The Magical Age of 10

Developmental processes of puberty and their cultural contexts in understanding the emergence of sexual subjectivity, especially sexual attraction, prior to gonadarche are critically examined. In particular, we consider the hypothesis that sexual attraction follows the onset of adrenal puberty, termed adrenarche, precipitating the development of stable and memorable attraction toward others approximately by the age of 10. In a prior study, the authors suggested that adrenarche is a significant source of this developmental change in sexuality (McClintock, M., and Herdt, G., 1996). The inferential evidence from New Guinea is compared with recent studies from the United States, including clinical findings on precocious puberty. We conclude with the question of whether the age of 10 is a human universal in the development of attraction and sexuality.     

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.     

Nitrous oxide in blood and urine of operating theatre personnel and the general population

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) was assayed in 676 urine samples and 101 blood samples provided after exposure by operating theatre personnel from nine hospitals. The blood and urine assays were repeated in 25 subjects 18 h after the end of exposure. For 80 subjects, environmental N₂O was also measured during intraoperative exposure. Mean urinary N₂O in the 676 subjects at the end of exposure was 40 g/l (range 1–3805 g/l); in 10 of the 676 subjects, urinary N₂O was in the range 279–3805 g/l (mean 1202 /l). The 98^th percentile was 120 g/l. Mean blood N₂O at the end of exposure, measured in 101 subjects, was 21 g/l (median 16 g/l, range 1–75 g/l). Blood and urine N₂O (1.5 g/l and 4.9 g/l, respectively) in 25 subjects, 18 h after exposure, was significantly higher than in occupationally non-exposed subjects (blood 0.91 g/l, urine 1 g/l). Environmental exposure was significantly related to blood and urinary N₂O (r = 0.59 andr = 0.64, respectively). Blood and urinary N₂O were significantly related to each other (r = 0.71), and were equivalent to about 25% of the environmental exposure level. The mean urinary N₂O of 1202 g/l in 10/676 subjects was not related to environmental exposure in the operating theatre. The highest urinary N₂O levels measured in these 10/676 subjects could be explained by an asymptomatic urinary infection.     

Biological aspects and self-evaluation of shiftwork adaptation

Summary Two male truck drivers working in a Brazilian cellulose plant and classifying themselves as well- and ill-adapted to a shiftwork schedule of 4 days-on and 1 day-off, participated in an autorhythmometric study. Psychophysiological self-ratings (calmness, stress and alertness), oral temperature measurements and urine collections (detection of K⁺,Na⁺ and 17-OH concentrations) were performed regularly during the waking period for 15 consecutive days during the shift schedule — the midday shift (11:00 to 19:00h), early-morning shift (03:00 to 11:00 h) and evening shift (18:00 to 02:00 h), including days-off. Cosine fitting of the data to a successive running one-day window revealed different individual temporal patterns, with the well-adapted subject showing a relatively stable phase relationship of the variables under study and the ill-adapted subject showing a less stable relationship. The different patterns could explain, at least partially, the fact that one subject feels adapted to shiftwork and the other not.Dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dr. Dr. Joseph Rutenfranz, former Director of the Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie, Dortmund, FRG, who contributed so much to the development of studies on occupational and environmental health     

Sexuality,Fertility, and Danger: Twentieth-Century Images of Women with Cognitive Disabilities

Historically, women with cognitive disabilities in the United States have been portrayed as sexually and socially threatening, and in need of professional management and control. Expressions of concern over the sexual nature of this group are still present in medical, legal, and popular cultural discourse. This presentation considers five examples (four nonfiction and one fictional) where the sexual identities of women with cognitive disabilities received national scrutiny: the sterilization of Carrie Buck; the institutionalization of Deborah Kallikak the Glen Ridge sexual assault case; the sterilization of Cindy Wasiek; and the movie The Other Sister. These examples reveal that implicit cultural assumptions (modern fairy tales) about the sexuality and fertility of women with cognitive disabilities are embedded in United States history, and still very much in evidence today.     

Factor analysis of the psychosocial items of the EORTC QLQ-C30 in metastatic breast cancer patients participating in a psychosocial intervention study

The underlying factor structure of a subset of 12 items, which comprise the psychosocial subscales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 was explored in a group of women, all with metastatic breast cancer who were participating in a psychosocial intervention study. Two main factors were identified in this exploratory factor analysis, representing emotional distress and functional ability dimensions. A preliminary assessment of the external validity of the two factor structure was undertaken. The results support the validity of a summative emotional distress and functional ability score in this sample of patients. The functional ability score discriminated well for subgroups defined by clinical status indicators (e.g., performance status, pain, chemotherapy treatment, fatigue). The emotional distress subscale discriminated with respect to suffering, fatigue and sleep disturbance. Both subscales converged with related concepts measured by independent instruments, providing support for convergent validity. Summative index scores may be advantageous for application in particular research situations; applying quality adjustments in health policy analyses; for screening purposes; to monitor populations and make comparisons across broad groups and as stratification variables in clinical trials. Further research to confirm the 2 factor structure is required in other samples before the interpretation can be accepted with confidence.     

Sexuality in creative coping groups for women with physical disabilities

Working with 27 women with physical disabilities in unstructured group sessions over the past two years, the authors observed the relative unimportance of sexuality as a discussion topic. Sexuality did enter into the discussion where it related to self-acceptance, as women went from a false acceptance to a truer acceptance. There was occasion to see sexuality as more important to the newly disabled as a mechanistic issue. In view of their findings, the authors feel it important that counselors not assume the primacy of sexuality as a concern.     

Assessment of occupational exposure to 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2-chloroaniline) “MOCA” by a new sensitive method for biological monitoring

Summary A new specific and sensitive method for the urinary determination of 4,4-methylene-bis-(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA), a known carcinogen in rats, mice and dogs, has been developed. After a brief study on rats to determine some peculiarities in MOCA urinary excretion, this method was used to assess occupational exposure in French industrial firms. Both the manufacture of MOCA and its use as a curing agent in the production of polyurethane elastomers were surveyed. MOCA excretion levels were distributed from non-detectable (<0.5 g/l) up to 1600 g/l. Concentrations of N-acetyl metabolites, when present, were largely lower than MOCA levels. The results seemed to reflect workers' overall exposure fairly. Preventive measures following analytical determinations often led to an obvious lowering of excretion levels.     

Inter and intea-observer variation in ultrasonographic detection of gallstones: The Multicenter Italian Study on Epidemiology of Cholelithiasis (M.I.COL.)

Inter and intea-observer agreement in classifying the presence of gallstones by ultrasonographic images according to established criteria was studied. A film recording of 50 routine ultrasonographic examinations of the gallbladder was read by each of the 46 observers who participated in the Multicenter Italian Study on Epidemiology of Cholelithiasis (M.I.COL.). The overall Kappa score for inter-observer agreement was 0.649, while intea-observer agreement was good or excellent (Kappa scores >0.60) in 75% of the observers. No statistical difference for inter-observer agreement between novices and expert echographers was found in the overall Kappa statistic or in category-specific Kappa scores (gallstone, no gallstone, doubtful and inconclusive examinations) The present study suggests that the development of explicit criteria by a group of trained echographers does not eliminate inter-and intea-observer disagreement in categorizing subjects for gallbladder stones. M.I.COL. (Multicentrica Italiana Colelitiasi).Corresponding author.See appendix.     

Sexuality in neurologic disability: An overview

Sexuality concerns commonly arise in individuals with both acquired and congenital neurologic disabilities. As health care professionals it is critical to have an understanding of the potential consequences of neurologic impairment on sexuality as well as sexual function. Psychologic, latrogenic, and secondary medical issues must all be taken into consideration when addressing the primary sexuality concerns. An understanding of normal neuroanatomy and neurophysiology is critical if one is to propose interventional strategies in this patient population. Basic concepts regarding sexual functioning in specific neurologic conditions including spinal cord injury, cerebral vascular accidents, traumatic brain injury, peripheral neuropathies and multiple sclerosis will be reviewed. The General Rehabilitation Assessment Sexuality Profile will be reviewed as it pertains to the sexual history, sexual physical exam, and clinical sexual diagnostic testing. Lastly, treatment options for both genital and nongenital sexual dysfunction in neurologic disability will be examined.     

“Let's Talk About Sex, Baby”: Community-Based HIV Prevention Work and the Problem of Sex

Talking about sex and sexuality has been integral to HIV/AIDS prevention work in the United States since the beginning of the epidemic. Early prevention workers, who were primarily gay men, developed a sex-positive approach to prevention, involving frank discussions of sex and sexuality, with the idea of helping to end the epidemic by protecting oneself and one's sex partners from the disease. This article examines early prevention work at AIDS Action Committee (ACC) in Boston, Massachusetts, and details subsequent challenges to this approach, primarily from Bostonians outside of the gay community, but also from within AAC. The article ends with an examination of the early 2000s at AAC, which saw the more recent manifestation of a sex-positive approach to prevention in their work with HIV-infected individuals.     

Symptomatology and psychological aspects of male sexual inadequacy: Results of an experimental study

Forty-two male patients and their sexual partners were studied. Sixteen of the patients had psychogenic erectile failure (eight each with the primary and secondary forms), 16 were premature ejaculators, and 10 had diabetes-related impotence. Because of the higher mean age of the diabetics, two control groups were used, an age-matched older group (eight healthy males and their partners) and an age-matched younger group (16 healthy males and their partners). The results for the various groups on a semistandardized interview about sexual behavior and on five psychological assessment scales were compared. Of the 88 questions on the semi-standardized interview, 11 permitted assignment of the patients to the correct group. The diabetics suffered from prevailing erectile impotence. They viewed themselves as being less disturbed sexually than the other patients did, although on the basis of their symptoms their impotence was actually more severe. The patients with psychogenic erectile impotence had a situational sexual disorder in which sexual anxiety played an important role. They viewed themselves as more insecure than the diabetics and the controls and they overidealized their partners and mothers. There appear to be two subgroups of premature ejaculators: The E₁ group of patients seemed to be less neurotic than the E₂ group. On the psychological measures the latter was quite similar to the group of patients with psychogenic erectile impotence. All patient groups except E₁ were significantly more depressed than the control groups.     

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.     

Blood toluene as a biological index of environmental toluene exposure in the “normal” population and in occupationally exposed workers immediately after exposure and 16 hours later

Blood toluene was measured in a group of 100 workers occupationally exposed to a mean 8-h environmental toluene concentration of 128 g/l (34 ppm), and in a group of 269 normal subjects without occupational exposure to toluene. The mean blood toluene of the workers at the end of the shift and the following morning, after 16 h, was 457 and 38 g/l, respectively. The normal subjects had a blood toluene level of 1.1 g/l. On the basis of the highly significant correlation between blood toluene and occupational exposure, it can be calculated that environmental toluene exposure of 188 and 377 g/l (50 and 100 ppm) gives end-of-shift blood toluene levels of 690 and 1390 g/l, respectively. The corresponding blood toluene levels on the following morning are 50 and 100 /l, respectively.     

Evaluation des gemeindeorientierten Gesundheitsf?rderungsprojektes ?Mauren Aktiv”

Zusammenfassung Mauren Aktiv, ein Gesundheitsförderungsprojekt in einer liechtensteinischen Gemeinde, wird 1996 einer Evaluation unterzogen. Als Methoden werden Interviews mit Schlüsselpersonen der Gemeinde Mauren/Schaanwald, Gruppendiskussionen, schriftliche Befragun, Telephoninterviews und Dokumentenanalyse verwendet. Folgende Ergebnisse können festgehalten werden: Mauren Aktiv funktioniert. Es hat das Angebot von gesundheitsfördernden Aktivitäten mehr als verdoppelt. Seine Angebote werden von der Bevölkerung angenommen. Seine flexible Organisationsstruktur hat sich bewährt. Seinen Anspruch, eine koordinierende Organisation zu sein, löst es nur teilweise ein. Fördernde Faktoren sind das Engagement der freiwilligen Mitarbeiterl-ínnen und die günstigen Rahmenbedingungen. Umgekehrt führt die Freiwilligkeit immer wieder zu Schwierigkeiten, gerade was die Dokumentation der Aktivitäten betrifft.

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Evaluation of the community health promotion project Mauren Aktiv

Summary In the year 1996, Mauren Aktiv — a community health promotion project in Liechtenstein — was evaluated. The methods used were as follows: Interviews with key-persons of the community, group-discussions, written questionnaire, telephone-interviews and analysis of documents. The evaluation showed the following results: Mauren Aktiv works. It has increased the offer of health promotion activities by more than 100 percent. The offer is well received by the population. The flexible organisational structure proved to be functional. But Mauren Aktiv only partly achieves its claim to be a co-ordinating agent for all health promotion activity within the community. Favourable factors for the project are the co-operation of numerous volunteers and the conditions offered by the municipality. On the contrary the co-operation of the volunteers and the lack of professional support cause problems, for example regarding the documentation of the activities of Mauren Aktiv.

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Evaluation de Mauren Aktiv, un projet encourageant la santé publique

Résumé En 1996, Mauren Aktiv —un projet concernant la santé publique en Liechtenstein — était évalué. Les méthodes d'évaluation ont été les suivants: Interviews avec les personnes de grande influence de la commune, discussions en groupes, un questionnaire, interviews par téléphone et l'analyse des documents. L'évaluation produisait les resultats suivants: Mauren Aktiv fonctionne. Le projet a doublé les activités concernant la santé publique. Ses programmes sont bien acceptés par la population. Sa structure d'organisation flexible a fait ses preuves. Mais la demande d'être une organisation coordonnée n'atteint pas tout à fait son but. Les deux facteurs encouragés sont l'engagement des volontaires, et les conditions favorables. De l'autre côte le bon gré cause des difficultés surtout en ce qui concerne la documentation des activités.

     

DDT,DDD, and DDE contamination of sediment in the Newark Bay estuary,New Jersey

Two hundred and forty-six surface and buried sediment samples from Newark Bay, New Jersey, and its major tributaries (Passaic River, Hackensack River, Newark Bay, Arthur Kill, Elizabeth River, and Kill Van Kull) were assayed for p,p-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p-DDT), p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p-DDD), and p,p-dichlorodiphenylchloroethylene (p,p-DDE) between February 1990 and March 1993. Chronological profiles in sediments from pre-1940 to the present were determined by radioisotope activities of ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs. The concentrations of these chemicals were compared to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) benchmark sediment values (Long and Morgan 1991). The objectives were to (a) determine the spatial and temporal distributions of DDT compounds in sediments, (b) identify possible sources, and (c) assess the potential for sediment toxicity within the estuary. Mean concentrations in surface sediments in individual waterways ranged from 5 to 473 g/kg for p,p-DDT, 18 to 429 g/kg for p,p-DDD, and 5 to 111 g/kg for p,p-DDE. A regional background mean concentration of approximately 100–300 g/kg p,p-DDT (sum of p,p-DDT, p,p-DDD, and p,p-DDE) was measured in surface sediments throughout the estuary, with the exception of the Arthur Kill, where mean concentrations exceeded 700 g/kg. The elevated concentrations found in recently deposited surface sediments in the Arthur Kill may be due to the presence of ongoing sources. The highest concentrations in buried sediments occurred in the lower Passaic River at depths corresponding to historical deposits from 1940 to 1970, the peak time period for production and usage of DDT in the United States. Comparisons to NOAA benchmark sediment toxicity values indicate that p,p-DDT, p,p-DDD, and p,p-DDE concentrations in surface sediments may pose a potential hazard to fish, shellfish, and other benthic and demersal organisms in some portions of the estuary, particularly in the upper and lower Arthur Kill.     

Advancing child and youth care: A model for integrating theory and practice through connecting education,training, and the service system

This article presents a comprehensive model for enabling connections to be made between theory and practice in the field of child and youth care, based on an analysis of current training and education in the field and a multi-step concept of theory-to-practice and practice-to-theory. The model presents a logical sequence of activities that generate and convey knowledge from two sources. One is formal empirical and research information; the other is the conceptualization of practitioners' direct experience. Both are reinforced by trainers and educators with dual connections with practice and training and education settings. The paper stresses that academic programs are a significant component of any profession, in that they are responsible for collecting and codifying emergent knowledge gathered from multiple sources.There is nothing so practical as a good theory. —Kurt Lewin (quoted in Hunt, 1987, p. 4) There is nothing so theoretical as good practice. —David Hunt (1987, p. 11)An earlier version of this paper was the winner of the 1989 Albert E. Trieschman Prize Competition, published author category, for the best original contribution to the literature of child care.     

What is a normal family? Common assumptions and current evidence

The social and applied human sciences have been built upon the assumption that the normal family consists of a first-marriage conjugal couple cohabiting with biological children. It is taken for granted that the wife should be responsible for child and domestic work, and that the husband should be the family's economic provider and ultimate authority. In the professional literature such traditional family structure is often described as normal in the sense of most common, as well as normal in the sense of well-functioning. Current psychological, sociological, anthropological and historical studies, however, do not support the assumption that the traditional nuclear family is the most natural, common, and/or healthy form of family arrangement. The idealization of the traditional nuclear family has had implications for theory, research, mental health practice, and social policy. Scientists and practitioners have been slow to recognize pathology in traditional nuclear families. Families other than traditional nuclear ones have been rendered invisible or pathologized. It is time for contemporary social and applied human sciences to recognize that the traditional nuclear family is a culturally- and historically-specific construct. It is also time for contemporary social and applied human sciences to develop an account of, and a research agenda about, families that take into consideration their variations across time, place, social class, ethnicity, and culture.     

Ein Krankheitsersatzindex: Konstruktion und Validierung

Zusammefassung Häufig taucht in empirischen Forschungsarbeiten, die Gesundheit und/oder Krankheit zum Gegenstand haben, das Problem auf, dass zwar eine grössere Anzahl an Variablen zu gesundheitsrelevanten Fragestellungen vorhanden sind, aber keine Angaben über das Auftreten von Krankheiten. Daher stellt sich die Frage, wie Krankheit substituiert werden kann. Auf Grundlage der Daten des Sozio-Ökonomischen Panels und des Gesundheitssurveys der Deutschen Herz-Kreislauf-Präventions-studie wird eine Lösungsmöglichkeit aufgezeigt. Ein aus den Variablen Arztbesuche, Im Krankenhaus verbrachte Nächte und Vorhandensein einer chronischen Krankheit gebildeter Krankheitsersatzindex korreliert hochsignifikant mit einer Reihe von Krankheiten und Beschwerden, so dass davon ausgegangen werden kann, dass dieser Index diese substituieren kann, wenn in Datensätzen zwar die oben aufgeführten Variablen, aber keine Angaben zu Krankheiten vorhanden sind.

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Summary Empirical research dealing with health and illness often has the problem that the data sets contain a variety of health related variables but no variables about the appearance of diseases and complaints. In order to solve this problem a disease substitution index (DSI) based on data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP, 1985) and the national health survey conducted in the framework of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GCP, 1984–1986) was constructed. Consisting of the variables medical attendance, hospital attendance and existence of chronical diseases the DSI shows statistically significant association with a series of diseases and complaints. These findings indicate that the DSI can be used to substitute diseases and/or complaints in datasets with the mentioned variables but no informations about diseases or complaints.

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Résumé Dans la rechereche empirique sur la santé et/ou la maladie, il arrive fréquemment que malgré un grand nombre de variables concernant l'état de santé, aucune donnée ne se réfère directement à la maladie même. Comment substituer celle-ci est la question qui se pose. Sur la base de données tirées d'études allemandes socio-économiques et de la prévention cardio-vasculaire, il est proposé ici une solution. Un index de substitution de maladie (ISM) construit avec les variables consultations médicales, nuitées d'hôpital et présence d'une affection chronique montre une forte corrélation avec une série de maladies et malaises spécifiques. On peut en conclure que l'ISM peut se substituer à celles-ci lorsque les données utilisées ne contiennent pas d'indications directes sur les maladies et malaises mais seulement les variables mentionnées plus haut.

     

Biological effects of Kepone and mirex in freshwater invertebrates

Acute and chronic toxicity studies of Kepone^® (chlordecone) and mirex were conducted with daphnids (Daphnia magna), amphipods (Gammarus pseudolimnaeus), and larvae of a midge (Chironomus plumosus). Acute toxicities of Kepone ranged from a 48-hr EC50 of 350g/L for midges to a 96-hr LC50 of 180g/L for amphipods, whereas the acute toxicities of mirex to all three taxa exceeded 1000g/L. Maximum acceptable toxicant concentrations (MATC's) for Kepone and mirex were estimated by measuring reproduction of daphnids, growth of amphipods, emergence of midges, and survival of all organisms. MATC for Kepone was estimated to be between 9 and 18g/L for daphnids, between 1 and 2g/L for amphipods, and between 8.4 and 18g/L for midges; MATC for mirex exceeded 34g/L for daphnids and midges, but less than 2.4g/L for amphipods. The concentration of Kepone and mirex accumulated by daphnids was 760 and 8025 times, respectively, the concentration in water. Estimated times for elimination of 50% of the residues by daphnids were 141 hr for Kepone and 12 hr for mirex.