Family planning opinion leadership in Korea, 1971

The characteristics of Korean family planning opinion leaders are assessed through a secondary analysis of the 1971 national survey conducted by the Korean Institute for Research in the Behavioral Sciences. In effect, what characterized Korean family planning opinion leaders was a rather national and democratic model. Those who had tried methods, discussed them, and knew a lot about them assumed leadership roles more than others. Place of residence, education, and other such variables mattered relatively little unless a woman had credibility imparted by actual use and knowledge imparted by use or discussions with family planning professionals.     

Activities of mixed function oxidases, UDP-glucuronyl transferase and sulphate conjugation enzymes in galliformes and anseriformes

The activities of certain drug metabolizing enzymes have been measured in liver and kidney slice preparations from domesticated birds. Aminopyrine demethylase activity was significantly lower in liver slices from the duck (Aylesbury X Pekin, Khaki-Campbell) than from the rat (Wistar), and in the Aylesbury X Pekin duck lower than in the turkey (Triple 6 FLX), chicken (Brown Leghorn, Rhode Island Red X Light Sussex) and goose (Emden X Doulouse). The microsomal cytochrome P-450 was lower in duck liver (Aylesbury X Pekin) than in rat liver, and the aniline hydroxylase and aminopyrine demethylase activities in a 10,000 g supernatant fraction of liver were lower in duck preparations (Aylesbury X Pekin, Khaki-Campbell) than rat preparations. These observations suggest that the duck is likely to be susceptible to drugs which are metabolized by the cytochrome P-450 containing mono-oxygenases. UDP-Glucuronyl transferase activity was not detectable in liver and kidney slices from two mature geese. This observation was not the outcome of a deficiency of UDP-glucuronic acid, rapid breakdown of glucuronide by beta-glucuronidase or the presence of a substance inhibitory to UDP-glucuronyl transferase. Liver slices from geese, ducks (Aylesbury X Pekin) and chickens contained low UDP-glucuronyl transferase and high sulphate conjugation enzyme activities, whereas the reverse was found in Khaki-Campbell ducks. The activities of UDP-glucuronyl transferase and the sulphate conjugation enzymes were both relatively high in liver slices from the turkey and rat. The kidney contained lower enzyme activities than the liver except in the duck (Aylesbury X Pekin), in which low activities of aminopyrine demethylase and UDP-glucuronyl transferase were present in slices of both organs. In liver slices from chickens and geese the activities of aminopyrine demethylase and the sulphate conjugation enzymes were similar in mature and immature birds, and the activity of UDP-glucuronyl transferase was considerably higher in chicks and goslings than in mature birds of the same species. In the chick the activities of aminopyrine demethylase, UDP-glucuronyl transferase and the sulphate conjugation enzymes were higher in the duodenum than the remainder of the alimentary tract. The activities of these enzymes in pieces of duodenum were as high as those in slices of liver. The inclusion of sulphate in the incubation medium produced a significant increase in the synthesis of p-nitrophenyl sulphate in liver slices and not kidney slices except those from the duck. The kidney slices seemed to produce sufficient sulphate for the reaction of the sulphate conjugation enzymes to proceed at the maximum rate, but the liver slices did not do so.     

Intrinsic 42Ca-Labelling of Green Bean Pods for Use in Human Bioavailability Studies

A hydroponic growth procedure which enables the intrinsic ⁴²Ca-labelling of green beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L) has been developed. Whole-plant Ca influx was measured from planting through the period of pod expansion for a crop of 60 plants grown hydroponically in a 3m²area. Total Ca influx was 10·1mmol per plant; 35% of this influx occurred during the period of pod growth. Plants were labelled with ⁴²Ca via the nutrient solution during the period of pod expansion; isotopic composition of harvested pods was nearly identical to that of the administered solution. Recovery of isotopic tracer at harvest was as follows: pods 8·4%; leaves, 61·1%; stems, 17·1%, roots, 9·0%. Pod yield was 98·8g FW per plant. ⁴²Ca-labelled green beans can be used safely to investigate Ca bioavailability in humans.     

Children's use of looking behavior as a cue to detect another's goal

Three studies examined children's understanding of the role that looking behavior plays in revealing another's desired goal. In each study, participants were asked which of 2 objects a protagonist wanted to obtain. Four-year-olds did not infer that an object examined via prolonged looking was more likely to be the protagonist's goal than an object that was either glanced at or inadvertently touched. Instead, they were accurate only when the protagonist looked at one of two potential goals. In contrast, the majority of 6-year-olds (and adults in Experiment 1) consistently regarded prolonged looking as the more important cue of the protagonist's goal. These age differences suggest that development is characterized by an increasing appreciation that goal is revealed by comparative differences in the quality of perceptual connectedness to objects in the world. One explanation for these age differences is that preschoolers are limited in their understanding of the difference between perceiving with full attention and without it.     

Ca2+ differentially regulates conventional protein kinase Cs' membrane interaction and activation

The regulation of conventional protein kinase Cs by Ca2+ was examined by determining how this cation affects the enzyme's 1) membrane binding and catalytic function and 2) conformation. In the first part, we show that significantly lower concentrations of Ca2+ are required to effect half-maximal membrane binding than to half-maximally activate the enzyme. The disparity between binding and activation kinetics is most striking for protein kinase C betaII, where the concentration of Ca2+ promoting half-maximal membrane binding is approximately 40-fold higher than the apparent Km for Ca2+ for activation. In addition, the Ca2+ requirement for activation of protein kinase C betaII is an order of magnitude greater than that for the alternatively spliced protein kinase C betaI; these isozymes differ only in 50 amino acids at the carboxyl terminus, revealing that residues in the carboxyl terminus influence the enzyme's Ca2+ regulation. In the second part, we use proteases as conformational probes to show that Ca2+dependent membrane binding and Ca2+-dependent activation involve two distinct sets of structural changes in protein kinase C betaII. Three separate domains spanning the entire protein participate in these conformational changes, suggesting significant interdomain interactions. A highly localized hinge motion between the regulatory and catalytic halves of the protein accompanies membrane binding; release of the carboxyl terminus accompanies the low affinity membrane binding mediated by concentrations of Ca2+ too low to promote catalysis; and exposure of the amino-terminal pseudosubstrate and masking of the carboxyl terminus accompany catalysis. In summary, these data reveal that structural determinants unique to each isozyme of protein kinase C dictate the enzyme's Ca2+-dependent affinity for acidic membranes and show that, surprisingly, some of these determinants are in the carboxyl terminus of the enzyme, distal from the Ca2+-binding site in the amino-terminal regulatory domain.     

Clinical management of carpal tunnel syndrome: a 12-year review of outcomes

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a disorder frequently encountered by occupational health care specialists. The health care management of this disorder has involved a diverse set of clinical procedures. The present article is a review of the literature related to CTS with an emphasis on occupational-related CTS. MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycLIT, and NIOSHTIC databases from 1985-1997 were searched for treatment outcome studies related to CTS. Treatments of interest included surgery, physical therapy, drug therapy, chiropractic treatment, biobehavioral interventions, and occupational rehabilitation. A systematic review of the effects of these interventions on symptoms, medical status, function, return to work, psychological well-being, and patient satisfaction was completed. Compared to other treatments, the majority of studies assessed the effects of surgical interventions. Endoscopic release was associated with higher levels of physical functioning and fewer days to return to work when compared to open release. Limited evidence indicated: 1) steroid injections and oral use of B6 were associated with pain reduction; 2) in comparison to splinting, range of motion exercises appeared to be associated with less pain and fewer days to return to work; 3) cognitive behavior therapy yielded reductions in pain, anxiety, and depression; and, 4) multidisciplinary occupational rehabilitation was associated with a higher percentage of chronic cases returning to work than usual care. Workers' compensation status was associated with increased time to return to work following surgery. Conclusions are preliminary due to the small number of well-controlled studies, variability in duration of symptoms and disability, and the broad range of reported outcome measures. While there are several opinions regarding effective treatment, there is very little scientific support for the range of options currently used in practice. Despite the emerging evidence of the multivariate nature of CTS, the majority of outcome studies have focused on single interventions directed at individual etiological factors or symptoms and functional limitations secondary to CTS.