Effects of ethanol sipper and social opportunity on ethanol drinking in rats.

Aims: The present study evaluates the effects of pairing ethanol sipper conditioned stimulus (CS) with social opportunity unconditioned stimulus (US) on CS-directed ethanol drinking in rats. Subjects were Long-Evans male rats (n = 32) deprived of neither food nor water, and the concentration of unsweetened ethanol (3 to 16%) in the sipper CS was increased across sessions.

Methods: Group Paired/Ethanol (n = 12) received the ethanol sipper CS for 10 s immediately prior to 15 s of social opportunity US.

Effects of lead contamination on the growth of lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife).

The ability of individual species to tolerate or accumulate heavy metal pollutants has been investigated widely. Although invasive species may become established more easily in disturbed environments, relatively little is known about how an ability to tolerate pollutants might give invasive species a competitive advantage. This study is part of a series of experiments investigating native and invasive species interactions with chemical pollution and other forms of disturbance.

Psychological symptoms in primary fibromyalgia syndrome: relationship to pain, life stress, and sleep disturbance.

Twenty-five subjects with primary fibromyalgia syndrome and 22 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis were compared on measures of psychological distress, pain, health status, life stress, sleep disturbance, and coping strategies. Higher levels of psychological distress were found in the primary fibromyalgia syndrome group, but the degree of life stress was shown to be a significant covariate.