptoms induced by unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced DA denervation of the rat substantia nigra (SN); (2) whether there was any influence of this training on the temporal pattern of recovery; and (3) whether the rotational training influences turning induced by systemic injection of dopaminergic drugs. In the first experiment, rats were trained either ipsi- or contraversive (TI or TO) to the side to be damaged 11 days before and 23 days after lesion, and tested in an open field for rotational behavior following systemic administration of apomorphine and amphetamine. In the second experiment rats were trained only before the lesion was made and tested in the open field for spontaneous circling and thigmotactic behavior. The results of the first experiment indicated maintenance of the training performance after the lesion. At the 14th day after the lesion, the ipsiversive trained group showed a higher contraversive circling frequency after apomorphine injection in relation to the contralateral trained group. In the second experiment, rats trained only before the surgery, showed asymmetrical spontaneous circling in the trained direction before and 14 days after surgery, indicating, in a drug free condition, that training direction can be restored after unilateral SN lesions, even to the contralateral body side. Moreover, thigmotactic behavior indicated a lack of habituation in an open field in unilateral lesion rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The relationship between adrenal steroids and enrichment-induced brain growth.

The question of whether brain growth brought about by environmental enrichment is mediated by the adrenal cortex has not been answered. Accordingly, young male rats were either adrenalectomized (ADX) and infused with a constant maintenance dose of corticosterone (2 mg.kg-1.day-1) or sham-operated and implanted with a blank infusion device. Half of each surgical group was maintained in either impoverished (IC) or enriched conditions (EC). After 30 days, changes in forebrain growth and thickness of various cortical and subcortical regions were determined for each group. Enrichment and ADX independently increased forebrain weight and thickened cortical tissue at about the same anatomical sites. However, combined treatments were additive, not interactive. EC-induced brain growth is mimicked but not mediated by adrenalectomy.


Microdialysis administration of vasopressin and vasopressin antagonists into the septum during pole-jumping behavior in rats.

Wistar rats (n = 95) were trained in a pole-jumping apparatus (10 trials/session/day) to investigate the involvement of centrally and peripherally released endogenous AVP in their acquisition rate and to examine the feasibility of the microdialysis technique for the administration of peptides during a behavioral test. After session 1, a microdialysis probe was implanted into the septum; during sessions 2 and 3 the probe was perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) alone or containing either AVP (delivered amount via the probe: 0.2 ng) or the V1 (d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP, 5.0 ng) or the V2/V1 (d(CH2)5-D-Tyr(Et)VAVP, 5.0 ng) antagonist. Administration of AVP via microdialysis into the septum failed to alter the acquisition rate of pole jumping. Also, ip application of both hypertonic saline and the AVP V1 antagonist (10 micrograms) in another experiment failed to show a significant effect upon behavior. Septal administration of the V1 or the V2/V1 antagonist via microdialysis, however, produced a significantly impaired performance. The results indicate that AVP release within the septum is involved in the acquisition of pole-jumping behavior probably mediated by the V1 receptor subtype. An additional involvement of the V2 receptor subtype, however, cannot be entirely excluded. The microdialysis technique proved to be a potent tool to administer substances concomitantly with behavioral tests.


Increases in dendritic length in occipital cortex after 4 days of differential housing in weanling rats.

To assess the capacity for experience to induce rapid alterations in the dendritic fields of cortical neurons, male Long-Evans hooded rats aged 30-31 days were housed in either a complex environment (EC) or an individual cage (IC) for 4 days. The basilar dendrites of layer III pyramidal cells in area 17 of visual cortex were measured in Golgi-stained sections. EC rats exhibited significant increases in total dendritic length and total number of branches. This finding demonstrates that the structural modifications previously reported after 30 days in the complex environment are well underway after only 4 days.


Impairment of spontaneous alternation performance by an NMDA antagonist: attenuation with non-NMDA treatments.

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists disrupt learning on a variety of tasks. Previous findings indicate that glucose, naloxone, and physostigmine ameliorate learning deficits produced by several treatments. The present experiment examines whether these agents also reverse the amnestic effects of NMDA receptor blockade. Mice were tested for spontaneous alternation performance in a Y-maze. The animals received either saline or the NMDA antagonist, NPC 12626 (35 mg/kg, IP), 50 min prior to testing and received an additional injection of saline, glucose, naloxone, or physostigmine 30 min prior to testing. NPC 12626 significantly decreased alternation scores. Glucose (250 mg/kg), physostigmine (0.01 mg/kg), and naloxone (1 mg/kg) reversed the effects of NPC 12626. Thus, impairments of learning after NMDA receptor blockade share with other amnestic conditions the susceptibility to attenuation by glucose, naloxone, and physostigmine.


Chronic sodium azide treatment impairs learning of the Morris water maze task.

A reduction in the activity of cytochrome oxidase, a respiratory chain enzyme, has been recently identified in mitochondria from blood platelets and postmortem brain tissue from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. We have developed an animal model of this deficit in rats by chronic subcutaneous infusion of sodium azide, a selective inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase, delivered via Alzet 2ML4 osmotic minipumps. In previous work, azide-treated rats were impaired in an appetitively motivated spatial learning task, the radial arm maze. In the present investigation, we tested male Sprague-Dawley rats (350-400 g), which were tonically infused with azide or saline, on an aversively motivated spatial task, the Morris water maze. Azide-treated rats were impaired on both acquisition and retention of this task, without showing evidence of a motor impairment. Thus, the present results are consistent with previous findings showing that chronic azide treatment produces a learning and memory deficit. These findings strengthen the hypothesis that azide treatment in rats produces a useful animal model of some aspects of AD.


Amnesia by post-training infusion of glutamate receptor antagonists into the amygdala, hippocampus, and entorhinal cortex.

The blockers of glutamate receptors, aminophosphonovaleric acid (AP5) (5.0 micrograms) and cyano-nitroquinoxaline-dione (CNQX) (0.5 microgram), were infused bilaterally into the amygdala, dorsal hippocampus, or entorhinal cortex of rats through indwelling cannulae 0, 90, 180, or 360 min after step-down inhibitory avoidance training. Animals were tested for retention 24 h after training. In the amygdala or hippocampus, AP5 was amnestic when given 0 min after training and CNQX was amnestic when given 0, 90, or 180 min after training. In the entorhinal cortex, AP5 was amnestic when given 90 or 180 min after training and CNQX had no effect. The results suggest that a phenomenon sensitive first to AP5 and then to CNQX in the amygdala and hippocampus, probably long-term potentiation (LTP), is crucial to post-training memory processing. LTP in these two structures could underlie their role in memory consolidation and could explain the late involvement of the entorhinal cortex in post-training memory processing.


Selective lesions in the temporal-hippocampal region of the rat: effects on acquisition and retention of a visual discrimination task.

The first purpose of this study was to investigate whether lesions in the temporal region may affect acquisition or retention of a discrimination task. In Experiment 1, rats with lesions of the temporal cortex (TC), the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC), or their interconnections were tested postoperatively in simultaneous brightness discrimination. The results show that neither TC lesions nor LEC lesions affected acquisition of the task, and only LEC lesions impaired retention. TC/LEC transections impaired both acquisition and retention. The second purpose was to investigate effects of hippocampal lesions and perforant path transections on the discrimination task (Experiment 2). Both hippocampal and perforant path lesions impaired acquisition of the task, whereas retention was unaffected. It is suggested that TC and LEC are primarily involved in information storing and that hippocampal function is primarily involved in information processing.


An adoption and a cross-fostering study of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Psychopathic Deviate Scale.

The first of two complementary studies compared biological and adoptive parents of teenage adoptees with either higher (n = 21) or low (n = 51) MMPI Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) scale scores. In comparison to biological mothers of the low-Pd adoptees, biological mothers of the high-Pd adoptees obtained significantly higher MMPI scores on six of eight clinical scales. Fewer differences existed between the corresponding groups of adoptive mothers, but adoptive mothers of the high Pd's did obtain significantly higher scores on the Pd and Hypomania scales. Substantial genetic correspondences also existed for Harris-Lingoes content subscales, with fewer correspondences between adoptees and their adoptive mothers. There were indications that adoptive mothers of the high-Pd children had personality traits which may have made them less effective in attenuating early signs of antisocial behavior. The second study employed a cross-fostering design dividing all biological and adoptive mothers (n = 138 each) by their respective median Pd raw scores to examine effects on offspring. Results confirmed the effect of biological mother Pd score, but only a trend suggested an adoptive mother effect, with no hint of an interaction.


Sex ratio and factors influencing family size in a human population from Spain.

Six hundred and eight students from the Faculty of Biological Sciences of Valencia (Spain) provided information about secondary sex ratio and family size of the parental, present, and projected generation. The average number of children was 3.59, 3.05, and 2.10 and the secondary sex ratio was 113.3, 101.2, and 98.6 for the parental, present, and projected generation respectively. Combination of sexes of the first two children had a significant effect in the parental and the present generations. There was no consistent association between sexes of successive and sexes of nonsuccessive children within families. The most preferred combination of sexes in the projected generation was one male-one female, and male-female was the most preferred permutation. Strong preferences for the firstborn to be male and for an alternation of sexes were also indicated.


Developmental isolation and subsequent adult behavior of Drosophila paulistorum. I. Survey of the six semispecies.

We present results deriving from the inception of an investigation (involving 4,000 scored matings) into the development of discriminatory behavior in Drosophila paulistorum. We examined two complementary situations for their effects on mating behavior: physical isolation (seclusion) beginning at each of six developmental stages and exposure to heterosemispecifics during all preadult stages (mixed culturing). Preadult seclusion at certain stages decreased sexual isolation between three of four semispecific pairs. Seclusion effect, or lack thereof, varied with semispecies and with the stage at which seclusion was imposed: the earlier the stage at which seclusion was initiated, the more drastic the effect. In contrast, mixed culturing increased sexual isolation between the one pair of semispecies that was tested.


Sources of behavioral deviation modeled by early color preferences in quail. I. Behavioral synergism and systemic instability.

Differences between population-typical norms of individual variability were studied in five genetic lines of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica); two (BL and RL) were bidirectionally selected for early approach preference between blue and red stimuli, two (Hi and Lo) for high and low imprintabilities to the same stimuli, and the fifth (CL) was an unselected genetic control line. Selection resulted in reliably divergent extreme choice performances and imprintabilities and in progressively increasing choice variances in the BL x RL hybrids and the Hi imprintability line. Experimentation tested and rejected the hypotheses that correlated selection of synergistically acting but otherwise extraneous stimulus influences, social interaction effects, or phototactic and short-term learning effects may have been responsible for the observed large variance increases. An alternative interpretation is discussed, according to which directional selection relaxes the genetic buffering and the variance increases reflect the resulting developmental instability of the trait.


Sources of behavioral deviation modeled by early color preferences in quail. II. Diathetic genes and the leftover variance "V(e)".

The sources of deviation from population-typical norms of variability were studied in relation to early approach preferences between colors in newly hatched Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Subjects were drawn from an unselected genetic control line, two genetic lines that were artificially selected for extreme blue and red preferences, their hybrids, and a large set of backcross and assortatively derived generations. Large progressive increases were observed with selection in the leftover (V(e)) component of F1 variance and consistent additional variance increases in F2 hybrids. Backcross generations exhibited greater than expected expression of the blue and red preference genes. Discussion differentiates between diathetic and normative influences in preference deviations and relates the increased Ve to relaxed normative canalization of preference development by directional selection.


Direct and correlated responses to bidirectional selection for dustbathing activity in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

Bidirectional selection was conducted for dustbathing activity in male Japanese quail over 17 generations. The response to selection was slightly asymmetrical, due mainly to scale effects and a threshold imposing discontinuity on the visible expression of dustbathing in the low line. Correlated responses to selection were found for latency to dustbathe, duration, intensity, and incidence of nonbathers. In general, changes followed linear patterns over time in both lines with the exception of quadratic change in nonbathers in the high line. Under artificial environment, only minor natural selection pressure is assumed to act on the expression of dustbathing behavior.


Animal phobias versus claustrophobias: exteroceptive versus interoceptive cues.

The overall purpose of this investigation was to examine heterogeneity among specific phobias. In particular, the goals were to compare features of fear responding between individuals fearful of claustrophobic situations and individuals fearful of spiders/snakes, and to compare their response to hyperventilation challenges. By so doing, specific predictions were tested in relation to a conceptual model of exteroceptive and interoceptive fear cues. Using a nonclinical sample, 19 subjects with spider/snake phobias, 18 nonphobics, and 9 subjects with claustrophobias were exposed on two separate occasions to a live tarantula or python, a small closet, and a hyperventilation challenge. Dependent measures included subjective anxiety, panic attacks, physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms (or, fear of symptoms) and heart rate. In addition, subjects completed a standardized self-report scale that measures fear of bodily symptoms of arousal. It was found that subjects with claustrophobia reported more physical symptoms and cognitive symptoms than did subjects with snake/spider phobias, in response to their fear-relevant stimulus. In addition, claustrophobic subjects were more fearful of hyperventilation challenges and reported more fear of bodily symptoms, than did snake/spider phobic subjects. Finally, subjects with claustrophobia were as fearful of hyperventilation as they were of their fear-relevant stimulus. Theoretical and empirical implications of these findings are discussed.


Agoraphobic avoidance and panic frequency as predictors of laboratory induced panic reactions.

This study examined the importance of agoraphobic avoidance and frequency of panic as predictors of psychological and physiological responses of panic sufferers to a laboratory based provocation procedure. Psychophysiologic comparisons were made between 22 panic disorder patients and 15 controls, at baseline and across three periods of carbon dioxide gas inhalations (1, 3, 5%; balance oxygen). Subjective measures of anxiety, frightening cognitions and body sensations were obtained across the phases. Physiological measures of minute ventilation, breathing rate, tidal volume, end tidal CO2 and heart rate were also obtained. Between group comparisons revealed significant differences between the groups on the subjective measures with no significant differences occurring on the physiological measures. Within group analyses revealed that pre-session questionnaire measures of agoraphobia avoidance and panic frequency predicted the degree of anxiety, frightening sensations and cognitions during baseline and 5% CO2 inhalation. The results indicated that both self-reported agoraphobic avoidance and panic frequency are strong clinical predictors of psychological reactions of panic sufferers during laboratory provocation.


Individual differences in the perception of bodily sensations: the role of trait anxiety and coping style.

Thirty young women participated in an experiment in which heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, skin conductance level and palmar sweat index were monitored at rest and during the administration of mental arithmetic, mirror drawing and cold pressor tasks. The accuracy of perception of somatic states was estimated by calculating within-subject correlations between four bodily sensations (racing heart, high blood pressure, shortness of breath and sweaty hands) and corresponding physiological parameters, assessed on eight occasions during the experiment. The accuracy of heart rate perception was highest, with a mean correlation between actual heart rate and ratings of racing heart of 0.76 and 66% of participants showing significant within-subject effects. The mean accuracy was 0.55 for systolic blood pressure, 0.48 for respiration rate, 0.47 for skin conductance level, and 0.64 for palmar sweat index. Accurate perception across physiological parameters did not cluster within individuals, and was not dependent on the range either of physiological changes or sensation ratings. Trait anxiety was not significantly associated with accuracy of somatic perception. Subjects with high trait anxiety reported larger increases in shortness of breath during tasks than did low anxious subjects, but this was not reflected in objective physiological measures. Information-seeking coping style, indexed by the monitoring scale of the Miller Behavioral Style Scale, was related to the accuracy of perception of skin conductance level and heart rate. The use of within-subject correlational strategies for assessing individual differences in perception of bodily states is discussed.


Reaction time to threat stimuli in panic disorder and social phobia.

Two studies assessed response time among clinically anxious subjects and normal controls when presented with threat, positive and neutral stimuli under perceptual (lexical decision) and semantic (category decision) task conditions. In Study 1, panic disorder subjects' (n = 14) performance was compared to that of matched normal controls (n = 14) while in Study 2 social phobic subjects (n = 24) were compared to matched normal controls (n = 24). Relative to matched normal controls, panic disorder subjects but not social phobics tended to show greater slowing in performance on the more cognitively complex (category) task. A second finding, consistent across both studies was that, compared to the normal control groups, both panic and social phobic groups showed significantly slowed responses to threat words in both the perceptual and semantic tasks. Such findings are directly counter to the predictions of a mood congruence hypothesis. This apparent contradiction is resolved by a review of the literature which indicates that mood-related facilitation effects are obtained only in tasks which tap awareness of threat information rather than speed of response. It is suggested that while anxiety may produce enhanced awareness of threat, it may inhibit responsiveness to it. The results of these studies are seen as consistent with ethological theories of inhibited motoric responses under certain threat conditions. Furthermore, the findings suggest that caution is indicated in interpreting slowed reaction time to threat stimuli in tasks such as the Stroop color naming task as purely the result of attentional processes.


Attention and memory for threat in panic disorder.

Recently, information processing paradigms have been utilized to explore the role of attentional and memory processes in the maintenance of clinical anxiety disorders. The present study extended these data using a dual-task paradigm to assess attentional vigilance and a cued recognition task to evaluate short-term memory effects in Panic Disorder (PD). Twenty PD patients and 20 normal controls completed a computerized task wherein they read aloud one of a pair of rapidly presented words (primary task) while simultaneously attempting to detect a small probe that appeared adjacent to one of the words (secondary task). Eighty stimulus words were chosen to represent four categories: physical panic-related threat, social threat, positive-emotional, and neutral. Reaction time and accuracy in detecting the probe were assessed, as well as psychophysiological responding (heart rate, skin conductance, EMG). Following task completion, a cued recognition task was administered to examine short-term memory of task stimuli. Results indicated that PD patients exhibited slower reaction times relative to normal controls during presentation of physical panic-related threat and positive-emotional stimuli. A similar trend emerged for social threat stimuli, although the PD and control samples responded similarly to neutral stimuli. No group differences were found on the cued recognition measure or psychophysiological responding during task performance. The data are discussed in terms of possible implications for cognitive models of PD.


Obsessions and compulsions: dimensional structure, reliability, convergent and divergent validity of the Padua Inventory.

This study presents data on dimensional structure, reliability, convergent and divergent validity of the Padua Inventory (PI). In a sample (n = 430) of normal Dutch subjects. The dimensional structure and the strength of the factors were comparable to those found in the Italian sample. The reliability of the PI was found to be satisfactory. As hypothesized substantial correlations were found between the PI and related scales of the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and between the PI and the subscales Sensitivity, Hostility and Depression of the revised version of the Symptom Checklist. Low correlations were found between the PI on the one side and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire revised Extraversion, Psychoticism and Social Desirability scale on the other side. Finally, the mean score of the PI differs across the Italian, American and Dutch samples. This is of theoretical interest and deserves further study.


Suppression of emotional and neutral material.

Previous studies have indicated that suppression of a thought results in an immediate increase of the frequency of this thought and/or in a rebound effect, i.e. in a heightened frequency of this thought later on. The present study (n = 53) examined the relationship between suppression and emotionality of the to-be-suppressed material. More specifically, it was investigated whether suppression of an emotional story results in stronger immediate enhancement or thought rebounds than suppression of a neutral story. There was a clear initial enhancement effect in the group suppressing a neutral story: subjects who tried to suppress experienced more target thoughts than subjects who did not try to suppress. In the neutral-story conditions, no rebound effect occurred. In the groups exposed to an emotional story, there was neither evidence of initial enhancement nor of a rebound. As most obsessions are related to emotional themes, the present findings cast doubt on the claim that the rebound phenomenon represents a valid laboratory model for clinical obsessions.


The role of hyperventilation in panic disorder: a response to Ley (1991)

Ley (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 29, 301-304, 1991) provided a reinterpretation of experimental findings on the efficacy of breathing retraining plus cognitive restructuring in reducing the symptomatology of patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia which were presented in a 1989 article in this journal. On the basis of his reinterpretation, they concluded that our findings supported the central role of hyperventilation in panic attacks. Ley's arguments are discussed and we conclude that his reinterpretation provides new arguments against a hyperventilation theory of panic. Furthermore, recent evidence from empirical studies does not support a central role for hyperventilation in panic attacks.


Prediction of outcome from cognitive-behavioral treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

The presence of a diagnosable Axis I psychiatric disorder predicted significantly (P less than 0.001) lower likelihood of significant improvement among 90 irritable bowel syndrome patients given cognitive and behavioral treatments to help the disorder. Other psychological tests, including the MMPI, BDI, STAI, as well as demographic variables, failed to yield significant prediction.


The use of tannin from chestnut (Castanea vesca).

After mimosa and quebracho extracts, chestnut extract is the third most important vegetable tannin used for leather production. It is produced only in Europe on the northern side of the Mediterranean sea. The extract is prepared by hot water extraction of the bark and timber, followed by spray-drying of the solution. Analysis shows that there are insignificant variations in extract quality between batches, so the extract can be used with modern automated leather production systems. The extract contains approximately 75 percent active tanning substances. The primary component is castalagin, along with smaller amounts of vescalagin, castalin, and vescalin. A castalagin-based pharmaceutical product is currently in use for prevention and treatment of diarrhea in pigs and cattle that is caused by changes in diet. The beneficial effect is due to prevention of water losses through mucous membranes. The castalagin may also form chelates with iron, which influences the reabsorption of the metal in the animal digestive tract.


Study on the composition and structure of commercial chestnut tanning agent.

Current research has focused on the composition of commercially used chestnut tannin extracts so as to provide a quantitative basis for studies of reactions, structure-property relationships, and applications of chestnut tannin extract. Two chestnut tannins, vescalagin and castalagin, have been isolated using chromatography on Sephadex LH-20 and cellulose. The structures of these compounds have been established by means of nuclear magnetic resonance and fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy. Some other components have been found and analyzed by chromatography and spectroscopy, but their structures have not as yet been completely defined. These structural features, together with quantitative results for each component, provide a better understanding of the mode of action of complex commercial chestnut tannin extracts.


Pharmacologically active tannins isolated from medicinal plants.

Starting with the isolation of a crystalline tannin (geraniin) of mild property from a popular herb medicine (Geranii herba), various polyphenolic compounds including those belonging to new classes of tannins (oligomeric hydrolyzable tannins, complex tannins, and other metabolites and condensates) have been isolated from various medicinal plants. Noticeable biological and pharmacological activities (inhibition of carcinogenesis, host-mediated antitumor activity, antiviral activity, and inhibition of active oxygen, such as inhibition of lipid peroxidation and lipoxygenase, xanthine oxidase, and monoamine oxidase) have been found for several of these polyphenolic compounds.


Antinutritional effects of condensed and hydrolyzable tannins.

Despite major structural differences, hydrolyzable and condensed tannins often produce similar antinutritional effects. The most common effects are diminished weight gains and lowered efficiency of nutrient utilization. The major biochemical basis for these effects appears not to be inhibition of dietary protein digestion but rather a systemic inhibition of the metabolism of digested and absorbed nutrients, particularly protein. In the case of condensed tannins, this inhibition is probably not due to polymeric tannin molecules, which are not absorbed from the digestive tract, but to associated lower MW polyphenols, which are readily absorbed.


Prosopis cineraria leaf tannins: their inhibitory effect upon ruminal cellulase and the recovery of inhibition by polyethylene glycol-4000.

The condensed tannins from the Prosopis cineraria leaves were purified and fractionated in two groups (Kav 0.018 and 0.74) on a column of Sephadex LH-20 (2.5 x 27 cm) using 70 percent aqueous acetone as the eluent. The Kav for catechin was 0.946. Upon acid hydrolysis, both the condensed tannin fractions yielded three pigments including cyanidin-chloride, which was separated by column chromatography using polyvinylpyrrolidone absorbent and was identified by paper chromatography (Rf Forestal 0.476) and absorption maxima (lambda max 535 nm) in 1 percent HCl in methanol. The condensed tannin fraction Kav 0.74 at 0.01 percent and 0.02 percent in incubations with butanol-acetone powder of rumen liquor, inhibited cellulase activity by 65.9 +/- 2.1 and 78.99 +/- 4.5 percent, respectively. Inclusion of 0.5 percent of polyethylene glycol -4000 in the incubation mixture, reduced the inhibition to 41 and 46 percent, respectively.


Polyphenols from Bulgarian medicinal plants with anti-infectious activity.

Three Bulgarian medicinal plants--Geranium macrorrhizum L. and G. sanguineum L. (Geraniaceae), and Epilobium hirsutum L. (Onagraceae) were analyzed phytochemically. Different polyphenols like flavonoids and tannis have been found to be principal constituents of the plants. A series of water or alcohol extracts was obtained, and their anti-infectious activity was tested. A significant inhibitory effect of water-alcohol extract and of four fractions from the polyphenolic mixture of E. hirsutum on the reproduction of influenza viruses in vitro, in ovo, and in vivo was established. Four extracts from G. macrorrhizum and three extracts from G. sanguineum were studied for in vitro inhibition of the growth of some Gram-negative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), Gram-positive bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus), and fungus (Candida albicans). Some geranium extracts caused a strong increase of the survival rate in an infection with K. pneumoniae in mice. Augmentation of the nonspecific host resistance in relation to the influence of the extracts on the classical complement activation pathway was also studied.


Widespread tannin intake via stimulants and masticatories, especially guarana, kola nut, betel vine, and accessories.

Tannins are increasingly recognized as dietary carcinogens and as antinutrients interfering with the system's full use of protein. Nevertheless, certain tannin-rich beverages, masticatories, and folk remedies, long utilized in African, Asiatic, Pacific, and Latin American countries, are now appearing in North American sundry shops and grocery stores. These include guarana (Paullinia cupana HBK.) from Brazil, kola nut (Cola nitida Schott & Endl. and C. acuminata Schott & Endl.) from West Africa, and betel nut (Areca catechu L.) from Malaya. The betel nut, or arecanut, has long been associated with oral and esophageal cancer because of its tannin content and the tannin contributed by the highly astringent cutch from Acacia catechu L. and Uncaria gambir Roxb. and the aromatic, astringent 'pan' (leaves of Piper betel L.) chewed with it. In addition to the constant recreational/social ingestion of these plant materials, they are much consumed as aphrodisiacs and medications. Guarana and kola nut enjoy great popularity in their native lands because they are also rich in caffeine, which serves as a stimulant. Research and popular education on the deleterious effects of excessive tannin intake could do much to reduce the heavy burden of early mortality and health care, especially in developing countries.


Plants of the Olympic Coastal Forests: ancient knowledge of materials and medicines and future heritage.

The indigenous people of the west coast of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula have used a wide variety of forest plants for centuries to make materials and medicines. The late David Forlines shared at least eight generations of the knowledge of uses of these plants for materials and medicines with us in hopes that this information might be used 'to help science catch up with the old people.' Dyes, paints and adhesives were some of the materials made. The medicines were often administered as teas, but in some cases, fresh plant material was required. Some parallels were found to European and Chinese uses of similar species. Plants from the family Rosaceae had the greatest number of medicinal uses, but several other plant families known to contain polyphenols were also encountered. The role of polyphenols in the use of these plants is difficult to estimate because in many cases the plants have not been studied chemically. A preliminary screening indicated that many of the plants were rich in procyanidins and associated compounds.


Antitumor-promoting activities of tannic acid, ellagic acid, and several gallic acid derivatives in mouse skin.

Naturally occurring plant phenols with antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities were tested for their abilities to inhibit the biochemical and biological effects of the potent tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in mouse epidermis in vivo. When applied topically to mouse skin, tannic acid (TA), ellagic acid, and several gallic acid derivatives all inhibit TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity, hydroperoxide production, and DNA synthesis, three biochemical markers of skin tumor promotion. Moreover, in the two-step initiation-promotion protocol, the same phenolic compounds also inhibit the incidence and yield of skin tumors promoted by TPA. TA is the most effective of these treatments. Since they are already known to inhibit tumor initiation, the plant phenols protecting against skin tumor promotion by TPA may be universal inhibitors of multistage carcinogenesis. TA and other polyphenols, therefore, might be valuable in cancer therapy and/or prevention.


Cotton condensed tannin: a potent modulator of alveolar macrophage host-defense function.

Alveolar macrophages are the resident airway cells primarily responsible for the protection of the lungs against inhaled toxins and other biologically active material. A number of functional capabilities constitute their host-defense function. They can phagocytize and inactivate foreign material by production of reactive oxygen intermediates or the action of hydrolytic enzymes. In the absence of phagocytosis, macrophages can secrete reactive oxygen intermediates or enzymes that inactivate extracellular biologically active material. They also can secrete metabolites of arachidonic acid and other cytokines that contribute to the inflammatory response of the lungs. Macrophages also secrete a variety of peptide and lipid chemotactic factors that lead to the recruitment of other inflammatory cells into the airways. The condensed tannins, which constitute a significant percentage of the water soluble compounds present in respirable cotton mill dust, dramatically alter the host-defense function of alveolar macrophages in vitro. Tannin inhibits both phagocytosis and production of reactive oxidants in a dose-dependent manner with EC50's of 16 micrograms/mL and 3 micrograms/mL, respectively. This inhibition dramatically decreases the ability of resident alveolar macrophages to clear and detoxify potentially harmful inhaled particles. However, at similar concentrations, tannin stimulates the dose-dependent secretion (EC50 = 15 micrograms/mL) of a low molecular weight lipid neutrophil chemotactic factor that could result in an inflammatory reaction with the recruitment of neutrophils into the lungs. At slightly higher concentrations, tannin promotes the dose-dependent release of arachidonic acid from the macrophage membranes (EC50 = 65 micrograms/mL), which could also contribute to the local inflammatory reaction. Finally, tannin also causes secretion of the cytokine, interleukin-1, from the monocyte precursors of macrophages with an EC50 of 32 micrograms/mL. Interleukin-1 has been implicated as one of the causative agents in the development of fever.


Condensed tannins in some forage legumes: their role in the prevention of ruminant pasture bloat.

For the past 20 years, the focus in our laboratory has been on finding the causes of ruminant pasture bloat and eventually breeding a bloat-safe alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.); i.e., with bloat potential reduced to the economic threshold. In the mid-seventies, the mechanisms of bloat were explored and found to be more physical than chemical. Characteristic of all bloating legumes after ingestion was a very rapid initial rate of ingestion by rumen microbes. Through the study of bloating and non-bloating legumes, factors were elucidated in the plant that would slow this process. One of these factors was the presence of condensed tannins in the herbage. Some of the non-bloating legumes contained these secondary metabolites, but no condensed tannins were found in any of the bloating legumes. Therefore, species containing an appreciable amount of condensed tannins in their leaves and stems are considered to be non-bloating. Conventional breeding methods have not been successful in producing an alfalfa with condensed tannins in its herbage. New approaches using tissue culture techniques are being attempted, but genetic engineering has the greatest potential for success.


Effects of triiodothyronine in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Studies on cardiac metabolism, function, and heart weight.

We have studied the effects of triiodothyronine (T3) on heart function, on the myocardial oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and on heart weight in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. Another aim was to examine whether these T3-effects may be reversible. T3 was administered daily (0.2 mg/kg s.c.) for 14 days. Compared to the untreated SHR controls, T3 induced an increase in heart rate (beats/min) from 357 +/- 10 (n = 17) to 553 +/- 10 (n = 17), in the pressure-rate-product (mm Hg/min) from 78 400 +/- 4500 (n = 15) to 113 700 +/- 4800 (n = 15), and in the heart weight/body weight ratio (mg/g) from 4.2 +/- 0.2 (n = 20) to 5.8 +/- 0.2 (n = 19). The activity of myocardial glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (units/g protein), was elevated from 4.2 +/- 0.2 (n = 9) to 7.0 +/- 0.6 (n = 9) after 14 days of T3-treatment, while the activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, one of the following enzymes in the pathway, was not altered appreciably. These changes returned to the respective control values when T3-treatment was discontinued for 14 days. Our results demonstrate that T3 had a positive chronotropic effect and induced an additional heart enlargement in an animal model with already established cardiac hyperfunction and hypertrophy. The effects on heart function and weight, which were fully reversible, were not as pronounced as in normal Sprague-Dawley rats.


Decreased susceptibility to arrhythmias in hypertrophied hearts of physically trained rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the propensity to develop cardiac arrhythmias during an acute period of ischemia between normal and hypertrophied (by means of a swimming training regimen) rat hearts. We used the coronary artery ligation in vivo technique which induced the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias in rats that was followed by the determination of the occluded zone size. This study was coupled to an in vitro study using a two-compartment tissue bath in which half of the ventricular preparation was exposed to normal conditions and the other to ischemic conditions (low pH, hypoxia, and hyperkalemia). We also measured the collagen content and the DNA/protein ratio of the hearts. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats submitted to an eight-week swimming training (SWT) and twenty-eight cage-confined matched rats were used for the studies. SWT resulted in a 14% decrease in mean body weight and an 8% increase in absolute heart weight. We also observed a resting bradycardia in the trained animals and blood pressure remained unchanged between the two groups. Collagen content was unchanged and DNA/protein ratio was lower in the left ventricle of trained animals. During a 30-min period of coronary artery ligation, SWT rats demonstrated fewer ischemia-induced arrhythmias as compared to controls. The size of the zone affected by the vasal occlusion was lower in trained animals. Electrophysiological data recorded in the two-compartment bath showed a marked prolongation of action potential duration and refractory period in the SWT rat hearts. During the 15-min period of in vitro ischemia there was a global alteration of all electrophysiological parameters which did not differ between the two groups. Our data support the hypothesis that resting bradycardia and decrease in ischemic zone size may be involved in the arrhythmogenic protection observed in hypertrophied hearts of swimming rats after an acute ligation of the left coronary artery. Our results also indicate that cardiac hypertrophy, as defined by quantitative changes in cardiac mass or by the electrophysiological alterations that are related to its development, is not necessarily associated with an increased risk for the occurrence of arrhythmias.


Measuring children's social skills using microcomputer-based videodisc assessment.

This article describes the development of a microcomputer-based videodisc assessment prototype for measuring children's social skills. The theoretical and empirical foundations for the content are described, and the contributions of interactive microcomputer-based video technology to assessment of children with handicaps are detailed. An application of Goldfried and D'Zurilla's "behavior-analytic" approach to development of the content of assessments is presented, and the related video and computer technology development is detailed. The article describes the conceptual foundations of the psychometrics of the assessment prototype as well as the psychometric methodology that was employed throughout the development process. Finally, a discussion of the potential applications and implications of the social skills assessment prototype is included.


The effect of magnesium added to secondary cardioplegia on postischemic myocardial metabolism and contractile function--a 31P NMR spectroscopy and functional study in the isolated pig heart.

This study investigated whether increasing the magnesium concentration during secondary cardioplegia improves postischemic myocardial recovery. Twenty-four isolated pig hearts were divided into four groups. All hearts were initially subjected to control perfusion with modified Krebs-Henseleit solution for 30 min, followed by a single infusion of St. Thomas' solution #2. The hearts were then maintained without perfusion at 12 degrees C for 4 h. Following this hypothermic preservation, the hearts in group I were reperfused with modified Krebs-Henseleit solution for 50 min, while hearts in group II and III were reperfused with a secondary cardioplegic solution containing 16 or 0 mmol/L magnesium, respectively, for 20 min followed by 30 min of perfusion with modified Krebs-Henseleit solution. In group IV, the hearts were initially reperfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution containing 16 mmol/L potassium for 20 min, followed by 30 min of reperfusion with modified Krebs-Henseleit solution. The changes in high-energy phosphates and intracellular pH were monitored throughout the experiments using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Heart rate, left-ventricular systolic developed pressure, and rates of pressure increase and decrease were measured during control perfusion and reperfusion to calculate the percent contractile functional recovery. Needle biopsies for measurement of energy metabolites with high performance liquid chromatography were performed at the end of preservation and reperfusion to confirm the NMR measurements. All six hearts in group I showed significantly less recovery of contractile function during reperfusion when compared to the hearts in groups II, III, IV (p less than 0.05). There was no difference in either recovery of metabolism or mechanical function among the latter three groups of hearts. None of hearts in groups II, III, and IV showed ventricular fibrillation, which occurred in all six hearts of group I upon reperfusion. The results suggest that a short period of re-arrest perfusion following ischemia ("secondary cardioplegia") improves postischemic contractile functional recovery and prevents reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation. Increased magnesium concentration in the secondary cardioplegia did not provide additional benefit to the ischemic myocardium, possibly due to the low permeability of the sarcolemmal membrane to magnesium.


A comparison of the verbal social behavior of adolescents with behavioral disorders and regular class peers.

Improved social functioning of adolescents with behavioral disorders (BD) is of critical importance for the successful integration of these students in school, domestic, vocational, and community settings. Three comparisons were addressed in the study; overall verbal responding of BD adolescents was compared to verbal responding of their regular class peers, verbal responding of the same BD adolescents was compared across their self-contained and mainstreamed settings, and responding of the BD adolescents when in mainstreamed settings was compared to responding of regular class peers. Portable microcomputers were used to collect data across 10 categories of verbal responding for 14 BD adolescents and 14 regular class peers. Results supported several general conclusions: (a) Adolescents with behavioral disorders engaged in more negative verbal responding than their regular class peers; (b) BD adolescents exhibited less inappropriate verbal behavior when in the mainstream than when self-contained; and (c) when in the mainstream, the verbal behavior of BD students was similar to that of their regular class peers. Implications of the general and specific differences that emerged from the comparisons were presented and discussed.


The overtures of preschool social skill intervention agents. Differential rates, forms, and functions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the differential topographies and functions of social behaviors directed by normally developing preschoolers to their playmates with autism. Social interaction data from intervention phases of a study by Kohler, Strain, Hoyson, DeCesare, Donina, and Rapp were analyzed in three different ways. First, the frequency of four behaviors commonly included in social interaction training or assessment procedures (i.e., play organizer suggestions, share offers or requests, assistance offers or requests, and general statements) was examined. Second, the effects of each peer behavior on the immediate response of 3 children with autism were examined. Finally, the impact of each behavior that led to a positive response on the duration of subsequent target child-peer social interactions was examined. The four social behaviors had differential topographical and functional properties. Shares and play organizers occurred most frequently and generated the highest proportion of positive responses from all 3 children with autism. Conversely, assistance offers or requests occurred less often and received a lower percentage of positive responses. However, assistance behaviors consistently led to the longest social interactions. Implications of these results for future social skills training and research are discussed.


Reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and myocardial ion shifts: a pharmacologic interaction between pinacidil and cicletanine in isolated rat hearts.

Pinacidil is a member of the new antihypertensive drug family possessing an action that involves an increased potassium efflux in vascular and cardiac muscle. We investigated the contribution of opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channel to the development of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and myocardial ion shifts, particularly that of Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in isolated rat hearts. After 30 min of normothermic global ischemia, pinacidil with 1 to 60 mumol/l failed to reduce the incidence of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias, even on the postischemic/reperfused myocardium in a subset of hearts unresponsive to reperfusion-induced arrhythmias (the duration of ischemia was reduced to 25 min), pinacidil treatment was associated with a greater incidence of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias (100%) as compared to the control value (50%). These proarrhythmic effects of pinacidil were also reflected in a maldistribution of myocardial ion contents both in nonischemic and ischemic/reperfused hearts. Cicletanine, a furopyridine antihypertensive agent that has no effect on coronary resistance, reduced the incidence of reperfusion arrhythmias, and its antiarrhythmic effect was antagonized by pinacidil. The same observation was made in relation to myocardial ion content, e.g., pinacidil-induced K+ loss and Ca2+ gain were antagonized by cicletanine, both in nonischemic and ischemic/reperfused hearts. It is hypothesized that the increased tendency to develop reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation is associated with the pinacidil-induced K+ efflux. The present study does not attempt to address the question of specific ionic currents; however, it has been suggested that proarrhythmic and antiarrhythmic effects of pinacidil and cicletanine, respectively, may relate to same receptor sites in which the latter may reflect a specific blockade of the outward K+ ion current via ATP-sensitive K+ channels. If this is so, the use of K+ channel openers as antihypertensive agents may be of particular concern in that population of postinfarction patients who are known to be at high risk of sudden coronary death.


Recognition of facial expressions of emotion by persons with mental retardation. A matched comparison study.

Children and adults with mental retardation were tested on their ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion. The sample consisted of 80 children and adults with mental retardation and a control group of 80 nonhandicapped children matched on mental age and gender. Ekman and Friesen's normed photographs of the six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise) were used in a recognition task of facial expressions. Subjects were individually read two-sentence stories identifying a specific emotion, presented with a randomized array of the six photographs of the basic facial expressions of emotion, and then asked to select the photograph that depicted the emotion identified in the story. This procedure was repeated with 24 different stories, with each of the six basic emotions being represented four times. Results showed that, as a group, individuals with mental retardation were not as proficient as their mental-age-matched nonhandicapped control subjects at recognizing facial expressions of emotion. Although adults with mild mental retardation were more proficient at this task than those with moderate mental retardation, this finding was not true for children. There was a modest difference between the children with moderate mental retardation and their nonhandicapped matched controls in their ability to recognize facial expression of disgust.


Ibuprofen abolishes the increase in leucocyte chemiluminescence observed during ischemic myocardial failure, but fails to improve hemodynamic function.

The aim of the study was to evaluate 1) whether the ability of leucocytes to produce oxygen radicals was increased by ischemia and 2) if ibuprofen pretreatment could influence leucocyte oxygen radical production, hemodynamic function, and myocardial oxygen consumption during acute ischemic myocardial failure. We studied two groups of anesthetized dogs (control and ibuprofen-treated), both subjected to coronary embolization with polystyrene microspheres (diameter 50 microns). The embolization procedure was ended when left-ventricular end-diastolic pressure in both groups exceeded 20 mm Hg. Before and after induction of ischemia leucocytes were isolated and stimulated with opsonized zymosan, and oxygen radical production was measured using the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence technique. Significant increase occurred in oxygen radical production (from 10.9 +/- 2.2 to 16.3 +/- 2.3 x 10(5) counts x 10(6) cells-1 x 60 min-1) 90 min after failure in the control group, whereas in ibuprofen-pretreated dogs oxygen radical production was unchanged. Hemodynamic registrations and myocardial oxygen consumption 90 min after failure were, however, not significantly different in control dogs and dogs pretreated with ibuprofen. Thus, in the present study, within the first 90 min of acute ischemic failure, a decrease in the ability of leucocytes to produce oxygen radicals was not related to significant changes in myocardial function.


Exposure of rats to low concentration of cigarette smoke increases myocardial sensitivity to ischaemia/reperfusion.

It is suggested that passive smoking or smoke-exposure increase the risk of coronary heart disease. The same mechanisms as active smoking might play a role. The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure to smoke aggravated ischaemia/reperfusion injury. As a parameter of cellular function and integrity mitochondrial oxidative function was measured. Low molecular weight iron (LMWI) and alpha-tocopherol levels were determined to assess the possibility of toxic hydroxyl radical involvement in myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury of smoke-exposed rats. Rats were exposed to a small concentration of cigarette smoke for 2 months (the carboxyhemoglobin concentration did not increase), whereafter hearts were isolated and subjected to ischaemia and ischaemia followed by reperfusion. Mitochondrial oxidative function, low molecular weight iron and alpha-tocopherol were determined. The impairment in mitochondrial oxidative function, LMWI content elevation and the decrease in alpha-tocopherol concentration during ischaemia/reperfusion were significantly more severe in hearts of smoke-exposed rats than non-smokers. These results suggest that exposure to smoke increased the sensitivity of hearts to ischaemia/reperfusion injury, and that a free radical mechanism might participate.


Enhancing the ability of adults with mental retardation to recognize facial expressions of emotion.

The ability to recognize accurately and respond appropriately to facial expressions of emotion is essential for interpersonal interaction. Individuals with mental retardation typically are deficient in these skills. The ability of 7 adults, 1 with severe and 6 with moderate mental retardation, to recognize facial expressions of emotion correctly was assessed. Then, they were taught this skill using a combination of a discrimination training procedure for differentiating facial movements, directed rehearsal, and Ekman and Friesen's "flashing photograph" technique. Their average increase in accuracy over baseline was at least 30% during the course of the training and over 50% during the last 5 days of the training phase. Further, these individuals were able to generalize their skills from posed photographs to videotaped role plays and were able to maintain their enhanced skills during the 8 to 9 months following the termination of training. This is the first study to show that individuals with mental retardation can be taught skills that enhance their ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion.


Colored microspheres reveal interarterial microvascular anastomoses in canine myocardium.

While the presence of microvascular intercommunication within an individual myocardial arterial bed is well documented, there is a paucity of data to support the existence of anastomoses emanating from independent arterial beds. Simultaneous in-vivo infusion of two different colored microsphere suspensions into the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCx) coronary arteries identified a specific interface region of canine myocardium that was perfused by both arterial branches. Subsequent microscopic/morphometric analysis of 40 microns serial sections in eight hearts revealed clustering of microspheres in their respective perfusion territories (red microspheres in the LAD region away from the interface, blue microspheres in the LCx field away from the interface), along with a mutually perfused borderzone. In each tissue section, two regions within this zone were identified and their maximum widths measured. One region was defined as the Interface Transition Zone (ITZ) (mean width = 5251 +/- 770 microns; mean +/- SD). This region was formed by an intermingling of microvessels supplied by the parent arteries of the adjacent perfusion territories; it separated tissue containing only one or the other colored microspheres. The second region was defined as the Boundary Watershed Zone (BWZ) (mean zone width = 3151 +/- 611 microns; mean +/- SD). This region was formed by capillaries containing sphere aggregates of both colors; it was located exclusively within the ITZ. In addition, the ITZ and BWZ were significantly wider in subepicardial than in subendocardial regions (p less than 0.001).