Reliability of force/displacement measures in a clinical device designed to measure ligamentous laxity at the knee

This research was supported by a grant from The Foundation for Physical Therapy, Alexandria, VA. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of a quantitative measure of knee ligament laxity in vivo. The testing device simultaneously measures applied forces and resulting displacement at the knee through use of a multidimensional electrogoniometer, dynamometer, and a computer-assisted analysis system. Subjects were 30 females and 20 males, ranging in age from 18-32 years. Laxity tests were performed in the anterior/posterior (A/P) plane at 90 and 30 degrees of knee flexion, and the varus/valgus (V/V) plane at 20 and 0 degrees of knee flexion. Test-retest (N = 41) and intertester (N = 18) repeatability was assessed in all test positions by ANOVA and by coefficients of correlation and variability. No significant differences were found within testers for A/P or V/V tests 1 week apart at any angle tested. There were significant differences between testers for A/P and V/V tests. No significant differences were found between left and right sides, or between male/female values. Comparisons to other in vitro and in vivo studies are made. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1989;10(11):441-447.     

创伤病人的手术与焦虑状态调查

采用状态——特质焦虑问卷及１０项躯体性焦虑测试题，对４０例外科创伤病人手术前后的焦虑状态调查显示：术前状态焦虑量表评分显著高于术后；术前躯体性焦虑评分显著高于术后；高特质焦虑评分亚组与低特质焦虑评分亚组术前状态焦虑评分无显著差异，但术后则前者显著高于后者；急诊手术者手术前后状态焦虑评分显著高于择期手术者。     

The Relationship Between Exercise Motives and Physical Self‐Esteem in Female Exercise Participants: An Application of Self‐Determination Theory1

This study examined the relationship between exercise motives and physical self‐esteem (PSE) in physically active females using Self‐Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1995; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Female exercise participants recruited from university‐based exercise classes reported their motives for exercise during Week 2, and their levels of PSE during Week 12, of a 15‐week exercise class. Bivariate correlations indicated that exercise motives displayed a graded pattern of relationships. They also suggested that only autonomous exercise motives were associated with higher PSE. Discriminant function analysis revealed that more autonomous exercise motives correctly classified 83.3% of the high PSE group and 88.9% of the low PSE group. These findings support Ryan and Deci's assertions and suggest that autonomous exercise motives may play an important role in positive PSE in the exercise domain. These findings advance the application of SDT in the exercise domain and further our understanding of PSE development.     

Comparisons between direct microscopic and cultural methods for recognition of Corynebacterium vaginale in women with vaginitis.

The frequency with which clue cells could be detected in Gram-stained vaginal smears and/or cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) smears was compared with the frequency of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis) isolation in a group of 236 female patients, of whom 221 had vaginitis. Vaginal clue cells were found most often in women from whom C. vaginale was isolated (P = 0.00006) whereas, conversely, clue cells in cervical Pap smears were reported more frequently in women with negative cultures for this organism (P = 0.006). C. vaginale isolations were made more frequently from women with both vaginal and cervical clue cells reported (P = 0.000088). However, the combined false positive-false negative vaginal clue cell rate in the patients studied was 36.5%. Neither the detection of vaginal clue cells nor the isolation of C. vaginale was significantly affected by whether or not patients had trichomoniasis (P = 0.25). Trichomonas vaginalis detection in cervical Pap smears and vaginal isolation were related (P = 0.00005), whereas the same relationship was not significant for fungi (P = greater than 0.05).     

Are the analgesic effects of social defeat mediated by benzodiazepine receptors?

Social conflict in mice is associated with at least two forms of analgesia. A long-lasting opioid reaction is evident in intruder mice exposed to prolonged attack, whilst an acute non-opioid analgesia is seen in response to either defeat experience per se or the territorial scent-marking of an aggressive conspecific. Recent work from this laboratory has suggested that the non-opioid analgesic reaction to defeat experience may be mediated via benzodiazepine receptor mechanisms. The present studies were designed to further test this tentative hypothesis. Results confirmed that defeat analgesia is dose-dependently blocked by Ro15-1788 (20-40 mg/kg) and diazepam (2-4 mg/kg), and also indicated partial antagonism of the reaction by CGS8216 (2.5 mg/kg). The partial agonists CGS9896 (2.5-20 mg/kg) and ZK91296 (2.5-20 mg/kg) were ineffective in blocking the reaction, a finding also obtained with the full agonist ZK93423 (0.05-10 mg/kg). However, the antagonist/weak inverse agonist ZK93426 was found to possess significant intrinsic analgesic activity (10 mg/kg) and to enhance defeat analgesia (5-10 mg/kg). Although several interpretative frameworks for the current pharmacological profile are considered, it is concluded that full clarification of the substrates of defeat analgesia must await further investigations.     

COMT and DRD3 polymorphisms, environmental exposures, and personality traits related to common mental disorders

In a community sample of 2,327 Caucasians, we tested the hypotheses that polymorphisms in the COMT and DRD3 genes are associated with personality traits conferring vulnerability to anxiety, depression, or alcohol misuse, or with current symptoms of these; and that the association is stronger in persons who also have been exposed to stressor experiences. To conserve resources and to allow replication, the genetic analysis was undertaken in two stages. For the COMT polymorphism, no statistically significant associations were found in the first sample of 862 persons. The remainder of the sample was therefore not analysed for that gene. For the DRD3 polymorphism, those in the first sample with at least one of the Ser(9) alleles had significantly higher scores in neuroticism (p=0.006) and behavioral inhibition (p=0.003). There was a trend, failing to meet the 1% significance criterion, for those with this genotype also to have higher depression and anxiety. The groups did not differ in alcohol use. In persons with the Ser(9) allele who were also exposed to stressors, there was a higher level of depression at the 5% level; and the depression level was higher in homozygotes. But when the remainder of the sample (1,465) was analysed, none of the associations reached statistical significance. We conclude that neither the COMT nor DRD3 polymorphisms are associated with anxiety, depression, or alcohol abuse. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:102-107, 2000 Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Comparative baseline levels of mercury, Hsp 70 and Hsp 60 in subsistence fish from the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta region of Alaska

In subsistence fish; northern pike (Esox lucius), burbot (Lota lota), whitefish (Coregonus nelsoni), grayling (Thymallus arcticus) and sheefish (Stenodus lencichthys), we determined the Hsp 60 and Hsp 70 levels in 31 samples from adult fish gills. A dot-blot analysis using antibodies to either Hsp 70 or Hsp 60 showed the average Hsp 70 concentration was 9.1 microg/mg protein, while the average Hsp 60 concentration was 147.4 microg/mg protein. Mercury levels in muscle tissue in these fish averaged 0.382 ppm. Using a subset of samples (n = 24), we determined that the major component in the muscle of Alaskan subsistence fish was methyl mercury. No correlation was observed between Hsp 60 or Hsp 70 expression in gill tissue and mercury concentrations in muscle tissue. Hsp 60 and Hsp 70 protein levels in the gills were correlated.     

Age group differences in psychological distress: the role of psychosocial risk factors that vary with age

BACKGROUND: There is continuing controversy about how age affects depression and anxiety, with a lack of consistent results across studies. Two reasons for this inconsistency are age bias in measures and different patterns of exposure to risk factors across age groups in various studies. METHOD: Data on anxiety and depression symptoms were collected in a community survey of 7485 persons aged 20-24, 40-44 or 60-64 years. These measures were investigated for factorial invariance across age groups. Data were also collected on a wide range of potential risk factors, including social, physical health and personal factors, with the aim of determining whether these factors might partly or wholly account for age group differences. RESULTS: The invariance of correlated latent factors representing anxiety and depression was examined across age groups, and a generalized measure of psychological distress was computed. Depression, anxiety and psychological distress showed a decline across age groups for females and a decline from 40-44 to 60-64 years for males. Some of these age differences were accounted for by other risk factors, with the most important being recent crises at work and negative social relationships with family and friends. CONCLUSION: Psychological distress generally declined across the age range 20-64 years and this was not attributable to measurement bias. Differential exposure to risk factors explained some, but not all, of the age group difference. Therefore other mechanisms that explain the lower level of distress in older age groups remain to be identified.