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Biomedical subjects

J M Reinisch

Publications and source records attributed to J M Reinisch.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Prenatal exposure to prednisone permanently alters fighting behavior of female mice.

Female mice born of mothers administered 100 microgram prednisone on Days 13-18 of gestation attacked a stimulus male significantly sooner following the commencement of testosterone treatment in adult life than did mice born of control mothers. In a second ed postpartum aggression as compared to controls. In both experiments females of the 100 microgram prednisone group showed a reduction in birth weight relative to controls. The effect on body weight did not persist since no differences were observed on Day 21 of life. The data show that prenatal exposure to prednisone permanently modifies the later intraspecific fighting behavior of female mice.

Aggression↗

Prenatal exposure to prednisone in humans and animals retards intrauterine growth.

Prednisone treatment for infertility and subsequent pregnancy maintenance in humans resulted in a significant decrease in the birth weight of full-term infants and a marked increase in the percentage of newborn infants weighing 2500 grams or less, that is, "light for dates" in comparison to control offspring. A parallel experiment with mice indicated that the reduction of birth weight was caused by exposure to corticosteroids rather than to maternal disease or malfunction.

Animals↗

Better psychological functioning and higher social status may largely explain the apparent health benefits of wine: a study of wine and beer drinking in young Danish adults.

BACKGROUND: Findings from a recent series of Danish studies suggest that moderate wine drinkers are healthier than those who drink other alcoholic beverages or those who abstain. OBJECTIVE: To identify possible explanatory factors associated with the health benefits of wine consumption through the examination of a wide spectrum of social, cognitive, and personality characteristics related to both beverage choice and health in young Danish adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study of characteristics associated with beverage choice in a sample of 363 men and 330 women between the ages of 29 and 34 years, selected from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort on the basis of perinatal records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Socioeconomic status, education, IQ, personality, psychiatric symptoms, and health-related behaviors, including alcohol consumption, were analyzed. The outcome variables were subjected to linear and logistic regression analyses with 2 factors (beer and wine), each with 2 levels (drinking or not drinking a certain beverage type). RESULTS: Wine drinking was significantly associated with higher IQ, higher parental educational level, and higher socioeconomic status. Beer drinking was significantly associated with lower scores on the same variables. On scales concerning personality, psychiatric symptoms, and health-related behaviors, wine drinking was associated with optimal functioning and beer drinking with suboptimal functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that wine drinking is a general indicator of optimal social, cognitive, and personality development in Denmark. Similar social, cognitive, and personality factors have also been associated with better health in many populations. Consequently, the association between drinking habits and social and psychological characteristics, in large part, may explain the apparent health benefits of wine.

Adult↗

High-risk sexual behavior among heterosexual undergraduates at a midwestern university.

Approximately 80% of a self-selected sample of 593 heterosexual undergraduate college students studied at a large Midwestern state university in 1988 had ever experienced penile-vaginal or penile-anal intercourse. One-fifth of the 477 sexually experienced women and men said they had had heterosexual and intercourse. The mean age at first vaginal intercourse was 17, while the mean age at first anal intercourse was about 18.5. Although less than four years, on average, had elapsed since the respondents' first vaginal or anal intercourse, females reported having had an average of 5.6 sexual partners, and males reported an average of 11.2 partners.

Adolescent↗

High-risk sexual behavior at a midwestern university: a confirmatory survey.

According to a 1991 study of sexual behavior based on a random sample of heterosexual undergraduates at a Midwestern university, 80% of the males and 73% of the females had experienced vaginal or anal intercourse. The average age at first vaginal intercourse was 17.2 years for both sexes. Seventeen percent of the sexually experienced males and 18% of the sexually experienced females had engaged in heterosexual anal intercourse; among these respondents, the average age at first anal intercourse was 20.3 for males and 19.1 for females. Although less than four years, on average, had elapsed since the respondents had first had vaginal intercourse, males reported an average of 8.0 lifetime vaginal-sex partners and females reported an average of 6.1. Overall, the findings from this random sample of students are similar to those from a 1988 convenience sample of the same college population.

Adolescent↗