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Testing, Research, Age groups -- Testing, Intelligence (Psychology) -- Testing, Form perception (Psychology) -- Research, Age and intelligence -- Testing, and Form perception -- Research

An automated method for measuring beta-hydroxybutyrate was adapted to the Ciba-Corning 550 Express trade mark random access analyzer. The assay was based on a kinetic reaction utilizing hydroxybutyrate-dehydrogenase. Beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration (mmol/L) was calculated ratiometrically using a 1.0 mmol/l standard. Canine serum, plasma, and urine were used without prior deproteinization and only a 30-microliter sample was required. The method demonstrated good linearity between 0 to 2 mmol/l of beta-hydroxybutyrate. Analytical recovery (accuracy) within these concentrations ranged from 85.8 to 113.3%. Both within-run and day-to-day precision were determined, as was specificity of the assay in the presence of a variety of interfering substances. The automated assay was rapid and economical, with reagent stability maintained for at least 2 weeks at 4 degrees C. This assay can readily be applied toward the assessment of ketoacidosis in dogs, and with further validation, other species.

Physiological aspects, Evaluation, Gonads -- Physiological aspects, Ovaries -- Physiological aspects, Testis -- Physiological aspects, Sex hormones -- Physiological aspects, Peptide hormones -- Evaluation, and Hormones, Sex -- Physiological aspects

The various peptide factors produced in the testes and ovaries are reviewed. Chemical isolation, purification, and amino acid and nucleotide sequencing have led to the understanding of the mechanisms of actions of these nonsteroidal agents. Among the gonadal peptides identified are inhibin, relaxin, oocyte meiosis inhibitor and growth factors. The study of the functions of these peptides have led to the identification of other proteins such as luteinizing inhibitor and clusterin. Immunological or molecular probes were also able to detect factors originally identified in other glands such as propiomelanocortin and atrial natriuretic factor.

Self-presentation -- Research, Identification (Psychology) -- Research, and Social psychology -- Research

Eighty undergraduate students were asked to describe themselves using high-level or low-level terms of action identification theory and self-presentation. The subjects were told that they were trying to impress an easily-impressionable person or a difficult-to-impress person. Ratings made by the subjects and observers showed that low-level terms of action identificationtheory and self-presentation such as smiling when appropriate, were more effective in terms of getting positive first impressions.

International trade, Laws, regulations and rules, Alcoholic beverage industry -- International trade, International trade regulation, and International trade -- Laws, regulations and rules

Public health often conflicts with economic benefit in trade agreements covering alcoholic beverages. In North America, states and provinces tend to bear the brunt of costs. Several alcohol trade and marketing agreements are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Chronic Disease, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Male, Regression Analysis, Social Support, Socioeconomic Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, Life Change Events, Pain psychology, and Quality of Life

Cognitive appraisal processes or the meaning a person gives a stressful event are believed to mediate an individual's reaction to an event and, as such, have been demonstrated to explain adjustment to illness. The purpose of this paper is to test this cognitive as well as other social and illness variables to explain the variance in a person's adjustment to chronic pain. Two hundred and twenty-two patients, who were randomly selected from an original sample of referrals to a chronic pain specialty clinic, completed a questionnaire by telephone interview or mail. The questionnaire consisted of psychosocial scales (PAIS-SR; Social Support) and cognitions including the Meaning of Illness Questionnaire (MIQ). Fifty-six percent of the sample had poor psychosocial adjustment to their pain problem. Seventy percent of the variance in adjustment was explained by social and cognitive variables which corroborates their importance. The MIQ 5-factor structure was supported and provides credible evidence of the role of cognitions in differentiating between the poor and well adjusted.

Sea urchins -- Eggs and Spermatozoa -- Analysis

Western and Northern blot analyses and immunocytochemistry of the sea urchin egg receptor for sperm to study the receptor expression during oogenesis indicate that in the last two developmental phases of oogenesis the receptor mRNA level exhibits a very high increase despite the absence of receptor glycoprotein or receptor mRNA in the early oocytes. The development of receptor occurs in association with the spatial and temporal formation of cortical granules. Development of the receptor in the late stages and its localization to the cell surface and cortical granules indicates that the receptor mediates attachment of sperm to the surface of the mature egg cell.

Ambiguity -- Economic aspects, Decision-making -- Research, Insurance industry -- Psychological aspects, and Risk assessment -- Psychological aspects

Research is presented demonstrating the impact of ambiguity and risk on the insurance pricing decisions of underwriters. Premiums are shown to be substantially higher where there is uncertainty about potential loss levels and where the probability of an event occurring is ambiguous.

Physiological aspects, Kaposi's sarcoma -- Physiological aspects, HIV, Virus inactivation, HIV infections -- Physiological aspects, HIV (Viruses) -- Inactivation, and HIV infection -- Physiological aspects

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a highly angiogenic multicentric tumor most commonly seen in immunodeficient individuals. Since the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, KS has become one of the most common [...]
Unique among known human herpesviruses, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or HHV-8) encodes chemokine-like proteins (vMIP-I and vMIP-II). vMIP-II was shown to block infection of human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) on a CD4-positive cell line expressing CCR3 and to a lesser extent on one expressing CCR5, whereas both vMIP-I and vMIP-II partially inhibited HIV infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Like eotaxin, vMIP-II activated and chemoattracted human eosinophils by way of CCR3. vMIP-I and vMIP-II, but not cellular MIP-1 [Alpha] or RANTES, were highly angiogenic in the chorioallantoic assay, suggesting a possible pathogenic role in Kaposi's sarcoma.

Prevention, Complications and side effects, Evaluation, Tuberculosis -- Prevention, HIV infections -- Complications, Rifampin -- Evaluation, Pyrazinamide -- Evaluation, Isoniazid -- Evaluation, and HIV infection -- Complications

A short course of treatment with rifampicin and pyrazinamide may effectively prevent tuberculosis in HIV-infected people with a positive skin test for the disease. Researchers assigned 750 people in Haiti to six months of treatment with isoniazid or two months of treatment with rifampicin and pyrazinamide. Tuberculosis developed in 3.8% of the people who took isoniazid and 5% of those who took the two-drug combination. Both treatments provided similar levels of tuberculosis prevention, but people were more likely to comply with treatment instructions when the course of therapy was shorter.
Background Tuberculosis is a common complication of HIV-1 infection, especially in developing countries. Practical and effective chemoprophylaxis regimens for HIV-1-related tuberculosis are needed. Our aim was to test the efficacy of isoniazid versus rifampicin with pyrazinamide for prevention of tuberculosis in HIV-1-positive individuals. Methods We compared the efficacy of 6 months of isoniazid with 2 months of rifampicin and pyrazinamide for prevention of tuberculosis in HIV-1-seropositive individuals. Eligible participants were aged 16-77 years, HIV-1 seropositive, had a positive purified-protein derivative (PPD) skin test reaction of at least 5 mm, and had a normal chest radiograph. Participants were randomly assigned partially supervised twice weekly isoniazid for 24 weeks or twice weekly rifampicin and pyrazinamide for 8 weeks. Participants were followed up for up to 4 years for the development of tuberculosis and survival. Findings Tuberculosis developed in 14 (3.8%) of 370 participants assigned isoniazid and 19 (5.0%) of 380 participants assigned rifampicin and pyrazinamide (Cox model rate ratio 1.3 [95% CI 0.7-2.7]). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the risk of tuberculosis during the first 10 months after entry was 3.7% among participants who received rifampicin and pyrazinamide compared with 1.0% (p=0.03) among participants who received isoniazid, and 5.4% versus 5.1%, respectively (p=0.9) at 36 months after entry. Higher rates of tuberculosis were observed in people with baseline CD4 percentages (of total lymphocytes) of less than 20 (rate ratio 40 [95% CI 1.8-9.0]). There were no significant differences in total mortality at any time. Interpretation Twice-weekly isoniazid preventive therapy for 6 months or rifampicin and pyrazinamide for 2 months provided similar overall protection against tuberculosis in HIV-1-infected. PPD-positive adults. The better protection among recipients of isoniazid during the first 10 months was most likely secondary to the longer duration of chemoprophylaxis. Preventive therapy for HIV-1-seropositive, PPD-positive individuals could be practical in developing countries with a once weekly clinic visit, but optimum duration of chemoprophylaxis has not been determined. Lancet 1998; 351: 786-92

Anger -- Research, Interpersonal conflict -- Research, Traffic police -- Psychological aspects, and Social psychology -- Research

This study evaluates the psychosocial correlates of anger-related traits. Participants include New York City traffic enforcement agents (TEAs), who issue summonses for vehicular and parking violations and are frequently confronted by angry motorists. This sample of TEAs is 53% African American and 57% female. Participants completed surveys at 2 points, 4 months apart, which measured attitudinal, affective, and expressive components of hostility and anger, as well as dimensions of workplace psychosocial response. Results indicate that trait anger-in was positively associated with frequency of conflict, anger intensity, and burnout in cross-sectional analyses; and positively associated with frequency of conflict in prospective analyses. Trait anger was positively associated with an increase in burnout over a 4-month period. These findings provide support for the transactional model of hostility and health and have implications for worksite interventions promoting cardiovascular health.

Adolescent, Adult, Age of Onset, Alleles, Child, Disease Progression, Female, Haplotypes genetics, Heterozygote, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Molecular Sequence Data, Multiple Sclerosis pathology, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide genetics, Probability, Survival Analysis, Apolipoproteins E genetics, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Multiple Sclerosis genetics, Multiple Sclerosis physiopathology, and Polymorphism, Genetic genetics

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system, with a complex etiology that includes a strong genetic component. The contribution of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been established in numerous genetic linkage and association studies. In addition to the MHC, the chromosome 19q13 region surrounding the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene has shown consistent evidence of involvement in MS when family-based analyses were conducted. Furthermore, several clinical reports have suggested that the APOE-4 allele may be associated with more-severe disease and faster progression of disability. To thoroughly examine the role of APOE in MS, we genotyped its functional alleles, as well as seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located primarily within 13 kb of APOE, in a data set of 398 families. Using family-based association analysis, we found statistically significant evidence that an SNP haplotype near APOE is associated with MS susceptibility (P=.005). An analysis of disease progression in 614 patients with MS from 379 families indicated that APOE-4 carriers are more likely to be affected with severe disease (P=.03), whereas a higher proportion of APOE-2 carriers exhibit a mild disease course (P=.02).

Animals, Carcinogens, Environmental toxicity, Environmental Monitoring, Gasoline toxicity, Mollusca, Petroleum toxicity, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons toxicity

Fish and shellfish are exposed to a wide range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) following oil spills at sea, and can become contaminated as a result. Finfish have a more effective mixed-function oxidase enzyme system than shellfish, and are therefore able to metabolise and excrete PAH more effectively than the invertebrates. Thus, contamination by high-molecular weight PAH, including those with carcinogenic potential and so of concern with regard to human consumers, is therefore usually observed in shellfish, and particularly in bivalve molluscs. Oil spills are not the sole source of PAH, however, as parent compounds are also generated by a wide range of combustion processes. In this paper, consideration is given to monitoring data gathered following recent oil spills (both of crude oil and diesel fuel), alongside data from other studies. These include studies conducted around a former gasworks site and downstream of an aluminium smelter in the UK, and from mussel monitoring studies undertaken in the UK and the USA (including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the National Status and Trends programme), and in other countries in Europe. For comparative purposes the PAH concentrations are summed and also expressed as benzo[a]pyrene equivalents, their relative concentrations being weighted in relation to the carcinogenic potential of individual PAH compounds using toxic equivalency factors (TEF). Our aim was to assess the utility of this approach in fishery resource monitoring and control following oil spills. Certainly this approach seems useful from the data assessed in this study. and the relative ranking of the various studies seems to reflect the relative degree of concern for human consumers due to the differing contamination sources. As a simple tool for control purposes it is equally applicable to PAH derived from oil spills, and from industrial and combustion sources.

Animals, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Drug Administration Schedule, Endothelin Receptor Antagonists, Endothelium, Vascular physiology, Enzyme Inhibitors pharmacology, Female, In Vitro Techniques, Infusion Pumps, Implantable, Nitric Oxide Synthase antagonists inhibitors, Peptides, Cyclic pharmacology, Pregnancy, Rats, Rats, Long-Evans, Receptor, Endothelin B, Vascular Patency drug effects, Vasoconstrictor Agents pharmacology, Vasodilator Agents pharmacology, Vasomotor System physiology, Arteries drug effects, Arteries physiology, Kidney blood supply, Relaxin pharmacology, and Vasomotor System drug effects

Administration of the ovarian hormone relaxin to nonpregnant rats vasodilates the renal circulation comparable to pregnancy. This vasodilation is mediated by endothelin (ET), the ET(B) receptor, and nitric oxide. Furthermore, endogenous relaxin mediates the renal vasodilation and hyperfiltration that occur during gestation. The goal of this study was to investigate whether myogenic reactivity of small renal and mesenteric arteries is reduced in relaxin-treated rats comparable to the pregnant condition. Relaxin or vehicle was administered to virgin female Long-Evans rats for 5 days at 4 microg/h, thereby producing midgestational blood levels of the hormone. The myogenic responses of small renal arteries (200-300 microm in diameter) isolated from these animals were evaluated in an isobaric arteriograph system. Myogenic reactivity was significantly reduced in the small renal arteries from relaxin-treated compared with vehicle-treated rats. The reduced myogenic responses were mediated by the ET(B) receptor and nitric oxide since the selective ET(B) receptor antagonist RES-701-1 and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester restored myogenic reactivity to virgin levels. The influence of relaxin was not limited to the renal circulation because myogenic reactivity was also reduced in small mesenteric arteries isolated from relaxin-treated rats. Thus relaxin administration to nonpregnant rats mimics pregnancy, insofar as myogenic reactivity of small renal and mesenteric arteries is reduced in both conditions.

Animals, Antithrombin III metabolism, Binding Sites, Brain Ischemia blood, Cattle, DNA Mutational Analysis, Factor Xa Inhibitors, Family Health, Genetic Variation, Humans, Hypercholesterolemia blood, Male, Middle Aged, Mutation, Missense, Protein Binding genetics, Antithrombin III chemistry, Antithrombin III genetics, and Heparin metabolism

Here we report the finding of a new natural antithrombin mutation that confirms the critical contribution of lysine 114 to the binding of the core heparin pentasaccharide, with the replacement of lysine 114 by glutamate causing a complete loss in affinity. The variant was identified in a father and son, the father having been investigated for an episode of cerebral ischaemia associated with hypercholesterolaemia. The variant forms SDS-stable complexes with activated factor X (fXa) and its thermal stability and rate of factor Xa inhibition in the absence of heparin are identical to those of normal antithrombin. Normal antithrombin binds to the high affinity heparin pentasaccharide with a Kd of 1nM, as detected by a 45% change in intrinsic fluorescence, resulting in a 230-fold increase in rate of factor Xa inhibition. However, no change in fluorescence was detected for the variant when titrated with heparin or the heparin pentasaccharide, nor was there detectable activation towards factor Xa, indicating a complete loss of heparin binding.