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Biomedical subjects

B J Cox

Publications and source records attributed to B J Cox.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Anxiety sensitivity and nonclinical panic attacks.

The present study examined anxiety sensitivity in relation to trait anxiety and the occurrence of nonclinical panic attacks in 265 subjects. Fifty percent of high anxiety sensitivity subjects reported panic attacks (both cued and spontaneous) in the past year. In addition, almost 42% of subjects with high anxiety sensitivity but no history of panic reported a high level of trait anxiety concerning physical danger. The results suggest that anxiety sensitivity is frequently not independent of other forms of anxiety.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Multidimensionality of state and trait anxiety: factor structure of the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales.

The Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales (EMAS) are derived from an interactional model of personality that proposes that anxiety is a function of the interaction of person and situation variables. The EMAS distinguish between state and trait anxiety and assume that both are multidimensional constructs. The EMAS were administered to 2,009 students in a neutral situation. Three factor analyses were performed to clarify the empirical relation between state and trait anxiety and the variables within the 2 domains. Results support the distinction between state and trait anxiety. Factor analysis of the state items provided support for the separate dimensions of cognitive and autonomic state anxiety. Factor analysis of the trait items provided support for trait anxiety multidimensionality. Four congruent factors were associated with increases in state anxiety in 4 general situations: Social Evaluation, Physical Danger, Ambiguous, and Daily Routines.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A review of the psychopharmacology of panic disorder: individual differences and non specific factors.

This paper critically examines the pharmacological provocation and treatment of panic disorder. An analysis of research findings on how panic attacks are induced indicates that there are psychological and non specific factors that may mediate biochemical etiological models, and these individual differences need to be investigated further. This has important implications for the psychopharmacological management of panic. A review of studies on treating panic disorder with imipramine and alprazolam emphasizes the importance of several non specific factors that include the role of self-directed in vivo exposure and changes in dysphoria and self-efficacy (subjective beliefs regarding personal competency) in predicting outcome. It is recommended that any treatment of panic-related disorders include self-directed, in vivo exposure.

Agoraphobia↗
PubMed1991

Value of the Fear Questionnaire in differentiating agoraphobia and social phobia.

The present study examined responses on the Fear Questionnaire (FQ) of 68 patients suffering panic disorder with agoraphobia, 50 social phobics, 75 subjects with 'non-clinical' panic attacks, and 188 non-panicking controls. The FQ agoraphobia and social subscales had satisfactory internal consistency and were accurate (82%) in correctly differentiating the patients. In general, the patient and control groups differed as expected. The highest level of social fear was reported by social phobics and the highest level of agoraphobic fear was reported by patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia. Five items from these two subscales significantly differentiated social phobia from panic disorder with agoraphobia. The results support the reliability and validity of the FQ.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Substance abuse and panic-related anxiety: a critical review.

The relationship between substance abuse and panic-related anxiety can be divided into two broad areas: the incidence of anxiety disorders in substance abuse patients and the incidence of substance abuse in patients with panic-related anxiety disorders. Studies indicate that approx. 10-40% of alcoholics have a panic-related anxiety disorder, and about 10-20% of anxiety disorder patients abuse alcohol or other drugs. The majority of patients with both an anxiety and alcohol disorder report that anxiety problems preceded alcohol problems. In some cases substance abuse (e.g. cocaine) triggers the onset of panic attacks. Most patients believe that self-medication is efficacious despite the fact that they appear to have a more serious clinical condition (e.g. higher rates of depression). Directions for future research are outlined, including the proposal for a study to examine the effects of an anxiety intervention procedure for anxious alcoholics to reduce relapse rates.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1990

Progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration in cycles with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist suppression are not predictive of pregnancy outcome.

In in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles using gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) suppression, we investigated whether an elevated progesterone (P) level on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration indicates premature luteinization and is associated with a lower pregnancy rate. We retrospectively studied 101 patients treated with the GnRH-a leuprolide acetate, begun in the luteal phase of the prior menstrual cycle and continued until the day of hCG administration. On the day of hCG, 72 patients had P less than 0.9 ng/mL and 29 had less than or equal to 0.9 ng/mL. Patients in the high P group had a significantly greater estradiol level on the day of hCG. No significant difference in clinical pregnancy rates or ongoing pregnancy rates occurred between the low P and high P groups. We conclude that in IVF cycles pretreated with GnRH-a, P levels on the day of hCG are not predictive of conceiving in that cycle.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The relationship between panic attacks and chemical dependencies.

The purposes of the present study were to (a) determine the prevalence and characteristics of panic attacks in an alcohol/drug abuse inpatient population, (b) compare patients who reported experiencing panic attacks to patients who have never experienced a panic attack on various self-report measures of psychopathology and on ratings completed by Caregivers, and (c) to examine differences within groups of panickers. One hundred forty-four patients completed the questionnaires over a 17 week period. Over 50% of the patients reported experiencing one or more attacks in the three weeks prior to testing. These panickers scored higher than non-panickers on various measures of psychopathology. Over 83% of panickers reported using alcohol to self-medicate their panic attacks with almost 72% of them believing this procedure to be effective for preventing or reducing panic attacks. Male panickers differed from female panickers on several measures as did panickers who reported their panic attacks began before the alcohol abuse compared to those who did not believe this. The mean history of panic attacks was 103.4 months while the mean history of alcohol abuse was 134.6 months.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Tissue-specific variation in C4 and Slp gene regulation.

C4 and Slp are highly homologous mouse genes that differ in function and regulation. Allelic variants exist in quantitative regulation of C4 and in hormonal regulation of Slp. We have examined expression in several tissues, including liver and peritoneal macrophages which are the major sites of synthesis, using a probe that allows direct comparison of C4 and Slp mRNAs. Correctly-sized and initiated RNA, within an order of magnitude of liver levels, is found in mammary gland, lung, spleen, and kidney; lower levels are detectable in testis, brain, heart and submaxillary gland. By comparing expression in congenic mouse strains differing in C4 and Slp loci, regulation of these genes is seen to vary in different tissues. This provides a well-defined genetic system in which to examine cis-acting sequences and trans-acting factors that result in tissue-specific patterns of gene regulation.

Alleles↗
PubMed1987

The complete nucleotide sequence of the ilvGMEDA cluster of Escherichia coli K-12.

The ilvGMEDA gene cluster of Escherichia coli K-12 has been the focus of intensive genetic and biochemical analysis for the past 30 years. Genetic regulation of the ilvGMEDA cluster involves attenuation, internal promoters, internal Rho-dependent termination sites, a site of polarity in the ilvG pseudogene of the wild-type organism, and autoregulation by the ilvA gene product, the biosynthetic L-threonine deaminase. We have now completed the nucleotide sequence of the 6600-bp cluster and have analyzed it, along with the ilvYC, ilvBN, and ilvIH genes, for codon frequencies and possible evolutionary relationships. The isoleucine content of each of the gene products of the ilvGMEDA cluster is quite similar (less than a two-fold variation), thus excluding one possible interpretation of the isoleucine-specific downstream amplification phenomenon. There is no evidence for retrograde evolution in the cluster since no significant homologies are detectable among genes that catalyze sequential reactions of the pathway. A highly significant homology does exist, however, between the threonine deaminases of yeast mitochondria and E. coli. The sequence at the boundary of the ilvA and ilvD genes is TAATAATG, so that the second TAA stop codon of ilvD overlaps the ATG initiation codon of ilvA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Extrachromosomal elements of extrachromosomal elements of Paramecium and their extrachromosomal elements.

Expression of killer traits in Paramecium is due to a complex interaction between the lower eukaryote host and two or three elements that can be viewed either as extrachromosomal elements or as endosymbionts. In all cases, the determinants of the killer trait are carried by obligate bacterial endosymbionts belonging to the genus Caedibacter. However, the actual genetic determinants for expression of these traits are not an integral part of the symbiont genome. They are located on extrachromosomal genetic elements (plasmids or bacteriophages) which essentially are molecular endosymbionts of Caedibacter. In the case of the plasmids, they are associated with yet another set of extrachromosomal genetic elements, which are transposons. These transposons have been observed to move into new sites in the plasmids and even to disrupt expression of R body production and the killer trait. Thus, the transposons can be considered either as extrachromosomal elements of extrachromosomal elements (plasmids) of extrachromosomal elements (C. taeniospiralis) of paramecia, or as molecular parasites of molecular endosymbionts (plasmids) of bacterial endosymbionts of paramecia.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Transposonlike elements in Caedibacter taeniospiralis.

We report that the 1.5- and 7.5-kilobase-pair (kbp) transposonlike sequences present in the R-body-coding plasmids of Caedibacter taeniospiralis share homology. The R-body-coding plasmids of two new strains of C. taeniospiralis, derived from strains 169 and A30, carry the 7.5- and 1.5-kbp elements, respectively, inserted at new positions. Sequences homologous to the 7.5-kbp sequence from C. taeniospiralis 47 were detected in the chromosomes of three other strains of C. taeniospiralis.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1986

Comparative study of refractile (R) bodies and their genetic determinants: relationship of type 51 R bodies to R bodies produced by Pseudomonas taeniospiralis.

The relationship of type 51 refractile (R) bodies to R bodies produced by Pseudomonas taeniospiralis was investigated. Proteins associated with type 51 R bodies were not serologically cross-reactive with proteins associated with R bodies from P. taeniospiralis. The genetic determinants for type 51 R bodies did not exhibit close homology with DNA sequences from P. taeniospiralis.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1975

Ribosomal RNA genes in the amoebal and plasmodial forms of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum.

1. The degree of homology between ribosomal RNA isolated from microplasmodia and amoebae of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum has been determined by competive hybridisation of the RNA from the two sources to homologous DNA in solution. The extent of competition was measured both by hybridisation to saturation and by following the kinetics of hybrid formation. In each case competition was found to be 100%, indicating that the ribosomal RNAs from the two, quite different vegetative forms of the organism exhibit a high degree of homology and are probably transcribed from the same genes. 2. The relationship between the amount of nuclear DNA that codes for ribosomal RNA (rDNA) and ploidy has been investigated in three strains of P. polycephalum which exhibit a 1:2:5 variation in the amount of DNA per nucleus. Ribosomal RNA saturation values were determined by hybridisation to DNA isolated from prophase nuclei of plasmodia. The proportion of rDNA was found to be constant at 0.16--0.18% of the total genome in the three strains.

Amoeba↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Otoneurological functioning in panic disorder patients with prominent dizziness.

Fifteen panic disorder patients with prominent dizziness underwent audiologic, caloric, and vestibuloocular reflex activity testing and were compared with normal controls. There were no abnormalities detected on audiologic and caloric tests. Compared with normal controls, panickers with dizziness showed a greater discrepancy between eye and head movements on vestibulo-ocular reflex activity in the dark. Panickers with prominent dizziness did not differ from a second control group of panickers with severe heart palpitations on a number of psychological tests. The results did not support the hypothesis that organic dizziness is etiologically important in the causation of panic or agoraphobia, but do suggest that vestibuloocular reflex activity should be further studied in panic disorder.

Adult↗