Condom use by Dutch men with commercial heterosexual contacts: determinants and considerations

We report responses from 559 clients of female prostitutes, with a view to determining to what extent previously identified factors play a part in condom use. To increase the response rate to advertisements in daily and weekly newspapers, interviews were held by phone. This procedure had the advantage of ensuring the anonymity many clients demanded. Of those clients having vaginal or anal contact (91%), 14% had not always used condoms in the previous year. Compared with consistent condom users, these men were less highly educated, had twice as many commercial contacts, and had more contacts with "steady" prostitutes. They were either more emotionally motivated to visit prostitutes than were consistent condom users or exhibited a stronger need for sexual variation. They showed a more compulsive attitude toward visiting prostitutes, had a more negative attitude toward prostitution in general, evaluated condoms more negatively, had a higher personal efficacy to achieve unsafe contacts, and had a higher general risk assessment, commensurate with their behavior. Men with only safe contacts had either an intrinsic or an extrinsic motivation for condom use. Among extrinsically motivated men, their behavior change was more recent and had not yet taken root: They still envisioned unsafe commercial sex to be possible in the future. Education aimed at the small group of men practicing unsafe contacts will not easily and directly lead to behavior change. But these educational activities may support prostitutes to persist in (consistent) condom use, regardless of clients' pressure to do otherwise.     

Novel interneuron having hybrid modulatory-central pattern generator properties in the feeding system of the snail, Lymnaea stagnalis

1. We used intracellular recording techniques to examine the role of a novel type of protraction phase interneuron, the lateral N1 (N1L) in the feeding system of the snail Lymnaea stagnalis. 2. The N1Ls are a bilaterally symmetrical pair of electrotonically coupled interneurons located in the buccal ganglia. Each N1L sends a single axon to the contralateral buccal ganglia. Their neurite processes are confined to the buccal neuropile. 3. In the isolated CNS, depolarization of an N1L is capable of driving a full (N1-->N2-->N3), fast (1 cycle every 5 s) fictive feeding rhythm. This was unlike the previously described N1 medial (N1M) central pattern generator (CPG) interneurons that were only capable of driving a slow, irregular rhythm. Attempts to control the frequency of the fictive feeding rhythm by injecting varying amounts of steady current into the N1Ls were unsuccessful. This contrasts with a modulatory neuron, the slow oscillator (SO), that has very similar firing patterns to the N1Ls, but where the frequency of the rhythm depends on the level of injected current. 4. The N1Ls' ability to drive a fictive feeding rhythm in the isolated preparation was due to their strong, monosynaptic excitatory chemical connection with the N1M CPG interneurons. Bursts of spikes in the N1Ls generated summating excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in the N1Ms to drive them to firing. The SO excited the N1M cells in a similar way, but the EPSPs are strongly facilitatory, unlike the N1L-->N1M connection. 5. Fast (1 cycle every 5 s) fictive feeding rhythms driven by the N1L occurred in the absence of spike activity in the SO modulatory neuron. In contrast, the N1L was usually active in SO-driven rhythms. 6. The ability of the SO to drive the N1L was due to strong electrotonic coupling, SO-->N1L. The weaker coupling in the opposite direction, N1L-->SO, did not allow the N1L to drive the SO. 7. Experiments on semintact lip-brain preparations allowed fictive feeding to be evoked by application of 0.1 M sucrose to the lips (mimicking the normal sensory input) rather than by injection of depolarizing current. Rhythmic bursting, characteristic of fictive feeding, began in both the SO and N1L at exactly the same time, indicating that these two cell types are activated in "parallel" to drive the feeding rhythm. 8. The N1L is also part of the CPG network. It Excited the N2s and inhibited the N3 phasic (N3p) and N3 tonic (N3t) CPG interneurons like the N1Ms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Increasing diversity of the U.S. population

Demographic changes have shaped the nation's past and will continue to shape its future. During the first half of the 1990s, the U.S. population grew, on average, by 2.7 million people each year, reaching 262.8 million in 1995. Population growth is projected to continue for the next 50 years, although at a slower rate. The forecast is for more than 390 million Americans by the year 2050. As the U.S. population grows, it will increasingly become more diverse along many socioeconomic dimensions. This increasing diversity will represent an historic shift in America's racial and ethnic composition with long-range implications for how we view racial issues, how we define racial categories and how the political landscape will be refashioned. By the middle of the 21st century the "minority" population will almost equal the size of the non-Hispanic white population. The minority population grew 14 percent during the first half of the 1990s compared with a 3 percent growth in the non-Hispanic white population. But even within the minority population, growth rates varied. Between 1990 and 1995, the Asian population grew 23 percent, the Hispanic population 20 percent and the African American population increased their numbers by 8 percent. Hispanics are projected to outnumber African Americans within the next 15 years. In part, these demographic changes are shifting because of U.S. immigration policies. Until the early 1960s, immigrants to the United States were primarily of white, European stock. Nowadays, Europeans account for about 20 percent of the immigrants. Three-quarters of legal immigrants in the mid-1990s now come from Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. The increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the United States will create both challenges and opportunities for U.S. schools and businesses in the future. The magnitude of these numbers and their geographic location will be important factors to consider as we prepare for the 21st century.     

Radioimmunotherapy with a 64Cu-labeled monoclonal antibody: a comparison with 67Cu

67Cu (t1/2 = 62 h) has demonstrated potential as a radionuclide for radioimmunotherapy, but limited availability severely restricts its widespread use. 64Cu (t1/2 = 12.8 h) has been shown to have comparable effectiveness in vitro and in vivo. The present study was undertaken to examine the therapeutic potential of 64Cu- and 67Cu-bromoacetamidobenzyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca ne-N, N',N",N"'-tetraacetic acid (BAT)-2-iminothiolane (2IT)-1A3 (1A3 is a mouse anti-human colorectal cancer mAb) for treatment of GW39 human colon carcinoma carried in hamster thighs. Hamsters were injected with 64Cu- or 67Cu-BAT-2IT-1A3 or Cu-labeled nonspecific IgG (MOPC) or saline. Hamsters were killed 6-7 months after therapy or when tumors were > or = 10 g. Of the hamsters with small tumors (mean weight 0.43 +/- 0.25 g), 87.5% were disease-free 7 months after treatment with 2 mCi (1 Ci = 37 GBq) of 64Cu-BAT-2IT-1A3 or 0.4 MCi of 67Cu-BAT-2IT-1A3. The mean tumor doses at these activities of 64Cu- and 67Cu-BAT-2IT-1A3 were 586 and 1269 rad (1 rad = 0.01 Gy), respectively. In contrast, 76% of hamsters treated with 2 mCi of 64Cu-BAT-2IT-MOPC or 0.4 mCi of 67Cu-BAT-2IT-MOPC had to be killed before 6 months because of tumor regrowth. When hamsters with larger tumors (mean weight 0.66 +/- 0.11 g) were treated with 64Cu- or 67Cu-BAT-2IT-1A3, survival was extended compared with controls, but only one animal remained tumor-free to 6 months. These results demonstrate that 64Cu- and 67Cu-BAT-2IT-1A3 given in a single administered dose can eradicate small tumors without significant host toxicity, but additional strategies to deliver higher tumor doses will be needed for larger tumors.     

Highlights of the annual meeting of the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology and the 14th International Symposium on Respiratory Psychophysiology

This article provides a review of selected presentations and events that highlighted the annual meeting of the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology (ISARP) and the 14th International Symposium on Respiratory Psychophysiology, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 1995. The meeting, which was scheduled as a satellite to the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, included two workshops (Diana M. Innocenti on "Identification of Individual Breathing Patterns and Introduction to the Reeducation of Dysfunctional Patterns in Hyperventilation, Asthma, and Emphysema" and Richard N. Gevirtz on "Respiratory and Psychophysiological Factors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Functional Cardiac and Panic Disorders"), two symposia (one on "Breathing Retraining: Issues and Applications" and one on "Capnography and Hyperventilatory Hemodynamics"), three invited addresses (Hans Folgering on "Rehabilitation of Patients with Exercise Hypoxemia"; David Stubbing on "Assessing Impairment, Disability, and Handicap in Chronic Lung Disease"; and Robert Banzett on "Hypercapnia-Induced Air Hunger"), three panel sessions (one on "Respiratory Psychophysiology of Airway Obstruction," one on "Applied Respiratory Psychophysiology," and one on "Hyperventilation and Panic: Psychological Aspects"), and a poster session.     

Non-cartilaginous metaphyseal cysts in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: report of a case

Discrete metaphyseal radiolucent lesions, often termed "metaphyseal cysts", are a frequent finding in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Recent literature emphasizes that such lesions represent ectopic physeal cartilage. This paper reports a case in which biopsy of the metaphyseal lesion indicated that no cartilage was present.     

Coping behaviors of the elderly with positive physical examination results in Kaohsiung City

The objectives of this study were as follows: first, to investigate the coping behaviors of the elderly facing the stress of disease after free physical examination; Second, to identify personal and disease characteristics, and the social support that influences coping behaviors in the elderly. The study sample consisted of 661 elderly patients who were found to have abnormal findings during a free physical examination provided by 11 regional health stations in Kaohsiung City. Data were collected with questionnaires through home interview. Four hundred and eighty-four subjects completed the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SAS computer program. The major findings were as follows: 1.Problem-oriented coping behaviors were the more frequently used. The most frequently used coping behaviors were "accepting the situation as it is", "reling on myself to solve problems", "hoping that things would get better", "seeking professional help", and "letting things follow their natural cause". 2. The relative variables for problem-oriented coping were marital status, religion, medical insurance, educational level, disease characteristics, and social support. Sex, marital status, religion, medical insurance, perceived disease severity, characteristics of health problem, and newly found abnormality at this free physical examination were the relative variables for affective-oriented coping. 3. The best predictive variables for using problem-oriented coping behaviors were medical insurance, self-esteem support from family and friends, tangible support from health professionals, emotional support from health professionals, and whether it was the first time the patients knew their health problems. Findings from this study had implications for development of nursing care plans for elderly clients, as well as for collaborative team exploration of coping behaviors in the elderly.     

Antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy: pharmacokinetics and plasma levels of prodrug and drug in a phase I clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the major factors that underlie auditory/audiological performance measures in an elderly population, with particular emphasis on finding those factors responsible for speech understanding under specific conditions of interference. DESIGN: Audiological status and auditory performance of a group of elderly (60- to 81-yr-old) and normal-hearing young (18- to 30-yr-old) individuals was determined through a test battery. When present, the hearing loss of elderly subjects was symmetrical in the two ears and, at most, moderate. The battery included tests of speech intelligibility on the word and sentence levels, with and without the presence of interfering speech. In addition to pure-tone and speech reception thresholds, perception of spectrally or temporally distorted speech as well as auditory resolution of frequency, time, and space were tested. Two tests received special consideration: the Speech Perception In Noise Test and the Modified Rhyme Reverberation Test. Taking the overall results as well as various subsets of the results, principal component analyses were conducted to identify major factors underlying auditory performance. RESULTS: The factors extracted by the principal component analyses present a portrayal of the auditory performance profile in which effects of interference, high-frequency hearing, and basic auditory function play a major role. Interference factors include general susceptibility to noise as well as segregation of concurrent speech sounds on the basis of temporal dissimilarities and spatial separation. Comparison of factors extracted from various subsets of tests indicate that factors underlying the decline of the "cocktail party effect" in the elderly are addressed mostly by tests specifically designed to assess speech understanding in spatially distributed babble or in a reverberant environment. CONCLUSIONS: Factor analysis of test measures obtained from a group of elderly individuals with normal hearing or mild-to-moderate hearing loss led to two main findings. First, it portrayed hearing loss as a component of different factors rather than as a factor on its own. Second, the independence of measures of speech understanding in babble or reverberation from other measures suggests that such tests should become an integral part of audiological test batteries designed to assess auditory functions in aging.