Effect of total parenteral nutrition on histamine in the rat brain and other tissues.

The effects of a constant infusion of total parenteral nutrition on the histamine content of the hypothalamus was studied in adult male rats. Histamine content of the stomach, kidney, liver, and heart was also determined. The relationship between tissue histamine levels and duration of the infusion was examined. Rats receiving intravenous infusions of total parenteral nutrition had significantly higher (p less than 0.001) histamine levels in the hypothalamus than did orally-fed control rats. No difference was observed in the histamine level in the remainder of the brain. Animals receiving parenterally infused nutrient solutions had a higher histamine content in the kidneys but lower histamine levels in the stomach than did the control rats. No changes in the histamine content of liver or heart were observed. It appears that increases in histamine levels in the kidney and hypothalamus of rats given total parenteral nutrition persist up to 5 days and 9 days, respectively. The mechanisms responsible for and the consequences of the alterations of histamine content of these tissues remain to be established.     

Bidirectional diode gate: application as a neural spike enhancer

Summary An inexpensive instrument has been described that may be used to eliminate noise in low-level nerve recordings. This electronic manipulation of such signals increases the reliability of digitising or illustrating neural events while eliminating ambiguous noise levels.     

Damaged chromatin does not prevent the exit from metaphase I in fused mouse oocytes

The presence of checkpoint mechanisms which are able to recognize damaged chromatin and thereafter to prevent exit from metaphase I has been investigated in giant mouse oocytes produced by fusion of a normal metaphase I oocyte with an equivalent oocyte with damaged chromatin. The presence of damaged chromatin did not prevent the onset of anaphase I in both sets of chromatin in the fused cells. Interestingly, fused or unfused cells containing only damaged chromatin failed to enter anaphase and persisted instead in a metaphase-like state. These results demonstrate the fragility of checkpoint controls in mammalian female germ cells.      

Caucasian and Mexican American low‐income children's thoughts about vegetables and fruits

The objective of this study was to determine behavioral, personal, and environmental factors that influence low‐income children's fruit and vegetable intake. Focus group questions were developed using the social cognitive theory (SCT). Four Caucasian (27 children) and six Mexican American focus groups (30 children) were conducted. Mexican‐American children stated they had the ability to prepare vegetables and fruits whereas Caucasian children expressed they would rather have their parents do the preparation. This is an example of the behavioral capability construct of SCT. Both ethnic groups mentioned they did not know where vegetables and fruits were stored in the home and this is an environmental construct of SCT. Personal factors of the SCT included Caucasian children preferring to add peanut butter and Ranch dip to vegetables compared to Mexican‐American children preferring to add salt, lime, and chili to vegetables. Sweetness, sourness, juiciness, and crunchiness were seen as good characteristics. All focus groups perceived vegetables and fruits as healthy. All of these issues need to be considered when developing nutrition programming for children.     

Hypnotically induced deafness and delayed auditory feedback: A comparison of real and simulating subjects

Preliminary research indicates that hypnotically induced deafness may reduce the speech inhibiting effects of delayed auditory feedback (DAF). The present experiment was conducted to compare real and simulating hypnotic Ss with respect to the improvement in speech consequent to the suggestion of deafness. Results indicate very similar improvements of DAF speech for both real and simulating Ss. An incidental finding is that real Ss have longer simple reading times under hypnosis than do simulating Ss in this experiment.