Young Adults' Stereotypes of Older Adults With Their Grandparents as the Targets

Young adults' stereotypes of older adults have been well established in the literature, but the target of these stereotypes usually is an unknown older individual. Intergenerational interaction, however, is more common between people who are known to each other. Specifically, the older individuals with whom young adults most frequently interact are their grandparents. This study examines the role that closeness plays in mediating young adults' ( n = 220) stereotypes of older adults. Consistently, young adults rate their closest grandparent more positively on exhibiting stereotypic behaviors and communicative ability than they do their least close grandparent. Although the grandparent's age does not influence the level of reported closeness, the level of closeness does influence perceptions of the older individual's behavior and abilities. Although closeness does mediate young adults' stereotypes of older adults, it does not preclude them from providing negative evaluations of some older individuals who are well-known to them.     

A sero-epidemiological study of the relationship between sexually transmitted agents and cervical cancer in Honduras

To investigate a possible cause-and-effect relationship between sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer, we performed a sero-epidemiological study on the presence of antibodies against a number of sexually transmitted agents (STAs) in patients with cervical cancer and their matched controls. In this study, we used serological techniques to investigate the presence of antibodies to cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus type 2, human immunodeficiency virus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Treponema pallidum and human papillomavirus (HPV) early protein E7 in sera from patients with cervical cancer, cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia and individually matched, healthy controls. The presence of antibodies to infectious agents other than HPV appeared not to be associated with risk of cervical neoplasia in either univariate or multivariate analysis. After adjustment for cytology, schooling and presence of HPV DNA in cervical scrapes, there was a significantly higher prevalence of antibodies to HPV-16 E7 protein in sera from patients with cervical cancer (OR = 3.6, 95% CI 1.0-12.9) than in healthy controls. The highest antibody prevalence was found among HPV-16 DNA-positive cervical cancer patients (33%). Our results indicate that in these study groups past infections with the STA considered seems to be of no apparent relevance for cervical carcinogenesis and that the HPV-16 anti-E7 response appears to be associated with cervical cancer.     

Infants' differential social responses to attractive and unattractive faces.

Two studies were conducted to examine infants' social responses to attractive and unattractive faces. In Study 1, 60 12-month-olds interacted with a stranger who wore a professionally constructed attractive or unattractive mask. The infants showed more positive affective tone, less withdrawal, and more play involvement with the stranger in the attractive condition. In Study 2, 43 12-month-olds played with an attractive and an unattractive doll. The infants played significantly longer with the attractive doll. These results extend and amplify earlier findings showing that young infants exhibit visual preferences for attractive over unattractive faces. Both visual and behavioral preferences for attractiveness are evidently exhibited much earlier in life than was previously supposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sagittal sinus thrombosis after closed head injury

We describe a patient with trisomy 8 mosaicism followed through a sixth pregnancy and discuss issues in phenotypic and genotypic variability, the risk for neoplasia, and reproductive risks.     

Development of the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory for adults of Mexican origin.

The Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory (MASI), a 36-item stress measure that was developed to assess acculturative stress among persons of Mexican origin living in the United States, was tested on a community sample of 174 adults (117 women, 57 men). Principal-components analyses yielded 4 stable and internally consistent factors: Spanish Competency Pressures (7 items), English Competency Pressures (7 items), Pressure to Acculturate (7 items), and Pressure Against Acculturation (4 items). These 4 factors accounted for 64.4% of the variance and correlated in the expected directions with criterion measures of acculturation and/or psychological adjustment. Further reliability and validity testing of the MASI is discussed as well as the utility of this measure in assessing acculturative stress among adults of Mexican origin. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nitrooxyacyl derivatives of salicylic acid: aspirin-like molecules that covalently inactivate cyclooxygenase-1

A recently described series of nitrooxyacyl derivatives of salicylic acid, displaying aspirin‐like anti‐inflammatory and platelet anti‐aggregatory properties, were evaluated for their abilities to inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX). A number of these compounds irreversibly inhibited both COX‐1 and COX‐2 isoforms when tested in isolated human platelets and monocytes. Further studies using COX‐1 expressed in human HEK293T cells showed that this inhibition mechanism is similar to that of aspirin; namely, the products are able to covalently bind to the Ser 530 residue present in the active cleft of the enzyme. Molecular modeling enabled us to rationalize this behavior. Because these products were previously found to display NO‐dependent properties in rat animal models, particularly as they decreased in vivo gastrotoxicity and induced in vitro vasodilation, they represent a new and interesting class of potential aspirin‐like antithrombotic agents worthy of further study.     

Concentrations and Profiles of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Some Commercial Brands of Tea-, Coffee-, and Cocoa-Based Food Drinks in Nigeria

Concentrations and profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in some popular commercial brands of tea-, coffee-, and cocoa-based food drinks in Nigeria by gas chromatograph-flame ionization after hexane/dichloromethane extraction and clean up. The concentrations of the ∑16 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in these products ranged from 5.2–913.1, 38.7–593.1, and 38.0–1406.4 μg kg^?1 for tea-, coffee-, and cocoa-based food drinks, respectively. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon profiles indicate the dominance of three and four rings PAHs in these food items. The concentrations of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) eight carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from nd–218.9, nd–102.9, and nd–1248.5 μg kg^?1 for tea-, coffee-, and cocoa-based food drinks, respectively.     

Mitigation of Alicyclobacillus spp. spores on food contact surfaces with aqueous chlorine dioxide and hypochlorite

The prevalence of Alicyclobacillus spp. and other spore-forming spoilage organisms in food handling and processing environments presents a sanitation challenge to manufacturers of products such as juices and beverages. The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy of chlorine dioxide and sodium hypochlorite in killing Alicyclobacillus spores in situ and to evaluate the efficacy of various chlorine dioxide and hypochlorite sanitizing regimes on Alicyclobacillus spp. spores on stainless steel, wood, and rubber conveyor material. Five or two log CFU/ml spore concentrations were left in aqueous solution or inoculated onto stainless steel, rubber, or wood coupons and challenged with sanitizer for varied time intervals. After treatment, the coupons were placed in sterile sample bags, massaged with neutralizing buffer, and enumerated on Ali agar. Surfaces were also examined before and after treatment by scanning electron microscopy to confirm destruction or removal of the spores. For both five and two log CFU/ml spore concentrations, treatments of 50 and 100 ppm of chlorine dioxide and 1000 and 2000 ppm of hypochlorite, respectively, were the most effective. Of the range of chlorine dioxide concentrations and contact time regimes evaluated for all surfaces, the most effective concentration/time regime applied was 100 ppm for 10 min. Reductions ranged from 0 to 4.5 log CFU/coupon. Chlorine dioxide was least effective when applied to wood. Hypochlorite was not efficient at eliminating Alicyclobacillus spores from any of the food contact surfaces at any time and concentration combinations tested. Chlorine dioxide is an alternative treatment to kill spores of Alicyclobacillus spp. in the processing environment.