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Biomedical subjects

A J Bennett

Publications and source records attributed to A J Bennett.

87 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Infantile type of chronic myelogenous leukemia in a 16-year-old boy.

Three varieties of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) occur in childhood familial, infantile, and adult (or ""juvenile'') types, each with distinct clinical and laboratory features. We report an unuusual case of CML with the characteristic features of the infantile type in a 16-year-old boy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Screening for congenital hypothyroidism. Results in the newborn population of New England.

During the first year of operation, the New England Regional Hypothyroidism Screening Program determined the concentration of thyroxine (T4) levels in dried blood on filter paper from 129,028 infants born in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Specimens from approximately 3,800 neonates were found to have levels of T4 below the lower limit of normal (less than 6.0 microgram/dl) and were assayed for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) content. Levels of TSH were elevated (greater than 20 muU/ml) in 31 infants, 23 of whom eventually proved to have unequivocal hypothyroidism. Based on these figures and including two hypothyroid infants who were not tested, the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in the New England region is approximately 1:5,200 births. The estimation of T4 values supplemented by measurement of TSH values on specimens with low T4 values has proved to be a satisfactory approach to large-scale screening for congenital hypothyroidism.

Congenital Hypothyroidism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Central nervous system serotonin and personality as variables contributing to excessive alcohol consumption in non-human primates.

Non-human primates will readily consume an alcohol solution for its reinforcing effects when such a solution is palatable, with some subjects consuming alcohol to excess. In this review, we discuss variables that contribute to high alcohol consumption and the behaviours that are correlated with it in a non-human primate model. Developmental and behavioural correlates of central nervous system (CNS) serotonergic activity, as measured by concentrations of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindol-3-ylacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), were used to investigate neurogenetic influences on alcohol consumption, as well as personality traits that characterize excessive alcohol intake. Inter-individual differences in CSF 5-HIAA concentrations were shown to have trait-like qualities, and with stable inter-individual differences across time and settings. Research has shown numerous similarities between human and non-human primates with respect to Type I- and II-like alcohol abuse and their associated behaviours. In the present series of studies, features characteristic of Type I alcohol misuse, such as high levels of anxiety, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal output, and situational stress predicted high alcohol intake. Primates with low CSF 5-HIAA concentrations also exhibited behaviours characteristic of Type II alcohol abuse. Principal among the traits that these subjects exhibited were deficits in impulse control. For example, subjects with low CSF 5-HIAA concentrations engaged in spontaneous behaviours that bring reinforcement but placed them at risk, such as entering food baited traps, jumping from dangerous heights to get from one tree to another, and consuming large amounts of alcohol. They can be characterized by other Type II-like deficits, such as impaired social competence, social alienation, and unrestrained, violent aggression. Non-human primates with low CSF 5-HIAA concentrations also exhibited high intrinsic tolerance following modest intakes of alcohol, and high rates of aggression during intoxication. High preferences for sweet solutions were shown to predict excessive alcohol consumption. Maternal and paternal genetic influences played major roles in producing low CNS serotonin function and excessive alcohol consumption. These genetic influences on serotonin function were exacerbated by early rearing experiences, particularly parental deprivation.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Heritability of hand preference in chimpanzees (Pan).

Heritability in hand preference was examined in 76 chimpanzees by comparing strength and direction of hand preference between offspring and parents and among half-siblings reared in different environments. For two separate measures of handedness, offspring had the same hand preference as their biological parent significantly more often then would be predicted by chance. Half-siblings exhibited patterns of hand preference which significantly deviated from chance. In no instance did rearing environment account for a significant proportion of variance. These results strongly suggest a heritability component to the expression of hand preference in chimpanzees.

Animals↗