Neuropsychological profile of acute alcohol intoxication during ascending and descending blood alcohol concentrations.

Numerous studies have investigated the effects of alcohol on motor processes during rising and declining blood alcohol concentrations (BAC), however, relatively little research has examined the alcohol-induced impairment of cognitive performance on the two limbs of the BAC curve. This experiment administered a neuropsychological test battery to assess the degree to which rising and declining BACs during an acute dose of alcohol impair nine cognitive processes within an individual. In all, 20 healthy male social drinkers (university students) were assigned to one of two groups (n = 10) who received a beverage containing either 0.0 g/kg (placebo) or 0.65 g/kg alcohol and performed the test battery when BAC was increasing and was decreasing. Comparisons of alcohol and placebo groups revealed impairment (slower response and/or increased errors) in seven of the cognitive processes: long-term verbal memory; information processing; declarative memory; inhibitory control; short-term visual memory; long-term visual memory, and visual-spatial working memory. However, some processes were impaired only during rising BACs whereas the impairment of others during declining BACs was evident only by an increase in errors. These results show cognitive tasks performed by an individual are not similarly affected by rising and declining BACs, and call attention to the importance of assessing both speed and accuracy on both limbs of the BAC curve. The particular cognitive processes differentially affected by rising vs declining BACs raised the possibility that acute alcohol intoxication may impair one cerebral hemisphere to a greater degree than the other, and this could be explored by neuroimaging techniques.     

Apoptosis, necrosis and cell proliferation-inhibition by cyclosporine A in U937 cells (a human monocytic cell line).

The immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A (CsA) has been used in both organ transplantation and the treatment of autoimmune disorders. However, the drug causes adverse effects in the kidney, liver and nervous system, characterized by cellular loss in the affected area. Apoptosis has been shown to play a role in CsA-induced cytotoxicity. Because permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane is a common criterion in most apoptotic settings in vertebrate cells, here we evaluated whether CsA causes loss of mitochondrial function in the pathway leading to cellular cytotoxicity. We found that CsA caused a concentration- and time-dependent loss of cell viability in the U937 cell line. Treatment of cells at a dose of 10 microM CsA resulted in G0/G1 arrest with a concurrent decrease in the number of cells in the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. In mechanistic studies related to the loss of viability, treating cells with 10 microM CsA for 24 h resulted in both DNA fragmentation and an increase of annexin-V-positive cells. CsA treatment also increased activity of the cysteine protease caspase-3, decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and induced the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Furthermore, CsA treatment increased the number of cells in the sub-G0/G1 peak, indicative of a reduction in DNA, although this increase was not observed when cells were pre-treated with a broad caspase inhibitor. In the study, we also found that a higher dose of CsA induces LDH release when the cells were incubated for a longer period. Taken together, these data suggest that the mode of cell death induced by CsA is dose- and time-dependent. Short-term incubation with lower doses of CsA arrests cell growth; this arrest overlaps with the occurrence of apoptosis and then with necrosis after longer treatment periods with higher doses of CsA.     

A Multi-Level Analysis Examining how Smoking Friends, Parents, and Older Students in the School Environment are Risk Factors for Susceptibility to Smoking Among Non-Smoking Elementary School Youth

The purpose of this study was to examine how social models for smoking are related to smoking susceptibility among a sample of non-smoking elementary school students. The Tobacco Module of the School Health Action, Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES) was administered to 6,431 students (grades 6 to 8) in 57 elementary schools in the province of Ontario, Canada. Multi-level logistic regression analysis was used to examine how smoking friends, parents, and the prevalence of smoking among grade 8 students at a school were related to smoking susceptibility among the 2,478 non-smoking grade 6 and 7 students. Findings indicate that non-smoking grade 6 and 7 students are more likely to be susceptible to smoking if they have (a) smoking friends, (b) a mother who smokes, or (c) two or more close friends who smoke and attend a school with a relatively high smoking rate among the grade 8 students. Sub-populations of non-smoking youth may be at increased risk for smoking because of the elementary school they attend. Future school-based smoking prevention programs might benefit from targeting prevention programming activities to the schools that are putting students at the greatest risk for smoking.     

“It’s a Balancing Act!”: Exploring School/Work/Family Interface Issues Among Bilingual,Rural Nebraska,Paraprofessional Educators

Abstract: Nebraska’s rural school districts have a rapidly growing Spanish‐speaking student body and few qualified instructors to meet their educational needs. This investigation examined factors that promote and challenge the ability of rural Nebraska paraprofessional educators to complete an online B.S. program in elementary education, with a K‐12 English as a second language endorsement. Interviews focused on the interface between school, work, and family, with special attention on family system change and adaptation. Twenty‐six bilingual paraprofessional educators enrolled (or formerly enrolled) in the education program were interviewed. Twenty were first‐ (n= 15) or second‐generation (n= 5) immigrant Latino/as. Influences of program involvement on the marital and parent‐child relationships are discussed, as are implications for future work with unique populations.     

Velopharyngeal port status during classical singing.

PURPOSE: This investigation was undertaken to examine the status of the velopharyngeal (VP) port during classical singing. METHOD: Using aeromechanical instrumentation, nasal airflow (mL/s), oral pressure (cm H2O), and VP orifice area estimates (cm2) were studied in 10 classically trained sopranos during singing and speaking. Each participant sang and spoke 3 nonsense words-/hampa/, /himpi/, and /humpu/-at 3 loudness levels (loud vs. comfortable vs. soft) and 3 pitches (high vs. comfortable vs. low), using a within-subject experimental design including all possible combinations. RESULTS: In general, nasal airflow, oral pressure, and VP area estimates were significantly greater for singing as compared to speech, and nasal airflow was observed during non-nasal sounds in all participants. Anticipatory nasal airflow was observed in 9 of 10 participants for singing and speaking and was significantly greater during the first vowel in /hampa/ versus /himpi/ and /humpu/. The effect of vowel height on nasal airflow was also significantly influenced by loudness and pitch. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this investigation indicate that at least some trained singers experience regular VP opening during classical singing. Vowel height seems to influence this effect. Future research should consider the effects of voice type, gender, experience level, performance ability, and singing style on VP valving in singers.     

Pseudo-developmental glaucoma

A comprehensive classification of pseudo-developmental glaucoma with extensive bibliography is given. The author has stated that he does not have a significant financial interest or other relationship with any product manufacturer or provider of services discussed in this article. The author also does not discuss the use of off-label products, which includes unlabeled, unapproved, or investigative products or devices.