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Biomedical subjects

J Greenberg

Publications and source records attributed to J Greenberg.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Depression and preference for self-focusing stimuli after success and failure.

Depressed individuals, who tend to have large perceived-self/ideal-self discrepancies, have been shown to be particularly high in private self-consciousness. On the bases of this finding and of several converging theoretical perspectives, we hypothesized that depressives, unlike nondepressives, do not find self-focus more aversive after failure than after success, and thus either (a) show no differential preference for self-focusing stimuli after success versus after failure (weak hypothesis), or (b) prefer self-focusing stimuli after failure over self-focusing stimuli after success (strong hypothesis). Depressed and nondepressed college students succeeded or failed on a supposed test of verbal intelligence, and then worked on two sets of puzzles, one in the presence and one in the absence of a self-focusing stimulus (mirror). Whereas nondepressed subjects liked the mirror-associated puzzle more after success than after failure, depressed subjects did not; depressed subjects tended to like the mirror-associated puzzle more after failure than after success. Nondepressed subjects also exhibited a self-serving pattern of attributions, viewing the test as less valid and luck as more responsible for their performance after failure than after success; depressed subjects showed no such differences. In consistency with their failure to use defensive strategies, depressed subjects showed a decrease in self-esteem after failure; nondepressed subjects showed no such change.

Attention↗

Effects of fentanyl on local cerebral blood flow in the rat.

Fentanyl reduces the cortical cerebral blood flow and metabolic rate for oxygen in rats, though seizure activity occurs in some animals at high doses. However, the effects of fentanyl on blood flow and metabolism in subcortical structures have not been clearly delineated. The present study examines the effects of intravenous fentanyl (100 or 400 micrograms . kg-1) on local cerebral blood flow (1-CBF) in paralyzed, mechanically ventilated rats. Rats ventilated with 70% N2O in 30% O2 served as controls. Local CBF was measured using 14C-iodoantipyrine and autoradiography. Blood pressure, PaO2, PaCO2, pH, and temperature were comparable in all groups. The EEG showed slow wave activity in most animals given 100 micrograms . kg-1 fentanyl while seizure activity occurred in all animals given 400 micrograms . kg-1 fentanyl. With 100 micrograms . kg-1 fentanyl, CBF tended to be depressed in all cortical and subcortical areas, except the peri-aqueductal gray; and with 400 micrograms . kg-1 fentanyl, 1-CBF tended to be elevated (compared to 100 micrograms . kg-1 fentanyl) in most areas of the brain. The limbic system structures, however, were most affected by 400 micrograms . kg-1 fentanyl with statistically significant increases (compared to the 100 micrograms . kg-1 group) in 1-CBF of 86% and 67% respectively in the amygdala and septal nucleus. These results confirm that moderately high doses of fentanyl which cause slow wave activity on the EEG also depress 1-CBF in rats; moreover, doses of fentanyl that produce seizure activity produce increases in 1-CBF in most cerebral structures with greatest effects on limbic system 1-CBF.

Animals↗

Methionine-enkephalin and beta-endorphin levels in brain, pancreas, and adrenals of db/db mice.

Levels of methionine-enkephalin immunoreactivity (MEI) and beta-endorphin immunoreactivity (BEI) were measured by means of a specific RIA in pituitary, hypothalamus, pancreas, and adrenal glands of db/db and control mice. We found significantly higher levels of MEI in the pituitaries of db/db mice than in either littermate or background strain controls. There was no significant difference in MEI levels in pancreas, adrenal glands, and hypothalamus. There was a significant difference in the BEI levels in the pituitaries of db/db mice compared with those in controls. No significant difference in BEI levels was observed between db/db and control mice in any of the other regions examined. We conclude from the above data that the opiate peptide system in the hypophyseal-hypothalamic axis of the db/db mouse is abnormal and warrants further investigation. The significance of this finding with respect to the possible etiology of diabetes mellitus is discussed.

Adrenal Glands↗

The "hyperacute" extraaxial intracranial hematoma: computed tomographic findings and clinical significance.

Thirteen patients with acute subdural and epidural hematomas were found to have fresh, unclotted blood at the time of surgical decompression several hours after injury. Computed tomographic (CT) scans of these patients demonstrated areas of hyperdensity, corresponding to clotted hematoma, admixed with areas of isodensity, corresponding to liquid blood. Active bleeding from identifiable loci was found in 11 patients, 4 of whom had massive hemorrhages. Clotting abnormalities ranging from slightly elevated laboratory test results to a full-blown clinical picture of disseminated intravascular coagulation occurred in 8 patients. We describe the CT pictures of these "hyperacute" lesions, and we postulate that such CT presentations indicate either the presence of ongoing active intracranial bleeding or the onset of a coagulopathy complicating the management of these lesions.

Adolescent↗

Plasmin effect on platelet glycoprotein Ib-von Willebrand factor interactions.

We have studied the effect of streptokinase on platelets in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and of plasmin on washed platelets. By three and one-half minutes after the addition of 50,000 IU/mL streptokinase to PRP, the maximum rate of ristocetin-induced platelet agglutination declined 40%, and by 60 minutes, it declined 70%. During the same time interval, the thrombin time increased from 20 seconds to over 120 seconds. At a concentration as low as 50 IU/mL, streptokinase reduced the maximum rate of ristocetin-induced platelet agglutination by 50% and prolonged the thrombin time to 1.5 times control value. Streptokinase added to PRP also caused inhibition of platelet aggregation following stimulation by 2.9 mumol/L adenosine diphosphate, 0.25 U/mL thrombin, and 0.025 mg/mL collagen. Plasmin, 0.05 to 1.0 CU/mL, reduced ristocetin-mediated agglutination of washed platelets in the presence of von Willebrand factor (vWF) from 66% of control to 2% of control, following a one-hour incubation. Autoradiograms produced following sodium dodecyl-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of plasmin-treated 125I-surface-labeled platelets demonstrated progressive loss of a protein with a molecular weight (mol wt) of 180,000; simultaneously, a protein with mol wt 135,000 appeared on autoradiograms produced following SDS-PAGE of the surrounding platelet medium. These proteins are similar in molecular weight to glycoprotein (gp) Ib, a platelet surface receptor for vWF, and glycocalicin, a proteolytic fragment of gpIb. By use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based immunoinhibition assay for glycocalicin, we were able to demonstrate that plasmin treatment of washed platelets released a glycocalicin-related antigen into the surrounding medium and that appearance of this material corresponding to loss of vWF-dependent, ristocetin-induced agglutination.

Blood Coagulation Factors↗

Regional cerebral glucose utilization rates in rats during asymptomatic period of exposure to 1, 2 and 3 atmospheres absolute of oxygen.

A previous study has shown an increase in regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose prior to the onset of central nervous system oxygen toxicity in rats exposed to 5 atmospheres absolute of oxygen. The present study was designed to measure regional cerebral glucose utilization rates at pressures used for oxygen therapy and prolonged exposures during which rats are known to be asymptomatic. The regional metabolic rate for glucose in 26 brain structures and in gray and white matter of the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord was autoradiographically measured in awake unrestrained rats using the autoradiographic [14C]2-deoxyglucose technique. Femoral artery and vein cannulae were inserted 3 days before the experiment. Rats were divided into four groups of 15: (a) air control; (b) 6 h at 1 atmosphere absolute oxygen; (c) 4 h at 2 atmospheres oxygen; and (d) 2 h at 3 atmospheres oxygen. Statistically significant increases in glucose utilization (p less than 0.05) are seen only in lateral thalamus at 3 atmospheres oxygen, in superior olivary nucleus and inferior colliculus at 2 atmospheres oxygen and in superior olivary nucleus at 1 atmosphere oxygen. The combination of our previous data at 5 atmospheres oxygen and the present results at prolonged and safe exposures to lower pressures indicated that increased glucose utilization in some neuronal structures precedes the onset of the central nervous system manifestations of oxygen toxicity.

Animals↗

Effect of extrinsic incentives on use of test anxiety as an anticipatory attributional defense: playing it cool when the stakes are high.

We conducted an experiment to assess the effect of extrinsic incentives on the use of test anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy. We hypothesized that although reports of anxiety may be greater when such symptoms can serve a defensive function, this effect occurs only when extrinsic incentives are low and not under conditions of high extrinsic incentive. Eighty-four male undergraduates anticipated taking a test of intellectual abilities and either were led to believe that test anxiety has no effect on test performance or were given no particular information about the relation between test anxiety and performance. Subjects were offered either +5 or +25 for obtaining the highest score on the test. Consistent with predictions, no-information subjects reported greater test anxiety before the test than did those who believed that test anxiety was unrelated to performance, but only when the extrinsic incentive for performance was low. However, these subjects did not report greater cognitive interference or exhibit lower test scores than did subjects in other conditions. It is tentatively suggested that the defensive strategy used by these subjects consisted of altering perceptions of anxiety, rather than anxiety itself. The implications of the absence of self-handicapping under high incentive conditions are discussed.

Anxiety↗

Effects of sufentanil on regional cerebral glucose utilization in rats.

Sufentanil, a narcotic five to ten times more potent than fentanyl, reduces cortical cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption in rats, with seizure activity occurring in some animals. However, the effects of sufentanil on blood flow and metabolism in subcortical structures have not been defined clearly. The present study examines the effects of intravenous sufentanil (40 or 160 micrograms/kg) on regional cerebral glucose utilization (r-CMRgl) in paralyzed, mechanically ventilated rats using 2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose and autoradiography. Regional cerebral glucose utilization was decreased in all cortical areas examined in rats receiving either dose of sufentanil; the larger dose of sufentanil (160 micrograms/kg) decreased r-CMRgl in cortical structures 20-45% below control values. Two subcortical structures, the caudate nucleus and the ventral thalamic nucleus, manifested a 39-54% decrease in r-CMRgl at each dose of sufentanil. Limbic system structures responded differently. Sufentanil 40 micrograms/kg produced focal areas of markedly increased r-CMRgl in the amygdala of two of six rats; sufentanil 160 micrograms/kg produced marked increases in r-CMRgl in focal areas of hippocampus (four of eight rats) and amygdala (seven of eight rats). EEG activation suggestive of seizure activity was evident in the two low-dose sufentanil and six of the seven high-dose sufentanil rats that had focally increased r-CMRgl in the amygdala. Sufentanil causes a selective increase in r-CMRgl in subcortical limbic nuclei, particularly the amygdala, in the rat. EEG patterns of seizure activity may reflect subcortical, rather than cortical activation.

Anesthetics↗

Family boundary ambiguity: a new variable in family stress theory.

The variable, degree of family boundary ambiguity, is increasingly being used in family research to describe and predict the effects of family membership loss and change over time. Boundary ambiguity is defined as the family not knowing who is in and who is out of the system. The family may perceive a physically absent member as psychologically present or a physically present member as psychologically absent. In either case, the family boundary is ambiguous. This review is presented to clarify the meaning of boundary ambiguity and to explore its scope and application as a variable. We focus here on (a) the process of theory development, inductive and deductive, by which the construct of boundary ambiguity was identified and validated as a continuous variable within family stress theory; (b) the historical antecedents of the construct; and (c) the interrelationships of the variable with other factors related to stressed families.

Family↗

Correlation of brain glucose utilization and cortical electrical activity during development of brain oxygen toxicity.

Central nervous system (CNS) oxygen toxicity in rats is characterized by the appearance of alterations in electrical cortical activity (ECoG), followed by the appearance of paroxysmal electrical discharges and finally the onset of clinical convulsions. The correlation between the changes in ECoG and the regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRgl) during progressive oxygen toxicity was studied. Cortical electrodes for ECoG recording and venal arterial cannula for autoradiographic measurement of rCMRgl were chronically implanted. Using [14C]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), the rCMRgl was measured in conscious unrestrained rats during different periods of exposure to 5 atmospheres absolute oxygen as well as an equivalent normoxic high pressure, while ECoG was continuously recorded and analyzed. A statistically significant increase in rCMRgl in 13 out of 24 investigated brain structures was found during the pre-paroxysmal electrical discharge period. This increase was accompanied by an elevation in slow and a reduction in fast ECoG frequency bands. The largest increase in rCMRgl was found in cerebellar and cerebral cortices, limbic, auditory and visual structures. Following the appearance of the first paroxysmal electrical discharge (FED) some limbic structures and cerebellar cortex showed further increases in rCMRgl, while several auditory and visual structures exhibited a significant decrease. Five atmospheres normoxic pressure had no effect on rCMRgl in any of the brain structures examined. It is concluded that pre-paroxysmal electrical discharge ECoG changes and the onset of the FED during progressive oxygen toxicity are not due to inhibition of brain energy metabolism. The possible mechanisms leading to alterations in rCMRgl during hyperbaric oxygenation are discussed.

Animals↗

Poly-L-methionine sulfoxide: a biologically inert analogue of dimethyl sulfoxide with solubilizing potency.

Poly-L-methionine sulfoxide is a water-soluble polymer containing the sulfoxide moiety. The preparation and radiolabeling of this polymer is described and its bioeffects are compared with those of dimethyl sulfoxide. Poly-L-methionine sulfoxide is similar to dimethyl sulfoxide in that it is a potent solubilizer of lipophilic compounds in water. Although the partition coefficient of poly-L-methionine sulfoxide in 1-octanol-water is only 20 times lower than that of dimethyl sulfoxide, it was found not to penetrate into intracellular spaces. In contrast to dimethyl sulfoxide, poly-L-methionine sulfoxide and L-methionine sulfoxide were found to be ineffective in inducing differentiation in murine erythroleukemia cells and inhibiting differentiation of avian neural crest cells, suggesting that compounds effective in these processes must have the ability to penetrate into cells or membrane proteins. Overall lack of bioactivity of poly-L-methionine sulfoxide, combined with low toxicity (2 g/kg, iv, in the mouse with no effect), makes this compound a suitable inert solubilizer and carrier for lipophilic drugs.

Animals↗

Studies of the guinea pig epididymis. I. Ultrastructure and quantitative morphology of the principal cells.

The guinea pig epididymis is subdivided into seven zones. The ultrastructure and morphology of the principal cells in these zones is analyzed. The position, shape and content of the nuclei are variable along the length of the epididymal duct. Features characteristic of absorptive activity, such as micropinocytotic caveolae, vacuoles, and multivesicular bodies are of high concentration in zone IV and VI. The Golgi apparatus, rough endoplasmic reticulum and secretion granules are organelles and inclusions implicated to secretory functions and in this study are not found in the following concurring amounts within the principal cells of the seven zones: the Golgi apparatus exhibits a trend of increase from zone II to zone VII while the rough endoplasmic reticulum decreases. Secretion granules, though, are detected only in zones II and III, not only in the supra-, but also in the peri- and infranuclear regions. This possibly implies an exocrine secretory function. Lamellar whorls and profiles of tubular smooth endoplasmic reticulum are concentrated in the supranuclear and adluminal regions of zones I, II and VI. A high concentration of large lipid droplets is a consistent feature of the perinuclear region of zone II. Mitochondria and lysosomes are detected in relatively large amounts along the epididymal duct. The correlations of these morphological characteristics with respect to their possible functional role are discussed.

Animals↗

Studies of the guinea pig epididymis. II. Intercellular junctions of principal cells.

The junctional complexes of the principal cells in the guinea pig epididymis were analyzed using freeze fracture and ultrathin section goniometric techniques. Replicas of the seven regions (I to VII) investigated reveal a continuous decrease in the number of tight junctional strands, ranging from 15.73 +/- 3.54 in zone I (proximal) to 4.39 +/- 0.78 in zone VII (distal tubule). The distance from the adluminal to the basolateral strand also diminishes from proximal, 0.73 +/- 0.02 micron to distal, 0.19 +/- 0.03 micron. The junctional strands appear on the P-face and anastomose forming compartments which are larger in the basolateral areas than those in the apical. The network of strands frequently form terminal loops and blind endings towards the more basal parts of the lateral membrane. Freeze fracture images also exhibit randomly distributed particulate aggregations which correspond to maculae adhaerentes, the highest number of which are found in zone IV, V, and VII. Desmosomal figures are found not only below, but also adjacent and intermingled among the tight junctional strands. This special junctional arrangement is confirmed upon goniometric analysis of ultrathin sections from zones IV, V, and VII. Electron dense desmosomal plaques are seen parallel and directly subjacent to the membranes of the tight junctions, following the strands in both directions to finally converge on the punctiform connections. Goniometry also reveals a dense feltwork of material closely applied along the lateral cell border. These zonulae adhaerentes are seen to be of greatest length and density in zones I, VI, and VII.

Animals↗