Relations among stressors, strains, and substance use among resident physicians.

This study examined the relationship between work-related stress and substance use among resident physicians in the United States. Unlike previous studies of physician stress, this study distinguished between "stressors" (stressful job conditions) and "strains" (reactions to the work environment) and correlated each of these with substance use. Results indicated that relations among stressors, strains, and substance use were not strong.

The effect of paroxetine on anxiety and agitation associated with depression.

To assess the effects of treatment on symptoms of anxiety and agitation associated with depression, a data base of 2963 paroxetine treated patients was compared with 554 who received placebo and 1151 on active control. Paroxetine and active control both reduced baseline psychic anxiety more effectively than placebo. Both pharmacological treatments were effective in treating somatic anxiety with active control demonstrating an earlier onset of activity.

Behavioral consequences of job-related stress among resident physicians: the mediating role of psychological strain.

This study examined the correlations among stressors, psychological strain, and behavioral reactions in a national sample of 1785 resident physicians, 27 to 33 years old. Consistent with previous studies of resident physicians, analysis showed that those experiencing high job-related stressors experienced high psychological strain in both their personal and professional lives. Stressors were also correlated with behavioral reactions.

Target tissue specificity of retinoic acid-induced stress proteins and malformations in mice.

Retinoic acid (RA) is teratogenic in rodents and also induces the synthesis of stress proteins in fetal mouse limb buds. To determine if the RA induction of stress proteins is target tissue specific, pregnant CD-1 mice were gavaged with 100 mg/kg RA on day 11 of gestation, and nuclei isolated from tissues susceptible to RA-induced malformations (target tissues) as well as nuclei isolated from nontarget tissues were examined for stress protein synthesis and malformations. Forelimb and hindlimb (target tissues), as well as heart and tail (nontarget tissues), were removed from embryos 2.

Growth of neonatal rat uterine luminal epithelium on extracellular matrix.

We have developed a tissue culture system using an extract of basement membrane (extracellular matrix) which promotes the in vitro growth and development of uterine luminal epithelium from the 5-day-old rat. Uterine luminal epithelium, free of stroma, was obtained as short tubes by trypsinization of uterine segments followed by mechanical separation. Epithelial segments were grown in a serum-free medium on culture dishes coated with an extracellular matrix.

Substance use among senior medical students. A survey of 23 medical schools.

Senior students at 23 regionally distributed medical schools received an anonymous questionnaire designed to examine current and prior use of tobacco, alcohol, and nine other drugs. The overall response rate was 67% (N = 2046). Substance use prevalence rates during the 30 days preceding the survey included alcohol, 87.

Resident physician substance use in the United States.

A national survey was conducted to determine patterns of drug use among 3000 American resident physicians. Sixty percent (1785) of the residents surveyed responded. This report evaluates the prevalence of drug use among the respondents, when they initiated drug use, and their reasons for current use.

Estradiol down-regulation of the rat uterine estrogen receptor.

We have previously shown that neonatal exposure of rats to pharmacologic doses of diethylstilbestrol via daily injections resulted in a significant decrease in the estrogen-binding capacity of the uterine estrogen receptor (ER). In this study, we examined the effects of physiologic and pharmacologic doses of estradiol (E2) administered to adult ovariectomized rats via Silastic implants. Two days after implantation, uteri were removed, weighted, and homogenized, and ER levels were determined in the supernatant (hydroxylapatite assay) and low-speed pellet (nuclear exchange assay).

Detection of estrogen receptor (ER) in the rat brain using rat anti-ER monoclonal IgG with the unlabeled antibody method.

Application of Sternberger's unlabeled antibody enzyme method for detection of the estrogen receptor (ER) using a rat primary antibody with rat tissues has been discouraged, presumably because nonspecific staining of endogenous IgG was expected with the required anti-rat IgG bridging antibody. Because the blood-brain barrier greatly reduces immunoglobulin infiltration into the brain, we hypothesized that rat brain tissue could be specifically immunostained using rat IgG primary antibodies. A rat monoclonal anti-ER antibody (H222) specifically stained ERs in the brains of ovariectomized but not in ovariectomized estrogen-treated rats.

Short-term effects of physiological and pharmacological doses of estradiol on estrogen receptor and uterine growth.

Estradiol (E2) regulation of estrogen receptor (ER) concentrations has been shown to be both time- and dose-dependent. E2 concentrations of 0.5 mg/ml or greater contained in Silastic capsules suppressed uterine ER concentrations after one day's exposure.

Snorting benzodiazepines.

Two cases of intranasal benzodiazepine use are presented. The methods of preparation and administration of the powder and accounts of the pharmacological effects of the drugs used are described. The pattern of development and progress of the habit and its associated features are delineated.

Is buspirone effective for panic disorder?

Buspirone was compared with imipramine and placebo in the treatment of panic disorder in an 8-week, double-blind controlled study of 52 randomly assigned patients. The side effect profile of buspirone was less disruptive than that of imipramine. Buspirone was not significantly superior to placebo in its antipanic or anxiolytic effects in panic disorder patients.

A pilot study of medical student 'abuse'. Student perceptions of mistreatment and misconduct in medical school.

A pilot survey of one third-year medical school class was carried out to explore student perceptions of mistreatment and professional misconduct in medical school training. Students were asked to rate the frequency and cite sources of mistreatment and misconduct among classmates, faculty, residents, and interns. They were also asked to assess the effects of such episodes on their physical health, emotional well-being, social and family life, and attitudes toward becoming a physician.

Mitral valve prolapse and panic disorder.

The literature and clinical experience suggest a higher-than-normal incidence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with panic disorder, although the relationship between these two conditions is currently a matter of speculation. Patients with panic disorder are likely to first consult their family practitioner or internist, who may then refer them to a psychiatrist. Hence psychiatrists should be familiar with the signs, symptoms, and management of mitral valve prolapse.

Pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation: similar problems, different solutions.

Both the systemic and the pulmonary circulations respond to local hypoxia in the appropriate manner, the former by vasodilating, thereby providing more oxygen, and the latter by constricting and rerouting blood flow to areas where more O2 is available. In either case, changes in local conductance affect total conductance, and through that variable, the perfusing pressure; as a result, the effects of local vasomotion should be reduced. In the systemic circulation, arterial pressure can be prevented from falling by two important mechanisms: vasoconstriction of other vascular beds, and an increase in cardiac output.

A double-blind comparison of fluvoxamine, desipramine and placebo in outpatients with depression.

1. The efficacy of fluvoxamine is compared to that of desipramine in a multicenter double blind placebo controlled six-week flexible dose trial of 90 outpatients with major depressive disorder. 2.

Estrogen regulation of an eosinophil chemotactic factor in the immature rat uterus.

Associated with the generalized uterine growth stimulated by estradiol in the rat are specific responses including messenger RNA (mRNA) synthesis, protein synthesis, and peroxidase activity. The increase in peroxidase activity, although sensitive to inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis, results from an estradiol-stimulated influx of eosinophils into the uterus. We postulated the existence of an estradiol-regulated uterine chemotactic factor, testing this by an in vitro chemotactic assay with eosinophils isolated from mature rats.

Estradiol-stimulated increases in uterine eosinophils and nuclear type II estrogen-binding sites are prevented by pertussis toxin.

Previous studies from several laboratories have demonstrated that estradiol treatment resulted in an increase in nuclear type II binding sites. Our previous data suggest that this increase was due to the estradiol-stimulated influx of circulating eosinophils. Therefore, we suggested that the uterine nuclear type II estrogen-binding sites were not of uterine origin.

Workshop on risk assessment in reproductive and developmental toxicology: addressing the assumptions and identifying the research needs.

The risk assessment process is an imprecise procedure aimed at determining a toxicant exposure level with an acceptable risk to the human population. The lack of precision is due to the uncertainties in the assumptions that must be made due to the lack of specific scientific information or knowledge of how to use certain types of data. Unfortunately, every necessary piece of information cannot be obtained for every chemical requiring a risk assessment.

Cocaine use by senior medical students.

The authors studied 589 senior medical students' attitudes about and use of cocaine. Reported use was 36% in the students' lifetimes, 17% in the past year, and 6% in the past month. Overall, these rates were lower than those of an age-matched cohort.