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Biomedical subjects

C S Martin

Publications and source records attributed to C S Martin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Aggressivity among sons of substance-abusing fathers: association with psychiatric disorder in the father and son, paternal personality, pubertal development, and socioeconomic status.

An association between childhood aggression and risk for subsequent development of a substance abuse disorder is now well-accepted. In order to better understand the relationship between the presence of paternal substance abuse and aggression among their offspring, 10-12 year old sons of fathers with (n = 34) and without (n = 39) a history of a substance abuse disorder were contrasted on demographics, aggressivity, biological indices of reproductive maturation, and the presence of psychiatric diagnoses. In addition, personality factors, the potential for physical abuse, and psychiatric diagnoses were also ascertained among their fathers. Sons of substance-abusing fathers were found to be significantly more aggressive than sons of nonsubstance abusers. However, they also differed from comparison boys on the basis of SES and school grade attained, as well as the proportion with specific psychiatric disorders. Substance-abusing fathers differed from nonsubstance-abusing men in terms of personality factors and the presence of specific psychiatric disorders, including antisocial personality. They also showed significantly higher child abuse potential scores. A multiple regression analysis of factors contributing to aggression in the boys revealed that a paternal personality factor characterized by stress reactivity, alienation, and aggression was the most robust contributor to aggression among the boys. The boys' diagnoses of attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and lower household socioeconomic status were also significant predictors of aggressivity. Contrary to expectations, paternal, psychiatric diagnoses, substance abuse status, and potential for physical abuse were noncontributory. The results suggest potential mechanisms by which both aggression and risk for substance abuse may be transmitted from father to son.

Aggression↗
PubMed1995

Quantitation of PCR products with chemiluminescence.

Quantitative PCR and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) are widely used in biomedical, industrial and other research applications to determine the number of RNA or DNA molecules of a specific type and/or sequence in a sample of interest. We have developed an assay system to accurately quantitate PCR products that utilizes solid-phase capture and an enzyme-linked chemiluminescent detection method. The entire assay is performed in a single tube or microplate well. Biotinylated PCR products are quantitated by capture onto a streptavidin-coated surface, followed by hybridization of an internal fluorescein-labeled oligonucleotide probe and subsequent detection with an anti-fluorescein-alkaline phosphatase conjugate and CSPD chemiluminescent substrate. Light signal is measured in a luminometer. The assay sensitivity enables accurate quantitation of target DNA because the measurement is performed on product generated during the exponential phase of amplification. The broad dynamic range of the assay, which is greater than three orders of magnitude of PCR product concentration, simplifies the determination of the number of amplification cycles necessary for accurate quantitation of target molecules. The PCR-Light system is an ultrasensitive, non-isotopic and rapid assay for PCR product detection that also has general application to solution hybridization assays and other quantitation methods.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1994

Aggressivity, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in boys at high and low risk for substance abuse.

Aggressivity, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are cardinal dimensions of externalizing behavior problems of childhood. They are diagnostic and clinical features of childhood disorders, and are thought to be linked to the subsequent development of adult disorders such as substance abuse (SA). Little is known, however, about the convergent and discriminant validity of these four constructs. We used multiple measures to develop indices of aggressivity, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in a sample of 10- to 12-year-old boys (N = 183) with and without a family history of SA. Data were taken from mother reports, child reports, teacher reports, and laboratory tasks. The study aims were (1) to test the convergent and discriminant validity of aggressivity, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity; (2) to examine whether the data were consistent with a model specifying the four constructs as indicators of one superordinate factor; and (3) to differentiate boys with and without a family history of SA in construct scores. The results supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the four constructs. Although discriminable, the constructs covaried strongly and were consistent with a model specifying them as indicators of a single superordinate factor. Boys with a family history of substance abuse scored higher than control boys on aggressivity, inattention, and impulsivity scores, but the groups did not differ on hyperactivity scores. The results are discussed in terms of the role of childhood behavior problems in vulnerability to SA.

Aggression↗
PubMed1994

Personality, social environment, and past behavior as predictors of late adolescent alcohol use.

Personality, as measured by subscales of the Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, 1979), social environmental exposure to alcohol use measured by parental and peer alcohol use, and past alcohol use were examined as predictors of late adolescent alcohol use in a sample of 575 1st-year college students. Efficacious predictors, in order of importance, include peer alcohol use, disinhibition, and age of first intoxication. The results support the relative importance of peer networks over parental models in determining late adolescent alcohol use. Our combinatorial model of personality, social environment, and past behavior is one such model in a growing trend toward the use of interactional models for predicting behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Differential expression of guanosine triphosphate binding proteins in men at high and low risk for the future development of alcoholism.

We evaluated G-proteins that are components of adenylyl cyclase (AC) signal transduction in erythrocyte and lymphocyte membranes from 26 family history positive (FHP) non-alcoholic and 26 family history negative (FHN) nonalcoholic subjects. Subjects were classified as FHP if their father met criteria for alcohol dependence; as FHN, if there was no history of alcoholism in any first or second degree relatives. Immunoblot analysis indicated that levels of erythrocyte membrane Gs alpha from FHP subjects were greater than levels in FHN subjects (171 +/- 11 vs 100 +/- 6, P < 0.001). To confirm the results of the immunoblot analysis, Gs alpha was quantitated by cholera toxin-dependent [32P]ADP-ribosylation. Levels of erythrocyte [32P]ADP-ribose-Gs alpha from FHP subjects were greater than levels in FHN subjects (236 +/- 28 vs 100 +/- 14, P < 0.001). Gs alpha levels did not correlate with age or alcohol consumption. By contrast to differences in Gs alpha, immunoblot analysis showed similar levels of Gi(2)alpha and Gi(3)alpha in erythrocyte membranes of FHP and FHN subjects. Pertussis toxin-catalyzed [32P]ADP-ribosylation of Gi-like G-proteins confirmed the immunoblot observations. Lastly, compared to FHN subjects, FHP subjects had enhanced Gs alpha expression in lymphocyte membranes as well (138 +/- 11 vs 100 +/- 5.5; P < 0.02). In summary, compared to FHN nonalcoholic men, FHP nonalcoholic men had greater levels of the stimulatory G-protein, Gs alpha, in erythrocyte and lymphocyte membranes. Enhanced expression of Gs alpha may be a marker of increased risk for the future development of alcoholism.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed1993

Anticipated stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol vary with dosage and limb of the blood alcohol curve.

Anticipations of alcohol's effects reportedly covary with the amount consumed. Alcohol's stimulant and sedative properties also may contribute to alcohol consumption. Anticipations of stimulant and sedative effects have not been investigated extensively. The present study examined the stimulant and sedative effects subjects anticipated experiencing if they were on the ascending or descending limb of the blood alcohol curve after consuming two or four standard drinks. One hundred sixty-six undergraduates reported anticipating greater stimulant effects than sedative effects on the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve, and greater sedative effects than stimulant effects on the descending limb. Subjects also reported anticipating larger effects with larger doses. Men tended to anticipate smaller effects than women. These results support the notion that specific anticipated effects vary with dosage and the limb of blood alcohol curve, suggesting that the study of anticipated effects of alcohol should employ these variables.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Development and validation of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale.

Alcohol produces stimulant and sedative effects, and both types of effect are thought to influence drinking practices. This article describes the development and preliminary validation of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES), a self-report, unipolar adjective rating scale designed to measure both stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol. An initial pool of 12 stimulant and 12 sedative items was derived from previous alcohol effect measures, and from descriptors of intoxication generated by subjects during interviews conducted on both the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. This item pool was administered to a sample of sober college students twice, with a 2-week inter-test interval. Items that were difficult to comprehend, or that had high ratings or low test-retest reliability, were eliminated, resulting in a seven-item stimulant subscale and a seven-item sedative subscale. These subscales showed high internal consistency in a sober state, which was not improved by additional item deletion. The data from this study also provided a basis for revising the instructions for the BAES. The new 14-item instrument was then given to 30 male and 12 female nonalcoholics on the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve, after the administration of either 0.75 ml/kg alcohol (males) or 0.65 ml/kg alcohol (females). Internal consistency was high for both BAES subscales on both limbs of the blood alcohol curve (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85 to 0.94), and was not improved by additional item deletion. Factor analyses conducted on both limbs of the blood alcohol curve supported the proposed factor structure of the BAES.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Measurement of acute tolerance to alcohol in human subjects.

Acute tolerance can be defined as a decrease in response to alcohol within a single exposure to the drug, which occurs independently of changes in blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). BACs change over time in most human alcohol administration studies, and computational techniques that account for these changes must be used to measure the rate of acute tolerance development. The most widely used acute tolerance measure in human research is often called the Mellanby effect, and involves the comparison of responses at the same BAC on the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. We compared the Mellanby measure with two other measures of acute tolerance: a conceptually similar area under the curve measure, and a slope function approach that used data only from the descending limb of the blood alcohol curve. The measures were intercorrelated and discussed with regard to empirical and conceptual issues. Exploratory comparisons of those with and without a family history of alcoholism are reported. Methodological recommendations for the computation of acute tolerance are made. The results suggest new methods for measuring the rate of acquisition of acute tolerance, and suggest areas for future research on tolerance-proneness and risk for alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Experimental design in alcohol administration research: limitations and alternatives in the manipulation of dosage-set.

This article reviews literature on the utility of different experimental designs in human alcohol administration research, with particular attention to the balanced-placebo design (BPD). Many believe the BPD can orthogonally manipulate alcohol's pharmacological effects and the effects of dosage-set (believing that one has consumed a certain amount of alcohol). However, research has accumulated that suggests these effects cannot be disentangled at moderate to high doses of alcohol. The strengths and weaknesses of a number of experimental designs are discussed with regard to the variables that designs can assess or control. Methodological issues in deception conditions and manipulation checks are reviewed. Topics in need of empirical investigation are highlighted. It is concluded that the appropriate alcohol administration design depends on the particular theoretical and methodological issues of a research program.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1993

Patterns of polydrug use in adolescent alcohol abusers.

It is clear that alcohol abuse by adolescents rarely exists today without the concurrent use of other drugs. Little is known, however, about the extent and patterns of polydrug use in clinical samples of adolescent alcohol abusers. The present study examined patterns and correlates of polydrug use in 72 adolescents admitted to an inpatient treatment unit with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse. The degree of lifetime involvement with 10 different drug classes was assessed in a clinical interview. Ninety-six percent of subjects reported use of drugs other than alcohol, and there were substantial rates of use for most drug classes. Males and females did not differ in the percentage of subjects who used different drug classes or in severity of involvement ratings for these drug classes. The data suggest a consistent ordering of drug classes, such that the use of drug classes later in this order was rare in the absence of the use of drug classes earlier in the order. The data suggest that polydrug use characterizes the large majority of adolescent alcohol abusers, and that such use is often quite extensive. Implications for assessment and treatment are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Chemiluminescent DNA sequencing with multiplex labeling.

Chemiluminescent detection techniques provide a sensitive, nonradioactive method for DNA sequencing. Standard Sanger dideoxy DNA sequencing reactions are initiated with biotinylated primers, separated by gel electrophoresis, transferred to nylon membrane and detected utilizing chemiluminescent 1,2-dioxetane substrates for alkaline phosphatase. A multiplex-labeling method was developed to permit detection of several overlapping sets of DNA sequence information on a single membrane, thereby increasing the productivity of a single gel electrophoretic separation. Primers labeled with different haptens at the 5' end were used to perform separate sequencing reactions. These were mixed together prior to electrophoresis, and the individual sequencing products sequentially detected using hapten-specific reagents. We incorporated primers labeled with biotin, digoxigenin, 2,4-dinitrophenyl or fluorescein, each consecutively detected with a hapten-specific alkaline phosphatase conjugate and CSPD 1,2-dioxetane chemiluminescent substrate. To further increase the amount of DNA sequence data that can be obtained from a single membrane, a direct transfer electrophoresis apparatus was used for simultaneous separation of the DNA sequencing reactions and membrane transfer. The resulting increased separation of the high molecular weight fragments yields 350-450 bp of readable DNA sequence data from each template. Chemiluminescent detection of overlapping sets of DNA sequencing reactions utilizing multiplex labeling, combined with direct transfer electrophoresis, provides an efficient, nonradioactive method for DNA sequencing.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗
PubMed1992

Heightened motor activity level in male offspring of substance abusing fathers.

Heightened activity level has been implicated in the liability for substance abuse, but no prior research has directly examined motor activity in a sample of prepubertal boys at high-risk for substance abuse. The magnitude of behavioral activity of 10-12 year-old sons of substance abusing fathers (SA +) (n = 42) and controls (SA -) (n = 60) was assessed using a microprocessor-based activity monitor during tasks that demanded significant concentration, effort, and constraint on motor activity, and when no such demands were present. Psychiatric status, measures of temperament traits, and measures of internalizing and externalizing behaviors were also obtained on the boys. Although the groups did not differ during the lower demand task, SA + boys showed significantly greater motor activity than SA - boys during the tasks that required concerted effort, attention, and behavioral suppression. Multiple regression analysis indicated that under the low-demand condition, the presence of an anxiety disorder in the boy was the only significant predictor of activity level. However, under the conditions that demanded effort, concerted attention and behavioral suppression, SA + group membership, and having low rhythmicity (as a temperament trait) predicted heightened activity. Statistically controlling for rhythmicity, the SA + boys were estimated to have about 24% higher activity than control boys. The results suggest that heightened motor activity may be associated with susceptibility to substance abuse.

Attention↗
PubMed1992

Patterns and predictors of simultaneous and concurrent use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and hallucinogens in first-year college students.

Polydrug use produces important health and safety risks. Little research has examined whether multiple drugs are used simultaneously (at the same time or in close temporal sequence). Instead, researchers have assessed concurrent polydrug use (the use of multiple drugs within a given time period such as years or months). The research here examined patterns and predictors of both simultaneous and concurrent polydrug use in 575 first-year college students. Both concurrent and simultaneous polydrug use were common for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. The percentage of concurrent polydrug users who were also simultaneous polydrug users ranged from 82% to 93% across subgroups defined by gender and the use of a single drug. Male gender, high levels of sensation seeking, and frequent alcohol use predicted single-drug versus polydrug use status as well as simultaneous polydrug use. Patterns and predictors of simultaneous and concurrent polydrug use should be addressed in prevention research and preventative interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Studies on a wearable, electronic, transdermal alcohol sensor.

The measurement of alcohol consumption over long time periods is important for monitoring treatment outcome and for research applications. Giner, Inc. has developed a wearable device that senses ethanol vapor at the surface of the skin, using an electrochemical cell that produces a continuous current signal proportional to ethanol concentration. A thermistor monitors continuous contact of the sensor with the skin, and a data-acquisition/logic circuit stores days of data recorded at 2- to 5-min intervals. Testing of this novel ethanol sensor/recorder was conducted on nonalcoholic human subjects consuming known quantities of ethanol and on intoxicated alcoholic subjects. The transdermal sensor signal closely follows the pattern of the blood alcohol concentration curve, although with a delay. This paper describes the concept of electrochemical ethanol measurement and presents some of the clinical data collected in support of the sensor/recorder development.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Alcohol content variation in the assessment of alcohol consumption.

Most investigators have not adequately accounted for the alcohol content of different beverages when assessing alcohol consumption. Considerable research has assessed consumption in terms of the number of standard drinks. A problem with standard drink measures is that different distilled spirits, wines, and malt beverages vary considerably in alcohol content. State-to-state and brand-to-brand variations in the strength of different malt beverage brands are provided, as malt beverage alcohol contents are not contained on labels due to federal and state regulations. Ignoring alcohol content variation when estimating consumption can produce a large amount of error. Alcohol consumption should be assessed in terms of the number, size, and alcohol content of beverages.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1991

Estimation of blood alcohol concentrations in young male drinkers.

This research examined individual differences in the ability to self-monitor the effects of alcohol. Thirty-nine male subjects consumed 0.75 ml/kg alcohol and estimated their blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at peak BAC and on the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. Family history of alcohol dependence did not affect the accuracy of estimation of BACs. Subjects who reported lower levels of subjective intoxication underestimated their BACs more than did subjects who reported higher levels of subjective intoxication. Subjects with less behavioral impairment underestimated their BACs more than subjects with greater behavioral impairment on the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve. Accuracy was better on the ascending limb compared with peak BAC and the descending limb, and accuracy became worse over time on the descending limb. It appears that cues to the effects of alcohol rapidly become unavailable on the descending limb, which may contribute to decisions concerning further alcohol consumption and driving after drinking.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Young adults' knowledge of the strength of different alcoholic beverages.

Providing information about the strength of different alcoholic beverages is a common component of alcohol abuse prevention programs. However, little is known about drinkers' knowledge of the strength of different alcoholic beverages. In the present study, 113 young adult drinkers responded to a questionnaire concerning the alcohol content of different types of malt beverages (beers, malt liquors), wines, fortified wines (port, sherry), and distilled spirits. The results indicated rates of correct responses well below 50 percent for each type of alcoholic beverage, with a substantial proportion of subjects either overestimating or underestimating alcohol content. Not a single subject reported correct alcohol content values for all four beverage types. There was a trend towards less accurate estimates of the alcohol content of strength were less accurate than those of men. The results are discussed in terms of prevention of alcohol abuse.

Adult↗