Biomedical subjects

J B Williams

Publications and source records attributed to J B Williams.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

The rat's postero-orbital sinus hair: II. Normal morphology and the increase in peripheral innervation with adjacent nerve section.

The morphology and innervation of the postero-orbital (PO) sinus hair has been studied in normal rats and in adult animals in which an adjacent nerve, the infraorbital nerve, was sectioned on postnatal day 0 or day 7. The normal morphology of the follicle was similar to that of mystacial sinus hairs. However, the normal innervation differed from mystacial follicles in three respects: (1) instead of a separate innervation, the deep vibrissal nerve (DVN) and dermal plexus were supplied by a common follicle and skin nerve, named here the postero-orbital cutaneous nerve, a branch of the zygomaticofacial nerve; (2) the entry of the DVN through the capsule was highly variable; in some cases fascicles entered in close proximity, but in others they were widely distributed around the capsule; and (3) two or three small nerves, called here anastomosing nerves, were found to leave the PO follicle. These arose from the DVN after it had passed through the capsule to the cavernous sinus. The anastomosing nerves passed back through the capsule and ascended on the outer surface of the follicle to join the dermal plexus. Each nerve contained 1-4 myelinated fibres and 11-35 unmyelinated fibres. Infraorbital (IO) nerve section on day 0 caused a 19% (P less than 0.001, n = 8) increase in numbers of fibers to the DVN on the lesioned side. Most of the increase was due to unmyelinated fibres with no significant change in myelinated axons. No change in axon numbers in the DVN occurred after day 7 lesions. Labelling of the mystacial pad and the PO follicle did not result in any double labelling of cells in the trigeminal ganglion, in either normal or lesioned animals, making it improbable that the increased numbers of unmyelinated axons arose from rerouting of infraorbital fibres. It is suggested that the increased innervation of the PO follicle may arise by the rescue of ganglion cells from developmentally programmed cell death.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID). I: History, rationale, and description.

The history, rationale, and development of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) is described. The SCID is a semistructured interview for making the major Axis I DSM-III-R diagnoses. It is administered by a clinician and includes an introductory overview followed by nine modules, seven of which represent the major axis I diagnostic classes. Because of its modular construction, it can be adapted for use in studies in which particular diagnoses are not of interest. Using a decision tree approach, the SCID guides the clinician in testing diagnostic hypotheses as the interview is conducted. The output of the SCID is a record of the presence or absence of each of the disorders being considered, for current episode (past month) and for lifetime occurrence.

Decision Trees↗

PubMed1992

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID). II. Multisite test-retest reliability.

A test-retest reliability study of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R was conducted on 592 subjects in four patient and two nonpatient sites in this country as well as one patient site in Germany. For most of the major categories, kappa s for current and lifetime diagnoses in the patient samples were above .60, with an overall weighted kappa of .61 for current and .68 for lifetime diagnoses. For the nonpatients, however, agreement was considerably lower, with a mean kappa of .37 for current and .51 for lifetime diagnoses. These values for the patient and nonpatient samples are roughly comparable to those obtained with other structured diagnostic instruments. Sources of diagnostic disagreement, such as inadequate training of interviewers, information variance, and low base rates for many disorders, are discussed.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗

PubMed1992

Comparison of the basal and luteinising hormone-releasing hormone induced luteinising hormone release by perifused hypophyses from turkey hens (Meleagris gallopavo) at different physiological stages.

1. An experiment was performed to investigate the weight of the ovary, the oviduct, the pituitary gland, the plasma concentrations of luteinising hormone (LH), progesterone, oestradiol and the responsiveness of the pituitary gland in vitro to doses of Luteinising Hormone-Releasing Hormone (LH-RH) ranging from 10(-10) to 10(-5) M in laying (L), incubating (I) and out-of-lay (OL) turkey hens. 2. Pituitary weights did not differ between the groups but the weights of the ovary and oviduct and the plasma concentrations of progesterone and oestradiol were lower in I and OL than in L hens. The plasma concentrations of LH were lower in I than in L hens. 3. In vitro, the basal release of LH was similar in L and I hens, but significantly higher in OL hens. A slow and linear increase in basal LH release by the glands from I and OL hens was observed throughout the experiment. 4. No clear dose-response relationship was found in any of the reproductive states with respect to LH release in vitro following LH-RH stimulation, probably as a result of partial cell desensitisation. On the other hand, the amount of LH released over basal level in responses to stimulation with different doses of LH-RH were not significantly different between L and I hens, but they were between 5- to 10-fold higher in OL hens, except at the lowest dose. 5. These findings confirm that there is no correlation between circulating LH in turkey hens and the capacity of the hypophysis to release LH in vitro passively or in response to LH-RH. Therefore, the low circulating concentrations of LH in I and OL turkey hens cannot be accounted for by decreased adenohypophyseal responsiveness to LH-RH. They may indicate a low level of hypothalamic secretion of LH-RH and/or to the existence of an inhibitory mechanism on LH secretion in vivo in both OL and I hens.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1992

A structured diagnostic interview for hypochondriasis. A proposed criterion standard.

We developed a structured diagnostic interview for DSM-III-R hypochondriasis (SDIH) that is the first such clinician-administered instrument. The SDIH was administered to 88 general medical outpatients who scored above a predetermined cutoff on a hypochondriacal symptom questionnaire, and to 100 comparison patients randomly chosen from among those below the cutoff. Using the joint assessment method, interrater agreement on the DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria was 88% to 97% and agreement on the diagnosis was 96%. Concurrent validity was suggested by a significant correlation between the interview and the primary care physicians' ratings of hypochondriasis. A measure of external validity was demonstrated in that several clinical characteristics thought to be ancillary features of hypochondriasis were significantly more prevalent in interview-positive patients than in interview-negative patients. Finally, the SDIH appeared to have discriminant validity in that patients diagnosed as hypochondriacal had several other clinical features that distinguished them from the patients who scored above the cutoff on hypochondriacal symptomatology, but failed to be diagnosed as hypochondriacal with the SDIH.

Ambulatory Care↗

PubMed1992

Reliability of dual diagnosis. Substance dependence and psychiatric disorders.

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R was used to examine the effects of the co-occurrence of psychiatric and substance dependence disorders on diagnostic reliability. The test-retest reliability over a 1-week period was studied in groups of: a) individuals with current substance abuse diagnoses (N = 97), b) individuals with past, but not current, drug histories (N = 146), and c) individuals without substance abuse diagnoses (N = 356; primarily psychiatric patients). A measurement of reliability (Kappa coefficients) was estimated for four general psychiatric categories (psychotic, mood, anxiety, and eating disorders), along with specific most-frequent diagnoses in each category (schizophrenia, major depression, panic disorders, and bulimia nervosa, respectively). Past use and non-drug-use groups were similar in their generally reliable reporting of current and past psychiatric disorders. However, current mood and psychotic disorders were less reliably diagnosed in the group with current substance use disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Growth factor-induced delayed early response genes.

Growth factors induce the sequential expression of cellular genes whose products are thought to mediate long-term responses to the growth factors. In mouse 3T3 fibroblastic cells, the first genes to be expressed (immediate-early genes) are activated within minutes after the addition of platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, or serum. By cDNA cloning, we have identified genes that are activated after a delay of a few hours and several hours prior to serum-induced DNA replication. Activation of these delayed early response genes requires new protein synthesis, presumably the synthesis of immediate-early transcription factors described previously. Partial or complete sequencing of 13 different delayed early cDNAs, representing about 40% of the 650 primary cDNA isolates, revealed that 8 were related to known gene sequences and 5 were not. Among the former are cDNAs encoding nonhistone chromosomal proteins [HMGI(Y) and HMGI-C], adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT), a protein related to human macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a protein of the major intrinsic protein (MIP) family homologous to the integral membrane protein of human erythrocytes, and cyclin CYL1. In 3T3 cells, the delayed early gene response to growth factors appears to be at least as complex as the immediate-early gene response previously described.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1992

Bereavement reactions among homosexual men experiencing multiple losses in the AIDS epidemic.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined whether deaths of lovers and close friends from AIDS increased the frequency of depressive symptoms and depressive disorder in a group of homosexual men. METHOD: Two hundred seven volunteer male homosexual subjects were interviewed in New York City in 1988 and 1989. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, administered by a clinician, and two self-report symptom checklists. Subjects were evaluated for major depression with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Each subject also reported the number of lovers and close friends who had died of AIDS 1) since the beginning of the epidemic in 1981 and 2) in the 6 months preceding the interview. RESULTS: Neither the overall level of depressive symptoms, the presence of specific symptom clusters, nor the presence of a diagnosed depressive disorder was related to the number of AIDS deaths a subject reported in either time frame. In contrast, bereavement reactions specific to loss, namely, preoccupation with and searching for the deceased, were more common in subjects with greater numbers of losses. The findings for depressive symptoms and major depression are not readily explained by measurement artifact, overrepresentation of asymptomatic subjects among study volunteers, habituation effects, numbness, or shallowness of attachments in the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in normative expectations regarding AIDS deaths and mobilization against AIDS within the gay community may account for the lack of association between the number of losses resulting from AIDS and the presence of depressive symptoms and depressive disorder.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1992

Now is the time to retire the term "organic mental disorders".

The organic/nonorganic distinction in contemporary classifications of mental disorders such as DSM-III and DSM-III-R has important prognostic and treatment implications, because it directs the clinician to pay special attention to the possibility of an underlying "physical" disorder as the cause of the mental disturbance. However, the term "organic" raises serious and intractable problems, since the connotative meaning of the term always returns to its historical roots, which imply an outmoded functional/structural, psychological/biological, and mind/body dualism. The authors present a proposal being considered for DSM-IV that would eliminate the term "organic" and reorganize the classification of organic mental disorders. Disorders previously referred to as "organic mental disorders" would be renamed as either "secondary disorders" (if they are due to "physical" disorders) or "substance-induced disorders." The entire classification of mental disorders would be reorganized to distribute the secondary and substance-induced disorders into the major groups with which they share phenomenology. The traditional organic mental disorders--delirium, dementia, and amnestic disorder--would be grouped together under the rubric of "cognitive impairment disorders." While acknowledging problems with the suggested new terminology and reorganization of the classification, the authors argue that the potential benefits of the proposal for clarity and for facilitating differential diagnosis justify putting to rest the familiar but now anachronistic term "organic mental disorders."

Humans↗

PubMed1992

Serum prolactin levels in homosexual and bisexual men with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: Prolactin is a neurohormone that may be secreted in response to stress and also has regulatory effects on the immune system. Some, but not all, studies suggest that prolactin levels are higher than normal in persons with HIV infection. The authors measured prolactin levels in HIV-positive and HIV-negative homosexual and bisexual men to assess possible differences in levels and then examined relationships between prolactin level and measures of medical status, anxiety, depression, stress, and neuropsychological test performance. METHOD: Blood for prolactin level determination was obtained from 121 HIV-seropositive and 79 HIV-seronegative homosexual and bisexual men enrolled in a longitudinal study. The men also underwent a daylong assessment that included medical, immunological, psychiatric, psychosocial, psychosexual, and neuropsychological evaluations. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in serum prolactin level among the seronegative men, the seropositive men with no or minimal physical symptoms, and the seropositive men with significant physical symptoms of HIV infection. Furthermore, within the HIV-seropositive group, the correlations between serum prolactin level and measures of depression, anxiety, stress, and neuropsychological test performance were all nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Serum prolactin level does not seem to respond to HIV infection or to be related to stress or psychiatric symptoms in HIV-infected men. As none of the subjects had AIDS, the possibility cannot be ruled out that prolactin level increases in very late stages of HIV infection.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

International reliability of a diagnostic intake procedure for panic disorder.

Test-retest diagnostic reliability interviews using the Upjohn version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III (SCID) were conducted with 72 patients at 13 international sites of the Cross-National Collaborative Panic Study. Agreement on the diagnosis of panic disorder was very good. For the subtypes (uncomplicated, with limited phobic avoidance, and agoraphobia), agreement was fair to good.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Dementia after stroke: baseline frequency, risks, and clinical features in a hospitalized cohort.

We determined the frequency of dementia in a cohort of 251 patients aged greater than or equal to 60 years hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke, based on examinations performed 3 months after stroke onset. Using modified DSM-III-R criteria, we found dementia in 66 patients (26.3%). Diagnostic agreement among raters was excellent (kappa = 0.96). In a control sample of 249 stroke-free subjects recruited from the community and matched by age, we found dementia in eight subjects (3.2%). Using a logistic regression model to estimate the risk of dementia associated with stroke in the combined samples, the odds ratio (OR) for stroke patients compared with control subjects was 9.4 (p less than 0.001). Advancing age and fewer years of education were significant, independent correlates of dementia, with a trend evident for race (non-white versus white). Confining the analysis to subjects residing in the Washington Heights-Inwood community of northern Manhattan, the OR was 10.3 (p less than 0.001) with significant age and race effects. We conclude that ischemic stroke significantly increases the risk of dementia, with independent contributions by age, education, and race.

Aged↗

PubMed1992

In-vitro and in-vivo responses to chicken LHRH-I and chicken LHRH-II in male turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).

Stimulation of male turkey hypophyses in vitro with chicken (c)LHRH-I, cLHRH-II or porcine (p)LHRH (0.1 mumol/l) using a perifusion technique caused an increase in the release of LH. In this system, cLHRH-II was approximately 2.5-fold more potent than cLHRH-I and pLHRH which were equipotent. The difference was due to a greater amplitude of the response but not to a prolonged action. Hypophyseal desensitization to a subsequent stimulation was induced when the interval between stimulations was 30 min, but did not occur when lengthened to 60 or 120 min. Injection of a single dose of cLHRH-I or -II in vivo at doses of 10 and 0.1 nmol/kg body weight stimulated increases in the plasma concentration of LH and testosterone initiated within 1 or 10 min after injection respectively. As in vitro, cLHRH-II induced greater responses, which were dose-related, than did cLHRH-I. However, this difference could be attributed to a greater potency of cLHRH-II and to a more prolonged action. At the 10 nmol/kg dose, the shape of the LH response to cLHRH-II changed; it consisted of an initial increase during 10 min after injection, followed by a more sustained phase during which LH levels were still increasing between 20 and 60 min after injection. In contrast, after an injection of cLHRH-I at doses of 10 or 0.1 nmol/kg or cLHRH-II at a dose of 0.1 nmol/kg, LH levels were at a peak within 5 min and thereafter declined gradually.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Annual survey: incentive plans on the rise in hospitals.

Long a fixture in other fields, incentive plans are becoming much more common--and are being received more favorably--in the health care sector. Hospitals are implementing incentive compensation plans at an explosive rate, according to the 1991 Hay Hospital Management/Professional Survey of compensation and benefits data from over 1,200 U.S. hospitals. The survey also looks at compensation's link to organizational performance and gives a list of average base salaries and total cash compensation for a number of health care positions. Learn the latest trends, exclusively in Hospitals.

Data Collection↗

PubMed1991

Shaw-like rat brain potassium channel cDNA's with divergent 3' ends.

The complete amino acid sequence of a potassium channel protein of rat brain, Kv3.2b, plus a partial sequence of a related channel, Kv3.2c, are deduced from molecular cloning of the respective cDNA's. Kv3.2b and Kv3.2c share extensive amino acid sequence identity with a previously identified channel, RKShIIIA[1], before diverging to unique carboxy termini. Probes specific for Kv3.2b and RKShIIIA detect similarly sized mRNA's on Northern blots. These two proteins are encoded by a single gene based on genomic Southern blotting, and therefore arise by alternative splicing. In vitro transcribed mRNA for Kv3.2b induces the expression of outward K+ currents in Xenopus oocytes under voltage-clamp conditions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Depression, distress, lymphocyte subsets, and human immunodeficiency virus symptoms on two occasions in HIV-positive homosexual men.

We evaluated the extent to which depressive disorders, psychiatric distress, and psychosocial stressors are related to three measures of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) illness, both cross-sectionally and during a 6-month period, in a community sample of 124 HIV-positive homosexual men. The dependent variables are immune status measured by CD4 and CD8 cell subsets, number of signs and symptoms commonly associated with HIV infection, and a cumulative index of HIV illness stage. We chose to focus on CD4 cell count because it is the immune marker most closely linked to the clinical consequences of HIV infection. We found no relationships between the independent variables and immune status or illness stage. The HIV-positive men who were depressed or distressed or who reported more life stressors had no greater immunosuppression or more advanced illness stage than did the others, either concurrently or across occasions. We did find a suggestive pattern of association between depressive disorders, distress, and stressors and the number of HIV-related symptoms, which warrants further study.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Multidisciplinary baseline assessment of homosexual men with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection. I. Overview of study design.

Although much is known about the virus believed by most experts to be the cause of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and about its pathogenic actions, major areas of ignorance remain. Among these are the reasons for the varying time between infection with human immunodeficiency virus and development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the relationship between neurologic and medical aspects of the disease, the time course of neuropsychological findings, and the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. We assessed 124 homosexual men who were positive for human immunodeficiency virus and 84 who were negative for the virus. In this article we describe the study design, method of recruitment, and medical and demographic characteristics of the cohort, which will be followed up for 5 years.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Multidisciplinary baseline assessment of homosexual men with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection. II. Standardized clinical assessment of current and lifetime psychopathology.

Despite numerous reports of the psychiatric consequences of human immunodeficiency virus infection, few reports describe systematic diagnostic assessments of people with human immunodeficiency virus infection. We studied the results of standardized clinical assessments of current and lifetime psychopathology in a large group of homosexual men whose serologic status was known. Results indicated low rates of current mental disorders but very high rates of lifetime major depression and alcohol and other psychoactive substance abuse and dependence disorders. Measures of severity of psychopathology and functioning also indicated, on the whole, good current functioning. No significant relationship was found between stage of medical illness or immune status and any measure of psychiatric disturbance.

Adult↗