This study presents an integrative typology of personality assessment for aggression. In this typology, self-report and conditional reasoning (L. R.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe tested the association between the index-to-ring finger length ratio (2D:4D) and ovarian steroid hormone concentrations measured over the course of a menstrual cycle in the saliva of 38 young women. Estradiol levels were positively associated with right-hand, but not left-hand, 2D:4D, and also with the difference between right- and left-hand 2D:4D. None of these measures predicted progesterone level.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic manipulation studies in mice at both the MCH receptor 1 (MCHR1) as well as the MCH peptide levels have implicated MCHR1 as a key player in energy homeostasis. The phenotype exhibited by these studies, that is, increased metabolic rate, resistance to high fat diet, and subsequent weight loss, has spurred considerable efforts to develop antagonists of MCHR1. In continuation of efforts directed toward this goal, the present work capitalizes on the putative binding mode of an MCH antagonist, resulting in the identification of several novel chemotypes that are potent and selective MCHR1 antagonists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: This paper presents an overview of current literature relating to over-the-counter and herbal preparations use, with a focus on pregnancy.
Background: Internationally, there has been a shift towards self-medication through over-the-counter release of many prescription-category drugs and wider acceptance and use of herbal preparations. The general community perception that these preparations are safe may lead to inappropriate use, especially during pregnancy.
Testosterone (T) appears to facilitate what biologists refer to as mating effort--the investment of time and energy into same-sex competition and mate-seeking behavior. Multiple studies show that men who are romantically involved (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOverconfidence has long been noted by historians and political scientists as a major cause of war. However, the origins of such overconfidence, and sources of variation, remain poorly understood. Mounting empirical studies now show that mentally healthy people tend to exhibit psychological biases that encourage optimism, collectively known as 'positive illusions'.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith the recent introduction of preterm birth prevention programs there has been a shift in our understanding of what the presence of contractions during pregnancy means and a reconstituting of risk in ways that position increasing numbers of women at risk for preterm birth. This paper highlights the findings of a study exploring the influences of risk discourses on women's experiences of preterm labour. The primary goals of this institutional ethnographic study were to describe the effects of societal discourses, institutional structures, and nursing work processes on the everyday lives of childbearing women experiencing preterm labour.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReprod Biol Endocrinol
February 2006
Since the ratio of the second-to-fourth finger length was first proposed as a marker for prenatal androgen action in 1998, over 100 studies have been published that have either further tested the association between the digit ratio and prenatal androgens, or employed digit ratios as a marker to investigate the association between prenatal androgens and a variety of outcomes, including behavior, fertility, and disease risks. Despite the clear demand for an adult marker of prenatal androgen action and increased use of digit ratios as such a marker, its validity remains controversial. This review (1) evaluates current evidence for the relationship between digit ratios and prenatal androgens (using experimentation with animal models, amniotic testosterone, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia case-control studies), (2) describes opportunities for future validation tests, and (3) compares the potential advantages and disadvantages of digit ratio measures with more established methods for studying the effects of prenatal androgens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examines the safety and immunogenicity of an oral, whole-cell Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine administered to healthy volunteers. Thirty subjects received an oral dose of Pseudostat in two timed, measured doses with serological follow-up to 56 days postvaccination. Following vaccination, several individuals were identified as antibody responders for all three immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes tested, specifically against whole-cell P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper presents results of a study designed to: 1) test for a sex difference in the relative lengths of the finger bones, including the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), using left-hand radiographs taken in young children, 2) test whether sex differences can be explained by sex differences in fetal growth, and 3) test the serial stability of sex differences in relative digit lengths, including 2D:4D. Results are presented from 1,060 subjects of the California Child Health and Development Studies. One serial replication at about 9 years old is available from 271 subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPropranolol is a noncardioselective beta-adrenergic antagonist that has been recently reported to prolong the QTc interval on the surface electrocardiogram in humans when overdosed [Farhangi, V., Sansone, R.A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraditional Chinese herbal Medicine (TCHM) has been gaining interest and acceptance world wide. TCHM provides on the one side promising perspective of scientific interest and on the other side possible health risks if TCHM drugs are not controlled with respect to quality standards or if practitioners for TCHM are not well trained. This paper outlines an introduction to the scientific aspects and potential risks of TCHM therapy followed by a brief, exploratory overview of the current status of TCHM regulations in certain Western countries like the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and in China as the Eastern origin country of TCHM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Oncol (R Coll Radiol)
September 2005
Aim: To systematically review and critically appraise the evidence for effectiveness of Aloe vera gel for radiation-induced skin reactions.
Materials And Methods: Major biomedical databases and specialist complementary and alternative medicine databases were searched. Additionally, efforts were made to identify unpublished and ongoing research.
Prehosp Disaster Med
October 2005
Objective: To identify and describe the key communication and health protection issues surrounding a flooding emergency.
Methods: A telephone questionnaire was used to assess health and safety information sources, information recalled, and behavioral responses among residents of the town of Feilding, New Zealand following a major flood in February 2004. This was supplemented by key informant interviews and a newspaper content analysis.
Relative finger lengths, especially the second-to-fourth finger length ratio, have been proposed as useful markers for prenatal testosterone action. This claim partly depends on an association of relative finger lengths in adults with related sex differences in children and infants. This paper reports the results of a study using serial radiographs to test for both sex differences in the fingers of infants and children and for a relationship between sex differences in the children and infant finger and adult finger length ratios.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gaelic football, soccer, and hurling are prominent field games in Ireland and involve participants undertaking a variety of playing tasks and skills which place various physiological demands on the participants. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the mid-season physiological profiles of elite players.
Methods: Physiological assessment was carried out on 29 inter-county Gaelic footballers, 30 inter-county hurlers, and 21 League of Ireland soccer players.
Object: Gamma knife surgery is an accepted treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The safety and efficacy of CyberKnife radiosurgery as a treatment option for TN, however, has not been established.
Methods: Forty-one patients were treated between May 2002 and September 2004 for idiopathic TN at Stanford University and the Rocky Mountain CyberKnife Center.
Objective: To examine the physiological profile, and its relation to playing position, of elite college Gaelic footballers.
Method: The subjects were 28 elite Gaelic footballers (12 backs, 12 forwards, and four midfielders; mean (SD) age 21 (1.67) years), who won a major intervarsity tournament (Sigerson Cup) three times in succession.
Objective: The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop new understandings of what it means to women in labor for a nurse to be present during childbirth.
Design: Hermeneutic inquiry was used to explore the phenomenon of nursing presence during childbirth. The purpose of questioning in hermeneutic phenomenology is to stimulate thoughtful reflection and deeper exploration of the subject's experiences.