Early environment, emotions, responses to stress, and health.

A harsh early family environment is related to mental and physical health in adulthood. An important question is why family environment in childhood is associated with these outcomes so long after its initial occurrence. We describe a program of research that evaluates a model linking these variables to each other.

Calibration and validation of confocal spectral imaging systems.

Background: Confocal spectral imaging (CSI) microscopic systems currently on the market delineate multiple fluorescent proteins, labels, or dyes within biological specimens by performing spectral characterizations. However, some CSI systems have been found to present inconsistent spectral profiles of reference spectra within a particular system and between related and unrelated instruments. This variability confirms that there is a need for a standardized, objective calibration and validation protocol.

Heart strings and purse strings: Carryover effects of emotions on economic decisions.

We examined the impact of specific emotions on the endowment effect, the tendency for selling prices to exceed buying or "choice" prices for the same object. As predicted by appraisal-tendency theory, disgust induced by a prior, irrelevant situation carried over to normatively unrelated economic decisions, reducing selling and choice prices and eliminating the endowment effect. Sadness also carried over, reducing selling prices but increasing choice prices--producing a "reverse endowment effect" in which choice prices exceeded selling prices.

Fetal growth and well-being.

Accurate monitoring of fetal growth is one of the most critically important components of prenatal care. Whether too large or too small for gestational age, the ramifications of abnormal fetal growth have both short-term and long-term sequelae for early neonatal life and beyond. Although not perfectly accurate, ultrasound and other monitoring technologies have markedly improved the ability to follow abnormalities of fetal growth and to decide if early intervention or early delivery is necessary.

Will using evidence-based approaches to a standards development process improve Medicaid policy making? Report on a promising effort.

In theory, evidence-based medical necessity policy in health care utilization review may make resource allocation more equitable. Costs can be managed through the consistent application of standards for approval of only those services deemed medically necessary and by controlling denials and appeals litigation. Additional cost savings may be realized with more efficient utilization review processes and concentration on review standards for the specific items or services that have the greatest financial impact on overall utilization dollars.

Are self-enhancing cognitions associated with healthy or unhealthy biological profiles?

Self-enhancement is variously portrayed as a positive illusion that can foster health and longevity or as defensive neuroticism that can have physiological-neuroendocrine costs. In a laboratory stress-challenge paradigm, the authors found that high self-enhancers had lower cardiovascular responses to stress, more rapid cardiovascular recovery, and lower baseline cortisol levels, consistent with the positive illusions predictions and counter to the predictions of the defensive neuroticism position. A second set of analyses, replicating the "illusory mental health paradigm" (J.

Brief report: adjustment to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: a family systems perspective.

Objective: To examine the relations of the family environment to adjustment to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and to examine how those relations are influenced by child sex and age.

Method: Ninety-four children with JRA completed a questionnaire on family environment and adjustment.

Results: Family cohesion was related to good adjustment, whereas family conflict was related to poor adjustment.

Effects of fear and anger on perceived risks of terrorism: a national field experiment.

The aftermath of September 11th highlights the need to understand how emotion affects citizens' responses to risk. It also provides an opportunity to test current theories of such effects. On the basis of appraisal-tendency theory, we predicted opposite effects for anger and fear on risk judgments and policy preferences.

Portrait of the self-enhancer: well adjusted and well liked or maladjusted and friendless?

Research has variously portrayed self-enhancement as an indicator of narcissistic defensiveness or as a concomitant of mental health. To address this controversy, the present study used multiple measures of self-enhancement along with multiple measures and judges of mental health, comprehensively assessing their relationship. The results indicated that self-enhancement is positively associated with multiple indicators of mental health and with a more favorable impact on others.

Schistosoma mansoni sporocysts in culture: host plasma hemoglobin contributes to in vitro oxidative stress.

The initiation and promotion of sporocyst propagation and subsequent production of cercariae by intramolluscan larval stages of digenic trematodes are thought to depend on mollusc-derived factors. The ability to investigate this using in vitro cultures of Schistosoma mansoni sporocysts has been impeded by the fact that plasma from the host, Biomphalaria glabrata, becomes toxic to the parasite in long-term cultures. The present study identifies hemoglobin as the plasma component responsible for this toxicity.

Axenic culture of Schistosoma mansoni sporocysts in low O2 environments.

Recent successes in culturing intramolluscan larval stages of Schistosoma mansoni have relied on synxenic culture with a cell line (Bge) developed from embryos of a molluscan host Biomphalaria glabrata. To further facilitate progress toward control of schistosomiasis, a system for axenic in vitro culture of the parasite has now been developed. When culture media were preconditioned by Bge cells, sporocysts lived longer in vitro and produced more offspring.

Detection of Cucurbit Yellow Vine Disease in Squash and Pumpkin in Massachusetts.

Commercial plantings of summer squash in Charlemont, Franklin County, MA, were decimated in 1999 by 100% incidence of a yellowing disease resembling cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD) (1). Both plantings were established in the same field during the third week of May, one with transplants and the second by direct-seeding. Each planting consisted of four 30-m rows each of yellow zucchini (Cucurbita pepo cv.

Enhanced corticosterone release after a modified forced swim test in Fawn hooded rats is independent of rearing experience.

Recent findings have demonstrated that Fawn hooded (FH/Har) rats exhibit enhanced plasma corticosterone (CORT) responses compared to Wistar rats after exposure to an open field, whereas this effect was not influenced by early social experience. In contrast, it was found that behavior in a modified version of the Porsolt Forced Swim Test (Porsolt FST) was affected by both strain and social experience. An important part of this study included modifications of the Porsolt FST that allowed separation of multiple behavioral endpoints.

Fear, anger, and risk.

Drawing on an appraisal-tendency framework (J. S. Lerner & D.

Role of pHyde novel gene product as an intrinsic factor for apoptotic pathway in prostate cancer.

Induction of apoptotic cell death mechanism can be regulated by internal factor(s), such as by gene product(s) that directly upregulate the apoptosis pathway or indirectly by down-regulating the anti-apoptosis gene. This homeostasis is a normal phenomenon in a biological system disturbed by cancer. It is thus important to find any gene functioning as an upregulator for the apoptosis pathway that may have a potential application in the context of cancer gene therapy.

Relationships between annual cycles of testosterone, corticosterone, and body condition in male red-spotted garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus.

Over a 2-yr period, we investigated the annual cycles of plasma testosterone and corticosterone and the relationships between these hormones and body condition in a wild population of male red-spotted garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus. In the 10 mo that were sampled, a peak in testosterone was observed in late summer during gametogenesis and declining through the spring breeding period. Corticosterone and testosterone cycles were positively correlated, in contrast to many vertebrates, suggesting the lack of a direct negative interaction between the two hormones.

The psychology of the unthinkable: taboo trade-offs, forbidden base rates, and heretical counterfactuals.

Five studies explored cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to proscribed forms of social cognition. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that people responded to taboo trade-offs that monetized sacred values with moral outrage and cleansing. Experiments 3 and 4 revealed that racial egalitarians were least likely to use, and angriest at those who did use, race-tainted base rates and that egalitarians who inadvertently used such base rates tried to reaffirm their fair-mindedness.

Restoring anterior aesthetics and occlusion.

The use of Empress2 material in this specific case produced the strong restoration desired and allowed reproduction of natural vitality and translucency. The results offered by the material exceeded patient as well as doctor expectations.

Adenoviral vector containing wild-type p16 suppresses prostate cancer growth and prolongs survival by inducing cell senescence.

It is estimated that there will be >184,500 new cases of prostate cancer and 42,000 prostate cancer deaths in the United States this year. In the majority of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, the disease will be too advanced for cure with standard medical treatment. New therapeutic strategies against advanced prostate cancer are desperately needed.

Amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction: is it safe?

Objective: This report reviews the obstetric outcomes of women with multifetal pregnancy reductions who subsequently underwent elective amniocentesis.

Study Design: Five hundred eight patients underwent multifetal pregnancy reduction at our institution. Among these, 91 patients underwent subsequent elective amniocentesis.

Telepathology and imaging spectroscopy as a new modality in histopathology.

Telemedicine started in the late 1950's by transmitting data on patients' pulse and heart rates. In the 1980's it expanded to radiology and orthopedics. The technology is now expanding to other specialties that can digitally gather patient data.

Does self-competence predict gender differences in adolescent depression and anxiety?

This longitudinal study examined 75 young adolescents to explore whether self-competence predicts the emergence of gender differences in depression and anxiety. During both 6th and 7th grade, boys reported significantly higher levels of self-competence than did girls. In addition, boys were significantly less depressed and anxious than girls in 7th grade, but not in 6th grade.