Factors affecting young children's mental development and their significance in intervention

Factors affecting their developmental quotients (DQ) in 48 normal young children, who were involved in regular development assessments at child health care outpatient visits and whose parents received child-rearing guidance at Chaoyangmen Subdistrict of Dongcheng District, Beijing, and 43 controls aged 36 months were analyzed. Factors, such as their parents' receiving child-rearing guidance, paternal education, maternal education, paternal occupation, type of nursery schools, home environment quality score (HEQS) at 24 and 36 months of age, and mothers' knowledge of child-rearing were associated with children's DQ at their age of 36 months, with statistical significance at a level of 0.05 in univariate analysis. With multiple regression analysis, HEQS at the age of 36 months, family size at the age of 24 months, paternal education, children's sex, and mothers' age had influences on DQ at age of 36 months with statistical significance, and the degree of correlation of HEQS with DQ at 36 months was much higher than that of other factors, and it suggested that HEQS was an important link in child developmental intervention.     

Sugar cross-linked gelatin for controlled release: microspheres and disks

The aim of the present paper was to find a 'biocompatible' means to cross-link gelatin-based pharmaceutical devices. In particular, we have studied the ability of native and oxidized mono- and di-saccharides to induce the cross-linking of gelatin. To this end, gelatin discs and gelatin microspheres were produced and their dissolution kinetics at 37 degrees C were examined. In order to find evidence of sugar-mediated cross-linking, DSC and FTIR experiments were performed. The obtained results indicated that both native and oxidized sugars resulted to different extents, in the formation of a cross-linked gelatin network able to reduce the dissolution of gelatin. These results suggest that oxidized mono- and disaccharides could be an interesting method by which to cross-link gelatin thereby reducing the risk of toxic side effects arising from the use of synthetic cross-linkers.     

Unusual immunocytochemical and ultrastructural features of synovial fluid cells in multicentric reticulohistiocytosis. A case report

We present the first report in which cells in synovial fluid from a patient with multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) were studied by immunocytochemistry for correlation with routine light and electron microscopy. MRH cells stained predominantly for lymphocyte-related surface antigens and not for the monocyte marker LEU M3 (CD14). These findings suggest a lymphocytic origin of MRH cells and not a histiocytic origin, as previously suggested. In addition, large numbers of membrane-bound, electron-dense, secretory-type granules were found ultrastructurally in the cytoplasm of these cells.     

Sensitivity to ethanol across development in rats: comparison to [3H]zolpidem binding

Previous research has suggested that rats tested at 28 to 30 days of age show a marked subsensitivity to the sedative effects of ethanol. In the present study, rats of different ages were tested for aerial righting following acute ethanol (3 g/kg) treatment. These results were compared with the effects of the atypical benzodiazepine zolpidem (3 and 5 mg/kg) and pentobarbital (10 and 15 mg/kg). Animals tested at 25, 28, or 35 days of age were significantly less impaired by ethanol than preweanling rats (age 20 days) or older rats (age 65 to 75 days), whereas animals tested at 25 or 28 days of age were less impaired by the higher dose of zolpidem. With pentobarbital, the most distinct age-related trend was greater impairment in 20-day-old rats. Because ethanol may be active at the same type I GABA(A) receptor site selectively labeled by [3H]zolpidem, levels of [3H]zolpidem binding were determined for rats of different ages. Although some brain regions showed progressive increases in binding of [3H]zolpidem across development, other regions demonstrated increased binding from day 12 or 17 to day 20, then a plateau of binding levels across days 20, 25, and 28, with further increases occurring by day 36 or day 60. This pattern was observed in the cingulate cortex, medial septal nucleus, globus pallidus, inferior colliculus, red nucleus, and cerebellum. Overall, the results indicate that the period of subsensitivity to the sedative effects of ethanol is coincident with a change in the developmental pattern of GABA(A) receptor sites targeted by [3H]zolpidem.     

Effects of UVB on the synthesis of complement proteins by keratinocytes

Conditioned taste aversion is a common classic conditioning procedure used to identify noxious stimuli. When a rat is given a taste solution, the conditioned stimulus (CS), followed by an unpleasant experience, the unconditioned stimulus (US), the rat will avoid consumption of the CS in future presentations. These experiments use the taste aversion procedure to examine the effect of exposure to a high magnetic field. A solution consisting of 3.0 g glucose and 1.25 g saccharin per 1 L of solution (G+S) was used as the CS and a 9.4-T magnet served as the US. In Experiment 1, all rats received a 10 min presentation of the G+S solution followed by either a 30 min exposure to the magnetic field (Magnet, n = 8), a 30-min exposure in a container with similar conditions but lacking the magnetic field (Sham, n = 8), or no exposure (Control, n = 8). The Magnet Group showed a taste aversion on the first day of preference testing (p < 0.05). Experiment 2 employed the same US-CS protocol for 3 consecutive days of conditioning. The Magnet Group demonstrated a taste aversion for the postexposure Days 1-8 (p < 0.01). There was no difference between the Sham and Control Groups in either experiment. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that the rats associated the G+S solution with the experience of being exposed to the high magnetic field and avoided the solution in subsequent presentations.