Effects of federal human subjects regulations on data obtained in environmental stressor research.

Reports on a series of experiments on environmental noise performed over a 3-yr period. Those experiments in the series that incorporated federal guidelines concerning informed consent of the Ss failed to replicate the negative aftereffects of noise found earlier by D. C. Glass and J. E. Singer (1972). The experiments that were performed before implementation of the federal guidelines, however, successfully replicated the Glass and Singer findings. To clarify this pattern of results, a final experiment was performed on 2 groups of Ss treated identically except that one group gave informed consent while the other did not. Results confirm that the S procedures involving informed consent as defined by the federal guidelines prevent the emergence of negative aftereffects of noise, possibly because these procedures give the Ss what amounts to control over the stressor. Similar phenomena may occur in research on other environmental stressors, such as crowding and electric shock, in which Ss' perception of control is a critical variable. Possible techniques for performing future research of this type are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Premature termination at a university counseling center.

Predicted that 3 sets of variables would discriminate between clients who returned for scheduled appointments following intake and clients who did not: (a) client perception of the intake counselor as expert, attractive, and trustworthy; (b) agreement of client and counselor on the presenting problem; and (c) client satisfaction with the intake interview. To test this prediction, 134 university students (mean age 22.9 yrs) completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, a counselor rating form, and a client problem identification questionnaire after an intake interview. 30 of these Ss dropped out of counseling and 104 continued. It was found that client satisfaction and perceptions of trustworthiness and expertness were related to Ss' returning for scheduled appointments. No differences between continuers and dropouts were found with respect to client perceptions of counselor attractiveness or client–counselor agreement on problem identification. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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.     

A group counseling emphasis at a university counseling center.

Describes a service delivery system with a group personal counseling emphasis, based on the authors' 2 yrs of experience at a university counseling center. The local background and rationale for this system are discussed, and the practical logistics, the operational policies, and the group ground rules are presented. Utilization data are summarized: 36% of all clients and 88% of clients with 8 or more sessions were group members; groups typically grew to 9 clients and had 60% attendance. Results for a self-report outcome survey of 128 students are exemplified by the 95.1% who reported some level of improvement and the 92.2% who rated their psychologist "very" to "exceptionally effective." (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal evaluation of service demand at a university peer counseling center.

Examined changes in user service demand at a college-based peer counseling center. Data from 8,469 contacts that occurred over a 7-yr (1970–1977) period revealed that following an initial 2-yr period of dramatic growth, service demand peaked in 1972–1973 and declined by nearly 25% in each of the following 4 yrs. More detailed analyses describe changes in both absolute and relative frequency of demand for services, mode of access to services, and types of problems presented by males and females. The question of whether this type of service continues to best meet existing needs of the target population is raised. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of legal regulations on the quality of clinical trials carried out in Spain

BACKGROUND: In Spain since 1982 laws require that clinical trials involving drugs be approved before implementation. We studied the impact of regulations on the quality of published trials. METHODS: Four sets of trials were chosen: trials implemented after 1982 and registered as approved; trials implemented after 1982 but not registered; trials implemented before 1982; and trials conducted outside Spain. Trials were identified via MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Indice Médico Espa?ol. Sets were compared with regard to indicators of quality, as obtained from the information in the published reports. The comparison was based on a total of 273 Spanish trials published between 1988 and 1990, 85 approved and 188 unregistered; 97 old trials, published between 1980 and 1982; and 152 non-Spanish trials published between 1988 and 1990. RESULTS: Approved trials, compared to their unregistered and old counterparts, were more often informed randomised, more of their published reports included lists of reasons for exclusions and information on consent and achieved higher scores of a quality index. Approved trials, compared to non-Spanish trials, had lower proportion of sample size justification, greater discrepancies between randomised and analyzed cases and a trend to lower quality scores. Multiple logistic regression analysis of quality scores showed that approved trials had higher scores than unregistered trials when single-centre trials (odds ratio for reaching scores in the upper quartile: 2.90; 95% confidence interval: 1.27 - 6.64) and similar when multicentre trials. CONCLUSIONS: Approved trials achieved better indicators of quality than unregistered trials but did not achieve the standards of quality prevailing in the international community.     

Study of 86 cases of Mediterranean boutonneuse fever hospitalized at a university hospital

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical manifestations of 86 patients with Mediterranean Boutonneuse Fever who were admitted in a University General Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1986 and 1994 we studied retrospectively the clinical manifestations, evolution and complications of 86 patients with Mediterranean Boutonneuse Fever. Diagnosis was based on clinical and serological findings. RESULTS: We studied a total of 86 patients (64 males; 22 females) with a mean age of 55 years. 88% of cases were diagnosed between June and September, and 89% of them had contact with dogs. 53% of patients had an underlying disease. All patients presented with fever and a generalized erythematous rash. 60% of patients had a initial lesion (tache noire) especially in legs. All patients were treated with doxicycline during one week. 22% of patients had complications such as renal failure, respiratory failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and stroke. Old patients and those with underlying disease had severe complications with a higher significant frequency. No patients died. CONCLUSIONS: 22% of patients with Mediterranean Boutonneuse Fever, especially those with advanced age or underlying disease, who were admitted in the Hospital had severe complications.     

A survey of students' attitudes toward counseling at a predominantly Black university.

A questionnaire survey of 377 students' attitudes toward counseling at a predominantly Black university produced results similar to those reported for predominantly White campuses. The predisposition to seek out counseling services depended on the type of problem. Most Ss were willing to discuss with the counselor matters related to vocational and educational concerns; however, for personal adjustment problems there was significant decline in the frequency with which the counselor's help was sought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AutoCyte Interactive Screening System. Experience at a university hospital cytology laboratory

The F1-ATPase is a multimeric enzyme (alpha3 beta3 gamma delta epsilon) primarily responsible for the synthesis of ATP under aerobic conditions. The entire coding region of each of the genes was deleted separately in yeast, providing five null mutant strains. Strains with a deletion in the genes encoding alpha-, beta-, gamma- or delta-subunits were unable to grow, while the strain with a null mutation in epsilon was able to grow slowly on medium containing glycerol as the carbon source. In addition, strains with a null mutation in gamma or delta became 100% rho0/rho- and the strain with the null mutation in gamma grew much more slowly on medium containing glucose. These additional phenotypes were not observed in strains with the double mutations: Delta alpha Delta gamma, Delta beta Delta gamma, Deltaatp11 Delta gamma, Delta alpha Delta delta, Delta beta Delta delta or Deltaatp11 Delta delta. These results indicate that epsilon is not an essential component of the ATP synthase and that mutations in the genes encoding the alpha- and beta-subunits and in ATP11 are epistatic to null mutations in the genes encoding the gamma- and delta-subunits. These data suggest that the propensity to form rho0/rho- mutations in the gamma and delta null deletion mutant stains and the slow growing phenotypes of the null gamma mutant strain are due to the assembly of F1 deficient in the corresponding subunit. These results have profound implications for the physiology of normal cells.     

Treatment of hypertension at the university medical clinic

The treatment of high blood pressure at the general medical clinic of a traditionally oriented university hospital was found to be unsatisfactory for most patients. Charts of all hypertensive patients (diastolic blood pressure, greater than or equal to 105 mm Hg) who made their first clinic visit in 1964 or 1971 were reviewed. Half of all patients were lost to follow-up within the first year, and blood pressure control was achieved by only one third of the patients. New information contained in the Veterans Administration study reports (1967 and 1970) had no effect on workup, compliance, or blood pressure decline. Furthermore, no significant relationship was found between blood pressure reduction and medical process, therapeutic regimens, or patient compliance. These data suggest that, in contrast to experience obtained in programs specifically designed for long-term management of this chronic disease, the present-day general medical clinic cannot satisfy the needs of most hypertensive patients.     

Adjustment differences between counseled and noncounseled students at a university counseling center.

Investigated whether college students who seek counseling differ in their psychological adjustment from those who do not seek counseling. The Social and Emotional Adjustment scales of the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey were administered to 1,368 freshmen, 341 of whom elected counseling within a 5-yr period. Students seeking counseling for help with personal problems differed significantly on the Social and Emotional Adjustment scales from those who did not seek counseling. However, no differences were found for students who wished to resolve educational or vocational problems and students who did not seek counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of disclosure of comprehensive pretherapy information on clients at a university counseling center.

This experimental study examined the effects of comprehensive versus partial written pretherapy disclosure on the behavior and perceptions of university counseling center clients. Although all clients received information on services provided, confidentiality, length of sessions, and right to terminate therapy, only the treatment group received additional information that included personalized data on therapists, what to expect in therapy, and risks and alternatives to therapy. The one statistically significant difference between clients who received partial versus comprehensive disclosure favored the comprehensive disclosure group. The results support previous research, which also concluded that there is no evidence that pretherapy disclosure adversely affects therapy, and add substantially to this conclusion because of several methodological improvements and additions in the current research design compared with prior research designs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maintaining a smoke-free policy: an observational and interview study at a university hospital in Sweden

Strategies directed against activated neutrophils have reduced ischemia-induced brain injury. However, therapies targeted specially against the neutrophil adhesion protein L-selectin have not yet been examined in stroke. This study therefore examined the effects of a monoclonal antibody directed against L-selectin in a rabbit model of thromboembolic stroke with (n = 16) or without (n = 10) concomitant t-PA therapy. Rabbits received either the humanized monoclonal antibody DREG200 directed against the L-selectin receptor or humanized control monoclonal antibody HuDREG55 which does not bind to rabbit L-selectin in addition to t-PA therapy (n = 8, each group). HuDREG200 (2 mg kg-1 i.v.) was given as a bolus 3 h following clot embolization, followed immediately by a 2 h intravenous infusion of t-PA (6.3 mg kg-1. Without t-PA therapy rabbits received HuDREG200 (2 mgkg-1, i.v.; n = 5) or HuDREG55 (n = 5) 1 h following clot embolization. The group receiving HuDREG200 in addition to t-PA demonstrated a moderate improvement in brain infarct size (8.4 +/- 2.4 vs. 13.5 +/- 3.5, %hemisphere, mean +/- sem), ICP (final reading 10.0 +/- 1.6 vs. 12.4 +/- 3.0 torr) and restoration in regional cerebral blood flow (30.2 +/- 7.8 vs. 21.6 +/- 10.9 cc 100 g-1 min-1) when compared to t-PA therapy alone although statistical significance was not achieved. No efficacy was demonstrated in the group receiving HUDREG200 without concomitant t-PA therapy. The results suggest the addition of a humanized anti-L-selectin monoclonal antibody HuDREG200 in combination with t-PA may further improve outcome in acute thromboembolic stroke, although future studies are necessary to support these findings.