Response perseveration and delayed responding in undersocialized aggressive conduct disorder.

This study examined the relation between measures of response perservation (card-playing task; Newman, Patterson, & Kosson, 1987), delayed responding (differential reinforcement for low-rate responding: DRL task; Gordon, 1979) and undersocialized aggressive conduct disorder (CD). From a larger sample of seriously emotionally disturbed students, a predominantly CD group and a comparison group was identified using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (Quay & Peterson, 1987). On the card-playing task, CD subjects played significantly more cards. On the DRL task, CD subjects were significantly less efficient during the fourth block. The findings provide support for the rewarding dominance hypothesis of CD (Quay, 1985, in press). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of quitting and dropout among women in a clinic-based smoking cessation program.

Most cessation studies assume that dropouts are smokers. Instead, the authors analyzed these outcomes separately using multinomial regression to model the relative risk of quitting versus continued smoking and dropping out. Female (N = 281) smokers were randomly assigned to a 12-week smoking cessation program plus either a 3-times-per-week exercise program or a contact control wellness program. Higher body mass index and longer prior quit attempts predicted cessation. Self-efficacy was associated with a lower likelihood of dropout. Greater nicotine dependence and lower education predicted continued smoking or dropout versus quitting among exercisers. Patterns of smoking, dropping out, and quitting between Weeks 5 and 12 were different between exercisers and controls. Dropouts should be considered as a separate category from smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advanced colorectal carcinoma: redefining the role of oral ftorafur

The therapeutic performance, effect on quality of life and cost effectiveness of an orally administered medication in a home care setting were examined prospectively in a group of 61 patients presenting with advanced colorectal carcinoma. A regimen of daily ftorafur capsules (370 mg/m2) and leucovorin tablets (20 mg/m2) was offered to 35 symptomatic patients with poor performance status; the standard in-hospital i.v. protocol of 5-fluouracil and leucovorin was given to the remaining 26 patients. Follow-up and survival analysis indicated that there was no compromise in survival associated with home care and oral chemotherapy. There were statistically significant advantages in terms of reduced toxicity and improved Karnofsky performance status in this group. Home care was approximately 70% less expensive. A home treatment program based on oral ftorafur may be the most desirable option for all patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.     

Nuclear distribution of human DNA topoisomerase IIbeta: a nuclear targeting signal resides in the 116-residue C-terminal tail

Surgery is considered to be a standard therapy for stage III or the earlier stage of esophageal cancer. However, the standard therapy is changing because of the recent advances in the non-surgical approach, especially chemoradiotherapy. Various obstacles remain to estimate the outcomes of combined modality therapy, while the consensus of the treatment for such stage excluding T4 diseases are as follows: 1) Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has a superior outcome to radiation alone in patients with squamous cell carcinoma. 2) Recent chemoradiotherapy without surgery achieves results comparable to surgery alone. 3) Preoperative chemoradiotherapy can achieve better results than surgery alone in patients with adenocarcinoma. 4) Preoperative chemotherapy is still experimental. Our preliminary results of chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer also showed comparable data to extended surgery in terms of survival. Some significant points to be elucidated regarding combined modalities in stage III or earlier are: 1) the comparison of definitive chemoradiotherapy with Japanese extended surgery, and 2) evaluation of efficacy of surgery after chemoradiotherapy. However, these studies require randomized trials comparing surgery with non-surgical treatment, which appears to present significant obstacles. Critical estimation for each study should be recommended based on accurate clinical staging, biological behavior, and intention-to-treat.     

Personality correlates of physical fitness.

In this article, I examine the relation between personality and physical fitness. One group (N?=?97) of male adults completed the Hogan Personality Inventory and five nationally recognized physical fitness batteries. A second group (N?=?35) completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and a set of medical and physical performance assessments. Results indicate that physical fitness must be defined in multidimensional terms and that fitness is related to self-discipline. Measures of psychopathology were unrelated to measures of health and fitness. These data suggest that the personal qualities associated with fitness are also those that promote and extend health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental changes in tritium autoabsorption

Developmental changes in autoabsorption of tritium emissions were examined in 30 brain regions in the rat at Postnatal Days 0, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 and adulthood. Rats received tritiated 2-deoxyglucose in vivo. Alternate brain sections were extracted in chloroform, and autoradiographs were developed from extracted and nonextracted sections. The ratio of optical density values in extracted vs nonextracted sections was used to determine autoabsorption for each structure. Three principal temporal patterns in the development of adult levels of autoabsorption, determined by the optical density ratios, were identified: (1) a minimal increase pattern in which autoabsorption rose only slightly between birth and adulthood; (2) a plateau pattern in which a rapid early increase was followed by stable values; and (3) a late increase pattern in which autoabsorption remained relatively constant until Postnatal Day 28, with a large increase between Day 28 and adulthood. In addition, optical density ratios fluctuated during the second postnatal week in close to one-third of the structures. The data suggest that developmental events affecting the ratio of gray to white matter produce substantial local variations in the development of adult levels of autoabsorption that are distinct for each structure. To correct for autoabsorption effects in ontogenetic studies using tritium autoradiography, it is necessary to determine directly the degree of autoabsorption at a particular time point for the structure of interest. Our results indicate that the technique of in vivo administration of tritiated 2-deoxyglucose followed by chloroform extraction appears to be a sensitive and reproducible method for assessing autoabsorption at all ages.