The effect of lithium on amphetamine-induced locomotor stimulation

Rats were treated chronically with -methyl-p-tyrosine methyl-ester HCl (-MT) twice daily for 0–14 days. At 1 h after the (last) -MT injection, d-amphetamine sulphate was given and motor activity was measured in an ANIMEX activity meter for 4 h. Amphetamine-induced excitatory and stereotyped behaviour was scored according to a rating scale in a separate experiment. A single dose of -MT markedly reduced the activity response after amphetamine. After 1–3 days of -MT treatment, tolerance to its amphetamine-antagonistic affect started to develop, reaching a maximal degree after 7–14 days. The pattern of the amphetamine response, monophasic in control rats, became biphasic in the -MT tolerant rats with an early (at 0–1 h) and a late (2–4 h) peak of motor activity. The late peak appeared within 3 days, while the early peak appeared after 7 days of -MT treatment. The results on amphetamine-induced excitatory and stereotyped behaviour in essence agreed with the motor-activity data. It is concluded that tolerance to the amphetamine-antagonistic action of -MT is not complete. Its rate of development varies in a complex pattern, indicating the presence of more than one mechanism of tolerance.     

Validierung eines klinischen Routine-Systems zur computerisierten Erstellung von MMPI-Befunden bei psychiatrischen Patienten

Zusammenfassung Das MMPI-Interpretationssystem von Lachar (1974), das gegenüber den bisher verfügbaren Systemen eine Reihe von Vorteilen aufweist, wurde in einer deutschen Version an 1190 stationären psychiatrischen Patienten auf seine Gültigkeit hin untersucht. Von den 153 Texten der Interpretationsbibliothek wurden diejenigen 114 Texte, die voneinander unabhängige Merkmale eines MMPI-Profils interpretieren, bei jedem Vorkommen im Einzelfall von dem behandelnden Psychiater hinsichtlich der interpretativen Treffsicherheit beurteilt. Im Durchschnitt wurden von jeweils 100 Texten 83 als zutreffend bezeichnet. Bei der Analyse der einzelnen Programmteile zeigte sich, daß die Treffsicherheit bei psychopathologisch auffälligen MMPI-Profilen wesentlich höher war als bei Profilen im Normbereich. Die in dieser Untersuchung gefundenen Trefferraten korrelierten hoch mit denen der amerikanischen Originaluntersuchung, was die spezifische und replizierbare Gültigkeit der einzelnen Texte bestätigt. Das vorliegende Interpretationssystem bietet damit auf der Grundlage des MMPI eine Persönlichkeitsbeschreibung, für die in verschiedenen psychiatrischen Einsatzbereichen und verschiedenen Sprachen eine gute interpretative Treffsicherheit im Einzelfall nachgewiesen ist.Eine frühere Fassung dieser Arbeit wurde auf dem 31. Kongreß der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie in Mannheim vorgetragen. Ich danke Frau Dipl. Psych. Kornelia Zangl und Frau Dr. Pola Engel-Sittenfeld für ihre Hilfe bei der Übersetzung der Interpretationstexte. Langjährige wertvolle Mitarbeit haben Frau Irmtraud Reinhold bei der Testdurchführung, Frau Gabi Kunze bei der Programmierung des Interpretationssystems und bei der Verarbeitung der Daten geleistet     

Locomotor activity and catecholamine receptor binding in adult normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats

Summary The binding of³H-WB 4101, an ₁-adrenoceptor antagonist, to membranes of the cerebral cortex, the hypothalamus, and the lower brainstem was examined in adult spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats and in normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WK) controls. The specific binding of³H-WB 4101 (0.33 nM) was significantly higher in homogenates from the cerebral cortex of SH rats as compared to WK rats. No differences were detected between SH and WK rats in the specific binding of³H-spiroperidol (0.25 nM), a dopamine receptor antagonist, to membranes from the corpus striatum and the limbic forebrain. The locomotor activity was significantly higher in SH rats as compared to WK controls, in all probability due to a lack of habituation to environmental change. It is suggested that the high reactivity of SH rats is related to a dysfunction in the noradrenergic neurons in the central nervous system.     

Research approaches in health professions education: problems and prospects

Research in health professions education has been dominated by a research paradigm emphasizing controlled experimentation. Widespread criticism has been voiced by leaders in the research community concerning the adequacy of the paradigm to deal with complex human behavior occurring in complex social environments. This article is concerned with exploring the implications of controlled studies for health professions education and proposing an alternative research strategy.     

Quantitative analysis of a licensing examination using adverse impact

Does licensure restrict entry fairly, or does it serve as a discriminatory barrier for minorities? The use of the concept of adverse impact, a legally mandated, quantitative tool to assess selection procedures, is a useful mechanism to make such determinations. The results of a study in Michigan of the nursing examination for licensure show how adverse impact may be used. The implications of the outcome of the adverse impact study weigh heavily not only on the nursing examination but also on the use of such tools in other health professions.     

The effect of bipolar electrosurgical coagulation waveform on a rat uterine model of fallopian tube sterilization

Laparoscopic bipolar electrosurgical sterilization has been employed for nearly two decades. This bipolar procedure was intended to reduce the incidence of unintended complications, such as bowel burns. However, compared to the monopolar procedure, it produced a higher failure rate. This study examines the role of the low power-high voltage coagulation waveform on the effectiveness of electrosurgical desiccation on the rat uterine model of the fallopian tube. Desiccations were performed with both Kleppinger and Storz forceps using generator settings from 2 to 6. Desiccations performed to the visual endpoint (blanch, swell, and collapse) required from 23.8 to 30.0 joules, although procedures performed at a generator setting of 2 required long application times, an average 15.4 sec (Storz) and 28.2 (Kleppinger). All bipolar procedures led to a loss of tissue at the desiccation site at 12 weeks postsurgery. Therefore, the electrosurgical coagulation waveform proved to be effective in producing adequate in vivo tissue destruction even at very low generator settings.     

Expression of 65-kd heat shock proteins in the inflammatory myopathies.

In normal muscle, 65-kd heat shock proteins (hsp) were detected on capillary endothelial cells, the mural elements of larger vessels, and some intracellular organelles, probably mitochondria. In the inflammatory myopathies, the 65-kd hsp were detected on inflammatory cells, degenerating and regenerating fibers, and on many but not all nonnecrotic muscle fibers invaded by T cells. The expression of the 65-kd hsp may be an immune-nonspecific response to cellular "stress," but hsp determinants could possibly also serve as autoantigen(s) recognized by autoreactive T cells.