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PubMed1990

Two procedures to reduce response bias in reports of alcohol consumption.

Standard instructions concerning the extent of confidentiality and a retrospective diary procedure were examined for their effects on reports of alcohol consumption. A total of 156 individuals attending a health fair at a southern university participated in an alcohol survey. Subjects were randomly distributed an alcohol survey that presented a 7-day and a 28-day quantity-frequency (Q-F) measure and a retrospective diary measure. Subjects were also randomly distributed an informed consent sheet that stated that their responses would remain completely anonymous and confidential or one that stated that their responses would be kept completely confidential and asked them to identify significant others to verify their responses. A significantly greater proportion (p = .0003) of subjects receiving instructions of confidentiality with verification did not sign the consent form or did not identify at least one significant other. No differences were found across types of instructions on measures of alcohol consumption and willingness to report alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use. The retrospective diary resulted in significantly greater reports of the number of drinking days per week (p = .0004) and number of drinks per week (p = .02) than did 7-day and 28-day Q-F measures. The diary measure also classified a greater percentage of drinkers as heavy drinkers, whereas the 28-day Q-F measure classified a greater percentage of subjects as drinkers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA distribution and stress-induced activation in the thalamus.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone plays a critical role in mediating the stress response. Brain circuits hypothesized to mediate stress include the thalamus, which plays a pivotal role in distributing sensory information to cortical and subcortical structures. In situ hybridization revealed neurons containing corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA in the posterior thalamic nuclear group and the central medial nucleus of the thalamus, which interfaces with the ventral posteromedial nucleus (parvicellular part). These regions are of interest because they process somatosensory and visceral information. In the first experiment, the effect of acute stress on thalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA levels was assessed. Rats restrained for 1 h and killed 1 h later were found to have increased corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA in the posterior thalamic nuclear group. The time course of these changes was examined in a second experiment in which rats were killed immediately or 3 h after restraint. While no changes occurred in the thalamus immediately after restraint, 3 h after restraint, increases in corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA occurred in both the posterior thalamic nuclear group and the central medial-ventral posteromedial nucleus (parvicellular part) of the thalamus. A different pattern of activation was observed in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus with increased corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA immediately after restraint, but not 1 or 3 h later. In addition to the stress-induced changes, a prominent decrease in baseline thalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA was observed from 1000 to 1300 h. These results show that the thalamus contains corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA that increases after restraint stress, indicating a role for thalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone systems in the stress response. Stress-induced changes in thalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA expression appears to be regulated differently than that in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and may be influenced by diurnal mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Understanding of and attitudes to xenotransplantation: a survey among Italian university students.

UNLABELLED: Xenotransplantation is currently at the experimental stages on animal models and many problems still have to be overcome in the biomedical, immunological and ethical fields. Moreover, people's attitudes to xenotransplantation vary: surveys among intensive-care staff have revealed negative opinions, while the general public and students seem to be more positive. Little is known about the influence of schooling and the choice of university faculty on attitudes to xenotransplantation. The aims of this study were: (i) to evaluate university students' attitudes to xenotransplantation; (ii) to investigate any socio-demographic, religious and educational determinants behind students' opinions on xenotransplantation. University undergraduates on five different courses were surveyed at Padua University. A 24-item questionnaire was distributed to students at the end of lectures and completed anonymously immediately after its distribution. No information was given to students beforehand. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: chi-squared, Pearson's test; P-values <0.05 were considered significant. A total of 585 of 602 (97.2%) students completed the questionnaire (132 males, 453 females, mean age 20.4, range 19 to 43 yr). They were on courses in Medicine (33.85%), Agriculture (5.98%), Veterinary Medicine (11.45%), Psychology (18.46%) and Educational Sciences (30.26%). As for their previous schooling, they came from classical or scientific high school (58.3%), technical college (14.7%), language college (6.3%), teacher training college (11.9%) or others (8.8%). Concerning their religious beliefs, 83% were Catholics, and 56.2% defined themselves as practising Catholics. Eighty-eight percentage of the students knew of the possibility of animal organs being transplanted into humans and 77.9% of them approved of this idea. When grouped according to gender and education, a higher proportion of students approving of xenotransplantation were male (P = 0.017) and had attended classical or scientific high school (P = 0.011). Disapproval for moral, ethical or religious reasons was higher among practising than among non-practising Catholics; the latter rejected xenotransplantation more for immunological and infectious reasons (P = 0.014). As for the type of university course, a higher proportion of students approving of xenotransplantation attended science courses (Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture and Medicine vs. Educational Sciences and Psychology) (P = 0.013). University students generally approved of xenotransplantation. Male gender and a high-school education were associated with a greater acceptance of xenotransplantation. Practising vs. non-practising Catholics reported significantly different reasons for any disapproval of xenotransplantation. The choice of a science rather than an arts faculty at university was more strongly associated with a positive opinion on xenotransplantation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measurements of NO2, SO2, O3, benzene and toluene using differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) in Shanghai, China.

NO2, SO2, O3, benzene, and toluene were measured in Taopu industry park of Shanghai during the period June to August 2003 by differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The daily average concentrations of SO2, NO2, and O3 ranged from 5.7 ppb to 40 ppb, 22 ppb to 123 ppb, and 10.6 ppb to 23 ppb respectively. SO2 and NO2 concentrations were found to depend on wind direction. The diurnal variation of NO2 concentrations had two peaks due to traffic emission. Our DOAS measurements of NO2, SO2 and O3 were compared with the conventional measurement instruments (API automatic monitoring instrument). The concept of a percent difference (PD) and linear regression methods were employed to study the difference between DOAS and API instruments. The correlation analysis between PD values and meteorological parameters and analysis of abnormal higher absolute PD values indicated that the lower visibility induced the bad compatibility between the two systems. The results showed that both systems exhibited strong compatibility with good correlation, therefore the DOAS system is able to provide reliable information on distribution patterns of major air pollutants. Average benzene and toluene concentrations were 1.4 and 8.0 ppb respectively.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

Connections of the retrosplenial granular b cortex in the rat.

Although the retrosplenial granular b cortex (Rgb) is situated in a critical position between the hippocampal formation and the neocortex, surprisingly few studies have examined its connections carefully. The present experiments use both anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques to characterize the connections of Rgb. The main cortical projections from Rgb are to the caudal part of the anterior cingulate cortex, area 18b, retrosplenial granular a cortex (Rga), and postsubiculum, and less dense terminal fields are present in the prelimbic and caudal occipital cortices. The major subcortical projections are to the anterior thalamic nuclei and the rostral pontine nuclei, and very small terminal fields are present in the caudal dorsomedial part of the striatum, the reuniens and reticular nuclei of the thalamus, and the mammillary bodies. Contralaterally, Rgb primarily projects to itself, i.e., homotypically, and more sparsely projects to Rga and postsubiculum. In general, the axons from Rgb terminate ipsilaterally in cortical layers I and III-V and contralaterally in layer V, with a smaller number of terminals in layers I and VI. Thalamic projections from Rgb target the anteroventral and laterodorsal nuclei of the thalamus, with only a few axons terminating in the anterodorsal nucleus, the reticular nucleus, and the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus. Rgb is innervated by the anterior cingulate cortex, precentral agranular cortex, cortical area 18b, dorsal subiculum, and postsubiculum. Subcortical projections to Rgb originate mainly in the claustrum, the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca, and the anterior thalamic nuclei. These data demonstrate that, in the rat, Rgb is a major nodal point for the integration and subsequent distribution of information to and from the hippocampal formation, the midline limbic and visual cortices, and the thalamus. Thus, similarly to the entorhinal cortex, Rgb in the rat is a prominent gateway for information exchange between the hippocampal formation and other limbic areas of the brain.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1994

Human colonic stem cell mutation frequency with and without irradiation.

Mild periodic acid-Schiff (mPAS) staining distinguishes O-acetylated from non-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins. In human colonic mucosa, individuals possess one of three phenotypes: uniformly mPAS-positive (non-O-acetylated), uniformly mPAS-negative (O-acetylated), and negative with infrequent scattered positive crypts. This is due to a polymorphism in a single autosomal gene (oat). Discordant crypts have not been found in children's colons, suggesting that they result from somatic mutation in heterozygous individuals. We now present evidence to confirm this based on a study of radiation-induced changes. Comparison of mPAS staining of large intestinal mucosa from patients given radiation 4 weeks before surgery for carcinoma of the rectum with matched controls receiving surgery alone showed a similar phenotype distribution, but information irradiated patients showed an increased frequency of discordant crypts (irradiated vs. non-irradiated 14.5 +/- 8.2 x 10(-4) vs. 6.1 +/- 4.2 x 10(-4)). When these were classified as wholly or partially involved by the aberrant phenotype, the increase was most marked in partially involved crypts (7.5 +/- 4.5 x 10(-4) vs. 0.3 +/- 0.5 x 10(-4), Mann-Whitney U, P < 0.005). Two patients receiving radiotherapy many years before colectomy showed a very high total discordant crypt frequency but relatively few partially affected crypts. Studies of somatic mutation in colonic or small intestinal crypts following a single dose of mutagen in mice have shown early partial crypt involvement by the mutated phenotype and later complete crypt involvement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Inter-rater reliability of nursing home surveys: a Bayesian latent class approach.

In the U.S., federal and state governments perform routine inspections of nursing homes. Results of the inspections allow government to generate fines for findings of non-compliance as well as allow consumers to rank facilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the inter-rater reliability of the nursing home survey process. In general, the survey data involves 191 binary deficiency variables interpreted as 'deficient' or 'non-deficient'. To reduce the dimensionality of the problem, our proposed method involves two steps. First, we reduce the deficiency categories to sub-categories using previous nursing home studies. Second, looking at the State of Kansas specifically, we take the deficiency data from 1 year, and use Bayesian latent class analysis (LCA) to collapse the sub-categories to a binary variable. We evaluate inter-rater agreement using deficiency data from two separate survey teams on one facility, a matched-pair design. We evaluate the agreement of the two raters on binary data using the weights from the LCA. This allows a two-by-two contingency analysis using a Bayesian beta-binomial model. We elicit informative prior distributions from the nursing home providers. Together, with the experimental data, this provides a posterior distribution of the kappa agreement of the raters for nursing home deficiency citation data.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed1997

Localized maternal proteins in Xenopus revealed by subtractive immunization.

It has long been appreciated that the localization of cytoplasmic determinants in the egg can provide the foundation for patterning in the embryo. Differences in cell fate among the early blastomeres are thus a consequence of asymmetric distributions of informational molecules prior to fertilization. The frog egg has a single axis of asymmetry present prior to fertilization, the animal/vegetal axis, and the localization of developmental information appears to be polarized along this axis. Such developmental information can be localized as either RNA or protein; localized RNAs are well documented in the Xenopus oocyte, and some are thought to play roles in axial patterning. While it is apparent that not all of the localized maternal components are RNAs, much less is known about maternal proteins that might be localized in the egg. In the present study, we have taken a novel approach to identify localized maternal proteins within the Xenopus egg. Using a subtractive immunization strategy, we have generated monoclonal antibodies which recognize antigens that are restricted to the vegetal cortex of fertilized eggs. Analysis of biogenesis during oogenesis reveals two distinct patterns of localization to the cortex. At least three of these localized antigens are proteins, and these localized proteins could represent maternal determinants with roles in patterning.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Characterization of Concentrated Magnetic Colloids by Measurements of Frequency Dependence of AC Magnetic Susceptibility.

The AC magnetic susceptibility frequency dependence in the range 10 Hz-10 kHz is used to study concentrated magnetic colloids. Different theoretical and empirical models are used to describe the frequency dependence. The magnetic analogue of the Cole-Cole model is found to be most suitable. Values of the model fitting parameters and the relaxation time distribution provide information about the dispersability, viscoelastic properties, and interparticle interactions in the magnetic colloids. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Modelling of root growth and bending in two dimensions.

A special co-ordinate system is developed for modelling the gravitropic bending of plant roots. It is based on the Local Theory of Curves in differential geometry and describes, in one dimension, growth events that may actually occur in two, or even three, dimensions. With knowledge of the spatial distributions of relative elemental growth rates (RELELs) for the upper and lower flanks of a gravistimulated root, and also their temporal dependencies, it is possible to compute the development of curvature along the root and hence describe the time-course of gravitropic bending. In addition, the RELEL distributions give information about the velocity field and the basipetal displacement of points along the root's surface. According to the Fundamental Theorem of Local Curve Theory, the x and y co-ordinates of the root in its bending plane are then determined from the associated values of local curvature and local velocity. With the aid of this model, possible mathematical growth functions that correspond to biological mechanisms involved in differential growth can be tested. Hence, the model can help not only to distinguish the role of various physiological or biophysical parameters in the bending process, but also to validate hypotheses that make assumptions concerning their relative importance. However, since the model is constructed at the level of the organ and treats the root as a fluid continuum, none of the parameters relate to cellular behaviour; the parameters must instead necessarily apply to properties that impinge on the behaviour of the external boundary of the root.

Gravitropism↗
PubMed1993

A study on women's practice of breast self-examination in Taiwan.

METHODS: A questionnaire interview was conducted on a sample of 3,040 women ages 30-59 years in the Taipei area through multistage sampling with probability proportional to size. Excluding mistakes in household registration, there were 2,311 qualified subjects, 1,749 of whom (75.7%) completed the interview. The study framework was set up according to Green's PRECEDE model. RESULTS: In the results of this study only 8.4% of the subjects performed breast self-examinations monthly, and no single step of the breast self-examination procedure had a correct rate above 30%. The most remarkable associative factor for the correctness of breast self-examination was "source of instruction," a variable of "enabling factors"; other variables with strong associations were "newspaper contact" (contact with health reports in newspapers), which also belongs to the enabling factors category and "knowledge of breast cancer," a "predisposing factor." Demographic factors such as "educational level" and "urbanizational level" were only indirectly related. CONCLUSION: The authors suggested using all possible routes of health education, such as mass media, hospitals and clinics, and distribution of information in the workplace, to instruct and encourage breast self-examination, especially among women from rural communities and those with less education.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Morphological and electrophysiological properties of trigeminal neurones projecting to the accessory abducens nucleus of the cat.

Horseradish peroxidase was injected into the somata or axons of neurones located in the nucleus oralis of the spinal trigeminal complex and projecting to the accessory abducens nucleus. A group of 43 axons with electrophysiologically identified responses to the stimulation of three different areas of the face were studied. The latencies of their orthodromic responses following trigeminal stimulation and their pattern of discharges were compared to those of secondary trigeminal neurones and retractor bulbi motoneurones. Labelled trigeminal axons were found to generate collaterals for the accessory abducens nucleus. Terminal ramifications are present in the rostro-caudal part of the motor nucleus where the dendritic arborization of the motoneurones has been described. Connections to facial and trigeminal motor nuclei were also present, suggesting that secondary trigeminal axons distributed the information to the three motor targets at the brain stem level. It is suggested that the trigemino-retractor bulbi reflex is part of facial reflexes involved in orienting reactions, and protective responses resulting in coordinated movements of the facial musculature.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed1992

Novel mitochondrial genomes in Brassica napus somatic hybrids.

The mitochondrial genomes of nine male-fertile and two Ogura cytoplasmic male-sterile (cms) Brassica napus somatic hybrids were probed with 46 mitochondrial DNA fragments. The distribution of information obtained from each fusion partner was not random. Several regions, including the coxI gene and a major recombination repeat sequence, were always derived from the Brassica campestris fusion partner, and some regions were always derived from the Ogura mitochondrial genome. Novel fragments occurred in seven distinct regions. Some of the rearrangement breakpoints were located near the evolutionary breakpoints relating the mitochondrial genomes of the Brassica species. The sizes of the mitochondrial genomes in the somatic hybrids ranged from 224.8 to 285.3 kb. A direct correlation between a specific gene and the cms phenotype was not observed; however, a possible cms-associated region was identified. It corresponds to a region that was identified through analysis of fertile revertants from a cms B. napus cybrid.

Brassica↗
PubMed1984

A multi-disciplinary interpretation of migration: amenity capitalization in both land and labor markets.

"Various disciplines have produced models to explain and predict human migration. A model is presented providing a taxonomy through which interdisciplinary insights can be synthesized. The imperfect information view emphasizes the role of wage differentials as representing arbitragible real utility differentials. The perfect information approach holds that wage and rent differentials are compensating differentials, eliminating real utility variation over space.... Empirical results [for the United States] are presented which support the latter equilibrium view.... The increasing relative importance of amenities as a determinant of migration [is suggested]."

Agriculture↗
PubMed1980

[Economic aspects of drug utilization].

The aim of a therapeutic medication is, first of all, to exert a positive influence on morbidity and mortality by using in the most economical way the available resources. The objective is to increase efficiency, i.e., to maximally attain a given objective with the available means or to reach a given objective with minimal resources. The efficiency must be effective on the level of the manufacturer, the distributors, the doctors, the patients, and the economy in general. For the manufacturer, efficiency means marketing safe and efficacious drugs at competitive prices and develop new and better drugs. At distributors' level, safety of distribution and information are expensive. For the doctor the therapeutic efficacy of a drug should guide his decision on the first hand, its price on the second hand. Thus the cost/benefit ratio remains without a doubt positive for the patient. In hospitals, on the one hand, the possibility of improvement of efficiency by means of technical progress is very limited, but, on the other hand, advances in drug therapy which allow out-patient treatment instead of in-patient treatment represent a great step forward for efficiency in the economic sector. Resources to face the unlimited demand for health care are scare and the era of "for health care nothing is too expensive" is over. Today, the political objective is to have an efficient health-care system in the frame of a healthy and efficient economy.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1984

Clinical and radiologic aspects of Buerger's disease.

Buerger's disease (BD) is an entity with distinct clinical and pathologic aspects, including etiologic factors, pathogenesis, histology, clinical presentation, course, and prognosis. Comprehensive angiographic studies support the definition of the disease's evolution, provide information about distribution patterns (i.e., bilateral, upper and lower extremities, involvement of trunk arteries), aid in choosing "hot spots" for biopsies, and determine preoperative technical considerations in selection of bypass surgery candidates. In a series of 44 patients with BD, we endeavored to record the frequency of distribution and progression of various stages of disease as well as document the angiographic signs that are commonly accepted as typical of or specific to BD. Characteristic angiographic patterns of the disease are: corkscrew-shaped collateral vessels, cutoff type vascular occlusions, vessels with smooth-lined lumina in non-involved arteries and discontinuous, segmental involvement of affected arteries and veins. Results of pharmacoangiographic functional studies of circulatory disorders appear to cast doubt on the supposed specificity of phenomena such as standing-wave pattern and vasospasm in BD.

Adult↗