Breech delivery. Selection by X-ray pelvimetry

An attempt was made to evaluate the possible benefit of selecting women for vaginal breech delivery at term by radiological pelvimetry. Information from medical records on 276 singleton breech deliveries were analysed. A total of 188 breech presentations were diagnosed before the onset of labour, pelvimetry was performed in 74 women, where pelvic dimensions too small for recommendation of vaginal breech delivery were found in 30 cases. The overall rate of caesarean section was 78%, among diagnosed patients it was 84% and 64% among undiagnosed breech presentations. Rates of morbidity (low Apgar score and admission to the neonatal care unit) did not differ significantly between infants delivered vaginally or by elective caesarean section. The material, however, is too small for valid conclusions regarding safety of vaginal delivery of term breech in women selected by criteria including estimate of pelvic size.     

Learning of physiological responses: I. Habituation, sensitization, and classical conditioning.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 104(4) of Behavioral Neuroscience (see record 2008-10516-001). In the article, on page 310, the denotations for paired (CS+) and unpaired (CS-) stimuli within Table 2 were missing. The corrected table is included in the erratum.] Rats with chronic neuromuscular block (NMB) maintained by continuous infusion of α-bungarotoxin were classically conditioned. All rats showed reliable discriminative-conditioned tibial nerve firing, hind limb vasoconstriction, hypertension, bradycardia, and electroencephalographic (EEG) desynchronization. A regression analysis indicated that the conditioned vasoconstriction was neither centrally mediated by, nor inextricably linked to, skeletal (tibial) nerve firing. Throughout the experiment there were normal blood gases, pH, Na, serum protein, hematocrit, blood pressure, heart rate, vasomotor tone, and tibial nerve activity. The vital signs, EEG spectra, and cortical evoked potentials reflected regular sleep–wakefulness cycles and responsiveness to mild stimuli. The NMB rat preparation with its stable physiological state and fully intact central nervous system (CNS) may be a useful model for a variety of physiological, medical, and neurobehavioral studies. [An erratum concerning missing data in Table 2 of this article will appear in Behavioral Neuroscience, 1990, Vol 104(4)]. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

I. Role of the pineal gland in multiple sclerosis: a hypothesis

Despite intensive research over the past several decades, the etiology and pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) remain elusive. The last 20 years have seen only meager advances in the treatment of the disease in part because too much attention has been devoted to the process of demyelination and its relationship to the neurologic symptoms and recovery of the disease. A host of biological phenomena associated with the disease involving interactions among genetic, environmental, immunologic, and hormonal factors, cannot be explained on the basis of demyelination and, therefore, require refocusing attention on alternative explanations, one of which implicates the pineal gland as the pivotal mover of the disease. This review summarizes the evidence linking dysfunction of the pineal gland with the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and course of the disease. The pineal hypothesis of MS also provided the impetus for the development of a novel and highly effective therapeutic modality, one that involves the transcranial application of AC pulsed electromagnetic fields in the picotesla flux density.     

Ultrasonic pelvimetry. A method for preliminary estimation of the pelvic outlet

Vaginal sound, with transmitter crystals of 2 MHz, is used when measuring the interspinous diameter. The echo from pelvic wall, the effect on the measured spinal diameter by altering the position of the ultrasonic transmitter, and the influence of air or faeces between the ultrasound transmitter and the pelvic wall, have been analysed in a series of model trials on a dummy submerged in water. Thereafter clinical trials were performed on 102 women, pregnant in their 9th month. The results obtained when measuring the interspinous diameter on the ultrasonic tomogram were compared with the results obtained when measuring the same distance on a frontal x-ray picture taken using the orthographic technique according to Borell-Frenstr?m. The method is suitable for selecting those cases with suspect constriction of the pelvic outlet for an x-ray examination by the Borell-Fernstr?m technique.     

Role of vascular nitric oxide in physiological and pathological conditions

This review describes the ability of certain diseases, such as essential hypertension, atherosclerosis, angina, and vasospasm, to reduce vascular nitric oxide (NO) formation or to increase its metabolism. In contrast, others, such as hypotension, sepsis, stroke, myocardial depression, and inflammatory responses, increase NO synthesis. The mechanism implicated in the changes in the formation and metabolism of NO are described. To prevent or treat these pathological processes, in which a deficiency in vascular NO formation plays a causative role, NO may be provided through methods such as direct NO administration or indirect NO supply through either NO donors or L-arginine, which facilitates NO formation.     

Naturalistic conceptions of moral maturity.

By examining naturalistic conceptions of moral maturity, this project sought a more comprehensive understanding of moral excellence than is evident in dominant theories of moral development. Studies 1 and 2 involved different samples of 120 adults (17–25, 35–55, and 65+ years). Study 3 involved a sample of 180 undergraduates. In Study 1, a free-listing procedure was used to generate the attributes of a highly moral person as well as those for two related person-concepts. In Study 2, a rating procedure for these attributes was used to generate a prototype of the moral person-concept. In Study 3, a similarity-sorting task was used to uncover people's implicit typology of moral maturity. The findings indicate that naturalistic notions of moral excellence not only contain themes of principled reasoning but also reference aspects of moral character and virtue that enlarge our understanding of the psychological functioning of the mature moral agent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empathy: A physiological substrate.

Studied the relation between empathy (defined as the ability to perceive accurately how another person is feeling) and physiology in 31 Ss. Ss viewed 15-min marital interactions and used a rating dial to indicate continuously how they thought a designated spouse was feeling. Rating accuracy was determined by comparing Ss' ratings with identical self-ratings obtained previously from the target spouse. Physiological linkage between S and target was determined using bivariate time-series analyses applied to 5 autonomic and somatic measures obtained from the S during the rating task and from the target spouse during the original conversation. Accuracy of rating negative emotion was greatest when S and target evidenced high levels of physiological linkage across time. Accuracy of detecting positive emotion was related to a state of low cardiovascular arousal in the S, but not to physiological linkage between S and target. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. I. Correlation of physiological responses with cochlear status

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate evoked potential and single fibre responses to biphasic current pulses in animals with varying degrees of cochlear pathology, and to correlate any differences in the physiological response with status of the auditory nerve. Six cats, whose cochleae ranged from normal to a severe neural loss (< 5% spiral ganglion survival), were used. Morphology of the electrically evoked auditory brainstem response (EABR) was similar across all animals, although electrophonic responses were only observed from the normal animal. In animals with extensive neural pathology, EABR thresholds were elevated and response amplitudes throughout the dynamic range were moderately reduced. Analysis of single VIIIth nerve fibre responses were based on 207 neurons. Spontaneous discharge rates among fibres depended on hearing status, with the majority of fibres recorded from deafened animals exhibiting little or no spontaneous activity. Electrical stimulation produced a monotonic increase in discharge rate, and a systematic reduction in response latency and temporal jitter as a function of stimulus intensity for all fibres examined. Short-duration current pulses elicited a highly synchronous response (latency < 0.7 ms), with a less well synchronized response sometimes present (0.7-1.1 ms). There were, however, a number of significant differences between responses from normal and deafened cochleae. Electrophonic activity was only present in recordings from the normal animal, while mean threshold, dynamic range and latency of the direct electrical response varied with cochlear pathology. Differences in the ability of fibres to follow high stimulation rates were also observed; while neurons from the normal cochlea were capable of 100% entrainment at high rates (600-800 pulses per second (pps)), fibres recorded from deafened animals were often not capable of such entrainment at rates above 400 pps. Finally, a number of fibres in deafened animals showed evidence of 'bursting', in which responses rapidly alternated between high entrainment and periods of complete inactivity. This bursting pattern was presumably associated with degenerating auditory nerve fibres, since it was not recorded from the normal animal. The present study has shown that the pathological response of the cochlea following a sensorineural hearing loss can lead to a number of significant changes in the patterns of neural activity evoked via electrical stimulation. Knowledge of the extent of these changes have important implications for the clinical application of cochlear implants.     

Role of cardiac renin-angiotensin system in swimming induced physiological myocardial hypertrophy

To determine the contribution of cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) to the physiological myocardial hypertrophy induced by swimming training and the relationship between locally produced and circulating RAS, both ventricular and plasma angiotensin (Ang) I and II contents, ventricular angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and plasma renin activity (PRA) were detected by means of radioimmunoassay and biochemical method. It was shown that after 5 weeks of swimming, the ventricular wet weight to body weight ratio (V/Bwt) and Ang II in both left and right ventricles and ACE activity increased markedly as compared with the controls (P < 0.05). Furthermore, significantly positive correlation was found between the ventricular Ang II and V/Bwt (r = 0.7721, P < 0.001), while the plasma Ang I and II and PRA remained at the control level. No correlation was found between plasma Ang II and V/Bwt. These above findings suggest that cardiac RAS may play an important role in physiological myocardial hypertrophy and to a large extent is in dependent on circulating RAS.     

Beyond schools of psychotherapy: Integrity and maturity in therapy and supervision.

Discusses the greater importance of integrity and maturity over theoretical allegiance to a particular school of therapy—the lack of which may lead to "psychonoxious" therapy or supervision, done to meet the needs of the therapist rather than for the patient's or student's welfare. Male and female therapists lacking these essential qualities are described. The mechanism producing this immaturity is hypothesized to be the unresolved adolescent issue of insecurity over one's appeal to the opposite sex, resulting in a need for conquest and power. It is concluded that no therapist is above the potential for abuse of his/her emotional power; only self-awareness can assure the integrity and maturity essential in the therapeutic interaction. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional maturity as manifested in ideational interaction.

It is proposed that emotional maturity is manifest in strivings for mutual satisfaction in groups and that inmaturity involves efforts for exclusive gratification. This theory is tested and generally confirmed on 6 pairs of men, of differential maturity, in a discussion group. Some specific findings are: (1) Statements classed as opposites, rejections, and contrasting-rejecting are more characteristic of immature men. (2) Statements oriented toward mutual satisfaction are characteristic of mature men. (3) On direct ratings, mature men had more mutual-satisfaction-strivings and fewer exclusive-satisfaction-striving scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Learning of physiological responses: I. Habituation, sensitization, and classical conditioning": Correction to Dworkin and Dworkin.

Reports an error in "Learning of physiological responses: I. Habituation, sensitization, and classical conditioning" by Barry R. Dworkin and Susan Dworkin (Behavioral Neuroscience, 1990[Apr], Vol 104[2], 298-319). In the article, on page 310, the denotations for paired (CS+) and unpaired (CS-) stimuli within Table 2 were missing. The corrected table is included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1990-27779-001.) Rats with chronic neuromuscular block (NMB) maintained by continuous infusion of α-bungarotoxin were classically conditioned. All rats showed reliable discriminative-conditioned tibial nerve firing, hind limb vasoconstriction, hypertension, bradycardia, and electroencephalographic (EEG) desynchronization. A regression analysis indicated that the conditioned vasoconstriction was neither centrally mediated by, nor inextricably linked to, skeletal (tibial) nerve firing. Throughout the experiment there were normal blood gases, pH, Na, serum protein, hematocrit, blood pressure, heart rate, vasomotor tone, and tibial nerve activity. The vital signs, EEG spectra, and cortical evoked potentials reflected regular sleep–wakefulness cycles and responsiveness to mild stimuli. The NMB rat preparation with its stable physiological state and fully intact central nervous system (CNS) may be a useful model for a variety of physiological, medical, and neurobehavioral studies. [An erratum concerning missing data in Table 2 of this article will appear in Behavioral Neuroscience 1990, Vol 104(4)]. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological maturity and subjective well-being: Toward a new synthesis.

Tested the hypothesis of H. Alker and F. Gawin (see record 1979-28338-001) that happiness is higher among more psychologically mature individuals and that happiness is qualitatively different for individuals of different levels of maturity. The Loevinger Sentence Completion Test (a measure of developmental maturity), the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, and 2 additional measures of subjective well-being were administered to 240 men (aged 35–85 yrs). Results do not support the association of maturity with well-being. Further, the personality dispositions of neuroticism and extraversion showed significant relations to happiness regardless of maturity level. It is proposed that developmental level may determine the occasions or interpretations of happiness or unhappiness but that the quality and quantity of the experience of subjective well-being itself is independent of maturity. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testimony and interrogation of minors: Assumptions about maturity and morality.

This article examines the legal histories and social contexts of testimony and interrogation involving minors, developmental research on suggestibility and judgment, interactions between development and legal/sociological contexts, and the reasoning behind how minors are treated in different legal contexts. The authors argue (a) that young witnesses, victims, and suspects alike possess youthful characteristics that influence their ability to validly inform legal processes, some of which were recently recognized by the Supreme Court as they apply to the juvenile death penalty, and (b) that consideration should be given to reforming current practices in the context of juvenile interrogation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)