White guilt and racial compensation: the benefits and limits of self-focus.

In two studies, the authors investigated guilt as a response to group-based advantage. Consistent with its conceptualization as a self-focused emotion, White guilt was based in self-focused beliefs in racial inequality. Thus, guilt was associated with belief in White privilege (Study 1) and resulted from seeing European Americans as perpetrators of racial discrimination (Study 2).

Activation of Aurora-A kinase by protein phosphatase inhibitor-2, a bifunctional signaling protein.

Aurora-A kinase is necessary for centrosome maturation, for assembly and maintenance of a bipolar spindle, and for proper chromosome segregation during cell division. Aurora-A is an oncogene that is overexpressed in multiple human cancers. Regulation of kinase activity apparently depends on phosphorylation of Thr-288 in the T-loop.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in the Texas prison system.

Recent reports indicate that correctional facility inmates may be at elevated risk for contracting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection because of overcrowding, poor hygiene, and high rates of diseases causing immunosuppression. The present study of 299,179 Texas inmates who were incarcerated between 1999-2001 indicated an incidence of 12 MRSA infections/1000 person-years. Inmates with circulatory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, end-stage liver disease, end-stage renal disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and skin diseases all exhibited elevated rates of MRSA infection.

The association of neoplasms and HIV infection in the correctional setting.

HIV-associated immunosuppression has been linked to an increased risk of a number of cancers, including Kaposi sarcoma (KS), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and invasive cervical cancer. Because prison inmates constitute one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalent populations in the US, understanding the link between HIV infection and cancer in the correctional setting holds particular public health relevance. The study population consisted of 336,668 Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmates who were incarcerated, for any duration, between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2001.

The infectious disease profile of Texas prison inmates.

Purpose: Prison inmates present with higher rates of disease morbidity and mortality than the general population. The rates of certain infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis are reported to be particularly elevated in prison systems. Scarce information, however, exists on the overall infectious disease profile of inmate populations.

Inhalation of insulin in dogs: assessment of insulin levels and comparison to subcutaneous injection.

Pulmonary insulin delivery is being developed as a more acceptable alternative to conventional subcutaneous administration. In 15 healthy Beagle dogs (average weight 9.3 kg), we compared insulin distribution in arterial, deep venous, and hepatic portal circulation.

Predictors of nursing home placement in African Americans with dementia.

The objective of the present study was to identify predictors of institutionalization in African Americans who suffer from dementia. Data were derived from the Medicare Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Evaluation (MADDE), which collected information on Alzheimer's patients and their family caregivers over a 3-year period. The baseline MADDE sample included 667 older African Americans suffering from dementia recruited from eight catchment areas in the United States.

Anger management training: the effects of a structured programme on the self-reported anger experience of forensic inpatients with learning disability.

Within the current political climate, there is an increasing burden on mental health professionals to achieve accuracy in risk assessment and prediction. The accurate assessment and treatment of anger can make a valuable contribution towards alleviating this burden as part of a comprehensive treatment package. This study describes an anger management training programme provided to a group of three forensic inpatients with learning disability.

Juvenile hormone and juvenile hormone mimics inhibit proliferation in a lepidopteran imaginal disc cell line.

The action of juvenile hormone (JH) and JH mimics have been examined in vitro by utilizing the imaginal disc-derived cell line, IAL-PID2. We have discovered that the cell line was responsive to JH and a variety of JH mimics. The most consistent response obtained in our studies was inhibition of cell proliferation, in the absence of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), which characteristically reduces cell proliferation in its own right in this cell line.

Malicious pleasure: schadenfreude at the suffering of another group.

Two studies examined intergroup schadenfreude--malicious pleasure at an out-group's misfortune. Study 1 showed that schadenfreude regarding a German loss in soccer was increased by interest in soccer and threats of Dutch inferiority. The effect of inferiority threat was especially strong for participants less interested in soccer; the more interested showed relatively high schadenfreude.

Risk factors for pediatric human immunodeficiency virus-related malignancy.

Context: Although cancers occur with increased frequency in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the specific clinical, immunological, and viral risk factors for malignancy have not been identified.

Objective: To identify risk factors for malignancy among HIV-infected children.

Design, Setting, And Patients: A multicenter case-control study of children with HIV at 26 institutions participating in the Pediatric Oncology Group.

Glucocorticoid regulation of human eosinophil gene expression.

Molecular analysis of steroid-regulated gene expression in freshly isolated human eosinophils is difficult due to the inherent high rate of spontaneous apoptosis and elevated levels of endogenous ribonucleases. To circumvent these limitations, we determined if the human eosinophilic cell line EoL-1 could serve as an in vitro model of glucocorticoid signaling. We found by optimizing growth conditions in low serum-containing media that dexamethasone (Dex) treatment of EoL-1 cells induced an apoptotic pathway that was inhibited by interleukin-5 (IL-5).

Binaural beat induced theta EEG activity and hypnotic susceptibility: contradictory results and technical considerations.

The present study offered a constructive replication of an earlier study which demonstrated significant increases in theta EEG activity following theta binaural beat (BB) entrainment training and significant increases in hypnotic susceptibility. This study improved upon the earlier small-sample, multiple-baseline investigation by employing a larger sample, by utilizing a double-blind, repeated-measures group experimental design, by investigating only low and moderate susceptible participants, and by providing 4 hours of binaural beat training. With these design improvements, results were not supportive of the specific efficacy of the theta binaural beat training employed in this study in either increasing frontal theta EEG activity or in increasing hypnotic susceptibility.

Phosphorylation of phosphatase inhibitor-2 at centrosomes during mitosis.

Inhibitor-2 (I-2) is a regulator of protein phosphatase type-1 (PP1), known to be phosphorylated in vitro by multiple kinases. In particular Thr72 is a Thr-Pro phosphorylation site conserved from yeast to human, but there is no evidence that this phosphorylation responds to any physiological signals. Here, we used electrophoretic mobility shift and immunoblotting with a site-specific phospho-Thr72 antibody to establish Thr72 phosphorylation in HeLa cells and show a 25-fold increase in phosphorylation during mitosis.

The identification of clinical candidate SB-480848: a potent inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2.

Modification of the pyrimidone 5-substituent in clinical candidate SB-435495 has given a series of inhibitors of recombinant lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) with sub-nanomolar potency. Cyclopentyl fused derivative 21, SB-480848, showed an enhanced in vitro and in vivo profile versus SB-435495 and has been selected for progression to man.

Methylation of histone H3 in euchromatin of plant chromosomes depends on basic nuclear DNA content.

Strong methylation of lysine 4 (K4) and low methylation of lysine 9 (K9) have been proposed as modifications of histone H3, typical for transcriptionally active euchromatin and the opposite for inactive heterochromatin. We have analysed the correlation between the global distribution of histone H3, methylated at either lysine 4 or lysine 9, and of microscopically detectable euchromatic or heterochromatic regions in relation to genome size for 24 plant species. Two different distribution patterns of methylated (K9)H3 (Met(K9)H3) were found that depend on genome size.

Early sudden gains in psychotherapy under routine clinic conditions: practice-based evidence.

Sudden gains--large, enduring reductions in symptom intensity from one session to the next--were identified by T. Z. Tang and R.

Domains of type 1 protein phosphatase inhibitor-2 required for nuclear and cytoplasmic localization in response to cell-cell contact.

Inhibitor-2 of type 1 protein phosphatase is a phosphoprotein conserved among all eukaryotes, and it appears in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of tissue culture cells. We discovered that endogenous inhibitor-2 is concentrated in the nucleus of cells cultured at low density, whereas cells growing at high density excluded inhibitor-2 from the nucleus. There was rapid redistribution of inhibitor-2 when cells were replated at low or high density.

Apoptosis and survival in high-grade astrocytomas as related to tumor Fas (APO-1/CD95) expression.

Although a majority of high-grade gliomas express the apoptosis-inducing receptor Fas, little is known about the extent of apoptosis or prognostic significance of Fas expression in these tumors. In situ labeling of apoptotic cells and Ki-67 immunohistochemistry were performed on 51 high-grade human astrocytomas previously characterized for Fas expression. Survival data was compiled from patient records and correlated with tumor grade, apoptotic index (AI) and Fas expression.

Performance of two commercial glycoprotein G-based enzyme immunoassays for detecting antibodies to herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 in children and young adolescents.

In 61 patients 1 to 14 years of age, the Gull/Meridian enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) had a sensitivity of 100% for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and specificities of 74% for HSV-1 and 48% for HSV-2. In 128 similarly aged patients, the HerpeSelect ELISA (Focus Technologies) showed sensitivities of 80% for HSV-1 and 88% for HSV-2, and specificities of 97% for HSV-1 and 100% for HSV-2.

The discovery of SB-435495. A potent, orally active inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) for evaluation in man.

The introduction of a functionalised amido substituent into a series of 1-(biphenylmethylacetamido)-pyrimidones has given a series of inhibitors of recombinant lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) with sub-nanomolar potency and very encouraging developability properties. Diethylaminoethyl derivative 32, SB-435495, was selected for progression to man.

Lung deposition of hydrofluoroalkane-134a beclomethasone is greater than that of chlorofluorocarbon fluticasone and chlorofluorocarbon beclomethasone : a cross-over study in healthy volunteers.

Study Objectives: To compare the lung deposition of radiolabeled hydrofluoroalkane-134a beclomethasone dipropionate (HFA-BDP) with chlorofluorocarbon fluticasone propionate (CFC-FP) and chlorofluorocarbon beclomethasone (CFC-BDP).

Design: Six-day, open-label, nonrandomized, crossover study.

Setting: Clinical research laboratory.

High prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection in south Texas children.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, is etiologically associated with Kaposi's sarcoma and other rare malignancies. HHV-8 infection is common in certain areas of Africa and Italy, but occurs in only 0-15% of populations in North America and Europe. The epidemiology and prevalence of HHV-8 infection among children in the United States has not been determined, but is assumed to be low based on limited studies.