Proceedings of the Joint US/EU Workshop: urinary biomarkers to detect significant effects of environmental and occupational exposure to nephrotoxins

Tear cytokines and growth factors are likely to modulate the wound healing process following corneal epithelial injury. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a paracrine mediator of epithelial proliferation, motility, and differentiation that is produced by keratocytes and the lacrimal gland. Tear samples were collected preoperatively and one, two, and seven days postoperatively in eyes undergoing excimer laser surface ablation [photorefractive keratoplasty (PRK) or phototherapeutic keratoplasty (PTK)]. Tear HGF concentration was measured with a sensitive ELISA assay. Tear HGF production was calculated using the tear flow rate in the collection capillary and HGF concentration. Although the instantaneous concentration of HGF in tears decreased significantly in the days following PRK, a large increase in tear flow resulted in a marked increase in HGF bioavailability. The heparin-binding characteristics of HGF would result in increased binding to glycosaminoglycans and other heparin-like matrix components and, therefore, increased growth factor availability to the cognate recptor. This is the first report documenting changes in tear film HGF production. HGF may have an important function in maintenance and wound healing of the ocular surface epithelium since HGF is present in the normal tear film and the HGF secretion rate increases markedly in parallel with aqueous tear production following corneal surgical injury.     

Testing the contribution of self-evaluation to goal-setting effects.

The social loafing paradigm was used to test the contribution of self-evaluation to goal-setting effects. If, as E. Locke and G. Latham (1990) argued, goals lead to improved performance because they serve as standards for self-evaluation, eliminating the opportunity for experimenter evaluation should not reduce performance. Results suggest that when the goal is seen as informative, the prospect of self-evaluation may contribute to goal-setting effects. However, the results also suggest that when goals are seen as too stringent or too lenient, it is concern over evaluation by an external source, not self, that motivates performance. Implications of these findings for E. Locke and G. Latham's (1990) theory of goal setting and general theories of self-evaluation are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudinal effects of choice in exposure to counterpropaganda.

Conditions are explored "under which exposure to information discrepant form one's own opinion produces cognitive dissonance and consequent attitude change… . The results were discussed in terms of the importance of prior choice in exposure in creating dissonance." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Indirect effects and infants' reaction to strangers.

Examined whether an infant's reaction to a stranger would be indirectly influenced by the infant's observing a stranger–third party interaction. It was expected that the infant's subsequent willingness to play with a stranger would be influenced by prior observation of a positive interaction between a stranger and a third party, especially if the third party was the infant's mother. 45 15-mo-old infants were exposed to 1 of 3 situations. In Condition 1, the S observed its mother interacting with an unfamiliar adult (UA2) in a positive manner; in Condition 2, the S observed UA2 interacting with another unfamiliar adult (UA1) in a positive manner; and in Condition 3, UA2 did not interact with the mother or UA1. Following exposure to Conditions 1, 2, or 3, UA2 approached the S to play. Ss in Conditions 1 and 2 were less wary of UA2 and more willing to interact with the mother than were Ss in Condition 3. Furthermore, Ss in Condition 1 showed more positive affect when offered a toy by the stranger and accepted a toy more in the last minute of play. Results suggest indirect effects influence social interactions and show that significant others can play an important role in mediating these effects. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transfer of assertion-training effects to roommates of program participants.

Investigated the effects of assertion training (AT) on 36 college freshmen and on the behavior of 33 roommates who did not themselves receive AT. Ss, each of whom shared a dormitory room with a roommate, were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: an AT group, a discussion-oriented group, or a no-treatment control group. Covariance analysis of posttreatment measures of assertiveness (College Self-Expression Scale, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, Social Avoidance and Distress Scale) revealed that the AT group, but not the discussion group, was significantly more assertive than the control group. The AT group, but not the discussion group, was also significantly less socially anxious than the control group. Roommates of Ss who received AT obtained significantly higher assertiveness scores than roommates of Ss in either of the other 2 groups. Possible mechanisms for the generalization of the effects of AT to roommates and clinical implications are discussed. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tolerance to effects of high doses of ethanol: 1. Lethal effects in mice

Both the alpha- and beta-anomers of 4-methylumbelliferyl-D-glucosaminide were synthesized and shown to be substrates for the lysosomal acetyl-CoA:glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase. Using the beta-anomer, fibroblasts and leukocytes from 11 different Sanfilippo C patients showed < 1% of mean normal N-acetyltransferase activity. Heterozygotes showed intermediate activities. The enzymatic liberation of the fluorochrome from 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucosaminide requires the sequential action of the N-acetyltransferase and beta-hexosaminidase. Normal beta-hexosaminidase activity caused complete hydrolysis of the reaction intermediate 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminide formed by the N-acetyltransferase. In cell extracts with a beta-hexosaminidase deficiency, however, a second incubation in the presence of excess beta-hexosaminidase is needed to avoid underestimation of the N-acetyltransferase activity.     

Perceived effects of therapist self-disclosure of attraction to clients.

Psychotherapists (60 female, 60 male), 80% of whom were psychologists, responded to one of two 8.5-min segments of a simulated therapy session in which the client disclosed sexual attraction toward the psychologist. The therapist either was noncommittal about his or her own feelings or disclosed that attraction to the client while also indicating they would not act on their mutual feelings. The depicted therapist-client configuration was either male-female or female-male. The self-disclosing condition was rated as less therapeutic for the client, and the psychologist offering it was rated as less expert. Women therapists were perceived as more expert, regardless of condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some effects of rejection upon attraction to a group.

Adistinction was made between invidious rejection, defined as rejection for reasons that are likely to reflect upon the Ss' self-esteem, and noninvidious rejection. On the basis of the hypothesis that invidious rejection would arouse a need for social reassurance, it was predicted that: (a) for any given degree of rejection, loss of attraction to the group will be smaller when the reason for rejection is invidious than when it is noninvidious, and (b) that the differences in loss of attraction between invidious and noninvidious conditions will be greater after strong than after mild rejection. The results with respect to attraction to the group generally supported Hypothesis 1, but not Hypothesis 2. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tolerance to discriminative stimulus effects of d-amphetamine.

Chronic administration of high doses of d-amphetamine produced time-limited, surmountable tolerance to stimulus effects of d-amphetamine. 23 male Sprague-Dawley rats discriminated saline and 0.80 mg/kg d-amphetamine under fixed ratio (FR) schedules of food delivery. Suspending training and administering saline did not alter sensitivity to d-amphetamine, indicating that neither tolerance nor sensitization developed during regular training. Acute pretreatment with 3.2 mg/kg d-amphetamine did not alter the ED50 for stimulus effects of d-amphetamine. In contrast, administration of 3.2 or 6.4 mg/kg d-amphetamine, b.i.d., for 3 days or 2 weeks increased the ED50 for stimulus effects 3- to 4-fold but did not produce consistent tolerance to rate-altering effects. Tolerance to stimulus effects was surmountable, as higher doses of d-amphetamine produced full drug-lever selection in tolerant rats. Sensitivity recovered after chronic administration ended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

HIV. Genetic effects on immunity immunity to infection. Web alert

The present report describes a rare case of primary desmoplastic small cell tumour of the recto-sigmoid colon with hepatic metastases and lymphadenopathy. There are no pathognomonic radiological features and often their features overlap with other diseases including lymphoma. Histology is necessary to confirm this diagnosis. Unfortunately despite aggressive therapy, the prognosis for this disease is poor.     

Birth order effects: A reply to Breland.

Answers H. M. Breland's assertions concerning birth order effects in verbal achievement. It is argued that if birth order differences in intellectual functioning exist in childhood, they are very slight and exert at most minimal effects on adult functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Birth order effects: A reply to Schooler.

Replies to C. Schooler's (see record 1973-00727-001) criticisms regarding birth order studies by presenting evidence to support Breland's contention that birth order effects on verbal achievement do exist, and that these are not caused by either population biases or socioeconomic status differences. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infants' sensitivity to effects of gravity on visible object motion.

A preference method probed infants' perception of object motion on an inclined plane. Infants viewed videotaped events in which a ball rolled downward (or upward) while speeding up (or slowing down). The infants were tested with events in which the ball moved in the opposite direction with appropriate or inappropriate acceleration. Infants aged 7 mo, but not 5 mo, looked longer at the test event with inappropriate acceleration, suggesting emerging sensitivity to gravity. A further study tested whether infants appreciate that a stationary object released on an incline moves downward rather than upward; findings again were positive at 7 mo and negative at 5 mo. A final study provided evidence, nevertheless, that 5-mo-old infants discriminate downward from upward motion and relate downward motion in videotaped events to downward motion in live events. Sensitivity to certain effects of gravity appears to develop in infancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The scope of offspring effects: From caregiver to culture.

A review of the effects of children on the behavior of their caregivers indicates that offspring effects can be found in all facets of adult behavior. In addition to parent-child interaction per se, the young affect parental behavior in those realms in which parents are traditionally thought to acculturate their offspring. Furthermore, the data indicate that the young may be a major force in cultural change. (31/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subacute (4-wk) oral toxicity of a combination of four nephrotoxins in rats: comparison with the toxicity of the individual compounds

In a 4-wk study, 10-wk-old Wistar rats were fed the nephrotoxins hexachloro-1,3-butadiene (HCBD), mercuric chloride, d-limonene and lysinoalanine either alone or in combination. These nephrotoxins damage epithelial cells of the proximal tubules, but by different mechanisms. Each chemical was given alone at a Minimum-Nephrotoxic-Effect Level (MNEL), and at a No-Nephrotoxic-Effect Level (NNEL). The combination was given at the MNEL, the NNEL and one-quarter of the NNEL of the individual chemicals. The individual nephrotoxins caused slight growth depression in males at the MNEL, but not at the NNEL, whereas the combination depressed growth slightly at the NNEL and severely at the MNEL. In females at the MNEL, only HCBD retarded growth; in contrast to the effect in males this was not aggravated by combined treatment. Nephrotoxicity was more severe in males fed the combination than in males given the nephrotoxins alone. The former showed decreased renal concentrating ability and moderate histopathological changes in the kidneys at the MNEL, and a dose-dependent increase in kidney weight and number of epithelial cells in the urine at the NNEL and the MNEL. The males treated with a single agent showed slightly increased kidney weights, and/or slight histopathological changes in the kidneys at the MNEL, and (with d-limonene only) epithelial cells in the urine at the NNEL and MNEL. In females, renal changes induced by the combination were not more severe than those observed with individual compounds. No adverse changes attributable to treatment were observed in rats fed the combination at one-quarter of the NNEL. In the present study, combined exposure to four nephrotoxins at their individual NNEL did not constitute an obviously increased hazard, indicating absence of synergistic interaction, whereas at the MNEL clearly enhanced (renal) toxicity occurred in males, although not in females.     

Some effects of perceived status on responses to innovative behavior.

The degree of perceived status of an individual and its effect on the consequent evaluation of that person's behavior was studied. Persons perceived with a greater degree of status are more acceptable as authority figures and their idiosyncratic behavior receives greater acceptance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Flynn effects not genetic and unrelated to race differences.

Comments on the article by J. R. Flynn (see record 1999-00167-001) which argued that massive IQ gains over time test the IQ-intelligence equation, reveal groups who achieve far beyond their mean IQ's and falsify prominent arguments for a genetic racial IQ gap. The author contends that Flynn fails to report in sufficient detail a summary of what the gains over time do and do not tell us about the nature of the Black–White difference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

McCollough effects as conditioned responses: Reply to Skowbo.

Replies to the conclusion of D. Skowbo (see record 1984-30511-001) that the available evidence does not support a classical conditioning interpretation of the McCollough effect and takes exception to her characterization of the relevant literature. It is indicated that studies from the animal learning and contingent aftereffect literatures strongly support a Pavlovian conditioning analysis of the McCollough effect. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)