Optimization of energy-dependent processes in mitochondria from rat liver and brain after inhalation of negative air ions

BACKGROUND: Bone cancers in children are serious and highly fatal conditions, yet relatively little is known about their causes or methods of prevention. METHODS: The relationship between parental occupation and bone cancer in offspring was explored in a case-control study. Cases were identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry; population-based controls were matched on sex and age. Data were collected from their parents through the use of a mailed self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The odds ratio estimates (OR) for bone cancer were elevated for fathers in the social sciences (OR = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7-8.4). Risk of Ewing's sarcoma was significantly high among children with fathers in social sciences (OR = 6.2, 95% CI: 1.6-24.5) and mothers in teaching (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1-8.7) or farming (OR = 7.8, 95% CI: 1.9-31.7). Osteosarcoma risk was increased for fathers in farming (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 0.8-5.7), and mothers in managerial and administrative work (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 0.6-8.1), and product fabricating, assembling, and repairing (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 0.6-7.2). CONCLUSIONS: Certain methodological problems plague studies of bone cancer in children (e.g. small studies, low statistical power, analysis of multiple occupational categories, difficulty in identifying specific carcinogenic agents). These associations require further investigation, especially as elevated risks have been reported previously for agricultural occupations.     

Effect of lipid emulsion on IL-2 production by mononuclear cells of newborn infants and adults

The in vitro effect of a lipid emulsion (intralipid) on interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) of preterm and term newborn infants was examined and compared to that of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of adults. Intralipid, added at concentrations accepted in clinical practice, caused a dose-dependent inhibition of IL-2 activity tested by bioassay. IL-2 levels, tested by radioimmunoassay (RIA), were found to be reduced only in supernatants derived from CBMC of term infants and not in those derived from MC of preterm infants or adults. The capacity of the IL-2 dependent cell line CTLL-2 to respond to IL-2 was abolished in the presence of intralipid, suggesting an interference with the binding of IL-2 to its receptor on these cells. It is conceivable that administration of intralipid to preterm infants may interfere with the binding of IL-2 to the specific receptors on their activated lymphocytes, with a possible subsequent suppression of their immune response.     

Olanzapine reduces urge to smoke and nicotine withdrawal symptoms in community smokers.

Olanzapine (OLAN), an atypical antipsychotic medication with mixed 5-HT2/DA antagonist properties, was predicted to dose-dependently decrease urge to smoke, withdrawal, and cigarette reinforcement in smokers without psychosis. A double-blind placebo-controlled within-subjects cross-over trial investigated the acute effects of OLAN (0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg; counterbalanced order) in 24 community smokers who underwent 10-hr smoking deprivation. Urge to smoke, tobacco withdrawal, and cigarette reinforcement were assessed with cue reactivity and behavioral choice procedures. OLAN (2.5 mg) reduced withdrawal symptoms before and during cue exposure and decreased urge associated with anticipated positive affect from smoking before and during cue exposure; 5.0 mg OLAN decreased withdrawal only when cues were included. OLAN did not affect preference for cigarette puffs versus money, smoke intake, or urge to smoke associated with negative affect relief. The results indicate a potentially beneficial effect of 2.5 mg OLAN on tobacco withdrawal and urge to smoke. Combined 5HT/DA antagonists should be considered for future development of pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care) promotes self-regulation in premature infants: Sleep-wake cyclicity, arousal modulation, and sustained exploration.

The effect of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care, or KC) on self-regulatory processes of premature infants was studied. Seventy-three infants who received KC were compared with 73 infants matched for birth weight, gestational age, medical risk, and family demographics. State organization was measured in 10-s epochs over 4 hr before KC and again at term. No differences between KC infants and controls were found before KC. At term, KC infants showed more mature state distribution and more organized sleep-wake cyclicity. At 3 months, KC infants had higher thresholds to negative emotionality and more efficient arousal modulation while attending to increasingly complex stimuli. At 6 months, longer duration of and shorter latencies to mother-infant shared attention and infant sustained exploration in a toy session were found for KC infants. The results underscore the importance of maternal body contact for infants' physiological, emotional, and cognitive regulatory capacities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cue exposure with coping skills treatment for male alcoholics: A preliminary investigation.

Although early investigations were promising, no controlled follow-up studies have investigated the effectiveness of cue exposure treatment for alcoholics. In this study, inpatient alcoholics received either cue exposure integrated with urge coping skills training (CET; n?=?22) or a contrast condition (CC) involving daily contact with assessment only (n?=?18) in addition to standard treatment. Comprehensive assessment measures were used to investigate change in process and outcome variables. In the 2nd 3 mo after treatment, the CET group included more patients who were completely abstinent, had a higher percentage of abstinent days, and tended to report fewer drinks per day than did patients in the contrast condition. The significantly greater use of coping skills during follow-up by the CET group and the significant relationship of these coping skills to decreased drinking suggest that treatment effects were due, at least in part, to the coping skills training, consistent with recent formulations. Theoretical and treatment implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A genetic association for cigarette smoking behavior.

Dopaminergic genes are likely candidates for heritable influences on cigarette smoking. In an accompanying article, Lerman et al. (1999) report associations between allele 9 of a dopamine transporter gene polymorphism (SLC6A3-9) and lack of smoking, late initiation of smoking, and length of quitting attempts. The present investigation extended their study by examining both smoking behavior and personality traits in a diverse population of nonsmokers, current smokers, and former smokers (N?=?1,107). A significant association between SLC6A3-9 and smoking status was confirmed and was due to an effect on cessation rather than initiation. The SLC6A3-9 polymorphism was also associated with low scores for novelty seeking, which was the most significant personality correlate of smoking cessation. It is hypothesized that individuals carrying the SLC6A3-9 polymorphism have altered dopamine transmission, which reduces their need for novelty and reward by external stimuli, including cigarettes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determining particle-size distributions from chord length measurements for different particle morphologies

A recently proposed model to determine particle-size distributions (PSDs) from chord length measurements has been applied to different particle morphologies, namely compact, platelet- and rod-shaped particles. To study these systems, chord length distributions (CLDs) were measured at varying particle size and solids concentration for each compound and were subsequently utilized to determine the system-specific parameters. Each model was successfully applied to its respective compound such that the experimental PSDs and model predictions were in good agreement. Moreover, the effect of other variables such as agitation rate and solvent composition was investigated and found to be negligible for the specific systems tested. Finally, potential model optimizations of the general model construct have been studied. Two variants of the CLD compression step, namely principal component analysis and a geometric model have been considered as surrogate models. However, neither of these approaches yielded superior results than the previously proposed approach.     

Effect of pressure on high-temperature polymorphic transformations in rare-earth elements

The effect of pressure on the melting temperature T _m, the high-temperature phase transition temperature T _k, and the temperature range T _m-T _k of a rare-earth element is considered as a function of its ordinal number in the periodic table. The range T _m-T _k is found to correlate with the coefficients ?T _m/?p and ?T _k/?p, the atomization heat ΔH _at, the melting heat ΔH _m, the bulk compression modulus K, the work function A _e, and the valence electron density. The role of a mixed valence in changes in the physical properties of rare-earth elements is emphasized depending on the ordinal number.     

Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of LaCo<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ga<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> solid solutions

Increasing the degree of Ga³⁺ substitution for Co³⁺ ions in LaCo_{1 − x} Ga _x O₃ solid solutions (x = 0–1) considerably reduces their electrical conductivity: at T= 850 K, from 190.5 S/cm in LaCoO₃ to 1.32 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm in the x = 0.95 solid solution. The anomaly in the temperature-dependent conductivity of the solid solutions, due to the broad semiconductor-metal transition, decreases with increasing x. For x ≥ 0.8, there is a very weak or no anomaly. The activation energies for conduction in the samples with x = 0.90 and 0.95 are 0.89 and 0.92 eV, respectively. At room temperature, the materials with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 have a negative thermoelectric power. With increasing temperature, it increases, crosses zero between 435 and 530 K, reaches a maximum in the range 500–650 K, and decreases at higher temperatures.