Effects of tributyltin on survival,growth, morphometry,and RNA-DNA ratio of larval striped bass,Morone saxatilis

Effects of tributyltin (TBT) on survival, growth, morphometry, and RNA-DNA ratio in larval striped bass(Morone saxatilis) were assessed in three experiments. In Experiment I, 13 day old larvae were exposed to 0, 0.067, 0.766, or 2.284 g TBT/L for 6 days. All larvae exposed to 2.284 /L died by day 5; exposure to 0.766 g/L significantly reduced survival relative to controls (59.8% vs. 81.8%). Significant, concentration-dependent decreases in body depth occurred in larvae exposed to 0.067 and 0.766 g/L. In Experiment II, all 16 day old larvae exposed to 1.498 g/L died by day 6. Survival, weight, and morphometry parameters were not significantly different in larvae exposed to 0, 0.052, or 0.444 g/L for 7 days. In Experiment III, survival was similar in 21 day old larvae exposed to 0, 0.055, 0.218, or 0.514 /L for 7 days. Notochord length and dry weight decreased significantly in larvae exposed to 0.514 g/L. Weight and morphometry parameters were more sensitive indicators of sublethal stress than RNA-DNA ratio. Maximum TBT concentrations reported in Chesapeake Bay marinas are likely to cause increased larval mortality. Longer-term studies are needed to assess effects at <0.050 g/L, which may be more representative of habitat conditions.     

Effect of long-term feeding of DDT to turkeys

Summary Diets containing 264.6 ppm o,p- or p,p-DDT were fed to 6-week-old male and female turkeys for 7 and 15 weeks. Such chronic feeding of DDT did not cause alterations of: Blood pressure; gross structure of body tissues; histology of heart, aorta, liver, testes, oviduct, ovary, thyroid, or kidney; plasma cholesterol or calcium levels; albumin-globulin ratio; or plasma lipoprotein patterns. The residue of DDT in body fat was determined. Trace amounts were found in birds fed the control diet. Minute quantities of o,p-DDT and large amounts of p,p-DDT were found in fat of turkeys fed p,p-DDT, and the converse was true of turkeys fed o,p-DDT.     

Selbstbehandlung bei Bediensteten der SBB und PTT

In this paper some initial results of a study of self-treatment in case of light illness are reported. The average number of reported measures taken is 3,5 in general infections and infections of the respiratory tract, 2,6 in digestive disorders, and 2,5 in disorders of the musculo-skeletal system. In all three groups of disorders, the most frequent single measures was bed rest, the second most frequent was measuring body temperature in the first diagnostic group, drinking tea in the second, and massage in the third. In the first diagnostic group, an average of 2,2 pharmacologic agents are taken, in the second 1,1, and in the third 1,3. Analgesic drugs play an important role in all three groups, pointing to the primordial roleof pain relief in self-medication. 84,5% of the interviewed sample indicate use of folk medicines. 90% of the applied drugs come from the stock of the home pharmacy.

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Automédication chez les employés des CFF et PTT tombés malades

Resumé Le travail ci-dessus apporte quelques premiers résultats d'une étude faite sur l'automédication de maladies simples. Chez les maladies infectieuses et les maladies respiratoires des mesures proportionelles de 3,5 sont prises, chez les maladies gastro-intestinales 2,6 et chez les maladies de l'appareil locomoteur 2,5. La mesure la plus fréquente est pour tous les trois groupes garder le lit et ensuite pour le premier groupe prendre la température, pour la deuxième boire des tisanes et pour le troisième les massages. Le premier groupe prend proportionellement 2,2 médicaments, le deuxième 1,1 et le troisième 1,3. La grande tache du combat de douleurs nous indique le fait que l'on trouve des analgétiques dans tous les trois groupes. 84,5% indiquent d'avoir utilisé des remedes de bonne femme. 90% des médicaments pris proviennent de la pharmacie de maison.

     

Men in day care: You've come a long way,buddy!

Male day care teachers have more to offer young children than their masculine presence. It is suggested that pleas for a male role model are misdirected, and that men in day care have valuable contributions to make by modeling and reinforcing not only positive masculine traits but also positive feminine traits. Emphasis, therefore, is placed upon the balance the male caregiver can provide for a humanized environment for young children. Suggestions are given on ways to establish androgynous environment for current and future caregivers.     

Correlation between vibration-induced white finger and symptoms of upper and lower extremities in vibration syndrome

Summary The correlation was investigated between the frequency of attacks of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) and numbness or coldness of the fingers and legs in patients with vibration syndrome. Some 1687 patients with vibration syndrome were examined and of these 342 chain-saw operators and 277 rock-drill operators had no disease other than vibration snydrome. Then subjects were matched by age and period of treatment within three years. In the last analysis, 20 in the VWF almost everyday group or in the never group, and 40 in the occasionally group were selected from the chain-saw operators, and from the rock-drill operators 32 in the VWF everyday or the never group and 64 in the occasionally group. The present study showed that, with the frequency of VWF attacks, patients had a higher prevalence of coldness not only in the fingers but also in the legs. These findings suggest a correlation between the severity of circulatory disturbances of the upper extremities and that of the lower ones in patients with vibration syndrome. Further studies on circulatory disturbances in the leg are required.     

Comparison of attitudes toward transsexuality and homosexuality

Attitudes toward transsexuality and homosexuality were compared in a sample of 318 university students. More people felt that homosexuality was wrong than felt that transsexuality was wrong. This difference in favor of transsexuality was more pronounced in female than in male respondents. In addition, more people rejected the notion that biological factors were responsible for homosexuality than was the case for transsexuality. General attitudes about the morality of transsexuality and homosexuality, however, were not mirrored in response to questions pertaining to job discrimination. To the contrary, male respondents, especially, were more inclined toward equal opportunity for homosexuals than for transsexuals. One hypothesis supported by this study was that homosexual denial and homophobia in some transsexuals may, in part, be a reflection of society's greater moral condemnation of homosexuality relative to transsexuality.     

Men's and women's reactions to sexually explicit films: A serendipitous finding

We proposed that men and women would be turned off by watching men and women like themselves engaged in sexual activity and turned on by watching someone of the opposite sex engaged in the same activity. We tested this hypothesis by showing college men and women eight films: films depicting male and female homosexuality, male and female masturbation, and males and females engaged in heterosexual intercourse. We assessed men and women's reactions via the Byrne-Sheffield (1965) Feeling Scale and Griffitt's (1975) Physiological Arousal Scale. We found support for our hypothesis. We also attempted to determine whether men and women differed in how easily they became aroused by sexually explicit films. We found that they did not.This research was supported, in part, by University of Wisconsin Graduate School funds and was conducted during the tenure of NIMH Grant MH 26681.     

Psychosocial stressors associated with Mexican migrant farmworkers in the midwest United States

Although estimates suggest that there are upwards of 5 million migrant farmworkers in the United States, scant research has explored the stressors associated with their lifestyle. Contrary to previous work, the present study directly explored migrant farmworkers' own perceptions of what is difficult in their lives. The purposes of the present study were to qualitatively explore, from a phenomenological standpoint, the stressors associated with living as a migrant farmworker in the Midwest United States; and to determine the stressors that were most strongly related to symptoms of anxiety and depression. The findings indicated that 18 stressors were commonly experienced by the migrant farmworkers and that the farmworkers experienced overall elevated levels of anxiety and depression. A number of stressors that were not previously reported in the literature were identified. The stressors of rigid work demands and poor housing conditions were significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety and low family income/living in poverty and rigid work demands were significantly associated with depression. Implications of findings and prevention strategies are discussed.     

The evaluation of pornography: Effects of attitude and perceived physiological reaction

Twenty-three medical and 28 nonmedical male student Ss read four erotic prose passages and then rated each on obscenity, censorship, and four semantic differential evaluation scales. Ss were given varying levels of false (experimenter-controlled) GSR feedback for each stimulus passage, as well as different explanations of the significance of this arousal feedback. Four-way analyses of variance showed that low Stolerance of erotica, pedophelic passage content, and GSR feedback indicating physiological arousal resulted in passages being labeled as more obscene and unfavorable. Explanations to Ss that GSR feed-back indicated sexual arousal resulted in more favorable ratings by the medical Ss and interacted with passage type for the nonmedical Ss. Concurrently monitored heart rate was not significantly influenced by any of the experimental variables and was (with one marginal exception) uncorrelated with any of the dependent labeling variables. An earlier version of this article was presented at the XVIIth International Congress of Applied Psychology, Liege, Belgium, July 1971.     

Levels of β-HCH,HCB, p,p′-DDE,p,p′-DDT and PCBs in human milk from a continental town in Croatia,Yugoslavia

Summary Concentrations of -HCH, HCB, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDT and PCBs were determined by gas chromatography in 50 human milk samples collected from the general population during 1981/1982 in a continental town in Croatia (Yugoslavia). The samples were collected between one and 22 weeks after delivery from mothers breast-feeding one child only. The mothers' age was 18 to 31 years, and they were nursing their first or second child. All 50 samples contained -HCH, HCB, p,p-DDE and PCBs, whereas p,p-DDT was present in 37 samples. The concentrations of -HCH, HCB, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDT and PCBs expressed on a whole milk basis were (median in g/kg): 11, 7.1, 67, 7.3 and 22 respectively, and expressed on a fat basis (median in mg/kg): 0.28, 0.21, 1.9, 0.18 and 0.62 respectively. The fat content was 3.7% (median). PCBs were present in a mixture containing penta-, hexa- and heptachlorobiphenyls.     

Muscle Learning Therapy—Efficacy of a Biofeedback Based Protocol in Treating Work-Related Upper Extremity Disorders

Work-related upper extremity disorders (WRUEDs) continue to present significant treatment and financial challenges to providers, employers, and insurers. This retrospective study reviews outcomes for 309 subjects who, between 1995 and 1999, were referred through the workers' compensation system for treatment of computer keyboard- and mouse-related WRUED injuries. The mean length of time from the recorded date of injury to the date of intake was 12.9 months. Subjects were offered a 12-visit course in muscle learning therapy (MLT). MLT is an operant conditioning program which uses surface electromyography (sEMG) to train injured workers to control their muscles during work activities. Patient response to therapy was obtained by a therapist-administered questionnaire during Visit 8 of 12. A group of 309 subjects, who had failed to respond to a previous course of therapy (typically physical therapy), reported significant improvements of pain in the neck, thorax, and upper extremities. Ninety six percent reported that they felt more in control, 86% reported feeling better overall, and 81% reported either working the same and feeling better or working and accomplishing more. This study provides preliminary support for this approach and provides justification for controlled clinical trials in the future.     

Toxicity of aldicarb and fonofos to the early-life-stage of the fathead minnow

Flow-through early-life-stage (ELS) toxicity tests were conducted with the pesticides aldicarb (Temik^®) and fonofos (Dyfonate^®) to determine their effect on the survival and growth of fathead minnows. Concentrations of 78g/L of aldicarb and 16g/L of fonofos did not affect survival and growth. However, 156g/L of aldicarb and 33g/L of fonofos were lethal to larval-juvenile exposed for 30 days post-hatch. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) of aldicarb and fonofos for the fathead minnow is estimated to be between 78–156g/L and 16–33g/L, respectively. The corresponding chronic values (geometric mean of MATC values) would be 110g/L and 23g/L. Acute toxicity tests gave 96-hr LC50 values of 1370g aldicarb/L and 1090g fonofos/L. The acute-chronic ratio (96-hr LC50/chronic value) is 12 for aldicarb and 47 for fonofos.     

“Primary” Rationing of Health Services in Ageing Societies—A Normative Analysis

While most of the debate on rationing in health care focusses on the distribution of scarce medical resources among competing needs, which we propose to call secondary rationing, this paper is concerned with primary rationing, i.e., the conscious decision by society to limit the amount of resources devoted to a collectively financed health care system. Based upon a number of transparent normative criteria, we analyze whether primary rationing should be performed and, if so, what type should be chosen (hard vs. soft, explicit vs. implicit). Finally we discuss whether age should be used as a criterion in any systematic attempt at primary rationing of health care.     

Internal lead and cadmium exposure in 6-year-old children from western and eastern Germany

Lead and cadmium levels in blood and deciduous teeth (shed incisors only) of 6-year-old German children were determined in 1991 in a large epidemiological study carried out in rural and urban areas of western Germany (Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Borken) and eastern Germany (Leipzig, Halle, Magdeburg, Osterburg, Gardelegen, Salzwedel). In total, blood lead and cadmium levels of 2311 German children and tooth lead and cadmium levels of 790 German children were analyzed. Blood lead levels were generally low in all study areas with geometric means between 39.3 g/1 and 50.8 g/l in the western German and between 42.3 g/1 and 68.1 g/l in the eastern German study areas. The mean blood lead level of Turkish children (n = 213) living in the western German study areas was 50.1 g/l and thus 5.6 g/1 higher than the overall geometric mean of the western German children. The higher exposure may be explained by a higher oral uptake from food and different living conditions. These children were excluded from multiple regression analysis because they were all living in the western study areas. The mean tooth lead levels ranged between 1.50 and 1.74 g/g in the western and between 1.51 g/g and 2.72 g/g in the eastern study areas. Thus, they show a distribution pattern similar to blood. Blood and tooth lead levels were higher in urban than in rural areas and higher in the eastern German than in the western German study areas. With regard to the blood and tooth cadmium concentrations, no significant differences between the study areas could be found. The mean cadmium levels in blood ranged between 0.12 g/1 and 0.14 g/l and the mean tooth cadmium concentrations between 20.8 ng/g and 27.8 ng/g. Blood and tooth lead and cadmium levels of the eastern and western German children were thus mainly at a relatively low level in all rural and urban study areas. The study demonstrates and confirms that blood and tooth lead levels are influenced by several demographic, social, and environmental variables. The results indicate that there has been a further significant decrease of lead and cadmium exposure in western German children since our last epidemiological study carried out in the same study areas in 1985/1986.     

The determinants of CABG patients' outcomes

This study examined the selfreported health status of 90 patients who had undergone Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). Data were collected by the Short Form36 (SF36) instrument, administered twice at preoperative and postoperative periods. The reliability of the SF36 ranged from 0.68 to 0.93 in the analysis of preoperative and postoperative measures of health status. The CABG patients reported markedly lower health status on all eight SF36 dimensions at the preoperative period and considerable improvements on all dimensions at the postoperative period. The assessment of CABG patients' outcomes showed that perceived usefulness of the procedure contributed positively to their perceived health status when the effect of preoperative health status was controlled. Patients who perceived the CABG procedure as useful appeared to have more improved postoperative health status after the procedure.     

Internal exposure to organic substances in a municipal waste incinerator

Summary Fifty-three persons occupied in a municipal waste incinerator were examined with respect to their internal exposure to organic substances which may be produced during pyrolysis of organic matter. For this purpose the levels of benzene in blood, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in plasma, and mono- (MCPs), di- (DCPs), tri- (TCPs), tetra-(TECPs) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) and hydroxypyrene in urine were determined. For control purposes, 431 men and women were examined. Significantly higher values for the workers were found for the excretion of hydroxypyrene [median (m): 0.24vs 0.11 g/l; non-smokers], 2,4/2,5-DCP (m: 10.5 vs 3.9 g/l) and 2,4,5-TCP (m: 1.2 vs 0.8 g/l) and for the HCB level in plasma (m: 4.4 vs 2.8 g/l). For the concentrations of 4-MCP and 2,3,4,6/2,3,5,6-TECP, the controls had significantly higher concentrations in urine than did the workers in the incineration plant (m: 4-MCP 1.7 vs 1.2; 2,3,4,6/2,3,5,6-TECP: 1.2 vs 0.3 g/l). No significant differences between workers and controls were detected with respect to benzene in blood (m: 0.20 vs 0.28 g/l; non-smokers), 2,4,6-TCP and PCPs in urine (m: 0.85 vs 0.60 and 2.2 vs 2.2 g/l) or the levels of PCB congeners in plasma (m: 138, 153, 180: 5.6 vs 4.1 g/l). The elevated levels of hydroxypyrene, 2,4/2,5-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP and HCB in biological material may be related to the incineration of the waste. These elevations, however, are very small and are of interest more from the environmental than from the occupational point of view.     

Peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of chlorophenols to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans

Chlorophenols are transformedin vitro to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/ Fs) by peroxidase-catalyzed oxidations. This is demonstrated with bovine lactoperoxidase as well as horseradish peroxidase, and with 3,4,5- and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (TrCP). The yield of total PCDD/Fs with lactoperoxidase was 11 g per g 345-TrCP and 10 g per g 245-TrCP, of which 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs constituted 8.5 and 2.2 g/g, respectively, corresponding to 0.85 and 1.2 g/g of Nordic TCDD-equivalents.     

Polychlorobiphenyls, ΣDDT,and hexachlorocyclohexane isomers in the western North Pacific ecosystem

Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), DDT (p,p-DDT,p,p-DDD, andp,p-DDE and HCH isomers (hexachlorocyclohexanes including , , and isomers) were determined in a marine food chain, including seawater, zooplankton, myctophid, squid and striped dolphin collected from the western North Pacific waters. The concentrations of these pollutants increased in higher trophic levels, where the highest bioconcentration factors (concentration ratio in organisms to water), as much as 10⁷, were obtained from both PCBs and DDT in striped dolphin. The proportions of highly chlorinated biphenyls,p,p-DDE and -HCH increased in higher-ranking predators. These observations suggest that the bioaccumulation mechanisms in lower trophic levels depend primarily on the physicochemical properties of pollutants, whereas those in higher trophic levels are affected by the biodegradability of the pollutants and the metabolic capacity and life-span of the organisms.     

Heterosexual copulatory patterns in stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides) and in other macaque species

A comparison of the mating behavior patterns of several macaque species reveals that the mating behavior of Macaca arctoidesexhibits several unique features. The laboratory groups of stumptail monkeys observed had exceptionally long single-mount copulations characterized by a large number of pelvic thrusts, a slow thrusting rate, and an unusually salient male orgasmic pattern (characterized by body rigidity followed by body spasms and a typical facial expression and vocalization). The frequency with which the copulation culminates in ejaculation is unusually high, and copulating stumptails generally manifest tieing in a genital lock after ejaculation. This research was supported in part by the Interdisciplinary Training Program, Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco; by United States Public Health Service Training Grant No. 5-T1-MH-7082 from the National Institute of Public Health; and by Grant No. GS-31943X from the National Science Foundation to Dr. S. L. Washburn of the University of California at Berkeley, given for Primate Studies and Human Evolution.This paper was given as one part of the presentation prepared for the symposium Male and Female Sexual Behavior in Primate Societies, Fourth International Congress of Primatology, Portland, Oregon, August 1972. The first part was published as Male-Female, Female-Female, and Male-Male Sexual Behavior in the Stumptail Monkey, with Special Attention to the Female Orgasm,Archives of Sexual Behavior 3: 95–116, 1974.     

Levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mothers' milk collected in Osaka prefecture from 1969 to 1976

Long-term investigations of polychlorinated hydrocarbon levels in mothers' milk were made from 1969 to 1976. The levels ofp,p-DDE, p,p DDT, dieldrin and PCB in mothers' milk were within the range reported by others. However, -BHC(Hexachlorocyclohexane) levels in the milk were 10 times that found in non-Japanese. A gradual decrease in the -BHC level in the milk was observed during this period. In contrast, the levelsof p,p-DDE,p,p-DDT, dieldrin and PCB were consistent for the 7-year period. A significant correlation between the levels of PCB andp,p-DDE in mothers' milk and blood was observed in the 1974–1976 samples. However, after prohibition of the use of chlorinated hydrocarbons, this relationship was less apparent in the 1972–1973 samples.