The NMDA-receptor antagonist CPP abolishes neurogenic 'wind-up pain' after intrathecal administration in humans.

Involvement of the NMDA receptor system in the transmission of nociceptive information, including the development of central sensitization and a wind-up phenomenon, has increased interest in NMDA-receptor antagonists as antinociceptive drugs. This case report describes the use of an NMDA receptor antagonist 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) in a carefully selected patient with severe and intractable neurogenic pain in her left leg. The pain syndrome had components of a continuous deep pain, an allodynia, and a wind-up-like component, including afterdischarge and spread of painful sensations outside the territory of the injured nerve. After intrathecal (i.t.) administration of 200 nmol of CPP the continuous deep pain component and allodynia were unchanged, but the following 'wind-up' phenomenon with afterdischarge and spread of the pain sensation in the left half of the body was completely abolished. Another 500 nmol of CPP administered over 2 h did not improve pain relief. Pain thresholds for heat and cold stimulation, measured with a Marstock thermostimulator, did not change. There was no effect on blood pressure, heart rate, sensitivity, reflexes, coordination or motor performance. Psychotomimetic ketamine-like side effects developed 4 h after the last injection of CPP and were probably due to rostral spread of CPP. These early experiences with i.t. administration of NMDA-receptor antagonists to humans indicate that the NMDA-receptor system plays an important role in neurogenic pain and that antagonizing this system may be a useful way to obtain better pain control although psychotomimetic side effects due to rostral spread may be a problem.


Grand mal seizures associated with high-dose intravenous morphine infusions: incidence and possible etiology.

A retrospective review of pharmacy records during a 7-year period at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center revealed that 6 patients received greater than 4 g of morphine sulfate per day by continuous infusion (CI). Three patients received high-dose infusions for more than 24 h. Two of these 3 patients developed grand mal seizures, while the third was receiving a neuromuscular blocking agent making detection of seizures difficult. Prolonged administration of high concentrations of the sodium bisulfite preservative contained in the morphine solution is a possible explanation for the development of these seizures. Caution is suggested in using CI, preservative-containing morphine at high doses.


Assessment of rehabilitation in patients with spinal cord injuries: methodological considerations.

It is becoming a necessity to predict the outcome of spinal cord injured patients, because their prognosis has greatly improved in recent years. The assessment of rehabilitation should be done with methodology to avoid selection bias and confounding factors, and to choose criteria for measuring outcome. Some simple rules are proposed in order to correctly use major statistical models.


Spinal cord injury: prognosis for ambulation based on quadriceps recovery.

The purpose of this study was to determine if early recovery of quadricep muscle strength post spinal cord injury (SCI) is a useful predictor of future ambulation. Seventeen C4-T10 motor incomplete (Frankel C) spinal cord injured patients admitted to our center between March 1988 and April 1990 were examined within 72 hours to one week post injury. All patients had initial quadricep strengths < or = 2/5 in both legs. Strength in the strongest quadricep was followed prospectively at intervals from admission to one year post injury. Recovery time to a > 3/5 quadricep was established for each patient. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: FA (n = 11) were those patients who achieved functional ambulation and NA (n = 6) were those subjects who were nonambulators. Functional ambulators were defined as those patients who were able to walk in the household and/or the community while non ambulators were those who either did not ambulate or did so only for exercise. All patients (n = 9) who achieved a > 3/5 quadricep by 2 months post SCI became functional ambulators whereas in the group of 8 patients who did not achieve a > 3/5 by 2 months, only 2 became functional ambulators. This result was found to be significant using a point-by-serial correlation with p < 0.05. In conclusion, motor incomplete spinal cord injured patients who recovered to a > 3/5 quadricep strength by 2 months post injury had an excellent prognosis for subsequent ambulation by 6 months post injury.


Repeated measurements of pulmonary function following spinal cord injury.

Twelve subjects (11 males, 1 female) with complete spinal cord lesion (level of lesion ranging from C4 to T10), with a mean age of 23.5 years participated in pulmonary function testing (PFT). Inspiratory and expiratory flow measurements were made at 2-month intervals from 25 to 351 days post injury. The values were interpolated and extrapolated to common dates to facilitate comparison. The effect of time on pulmonary function was determined by a repeated measures ANOVA. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.0) significantly increased during the course of the study (40%, p < 0.05), but increases in forced vital capacity (FVC) (32.5%) and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) (16%) were not statistically significant. Lesion level was found to be correlated (Spearman Product Moment Correlation) with pulmonary function if a single measure was made (r = 0.55 to 0.73), but emerged as a stronger predictor if the average of several repeated PFTs was correlated with lesion level (r = 0.74 to 0.84). In addition, lesion level was not correlated with the amount of improvement attained during the time period studied. We conclude that the time course of recovery of pulmonary function is variable between individuals with spinal cord injuries and can only be weakly predicted by knowledge of the initial value and the lesion level.


Lipid profiles in spinal cord injury.

Measurement of blood levels of total cholesterol and lipoproteins (HDL and LDL) were conducted on 96 men with spinal cord injury, 46 paraplegics and 50 quadriplegics. All these patients were studied in the stabilized phase of the disease as a follow up to the rehabilitation process. The study was designed to compare results with a normal, able bodied population and to investigate if any abnormal finding could be related to the age at onset of the spinal cord injury, the duration of the disease or the level of the lesion. Compared to the normal, able bodied population, this study indicates that patients with a spinal cord injury do not have higher levels of cholesterol or LDL, nor lower levels of HDL. Levels of total cholesterol increase with aging, as in the normal population, but have no relation to the duration of the disease or the level of the lesion. Blood levels of HDL and LDL do not seem to be related either to the duration of the disease or to the level of the lesion.


Bladder rehabilitation with dorsal rhizotomy and ventral neuroprosthesis.

Two patients with severe neuropathic bladders were successfully treated with selective dorsal rhizotomy in conjunction with a ventral root neuroprosthesis. Both patients achieved stabilization of their renal function, continence, resolution of vesicoureteral reflux, and relief from indwelling urethral catheters. This alternative form of management avoids the complications of other operative approaches.


Vertebral osteomyelitis following manipulation of spondylitic necks--a possible risk.

Neurological complications of neck manipulation are well recognised but are usually due to acute vascular incidents. However, we describe two patients with cervical spondylosis, who developed staphylococcal osteomyelitis of the cervical spine with progressive tetraplegia, apparently following manipulation of the neck by a chiropractor. Although it is possible that the manipulation resulted in cervical spine trauma sufficient to cause local haemorrhage, the area becoming a nidus for infection, it is also conceivable that the patients underwent neck manipulation in an attempt to relieve pain due to an already existing osteomyelitis of the cervical spine, and the manipulation may have hastened the onset of spinal cord paralysis. Clearly, this could have occurred, as the average time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of vertebral osteomyelitis in most published series is about 2 months. Approximately 80% of cases of osteomyelitis occur in the 50-70 age group, a group in which cervical spondylosis is extremely common. It would seem that neck manipulation is particularly contraindicated in older patients with cervical spondylosis.


Physeal injuries in myelomeningocele patients.

Epiphysiolysis from a series of 253 patients under regular control in the Spina Bifida Unit at our hospital has been analysed from 1967 to the present time. From that total there have been 18 physeal fractures in 9 of the myelomeningocele patients. The clinical characteristics, diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic criteria for this type of lesion are considered, and we suggest the need to use suitable orthoses whenever the patient is able to walk, and to temporarily increase the level of orthotisation in patients if the physis of the knee is affected.


Management of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis with spinal cord compression in the elderly.

Five elderly and debilitated patients presented with compressive myelopathy due to pyogenic spondylitis. All had undergone surgery which consisted of eradication of the infected tissue via an anterior approach followed by primary bone graft. Supplementary antibiotic treatment was determined by intraoperative bacteriological culture. This aggressive approach, disregarding the patients' advanced age and poor general medical state, resulted in total resolution of the neurological deficit and the patients' return to their preoperative everyday activity.


A psychological study of spinal cord injured patients involved in the Madras Paraplegia Project.

The psychological features of spinal cord injured (SCI) patients involved in the Madras Paraplegia Project are described. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients were studied. Based on personality tests, 11% were extroverts, 14% were introverts and 76% were neither extroverts nor introverts. Twenty-four percent of the subjects were neurotic, 11% had a depressive illness, and 26% had pathological anxiety. The study has highlighted the psychological status of SCI patients, and the usefulness of a psychiatric team in the multidisciplinary care of such patients. This is probably the first large psychological study of SCI patients from a developing country.


Computerized quantitative radionuclide assessment of heterotopic ossification in spinal cord injury patients.

We evaluated the progression of heterotopic ossification (HO) in 17 spinal cord injury patients by comparing radiographs, quantitative radionuclide bone scans, and serum alkaline phosphatase levels. Evidence of maturation of HO appeared earlier (3 months to 6 years post injury) in radiographs, whereas, during the same time frame, radioactive nuclide assessment showed continued progression of HO in 10 out of the 17 patients. The evolution of HO appeared to take place over a period ranging between 3 and 80 months. We believe that stabilization of HO may be reasonably defined in terms of uptake ratios of 2.0 or less in patients with initial uptake ratios over 3.0 but below 5.0, and of ratios of 3.0 or less when the initial values are over 5.0.


Peripheral nerve block with phenol to treat spasticity in spinal cord injured patients.

In this study an attempt was made to treat spinal cord injured patients with severe spasticity by peripheral nerve blocks. Thirty-six patients (5 female, 31 male) ranging in age from 20 to 71 years (mean: 29 +/- 8.2) were treated by phenol injections. A specially designed electrostimulation needle was used for the injections. The results showed that peripheral nerve blocks with phenol solution could be a remedy on a temporary basis, but are not as effective as has been described previously.


Laminin receptors in the integrin family.

Integrins are membrane receptors, consisting of an alpha and a beta subunit, which are involved in cell adhesion. Their extracellular domain is able to bind to ligands such as laminin which occurs in basement membranes of various kinds of cells. Most of these integrins, with their intracellular domains, interact with the actin-containing cytoskeleton, via linking proteins such as vinculin and talin, while one of them interacts with the keratin filaments, via an as yet unknown linking molecule(s). Among more than eighteen integrins which have been identified to date, integrins alpha 3 beta 1 and alpha 6 beta 1 have been characterized as laminin receptors. They recognize the laminin long arm E8 fragment obtained after elastase digestion of the molecule. The binding requires the presence of divalent cations which bind to specific sites on the integrin alpha subunit. The affinities of the alpha 3 beta 1 and alpha 6 beta 1 integrins for murine and human laminin are different, which is probably depended on the existence of different isoforms of laminin. When cells have adhered to laminin, the alpha 6 beta 1 integrin localizes in focal contacts in which actin microfilaments are anchored to the plasma membrane. Whether another integrin, the alpha 6 beta 4 complex, of epidermal cells is also a laminin receptor has not yet been confirmed. The alpha 6 beta 4 integrin localizes in hemidesmosomes which are attachment structures to the substratum where intermediate (keratin) filaments are anchored.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


[Regulation and therapeutic modulation of T-lymphocytes adhesion].

LFA-1, Mac-1, and p150,95 are leukocyte adhesion proteins called beta 2 integrins. LFA-1 is expressed at the surface of all leukocytes. A rare disease caused by mutations of the gene encoding the integrin beta 2 subunit is characterized by defective expression of these leukocyte adhesion molecules. Affected individuals have profound immune deficiency with severe bacterial infections for which the only effective treatment is bone marrow transplantation. These patients are unable to reject a transplant from only partially "Human Leucocyte Antigen" (HLA) compatible donors. In vivo studies have demonstrated decreased transplant rejection after injection of anti-LFA-1 antibodies to patients with other immune deficiencies. Simultaneous administration of an anti-CD2 antibody that blocks the second major pathway of lymphocyte adhesion can be expected to reduce even further the rate of rejection episodes.


Novobiocin-brilliant green-glycerol-lactose-agar: further routine evaluation on 5554 human stools and 982 veterinary samples.

In order to provide a wider evaluation of "Novobiocin-brilliant green-glycerol-lactose" (NBGL) agar, dishes of this medium were added to standard media: Hektoen (H), Salmonella-Shigella agar (SS), at all plating steps for 5554 stool cultures of human medical routine (280 isolates) and 982 samples of veterinary routine (133 isolates). NBGL expectedly missed lactose-glycerol positive strains of the serotype Senftenberg (n = 4), H2S negative strains (n = 1), and strains of the Typhi serotype (n = 7). Otherwise, three strains, of serotype Virchow, were unable to grow on NBGL (0.7% of positive samples). Nevertheless overall sensitivities were increased by approximately 10% in the human routine (H: 70%; SS: 63%; NBGL: 94%; at the direct plating step) (H: 83%; SS: 84%; NBGL: 92%; at the enrichment plating step) and by 48% in the veterinary one (NBGL: 97%; versus usual media: 68%). Positive predictive values of black centred colonies were significantly higher on NBGL in human routine (H: 38%; SS: 40%; NBGL: 89%; at the direct plating step) (H: 20%; SS: 21%; NBGL: 82%; at the enrichment plating step); and in the veterinary one as well (NBGL: 90%; versus usual media: 17%). These data suggest that NBGL agar does improve Salmonella isolation in these kinds of routines, and that growth should be made sure before experiments using given strains.


[Evaluation of three types of empirical antibiotherapy in patients with febrile neutropenia: imipenem-cilastatin versus ceftazidime-vancomycin versus ticarcillin-amikacin-vancomycin].

A three-arm prospective randomized trial was designed to compare the effectiveness of single drug therapy with imipenemcilastatin (IC), two-drug therapy with ceftazidime-vancomycin (CV), and three-drug therapy with ticarcillin-vancomycin-amikacin (TVA) for the empirical antimicrobial treatment of febrile neutropenia events. The objectives of the study were to determine whether IC monotherapy was as effective as combination drug therapy (CV or TVA) and to assess the value of adding vancomycin at initiation of treatment. One hundred eighty-three febrile neutropenia events were randomized and 125 were evaluable. Success rates were 73% with IC, 67% with CV, and 72% with TVA. There were no statistically significant differences between the three treatment groups, regardless of the duration and severity of neutropenia. Fifty-four bacterial isolates were recovered from 43 patients. Among recovered bacterial strains, 55% were Gram-negative and 45% were Gram-positive. Rates of bacteriologically documented failures (14/33) and superinfections (3/33) were similar in the three groups. Adverse events were rare but two patients given CV and three given TVA developed severe skin toxicity requiring modification of the antimicrobial regimen. IC alone showed similar effectiveness and less toxicity, as compared with CV or TVA. Vancomycin given initially increased toxicity but failed to improve the success rate. Vancomycin may be appropriate only in patients at high risk for infection with methicillin-resistant staphylococci.


Lethal and non-lethal course of endotoxic shock is determined by interactions between tumor necrosis factor, platelet activating factor and eicosanoids.

Continuous lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infusion in pigs induced death in approximately half of the animals and a prolonged state of shock (up to 3 hours of experimental observation period, i.e., two hours after discontinuation of LPS infusion) in the surviving animals. Lethal-induced shock was marked by huge release of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) into the blood, whereas eicosanoid and Platelet Activating Factor (PAF) levels remained unchanged. In pigs surviving LPS-infusion but still remaining in a state of shock, transient increases in PAF and thromboxane levels were observed, whereas prostacyclin and leukotrienes values remained above normal levels up to the end of the observation period. It is concluded that different types of mediators play a role in LPS-induced lethal shock as compared to non-lethal prolonged state of shock.


Disintegrins: RGD-containing proteins which inhibit cell/matrix interactions (adhesion) and cell/cell interactions (aggregation) via the integrin receptors.

Whereas many attempts have been made to generate synthetic, high affinity, linear RGD-peptides (Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid), by analogy with glycoprotein ligands to integrins, success has been limited. What has emerged is that the stereochemistry of the Arg-Gly-Asp-X (RGDX) recognition sequence is essential to ligand binding. This has led to the study of small, chemically synthesised, cyclic-RGD peptides. Another approach is to study the disintegrins. These high-affinity RGD-polypeptides (50-90 KDa) from viper venoms are "natural" ligands to integrins, presumably as inhibitors of physiological ligands such as fibrinogen. A study of the disintegrins may shed some light on the preferred conformation of the active form of RGD, as well as the contribution of other potential recognition motifs in these molecules to modulate RGD interactions with receptors (fig. 1).


[A comparative microbiological and pharmacokinetic activity of vancomycin and teicoplanin].

Vancomycin and teicoplanin are two commercially available glycopeptide antibiotics. They have identical spectra of activity and similar mechanisms of action, and both are complex molecules. In vitro, vancomycin is more active against coagulase-negative staphylococci, while teicoplanin is more active against enterococci and pneumococci. The activity of the two antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus is similar. The serum pharmacokinetics of vancomycin and teicoplanin are highly different, teicoplanin having a longer elimination half-life (40 hours versus 6-8 hours for vancomycin), but a higher degree of protein binding (90% versus 55%). We compared the two antibiotics on the basis of their inhibitory quotient kinetics, using the MIC90 values for the above bacterial species as the microbiological parameters, and the total and free (non-protein bound) serum concentrations as the pharmacokinetic parameters. The inhibitory quotient kinetics of vancomycin were always more favorable in terms of the free concentrations, even against those bacteria for which the teicoplanin MIC was lower.


An epidemiological study of anorectic and bulimic symptoms in adolescent girls: implications for pediatricians.

Our findings suggest that most cases of anorexia nervosa among high school girls are eventually recognized and treated. However, it is worrisome that a large number of girls suffering from early anorexia nervosa and an even greater number suffering from bulimia do not seek treatment for their disorder. In addition, it is clear that girls who do not meet criteria for the full syndromes may nonetheless be engaging in the cardinal behaviors associated with these disorders. Therefore, the pediatrician must actively inquire about weight control practices and binge-purge behavior during the course of routine examinations. These behaviors are sufficiently common that such inquiry should be incorporated into the routine evaluation of every girl, even when there is no obvious reason to be concerned. The vast majority of girls will express dissatisfaction with their weight and report that they have attempted to control their weight in some manner, most often with dieting, in the past year. Normative data from a cross-sectional study such as the one described provide some guidelines as to when such behavior is likely to be associated with other types of problems, such as depressive symptoms or amenorrhea. For example, our data suggest that weight loss of 10 lbs or more in the past year and fasting are more likely to be associated with depressive symptoms and menstrual irregularity than less severe forms of caloric restriction. Our findings also suggest that purging behavior (self-induced vomiting and laxative use), particularly in combination with binge eating, is associated with very high rates of both depressive symptoms and menstrual irregularity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The adolescent male with an eating disorder.

While it is clear that males and females with eating disorders share more features in common than dissimilarities, males are distinctive in their past histories of obesity, sexual identity concerns, defensive dieting, and dieting in relationship to sports participation. All adolescents with an eating disorder are likely to be guarded in terms of disclosing items affecting their psychological state. Young men may be more so. In light of this fact, diagnosis of these disorders in adolescent male patients still depends on ruling out possible organic etiologies, thoroughly assessing the adolescent's mental status, and looking for underlying psychiatric symptoms. The association between mood disorders, namely depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as other anxiety disorders is as strong in young males with eating disorders as with females. Assessment of developmental and nutritional status is key to the diagnosis and is helpful in monitoring recovery. Standards of monitoring other than weight are important and have been outlined. Lastly, family psychodynamics must be addressed in order to provide the eating-disordered young man with more control as well as more independence in order that he take more personal responsibility for a healthier lifestyle.


Cilia in children with recurrent upper respiratory tract infections: ultrastructural observations.

We investigated the ultrastructure of nasal cilia in 27 children suffering from recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract, during and after the onset of an acute respiratory infection, and after a convalescent period of 12 weeks. Our results demonstrated that in seven subjects after resolution of infection, the morphology of a large proportion of the cilia (32%) was not back to normal. These findings suggest a long-term residual effect of infection, or the inability to reestablish normal ciliary structure during the convalescent period in some subjects with recurrent upper respiratory tract infection.


Delayed compliance increase in infants with respiratory distress syndrome following synthetic surfactant.

Recent research has demonstrated that Exosurf (EXSF), a newly synthesized artificial surfactant, increases survival when administered endotracheally to premature infants with RDS. This study examines the effects of EXSF on static respiratory system compliance (Crs). Thirty-four patients received two doses of EXSF in this rescue protocol. Crs (mL/cmH2O/kg) did not significantly change within the first 4 hours after either dose. However, Crs values did increase significantly (paired Student's t-test, P = 0.005) when data collected after the second dose (0.36 +/- 0.13 mL/cmH2O/kg) were compared to first week follow-up data (0.51 +/- 0.21 mL/cmH2O/kg). Crs data collected between 2 and 4 weeks after treatments were again not significantly different from non-concurrent control data collected at 3-4 weeks of life. The measurement of Crs in infants receiving EXSF may have been affected by an increase in lung inflation, which could mask an increase in Crs. We speculate that improved lung inflation may occur with less barotrauma in the first week of life due to surfactant replacement treatment and may in part explain the improved Crs seen at 1 week of age. Many investigators using different surfactants, dosing schedules, and pulmonary function methodologies to evaluate lung mechanics have reported that the improvement in compliance after surfactant treatment usually follows the clinical improvement in gas exchange. Additional studies are needed to explain the mechanism of early improvement following surfactant replacement in infants with RDS.


Lung function in 6-20 month old infants born very preterm but without respiratory troubles.

Lung function results of 21 healthy infants born very prematurely are reported. The median gestational age was 29 weeks, but none had developed respiratory distress or required any form of respiratory support in the neonatal period. Lung function was assessed by measurements of thoracic gas volume (TGV) and airway resistance (Raw) plethysmographically, and of functional residual capacity (FRC) using a helium gas dilution technique. Two separate measurements were made between 6 and 20 months of age; all infants were measured once in the first and once in the second year of life. Regression equations were calculated for TGV, Raw, and FRC related to weight, height, and postnatal age. These data provide a new set of values for very preterm infants, in part small for gestational age, without neonatal respiratory trouble.


Response to external obstruction in preterm infants with apnea.

A proportion of preterm infants respond to an external airway obstruction by becoming apneic. We have studied 23 infants (median birthweight, 1.14 kg; gestation, 29 weeks) on 80 occasions, to determine the time course of the response and its relationship with spontaneous apnea occurrence. Upper airway flow was measured with a face mask and pneumotachograph, and a tap was turned intermittently to produce an occlusion. A total of 380 occlusions were analyzed. The infants became apneic during the obstruction on 72 occasions (19%), and after the obstruction on 122 occasions (32%). Both of these events were significantly more common than immediately prior to the obstruction, when apnea occurred on 29 occasions (8%). Of the apneas following occlusion 57% were central in type. The point in the respiratory cycle at which obstruction occurred had no effect on the production of apnea. An obstruction score was calculated for each study. This was the mean of the number of apneas during and after each obstruction, expressed as a percentage of the number of obstructions per study. This score was positively correlated with the number of spontaneous apneas recorded. Obstruction score rose from a mean of 20% during days 0-14, to 34% during days 15-28, and thereafter it declined. This pattern may be relevant to the time course of apnea in susceptible infants.


Atypical thrombotic and septic complications of totally implantable venous access devices in patients with cystic fibrosis.

The use of vascular access systems in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is well accepted, with lower overall complications and maintenance costs than percutaneous silastic catheters. We report our 6 year experience with 22 infusaports in 15 CF patients. Our patients had indwelling catheters for an average of 539 days per catheter (range, 14-2,224 days). These infusaports were used for home antibiotic therapy, blood sampling, and total parenteral nutrition. The overall complication rate was relatively low, 1 in every 1,483 catheter days. Infectious complications were extremely infrequent at a rate of 1 in 5,929 catheter days. The rate of mechanical complications was 1 in 1,976 catheter days. However, superior vena caval syndrome or deep venous thrombosis was associated with 3 of 22 catheters (13.6%). Due to this high incidence of major thrombotic events with the attendant risk of pulmonary embolism, all patients with CF using infusaports and without evidence of liver disease or bleeding problems receive aspirin prophylaxis.


Selected neurocognitive test data and work attendance for chronic psychiatric patients.

The relationship between work attendance-absence and selected measures of executive (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail Making B) and motor (Purdue Pegboard) function was explored in a sample of 42 chronic psychiatric patients at a sheltered workshop setting. Work attendance was unrelated to intelligence but correlated with several executive and motor variables. A stepwise regression analysis produced a three-variable model which accounted for 40% of the variance. However, the direction of the relationships suggested that high attendance was most likely for older, more cognitively rigid patients, with less manual dexterity than other patients. These findings are discussed in terms of the need to consider jointly neurocognitive and environmental constraints on ecological functioning.


Children's gender-typed perceptions of physical activity: consequences and implications.

This paper provides an expanded discussion of issues raised in our 1990 experimental study, with particular focus upon the differential cognitive, affective, and psychomotor consequences to girls and boys of gender-typed, sex-segregated play. Evidence is provided that, as agents of socialization, teachers and schools can enlist practices and provide structure to foster cross-sex interaction and behavior. Nonstereotypical play is advocated so that each sex can enjoy the benefits typically accruing only to the opposite; correspondingly, and in light of a society not yet gender-aschematic, psychological androgyny is invoked as the developmental ideal.


Development of complex motor skills in psychotic children.

This article describes the study of the concurrent complex mechanisms which take place during behavioral changes in psychotic children and adolescents when they are asked to learn a motor task, in this case, to practise the sport of judo. Complex motor skills can be acquired by the psychotic subject insofar as the proposed physical activity is isomorphous with the psychosis. The different stages of development are marked by different levels structuring interpersonal space. The examination treats the linking processes between psychic mechanisms and motor behavior from a developmental perspective.


Reaction time for global and local identification of small-large composite letters presented in different orientations.

Eight men and eight women were timed as they made judgments about a large capital letter F composed of small versions of the same letter. The subjects were asked to indicate by manual key-pressing responses whether either the large letter (global identification task) or the small letters (local identification task) were normal or reflected letters. With both the large and small letters always in the same orientation but sometimes conflicting in their normal-reflected aspect, the letters were presented in six different angular orientation. Analysis showed that reaction time (RT) (1) increased in relation to the deviation of the letters from standard upright, (2) was slower when both small and large letters were reflected than when both were normal, and (3) was faster for the global than for the local identification task when the letters were completely inverted. The study provided only qualified evidence that global identification of the normalness-reflectedness of letters occurs more quickly than local identification of this attribute.


Right hemisphericity and low self-esteem in high school students: a replication.

A total of 26 Grade 9 and 24 Grade 12 boys and girls were administered the Rosenberg self-esteem questionnaire and Vingiano's hemisphericity questionnaire. Greater right hemisphericity was associated with lower self-esteem. The strength of the effect (r = 0.52) was comparable to previous studies involving university students and supports the hypothesis that persistent input of negative affect from right hemispheric activation adversely influences the affective component of self-concept.


Effects of time of posttest after two durations of exercise on speed and accuracy of addition and subtraction by fit and less-fit women.

18 adult female volunteers, ages 27 to 49 years, were divided into two groups based on their cardiorespiratory fitness to investigate speed and accuracy of addition and subtraction immediately, 5 min., and 15 min. postexercise. A 2 (fitness level) x 3 (exercise duration) x 3 (postexercise performance trials) repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that, for the fit group, speed of problem solving was significantly faster after both 20-min. and 40-min. exercise sessions across all performance trials; for the less-fit group, speed of addition/subtraction was significantly faster only after the 20-min. exercise session across performance trials. No significant postexercise difference in accuracy was found for either fit or less-fit groups.


Aggression of youth as related to parental divorce and eye color.

Among 214 youth in Grades 5 to 12, students classified by eye color did not differ in aggression or hostility although boys scored higher on Assault and girls scored higher on Indirect Hostility. Also, children of divorced parents scored higher on Aggression, Resentment, and Assault as previously reported.


Positive thinking reduces heart rate and fear responses to speech-phobic imagery.

30 speech-anxious subjects imagined a phobic speech scene 10 times. The experimental conditions varied according to whether the subjects engaged in positive, neutral, or negative thinking prior to each scene presentation. Heart rate and self-reports of fear were measured during the imagery periods. Positive thinking just before visualization of the phobic images reduced both subjective anxiety about speech and cardiovascular responses.


Reaction times with reference to musculoskeletal complaints in adolescence.

Recent studies have related long reaction times and various musculoskeletal complaints in different groups of adults. The aim here was to analyze reaction times with reference to musculoskeletal complaints in adolescent athletes and controls. Simple reaction time and choice reaction time were measured, and inquiries made about various musculoskeletal injuries of 119 subjects aged 11 to 14 years. Gender, age, maturational age, body composition, and participation in sports were included in the analyses as subject-related factors affecting reaction times. Prolonged simple reaction time was related to low-back and lower extremity complaints in a two-way analysis of variance. The finding agreed with data of previous studies suggesting that slow psychomotor speed of reaction is associated with the outcome of musculoskeletal injuries.


Fashion advertisements: a comparison of viewers' perceptual and affective responses to illustrated and photographed stimuli.

The perceptual and affective responses of 44 women to actual illustrated and photographed fashion advertisements during focused interviews were explored. Content analysis methods identified categories of response; frequency of response categories for the two media were compared using Fisher's z tests. Significant differences in perceptual responses included greater visual interest created by the use of color in photographs, greater interest in layout and design features of the illustrations, and interest in characteristics of the models in the photographs. Affective response differences included greater preference for photographic advertisements and the garments in them. Contrary to suggestions from professionals in fashion advertising, no significant differences were found in viewers' perceptions of information about the products in the advertisements or perceptions of meaning and aesthetic response.


Perceived threat as a cognitive component of state anxiety and confidence.

This study was designed to test propositions from the 1990 competitive anxiety model proposed by Martens, Vealey, and Burton. Specifically, the relationships among perceived threat and state responses of anxiety, confidence, and efficacy were examined to assess whether perceived threat might explain anxiety and confidence in 52 intercollegiate female volleyball players. Somatic anxiety was significantly correlated with perception of importance of both outcome and personal performance while uncertainty regarding personal performance was significantly related to cognitive anxiety. In addition, perceived threat was significantly related to state self-confidence and self-efficacy.


Psychomotor and visual performance under the time-course effect of alcohol.

This study examined reaction time (RT), anticipation time (AT), and visual performance under the influence of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), using a repeated-measures design. Subjects (8 men and 8 women), 21 to 40 yr. of age, participated in both single- and double-dose sessions, in which they drank approximately 2.3 oz. and 4.6 oz. of 86-proof vodka, respectively. The breath BAC was measured at 5-min. intervals. The RT, AT, and visual performance were tested every 20 min. for 140 min. in both sessions. In general, results indicated that RT, AT, and stereoscopic vision were impaired more in the rising BAC curve than the falling BAC curve. In addition, the impairment tended to be greater for the double-dose than the single-dose session. The far and near visual acuities were not affected by the BAC.


Effects of subliminal backward-recorded messages on attitudes.

This study was designed to measure the effects of subliminal backward messages on attitudes. It was hypothesized that subliminal backward-recorded messages would influence the attitudes of listeners. Three subliminal backward-recorded messages from a popular song were used. 82 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: a three-message group heard a tape containing the backward messages recorded three times in succession, a six-message group heard a tape with the same backward messages recorded six times in succession, two control groups heard nonbackward recorded music. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups on a posttape attitude questionnaire. The results are discussed in terms of unconscious processing and the tricomponent theory of attitudes and attitude change.


Relationships among selected attributes and three measures of upper body strength and endurance in elementary school children.

The purpose of this investigation was to assess (a) proportions of children unable to perform each of three measures of upper body strength and endurance--pull-up, flexed-arm hang, and modified pull-up; (b) relationships among selected attribute variables of age, weight, percent body fat, and body mass index, and the three measures of upper body strength and endurance; and (c) the attribute variables which best predict scores for the three measures of upper body strength and endurance. Subjects were 104 elementary school children in Grades 1 through 6. Percentages of children obtaining zero scores were computed. Intercorrelations among the attribute and upper body strength and endurance variables were examined for significance and effect size. For each of the three measures of upper body strength and endurance, a max R2 forward stepwise, multiple regression analysis was performed to identify which attribute variables best predict the score of that particular measure. Analyses indicated that age and percent body fat were the best predictors of pull-up and flexed-arm hang scores, whereas age and body mass index best predicted the modified pull-up score.


Suicide among Asian Americans and social deviancy.

As with African-Americans, the suicide rates of Chinese-Americans were lower in states where there were many Chinese. Suicide rates of Japanese and Filipinos did not fit this pattern.


Transpersonal experiences in childhood: an exploratory empirical study of selected adult groups.

A questionnaire was developed to assess adult recall for a range of transpersonal experiences throughout childhood and adolescence (mystical experience, out-of-body experience, lucid dreams, archetypal dreams, ESP), as well as nightmares and night terrors as indicators of more conflicted, negative states. In two exploratory studies this questionnaire was administered to subjects with high estimated levels of early transpersonal experiences and practising meditators, with respective undergraduate controls. A cognitive skills/precocity model of early transpersonal experience was contrasted with a vulnerability of self model by comparisons of these groups on questionnaire categories, imaginative absorption, neuroticism, and visual-spatial skills, with some support found for both models depending on experience type, age of estimated recall, and adult meditative practice.


From Erickson to attribution: attaching meaning to hypnosis.

On the surface it seems that various Ericksonian theories of hypnotherapy differ considerably from each other; however, they can all be seen to be similar in three areas, namely, focus on the intrapsychic activities of the individual, focus on linear causality, and focus on objectivity of observation. These three foci are shown to embody certain conceptual and practical limitations. It is suggested that such limitations may be circumvented if Ericksonian techniques are applied from the perspective of attribution of meaning rather than from the point of view of reductionism, linearity, and objectivity.


Changes in the self-reported consistency of normal habitual sleep duration of college students (1978 and 1992).

Changes in the consistency of self-reported sleep habits within two large samples of 763 and 782 college students were assessed for 1978 and 1992. Noteworthy changes over the 14-yr. period included significant decreases in the percentage of students who claimed stable (> or = 5-year) sleep-duration habits and the percentage reporting satisfaction with their sleep.


Field independence and art achievement in meditating and nonmeditating college students.

Research has confirmed that cognitive style is associated with the art skills of children and adolescents; such an association has not been reported for practicing artists. In this study for a volunteer group of 47 B.A. and B.F.A. art students from two universities, scores on field independence were positively correlated .24 with grade point average and .29 with self-perceived artistic ability. The findings also suggest the practice of meditation may enhance field independence in college art students.


Recognition times for rotated normal and "Thatcher" faces.

To test whether face recognition is more disrupted by inversion than is the recognition of nonface stimuli and that an inverted Thatcher face is much less likely to be noticed as different than an upright one, reaction times were measured for recognizing "normal" and "abnormal" (Thatcher) faces (created by inverting the eyes and mouth relative to the rest of the face) presented at six orientation angles from upright. Over-all, reaction time of 22 students increased monotonically as faces were rotated away from upright; however, the orientation effect was essentially the same for both types of faces, indicating processing of faces is not qualitatively different from the processing of other types of stimuli. These data allow the inference that the subjects mentally rotated the internal features of eyes and mouth to upright and then judged whether the face was normal or abnormal.


Visual acuity and stereoacuity among mentally retarded children.

To evaluate the reliability and the validity of Landolt Rings and of the Frisby Test as measures of visual acuity and stereoacuity, respectively, the visual acuity of 30 mentally retarded children was measured with Landolt Rings shown as games, the Sjögren Test, the Dot Visual Acuity Test and stereoacuity with the Frisby Test. Subjects were tested 3 times over a period of 3 weeks to measure the reliability of the tests. No significant difference was observed among these tests. The validity of the Landolt Rings was measured by a correlation of .55 for the highest logMAR values of the Sjögren Test with the highest logMAR values of the Landolt Rings. Visual acuity was systematically lower on the Dot Visual Acuity Test. The Frisby Test was not reliable among a group of 16 normal children who improved systematically over 3 weeks.


Use of a verbal fluency measure in understanding and evaluating ADHD as an executive function disorder.

A primary characteristic of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is an inability to establish and maintain sustained attention, which is speculated to reflect frontal lobe involvement. The Knight Verbal Fluency measure was administered to 19 ADHD inpatient boys and to a cohort group of 7 children who were matched for mean age, psychiatric diagnosis (depression), treatment facility, and examiner but were without the diagnosis of ADHD. Analysis indicated that ADHD children performed significantly lower than expected and lower than the similar non-ADHD children. These findings lend support to the hypothesis that frontal lobe dysfunction is involved in attentional process disorders and suggests the potential clinical usefulness in the diagnostic screening of ADHD children of a simply administered measure amenable to interpretation of frontal lobe function.


Phonologically impaired preschoolers: rhyme with an eye toward reading.

In this study were compared the phonological awareness of 15 moderately to severely phonologically impaired and 15 phonologically normal children, matched on mental age and gender, on sensitivity to alliteration and to rhyme. Analysis showed no significant difference between the groups in detection of alliteration; however, there was a significant difference in detection of rhyme. The latter correlated .43 with speech intelligibility. We conclude that phonological awareness is associated closely with productive phonological ability early in development.


Fechner's psychophysical law as a special case of Stevens' three-parameter power law.

This paper shows that Fechner's law of psychophysics is a special case of Stevens' power law with three parameters. Consequently, at least as good over-all fit to experimental data is always obtained, at the cost of one additional parameter, by using Stevens' power law involving an extra parameter added to the response variable.


Handwriting and perceptual-motor skills in clumsy, dysgraphic, and 'normal' children.

Among various perceptual-motor tests, only visuomotor integration was significant in predicting accuracy of handwriting performance for the total sample of 59 children consisting of 19 clumsy children, 22 nonclumsy dysgraphic children, and 18 'normal' children. They were selected from a sample of 360 fourth-graders (10-yr.-olds). For groups of clumsy and 'normal' children, the prediction of handwriting performance is difficult. However, correlations among scores on 6 measures showed that handwriting was significantly related to visuomotor integration, visual form perception, and tracing in the total group and to visuomotor integration and visual form perception in the clumsy group. The weakest correlations occurred between tests measuring simple psychomotor functions and handwriting. Moreover, clumsy children were expected to do poorly on tests measuring aiming, tracing, and visuomotor integration, but not on tests measuring visual form perception and finger tapping. Dysgraphic children were expected to do poorly on visuomotor integration only.


Attrition of the Zeigarnik effect: role of subjects' expectancy aroused by placebos.

The present paper describes the effect for 45 medical students and interns of "placebo" treatment on the Zeigarnik effect. Attrition of the Zeigarnik effect caused by placebo was resistant to caffeine and diazepam (ns = 58 and 28).


Types of percept-genetic defenses in self-defeating personality disorder.

The Defense Mechanism Test was administered to 20 subjects with a psychometric diagnosis of self-defeating personality disorder and to 40 controls with evidence of other personality disturbances. The groups did not differ on sex distribution, age, or education. The following two types of repression were significantly more characteristic of the self-defeating group, (1) the hero is seen as an inanimate or rigid being and (2) the hero is disguised or masked. Codings of introaggression and other major defensive variables did not discriminate between groups.


Opposing changes in past and future time orientations with age.

The bidirectional model of psychological time, that past and future orientations change in opposite directions with increasing age, was tested. Age was positively related to the number of life experiences recalled by 67 college students from the distant past but was negatively correlated with life experiences expected to occur in the near or distant future. This simultaneous and inverse adjustment of past and future orientations with age adds further support to a bidirectional model consistent with field theory.


Effects of a cognitive intervention package on the free-throw performance of varsity basketball players during practice and competition.

To examine the effects of a cognitive intervention package on the free-throw shooting performance of basketball players, with 3 Canadian male university caliber basketball players ages 20, 22, and 24 years, during practice and in competition single-subject multiple-baseline design was implemented. Each subject was introduced to the imagery-rehearsal intervention at different times during the 14-week competitive basketball season. Free-throw data were collected during 50 practice sessions and 32 games. Data from both practice and competitive situations were examined using a comparison of graphed means. In the practice condition an increase in free-throw performance for all three subjects occurred during the posttreatment intervention. In the game condition, Subjects A and B showed posttreatment improvement. The cognitive intervention package consisting of visualization and relaxation can be an effective strategy for improving free-throw performance of some basketball players. Further research should involve control-group examination using a larger sample across a variety of tasks.


Have national suicide rates increased and converged over the last 100 years?

The suicide rates of 14 nations were examined for 1875, 1952, 1962, 1975, and 1986 and found to have increased over this period. There was no change in the dispersions of the suicide rates over the years.


Isometric squeeze relaxation (progressive relaxation) vs meditation: absorption and focusing as predictors of state effects.

We taught isometric squeeze relaxation (a variant of progressive relaxation) or meditation to 52 anxious subjects (16 men, 36 women). For meditation, pretreatment high absorption correlated with reductions in state cognitive and somatic anxiety as well as increments in state focusing. For isometric squeeze relaxation, pretreatment low state focusing correlated with reductions in somatic anxiety and increments in focusing. Results suggest that isometric squeeze relaxation (and progressive relaxation) may be more appropriate for individuals who have difficulty focusing, and meditation for those who already possess well-developed relaxation skills at a trait level. The results appear more consistent with Smith's cognitive-behavioral model of relaxation than with Benson's relaxation response or Davidson and Schwartz's specific effects models.


Hemispheric processing strategies for lexical decisions among elderly persons.

Lexical decision vocal reaction times were obtained in 1990 for 30 young adult and 18 elderly subjects to tachistoscopically presented concrete and abstract words by Rastatter and McGuire. The young adults' data suggested differential right-hemispheric processing, while the elderly subjects' data were interpreted as suggesting that the right hemisphere loses its processing function. Here we reinterpret the elderly subjects' data based on visual information-processing theory and suggest that variations in processing strategy account more completely for their data.


Relation of eye color and gender to Type A scores and vocational preference.

Type A behavior scores on the Jenkins Activity Survey, Form T, and ACT Interest Inventory data were collected for 90 male and 90 female university students who equally represented three eye-color groups, black/brown, blue, and other. Chi-squared analyses indicated no statistically significant associations at the .05 level. Observations which may be of interest to researchers are noted.


What is vividness of imagery? Characteristics of vivid visual imagery.

Two experiments were conducted to examine the characteristics of vivid visual imagery. In Exps. 1 and 2, analysis showed that the subjects' drawings of their imagery indicated more visual features for the vivid imagers than for the non-vivid imagers and no difference in sketching time between the two groups. Image-construction time was shorter for the vivid imagers than for the nonvivid ones in Exp. 2, but no difference was found in Exp. 1. On the basis of these results, the mechanism underlying individual differences in vividness of imagery was discussed in relation to the model of imagery processes proposed by Kosslyn (1980) and his colleagues.


Enhanced incidence of "the sensed presence" in people who have learned to meditate: support for the right hemispheric intrusion hypothesis.

If the "sensed presence" is the transient intrusion of the right hemispheric equivalent of the left hemispheric (and highly linguistic) sense of self, then any process that facilitates interhemispheric electrical coherence should enhance these experiences. As predicted, the "ego-alien intrusion" (sensed presence) factor was specifically and significantly elevated in 221 people who had learned to meditate (65 to 70% were involved in Transcendental Meditation) compared to 860 nonmeditators. Variants of a sensed presence were more frequent in female than in male meditators and were particularly evident in left-handers who had learned to mediate. The effect size suggests that learning a meditation technique is counterindicated for subpopulations, such as borderline, schizotypal, or dissociative personalities, who display very fragile self-concepts.


The Ruff 2 and 7 Selective Attention Test: a neuropsychological application.

The neuropsychological application of the Ruff 2 and 7 Selective Attention Test as a measure of visual selective attention was investigated. The instrument was constructed as a paper-and-pencil approach to evaluate sustained attention utilizing different distractor conditions in the study of voluntary or intentional aspects of attention. Four patient groups with cerebral lesions confined to either the right or left anterior or left or right posterior region (ns = 8, 8, 8, 6) were studied. Patients with right-hemispheric lesions showed a greater over-all reduction in processing speed independent of the serial or parallel processing mode in comparison to individuals with left-sided lesions. Furthermore, as predicted, the two groups with anterior brain damage showed a larger discrepancy between serial and parallel processing modes than patients with posterior lesions. Specifically, the right frontal cases showed the greatest differential of accuracy on the serial and parallel tasks.


Grip strength as a function of 200 repetitive trials.

A study was done to see how grip strength deteriorates after an extended number of grips. Eight male subjects, all right-handed and 23 to 35 years old, participated. Each subject made 200 grips on a dynamometer at his maximum strength. There were 15-sec. rests between trials. Performance dropped significantly after two trials. There were drops of about 40% and 50% at Trials 100 and 200, respectively. The grip strength/trial relationship is logarithmic as noted by Montazer and Thomas in 1991.


Mood alteration with yoga and swimming: aerobic exercise may not be necessary.

The mood benefits of Hatha yoga and swimming, two activities that differ greatly in aerobic training benefits, were examined. College students (N = 87) in two swimming classes, a yoga class, and a lecture-control class completed mood and personality inventories before and after class on three occasions. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that both yoga participants (n = 22) and swimmers (n = 37) reported greater decreases in scores on Anget, Confusion, Tension, and Depression than did the control students (n = 28). The consistent mood benefits of yoga supported our earlier observation that the exercise need not be aerobic to be associated with mood enhancement. However, underlying and causal mechanisms remain uncertain. Among the men, the acute decreases in Tension, Fatigue, and Anger after yoga were significantly greater than those after swimming. Yoga may be even more beneficial than swimming for men who personally select to participate. The women reported fairly similar mood benefits after swimming and yoga. It seems that aerobic exercise may not be necessary to facilitate the mood benefits. Also, students with greater mood changes attended class more regularly than those who reported fewer psychological benefits. Maximizing the immediate psychological benefits of exercise might be one way to encourage adults to be physically active.


Is stuttering due to a deficient comprehension of linguistic structures?

The results of two studies with 19 stutterers of two educational levels show that stutterers with more education stutter less but judge boundary depths in sentences better than stutterers with less education. This finding suggests that, among stutterers, the amount of stuttering and the comprehension of linguistic structures correlate negatively. These results gave rise to the loaded assumption that stuttering may be based on a deficiency in central linguistic processes. However, a third study with 20 nonstutterers leads to the conclusion that this does not hold for the imaginable continuum from nonstuttering to stuttering: for both educational levels nonstutterers do not differ from stutterers in judging constituent boundaries. This outcome does not support that stuttering may be based on a shortcoming in central linguistic processes but rather on a shortcoming in speech production at the level of articulation.


Effects of septal lesions on a higher-order conditioned taste aversion: a preliminary analysis.

Septal-lesioned rats (n = 7) and nonsurgical controls (n = 7) were exposed to a higher-order conditioned taste aversion procedure and the effects of septal lesions on the development of a higher-order conditioned taste aversion examined. In Phase 1, septal and control rats were permitted to consume a sodium chloride solution and illness was produced by an injection of cyclophosphamide. Following a recovery period, in Phase 2, both groups were allowed access to a saccharin solution followed by 1 ml of sodium chloride placed directly inside the mouth of the rat. Subsequent preference tests for the septal-lesion group, the control group, and a second unconditioned control group (n = 5) showed the former two groups learned the higher-order conditioned taste aversion, as demonstrated by a marked aversion to the saccharin solution, and the septal lesions attenuated the severity of the conditioning process.


Collaboration: integrating practice and research in public health nursing.

The need to integrate clinical practice and research has been stressed for many years in both public health and nursing. This article describes such a collaborative project between two rural upper Midwest public health nursing agencies and public health nursing faculty from a small, liberal arts, baccalaureate nursing program. The high-risk prenatal research project provided an opportunity for nursing staff and faculty research consultants to work together on a clinical study. A model for collaborative research is illustrated, and advantages and disadvantages for practice, administration, and research are discussed.


Community analysis in community health nursing practice: the GENESIS model.

A community-analysis strategy, GENESIS (general ethnographic and nursing evaluation studies in the state), is a comprehensive, holistic portrait of communities obtained through secondary analysis of existing data and qualitative methods. The GENESIS method is delineated and examples of studies are presented. To explicate the method and illustrate the findings, an aggregate-focused GENESIS study and two studies in which entire communities were the targets are compared and contrasted. Other defining concepts of nursing, such as caring and health, are redefined or explicated to make them congruent with the recognition that for community health nurses, the community is the client.


A model skills list for orienting nurses to community health agencies.

Nurse managers in community health can streamline the orientation of new employees by building planning and evaluation on a list of nursing skills that meet requirements for beginning practice. A model list of skills required in public health nursing and home health care can guide individual agencies in tailoring orientation programs to their respective needs, streamlining the process, reducing overall costs, and producing long-term benefits for nurse managers and nursing staff.


Evaluation study of a transcultural discovery learning model.

This qualitative, descriptive study explored the extent to which students' discovery learning centered around cultural understanding and sensitivity occurs in a clinical rotation involving migrant health care. Thirteen nursing students enrolled in this community health clinical rotation were the study sample. Demographically, they were similar to other baccalaureate students in the school of nursing. Characteristics that set them apart were their levels of maturity, motivation, and independence, and their ability to cope with stress and ambiguity. Student journal entries were used to explore changes in cultural understanding and sensitivity over the course of an intensive six-week clinical experience. The method of inquiry was qualitative descriptive. Discovery learning from the perspective of the students was analyzed using domain analysis scheme. Themes that emerged from analysis of the data were personal and professional growth, specialized nursing practice roles with ethnic minorities, and health care system needs and issues for culturally sensitive care. Our findings contribute to faculty understanding of the degree to which student nurses make a transformation in terms of cultural understanding and sensitivity, and the process by which increased cultural understanding and sensitivity result in application of theoretical transcultural concepts.


Evaluation of a peer-education program on heart disease prevention with older adults.

This investigation evaluated the effect of a peer-education program on preventing cardiovascular disease in older persons. Peer leaders at two urban senior housing residences were provided with training on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, strategies to reduce the risk factors, and communication skills. Baseline and follow-up data were collected on residents at the two intervention and two control sites. The dependent variables were knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors; perceived self-efficacy to reduce calories, dietary fat and salt intake, to lose weight, to stop smoking, and to exercise regularly; and self-reported cardiovascular risk behaviors. Analysis of individual change scores between baseline and follow-up surveys showed a statistically significant increase in overall knowledge of heart disease, dietary self-efficacy, and exercise self-efficacy for the intervention group compared with the control group. This program appeared to benefit the individuals who lived in housing residences where the peer educators also resided.


An inner-city community's perspective on infant mortality and prenatal care.

Neither expanded Medicaid eligibility nor case-finding approaches have significantly increased use of early prenatal care. Failure to improve use points to the importance of further study of the broader community's perspectives on prenatal care and perinatal health issues. A convenience sample of 380 low-income, inner-city, black adults were interviewed with respect to their understanding of infant mortality, perceived barriers to and importance of prenatal care, and recommended numbers of prenatal visits. All respondents reside in a community with negative indexes of perinatal health as measured by infant mortality, low birthweight, and average number of prenatal visits. Fifty percent of the sample could correctly define the term infant mortality. The majority believed that prenatal care is very important and should begin in the first trimester of pregnancy. Respondents recommending the least number of prenatal visits (0-6) perceived financial, institutional, and attitudinal factors as barriers to care. Pregnant women's fear of detection of drug use was the most salient barrier regardless of the recommended number of prenatal visits, age, sex, employment status, or number of children. Changing health problems mandate continued monitoring of community perceptions and expectations of services such as prenatal care. Public health nursing is ideally positioned to articulate community values to policy makers and health care professionals concerned with perinatal health.


Women's perspectives on homelessness.

An increase in the number of individuals who are homeless since the 1980s has made homelessness a major social, economic, and political problem in the United States. The number of homeless in this country is estimated as high as 3 million, with women and children constituting the fastest growing subgroup of this population. A study of eight homeless women using a shelter in a southeastern city was conducted to explore the experience of homelessness from the women's perspectives. A modified ethnographic approach using a semistructured interview provided qualitative data. The constant comparative method of analysis identified themes of heightened awareness, guarding, identification of needs, and strategies for resolution. This study provides a new understanding of how some women experience homelessness, as well as the responses they take to solve this problem.


Risk factors for disease in a homeless population.

Risk factors of smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle were related to health problems of clients at a walk-in clinic for the homeless. The sample of 1252 clients was predominately male (91.4%) and multiethnic, with a majority (65%) age 18 to 40 years. Data on diagnoses of health-related conditions were collected from clinic charts, coded into ICD categories, analyzed for relationships of risk factors to health problems, and compared with categories of diagnoses in a matched national sample of ambulatory care visits. Findings indicate that a larger proportion of homeless suffered from health problems in 24 of 27 diagnostic categories than the nonhomeless. Most prevalent were respiratory, dermal conditions, injuries, and digestive problems, in that order. Risk factors of alcohol abuse, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, drug abuse, and obesity were predictive of health problems in 18 of the categories analyzed. The findings suggest that immediate interventions such as education and rehabilitation to reduce risk factors, and provision of facilities for personal hygiene and cleaning of clothing could reduce some of the health-related conditions in this population while longer-term solutions of housing and employment are sought. The analysis model developed here appears to be a useful way of comparing relative effects of risk factors as a basis for establishing priorities for interventions.


AIDS education on the college campus: Roy's adaptation model directs inquiry.

We assessed the beliefs of 49 college students regarding the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), condom use, and sexual behaviors related to AIDS prevention. Roy's modes of self-concept, interdependence, and role function were used as a framework to find psychosocial determinants that influence safer sex practices. Interdependence was measured by a sexual regard scale. Beliefs regarding both AIDS beliefs and condom were very positive. Students were selectively using safer sex practices; most reported avoiding high-risk partners, but only 39% were using condoms. No significant associations were found among the four independent measures of AIDS beliefs, condom beliefs, self-esteem, and sexual regard or with the dependent measure, AIDS safer sex practices. A two-hour safer sex educational module did change several beliefs but did not increase safer sex practices. Most participating students stated they had a good understanding of how AIDS was spread, they knew how to use condoms correctly, and they discussed AIDS with friends and parents.


A good example and a lasting impression. Facilitating an effective learning environment for student nurses.

If student nurses are to gain maximum benefit from their clinical placements, it is essential ward-based nurses involve them in patient care as positively and actively as possible. Liaison with nurse tutors and keeping up-to-date with issues in patient care can make this a rewarding learning experience for both qualified and student nurses.


A considered response to an emotional crisis. A&E nurses' role in detecting child sexual abuse.

Child sexual abuse inevitably arouses strong feelings and heightened emotions. It is essential, however, that health professionals--especially A&E nurses, who are often the first point of contact--offer objective and compassionate care which aims to manage the trauma.


An insight into patient satisfaction. Evaluation of a stoma care service.

Stoma care nursing aims to put patient needs first. A questionnaire was devised by a stoma care nurse to assess her patients' satisfaction with the service provided, enabling changes to be made according to users' specified needs.


Prevention is better than cure. A survey of the use of Pegasus Airwave System in pressure sore treatment.

Pressure relieving mattresses play an important role in pressure sore prevention and healing. This study describes the current use and reported effectiveness of the Pegasus Airwave System in pressure sore prevention.


Liquid preparations for oral administration.

Liquids are easier to swallow and act more quickly than solid dosage forms, but may be unpalatable and relatively unstable. Solutions contain dissolved drugs and may be difficult to formulate or to make palatable; suspensions are usually more pleasant to take but accuracy of dosing may be affected by settling of drug particles. The dose of a drug in liquid and solid form may differ because different drug compounds are often used. Liquids contain many additives which can give rise to adverse affects in the patient.


When can I do 'it' again nurse? Sexual counselling after a heart attack.

Nurses often feel embarrassed when discussing problems about resuming sexual activity with patients who have had a myocardial infarction. By coming to terms with their own attitudes to sexuality, they can address the issue positively and directly.


Current methods of continuous fetal heart rate monitoring.

The composite paper record of fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine activity is known as a cardiotocograph (CTG). Interpretation of a CTG requires knowledge of the means by which the fetal heart beat signals are obtained. The continuous FHR record is derived from signals of consecutive fetal heart beats. Fetal hearts beats may be detected through the mother's abdomen by processing the Doppler shift of an ultrasound beam. The R waves of the fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) may be obtained by direct contact with the fetus through the cervix after rupture of the membranes.


Re-evaluation of practice reaps positive results. Putting a quality programme into practice.

A commitment to quality must run throughout the organisation, from top management to grassroots staff. Evaluation of service quality needs to be a systematic, continuous part of working practice. Improved quality management can enhance client-centred healthcare.


Screening to save lives. The Gloucestershire aneurysm screening project.

Aortic aneurysms can rupture without warning, and cause 10,000 deaths a year in Britain. They are most common in men over 65, and can be repaired if identified before rupture. This article describes the first year of a project to screen for aneurysms.


Reach for the highest standard. Comparison of leg ulcer management in two practices.

The quality of management and treatment of leg ulcers still varies widely throughout the UK. This article compares two health centres relatively local to each other, illustrating the need for national standards in this field.


Cerebral glucose utilization during conditioned sexual arousal.

Local cerebral glucose utilization was investigated in male rats during conditioned sexual arousal. Increased glucose utilization was found in three amygdaloid nuclei after exposure to a stimulus associated with exposure to a sexually active female. No changes were observed in areas known to be of crucial importance for the expression of consummatory aspects of sexual behavior. These results corroborate and extend previous results showing a dissociation between the expression of appetitive and consummatory aspects of sexual behavior at a neural level.


Spontaneous feeding-related monoaminergic changes in the rostromedial hypothalamus revealed by microdialysis.

The activity of hypothalamic monoamines in response spontaneous feeding was investigated using the in vivo technique of brain microdialysis together with the instrumental recording of feeding pattern. The simultaneous variations of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and their respective metabolites, DOPAC and 5-HIAA, were measured in the rostromedian hypothalamus, where the probe was located between the PVN and VMH. Throughout the experiment, the changes in DOPAC followed a mirror image of those in DA: DA regularly increased, reaching its zenith within the 15-min sample collected during the meal before returning to the same level as just before the meal. Following a premeal plateau, both 5-HT and 5-HIAA increased as soon as the beginning of feeding; 5-HT reached its zenith during the meal while 5-HIAA showed a more delayed and prolonged increase. When a new meal was initiated, 60 to 70 min later, a similar monoaminergic pattern was observed again. These data suggest that building up hunger is announced by an ascending slope of DA and setting up of satiation is concomitant with a descending slope of DA. Concerning serotonergic changes, the sharp 5-HT release during the meal would be a signal of satiation (transient preabsorptive fullness) while the longer-lasting increase in 5-HIAA, reflecting 5-HT synthesis, would be associated with satiety (more persistent postabsorptive state substituting satiation). These data partially confirm and extend previous pharmacological studies as well as the findings on deprivation-induced, imposed meals. They suggest a possible causal relation between monoaminergic changes and behavioral initiatives.


Effect of prolonged, continuous rectal distention on mouth-to-cecum and colonic transit time in pigs.

The effect of prolonged (6 h), continuous rectal distention on mouth-to-cecum and colonic transit time was studied in four unrestrained pigs. Mouth-to-cecum transit time was determined from samples of cecal efflux using the phenol red dye technique. Colonic transit time was assessed with radiopaque markers that were injected into the cecum before each trial. Rectal distention was applied 2-1/2 h before feeding, during feeding, and 3-1/2 h after feeding. No distention was applied during control conditions. Stools were collected for 48 h after marker application. Rectal distention increased mouth-to-cecum transit time (p < 0.05). Colonic transit time was also prolonged by rectal distention as shown by a significant decrease in the number of markers excreted within 36 h (p < 0.05). Rectal distention for 6 h increased colonic transit time up to 30 h following distention and prolonged mouth-to-cecum transit of a high fat liquid meal.


Evaluation of transient forebrain ischemia induced by four vessel occlusion using schedule-controlled behavior.

Transient (5-min) global forebrain ischemia, induced by four- vessel occlusion, was assessed using a multiple fixed-ratio, fixed-interval schedule of food presentation in five rats. Under control conditions, the schedule produced distinctive response rates in each schedule component. Initially, ischemia disrupted responding under both schedule components, and to approximately the same degree. In general, total session responses returned to pre-occlusion levels during the course of 45 post-occlusion days, however, response rates under the fixed-interval component showed slightly less recovery than those under the fixed-ratio component. Histological assessment revealed considerable variability in hippocampal damage between rats. Severe damage in the CA1, CA2, and CA3 formations was observed in a single rat, and that rat also showed the greatest degree of response disruption. These results suggest that schedule-controlled responding may be a valuable method for assessing the effects of ischemic injury, and thus, putative neuroprotective compounds, on complex behavior.


Cognitive and noncognitive processes involved in selective object exploration: comparison between young adult and old rats.

The age effects on locomotor activity, object-oriented exploration, habituation, and response to a spatial change were studied in young adult and old rats using an object exploration test. In this test the spatial response was evaluated by the renewal of exploration of a familiar object after its repositioning. The specificity of the spatial response was determined by comparison with control animals not submitted to a spatial change. Male Wistar rats 6 and 24 months old were used. Results showed a significant decrement in locomotor activity, object exploration, and spatial reactivity in old rats. The habituation curve and the reactivity to a new object were preserved. Detail analyses suggest that the spatial deficit of old rats is due to an incapacity to detect the spatial change and not to their poor locomotor or exploratory activity. These results corroborate those obtained in spatial orientation tasks and support the idea that the lack of spatial response observed in old animals is more related to cognitive impairments than to other factors such as sensory, motor, or motivational differences.


Enhancement or loss of the hypophagic effect of interleukin-1 upon chronic administration.

To further characterize the effect of interleukin-1 on food intake, we tested whether a tolerance to the hypophagic effect of recombinant human interleukin-1 beta (rhIL-1 beta) develops with repeated injections or continuous infusion in rats. Daily intraperitoneal (IP) injections of rhIL-1 beta (25,000 LAF units/kg b.wt.) for 4 days did not result in tolerance to rhIL-1 beta's hypophagic effect. The hypophagic effect of the same dose of rhIL-1 beta actually increased if injections were given every second day, when the hypophagic effect of the preceding injection had subsided. A dose of rhIL-1 beta that usually did not affect food intake (5000 LAF units/kg b.wt.) reduced food intake if injected repeatedly. Continuous infusion of rhIL-1 beta (25,000 LAF units/kg b.wt/day) via IP-implanted osmotic minipumps caused a strong initial suppression of feeding followed by the development of tolerance to the hypophagic effect of the infused rhIL-1 beta. Nevertheless, hypophagia caused by a subsequent IP injection of rhIL-1 beta (25,000 LAF units/kg b.wt.) was enhanced. As specific antibodies to rhIL-1 beta could be detected in sera of only three of 11 rhIL-1 beta-infused rats, the observed tolerance was probably not due to a humoral immune response. The results demonstrate that, dependent on test conditions, chronic administration of rhIL-1 beta in the rat can lead to an enhancement or to a loss of its hypophagic effect. The reasons for this difference remain unclear.


Time of day effects on a human force discrimination task.

Although numerous studies have demonstrated reliable relationships between various human performance measures and time of day, disagreement exists concerning the shape of these relationships and their dependence on task variables. Most perceptual-motor tasks emphasize responsiveness to exteroceptive stimuli. We used a multiple force-band discrimination task that requires responsiveness to both exteroceptive and proprioceptive information. Results for a response duration measure showed a quadratic time of day trend similar to previously reported performance tasks. Response latency to the force emission cue and number of correct inband force emissions showed cubic time of day trends not typically reported in the time of day and performance literature. These results have implications for time-of-day effects on real world perceptual performance.


Entrainment of methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity rhythm to feeding cycles in SCN-lesioned rats.

Suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)-lesioned rats, showing a locomotor activity rhythm with a circadian period by chronic methamphetamine treatment, were subjected to the periodic food restriction (RF) of 4 h per every 27 h and 24 h. All rats were phase set by the feeding schedule of both 24-h and 27-h periods. Phase angle differences between the activity onset and food presentation were more positive under the RF with a period of 27 h than that of 24 h. Methamphetamine-induced locomotor rhythm showed a stable entrainment to RF of the 27-h period in all rats. Under the RF of the 24-h period, on the other hand, some rats showed circabidian rhythms, i.e., an activity band appeared at every second food presentation. After the termination of feeding schedule, the locomotor rhythm started to free-run from the phase set by the previous feeding schedule in all rats examined. Methamphetamine-induced locomotor rhythm was shown to be entrained by the RF with a predictable manner of an oscillation theory.


Long-term callosal lesions and learning of a black-white discrimination by one-eyed rats.

We know from our previous studies that mature rats with monocular enucleation at birth (OEBs), as well as animals enucleated at maturity (OETs), were unable to learn a black-white discrimination when they were trained after lesions of the visual cortex contralateral to the remaining eye. Since it is well known that synaptic reorganization takes place in the adult rat brain through reactive synaptogenesis following deafferentation, we wondered if long-term callosal lesions in OEBs and OETs would bring out such synaptic reorganization in the visual cortex and, consequently, affect the outcome of the discrimination mentioned above. In the present study, two experiments were carried out: in Experiment 1 the previous experiment was replicated in that OEBs and OETs of 3 months of age were trained on the discrimination 10 days following unilateral visual cortex lesions; in Experiment 2, effects of callosal lesions made 10 weeks earlier either at 3 weeks of age or 13 weeks of age were investigated. The results were: 1) the findings of the previous experiment were confirmed; 2) the long-term callosal lesions facilitated the acquisition of discrimination in OEBs but not in OETs; 3) the facilitative effects were more prominent in OEBs with callosal lesions at 3 weeks of age than in those at 13 weeks of age. The findings were discussed in relation to possible synaptic reorganization produced in the visual cortex ipsilateral to the remaining eye following callosal lesions made 10 weeks earlier and also in relation to reorganization of the uncrossed visual pathways resulting from monocular enucleation at birth.


Changes in food intake and forestomach motility of dwarf goats by recombinant bovine cytokines (IL-1 beta, IL-2) and IFN-gamma.

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of rboIL-1 beta, rboIL-2, and rboIFN-gamma on food intake and forestomach motility in conscious dwarf goats. The intravenous injection of rboIL-1 beta (1 micrograms kg-1) resulted in tachycardia and an immediate fever that reached peak values 45 and 180 min after injection. At 9 to 13 min after rboIL-1 beta administration, both frequency and amplitude of rumen contractions rapidly diminished, being minimal at 30 min; during the fever, all goats refused to eat. Compared with the fever induced by rboIL-1 beta, that caused by rboIFN-gamma (2 micrograms kg-1 IV) was delayed in onset. Although the biphasic fever after rboIFN-gamma was more pronounced than after rboIL-1 beta, the changes in forestomach motility, food intake, and heart rate were less than after rboIL-1 beta. No changes in rectal temperature, heart rate, forestomach motility, and food intake were observed after rboIL-2 (1 micrograms kg-1 IV) injection. These results strongly indicate that the effects of cytokines on body temperature can be dissociated from their effects on food intake. Furthermore, these data suggest a possible relationship between forestomach motility and food intake.


The effect of convulsions on the rectification of central nervous system disorders in epileptic mice.

Abnormal behavior in epileptic mice (El mice) may be rectified after convulsive seizures. This mechanism was investigated behaviorally through measurements of ethanol-induced sleeping time and locomotor activity, as well as immunohistochemically using a microphotometry system. Decreased ethanol-induced sleeping time and increased ethanol-dependent locomotor activity in El mice as compared to ddY mice (the mother strain of El mice) were rectified by convulsions as well as the intraventricular (IVT) administration of CaCl2, dopamine, or serotonin. Also, the lower dopamine levels in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens septi in El mice as compared to ddY mice were improved by convulsions as well as the IVT administration of CaCl2. We have previously observed that a lower level of serum calcium in El mice causes a decrease in central biogenic amine synthesis through a calmodulin-dependent system. This may increase the susceptibility to epileptic convulsions and induce abnormal behavior. Combining the present results with our previous observations, we suggest that the convulsions in El mice will be induced when the balance of physiological functions is lost, as may be seen when the biogenic amine syntheses are decreased. The serum calcium level in El mice is increased by convulsions, and an elevated serum calcium level enhances brain biogenic amine synthesis through a calmodulin-dependent system. Subsequently, biogenic amines rectify physiological disorders in El mice.


Maudsley reactive (MR/Har) and nonreactive (MNRA/Har) rats: performance in an operant conflict paradigm.

The present studies were designed to characterize the behavior of Maudsley reactive (MR/Har) and nonreactive (MNRA/Har) rats in a modification of the Geller-Seifter operant conflict paradigm. Food-restricted (85% of free-feeding weights) female MR/Har and MNRA/Har rats were trained to lever press for food reinforcement in a multiple-schedule operant conflict paradigm. In the absence of a tone, a fixed ratio-30 (FR-30) schedule for reinforcement only was in effect (i.e., every 30th lever press resulted in the delivery of a 45-mg food pellet). During the presence of a tone, a fixed ratio-1 (FR-1) schedule of both reinforcement (food) and punishment (0.20 mA footshock applied for 500 ms) was in effect (i.e., each lever press resulted in both food and shock delivery). The tone periods were 27 s in duration and were presented on a variable interval (VI)-120-s schedule (approximately 20 tones/40-min session). Behavioral testing was conducted 5 days/week for 35 weeks. Initially, punished responding between the MR/Har and MNRA/Har rat strains did not differ dramatically. However, over the course of many weeks of conflict testing, rats of the MNRA/Har strain came to accept significantly more shocks than did subjects of the MR/Har strain. A direct examination of footshock sensitivity in these rats revealed that this difference in conflict behavior over time was not due to strain differences in shock sensitivity. The mechanism for this time-dependent difference in conflict behavior between the MR/Har and MNRA/Har rats remains undetermined.


Umami taste of monosodium glutamate enhances the thermic effect of food and affects the respiratory quotient in the rat.

Having previously shown that orogastric stimulation with carbohydrates or sweeteners triggers an increase in metabolic rate and in respiratory quotient, we investigated the possibility that the umami taste of monosodium glutamate (MSG) could act similarly on metabolic responses to protein ingestion. Monosodium glutamate solutions (0.01 and 0.15 M) or vehicle were infused via an intraoral tube during a standardized meal of chow taken in a metabolic device linked to a computer capable of instantaneously measuring RQ and background (resting) metabolic rate in the freely behaving rat. Monosodium glutamate added to the food resulted in a rapid enhancement of metabolic rate that lasted about 30 min, i.e., the period of the anticipatory fraction of thermogenesis. The RQ also switched towards figures indicative of protein utilization. Monosodium glutamate is ineffective when administered independently of meal taking. Taken together these data indicate that the umami taste of MSG exerts an enhancing and specific action on metabolism that obeys the rules of anticipatory reflexes in the sense that both the metabolic rate and substrate utilization adapt from the very first announcement of ingestion of an extra load of protein.


Effect of hepatic portal infusion of water on water intake by water-deprived rats.

To determine whether or not hepatoportal osmoreceptive (or sodium-receptive) signals participate in the control of drinking, we examined the effects of portal infusion of water, 0.9% saline, and 1.8% saline on water intake by water-deprived rats. Infusion was started 0.5 h prior to the end of the water deprivation period for 3.5 h at a rate of 52 microliters/min through either a portal or a jugular catheter. After 24-h water deprivation, water intake was measured successively for 24 h without food. As a result of the water infusion tests, water intake of the portal infusion group was significantly less than that of the jugular infusion group during and after the infusion. Portal infusion of neither 0.9% nor 1.8% saline affected the water intake compared to similar infusion into the jugular vein. It is concluded that hypotonic stimulation of the hepatoportal osmoreceptor suppresses water intake in water-deprived rats. On the contrary, isotonic or hypertonic stimulation does not produce any change of water intake.


Chin-marking behavior in male and female New Zealand rabbits: onset, development, and activation by steroids.

Chin marking (chinning) frequency was determined daily in 25 male and 24 female New Zealand rabbits aged 31-150 days. Chinning appeared earlier in females (mean +/- SD = 41 +/- 16 days) than in males (47 +/- 13 days). Between days 30-50, females displayed chinning more frequently than males. Thereafter, chinning increased steadily in both sexes up to day 100. Chinning curves levelled on days 100 and 140 in males and females, respectively. Profile analysis of male and female chinning curves showed significant differences in their slopes and in their population means (p < 0.001). At 7 months of age (days 210-224), both sexes displayed adult chinning frequencies: mean of means +/- SD = 103 +/- 18 and 79 +/- 14 marks/10 min in males (n = 8) and females (n = 8), respectively. The administration of testosterone propionate (TP, 1 mg/day) or estradiol benzoate (EB, 1 microgram/day) to males and females, respectively, from days 31-50, stimulated higher chinning frequencies than those displayed by untreated animals. Results suggest that chinning frequency increases throughout development largely as a consequence of a concomitant increase in sex steroid secretion.


Olfactory recognition of infants in laboratory mice: role of noradrenergic mechanisms.

Noradrenaline depletion of the olfactory bulbs induces cannibalism at parturition in primiparous mice, without producing anosmia or impairment of maternal behaviour. Similar lesions made in multiparous experienced females do not result in cannibalism. The present studies investigated 1) whether a 30-min exposure to pups or to distal cues from pups given to virgin females before noradrenaline depletion of the olfactory bulbs overcame the impairment in recognition at first parturition, and 2) whether noradrenaline-depleted females allowed to care for their pups for the 24 h following parturition showed a failure in recognition on a second parturition. Experiment 1 showed that exposure to distal cues from pups enabled the females to successfully recognize pups at parturition in comparison to naive females. However, neither the exposure to pup cues nor the fully interactive experience with pups overcame the disruptive effect on recognition at birth of the noradrenaline depletion. In Experiment 2, we found that olfactory recognition was impaired in noradrenaline-depleted females on second parturition, in spite of the mothering experience with their own pups.


Testicular function, secondary sexual development, and social status in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx).

Positive correlations between dominance rank and plasma testosterone levels have been described for adult males of several primate species in captivity, but the relevance of such observations to free-ranging animals is unclear. CIRMF in Gabon maintains a breeding group of 45 mandrills in a six hectare, naturally rainforested enclosure. This study describes correlations between dominance rank (in agonistic encounters), levels of plasma testosterone, testicular volume, body weight, and development of secondary sexual characteristics (red and blue sexual skin on the muzzle and rump areas) in male mandrills under semifree ranging conditions. Two morphological and social variants of adult male mandrill were identified. Large-rumped or fatted adult males (n = 3) remained in the social group and exhibited maximal development of sexual skin coloration as well as large testicular size and highest plasma testosterone levels. By contrast, slimmer-rumped or nonfatted males (n = 3) lived a peripheral or solitary existence and these exhibited less development of their secondary sexual coloration and had smaller testes and lower plasma testosterone levels. Longitudinal studies of gonadal development in these six males revealed that testicular volumes and plasma testosterone levels increased most rapidly during pubertal development (4-5 years of age) in the three animals which proceeded to the fatted condition. These included the highest ranking, group-associated male which exhibited the most intense sexual skin coloration and had higher testosterone levels, although this was not correlated with testicular volume. This study shows that in the male mandrill social factors and reproductive development are interrelated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)