Although alcohol expectancies have been shown to be consistently related to drinking and problematic drinking among underage youth, some studies suggest that they are more predictive of quantity than of frequency of drinking. However, this hypothesis has not been formally tested. This study examines the differential prediction hypothesis using a sample of 1,781 high school students from the San Francisco Bay Area. Measures included yearly and monthly frequency of drinking and intoxication and usual quantity consumed per drinking occasion. Alcohol expectancies were measured with 11 items asking about the likelihood that having 2 or 3 whole drinks of alcohol would lead to specific personal consequences. Structural equations analyses indicated that expectancies were better predictors of quantity than of frequency or intoxication. The results also show that positive and negative expectancy subscales were differentially associated with the drinking measures and the patterns were somewhat different for males and females.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Induction by E1A oncogene expression of cellular susceptibility to lysis by TNF.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha (ref. 1), synthesized primarily by monocytes in response to various invasive agents, induces a wide variety of biological effects relevant to regulating cell growth and differentiation, including the selective killing of some tumour cells and the growth stimulation of some normal fibroblasts. As tumour necrosis factor (TNF) appears to kill tumour cells preferentially, we asked whether TNF sensitivity correlates with the expression of specific oncogene(s). If so, by examining the cellular target(s) of the oncogene product, it might be possible to identify specific factor(s) which mediate TNF action. By using an in vitro cytotoxicity assay with NIH 3T3 and Fisher BRK-derived cells expressing exogenously introduced oncogenes, we found that adenovirus E1A proteins induce susceptibility to TNF killing.

Adenovirus Early Proteins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Role of beta 2-microglobulinuria and microalbuminuria in pediatric febrile urinary tract infection.

Urinary beta-2-microglobulin (beta 2M) and microalbumin concentrations were analyzed in 61 pediatric patients with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI). The results were compared with those of technetium-99m-labeled dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc-DMSA) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. Noninvasive evaluations were made to localize the site of the UTI. Increased urinary beta 2M/Creatinine (Cr) or microalbumin/Cr quotients were not associated with renal inflammation, as defined by a positive renal scan. Increased urinary microalbumin/Cr is associated with UTI in febrile patients regardless of the level of infection (scan status), and may be an informative indicator of UTI. When microalbumin/Cr was > or = 0.03, its sensitivity and specificity to predict UTI in febrile patients, regardless of the site of the infection, were 95.65% and 51.79%, respectively, and its positive predictive value was 62.0%. On the other hand, urinary beta 2M/Cr (> or = 0.13) demonstrates a statistically significant correlation with the presentation of a high grade of vesicoureteral reflux (p = 0.02). We suggest that a prompt renal imaging study is warranted when the urinary beta 2M/Cr ratio is high (> or = 0.13).

Albuminuria↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Questionnaire assessment of intake of specific carotenoids.

We determined whether estimation of intake of specific carotenoids with a standard food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) could be improved by collection of additional data on the intake of carotenoid-rich food items. The foods included on an addendum to the standard FFQ were potentially important dietary contributors of alpha- and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, or lycopene. Participants (n = 215), ages 50-74 years, provided fasting blood samples and completed the FFQ and the addendum. The participants were enrolled in a prepaid health plan and had undergone screening sigmoidoscopy for detection of colorectal polyps. Addendum foods were identified that accounted for variation in blood levels of specific carotenoids, conditional on intake of foods on the standard FFQ. Estimated carotenoid intakes from the standard FFQ, and from the modified FFQ with the selected addendum foods, were examined in relation to plasma carotenoid levels. The correlation coefficient between estimated carotenoid intake and plasma levels (adjusted for age, sex, serum cholesterol, alcohol intake, smoking status, and energy intake) were essentially the same for the standard and modified FFQs. The adjusted correlations for the standard FFQ only were 0.26 for alpha-carotene, 0.22 for beta-carotene, 0.36 for beta-cryptoxanthin, 0.32 for lutein+zeaxanthin, and 0.34 for lycopene. Adding carotenoid-rich foods to the FFQ did not improve estimation of intake for the carotenoids examined in this population. We conclude that assessment of intake of specific carotenoids with the FFQs currently in use may not necessarily be improved by a modified list of carotenoid-rich foods.

Adenomatous Polyps↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hyperthyroidism and concurrent thyroid cancer.

A total of 14 patients had hyperthyroidism coexisting with thyroid malignancy. Twelve patients had papillary cancer, 1 follicular cancer and 1 anaplastic cancer. Patients with Graves' disease had a low rate of associated malignancy 1.5% (10/674) and toxic nodular goiter had an incidence of 3.1% (4/27). Subtotal thyroidectomy was performed in 11 patients, total thyroidectomy in 2 and biopsy only in 1. Two of the subtotal thyroidectomy groups had to be operated on again due to their size being over 1 cm. In the follow-up period, only one patient died of anaplastic cancer in the second month. One patient who had multiple foci of the papillary cancer had local recurrence and lymph node metastasis 27 months later, and needed another radical neck dissection. All the other 12 patients were doing well without cancer recurrence. In conclusion, hyperthyroidism may have a malignancy of 1.75% (14/801). Subtotal thyroidectomy is adequate for occult cancer. Those patients with multiple foci, cancer size over 1 cm and capsule invasion should have a second operation with total thyroidectomy.

Adult↗