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Biomedical subjects

C Ticknor

Publications and source records attributed to C Ticknor.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Functional analysis of a t complex responder locus transgene in mice.

Transmission ratio distortion (TRD) of mouse t haplotypes occurs through the interaction of multiple distorter loci with the t complex responder (Tcr) locus. Males heterozygous for a t haplotype will transmit the t-bearing chromosome to nearly all of their offspring. This process is mediated by the production of functionally inequivalent gametes: wild-type meiotic partners of t spermatozoa are rendered functionally inactive. The Tcr locus, which is required for TRD to occur, is thought to somehow protect its host spermatid from the sperm-inactivating effects of linked distorter genes (Lyon 1984). In previous work, Tcr was mapped to a small genetic interval in t haplotypes, and a candidate gene from this region was isolated (Tcp-10bt). In this work, we further localize Tcr to a 40-kb region that contains the 21-kb Tcp-10bt gene. A cloned genomic copy of Tcp-10bt was used to generate transgenic mice. The transgene was bred into a variety of genetic backgrounds to test for non-Mendelian segregation. Abberrant segregation was observed in some mice carrying either a complete t haplotype or a combination of certain partial t haplotypes. These observations, coupled with those of Snyder and colleagues (in this issue), provide genetic and functional evidence that the Tcp-10bt gene is Tcr. However, other genotypes that were predicted to produce distortion did not. The unexpected data from a variety of crosses in this work and those of our colleagues suggest that elements to the TRD system and the Tcr locus remain to be identified.

Animals

Early dropouts from psychotherapy.

Ninety-six patients requesting psychotherapy were studied prospectively at the time of screening interview by four senior psychiatrists using a variation on Luborsky's Helping Alliance questionnaire and the Osgood Semantic Differential. Significant differences were found at the time of screening between early dropouts and continuers, among screeners' rate of early dropouts, and among patients' perceptions of screeners. The screener with a high early dropout rate was seen as being more passive and less potent, and offering less new understanding than other screeners. Patients who dropped out early experienced a less strong helping alliance, felt they gained less new understanding, liked the clinician less well, felt less well liked and less respected, and saw the interviewer as more passive and psychotherapy as less potent than did continuers.

Attitude to Health

Psychotherapy refusers.

A systematic review of 414 terminated cases on a semiprivate psychotherapy service revealed that 16.7% of patients never began therapy despite being accepted after an extensive and lengthy screening process. This is lower than in previous studies. Except for ethnicity, comparison between the refusers and acceptors of 42 variables failed to replicate the correlations found in previous studies. In our sample, psychotherapy refusers were characterized by (1) having less family psychiatric history, (2) being more likely to elaborate their problems, (3) having less alcohol abuse history, (4) being less likely to be offered long-term individual therapy, and (5) having waited less time for their screening appointment. Such variables as age, gender, diagnosis, severity, income, and education were all nonsignificant. Although we offer some hypotheses for our significant correlations, we suspect that the interaction with the screener is more important than patient variables in determining acceptance of psychotherapy.

Adolescent