Use of rectal cancer position as a prognostic indicator

The hypothesis of this study was that the position of rectal cancer within the circumference of the rectum influences mortality. Tumor position was prospectively documented in 181 patients with rectal carcinoma by two examiners. The results were analyzed for correlation to survival using the Lifetest model and for multivariate correlation using the Cox regression model. An anterior tumor location was present in 43 patients and was found to have a significantly higher survival rate than other positions. Two-thirds of anterior tumors were of pathologically favorable Dukes' stages. Fifty-five patients had posterior tumors with decreased survival rates, two-thirds of which were of unfavorable stages. Circumferential position in 61 patients was most predictive of poorer outcome, with a relative risk of death being increased by 4.6 times (P = 0.014) and a 5-year survival rate of 68.8 per cent; 85 per cent of these tumors were of pathologically unfavorable stages. The 5-year survival rate for the whole group, which included 181 patients with all histopathological stages except those with distant metastases at presentation, was 78.5 per cent. This ranking of survival rates was found to be consistent in each category with the postoperatively determined Dukes' stage, which carried a prognostic significance of P = 0.0001. We conclude that tumor position is a significant indicator of prognosis available before surgery for rectal cancer.     

Melatonin as a chemical indicator of environmental light-dark cycle

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an evolutionary highly conserved molecule that plays an important role in conveying the clock and calendar information to all living organisms, including man. Melatonin is synthesized in the rhythmic fashion, primarily by the pineal gland, and, to a lesser degree, by extrapineal tissues-namely the retina, the Harderian gland, and the gastrointestinal tract. The rhythm of the hormone production, with maximal levels occurring at night in darkness, is generated by an endogenous circadian clock(s) and is synchronized with the photoperiodic environment to which animals are exposed. This brief outline surveys data on the regulation of rhythmic melatonin biosynthesis by a circadian pacemaker and light (full spectrum white light and monochromatic lights with wavelengths both in the visible and invisible range). Additionally, possible applications of this chronobiotic compound in agriculture and in medicine in the treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders are discussed.     

Bufotenine reconsidered as a diagnostic indicator of psychiatric disorders

We have analyzed products of the serotonin-degradative pathway, in which both N-methylserotonin and bufotenine are formed in urine specimens of products with psychiatric disorders by three-dimensional HPLC with electrochemical detection. Bufotenine was detected in urine from all autistic patients with mental retardation and epilepsy (n = 18) and many autistic patients (32/47) with mental retardation. Bufotenine was detected in the urine of 15 of 18 patients with depression. Thirteen of 15 schizophrenic patients were also positive for bufotenine. N-methylserotonin was also detected in some cases of each disorder. Only two of 200 urine specimens from healthy controls were positive for bufotenine. Thus, the presence and levels of bufotenine might be useful and important markers of some psychiatric disorders.     

Green fluorescent protein as a noninvasive intracellular pH indicator

It was found that the absorbance and fluorescence of green fluorescent protein (GFP) mutants are strongly pH dependent in aqueous solutions and intracellular compartments in living cells. pH titrations of purified recombinant GFP mutants indicated >10-fold reversible changes in absorbance and fluorescence with pKa values of 6.0 (GFP-F64L/S65T), 5.9 (S65T), 6.1 (Y66H), and 4.8 (T203I) with apparent Hill coefficients of 0.7 for Y66H and approximately 1 for the other proteins. For GFP-S65T in aqueous solution in the pH range 5-8, the fluorescence spectral shape, lifetime (2.8 ns), and circular dichroic spectra were pH independent, and fluorescence responded reversibly to a pH change in <1 ms. At lower pH, the fluorescence response was slowed and not completely reversed. These findings suggest that GFP pH sensitivity involves simple protonation events at a pH of >5, but both protonation and conformational changes at lower pH. To evaluate GFP as an intracellular pH indicator, CHO and LLC-PK1 cells were transfected with cDNAs that targeted GFP-F64L/S65T to cytoplasm, mitochondria, Golgi, and endoplasmic reticulum. Calibration procedures were developed to determine the pH dependence of intracellular GFP fluorescence utilizing ionophore combinations (nigericin and CCCP) or digitonin. The pH sensitivity of GFP-F64L/S65T in cytoplasm and organelles was similar to that of purified GFP-F64L/S65T in saline. NH4Cl pulse experiments indicated that intracellular GFP fluorescence responds very rapidly to a pH change. Applications of intracellular GFP were demonstrated, including cytoplasmic and organellar pH measurement, pH regulation, and response of mitochondrial pH to protonophores. The results establish the application of GFP as a targetable, noninvasive indicator of intracellular pH.     

Gender as a social category.

In the years between preschool and puberty, the free play of children occurs largely in sex-segregated groups. Some differences in the socialization setting provided by all-boy and all-girl playgroups are described, and possible reasons for children's tendency to congregate in same-sex groups are explored. This article suggests that sex-differentiated play styles and modes of exerting peer influence are important factors. Three classes of possible explanatory processes are considered: biological factors, socialization pressures from adults, and gender cognitions. The article claims that "masculinity" and "femininity," as dimensions of individual differences, may not be linked to preference for same-sex playmates, and that these two aspects of sex-typing require different explanations. Segregation is depicted as a group phenomenon, essentially unrelated to the individual attributes of the children who make up all-girl or all-boy groups. Concepts of gender identity and core categorical membership are seen as the primary cognitive underpinnings for segregation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serum hepatocyte growth factor as a possible indicator of arteriosclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible involvement of hepatocyte growth factor in arteriosclerotic lesions, by studying the relationship between serum concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor and grades of retinal arteriosclerosis. METHODS: We measured the blood pressure, body mass index, serum concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, uric acid, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, and hepatocyte growth factor, erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit levels of 112 adults. Serum concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor were measured by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For each subject, photographs of both optic fundi were taken, and the grade of arteriosclerotic changes in the retinal arteries was evaluated according to Scheie's classification. RESULTS: Individuals with more advanced grades of arteriosclerotic changes had higher serum hepatocyte growth factor values (grade 0, 0.056 +/- 0.004 ng/ml, n = 86; grade 1, 0.132 +/- 0.026 ng/ml, n = 17, P < 0.01, versus grade 0; grade 2-3, 0.271 +/- 0.023 ng/ml, n = 9, P < 0.01, versus grades 0 and 1). The serum hepatocyte growth factor concentrations were also correlated significantly to the serum uric acid concentrations (r = 0.230, P = 0.015) and erythrocyte counts (r = 0.299, P = 0.001), but not to the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and other physical and humoral parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Serum hepatocyte growth factor levels are thought to indicate the presence or development of arteriosclerotic lesions and may be a useful biochemical parameter for estimating the development of systemic arteriosclerosis irrespective of blood pressure levels.     

Critical social theory as a grounded process

This article reflects upon the research process that uses critical social science as its basis. Some of the common criticisms of critical social science research are rebutted by following the research trail taken by the authors when undertaking their own projects. The similarities and differences of critical social science and the interpretative methodologies are outlined in the selection of study area, the relationship of the researcher and participants, ethical issues, and data collection and analysis. The writers conclude that critical social science research reports that are correctly carried out should be firmly grounded in each of these stages, thereby a foundation for nursing and midwifery practice.     

Validity of the occupation as an indicator of social class, according to the British Registrar General classification

OBJECTIVE: Measuring social class is important for evaluating its influence on health status and on the access to health services. This paper is aimed to assess the construct validity of the classification of social class based on the individual's occupation. METHODS: Data come from the Barcelona Health Interview Survey of 1986. In the survey, 2,205 households and 6,894 individuals participated (82% of the eligible households and 84% of the eligible individuals). Information was gathered on, among other issues, the following socioeconomic variables: annual family income, lack of some household services, property of the household, education level and occupation of the individuals, as well as their occupational situation and labor relationship. Data about the value of the household was collected from the City Council census (catastro). Social class was assigned using the individual's occupation or, if none, the head of the household's occupation in the following groups: I, II, III, IVa, IVb, V, and "Not Classified". The association between social class and socioeconomic variables was analyzed using: ANOVA for the comparisons of continuous variables, Chi-squared test for categorical variables, Spearman correlation coefficients and discriminant analysis. RESULTS: A total of 3,357 individuals reported an occupation. "Employed in administrative services" was the most common (14.3%). Social class was "Not classified" in 6.4% of the individuals. All socio-economic variables showed statistically significant differences, following a predicted pattern: better indicators for more favoured social classes. Social class showed a moderate to high correlation with education level (r = 0.57) and somewhat lower with the other variables. Variance in socioeconomic variables explained by social class was higher than the 95% (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of relationships between socio-economics variables was intense, monotone and consistent, suggesting that the occupation is a valid and feasible of social class. Routinely including occupation in health information systems should allow to monitor inequalities in health in Spain.     

When a sense of justice hinders social efficiency: Pareto axiom revisited

This study addressed people's judgments about desirability of various reward allocation under different task-rules aggregating individual inputs to a group outcome. The rules used in the study were additive, conjunctive, and disjunctive (Steiner, 1972), and subjects evaluated twelve cases of reward allocation reflecting different distributive principles, such as equality and equity. It was found that no one principle was favored under all three aggregation rules. Generally, a distributive principle was favored that was most beneficial for the member whose input 'determined' group success. Specifically, equality was endorsed most often under the conjunctive rule, and equity under the disjunctive rule. It was also found that the Pareto axiom was frequently violated. In pairwise comparison, more than 60% of the subjects endorsed an allocation scheme, that was, subjectively fairer but objectively inferior in terms of Pareto optimality, revealing their commitment to a specific distributive principle. The results suggest that the universal economic assumption of Pareto optimality for social policy-making be seriously questioned.     

The kibbutz as a social experiment and as a child-rearing laboratory.

The Israeli kibbutz has attracted the attention of social scientists, especially psychologists, as a unique social experiment that offers a laboratory for studying the effects of variations in child rearing on personality development. The present article reviews (a) the history of the kibbutz movement and kibbutz child-rearing practices, and (b) the results of research in kibbutz socialization. The research indicates that the "kibbutz personality" is essentially nonpathological and effective. Recent changes in child-rearing patterns in the kibbutz, in the form of a return to traditional family child rearing, are viewed as part of an overall social change pattern that is likely to continue in the future. Implications for further work are discussed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shifting social identities as a strategy for deflecting threatening social comparisons.

Results of three studies suggest that the multifaceted nature of identity provides a strategic basis for reducing the threat involved in upward social comparisons. After performing worse than a comparison standard, people may strategically emphasize aspects of their identity that differentiate them from the standard, thereby making the standard less relevant for self-evaluation. On the basis of previous research showing that persons low in self-esteem are less likely to make effective use of self-protection strategies, we hypothesized that this strategy of deflecting the threat involved in upward comparison (i.e., decreasing perceived comparability by emphasizing an unshared social identity) would be used primarily by persons who are characteristically high in self-esteem. This pattern was confirmed in three studies. Moreover, use of the strategy was associated with relatively more positive affect following threatening upward comparisons. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Oral hygiene as a risk indicator of enamel and dentin caries

Dental researchers have postulated that the risk factors for enamel and dentin caries may not be the same. A review of the literature ascertained that data to support this theory are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk indicators of enamel and dentin caries of the permanent dentition in a study group who had limited access to fluorides and made limited use of dental services. METHODS: The study was conducted in Goa, India. Data came from a cross-sectional survey of 1189 seventh grade children, which consisted of a clinical dental examination and a self-administered questionnaire to their parents. The cavitated and non-cavitated criteria were used to score for caries, and the Silness-Loe index for plaque. RESULTS: The mean age of the children was 12.2 years. The percentage of children caries free in the permanent dentition was 22.2%, the mean+/-s for dmfs, enamel and dentin lesions were 4.20+/-5.10, 2.59+/-2.89 and 1.61+/-3.30 respectively, and the mean plaque score was 1.00+/-0.48. Results of regression analyses showed that the risk indicators of prevalence and severity of caries differed depending on lesion type. The only variable that was consistently a risk indicator of presence and severity of both dentin and enamel caries was poor oral hygiene. Mother's highest level of education and presence of fluorosis were also risk indicators of enamel and dentin caries. The presence of decayed primary teeth was a risk indicator of enamel caries; and fluorosis severity, use of fluoride toothpaste at the time of the survey, and toothbrushing frequency were risk indicators of dentin caries. The observed caries-oral hygiene association seen is explored further.     

Trapezius muscle load as a risk indicator for occupational shoulder-neck complaints

Upper trapezius muscle activity was quantified by electromyographic (EMG) recordings using surface electrodes to study occupational muscle load as a risk indicator for the development of shoulder-neck complaints. Thirty-nine female production workers and thirty-two female office workers showed much larger interindividual differences than the mean difference in muscle activity between the two groups. By comparison with the production workers, the muscle activity patterns of the office workers were characterized by more short pauses and a lower static load. The median load level was similar for the two groups. For the office workers, but not for the production workers, weak correlations were found between symptoms of pain in the shoulder-neck region and some of the EMG parameters (static level and frequency of micropauses > 0.6 s. Current techniques for measuring shoulder muscle load by EMG recordings seem inadequate as screening methods to predict future risk of development of muscle pain symptoms.     

Ga-67 scan as a prognostic indicator in primary lung carcinoma

GA-67 scintigraphy was performed on 74 patients with a variety of histologic types of untreated primary lung carcinoma. Ga-67 uptake was determined, allowing for differences in tumor size. Ga-67 uptake was compared with the response to the incidence of metastases, and to host survival in the 74 patients. From these results, it is suggested that the greater the Ga-67 accumulation in the tumor, the higher the incidence of metastases and the shorter the host survival. Ga-67 scintigraphy appears to be a valuable tool in indicating the prognosis following radiation therapy in patients with primary lung carcinoma.     

Addiction as a social construction: a postempirical view

I examined the role of society and psychology as its agent in the growing problem of addiction in America. The social institutions of a given society establish and maintain a character structure unique to a particular era. The quality of that character is reflected in its inhabitants' individual psychological natures as either health or pathology. I examined the philosophical roots of psychology, its theories and their effect on perpetuating current erroneous beliefs about addiction, and psychology's role in finding real solutions.     

Reproductive health of the family as a goal of industrial medicine

Modern demographic situation stressed the problems of human reproductive health associated with industrial medical topics. The article suggests to regard a family (child and two parents) as a unit under study in industrial medicine. This methodic approach should work in scientific programs reviewing influence of industrial ecology and environmental factors on reproductivity. The authors suggest elaboration of universal strategy for ecologic and epidemiologic studies to form a scientific branch "Epidemiology of reproductive health" and to elaborate methods for better health management during the present demographic crisis.     

Psychotherapy as a means of social control.

Notes that despite considerable evidence that traditional psychodynamic psychotherapy is not helpful and may actually be harmful, psychodynamic psychotherapy persists. The failure of the manifest purpose of such psychotherapy suggests that it has a more important latent purpose, one that is in accord with the values of American capitalist society. It is proposed that this latent purpose is to serve as a means of social control. This control is exercised through the ideological and clinical practice aspects of such psychotherapy, with each aspect reinforcing the other. (97 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)