Resting metabolic rate in lean and obese children: relationship to child and parent weight and percent-overweight change.

Two studies were conducted to assess differences in metabolic rate as a function of child weight (study I); and the interaction of child and parent weight (study II). In both studies obese children had higher resting metabolic rates (RMRs) than lean children (p less than 0.05).

Chronic and acute tolerance to the heart rate effects of nicotine.

Tolerance to the effects of nicotine reflects physiological adaptation and may be related to the development and persistence of smoking behavior. However, little is known about tolerance to nicotine in humans, in part due to methodological difficulties. This study examined chronic and acute tolerance to nicotine's effect on heart rate (HR) using a measured-dose nasal spray nicotine procedure.

Novel Jun- and Fos-related proteins in Drosophila are functionally homologous to enhancer factor AP-1.

A homolog of mammalian enhancer binding factor AP-1 was detected in Drosophila and was purified from embryo nuclear extracts by sequence-specific DNA affinity chromatography. The purified fraction, dAP-1, displays the sequence specificity as well as transcriptional activation properties of mammalian AP-1 and consists of two major proteins of mol. wts 40 and 70 kd.

In vitro analysis of the Antennapedia P2 promoter: identification of a new Drosophila transcription factor.

We have investigated the transcriptional regulation of the Antennapedia P2 (Antp P2) promoter using nuclear extracts prepared from Drosophila embryos. Transcriptional analysis of deletion mutants reveals the presence of multiple cis-regulatory elements located both upstream and downstream of the start site. One of the elements appears to mediate negative regulation, since deletion of this element results in higher levels of transcription.

The self-report of punitive childhood experiences of young adults and adolescents.

A questionnaire designed to assess childhood disciplinary experiences was administered to a large sample of university students. The responses of these subjects indicated many of these predominantly middle-class young adults had experienced disciplinary activities that could be considered abusive. The results provide prevalence data on child abuse histories in a nonclinical sample and were seen as supporting the idea that physical abuse of children is widespread and not restricted to groups identified on the basis of clinical service or social deviance.

Maintaining smoking abstinence after myocardial infarction.

Maintaining smoking abstinence after a myocardial infarction (MI) greatly reduces risks of recurrent disease morbidity and of mortality. Although post-MI patients appear to have better long-term rates of smoking abstinence compared with healthy groups, studies employing biochemical verification of smoking status generally indicate that only about one third of previously smoking post-MI patients remain abstinent at follow-up. Factors which may accompany the occurrence of a MI and which may be associated with maintenance of smoking abstinence include environmental changes aiding cessation (e.

Current materials and techniques used in a burn scar management programme.

A range of materials is now available for use in a burn scar management programme. The use of these materials is detailed and suggestions are made based upon the experience gained from close clinical observation of children treated over a 7-year period at the Adelaide Children's Hospital Burn Clinic. Lightweight pressure garments are still needed to keep these various media in contact but are not included in the discussion.

Weight gain associated with decreases in smoking rate and nicotine intake.

The mechanisms involved in the weight gain associated with smoking cessation are not well known. This study employed a single-subject design to investigate changes in weight following systematic reductions in smoking rate and cigarette nicotine content. Although there were no changes in the subject's caloric intake or physical activity, a weight gain of 3.

In vitro formation of a lariat structure containing a G2'-5'G linkage.

We have examined the effects of base changes at the lariat branch site of a modified adenovirus major late precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA). Replacement of the A residue at the lariat attachment site with a G residue was studied. Incubation of this altered pre-mRNA with nuclear extracts of HeLa cells yielded less spliced mRNA (10-fold) than similar reactions with the wild type pre-mRNA.

A low-cost environmental intervention for reducing smoking among cardiac inpatients.

Abstinence rates for smokers following a myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass graft surgery may not be superior to those for nonpatient groups, and thus there is a need for novel approaches to smoking cessation in this population. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of using two sets of educational posters to reduce smoking among veterans in an inpatient cardiology unit's designated smoking area. One set of posters outlined the benefits of cessation (positive message) for cardiac patients while the other highlighted the risks of continued smoking (negative message).

Effect of mitomycin C on the neural tube defects of the curly-tail mouse.

Around 60% of the mouse mutants called curly-tail, have tail aberrations in the form of a coil or a kink, with or without lumbosacral spina bifida, and rarely, exencephaly. These neural tube defects (NTD) are the result of an incompletely penetrant recessive gene. A single injection of various doses (1-6 mg/kg) of the DNA inhibitor mitomycin C was given to pregnant curly-tail mice on day 7, 8, or 9 of gestation, and its effect on the NTD of the embryos was noted.

Ten-year follow-up of drug abusers with acute or chronic psychosis.

To assess whether long-term outcome of former drug abuse patients who had psychotic symptoms was related to duration of psychosis before hospitalization, the authors rated the psychiatric, occupational, and residential outcome of 101 former drug abuse patients based on interviews conducted ten years after their admission to a psychiatric hospital. At admission, 45 had had psychotic symptoms for six months or more; 26 had had psychotic symptoms for less than six months; and 30 had not been psychotic. Seventy-one former psychiatric patients who had had a psychotic illness but had not abused drugs were also interviewed and rated.

Presentation by peritoneal macrophages: modulation by antibody-antigen complexes.

The effects of immune complex formation on presentation was studied. Immune complexes between an IgG2a monoclonal anti-DNP antibody and TNP-KLH were produced, and the presentation of the carrier molecule by peritoneal macrophages to KLH-primed T cells was monitored. Complex formation was found to enhance the proliferative response of the T cells.

RNA splicing products formed with isolated fractions from HeLa cells are associated with fast-sedimenting complexes.

Three fractions (designated Ia, Ib, and II) have been isolated from HeLa cell nuclear extracts that are required for splicing of adenovirus and human beta-globin RNA transcripts in vitro. The incubation of two of the fractions (Ib and II) in the presence of ATP resulted in cleavage of precursor mRNA at the 5' splice site and formation of the intron-exon lariat. Addition of fraction Ia to the combination of Ib and II resulted in the formation of spliced RNA and the intron lariat.

Cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress in aerobically trained versus untrained mild hypertensives and normotensives.

Cardiovascular reactivity to video game and mental arithmetic stressors was compared among three groups of men: aerobically trained mild hypertensives, untrained mild hypertensives, and a comparison group of untrained normotensives. Relative to the untrained hypertensives, the trained hypertensives reacted to the video game with marginally smaller systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, but there were no significant differences between these groups in reactivity during the mental arithmetic task. Comparisons between each hypertensive group and the normotensive group showed that blood pressure (BP) reactivity of normotensives during the video game was generally similar to that of trained hypertensives but smaller than that of untrained hypertensives.