Introduction.

This article introduces the current issue of Health Psychology. The call for early intervention to prevent adulthood health problems and the need to consider each period of children's lives within its developmental perspective are the main emphases in this special issue of the journal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in and stability of hostile characteristics: Results from a 4-year longitudinal study of children.

Changes in and stability of hostility characteristics and their relationship to age, sex, and family support were examined among 108 10–18 yr olds in a 4-yr longitudinal study. Clinical ratings of Structured Interview potential for hostility, self-reported MMPI-derived hostile attitudes, and perceptions of family support were obtained at study entry and at follow-up when Ss were aged 15–21 yrs. Results showed relative stability of hostility rankings across 4 yrs, with males being more hostile than females. Both sexes increased in hostility over time, with the greatest increase in Ss who perceived low family support at follow-up and whose parents perceived high family support at study entry. Results are consistent with notions that early signs of hostility are risk factors for later development of coronary disease and that family environment influences development of hostility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of individual differences in mail-coding skills and their variation with ability level.

Personality and cognitive predictors of mail coding were investigated in 2 samples, 1 of high coding ability (N?=?56) and 1 of mixed ability (N?=?158). Two approaches to predicting correlates of skill within groups of differing ability were compared: P. L. Ackerman's (1988) ability theory and D. A. Norman and T. Shallice's (1985) account of levels of action control. The predictors of mail-coding skill varied with ability: Personality variables were more predictive among higher ability Ss, and cognitive measures were more predictive among lower ability Ss. Implications of the findings for theories of individual differences in skill are discussed. There were 2 main practical conclusions. First, the measures used were more predictive than a standard psychometric selection test. Second, correlates of skill may be different among unselected job applicants and among the subset of applicants hired for subsequent operational training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Endoscopic injection therapy for bleeding peptic ulcer; a comparison of adrenaline alone with adrenaline plus ethanolamine oleate

One hundred and seven consecutive patients presenting with significant peptic ulcer haemorrhage were randomised to endoscopic injection with 3-10 ml of 1:100,000 adrenaline (55 patients, group 1) or to a combination of adrenaline and 5% ethanolamine (52 patients, group 2). All had major stigmata of haemorrhage and endoscopic injection was undertaken by a single endoscopist. The groups were well matched with regard to risk factors. Rebleeding occurred in eight of the group 1 patients and seven in the group 2 patients; surgical operation rates, median blood transfusion requirements, and hospital stay were similar in both groups. The efficacy of either form of injection was similar whether patients presented with active bleeding or a non-bleeding visible vessel. No complications occurred. In patients presenting with significant peptic ulcer bleeding, the addition of a sclerosant confers no advantage over injection with adrenaline alone.     

Membrane fatty acid analysis of Antarctic bacteria

The removal of most ceramic brackets is accomplished by specially designed pliers that apply some form of tensile or shear force to the tooth surface. While the shear and tensile bond strengths for ceramic brackets in vitro have been reported, a simulation of the actual force application when using sharp-edged debonding pliers to debond a bracket has not. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness and the force levels generated by the use of both the wide and the narrow blades in the debonding of ceramic brackets. The present findings indicate that the narrow blades effectively debonded ceramic brackets with a significantly lower mean debonding force (120 kg/cm2) than the wider blades (150 kg/cm2). The surface area of the blade in contact with the bracket-adhesive interface is less for the narrow blade (2.0 mm) than for the wide blade (3.2 mm). This relatively smaller contact area is sufficient to debond a bracket at a significantly lower debonding force.     

Glucuronidation of N-hydroxy heterocyclic amines by human and rat liver microsomes

The food-borne carcinogenic and mutagenic heterocyclic aromatic amines undergo bioactivation to the corresponding N-hydroxy (OH)-arylamines and the subsequent N-glucuronidation of these metabolites is regarded as an important detoxification reaction. In this study, the rates of glucuronidation for the N-OH derivatives of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]-quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]-pyridine (PhIP), 2-amino-6-methyl-dipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-P-1) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) by liver microsomal glucuronosyltransferase were compared to that of the proximate human urinary bladder carcinogen, N-OH-aminobiphenyl (N-OH-ABP) and the proximate rat colon carcinogen N-OH-3,2'-dimethyl-4-amino-biphenyl (N-OH-DMABP). Human liver microsomes catalyzed the uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA)-dependent glucuroidation of N-OH-IQ, N-OH-PhIP, N-OH-Glu-P-1 and N-OH-MeIQx at rates of 59%, 42%, 35% and 27%, respectively, of that measured for N-OH-ABP (11.5 nmol/min/mg). Rat liver microsomes also catalyzed the UDPGA-dependent glucuronidation of N-OH-PhIP, N-OH-Glu-P-1 and N-OH-IQ at rates of 30%, 20% and 10%, respectively of that measured for N-OH-DMABP (11.2 nmol/min/mg); activity towards N-OH-MeIQx was not detected. Two glucuronide(s) of N-OH-PhIP, designated I and II, were separated by HPLC. Conjugate II was found to be chromatographically and spectrally identical with a previously reported major biliary metabolite of PhIP in the rat, while conjugate I was identical with a major urinary metabolite of PhIP in the dog. Hepatic microsomes from rat, dog and human were found to catalyze the formation of both conjugates. The rat preferentially formed conjugate II (I to II ratio of 1:15), while the dog and human formed higher relative amounts of conjugate I (I to II ratio of 2.5:1.0 and 1.3:1.0 respectively). Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of conjugates I and II gave the corresponding molecular ions and showed nearly identical primary spectra. However, collision-induced spectra were distinct and were consistent with the identity of conjugates I and II as structural isomers. Moreover, the UV spectrum of conjugate I exhibited a lambda max at 317 nm and was essentially identical to that of N-OH-PhIP, while conjugate II was markedly different with a lambda max of 331 nm. Both conjugates were stable in 0.1 N HCl and were resistant to hydrolysis by rat, dog and human liver microsomal beta-glucuronidases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Parkinson's disease in populations of African origin: a review

Several studies have reported a lower prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in populations of African origin than in populations of European origin, raising the possibility that the former are protected against PD. However, the confounding effects of low case ascertainment and high selective mortality on PD prevalence estimates in populations of African origin cannot be ruled out at this time. One hypothesis consistent with available data is that populations of African origin are vulnerable to vascular parkinsonism, which is associated with high mortality.     

Pigmentation phenotypes of variant extension locus alleles result from point mutations that alter MSH receptor function

Coat colors in the chestnut horse, the yellow Labrador retriever, the red fox, and one type of yellow mouse are due to recessive alleles at the extension locus. Similarly, dominant alleles at this locus are often responsible for dark coat colors in mammals, such as the melanic form of the leopard, Panthera pardus. We show here that the murine extension locus encodes the melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) receptor. In mice, the recessive yellow allele (e) results from a frameshift that produces a prematurely terminated, nonfunctioning receptor. The sombre (Eso and Eso-3J) and tobacco darkening (Etob) alleles, which both have dominant melanizing effects, results from point mutations that produce hyperactive MSH receptors. The Eso-3J receptor is constitutively activated, while the Etob receptor remains hormone responsive and produces a greater activation of its effector, adenylyl cyclase, than does the wild-type allele.