Factors influencing duration of breast feeding among low-income women.

Forty low-income breast feeding primiparous women were interviewed to determine whether family member and peer attitudes toward breast feeding and available postpartum support were associated with continued or early termination of breast feeding. Mean breast feeding duration equalled 20.5 weeks (range, 1 to 52 weeks).

The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on odor associative learning in rats.

Alcohol was administered to pregnant females via a liquid diet that contained either 35% ethanol-derived calories (35% EDC) or 0% EDC on gestation days 6-20. An ad lib lab chow group (LC) was also included. In Experiment 1, odor-aversion learning was examined in 10-day-old offspring.

Preliminary studies of the development of Anaplasma marginale in salivary glands of adult, feeding Dermacentor andersoni ticks.

On each day of feeding on susceptible calves, salivary glands obtained from groups of adult ticks that transmitted Anaplasma marginale were examined for A marginale colonies by use of light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. On day 8 of feeding, salivary glands were examined, using fluorescein-labeled antibody and methyl green-pyronine stain. Use of fluorescein-labeled antibody consistently revealed small numbers of fluorescent foci in salivary gland acinar cells obtained from ticks that had fed for 8 days.

Three tests of the hypothesis that glutamate is the sensory hair cell transmitter in the frog semicircular canal.

Three series of experiments were devised to test the hypothesis that glutamate is the transmitter released by sensory hair cells of the frog semicircular canal. These three tests were: 1 - The Tolerance experiment (i.e.

Disappearance of phantom pain after focal brain infarction.

A patient with hemiplegia and hemihypoesthesia is presented in whom preexisting phantom limb pain disappeared with the appearance of a stroke localized by CT scan to the posterior internal capsule. Differentiation between the cutaneous sensation and the sensation of phantom limb pain that appeared later seems to support the assumed existence of a polysynaptic sensory pathway that conveys the sensations of deafferentation.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area of the hypothalamus in male and female rats.

Prenatal alcohol exposure can produce a variety of behavioral and physiological alterations, including changes in sexually dimorphic behaviors. It has been proposed that alcohol alters these behaviors by altering prenatal androgen and/or other steroid levels. This study was designed to examine the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on a sexually dimorphic neuroanatomical structure, namely, the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area of the hypothalamus (SDN-POA).

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome coincident with acute diabetic neuropathy.

Diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathies are considered to be unusual causes of the reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. Their coexistence in a patient with this syndrome is rare and considered to be incidental. We report a case in which remission of the syndrome accompanied the resolution of the diabetic neuropathy.

Cytochalasin D suppresses sound evoked potentials in the guinea pig cochlea.

Cytochalasin D (CD), an inhibitor of actin polymerization, was perfused through the guinea pig cochlea while monitoring various cochlear potentials. CD (10(-7)-10(-5) M) reduced the magnitude of the compound action potential of the cochlear nerve and the summating potential, and increased N1 latency. The cochlear microphonic potential was the least sensitive potential with only a slight effect being observed at 10(-5) M.

Successful percutaneous drainage of pyogenic liver abscess complicated by bronchobiliary fistula.

We have used percutaneous transhepatic drainage of pyogenic hepatic abscesses with good result. This technique has been used effectively in adults by several authors. We believe this report represents the first instance of successful percutaneous drainage of a pyogenic liver abscess complicated by a bronchobiliary fistula.

Infectivity of three Anaplasma marginale isolates for Dermacentor andersoni.

Three isolates of Anaplasma marginale--Virginia (VAM), Illinois (IAM), and Florida (FAM)--were compared for infectivity for Dermacentor andersoni. The isolates were selected, in part, because of a tail-like appendage that has been demonstrated in the VAM and IAM, but not in the FAM. Ticks were exposed to the isolates as nymphs either naturally by feeding on a calf with anaplasmosis or artificially by percutaneous inoculation with infected bovine erythrocytes.

Sympathetic cholinergic dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The results of evaluation of the autonomic nervous system of a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are presented. As previously reported, parasympathetic function and sympathetic adrenergic function were normal as assessed by cardiovascular reflexes. However, a disturbance in sympathetic cholinergic function as measured by the sympathetic skin response was demonstrated.

Prenatal alcohol exposure: recent work on behavioral dysfunctions in pre-weanling rats.

This article reviews recent data collected in our laboratory examining the behavioral effects of prenatal alcohol exposure in pre-weanling rats. The behavioral alterations which are discussed include suckling dysfunctions, overactivity, and early learning deficits. Similar behavioral dysfunctions have also been reported in children exposed to alcohol during prenatal development.

Effect of cisplatin on hair cell morphology and lateral wall Na,K-ATPase activity.

The dose-response ototoxic effects of cisplatin were studied in guinea pigs. Loss of Preyer reflex and suppression of the N1 amplitude occurred in cisplatin-treated animals and was described as dose-related. Drug-induced hair cell damage, as observed with scanning electron microscopy, occurred sporadically throughout the turns of the cochlea and the incidence increased with dose.

Adenosine is a modulator of hair cell-afferent neurotransmission.

Adenosine has been implicated in neuromodulation in the central nervous system [(1985) Annu. Rev. Neurosci.

The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on umbilical cord length in fetal rats.

Umbilical cord length is reported to be a good indicator of fetal movement. This study was designed to examine the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on umbilical cord length in fetal rats. Exposure to alcohol during prenatal development was associated with shortened umbilical cord length, relative to controls.

Methods for testing hypotheses across studies: applications for teratologists and toxicologists.

Methods are presented for analyzing research results across independent studies. These techniques allow researchers to test hypotheses across studies using multiple investigations as data points. The procedures and rationale are developed for purposes of research synthesis and interpretation in teratology and toxicology.

Sexual activity in girls under 16 years of age.

Data on pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted disease and cervical dysplasia in girls under the age of 16 years were collected from British and American publications. Over half the pregnancies in girls under 16 ended in induced abortion, and those that continued had increased maternal and perinatal mortality, partly due to failure to attend for care. A prospective study in young teenagers found a high rate of fetal loss in pregnancies that followed abortions.

Percutaneous infection of nymphal Dermacentor andersoni with Anaplasma marginale.

Newly replete nymphal Dermacentor andersoni (principals) were percutaneously exposed to Anaplasma marginale by injection of either intact or lysed infected bovine erythrocytes. Control nymphs were fed on calves with anaplasmosis. The subsequently molted adults were examined for infection by light microscopy, and companion ticks were tested for infectivity by allowing them to feed on susceptible calves.