Psychology in the Public Forum: Alcoholism--Introduction and Overview.

Introduces this month's "Psychology in the Public Forum" section, which is devoted to alcoholism in the effort to spotlight contributions by psychologists to enhanced understanding of alcoholism and the alcoholic. They have been asked to contribute to this issue of the American Psychologist because their work has been influential in altering unhelpful views on alcoholism, offering a new and clearer picture of the determinants of alcoholism, or developing approaches to more efficacious therapeutic management of the alcoholic. All are activities in which the contributions of psychologists have been important. There are nine articles in this edition of "Psychology in the Public Forum." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On disposing of "straw people": or An attempt to clarify statutory recognition and educational requirements for psychologists.

Presents statutory interpretations that are common in many boards of psychologist examiners. The article reflects the experience of both authors as past chairs of their respective states' Board of Psychologist Examiners and their firsthand experience with licensure procedures. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feuchtetransport in Bauteilen aus wasserundurchlässigem Beton: Grundlagen und Praxisbetrachtungen

Moisture Transport in Components made of Water‐Tight Concrete Basics and Practical Considerations In water‐tight constructions, the concrete takes charge of a sealing function beside a load bearing function. A skin‐sealing on the surface is not necessary. The property of water‐tightness can be seen herewith as additional serviceability‐property. A very often occurring question is, whether despite the in soil appearing ground‐humidity or the upcoming water and the in concrete existing building moisture, dry interior rooms are achievable. To give answer to the questions, examinations by the help of a building physical calculation programme were carried out. Essential input parameters were calibrated in laboratory tests. A comparison of the inherent material moisture to the removable humidity by ventilation and to the humidity caused by using is given.     

Models, modes, and standards of professional training: An invited interaction.

Six professional psychologists join in an invited interaction of models, modes, and standards of professional training in psychology. The first represents California Psychologists Concerned with Professional Standards, a group questioning "the proliferation of institutions in California offering the doctoral degree in psychology outside the framework of any established set of professional guidelines"; the second represents a university-based professional school of psychology not in California; the third is a member of the American Psychological Association's Accreditation Committee; the final three represent professional schools of psychology in California. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of successful policemen and firemen applicants.

The Ss were 243 successful applicants for the positions of policemen and firemen who were placed on the eligibility lists for these 2 positions during 1959-62. Each was studied individually in an 8-hr. examination which included the WAIS, MMPI, EPPS, SVIB, Rorschach, 5 other instruments, and an interview. The results reveal that these successful Civil Service applicants are of high intelligence (IQ 113) and have superior personality adjustment. Interests of policemen applicants are social service in orientation, while those of firemen are primarily technical and business in orientation. The study reveals that, at least in 1 large city, fire and police departments are recruiting superior young men into their ranks. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Percutaneous therapy of osteoid osteoma

Osteoid osteomas are tumors with intense clinical symptoms and extensive reactive bone changes far exceeding the volume of the lesion itself. Because of their small size they can be approached by minimally invasive surgical procedures. We treated ten symptomatic patients with osteoid osteomas (n 6 hip point, n 1 iliac bone, n 1 femoral diaphysis, n 2 tibial diaphysis) by excision of the nidus with a 3-mm Harlow-Wood needle using a percutaneous CT-guided approach. Seven patients with residual tumor were treated with either thermocautery (n 2) or sclerosis with 1 ml of 96% ethanol (n 5). Six patients had instant and constant relief (3 years' observation) of their pain. In two patients a second transcutaneous intervention was successful. Only two patients needed open resection. Compared with the invasive open resection of the tumors, sometimes even putting the stability of the femoral neck at risk, transcutaneous CT-guided enucleation of the nidus of the osteoid osteoma with additional sclerotherapy is a good alternative method, especially in the region of the femoral neck.     

The ensemble-averaged impedance cardiogram: an evaluation of scoring methods and interrater reliability

It has been shown that an appreciable percentage of patients presenting with primary, apparently sporadic phaeochromocytomas may in fact have von-Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. In order to investigate this, we retrospectively screened 68 patients, who had been operated on for phaeochromocytomas, for the presence of germline mutations in the vhl gene. DNA was isolated from peripheral-blood leukocytes and used to screen the entire coding sequence and the intron-exon boundaries of the vhl gene for mutations, using a PCR-based SSCP strategy. When an abnormal pattern was found in the SSCP analysis, sequence analysis was carried out. We found SSC variants in the vhl gene in 8 of the 68 patients. Of 6 patients, 2 turned out to be related (an uncle and his nephew), and they carried the same mis-sense mutation: R64P. In 4 other patients, mis-sense mutations, P25L, L63P, G144Q and I147T, were also identified. None of these mutations has been described, and 3 of them (P25L, L63P and R64P) are located closer to the N terminus of the vhl protein than any reported vhl mutation. In the remaining 2 cases, the mutations were localized not in the coding sequence but in the intronic sequence (but not within splice-sites), adjacent to the exon, so they were probably not related to the disease. Our results show that a relatively high proportion (6/68, or 8.8%), though not as high as the 20% reported earlier, of patients with apparently sporadic phaeochromocytomas may carry germline mutations in the vhl gene.     

A genetic defect resulting in mild low-renin hypertension

Severe low-renin hypertension has few known causes. Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) is a genetic disorder that results in severe juvenile low-renin hypertension, hyporeninemia, hypoaldosteronemia, hypokalemic alkalosis, low birth weight, failure to thrive, poor growth, and in many cases nephrocalcinosis. In 1995, it was shown that mutations in the gene (HSD11B2) encoding the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 enzyme (11beta-HSD2) cause AME. Typical patients with AME have defective 11beta-HSD2 activity, as evidenced by an abnormal ratio of cortisol to cortisone metabolites and by an exceedingly diminished ability to convert [11-3H]cortisol to cortisone. Recently, we have studied an unusual patient with mild low-renin hypertension and a homozygous mutation in the HSD11B2 gene. The patient came from an inbred Mennonite family, and though the mutation identified her as a patient with AME, she did not demonstrate the typical features of AME. Biochemical analysis in this patient revealed a moderately elevated cortisol to cortisone metabolite ratio. The conversion of cortisol to cortisone was 58% compared with 0-6% in typical patients with AME whereas the normal conversion is 90-95%. Molecular analysis of the HSD11B2 gene of this patient showed a homozygous C-->T transition in the second nucleotide of codon 227, resulting in a substitution of proline with leucine (P227L). The parents and sibs were heterozygous for this mutation. In vitro expression studies showed an increase in the Km (300 nM) over normal (54 nM). Because approximately 40% of patients with essential hypertension demonstrate low renin, we suggest that such patients should undergo genetic analysis of the HSD11B2 gene.     

Casein, actin, and tubulin expression during early involution in bovine and murine mammary tissue.

Hybridization methods and in vitro translation were used to examine the expression and functional condition of messenger RNA encoding caseins and cytoskeletal proteins in the mammary gland during early involution. In the mouse, steady state mRNA levels for alpha-, beta-, and gamma-caseins coordinately decreased to 20% of initial levels between 12 and 72 h after pup removal. In vitro translatability of mouse casein mRNA, as determined by immunoprecipitation, electrophoresis, and gel slice counting, revealed a pattern that closely paralleled mRNA expression. In contrast, bovine casein mRNA levels were only slightly reduced by 72 h postmilking, whereas in vitro translatability decreased by about one-half. Northern blot analysis of total mouse mammary RNA that were hybridized with probes to cytoskeletal proteins showed a gradual decrease of alpha-tubulin mRNA, but an increase in beta-actin mRNA during early involution. Two-dimensional gel analysis of in vitro translated products indicated a concordant increase in beta-gamma-actin. In the cow, beta-actin mRNA at 72 h of involution was equal to or greater than that during lactation. These results demonstrate the generally slower involution response in the cow and suggest that differing regulations are involved. Early events of cellular involution may be related to a reorganization of the cytoskeleton.