Basal and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-induced biosynthesis and release of luteinizing hormone: effect of calcium deprivation. The present study examines the basal and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-stimulated biosynthesis and release of luteinizing hormone (LH) by pituitary cells in primary culture, and the effect of extracellular calcium deprivation on these events. Pituitaries from ovariectomized adult rats were enzymatically dispersed and cultured for 96 h. The cells were then incubated for 5 h (Expts. 1 and 3) or for different time intervals between 0 and 5 h (Expt. 2), in medium containing [14C]leucine ([14C]leu) and [3H]glucosamine ([3H]gln), with or without GnRH. Total immunoreactive LH (iLH) was measured in the medium and the cell extract by radioimmunoassay. LH translation (as estimated by [14C]leu incorporation into LH; [14C]LH) and LH glycosylation (as estimated by [3H]gln incorporation into LH; [3H]LH) were measured by immunoprecipitation with specific LH beta antiserum in both medium and cell extract. Treating the cells with GnRH caused both time- and dose-dependent increases of iLH in the medium as well as in total (cells plus medium) content, with an approximate ED50 of 0.7 nM. GnRH also stimulated LH biosynthesis by increasing both LH polypeptide chain synthesis and LH glycosylation. The effect of GnRH on LH glycosylation was detected earlier than that on translation, the [3H]LH rates of production and release being higher than those of [14C]LH. These findings suggest that GnRH-induced translation and glycosylation of LH are independently regulated. Removal of extracellular calcium resulted in the loss of cellular responsiveness to GnRH, preventing not only the stimulatory effects of GnRH on total and released iLH but also the GnRH-induced incorporation of both [14C]leu and [3H]gln into newly synthesized LH. These observations suggest that GnRH-stimulated LH glycosylation and LH translation involve calcium-dependent mechanisms. Neither the uptake of radiolabeled precursors nor their incorporation into total protein were affected by GnRH or Ca(2+)-deficient (no added calcium) medium. The results also suggest that the release of newly synthesized LH is regulated differently from previously synthesized stored hormone.


The cloning of the human follicle stimulating hormone receptor and its expression in COS-7, CHO, and Y-1 cells. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor clones were isolated from a human testis cDNA library. Characterization of the cDNA clones showed that the DNA and predicted amino acid sequences of the long open reading frame differed from a previously published human ovarian FSH receptor sequence (Minegish et al. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 175, 1125-1130) by seven nucleotides and five amino acids. A human FSH receptor splice variant was also identified and characterized. A full-length human FSH receptor cDNA was engineered for expression in COS-7, CHO, and Y-1 cells. In transient transfections of COS-7 cells and stable transfections of Y-1 cells, efficient FSH receptor mRNA accumulation and isolation of FSH-responsive cell lines occurred only when an intron was included in the 5' untranslated region of the FSH receptor transcription unit. Y-1 cells stably transfected with the FSH receptor responded to FSH treatment by rounding up and by synthesizing increased amounts of progesterone. Stably transfected CHO cell lines, which responded to FSH by synthesizing increased amounts of cAMP, were isolated irrespective of the presence of the heterologous intron. The FSH-responsive CHO and Y-1 cell lines may be suitable for the development of better in vitro FSH bioassays. These cells also constitute a convenient source of human FSH receptor protein for use in radioreceptor assays and in studies of receptor-ligand interactions.


Mouse submandibular glands express an androgen-regulated transcript encoding an acidic epididymal glycoprotein-like molecule. Acidic epididymal glycoprotein (AEG) is an androgen-regulated, epididymal secretory protein assumed to be involved in sperm maturation. In the present study, we show that the mouse submandibular gland (SMG) expresses two genes designated Aeg-1 and Aeg-2. The nucleotide sequence of Aeg-1 cDNA clones was identical to that of epididymis-expressed Aeg cDNA clones, indicating that Aeg-1 is expressed in both epididymides and SMGs. The second, more abundant transcript, Aeg-2, had a sequence similar to, but distinct from, that of Aeg-1, and was not detectable in the epididymis. The level of Aeg-1 and Aeg-2 transcripts in the SMG was androgen-regulated and showed sexual dimorphism. In situ hybridization of SMG sections showed that Aeg-1 and Aeg-2 transcripts are produced by the cells of granular convoluted tubules. The C-terminal cysteine-rich region of the mouse AEG-2 molecule appears to have diverged faster than that of the mouse AEG-1 molecule, consistent with the idea that this region may play a role unique to the protein of the male reproductive system.


Vasopressin biosynthesis in rodent Leydig cells. Local biosynthesis of the peptide hormone vasopressin is demonstrated in vitro in Leydig cells derived from rat and mouse testis. Cycloheximide-sensitive production of the nonapeptide was shown for rat Leydig cells in primary culture. A polymerase chain reaction technique demonstrated the presence of functionally constituted vasopressin mRNA in rat and mouse testis, primary mouse Leydig cells and in rat and mouse Leydig tumour cell lines (MA10, R2C). Stimulation of cells with gonadotropins, however, had no effect either on peptide production or on levels of specific mRNA. Similarly, treatment of the MA10 cell line with a phorbol ester, or with rat atriopeptin, which activate other second messenger pathways, had no influence on vasopressin mRNA levels. The results are discussed in terms of an autocrine regulatory system which would provide the cell with information about its microenvironment.


Regulation of the epididymal glutathione peroxidase-like protein in the mouse: dependence upon androgens and testicular factors. The protein MEP24 was previously described as a glutathione peroxidase-like molecule specifically secreted by the mouse caput epididymidis. Recently, its binding to the head of spermatozoa was demonstrated. Here, the regulation of MEP24 expression was studied by analyzing transcriptional and translational activities in the epididymis (1) of adult mice castrated on day 60 and given various substitutive testosterone (T) treatments from day 90 and (2) of hemicastrated adult animals. In castrated mice, T treatment induced a significant rise in plasma T and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations that greatly exceeded the control values. Owing to efficient regulation, however, the epididymal T and DHT levels were never higher than those of the controls. The restoration of MEP24 mRNA accumulation was complete when the epididymal DHT content returned to its normal value. However, when estimated in a cell-free system, the in vitro translatable MEP24 mRNA level never exceeded 70% of control values, even though the DHT and accumulated mRNAs were restored by 100% or more. In hemicastrates, the T content was normal on the castrated side, while the DHT content exhibited a significant decrease (47%). In this case, the MEP24 mRNA accumulation reached 88% of the normal value, but the translation rate, both in vitro and in vivo, was only about 50%. Ultrastructural studies showed that the normal rough endoplasmic reticulum organization in segment I cells is dependent upon the presence of testicular fluid in the epididymal duct lumen. Thus, this report shows that the MEP24 mRNA steady-state level is completely recovered in the presence of a normal epididymal DHT content, while restoration of the regulation of translation is just partial. This could be related to the cell organization but seems mainly dependent upon the presence of specific mRNA-associated factors which are probably under the control of androgens and/or molecules carried by the testicular fluid.


Divergent differentiation of rat adrenocortical cells is associated with an interruption of angiotensin II-mediated signal transduction. The zones of the adrenal cortex contain distinct populations of cells which share a common developmental origin and steroidogenic template. In the rat, zona glomerulosa cells respond to angiotensin II (Ang II) with increased steroidogenesis while zona fasciculata/reticularis cells do not. We have examined Ang II-mediated signal transduction in homogeneous cellular sub-populations derived from either the zona glomerulosa (GLOM) or the zona fasciculata (FASC). In both of these sub-populations Ang II treatment significantly increased the levels of 3H-labelled inositol phosphates as well as the total mass of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate. In contrast, the two cell types exhibited very different Ang II-mediated changes in free intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i). Ang II (10 nM), induced [Ca2+]i increases of > 50 nM in 90% of individual GLOM cells (53/58), but in only 28% of FASC cells (11/39). These [Ca2+]i responses occurred after a transient Ang II stimulation ( < 1 min), in the presence of verapamil and in the absence of extracellular calcium, indicating an intracellular release. In small groups of 10-30 cells, stimulation with 1, 10 and 100 nM Ang II induced [Ca2+]i increases of 78, 178 and 215 nM respectively in GLOM cultures compared to only 35, 64, and 65 nM in FASC cultures. Thapsigargin treatment, which releases intracellular calcium in an inositol phosphate independent manner, elicited [Ca2+]i increases in both populations. Importantly, a calcium ionophore induced elevation of [Ca2+]i increased steroidogenesis in both cell types. These results suggest that an interruption of the signaling cascade at the level of intracellular calcium release contributes to the lack of a steroidogenic response to Ang II by the FASC cells. Therefore, in the rat adrenal cortex, divergent differentiation of related cell types may involve alterations within signal transduction pathways distal to initial receptor-mediated events (i.e. inositol phosphate production) and proximal to downstream effector events (i.e. steroidogenesis).


Developmental expression of hepatic growth hormone receptor and insulin-like growth factor-I mRNA in the chicken. We have examined the ontogeny of expression of growth hormone (GH) receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) mRNA in chicken liver from day 13 of incubation until 31 weeks of age. The profiles of GHR and IGF-I mRNA levels were compared to developmental changes in body weight and plasma levels of GH and IGF-I. In the embryo, hepatic GHR mRNA was not detectable until day 15, highest on days 17 and 19, and then declined at hatching (day 21). Following an initial 2-week delay after hatching, there was a progressive increase in hepatic GHR mRNA which continued after the birds reached mature body weight. Plasma GH reached peak levels at 3-4 weeks of age and then fell sharply until maintenance of a low basal level after 10 weeks of age. Thus, there appears to be a strong inverse relationship between expression of the GHR and basal plasma GH levels in the prepubertal chicken. Although IGF-I mRNA was undetectable in embryonic liver by Northern blot analysis, there is a good correlation between expression of hepatic IGF-I mRNA and the plasma IGF-I profile during post-hatching development in the chicken. The highest levels of IGF-I mRNA were reached at 4 weeks of age which was followed by a slow decline to the basal levels maintained after 10 weeks of age. It appears that the decline in plasma IGF-I lags considerably behind the sharp fall in plasma GH levels and expression of hepatic IGF-I mRNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Localization of the heparin binding site of follistatin. To define the heparin-binding site of follistatin, the reduced and S-carboxymethylated recombinant human follistatin containing 288 amino acids was digested by Staphylococcus aureus V8. The digested product was subjected to sulfate cellufine column chromatography and the adsorbed peptide fragments eluted with a stepwise gradient of sodium chloride. The recovered column fractions were further purified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the HPLC peaks subjected to amino-terminal sequence analysis. All of the sulfate cellufine-retarded peptide fragments gave the same N-terminal amino acid sequence, which started at residue-68 of human follistatin, suggested that those fragments starting from residue-68 contain the heparin binding site. The multiple fragments might represent the oxidized, non-glycosylated or glycosylated forms of follistatin(68-113) resulting from the V8 digestion. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the region having the amino acid sequence 72-86 of follistatin was able to bind both heparin and sulfate cellufine, as well as compete with recombinant follistatin for binding to heparin. These findings further define the location of the heparin and heparan sulfate-binding site of follistatin at the basic amino acid-rich region comprising the amino acid sequence Lys75-Lys-Cys-Arg-Met-Asn-Lys-Lys-Asn-Lys-Pro-Arg86.


Variants of the 5'-untranslated sequence of human growth hormone receptor mRNA. The human growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene was proposed to contain multiple 5'-noncoding exons (Leung et al., 1987). The exact number and structure of these exons are unknown. As a first step in investigating this point more closely, we decided to clone alternative 5'-noncoding sequences of human liver GHR mRNA. The ligation-mediated single-sided polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied for selective amplification of 5'-terminal sequences of human liver GHR cDNA. PCR products were cloned and sequenced. Eight different sequence variants diverging in the 5'-untranslated regions beginning 12 base pairs upstream from the initiating ATG codon were found. One variant seems to represent unspliced or partially spliced GHR mRNA. The remaining variants probably correspond to multiple alternatively spliced forms of GHR mRNA. Homologs for three of these variants were found among previously published 5'-noncoding sequences of GHR cDNA obtained from other species by conventional cDNA cloning. Most of the cloned human liver GHR cDNA variants contain one or more ATG preceding the main GHR open reading frame start of translation. Thus, the GHR genes appeared to be a striking example of a very complex transcription unit.


Transcriptional activity of a mutant thyroid hormone receptor beta in a family with generalized resistance to thyroid hormone. We previously reported a family with generalized resistance to thyroid hormone (GRTH) which had a point mutation with codon 448 CCT (proline) being converted to ACT (threonine) in the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) beta. To characterize functional properties of the mutant TR beta, transient expression studies were performed in COS cells. A double stranded oligonucleotide encompassing thyroid hormone response element (TRE) derived from the rat GH gene was synthesized. We constructed chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) plasmid containing the thymidine kinase promoter under the control of the rat GH TRE. T3 induction of CAT activity by the mutant TR beta was significantly reduced as compared with that of the normal TR beta. This was observed in the presence of 0.5-50 nM T3, but not at 500 nM T3. When the normal and mutant TR beta were cotransfected, the mutant TR beta inhibited gene activation regulated by the normal TR beta. However, a high molar excess was necessary to significantly inhibit the function of the normal receptor. Additionally, the binding of in vitro synthesized mutant TR beta to TRE was preserved.


Thyroid hormone regulates Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA levels of sarcoplasmic reticulum during neonatal development of fast skeletal muscle. In gastrocnemius muscle from newborn rats the mRNA for the fast sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform (SERCA1) comprised over 90% of total SR Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA content and increased 5-fold between day 5 and 20 after birth, whereas in hypothyroid muscle the SERCA1 message level remained constant. Triiodothyronine (T3) treatment of 2-day-old euthyroid rats induced a precocious stimulation of SERCA1 mRNA levels, indicating that T3 is the determining factor in the stimulation of SERCA1 message levels and that this stimulation underlies the previously reported effect of the thyroid status on the neonatal development of SR Ca(2+)-ATPase activity. The low mRNA level for the slow SR Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform (SERCA2) was constant in both euthyroid and hypothyroid muscle development. Nevertheless, T3 treatment of hypothyroid neonates induced a transient stimulation of SERCA2 message levels, indicating that SERCA2 is responsive to higher levels of T3.


Absence of direct regulation of prolactin cells by estradiol-17 beta in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The effects of estradiol-17 beta (E2) implants on plasma prolactin (PRL) concentrations, pituitary PRL content and pituitary PRL mRNA levels were examined in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Intact immature fish treated with 1 mg estradiol-17 beta did not show significant changes in both PRL mRNA levels and pituitary PRL content after 3 days of treatment. In a similar experiment, no changes were observed in plasma PRL levels followed during 7 days. Similarly, lack of estradiol-17 beta effect on plasma PRL levels and on final PRL pituitary content was observed in ovariectomized female rainbow trout treated during 48 days with 25 mg estradiol-17 beta and in mature male fish over a 3-week treatment period. Localization of estradiol receptor (ER) mRNAs in the pituitary was carried out by Northern blot analysis using a full-length rainbow trout estrogen receptor (rtER) cDNA as a probe. The rostral pars distalis of the pituitary which contained mostly PRL cells showed the lower amount of rtER mRNA when compared to other parts of the pituitary. Moreover, two mRNAs of different size (3.5 and 1.4 kb) were detected in different parts of the pituitary. Further hybridization experiments using probes containing part of the rtER cDNA (E domain or C and D domains) indicated that the small-sized mRNA (1.4 kb) probably encodes a truncated ER protein lacking hormone binding domain or an ER-related protein. Thus, only the 3.56 kb mRNA appeared to be involved in the regulation of pituitary function by estradiol. In situ hybridization analysis allowed a more precise localization of this rtER mRNA in the pituitary.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Biosynthetic labeling of beta-hexosaminidase B: inhibition of the cellular uptake of lysosomal secretions containing [3H]hexosaminidase B by insulin-like growth factor-II in rat C6 glial cells. The insulin-like growth factor-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor binds two classes of ligands, IGF-II and lysosomal enzymes containing the mannose-6-phosphate recognition marker. To study the interaction of the two classes of ligands at the receptor level, we have isolated 'high uptake' forms of lysosomal enzymes containing mannose-6-phosphate that had been radiolabeled biosynthetically using a tissue culture model: Tay-Sachs disease fibroblasts were incubated in medium containing [3H]mannose, ammonium chloride and mannose-6-phosphate. Under the conditions of these experiments, the Tay-Sachs disease fibroblasts synthesized and secreted radiolabeled hexosaminidase B, as confirmed by measuring enzymatic activity of cell-conditioned medium. The enzyme secreted was recognized by antibodies raised against purified hexosaminidase A and B but not by nonimmune control sera in Western blotting and immunoprecipitation experiments. The radiolabeled cell-conditioned medium was partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography on a DEAE-Sephadex column. When partially purified [3H]hexosaminidase B was incubated with rat C6 glial cells which express large numbers of IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptors, the enzyme was taken up specifically via the IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor as evidenced by carbohydrate competition experiments. The specific uptake of the radiolabeled lysosomal enzyme was partially inhibited by IGF-II and an antibody against the IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor (No. 3637). We conclude that the cellular uptake of a biosynthetically labeled lysosomal enzyme, hexosaminidase B, is partially inhibited by IGF-II. We hypothesize that IGF-II might be capable of modulating lysosomal pathways in vivo.


Prolactin stimulates transcription of aspartate aminotransferase in prostate cells. Prolactin (PRL) has been reported to stimulate citrate production and the activity of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (mAAT) and its precursor form pmAAT in prostate epithelial cells. The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) caused the same result as PRL, which suggests that the PRL effect on mAAT activity might be mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) stimulation of pmAAT gene transcription. Both PRL and TPA increased the level of pmAAT mRNA by 2.5- to 3-fold in pig prostate cells. The PKC inhibitor gossypol completely inhibited the PRL and TPA induced increases. In addition, the effects of both PRL and TPA were inhibited by down-regulation of prostate PKC. Nuclear run-off assays indicated that PRL and TPA induction of pmAAT occurred primarily at the transcriptional level. The stimulation of pmAAT transcription by TPA suggests that the pmAAT gene contains a TPA response element. Thus, these results are consistent with our previous observation that PRL directly induces pmAAT and that the mechanism of this PRL effect might involve stimulation of PKC.


Prolactin-induced protein kinase C activity in a mouse mammary cell line (NOG-8). The normal mouse mammary epithelial cells, NOG-8, respond to the mitogenic signal of prolactin with a 2.5-fold increase in cell number within 3 days in vitro. When prolactin is added to subconfluent cells for 5-15 min, there is a 5-fold increase in protein kinase C activity. Upon longer exposure (24 h) to the hormone, the enzyme activity returns to that of control. The potent protein kinase C inhibitor, 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride (H7), blocks both the prolactin-induced enzyme activity and subsequent increase in cell number. Prior to prolactin treatment, 90% of the protein kinase C activity resides in the cytosol with only 10% associated with the membranes. After only 5 min of prolactin treatment, 70% of the enzyme activity is now localized to the membranes. These data suggest that prolactin uses the protein kinase C pathway for signal transduction in NOG-8 cells thus leading to enhanced cell growth.


Thyroid-specific and hormone-dependent expression of rat thyroglobulin promoter fused with bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in transgenic mice. The minimal promoter of rat thyroglobulin (TG) gene (168 bp) was fused with bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, and transgenic mice carrying the TGCAT gene were produced. The minimal promoter is sufficient for thyroid-specific and hormone-dependent expression of TGCAT in transgenic mice. Deletion of a region between -128 and -92 bp (TGII), which is not required for the expression of TGCAT in transient expression assays but whose sequence is most extensively conserved among different species, appears to decrease frequency of the expression of TGCAT in transgenic mice. However, the same deletion apparently has no significant effect on TG promoter activity in stably transformed rat FRTL-5 cells.


Insulin receptors and insulin-like growth factor I receptors in embryos from gastrula until organogenesis. The demonstration of growth factor receptors in very young embryos is limited by the difficulty in obtaining sufficient tissue to yield adequate membrane preparations. We have developed an in situ binding technique that allowed quantitation of [125I]insulin and [125I]insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) binding to individual chick embryos. Specific binding per embryo increased from the youngest stage studied (Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) stages 3-4, gastrulating embryo of approximately 18-20 h) until the third day of development. At all ages, the binding of [125I]IGF-I was several fold higher than the binding of [125I]insulin. Autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the receptors was stimulated by insulin and IGF-I in a stage- and dose-dependent manner. The two peptides did not have an additive effect. The present studies further support our previous data showing the early developmental appearance of insulin and IGF-I receptors, which very likely are essential for normal embryo development. In addition, this in situ method for demonstration of receptors can be applied to other types of receptors present in isolated organs and young embryos.


An estrogen receptor positive MCF-7 clone that is resistant to antiestrogens and estradiol. The antiestrogen tamoxifen has been successfully used to control estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor positive breast cancer. However, the development of antiestrogen resistance is frequently observed in patients following long term treatment. We have studied the development of antiestrogen resistance in vitro and established an antiestrogen resistant variant of MCF-7 cells (clone 5C) after long term culture in estrogen free medium. The growth of clone 5C cells was not altered by either estradiol-17 beta or the antiestrogens 4-hydroxytamoxifen and ICI 164,384. Estrogen-stimulated progesterone receptor and reporter gene expression were markedly reduced in 5C cells compared to wild type MCF-7 cells. Only minor alteration in the levels of ER and no alteration in the affinity of ER for ligand were found in 5C cells. No mutation of ER cDNA in 5C cells was detected by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. This study demonstrates that change(s) in ER-mediated gene expression rather than the amino acid sequence of the ER itself may be associated with the development of at least one form of antiestrogen resistance.


Progesterone stimulates sulfate uptake in subcultured endometrial epithelial cells. The effect of progesterone was studied on the sulfate entry in glandular epithelial cells of guinea-pig endometrium subcultured in bicameral chambers on matrix-coated filters in a chemically defined medium. At post-confluency (8 days of subculture), cells were treated with 10 nM estradiol alone or in association with various concentrations of progesterone. Optimal progesterone action was at a 16 h incubation time and a 10 nM hormonal concentration. Progesterone increased in a dose-dependent fashion the sulfate uptake specifically in glandular epithelial cells, preferentially from the basal surface. Progesterone effect on the sulfate uptake occurred only in estradiol-primed epithelial cells and was inhibited by the antiprogestin steroid RU-486. The progesterone-dependent increase in sulfate uptake was inhibited by the inhibitor of anion exchange, 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). At physiological sulfate concentrations, progesterone essentially induces a high-affinity DIDS-sensitive transport system.


Phenotypic and proliferative properties of Schwann cells from nerves of diabetic patients. The phenotypic (morphologic and antigenic) properties and mitotic index of cultured Schwann cells obtained by dissecting nerves from six diabetic patients were studied. These features were compared with those of Schwann cells cultured in vitro from six normal control nerves. Preservation of the specific antigenic properties of cells, identified with rabbit antiserum as bovine protein S-100, was documented by immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies against laminin, fibronectin, histocompatibility antigens HLA-A, B, C and -DR, HNK-1 antigen and the human receptor for nerve growth factor. The cell proliferation index was assessed by incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine. The results of the study showed that the mitotic capacities of Schwann cells from diabetic nerves cultured in vitro remained comparable with those of normal control cells. As regards phenotypic characteristics, no modifications were detectable by immunofluorescence. These findings suggest that the phenomena of demyelination and remyelination, sometimes with onion bulb features, which can be observed in some cases of diabetic neuropathy, are not due to a primary dysfunction of the Schwann cells but are secondary to axonal degeneration.


Counteraction on experimentally induced diabetic neuropathy by levocarnitine acetyl. The effect of levocarnitine acetyl on diabetic peripheral neuropathy induced by a single injection of streptozotocin or alloxan was studied. Levocarnitine acetyl was administered intraperitoneally one week after induction of diabetes at the dose of 50 mg/kg/day for five and ten weeks. At the end of treatment, neuromuscular conduction velocity (m/sec) was evaluated by stimulating the sciatic nerve and recording the soleus muscle potentials evoked, and the muscle contraction force (mm) by measuring the isometric muscular tension. Motor coordination was evaluated on the Rota-rod apparatus. Treatment with levocarnitine acetyl fully prevented the reduction (20%) in the neuromuscular conduction velocity observed in both experimental models of diabetes. The decrease (30-33%) in muscle contraction force was prevented partially in streptozotocin-induced diabetes and fully in alloxan-induced diabetes. Levocarnitine acetyl also improved the concomitantly reduced motor performance. The results of the present study suggest a beneficial effect of levocarnitine acetyl on peripheral neuropathy and muscle performance.


Altered neuroexcitability in experimental diabetic neuropathy: effect of acetyl-L-carnitine. Sciatic nerve conduction velocity (NCV) is reduced in rats made hyperglycaemic with streptozotocin (STZ). This neurophysiological dysfunction has been associated with increased nerve sorbitol and reduced nerve inositol. Treatment of STZ diabetic rats with aldose reductase inhibitors (ARIs) which reduce sorbitol and increase inositol in the nerve results in normalization of NCVs. Male Wistar rats were made diabetic with 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin given intraperitoneally. Those animals with blood glucose > 300 mg/dl two weeks later were included in this study. The STZ-diabetic rats were treated with either the ARI sorbinil (40 mg/kg per day), or acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) (300 mg/kg per day) or sterile 0.15% aqueous NaCl for 16 weeks after 4 or 8 weeks of untreated hyperglycaemia. A control group of non-diabetic rats received no treatment during the interval. Sciatic-nerve sorbitol was elevated (1.08 +/- 0.13 nanomol/mg wet weight vs. 0.19 +/- 0.03 nm/mg wet weight) and inositol was reduced (1.21 +/- 0.12 nm/mg ww vs. 2.02 +/- 0.08 nm/mg ww) in the STZ diabetic rats, which were untreated for 4 weeks. Treatment with sorbinil was associated with normalization of the tissue sorbitol (0.10 +/- 0.05 nm/mg ww), while ALC treatment also significantly reduced the nerve sorbitol but only to a level (0.34 +/- 0.08 nm/mg ww) more elevated than the normal level. The nerves of STZ animals treated with sorbinil or ALC had inositol levels no different from untreated diabetic rats. Thus, hyperglycaemic animals treated with either ALC or sorbinil had similar improvements in NCVs as the diabetic, even though the effect on nerve sorbitol was different and nerve inositol was unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The roles of glucose-induced metabolic hypoxia and imbalances in carnitine metabolism in mediating diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction. Investigations were initiated to examine the rate of imbalances in carnitine metabolism in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular changes in the retina, peripheral nerves, aorta and kidney. It appears that glucose/diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction and early vascular structural changes are mediated by hyperglycaemic hypoxia i.e. glucose-induced metabolic imbalances that cause an increase in the reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide/nicotinic acid dehydrogenase ratio, and are linked to imbalances in carnitine metabolism.


Morphological and electrophysiological changes of peripheral nerve-muscle unit in the aged rat prevented by levocarnitine acetyl. The effects of levocarnitine acetyl on structure and function of the sciatic nerve and neuromuscular junctions of the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles were studied in the aged rat. To that end, neuromuscular conduction velocity (NMCV) was measured in vivo and morphological and morphometric evaluations were performed. Treatment with levocarnitine acetyl, 150 mg/kg day for six months, restored NMCV values to the levels measured in the young rat; significantly reduced the number of degenerating elements; and increased the number of myelinated fibres having normal structural features. In the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles, levocarnitine acetyl increased the complexity of neuromuscular junctions. These experimental findings suggest a neurotrophic action of levocarnitine acetyl on the peripheral nervous system that might have therapeutical applications in age-related peripheral nerve changes.


Levocarnitine acetyl treatment promotes iris reinnervation following 6-hydroxydopamine-induced noradrenergic denervation in rats. The effect of levocarnitine acetyl on neurite regeneration was evaluated following administration of 6-hydroxydopamine which caused a selective degeneration of peripheral catecholaminergic neurites in the irides of newborn and young rats. Levocarnitine acetyl 20 mg/kg body weight was administered either subcutaneously to newborn rats for 20 days or dissolved in drinking water to young rats for 90 days. Treatment with levocarnitine acetyl promoted neurite outgrowth following axotomy in both groups, thus demonstrating a stimulatory role of the substance in nerve regeneration of the peripheral nervous system. The results further confirm that levocarnitine acetyl is endowed with therapeutical efficacy in peripheral neuropathies.


Levocarnitine acetyl prevents cell death following long-term section of the vagus nerve in rats. Levocarnitine acetyl has previously been found to significantly prevent axotomy-induced cell death in the spinal cord motor nucleus 9 and 12 months after section of the sciatic nerve in rats. In the present paper, the effects of levocarnitine acetyl on axotomy-induced cell death in the brain stem motor nuclei 90 days after section of the vagus nerve were studied. The right vagus nerve was cut at the neck. To prevent regeneration, a 5 mm-long segment of the vagus nerve was excised and the distal stump was displaced caudally. After surgery, a group of rats (n = 6) was treated with levocarnitine acetyl dissolved in the drinking water (75 mg/kg/day) (Group I). A second group of operated rats (n = 4) received drinking water alone. (Group II). Ninety days postoperatively, in the rats of both groups the proximal nerve stump of the vagus nerve was injected with horseradish peroxidase to label retrogradely the brain stem motoneurons of the dorsal motor vagal and the ambiguus nuclei. The brain stem nuclei were also labelled by horseradish peroxidase in three unoperated control rats (Group III). In the Group II rats, the number of horseradish peroxidase-labelled motoneurons of the dorsal motor vagal nucleus was found to be significantly smaller than in either the Group I (p < 0.01) or the Group III (p < 0.02) animals. In the Group I rats, the number of motoneurons of the dorsal motor vagal nucleus was not significantly smaller compared to the Group III rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Idiopathic facial paralysis: new therapeutic prospects with acetyl-L-carnitine. The study population was composed of 43 patients affected by idiopathic facial paralysis (20 males and 23 females), aged between 11 and 67. The study was carried out in a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled manner. Acetyl-L-carnitine was given in an oral dose of 3 x 1 g daily for 1 month, along with a daily oral administration of 50 mg of methylprednisolone for 14 days. The evaluation was made by means of electromyograms (EMG) of the orbicularis oculi and oris muscles, by the Schirmes lacrimation test, by stapedial reflex test and a score scale for clinical assessment of paralysis. Results so far obtained have shown an earlier functional recovery of the nerve in those patients treated with acetyl-L-carnitine. Comparison between the affected and unaffected sides of the face revealed a statistical significance in the treated group (p < 0.05) as well as the amplitudes of the muscle action potentials (MAP) between the affected sides (p < 0.01).


Reversible lung lesions in rats due to short-term exposure to ultrafine cobalt particles. Using an ultrasonic nebulizer, cobalt aerosols (MMAD = 0.76 microns, sigma g = 2.1) were generated from an aqueous suspension of ultrafine metallic cobalt particles (Uf-Co) with a primary diameter of 20 nm. Rats were exposed to Uf-Co aerosols at 2.72 +/- 0.44 mg/m3 for 5 hours (Exp. 1) or at 2.12 +/- 0.55 mg/m3 for 4 days at 5 hours/day (Exp. 2). Only minimum histopathological changes were observed in the lungs in Exp. 1. In Exp. 2, evidence of slight injury was noted, including focal hypertrophy or proliferation of the epithelium in the lower airways, damages of macrophages, intracellular edema of the type I alveolar epithelium, interstitial edema, and proliferation of the type II alveolar epithelium. A new finding in this study was the morphological transformation of some damaged type I cells to the juvenile form, which appeared to indicate the capability of self-repair of this cell type. The return to a juvenile form seemed to be a key response of type I cells during the early process of repair without cell division following non-lethal injury. Cobalt accumulated in the lungs after inhalation and was transferred rapidly to the blood. In conclusion, inhaled Uf-Co induced reversible pulmonary injury even after short-term exposure.


Measurement of urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) by fluorometric HPLC and colorimetric methods. We devised a fluorometric HPLC method for determining delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in the urine of lead-exposed workers. With this fluorometric HPLC method and the conventional colorimetric method, the concentrations of urinary ALA in 84 lead workers were determined and compared. In the measurement of urinary ALA at lower levels (< or = 5 mg/1), the value of urinary ALA obtained by the fluorometric HPLC method was much lower than that obtained by the conventional colorimetric method, indicating that the colorimetric method also measures urinary ALA-like compounds such as aminoacetone. On the other hand, the measurement of urinary ALA at higher levels (> 5 mg/1) demonstrated that the ALA value obtained by the fluorometric HPLC method corresponded well with that of the conventional colorimetric method. A correlation coefficient between the fluorometric HPLC method and the colorimetric method was 0.856 for 60 urine samples with ALA < or = 5 mg/1, and 0.996 for 24 urine samples with ALA > 5 mg/1.


Estimation of metallothionein synthesis in cadmium-exposed human lymphocytes by gel electrophoresis and silver staining. Metallothionein (MT) is a low molecular weight metal-binding protein that is induced by a variety of heavy metals, and therefore is a candidate for an index in the biological monitoring of heavy metal exposure. As an approach to the establishment of a practical monitoring method, we estimated the MT levels in Cd-exposed cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as purified lymphocytes using a technique developed for the electrophoretic analysis of MTs. By this procedure, we could successfully detect the MTs induced by Cd in a dose-dependent manner. MTs were detectable even in cells exposed to as low as 0.5 microM Cd, which is close to the blood Cd levels of exposed workers. These results indicate the usefulness of this technique as a practical method for the monitoring of heavy metal exposure.


Pituitary-thyroid axis reactivity to hyper- and hypothyroidism in the perinatal period: ontogeny of regulation of regulation and long-term programming of responses. To evaluate the role of perinatal thyroid status in the development of pituitary-thyroid axis regulation, we administered triiodothyronine to newborn rats for the first five days postpartum to achieve hyperthyroidism, or propylthiouracil perinatally to rat dams and pups from gestational day 17 through postnatal day 5 to achieve hypothyroidism. Plasma T4, T3, and TSH levels were determined from birth through 50 days postpartum. Administration of exogenous T3 produced the expected immediate suppression of plasma T4 and TSH, with recovery toward normal values beginning within days of discontinuing the T3 regimen. Plasma T3 values were markedly elevated during the period in which T3 was being given, but subsequently became subnormal, with deficits persisting into young adulthood. With the PTU regimen, plasma T4 and T3 levels were markedly suppressed through postnatal day 10, rose over the ensuing two weeks, but nevertheless showed significant deficits into adulthood. TSH levels in the immediate neonatal period were subnormal in the PTU group, despite the marked lowering of circulating thyroid hormones; TSH then rose dramatically to levels four times normal, subsiding to control values by the end of the first month. These results suggest that a critical period exists in which regulation of pituitary-thyroid axis function is programmed. During this phase, TSH secretion can be suppressed by excess thyroid hormones, but cannot be increased by hormone deficiencies. Perhaps more importantly, perinatal thyroid status "programs" its own future reactivity, so that early hypothyroidism results in reduced T4 and T3 levels in adulthood, despite normal levels of TSH.


The influence of gestational age and onset of labour on determinants of fetal-maternal fluid and electrolyte balance in sheep. Our aim was to compare the effects of gestational age and the timing of the onset of labour on factors influencing fetal fluid and electrolyte balance and urine production in fetal sheep. We measured the volume and composition of fetal urine and amniotic and allantoic fluids, as well as fetal and maternal plasma composition and micturition episodes in sheep during late gestation until the onset of labour. We found that daily fetal urine production and urethral urine flow per micturition episode increased significantly in relation to the onset of labour but not to gestational age (P < 0.05). In the 2 days preceding the onset of labour fetal urine and amniotic fluid K+ concentrations and urine osmolality increased significantly and the Na+/K+ ratio in allantoic fluid decreased significantly (P < 0.05). There was also a significant fall in fetal arterial SaO2 (P < 0.05) but no significant changes occurred in fetal plasma electrolyte composition, osmolality or AVP concentrations. Fetal plasma cortisol and prolactin concentrations and amniotic and allantoic fluid prolactin concentrations increased significantly and progressively in association with both advancing gestation and the onset of labour whereas maternal plasma prolactin concentrations increased significantly only in the 2 days before the onset of labour (P < 0.05). We conclude that some developmental aspects of fetal fluid and electrolyte balance, including renal function, are more closely related to the timing of parturition than to gestational age per se.


Cerebral energy metabolism in immature and mature guinea pig fetuses during acute asphyxia. In immature fetuses circulatory centralization caused by acute asphyxia is less effective than that in mature fetuses (Jensen & Berger, 1991). This suggests that cerebral oxygenation may be poor in immature fetuses during asphyxia. On the other hand cerebral oxygen consumption is lower in immature than that in mature fetuses. To determine, whether or not there is an imbalance between oxygen supply and demand in one or the other group, we compared the time course of the changes of cerebral concentrations of both high-energy phosphates and glycolytic intermediates between immature and mature guinea pig fetuses during acute asphyxia caused by arrest of uterine blood flow. The fall in the cerebral concentrations of adenosine triphosphate and glucose, and the rise in those of adenosine monophosphate and lactate were slower in immature than in mature fetuses. There were no differences between the levels of cerebral adenosine diphosphate and creatine phosphate of the two groups. From these results we conclude that during acute asphyxia the imbalance between cerebral oxygen supply and demand is less marked in immature than in mature fetuses.


The development of gluconeogenic enzymes in the liver and kidney of fetal and newborn foals. The activities of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P), fructose diphosphatase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), aspartate and alanine transferases were measured in liver and kidney of fetal foals between 100-318 days of gestation (term approximately 335 days) and during the immediate postnatal period (0-48 h after birth). All 5 enzymes could be detected in the fetal liver and kidney at the youngest gestational age studied. Mean fetal activities were lower than those observed in their mothers and showed no change with gestational age for the majority of enzymes studied. However, renal PEPCK and renal and hepatic G6P did increase towards term. At birth, hepatic and renal activities of these two enzymes were higher than those found in late gestation or in the adult animals. There was no apparent change in the activities of any of the other enzymes at birth. In late gestation (80-90% gestation), the activities of G6P and PEPCK in the foal were low compared to those in other species at the same stage of gestation. Similarly, the perinatal increase in enzyme activity occurred closer to term in the foal than in most other species. These observations indicate that maturation of glucogenic capacity occurs relatively late in the fetal foal and suggests that this process may be dependent on the prepartum rise in fetal cortisol as occurs in other species.


Changes in the PR, RR intervals and ST waveform of the fetal lamb electrocardiogram with acute hypoxemia. The PR and RR intervals and T wave amplitude of the fetal lamb electrocardiogram were studied during acute hypoxemia produced by reduction of the maternal placental blood flow. Five chronically-instrumented fetal lambs (124 to 143 days of gestation) were subjected to acute hypoxemia (observations = 13) through complete occlusion of the maternal aorta for 60 s. The fetuses responded to the occlusion with a fall in oxygen tension (2.18 +/- 0.12 kPa to 1.11 +/- 0.14 kPa, SEM, P < 0.001) and oxygen saturation (48 +/- 4% to 19 +/- 4%, P < 0.001). Modest changes of pH (7.37 +/- 0.05 to 7.35 +/- 0.01, p), carbon dioxide tension (5.79 +/- 0.15 kPa to 6.17 +/- 0.14 kPa, P < 0.001) and plasma lactate concentration (2.1 +/- 0.6 mmol/l to 2.2 +/- 0.6 mmol/l, ns) occurred. The PR interval showed a triphasic pattern following occlusion. Initially, and simultaneously with the onset of the RR interval lengthening, a prolongation of the PR interval occurred (P < 0.01) with a peak value after 41 +/- 3 s after occlusion. Following this transient prolongation, the PR interval shortened concurrently with a maximum lengthening of the RR interval (P < 0.001) 2 +/- 3 s after the end of the occlusion. A maximum PR shortening (P < 0.001) occurred 27 +/- 5 s after occlusion followed by a prolongation of the PR interval (P < 0.001) with a peak value 203 +/- 21 s after release of the occlusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Effects of music preference and selection on stress reduction. The use of music for therapeutic value has been documented throughout history. Modern research has identified specific types of music that seem to produce physiological benefits more consistently than others. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of three types of music on perceived stress levels and to see if a correlation existed between music preference, music played, and stress reduction. Music preference was identified, stress level assessed, music played, and stress level was reassessed with 58 subjects. Paired t tests were statistically significant with two of the three musical styles.


The relationship between health habits and health interests of students and employees in a nontraditional university. This study investigated the health interests of students and full-time employees of a small, nontraditional university, and examined the relationships between selected health habits and correlated health interests. Health habits were assessed using the Wellness Check for Adults developed by the Rhode Island Health Department, and interest in health promotion programs was ascertained by the Health Interests Survey modified by the investigator. Significant (p < .05) differences between students and employees were found in their interest in 5 of the 11 health promotion programs listed. Responses to ranking 3 programs of most interest revealed that for students, exercising, weight control, and nutrition were prioritized, whereas employees ranked managing stress, nutrition, and weight control. Results of bivariate analyses (Mann-Whitney U) relating health habits to specific health interests varied in direction of association and significance. The results suggest a need to ask potential participants what health promotion programming they would be interested in attending rather than developing programs based only on identified health risk behaviors. Implications for further research are addressed.


Therapeutic touch and post-Hurricane Hugo stress. This repeated-session design sought to answer questions about the effectiveness of therapeutic touch in reduction of stress for 23 individuals following a natural disaster. In addition, methodological issues related to the average length of time for a therapeutic-touch treatment and a method of documenting the nonverbal interaction between subject and toucher were investigated. Findings indicate that stressed people report themselves to be less stressed following therapeutic touch (p = .05). Time of therapeutic-touch intervention varied significantly between the touchers, with a range of 6.8 to 20 minutes. Qualitative data examining the interaction of toucher and subject raised a number of questions that require further study.


Intuition in nursing practice: deep connections. The purpose of this study was to describe the phenomenon of intuition in nursing culture. The aims of the study were to (a) identify and describe terminology used with intuition in nursing care practice, (b) describe examples of experiential knowledge of intuition, (c) describe actions taken on intuitive experiences, (d) describe feelings associated with intuitive experience, and (e) compare and contrast patterns and processes of nursing intuition. The design of the study was ethnography. Sampling involved 40 nurses from all levels of the hospital and home health care practice. Intuition was found to (a) facilitate the depth of nurse-client relationships; (b) lead to a deeper understanding and connection with client patterns; (c) be acknowledged as a professional risk; (d) emphasize the significant influence of autonomy, independence, and assertiveness in nursing practice; and (e) contribute to excellence in nursing care. Intuition was identified as a manifestation of transpersonal caring in the art of nursing practice and was deeply connected to caring as the moral ideal of the nursing profession.


Innovative imagery: a health patterning modality for nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to describe the phenomenon of intuition in nursing culture. The aims of the study were to (a) identify and describe terminology used with intuition in nursing care practice, (b) describe examples of experiential knowledge of intuition, (c) describe actions taken on intuitive experiences, (d) describe feelings associated with intuitive experience, and (e) compare and contrast patterns and processes of nursing intuition. The design of the study was ethnography. Sampling involved 40 nurses from all levels of the hospital and home health care practice. Intuition was found to (a) facilitate the depth of nurse-client relationships; (b) lead to a deeper understanding and connection with client patterns; (c) be acknowledged as a professional risk; (d) emphasize the significant influence of autonomy, independence, and assertiveness in nursing practice; and (e) contribute to excellence in nursing care. Intuition was identified as a manifestation of transpersonal caring in the art of nursing practice and was deeply connected to caring as the moral ideal of the nursing profession.


Using relaxation with guided imagery to assist primiparas in achieving maternal role attainment. A framework has been developed that provides nurses with a theoretical basis for using relaxation with guided imagery with primiparas (first-time mothers) to reduce anxiety and depression and to increase self-esteem, thereby promoting maternal role attainment and expected infant behavior during the postpartum period. Although relaxation with guided imagery (RGI) has been used clinically in many situations, no research studies were found that reported using RGI with new mothers. However, because RGI has been effective in altering the responses of adults and children in diverse settings, it is inferred that RGI could be effectively used in helping primiparas adapt to the pressure of parenthood. An RGI protocol for use with new mothers is presented.


The future of nursing in a technological age: computers, robots, and TLC. The computer has become a major tool in the medical treatment of disease. Computers can record vital signs, keep records, and provide central networks for interactive diagnosis. Individual medical histories can be contained in an optical card the size of a credit card. Advances in technology just over the horizon will permit an individual to consult a computer much as one now consults a physician for diagnosis, recommendations, instructions, and treatment. Surgery can be conducted in "virtual space," with the physician operating inside the body (via computer) as if he or she were present at the site of the surgery. Only a step beyond this is the development of robots who can do a better surgical job than a human being. What is missing from this scenario? Tender loving care. That is the nurse's job, and it is something that computers cannot do because it involves feelings and human communication that are beyond mere technology. Consequently, nurses will be needed long after physicians have passed into limbo. The practical lesson of this look into the future is that, although nurses certainly must remain in touch with the cutting edge of technology, their primary purpose will be to retain and sharpen the skills that Florence Nightingale introduced. Human response will never be replaced by technology, and the unchanging need for the nurses' caring function will assure their future.


A concept of holistic ethics for the health professional. Holistic ethics involves a basic underlying concept of the unity and integral wholeness of all people and of all nature that is identified and pursued by finding unity and wholeness within the self. Within this framework, acts are not performed for the sake of law, precedent, or social norms, but rather out of a sense of doing good freely in order to witness, identify, and contribute to unity. The development of holistic ethics involves elements of both the masculine and feminine concepts interacting and relating to one another and encompassing traditional ethical views. It is characterized in the yin-yang mode of the monad of the East and the Western concept of masculine and feminine. Holistic ethics is not an ethics that is grounded or judged either in the act performed or in the distant consequences of the act, but rather in the conscious evolution of an enlightened individual of raised consciousness who performs the act. The concern is the effect of the act primarily on the individual and his or her larger Self (that unity of which he or she is a part).


Plato's model of the psyche: a holistic model for nursing interventions. Plato's theory about psychodynamic forces is used to develop a holistic model for nursing practice. The dysphoric emotional state of demoralization is conceptualized as an imbalance between Spirit, Appetite, and Reason. Interventions are designed for elderly clients who show objective and subjective signs of demoralization. The objective indicators are measured with the Psychiatric Epidemiological Research Interview (PERI), before and after the implementation of individualized interventions. Results for the 23 subjects who completed the study in an assisted-living environment are suggestive of the effectiveness of basic nursing interventions in remediating the symptoms of demoralization. Plato's model of the psyche is an elegant, yet simple, conceptual tool for understanding the mental health needs of clients.


The ethics of caring: a basis for holistic care. Interest in the concept of caring and the ethics of caring has grown as technology and depersonalization of health care delivery have increased. Major concepts of the ethics of caring are reviewed, with special focus on relating caring and virtue ethics. Assuming that caring is a virtue, it is concluded that ethically virtuous nurses must possess the caring attributes and demonstrate caring actions.


Whose life is it anyway? Client autonomy. The concept of individual autonomy, although generally valued in the abstract, is often negated in nursing practice. This is particularly true when the client's physical being is controlled by health care practitioners within an intensive care unit (ICU) setting. The concept of autonomy when applied to American health care practices clearly acknowledges in custom and law the right of the client to determine what treatment is acceptable and under what conditions. This article identifies some of the ethical dilemmas that arise in ICU settings and by a case example elucidates the implications for nursing practice.


Community health and ethical theory: implications for holistic nursing. A conceptual shift from Enlightenment philosophies to communitarian virtues is discussed. Epidemics and preventing disease spread are used as a basis for discussing the major bioethical concepts beneficence, justice, respect for autonomy, and Moskop's principle of restrictive measures. The addition of the concept of community and communitarian virtues to the ethical analysis is discussed. Holistic nurses are challenged to develop and employ morally sound rationale for ethical decisions.


Teaching moral reasoning to student nurses. Teaching moral reasoning to students is a challenge for all nursing educators. The National League for Nursing and American Nurses' Association emphasize the importance of ethical content within the curriculum. Review of the literature indicates that ethics has been part of the nursing curriculum since the early 1900s. However, the focus of nursing ethics has changed to more critical reflective thinking versus duties and etiquette. Educators have used a variety of methods for teaching ethics and integrating it into the curriculum. Yet nursing graduates still lack adequate skills to be morally accountable practitioners. This creates a dilemma for the educator to find ways to integrate more ethics content into an already crowded curriculum. The code of ethics of holistic nurses may serve as a basis to guide nurse educators in resolving some of the problems encountered in promoting moral education.


[A simplified terminology for abnormalities of the lumbar disks]. The terminology for abnormalities of the lumbar disk has always been a source of confusion. Recent advances in pathological studies have inspired the authors to propose a simple classification of common disk anomalies suitable not only for diagnostic radiologists but also for referring clinicians. Although the diagnosis of a few pathological entities will only be possible with specific imaging techniques, the proposed classification is appropriate for reporting observations from plain films, conventional tomograms, myelograms, discograms, computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance images. All lumbar disks can thus be classified into one or more of the following categories: normal, aging, scarred, ruptured and herniated. A disk herniation is defined as a localized exit of disk material beyond the limits of the original intervertebral space.


[Intradural spinal cord lipoma. Apropos of 2 cases]. The authors report two cases of intradural spinal cord. The first is located in the thoracic segment, the second has a cervico-thoracic seat. In the two cases these spinal cords lipoma are responsible for a progressive medullary compression. In this article the authors make a succinct review of the literature. They underline also the fundamental part of the MRI for the diagnosis and the injured balance sheet of the intradural spinal cord lipoma.


[X-ray computed tomography of thoracic injuries. Apropos of 40 cases]. On chest radiographs, the precise assessment of thoracic injuries consecutive to blunt trauma is often compromised by the nonspecific appearance of many lesions. Furthermore, significant injuries are frequently overlooked. However, the management of the patients with chest trauma is still often based primarily upon clinical and radiographic findings and Computed Tomography (CT) is often performed secondarily on the basis of unexplained clinical signs or suspected radiographic abnormality. Some authors have reported that CT was a highly sensitive method for detecting thoracic lesions frequently not seen or underestimated on conventional supine chest radiographs. However, the value that these new CT findings could have in the therapeutic management of these patients, have not been systematically investigated to our knowledge, except in a limited series suggesting that the course of critically ill patients could be substantially altered after thoracic CT. In order to estimate the role of early CT in the management of patient care, we report the therapeutic consequences of CT findings in forty patients who we report the therapeutic consequences of CT findings in forty patients who had a thoracic CT within few hours following a chest injury. We showed that early thoracic CT scan in patients with blunt trauma detected significantly more lesions than did chest X-Ray and appreciably modified the treatment modalities in 70% of our patients. We then recommend that all the patients admitted in ICU after chest trauma undergo a thoracic CT scan as soon as possible in order to optimize their treatment modalities.


[Neoplastic involvement of pulmonary fissures. Diagnostic possibility of high resolution x-ray computed tomography]. Acknowledging fissure invasion by pulmonary tumors located in contact with or in the vicinity of a fissure is an important piece of information for the therapeutic choice, especially in patients whose functional respiratory impairments are a contraindication of pneumonectomy. Fifteen patients with pulmonary neoplasms adjacent to a fissure were studied with standard computed tomography (10 mm sections), completed by high-resolution CT. The findings of the CT studies were compared with those operative reports. On surgery, the oblique fissure was infiltrated in 12 patients, unharmed in 2 others, while the horizontal fissure was infiltrated in 3 patients. Standard CT allowed diagnosing the involvement of the oblique fissure in 4 patients. Thin sections with high-resolution reconstruction algorithms allowed detecting the involvement of the oblique fissure in 13 cases, including one false-positive result. On thin sections, the fissures appear as well-delineated, dense lines. This allows an accurate study of the relationships between the tumor and the fissure, thus increasing the sensitivity of CT for the detection of tumoral extension across the fissures. The orientation of the horizontal fissure, which is almost parallel to the plane of section, makes the study of its relationships with an adjacent mass difficult, even in high-resolution CT.


[Desmoid tumor of the mesentery. An uncommon cause of ureteral obstruction]. Desmoid tumors are rare lesions with a local invasive potential and a risk of recurrence considered as benign due to the absence of metastases. They are included in fibromatoses and may be associated with Gardner's syndrome. The authors report an unusual case, in a 26 year old man, of a desmoid tumor invading ileon, right colon, appendix and the right ureter and responsible of a ureteral obstruction. Etiologic factors (traumatic, hormonal, auto-immune...) are discussed. The treatment of choice to lower the risk of recurrence is the complete surgical removal of the tumor.


[Radiological aspects of ileocecal tuberculosis. Apropos of 31 cases]. The radiological diagnosis of ileo-cecal tuberculosis is based on the analysis of various and polymorph semiological signs. The authors report a series of 31 cases of ileo-cecal tuberculosis. The concomitant involvement of the ileum and the cecum il up to 61.2% of all cases. The associated peritoneal involvement is observed in 35.4% of the cases. The hypertrophic form is the most common (57%) and the ulcero-hypertrophic form in 43% cases. The observation of ileum short stenosis, valve attempt, cecum retraction, and associated peritoneal involvement is in favour of the ileo-cecal tuberculosis origin.


[Human fascioliasis. Tomodensitometric aspects. Apropos of 2 cases]. The authors report two cases of hepatic fascioliasis in which the CT scans of the liver revealed multiple hepatic low density lesions, better seen after intravenous bolus injection of contrast material. This CT signs may help in the diagnosis, follow up and to access the efficacy of hepatobiliary fascioliasis treatment.


[Endovascular treatment of iatrogenic false aneurysm in the right subclavian pit. Apropos of a case]. The authors report about one case of false aneurysm in the right subclavicular pit, which developed after iterative venous punctures in a 67-year-old woman. Surgery was excluded, and an endovascular treatment was decided, with an approach of the lesion by direct puncture in this case and the insertion of an inflatable balloon.


[MRI of normal spinal epidural fat].

[MRI of normal spinal epidural fat]. The authors perform a retrospective study of 65 spines examined with MRI. They specify the distribution of normal posterior epidural fat and establish the relationship between the anteroposterior thickness of epidural fat and the sagittal diameter of the spine on axial sections. On sagittal sections, the fat has a variable appearance, but a constant location along the spinal canal.


[Accidental ultrasonographic disclosure of isolated intra-abdominal fetal hyperechogenicity. Apropos of a series of 87 cases]. Having seen 87 cases we will now attempt to refine the management to be carried out when intra-abdominal hyperechogenic masses are found in the fetus. Before the 20th week of amenorrhoea (47 cases) amniocentesis can be used to study the digestive enzymes to determine the fetal karyotype. The normal results for intestinal enzymes makes it possible to rule out fetal cystic fibrosis. Three karyotype abnormalities were found in this series. After the 20th week (40 cases) intestinal enzymes cannot be interpreted. The diagnosis of cystic fibrosis then must rely on Delta F 508 mutation; but the absence of this mutation does not exclude cystic fibrosis. When ultrasound signs of intra-abdominal hyperechogenicity are found the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis should not be thought of first, because in this series the majority of fetuses who had this sign were born without any malformation. Four cases of cystic fibrosis that were confirmed have been found but equally there were other serious malformations, three chromosome abnormalities, four intestinal atresias, ten unexplained intra-uterine deaths and one case of biliary duct atresia.


[Echogenicity of blood].

[Echogenicity of blood]. The echogenicity of blood is dependent of the back scattering of the ultra-sound beam by the flowing blood-stream. This black scattering is, according to the Rayleigh theory, proportional to the fourth power of the frequency and to the size of the particles. So, for the frequencies in clinical use, the size of the particles is essential. Micro bubbles and aggregates of red cells can be echogenic. Micro bubbles are scare. Echoes are mainly generated by blood cells aggregated from a given size for each wave length. For instance, 225 for 7.5 MHz frequency. High degree hematocrits and big molecules induce aggregation, but the main factor is the flow speed or more exactly the shear rate, i.e. 8/3 of speed/vessel radius. In clinical practice, blood becomes echogenic if flow slows and if the vessel radius increases. This happens for instance for venous or even arterial aneurysms, for dilated and dyskinetic cardiac cavities, an above all, in veins when flow slows. Echogenicity appears proximal to an organic or hemodynamic obstacle and is reversible when flow is restored. The technical conditions are important, too. Blood becomes more echogenic when the scan benears, the frequency increases and the resolution of the device goes higher. It can be expected that hemodynamic and even rheologic information will be obtainable in big vessels with computerized techniques quantifying blood echogenicity. Blood clots will be echogenic under the same conditions: red blood cells aggregated non hemolyzed. Their echogenicity appears more dependent of their structure than of the chronology. Better technical conditions will increase the clot echogenicity, too. Therapeutic and prognostic conclusions can be expected by better evaluation of prethrombotic stages and of structure of blood clots.


Positive family history of glaucoma is a risk factor for increased IOP rather than glaucomatous optic nerve damage (POAG vs OH vs normal control). To elucidate the family history of glaucoma (FHG) as a risk factor for ocular hypertension(OH) vs glaucomatous optic nerve damage, we reviewed the clinical records of 361 primary open-angle glaucoma(POAG) patients, 178 OH subjects, and 927 normal controls randomly selected from an urban medical center eye clinic. The prevalence of a positive FHG was 27% in the POAG patients, 47% in the OH subjects, and 11% in the normal controls. Whereas a positive FHG was a significant risk factor for both OH and glaucoma compared to normal control subjects (OR = 7.56, 95% CI: 5.27-10.85, P < .0001 for OH; OR = 3.15, 95% CI: 2.31-4.31, P < .0001), it was a risk factor more significantly for OH than for glaucoma being significantly more prevalent in OH than in POAG (OR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.65-3.49, P < .0001). These results suggest the importance of additional risk factors other than IOP for glaucomatous optic nerve damage.


The experimental Seoul-type keratoprosthesis. The most important problem in the transplantation of artificial cornea is the extrusion of keratoprosthesis. So we performed this study to know the conditions to keep the keratoprosthesis as long as possible after animal experiment with experimental keratoprosthesis of various material and structure. We concluded from the results that silicone barrier could not prevent the retroprosthetic membrane, and fluorosilicone was not adequate material as an optic. And the following conditions are required to maintain keratoprosthesis as long as possible; optic made of PMMA, retention plate made of PTFE with 0.6 mm thick, anterior direction of optic, large optic, intralamellar suture technique. Furthermore we postulated that enzymatic theory is more appropriate than aseptic necrosis theory about the extrusion of keratoprosthesis.


The use of cytosine arabinoside in glaucoma filtering surgery. Posterior lip sclerectomies were performed in rabbits and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) was applied by topical instillation or subconjunctival injection. In both groups, the mean intraocular pressure (IOP) of the treated eyes was significantly lowered at postoperative week 1 and 2, but there was no significant difference between the mean IOP of the control eyes and that of the treated eyes at postoperative week 3 and 4. In both groups, at postoperative week 2, the sclerectomy sites of the control eyes were totally occluded by granulation tissue, but those of the treated eyes were partially replaced by granulation tissue. At postoperative week 4, the sclerectomy sites of the treated eyes were totally occluded by the granulation tissue ultimately in both groups. There were no differences in the mean IOP and the histologic finding of the treated eyes between the topical instillation group and the subconjunctival injection group. We concluded that either topical instillation or subconjunctival injection of Ara-C can delay wound healing at the surgical site after glaucoma filtering surgery in rabbits.


Electron microscopic study on overacting inferior oblique muscles. Overaction of the inferior oblique(IO) muscle is manifested by elevation of the adducted eye and from the clinical point of view there are two types of overaction. The primary type is of unknown cause, whereas the secondary type is usually related to the palsy of the ipsilateral superior oblique or contralateral superior rectus. An ultrastructural study on the overacting IO muscles was performed compared to normal IO muscles by electron microscopy. Of 16 biopsies of overacting IO muscles, four had primary overacting inferior obliques and twelve had secondary overacting inferior obliques due to paralysis of superior oblique muscle. Additional four IO muscle, obtained from patients with intraocular diseases served as control specimens. The most striking abnormalities were aggregations of mitochondria and degenerating mitochondrial profiles and increased vacuolization in primary and secondary overacting muscles. Many muscle fibers were in different stages of atrophy, and hypertrophy and regeneration of muscle fibers were sometimes visible. The results suggest that the primary overacting IO muscle might be the result of a paresis of the superior oblique muscle.


Reduction of postoperative adhesions in strabismus surgery. An animal experiment was done to evaluate the efficacy of tissue coating with sodium hyaluronic acid and subconjunctival injection of triamcinolone acetate in reducing the severity of postoperative adhesions following strabismus surgery. Experimental animals underwent a mild traumatic surgical procedure in one superior rectus muscle and a severe traumatic surgical procedure in the other superior rectus muscle. Each group was divided into control group, sodium hyaluronate coating group and triamcinolone acetonide injection group. Grading the severity of adhesions through surgical exploration of operative sites and histological comparison after 4 weeks revealed a significant reduction of postoperative adhesions in sodium hyaluronate group compared with control group under conditions of severe surgical trauma. But triamcinolone groups have no significant differences compared with control groups by statistical analysis. Tissue protection afforded by sodium hyaluronate may lead to an effective method which minimizes the surgical trauma to the tissues and reduces the postsurgical adhesions following strabismus surgery.


Radial keratotomy for the purpose of reducing glasses power in high myopia. Anterior radial keratotomy for high myopia (over-6.25 diopter) to reduce refractive error was not able to dispense with glasses or contact lenses due to the high myopia itself. However patients could see objects well and were free of dizziness while wearing glasses of relatively reduced power. We performed anterior radial keratotomies on 83 high myopic and/or astigmatic eyes of 47 patients at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital between May 1990 and Mar. 1991. Eight radial incisions with a diamond blade were performed and the Ruiz technique was added for astigmatism of over 2.0 diopters. The depth of incision was 90 to 95% of corneal thickness and the optical zone was 3mm in diameter. Patients were followed up on postoperative 7 days. 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and thereafter. Uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better after radial keratotomy could be obtained in 19.6% of high myopic eyes. A mean reduction of the spherical equivalent cycloplegic refraction of 5.13 diopters and a keratometric reading of 3.89 diopters after radial keratotomy were observed. About 90% of patients were satisfied with their visual outcome with reduced refractive power glasses. We recommend radial keratotomy for high myopic patients to reduce the refractive power and to help them enjoy a more comfortable life.


Glaucoma risk factors in primary open-angle glaucoma patients compared to ocular hypertensives and control subjects. To investigate the risk factors for glaucoma, we reviewed the clinical record of 361 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients, 178 ocular hypertensives (OH), and 927 controls without POAG or OH, randomly selected from an urban medical center eye clinic. Old age defined as > or = 55 year, (odds ratio ratio (OR) = 3.13 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.06-4.76, P < .0001), black race (OR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.79-3.74, p < .0001), hypertension (OR = 1.709, 95% CI: 1.15-2.51, P < .0108), and diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.08-3.09, P = .0308) were identified as significant risk factors in POAG compared to OH. Old Age (OR = 4.94, 95% CI: 3.62-6.76, p < .0001), and black race (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.59-2.61, P < .0001), HTN (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.26-2.11, P = .0002), and DM (OR = 1.40 95% CI: 1.02-1.92 P = .0450) were also significant risk factors when compared to normal controls. However, when the 361 POAG patients were compared to 361 controls matched with respect to age, race, and sex, hypertension and diabetes mellitus did not appear to be independent risk factors. Family history of glaucoma was found to be a risk factors more significantly for OH (OR = 6.79, 95% CI: 4.39-10.50, P < .0001) than for POAG (OR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.90-4.21, P < .0001) compared to the matched control subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


[Concentration-effect and underestimation of time by acoustic stimuli]. This experiment is to examine emotional effects induced by acoustic loading on time-estimation and degree of concentration on tasks. Subjects were ten college students, who were asked to produce five second periods (estimation of time), under acoustic loading for 15 minutes. Acoustic stimuli were (1) koto-music, (2) classical music, (3) sound effect, and (4) FM-noise, with different power spectra, expected to induce different emotions in the subjects. Time-estimation and EEG alpha-rhythm were used as parameters of concentration. The main results were as follows. In general, time was underestimated when the subjects' attention was concentrated on the tasks. Acoustic stimuli with 1/f-fluctuation and pleasant emotions induced underestimation of time. Gradient of fluctuation in time-estimation also showed the same effects. With increase in acoustically induced pleasant emotions, alpha-rhythm increased, in parallel with the underestimation of time. These results suggest that emotions induced by the physical characteristics of acoustic stimuli affect mental concentration and eventually affect time-estimation.


[A major factor of the decline in partial report performance with temporal delay]. The purpose is to clarify what is the primary cause of decline in partial report performance due to cue delay over a given time period. Four subjects participated in the partial report task, and their performances were compared by using two types of stimuli: mixed-character matrix (alphabet, katakana, and kanji) and single-character matrix (one of the three characters), under the tachistoscopic presentation. Both matrices are arranged in three rows by four columns. The result was that the report performance declined almost equally as the cue delay increased under the mixed- and single-character matrix stimuli, even though the location confusion would not influence on the report in the mixed-character condition. Consequently, we may conclude that the decline in partial report performance was caused by the decay of identity information rather than that of location information. Further, the error trends revealed that the earlier researches using single kind of character stimulus (almost exclusively alphabet) overestimated the location error.


[An experimental study on the determinants to the effects of self-affirmation]. The purpose is twofold: first to examine whether an experience that affirms a valued aspect of the self eliminates the negativity of failure and second, to identify what is the most effective condition of self-affirmation. A 2 x 3 factorial design was employed: Immediately after having failed and prior to rating the beneficialness of failure experience, 72 subjects were allowed to affirm the real-self that they had built up, or the pseudo-self made by the experimenter. The situation of self-affirmation was (1) that subjects affirmed the self in private or (2) that the experimenter also affirmed the subject's self or (3) that the experimenter added information of another one who had the same aspect of self the subjects had affirmed. The self-affirmation effect was most clear-cut, when the real-self was affirmed, and was also affirmed by the experimenter. This effect was especially pronounced for high self-esteem subjects. Joint effects of high self-esteem, clearer real-self, and its publicity elevated level of self-affirmation.


[Group theoretical approach to the cognition of transformational structures and goodness of patterns]. In this article, we tried to reformulate the transformational structure theory of goodness judgment of patterns within the framework of the group theory. We found that reformulation based on the group concepts results in a more general theory, which we call the transformation group theory of goodness judgment of patterns. Main properties of the generalized theory are: 1. Each of the basic cognitive transformations is replaced by a transformation group. 2. They are the dihedral group consisting of mirror-image transformations and a cyclic transformation, the translation group, and the value-reversal transformation group. These groups are derivable independently of the given configurations. 3. The transformation group has the following properties: duality of invariance, non-divergency of transformations produced, and availability of indirect test of invariance. These properties are convenient for cognition of transformational structure of patterns in goodness judgment. 4. The intraconfigurational transformation structure of configurations can be defined by the transformation group so that order among goodness judgments can be predicted, in parallel with the existing transformational structure theory.


[The effects of knowledge and its developmental differences on misconception of weight]. This study aims to examine developmental knowledge related to misconception about weight. Subjects from 5th to 7th graders were asked to reason about justifiable phenomena which never occur in science. After that, before judging weight addition tasks, subjects engaged in some knowledge-generating-tasks to examine which knowledge-generating-tasks relate to misconception. The main results were as follows: (1) Most subjects did not realize untruth about justifiable phenomena, (2) the knowledge which related to misconception were muscular-kinetic-feeling and balance-feeling about weight, and (3) awareness to knowledge-generating-tasks changed with age; 5th graders found the relation about every kind of knowledge-task on chance level responding and 6th and 7th graders found the relation with some justifiable knowledge. Additionally, some 7th graders were not deluded by any knowledge-generating-tasks. These results suggested misconception about weight might relate to inference from some kinds of everyday-knowledge without realizing the inconsistency with science to them. The developmental change of awareness to knowledge-generating-tasks were discussed in terms of coordination subjects' own theory and their use of knowledge.


[A study on relationship between personality and self-acceptance]. The purpose is to examine the relationship between self-acceptance and personalities developmentally, as for evaluative and affective dimensions. Males and females showed differences in the formation of adolescent self-acceptance. At junior high school level, the accepted personalities are not yet differentiated as for two dimensions in both males and females. In males, they are differentiated at senior high school, and above this level, they showed a linear increase in differentiation. Females showed emotional differentiation at junior high school, and behavioral differentiation at senior high school, and further emotional differentiation at college level. The transition of male is "from a few limited to diverse", while for females it is "from diverse to a few limited". As the traits to self-acceptance diversify, the self-acceptance score is high.


[Measurement of the feeling of knowing: norms of 216 general-information questions]. The purpose of this study is to provide the normalized list of questions for investigating the feeling of knowing. Normative data were collected on 216 general-information questions from a wide variety of topics, including history, sports, art, literature, and so on. Three hundred and sixty-three undergraduates made a one-word response to each question, or rated their feeling of knowing on a 7-point scale if they could not recall any responses. The results showed that the questions distributed over a wide range on a scale of difficulty. There were few incorrect responses to the questions. Feeling-of-knowing ratings were moderately correlated with the probabilities of correct answers. These findings suggested that the questions provided in this study would serve for the research on the feeling of knowing. It was also suggested that the use of easier questions should generate a strong feeling of knowing.


[Negative ideal-self as a standard of self-esteem]. The concept of negative ideal-self is introduced as a contrast to positive ideal-self. Discrepancies between positive ideal-self and real-self (Dp-score) have been associated with low self-esteem. The present study purported to see whether negative ideal-self may be a standard of self evaluation, and to what extent discrepancies between negative ideal-self and real-self (Dn-score) relate with self-esteem (Rosenberg). The results showed that both Dp-score and Dn-score correlate significantly with self-esteem, but the latter showed higher correlation than the former. It is suggested that self-esteem is more a function of distance that how 'I' am not the person which 'I' want to be. These findings were discussed from the importance of an approach to negative aspects of the self.


[The effects of subconscious processing of anger-related words and physiological arousal on the emotion of anger and aggressive behavior]. An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of the prior subconscious processing of anger-related words and physiological arousal upon anger and aggressive behavior in a frustrated person. Sixteen male and 24 female college students participated in the experiment. First, the subjects performed a cognitive task in which they processed anger-related words or neutral words subconsciously in the high arousal or normal arousal state. In the second ostensibly unrelated task, the subjects were presented with a frustration story and they were asked to rate the intensity of anger which the victim in the story would feel, the victim's responses, and impressions of the frustrator, on several SD-trait scales. It was found that the subjects who processed anger-related words in high arousal state rated the victim as being in the most intense anger and aggressive in behavior and reported the impression of the frustrator as most negative. These findings were interpreted in terms of the network model of emotion.


[Face recognition in preschool children: effects of familiarity, facial expression and angle of view]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the face recognition processes in preschool children. Two experiments were carried out to examine the effects, on face recognition, of familiarity, facial expression and angle of view of faces as well as changes or no changes in facial expression and/or angle of view occurring between the first presentation and the subsequent recognition test. The subjects were 188 five- and six-year old children. In Experiments 1 and 2, half of the faces were highly familiar to the subjects, and the remaining half unfamiliar to them. In Experiment 1, the facial expressions (e.g., smiling or serious) were either changed or unchanged. In Experiment 2, the facial expressions or angles of view (e.g., full-face views or three-quarter views of faces) were either changed or unchanged. The major findings were that the familiar faces and the smiling faces were recognized more correctly than the unfamiliar faces and the serious faces respectively. The results were discussed in terms of 'identity-specific semantic codes' and 'visually-derived semantic codes'.


[Perception of odor quality by Free Image-Association Test]. A method was devised for evaluating odor quality. Subjects were requested to freely describe the images elicited by smelling odors. This test was named the "Free Image-Association Test (FIT)". The test was applied for 20 flavors of various foods, five odors from the standards of T&T olfactometer (Japanese standard olfactory test), butter of yak milk, and incense from Lamaism temples. The words for expressing imagery were analyzed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Seven clusters of odors were obtained. The feature of these clusters were quite similar to that of primary odors which have been suggested by previous studies. However, the clustering of odors can not be explained on the basis of the primary-odor theory, but the information processing theory originally proposed by Miller (1956). These results support the usefulness of the Free Image-Association Test for investigating odor perception based on the images associated with odors.


[Influences of environmental-context changes on rehearsal effects in episodic memory]. Does rehearsal facilitate association between to-be-remembered items and environmental context (EC) as well as it strengthen the individual traces of items? The answer from the present experiment was affirmative. Subjects, 183 undergraduates, studied a list of 15 familiar nouns by rehearsing aloud with a subsidiary task, and then received a free recall test under one of three conditions: immediate recall (IM), same context (SC), and different context (DC). Subjects in IM were tested immediately after the study session, while the other subjects were tested 24 hours after the study session. The tests in IM and SC were conducted at the same place with the same experimenter after the same subsidiary task as the study session, whereas the test in DC were conducted at a different place with a different experimenter without the task. The magnitudes in DC of the effect of the number of rehearsals on free recall were about one-half of those in IM and SC, whereas the magnitudes in IM were nearly identical to those in SC. The results indicate that the rehearsal effect is one of EC-dependent phenomena.


[Apparent depth by the stereograms without binocular retinal disparity: is Lau effect artifact?]. We examined the idea that, when the Zöllner figure in one eye and the principal lines in the figure in the other eye were presented, the perceived depth is due to "phenomenal" disparity. The phenomenal disparity is defined as apparent displacement between two illusory "oblique" principal lines in one eye and two "parallel" principal lines in the other. Observes were asked whether depth was seen or not at upper or lower part of the two perceived lines and, if seen, which line was closer. Seventeen observers showed that only 9% of their responses was consistent with the idea, although they reported depths for disparity stimuli. This suggests that the dichoptic presentation of such figures should not be considered as that requires the processing of binocular disparity.


[A study on HTP organic signs].

[A study on HTP organic signs]. A special version of the House-Tree-Person (H-T-P) technique was developed to differentiate organic psychosis from other disorders. H-T-P data of 126 psychiatric inpatients, including 16 patients with organic psychoses, 50 schizophrenics, 50 borderlines and 10 patients with other psychoses, were evaluated for the presence or absence of 29 possible features of houses, trees and persons. These features included those common to all three objects, as well as those specific to each object. Results for patients with organic psychoses were compared with those of patients with other disorders. The comparison disclosed that seven of the original 29 H-T-P features had diagnostical discrimination among treatment groups, giving higher H-T-P organic scores.


[Influences of motor disability on the development of scene concepts]. Two studies were conducted to investigate the influence of motor disability of the child on cognitive development. In Study I, elementary school teachers and undergraduate students were requested to rank the school subjects according to how much the teaching of each subject would facilitate scene concepts development of children. The results visually represented by the rank graphs indicated that "physical training" and "arts" which require body actions and movements were judged to be most important for scene concepts development. In Study II, both normal and physically handicapped children were asked to perform free recalls to each of the three stimuli: "my house," "my school," and "my town." The results showed the influence of the size of space implied by the stimuli on the number of the items recalled by healthy children but this influence was not the same with physically handicapped children. These results, which indicate the importance of body actions and movements for scene concepts development, were discussed in terms of education for physically handicapped children.


[Effects of self-efficacy and outcome expectation on observational learning of altruistic behavior]. The purpose of the present study was to examined the hypothesis that the effects of observational learning of altruistic behavior are related to personal viewpoint, self-efficacy, outcome expectation, and other factors. One hundred and fifty-five fourth-grade school children were assigned randomly to four conditions; distress viewpoint, outcome expectation, altruistic behavior, or non-observational control. After observational learning, the students were immediately administered the generalization test of altruistic behavior, empathy, reward and punishment expectations, and rating tests of self-efficacy belief. It was found that; (a) altruistic behavior and outcome expectation conditions had significant learning effects, (b) self-efficacy was able to predict altruistic response in the altruistic behavior viewpoint condition, and (c) from an outcome expectation viewpoint, altruistic behavior toward peers and adults related to punishment expectation, whereas social sharing was related to reward expectation. According to these findings, an observational learning model of altruistic behavior was proposed.


[An investigation of the recognition process for jukugo by use of priming paradigms]. Three experiments were conducted to examine the recognition process of the jukugo (two-kanji-compound word) from the following three points of view: (1) how jukugos are retrieved from memory (Exp. 1), (2) how jukugos are activated in the retrieval process (Exp. 2), and (3) how the representation of jukugos is structured in memory (Exp. 3). The experiments were carried out using priming paradigms in which subjects performed a lexical decision task. The results of Exp. 1 and Exp. 2 showed that the first kanji was used as retrieval cue for each jukugo and the activation of the first kanji facilitated the identification of jukugo in terms of meaning. In Exp. 3, it was suggested that the lexicon of jukugo was formed in such a structure that several jukugos containing in common the same first kanji are tied together, centering on the first kanji.


[The relationship between evaluation of school stressors and stress responses in junior high school students]. The purpose of this study is to develop a school stressor scale from the events experienced frequently by junior high school students in their daily school life, and to examine the relationship between school stressors and stress responses. In study I, factor analysis of data by 552 students revealed four main factors "teacher", "friend", "club activity", and "study", which were extracted from initial set of 72 items. In study II, factor analysis of 50 items, of which 39 items were extracted in study I, and 11 new items of free-description type, of data by 622 students, revealed that main stressors in junior high school were following six, "teacher", "friend", "club activity", "study", "rule", and "official activity". Furthermore, multiple regression analyses revealed that "friend" strikingly correlated with "depressive-anxious emotion" and "study" did with "cognition-thought of helplessness".


[Effects of conversation act on conversation strategy and interpersonal cognition]. It is assumed that dyadic conversation proceed according to some of each participants' conversation strategies. The strategies are as follows; 1) Receptivity, 2) Emotional expressivity, 3) Cognitive expressivity, 4) Partner comprehension, 5) Contingent comprehension, 6) Self-assertivity. In this experiment, strategies and interpersonal cognition were manipulated by three factors, (1) partners' conversation acts, with high or low expressivity rule, and (2) high or low act of conversation performance rule, and (3) nature of topica. One hundred and twenty-eight undergraduates are asked to rate their level of intention to select a strategy, in a given conversation situation. The results are as follows: 1) Both cognition of conversational purpose for a given situation and partners' expressivity influenced on their conversation strategy, 2) correspondence of strategy prompt participants to active conversation, 3) partners' conversation acts influenced on interpersonal cognition in any situations, 4) social desirabililty in interpersonal cognition is influenced by both strategy and topic, 5) partners' strategy makes participants select different interaction in the subsequent conversation situation.