Regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis in Ehrlich cells by ascites tumor plasma lipoproteins

Fatty acid biosynthesis in Ehrlich cells in vitro was reduced when very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) isolated from the ascites tumor plasma were added to the incubation medium. The degree of inhibition was dependent on the VLDL concentration. At the VLDL concentrations usually present in the ascites plasma, there was a 30% decrease in biosynthesis as measured by³H₂O incorporation into fatty acids. Analysis of the labeled fatty acids by gas liquid chromatography indicated that this decrease was due to a reduction in fatty acid de novo biosynthesis and that chain elongation actually was increased when VLDL were present. Although ascites plasma low- and high density lipoproteins also produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of fatty acid biosynthesis, their effects were much smaller than those of the VLDL. Studies employing VLDL and radioactive free fatty acids indicated that the cells took up and utilized fatty acids derived from these lipoproteins. When VLDL were present, labeled free fatty acid incorporation into cell phospholipids, cholesteryl esters, and CO₂ decreased, whereas its incorporation into the cell free fatty acid pool increased. By contrast, the cells incorporated only very small amounts of fatty acid from either low- or high density lipoproteins. This suggests that the VLDL exert their inhibitory effect on fatty acid synthesis by supplying exogenous fatty acids to the cells. Presented in part at the AOCS Spring Meeting, Dallas, April 1975.     

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome in the United States and Canada (1892-1979)

Information was collected on 301 cases of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome in the United States and Canada Examination of available medical records, death certificates and published case reports on these patients showed that they came from a wide geographic area and many diverse ethnic and racial groups. No significant difference was found in the incidence of cases born between 1947 and 1976; the overall rate was 4.0 per million live male births in the United States. Median survival has increased with time from eight months for patients born before 1935 to 6.5 years for those born after 1964. Seventy-six of the 301 patients (25%) were still alive at last follow-up and ranged in age from 1 to 36 years with a median of 10 years. Causes of death were primarily limited to infections or bleeding, but malignancy represented a significant problem. Twelve percent of the group (36 of 301) developed malignancy, the predominant types being lymphorecticular tumors (23 of 36) and leukemia (7 of 36). The overall relative risk for malignancy was found to be greater than 100 times that of the general population and was found to increase with increasing age.     

Confidence in the prediction and postdiction of an uncertain outcome.

Made a comparison between the confidence of 23 undergraduates either predicting the outcome of an uncertain event or postdicting the outcome of the same event. Using a procedure in which Ss rolled a die and bet on the outcome, it was found that Ss predicting the outcome before the die was rolled bet more money and reported greater confidence in being correct than Ss postdicting the outcome after the die had already been rolled. Results are interpreted as support for the hypothesis that a form of magical thinking mediates the frequently reported positive relationship between S's desire for a particular outcome and his estimate of that outcome's likelihood of occurrence. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Meta-analysis for integrating study outcomes: A Monte Carlo study of its susceptibility to Type I and Type II errors.

AMonte Carlo study was conducted to determine Types I and II error rates of the Schmidt and Hunter (S&H) meta-analysis method and the U statistic for assessing homogeneity within a set of correlations. One thousand samples of correlations were generated randomly to fill each of 450 cells of an 18?×?5?×?5 (Underlying Population Correlations?×?Numbers of Correlations Compared?×?Sample Size Per Correlation) design. To assess Type I error rates, correlations were drawn from the same population. To assess power, correlations were drawn from two different populations. As compared with U, which was uniformly robust, the Type I error rate for the S&H method was unacceptably high in many cells, particularly when the criterion for determining homogeneity was set at a highly conservative level. Power for the S&H method increased with increasing size of population differences, sample size per correlation, and in some cases, number of correlations compared. The U statistic did more poorly in most conditions in protecting from Type II errors. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suckling in the rat: Evidence for patterned behavior during sleep.

Electrophysiological recordings showed that 6 2-wk-old Wistar rat pups were actually asleep 66% of the time while suckling on the dam. Ss were no more likely to be awake while on the nipple than between nursing bouts. EMG-recorded sucking behavior occurred during sleep as well as during wakefulness. Ss were found to be asleep just prior to the dam's periodic milk ejections (ME) in 100% of 33 recorded instances and were briefly awakened by the ME, but 60% were asleep again within 30 sec. These studies demonstrate the embedding of a vital early behavior pattern in the states of sleep. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental representation of the body: Stability and change in response to illness and disability.

Body concept and body esteem were examined among 147 male patients (mean ages 45–58 yrs) in 4 medical groups (cardiac, spinal-cord injured, alcoholic, and domiciliary). To study body concept, multidimensional scaling was used to extract the dimensions organizing 33 body parts. Three dimensions, head–body, arm-leg, and inside–outside, organized bodily experience for the groups. To study body esteem, a principal components analysis was applied to esteem ratings of the same body parts; head and body dimensions emerged, suggesting correspondence between cognition and affect. Body concept was stable across medical groups, whereas body esteem underwent dramatic, illness-related changes. A serial chain model of body concept is proposed to synthesize these and related findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing occupational and domestic ELF magnetic field exposure in the uk adult brain tumour study: results of a feasibility study

The feasibility of measuring exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF MF) in the UK Adult Brain Tumour Study (UKABTS) was examined. During the study, 81 individuals and 30 companies were approached with 79 individuals and 25 companies agreeing to participate. Exposure data were collected using EMDEX II dosemeters worn by the participants for 3-4 consecutive days. Data were collected over a total of 321 d, including non-occupational periods. The results showed occupational exposure to be the main determinant of overall exposure. Moderate to strong correlations were found between arithmetic mean exposure and all other metrics with the possible exception of maximum exposure. Significant differences in exposure were found between job categories with large variability in certain categories. Highest average exposures were found for security officers (arithmetic mean, AM: 0.78 micro T), secretaries (AM: 0.48 micro T) and dentists (AM: 0.42 micro T). Welding and working near high-voltage power lines were associated with elevated exposure. In summary, acceptably precise measures of ELF MF exposure are feasible at relatively moderate cost. The results were used to develop a protocol for data collection from subjects in the UKABTS.