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Biomedical subjects

S Sutton

Publications and source records attributed to S Sutton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Effects of interparental violence on the psychological adjustment and competencies of young children.

Preschool children (N = 107) were divided into 4 groups on the basis of maternal report; home and shelter groups exposed to verbal and physical conflict, a home group exposed to verbal conflict only, and a home control group. Parental ratings of behavior problems and competencies and children's self-report data were collected. Results show that verbal conflict only was associated with a moderate level of conduct problems: verbal plus physical conflict was associated with clinical levels of conduct problems and moderate levels of emotional problems; and verbal plus physical conflict plus shelter residence was associated with clinical levels of conduct problems, higher level of emotional problems, and lower levels of social functioning and perceived maternal acceptance. Findings suggests a direct relationship between the nature of the conflict and residence and type and extent of adjustment problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Endogenous event-related potentials in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Brain event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate central nervous system (CNS) correlates of cognitive function in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). ERPs of 10 unmedicated OCD patients and 10 normal controls were measured in an auditory "oddball" task. Increasing task difficulty resulted in longer N200 and P300 latencies in normal subjects, but not in OCD patients. Moreover, OCD patients displayed shorter P300 latency than normal controls for the more difficult discrimination conditions. This replicates prior findings of Beech et al. (1983) for a visual task. For both levels of task difficulty, OCD patients also showed greater negativity than normal controls in the N200 region, which extended into the subsequent slow wave region. Negativities in the N200 and slow wave regions were larger at sites over the left hemisphere than the right hemisphere. The enhanced negativities and reduced P300 latency in OCD patients are discussed in terms of current theories postulating cortical hyperarousal and left hemisphere involvement in OCD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Longitudinal and cross-sectional comparisons of young children's cognitive ERPs and behavior in a picture-matching task: preliminary findings.

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 19 children (6-8 years old at initial testing) performing cognitive tasks in two longitudinal testing sessions administered one year apart. The task used was a modification, using pictorial stimuli, of Posner's (1978) letter-matching experiments. In separate blocks of trials, subjects had to decide whether two sequentially-presented slides were physically identical, shared the same name, or came from the same semantic category. Subjects indicated their choice via a same-different delayed response following the second slide. Behavioral data showed large effects of longitudinal Age reflecting increases in accuracy from Run 1 to Run 2. These effects were corroborated by analyses of cross-sectional Age, suggesting that the performance changes reflected cognitive growth, rather than practice effects. In a similar fashion, both N400 and P700 (classical 'P300') showed reductions in peak latency that appeared to be true age changes, since these latencies shortened as a function of Run of testing as well as cross-sectional Age, and there were no Run by Age interactions. Small sample sizes as well as methodological shortcomings of the current design limit the conclusions that can be drawn from these data. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of a cross-sectional/short-term longitudinal design and provides information on the extent and direction of behavioral and ERP changes that can be observed over this limited age range.

Child↗
PubMed1990

[Dental care for a handicapped person].

The dental care of handicapped person is often neglected and many reasons can explain this situation. The purpose of this article is to show factors causing dental deterioration of this particular group and to highlight the special role of the dentist. A new approach to dental care for the handicapped person is proposed.

Architectural Accessibility↗
PubMed1989

Neurotransmitters and peptides modulate the release of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor from cultured human placental cells.

The substances stimulating the release of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor from cultured human placental cells were investigated. Monolayer primary cultures of trophoblast cells from pregnant women at term were used. The immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor released in the culture medium eluted from high-performance liquid chromatography with the same retention time as human corticotropin-releasing factor. Norepinephrine and acetylcholine increased immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor release into the culture medium in a dose-related manner. Epinephrine was partially active, whereas dopamine and serotonin did not induce significant changes of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor release from placental cultures. Angiotensin II, interleukin-1, oxytocin, and arginine-vasopressin also increased placental immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor release in a dose-related manner, whereas other peptides (vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, somatostatin, atrial natriuretic factor, interleukin-2) were ineffective. These results showed that several neurotransmitters and peptides stimulate the release of immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor from placental cells, suggesting their possible involvement in the physiologic regulation of placental immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing factor release during pregnancy and parturition.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1989

Identification of immunoreactive neuropeptide-gamma in human placenta: localization, secretion, and binding sites.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible presence of immunoreactive neuropeptide-gamma (irNPY) in human placenta. Acidic extracts of human placental tissue collected at term pregnancy contained high irNPY concentrations. The extracted irNPY eluted from HPLC with the same retention time as synthetic NPY. The presence of the peptide in placental cells was confirmed by immunohistochemical findings showing numerous cells of the cytotrophoblast layer positively staining for NPY. Further supporting local production of the peptide, primary cultures of human placental cells released irNPY into the culture medium and the addition of high K+ concentrations increased the release of the peptide. The finding of irNPY in human placenta stimulated the characterization of binding sites of NPY in the same tissue. Using autoradiographic techniques we showed specific binding of [125I]NPY in human placental tissue. The binding of [125I]NPY to the placental receptors was saturable and widely distributed within the placental tissue. Finally, the addition of NPY to the medium of cultured placental cells increased the release of immunoreactive CRF, suggesting a possible role of NPY in placental hormone production. The effect of NPY was dose related and augmented by the addition of norepinephrine (10 nM). These results showed that human placenta produces and secretes irNPY and that NPY receptors are present in placental tissue. Moreover, the evidence that NPY stimulated the release of immunoreactive CRF from cultured placental cells suggests an action of NPY in placental hormonogenesis.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1988

Understanding the effects of fear-arousing communications: the role of cognitive factors and amount of fear aroused.

This paper reports an experimental study investigating the role of cognitive factors and fear in mediating the effects of "fear-arousing" health threat communications. Seventy-seven cigarette smokers were shown either a videotape about smoking or a control videotape on a different health topic before completing a questionnaire assessing their intentions to try to quit, the level of fear aroused, and three cognitive factors: (a) probability difference (perceived reduction in risk of health damage that follows from successful cessation), (b) utility of health damage, and (c) confidence. The smoking videotape influenced probability difference, utility, intentions, and follow-up reports of attempts at cessation. As predicted, both probability difference and utility influenced intention, which in turn influenced behavior. Neither confidence nor the amount of fear aroused by the videotape had significant effects on intention.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Smoking intervention in the workplace using videotapes and nicotine chewing gum.

This article reports a series of randomized controlled studies in four companies in the United Kingdom which were designed to evaluate minimal smoking intervention programs based on the use of motivational videotapes or nicotine chewing gum. In the videotape studies, groups of smokers (N = 603) were randomly assigned to watch one of several different videotapes. They were followed-up, along with nonparticipants (N = 1,015), at 3 months and again at 1 year, and a biochemical validation of abstinence was performed. There were significant differences between the videotape conditions with regard to attitudes assessed immediately after exposure (intention and fear) and the proportion of smokers who tried to stop, but there were no significant differences in cessation, even in the short term. Using a strict definition of abstinence, long-term abstinence rates were under 10% in all four studies. In one company, we also investigated the effect of offering brief individual treatment based on nicotine chewing gum to a randomly chosen 50% sample of the videotape group (N = 161) still smoking at the 3-month follow-up. The treatment course was administered by occupational health nurses and consisted of four short consultations over a 12-week period. The results were encouraging: 16% of those who took the offer stopped during treatment and were still abstinent 1 year after the start of treatment compared with only 2% of the randomized no-intervention control group and 0% of those who were invited but did not attend.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Neurotransmitter modulation of corticotropin releasing factor secretion into the hypophysial-portal circulation.

Secretion of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) from the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei into the hypophysial-portal circulation is modulated by a variety of neuronal afferents. Effects of intracerebroventricular acetylcholine (ACH), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and epinephrine (EPI) on immunoreactive (ir) CRF concentration in portal plasma were directly evaluated in urethanized male rats. ACH (0.1-10 nmole) administration was associated with a dose-dependent elevation of portal irCRF which was attenuated by pretreatment with either muscarinic or nicotinic receptor antagonists. GABA (0.1-10 nmole) also caused inhibition of irCRF concentration in the portal plasma which was prevented by bicuculline pretreatment. Finally, EPI (0.1-10 nmole) facilitated irCRF secretion via alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic mechanisms. These observations provide the first direct information on possible neurotransmitter actions on hypothalamic CRF secretion.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1987

Corticotropin-releasing factor decreases plasma luteinizing hormone levels in female rats by inhibiting gonadotropin-releasing hormone release into hypophysial-portal circulation.

To evaluate whether the hypothalamus is the site of action of CRF in inhibiting LH levels in female rats, we measured hypophysial-portal blood concentrations of immunoreactive GnRH (irGnRH) after the central injection of CRF. Ovine CRF (0.1, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 nmol) was injected intracerebroventricularly to intact rats on the afternoon of proestrus and in long term ovariectomized (OVX) rats in the presence or in absence of estradiol benzoate (OVX + EB). CRF injection decreased the amplitude of the proestrous irGnRH surge without affecting presurge levels. CRF (0.1 nmol) attenuated the afternoon irGnRH surge in OVX + EB rats; higher doses of CRF blocked this surge and decreased nonsurge irGnRH levels. No dose-related alterations of irGnRH levels were observed in OVX rats; only the highest dose of CRF was active. For comparison, plasma LH concentrations were measured after a single dose of CRF (2 nmol) in rats under the same experimental conditions. While CRF decreased LH concentrations in anesthetized proestrous and OVX + EB rats, it was inactive in OVX rats. In contrast, CRF injection in awake rats did decrease LH concentrations in all experimental conditions, suggesting that in OVX rats, the anesthetic (Saffan) used during portal blood collection affected CRF action on LH secretion. Indeed, the observation that the LH response to opiate receptor blockade with naloxone (2.5 mg/kg) in anesthetized OVX rats was different compared to that in awake rats suggested that the ineffectiveness of CRF to decrease irGnRH and LH in OVX anesthetized rats was related to the action of the anesthetic on the opioid system. The existence of a putative CRF-opioid interaction in the inhibitory control of LH secretion was supported by the effectiveness of naloxone to reverse the CRF-induced decrease in LH levels in EB-treated and untreated OVX rats. These results indicate that CRF attenuates LH secretion by a central action to inhibit irGnRH release into the hypophysial-portal circulation and that this action is independent of basal concentrations of irGnRH and/or LH. Moreover, the present results support the involvement of endogenous opioids in mediating the effect of CRF on LH secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Randomized trial of brief individual treatment for smoking using nicotine chewing gum in a workplace setting.

In a controlled trial of brief treatment for smoking using nicotine chewing gum in a workplace setting, 270 of 334 cigarette smokers who expressed interest were invited to take part in the program, which consisted of two individual consultations; 172 attended. The remaining 64 smokers constituted a no-intervention control group. Using a criterion of sustained one-year abstinence with biochemical validation, success rates were 12 per cent among participants, 1 per cent among those who were invited but did not attend, and 2 per cent in the control group.

Adult↗