Virologic and immunologic response to regimens containing nevirapine or efavirenz in combination with 2 nucleoside analogues in the Italian Cohort Naive Antiretrovirals (I.Co.N.A.) study.

This nonrandomized study compared the virologic and immunologic responses to potent regimens containing either efavirenz or nevirapine after considering potential systematic differences between patients receiving these drugs. Virologic failure was defined as the first of 2 consecutive measurements of virus load >500 human immunodeficiency virus RNA copies/mL. Of the 694 patients included in the analysis, 460 (66.

Is the increase in renal papillary phospholipid biosynthesis a protective mechanism against injury?

Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) is a well-known renal toxic that causes acute renal failure. The effect of HgCl2 treatment and the protection by thyroxine were studied in rat renal papilla (P), outer medullary inner stripe (OMIS), outer medullary outer stripe (OMOS) and cortical phospholipids (PhLs). HgCl2 brought about an increase in the total phospholipid content in P and OMIS but a drop in OMOS and cortex.

Child physical abuse and aggression: preliminary findings on the role of internalizing problems.

Objective: To test the prediction that the interaction of physical abuse and internalizing problems will heighten levels of aggressive behavior in a group of disruptive children.

Method: Fifty-two clinic-referred disruptive children (aged 7 through 15 years) were assessed in terms of history of physical abuse, internalizing behavior problems (rated by parents), and aggressive behavior (rated by parents, teachers, and clinic staff).

Results: Physically abused children with co-occurring high levels of internalizing problems (based on a median split) exhibited significantly higher levels of aggression as rated by parents (p < .

Salivary testosterone and cortisol in disruptive children: relationship to aggressive, hyperactive, and internalizing behaviors.

Objective: To test predictions that basal salivary testosterone and cortisol are related to antisocial and internalizing behaviors, respectively, and that cortisol moderates the testosterone-aggression relationship.

Method: Saliva samples were assayed to determine testosterone and cortisol levels in 40 clinic-referred disruptive children (aged 7 through 14 years) who were rated on aggression, inattention/overactivity, and internalizing behavior by parents, teachers, and clinic staff members.

Results: Results indicated significant positive relationships between testosterone and staff-rated aggression and between cortisol and parent-rated internalizing behavior.

The relationship of sweat gland count to electrodermal activity.

This study assessed whether greater skin conductance activity at the distal versus medial site (Scerbo, Freedman, Raine, Dawson, & Venables, 1992) is attributable to a greater number of active (open) sweat glands at the distal site. The number of sweat glands was measured using the Palmar Sweat Index (PSI). Twenty-four subjects were exposed to 10 auditory stimuli.

Cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized features of schizotypal personality.

While two factors are currently thought to underlie individual differences in schizotypal personality, three factors may best explain schizotypal traits. This study used confirmatory factor analysis to assess five competing models of schizotypal personality in the general population: null model, one-factor model, simple two-factor model, Kendler two-factor model, and three-factor model. The computer program LISREL was used to analyze Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire subscale scores that reflect the nine traits of schizotypal personality.

Impaired eye tracking in undergraduates with schizotypal personality disorder.

Qualitative ratings of smooth pursuit eye movements were significantly worse for 14 undergraduates with DSM-III-R schizotypal personality disorder than for 18 comparison subjects. The groups did not differ on IQ, indicating that deficits in smooth pursuit eye movements in schizotypal personality disorder are not a function of cognitive deficits.

A major effect of recording site on measurement of electrodermal activity.

Although the medial phalanx has been recommended as the preferred site for recording skin conductance activity, a review of articles published in Psychophysiology indicates that a large minority (34%) of studies employ the distal phalanx. Informal observations also suggest that the distal site may be more reactive than the medial site. This study formally tests this observation by recording skin conductance from both medial and distal phalanges.

Reward dominance and passive avoidance learning in adolescent psychopaths.

This study tests predictions that adolescent psychopaths are hyperresponsive to rewards (Quay, 1988) and deficient in passive avoidance learning (Newman & Kosson, 1986). Forty male adolescent juvenile offenders were divided into psychopaths and nonpsychopaths using cluster analysis. Subjects were administered a passive avoidance learning task which required learning when to respond to cards associated with either reward or punishment.

Reduced lateralization in verbal dichotic listening in adolescent psychopaths.

One possible explanation for previous findings of abnormal linguistic processing in psychopaths is that they are less lateralized for verbal processes. This study tests the hypothesis that adolescent psychopaths show evidence of reduced lateralization on a verbal dichotic listening task. Four self-report and behavioral measures of psychopathy were used to define psychopathy using cluster analytic techniques in 40 juvenile offenders aged 13 to 18 years.