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Biomedical subjects

J L Chapel

Publications and source records attributed to J L Chapel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The Rutter scale for completion by teachers: factor structure and relationships with cognitive abilities and family adversity for a sample of New Zealand children.

A large sample of 7-year-old children (n = 940) was rated by teachers using the Rutter Child Scale B, a 26-item questionnaire covering a variety of behavioural problems. A factor analysis of the data revealed three main factors of interest, identified as aggressiveness, hyperactivity and anxiety-fearfulness. Measures based upon these factors had a reasonably high level of reliability and were moderately stable over a 2-year interval. An analysis of the relationship between these three behavioural measures and some cognitive measures indicated that only hyperactivity was negatively associated with cognitive ability. However, both hyperactivity and aggressiveness were related to adversity in the child's family background. The findings suggest the usefulness of distinguishing between aggressive and hyperactive dimensions of behaviour.

Achievement

Lemon juice, sunlight, and tattoos.

In folklore, tattoos are thought to fade if rubbed with lemon juice and exposed to sunlight. The authors tested this hypothesis on shaved, tattooed rats. Tattooed controls were used. Additional substances and conditions were included in the study (tretinoin gel, liquid nitrogen, and dermabrasion). The authors conclude that India ink tattoos do not fade significantly with sunlight and lemon juice nor with the application of tretinoin gel, liquid nitrogen, or combinations thereof.

Animals

History of incest in girls admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Of 437 adolescent girls admitted to a psychiatric hospital for emotional problems, 61 reported an incestuous involvement. Their mean age at the time of their first experience was 11.9 years. The liaisons occurred as often with fathers as with stepfathers; other, less frequent perpetrators of incest included brothers, brothers-in-law, uncles, a grandfather, an adoptive father, and a half-brother. The authors note that the victim of incest is almost always a preadolescent and that the occurrence of incest is probably not accurately reported nationally.

Adolescent

Medroxyprogesterone acetate antiandrogen treatment of hypersexuality in a pedophiliac sex offender.

A hypersexual pedophiliac sex offender was treated with the antiandrogen medroxyprogesterone acetate for 500 days. During the treatment, his testosterone blood levels significantly decreased, nearly to female values. Pituitary gonadotropin and urinary steroid metabolite levels diminished initially. Medroxyprogesterone therapy resulted in decreased libido, few side effects, and no recurrence of sex offenses, but there was no change in the patient's sexual orientation.

Adult

Effects of d-amphetamine on urinary metabolites of dopamine and norepinephrine in hyperactive boys.

The authors measured the urinary metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in 21 hyperactive boys and 12 matched healthy boys. The hyperactive boys excreted lower amounts of MHPG than control boys. Hyperactive drug responders excreted lower amounts of HVA than control boys and hyperactive nonresponders. Drug responders with normal MHPG excreted low amounts of HVA and those with normal HVA excreted low amounts of MHPG. d-Amphetamine decreased MHPG in all drug responders and HVA in drug responders with normal HVA levels, although it tended to increase HVA in those with low HVA levels. The authors discuss their data in terms of the possible involvement of norepinephrine and dopamine in the etiology of hyperactivity in children.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

The hyperactive child.

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Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Depression.

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Adult

Norepinephrine metabolism and clinical response to dextroamphetamine in hyperactive boys.

The 24-hour urinary catecholamine metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, normetanephrine, and metanephrine were measured in 23 hyperactive boys and 13 matched healthy controls. The hyperactive children excreted lower MHPG and higher NM (low MHPG/NM ratio) amounts than in controls. The administration of d-amphetamine in the dose of 0.5 mg/kg body weight divided over two doses daily for two weeks decreased MHPG excretion in the hyperactive children. When the hyperactive children group was divided into drug responders and nonresponders according to their pre- and post-treatment scores on the Conners Teacher Questionnaire, d-amphetamine administration decreased MHPG excretion in the responders and did not change it in the nonresponders. Percent decrease in MHPG excretion correlated significantly with percent change in the hyperactivity factor of the questionnaire on the Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient. Pretreatment urinary metabolites did not differentiate the responders from nonresponders. It is suggested that a relationship between CNS norepinephrine metabolism and hyperactivity exists and that d-amphetamine may achieve its therapeutic action in hyperactive children by altering CNS NE metabolism.

Central Nervous System

Urinary MHPG excretion in minimal brain dysfunction and its modification by d-amphetamine.

The authors studied the excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenlyglycol (MHPG) in 15 hyperactive boys and 13 controls. They further examined soft neurologic signs and clinical drug response to d-amphetamine administration for two weeks in the hyperactive boys. MHPG excretion was significantly lower in the hyperactive boys than in the controls. d-Amphetamine decreased MHPG excretion significantly in the drug responders only. Pretreatment MHPG excretion did not predict clinical drug response. The responders had more soft neurologic signs than the nonresponders. Furthermore, soft neurologic signs were not related to pretreatment MHPG levels.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Development and evaluation of a sex education program for medical students.

This paper describes the development of a sex education program for medical students at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. A description is given on the method used to achieve the objectives of giving knowledge of sexual behavior, modifying attitudes which block understanding of sexuality, and developing skills for the evaluation and management of sexual problems. The importance of using discussion groups assisted by skilled group facilitators to reach these objectives is discussed. The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test, by which pretest and posttest differences in knowledge and attitude were assessed, and the results obtained are discussed.

Attitude

Urinary catecholamine metabolites in hyperkinetic boys treated with d-amphetamine.

The authors studied the excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol (MHPG), normetanephrine (NM), metanephrine, and homovanillic acid in 7 hyperactive and 12 control children. MHPG was lower but NM was significantly higher in hyperactive children than in controls. Administration of d-amphetamine for 2 weeks depressed the levels of MHPG, NM, and metanephrine. The authors suggest a decreased central norepinephrine activity, which may be secondary to the interruption of norepinephrine fibers in the medial forebrain bundle.

Child

The clinical application of laboratory animal experimental findings: treatment of hypersexualized behavior in a male.

Exposure of animals to drugs which induce hepatic enzymes results in an acceleration of hydroxylation of endogenous as well as exogenous steroid hormones (Conney, A.H., Pharma. 19 [1967] 317). Fahim et al. in a two part study, noticed when phenobarbital was administered to sexually mature male rats, it accelerated the metabolism of androgen as reflected by significant reductions in weight and RNA content of male accessory organs [3]; it was also observed that vitamin B 12 is an enzyme inducer [2]. Currently we observed a significant synergism between vitamin B 12 and phenobarbital in acceleration of drug metabolizing enzymes in rats. This demonstration of drug-steroid interaction reinforces the possibility of utilizing such phenomena as therapeutic modalities for human reproductive syndromes associated with overprodduction of sex hormones. This was applied in a young 16 year old mildly retarded male who was having much difficulty coping with sexual urges. His serum testosterone level was 960 ng%, which is abnormally high for his age. The patient was treated with 30 mg phenobarbital, morning and evening, and 50 mcg vitamin B 12 daily. After three months of treatment, his testosterone level decreased significantly to 620 ng%, and his hypersexualized behavior with girls had completely dropped out. There were no side effects in his physical appearance or general health. This therapy encourages its utilisation in humans with androgen overproduction instead of utilizing estrogen or other drugs which may have side effects.

Adolescent