Substance Abuse and Criminal Recidivism: A Prospective Study of Adolescents

Studies of substance abuse among delinquents have shown mixed results on criminal recidivism. The present study evaluates personality traits associated with substance abuse and recidivism among delinquent boys, and prospectively determines the extent to which these factors are predictive of criminal recidivism. 134 incarcerated boys ( = 15.9 ± 1.1) completed the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory and the Substance Abuse Screening Inventory. Youth were prospectively followed for up to 4.5 years following release. Among incarcerated delinquents, personality traits are predictive of a positive substance abuse screen and recidivism. A trend indicating a possible interaction between personality and treatment is observed. If these findings are replicated, personality traits may play a role in predicting substance abuse as well as individual delinquent responses to treatment.     

Effect ofO 6-benzylguanine on the response to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea in the Dunning R3327G model of prostatic cancer

The DNA-repair proteinO ⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase is known to protect tumor cells from the antitumor effects of carmustine (BCNU). This repair protein was inactivated in Copenhagen rat prostate tumors by treatment withO ⁶-benzylguanine in attempts to increase the effectiveness of BCNU therapy. The alkyltransferase activity in the liver, kidney, lung, and prostate of Copenhagen rats was 66, 37, 65, and 122 fmol/mg protein, respectively. The activity in the Dunning R3327G rat prostate tumor was found to be 129 and 126 fmol/mg protein from intact and castrated animals, respectively. The level of this protein remained low in the tissues and tumors of rats for up to 24 h and slowly began to rise at 36 h following an i. p. injection of 80 mg/kgO ⁶-benzylguanine. Animal survival and body weight as well as tumor volumes were monitored in rats bearing prostate tumors in the flank area that had received no treatment,O ⁶-benzylguanine alone, BCNU alone (5.5–60 mg/kg), or 80 mg/kgO ⁶-benzylguanine 1 h prior to BCNU (5.5 mg/kg). WhenO ⁶-benzylguanine was combined with BCNU therapy, there was a regression in tumor growth that was not observed in animals treated with an equal dose of BCNU alone. A similar regression in tumor growth was observed in animals treated with a higher dose of BCNU alone (45 mg/kg); however, this regimen was more toxic thanO ⁶-benzylguanine plus BCNU (5.5 mg/kg) as determined by animal weight loss. The mean weight loss observed in animal treated with BCNU alone and in those given the combination was 24% and 6%, respectively. Histopathology revealed that animals receiving either BCNU alone or the combination had a decrease in all types of bone marrow cells, a loss of intestinal crypts, and a decreased number of lymphocytes in the spleen. The enhancement of the antitumor effect on BCNU by pretreatment withO ⁶-benzylguanine supports a role for this therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer.Abbreviations AGT O ⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase - BCNU 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-l-nitrosourea     

Toxicity of phorbol esters for human epithelial cells expressing a mutant ras Oncogene

Phorbol esters and related compounds provide a promising source of potential anticancer agents. The mechanism of their toxicity, however, is unclear, and interpretation has been complicated by the conflicting responses exhibited by different transformed cell lines. Previously we showed that in primary thyroid follicular cells, expression of mutant p21^ras conferred a striking sensitivity to the toxic effects of phorbol esters. We have now extended this work using a thyroid cell line with an inducible mutant ras gene to exclude the possibility that this result was a trivial consequence of the marked growth stimulation induced in these cells by mutant p21^ras. Furthermore, by assessing the action of a panel of phorbol esters and a potential chemotherapeutic agent, bryostatin, we demonstrated that this phenomenon was only a function of biologically active phorbol esters. These results provide a molecular rationale for the development of phorbol ester analogues as chemotherapeutic agents.     

Magnesium sulphate in the treatment of eclampsia and pre-eclampsia: an overview of the evidence from randomised trials

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of magnesium sulphate in the treatment of eclampsia and pre-eclampsia by a systematic quantitative overview of controlled clinical trials.
Design Online searching of the MEDLINE database between 1966 and 1995, and scanning of the bibliography of known primary studies and review articles on the use of magnesium sulphate in eclampsia and pre-eclampsia. Study selection, study quality assessment and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers under masked conditions. Where possible outcome data from trials were pooled and summarised using the Mantel-Haenszel method.
Participants One thousand seven hundred and forty-three women with eclampsia and 2390 with pre-eclampsia included in nine randomised trials that evaluated the effects of magnesium sulphate.
Main outcome measures Seizure activity and maternal death.
Results In eclampsia, recurrence of seizures was less common with magnesium sulphate therapy compared with phenytoin (odds ratio [OR] 0.27, 95% CI 0.17.0.45,   P = 0.00  ) and diazepam (OR 0–41, 95% CI 0.30–0.57,   P = 0.00  ). As indicated by the point estimate, there was a trend towards a reduction in maternal mortality with magnesium sulphate in eclampsia (OR 0.51,95% CI 0.24–1.07,   P = 0.10  versus phenytoin; OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.41–1.45,   P = 0.52  versus diazepam). When used for seizure prophylaxis in pre-eclampsia, magnesium sulphate was found to be more effective than phenytoin (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03–0.72,   P = 0.01  ).
Conclusion Magnesium sulphate is a superior drug in preventing the recurrence of seizures in eclampsia and in seizure prophylaxis in pre-eclampsia.     

Preoperatively predicting non-home discharge after surgery for gynecologic malignancy

Objective

Returning home after surgery is a desirable patient-centered outcome associated with decreased costs compared to non-home discharge. Our objective was to develop a preoperative risk-scoring model predicting non-home discharge after surgery for gynecologic malignancy.

Anti-RNA polymerase I antibodies in the sera of MRL lupus mice at the initial stages of disease are directed primarily against phosphorylation-dependent epitopes.

Anti-RNA polymerase I (RPI) antibodies in the sera of MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr and MRL/Mp(-)+/+ mice, which develop an autoimmune disease similar to human systemic lupus erythematosus, were screened for reactivity with purified RPI or RPI which had been dephosphorylated. In every case (n = 10), dephosphorylation of RPI resulted in a significant decrease (33-95%) in antibody binding. The anti-RPI antibodies in the sera of the same mice approximately 6 weeks later also reacted better with untreated as compared to dephosphorylated RPI but, in every case, the decrease in antibody (0-30%) caused by dephosphorylation was substantially diminished. That the proportion of anti-RPI antibodies in the sera of MRL mice decreased with progression of lupus-like disease was confirmed by closely monitoring the antibodies over the course of disease. Anti-RPI antibodies produced at the earliest stages appeared to be directed almost exclusively against phosphorylation-dependent determinants since dephosphorylation of RPI essentially abolished antibody binding. Subsequently, the percentage of the total anti-RPI antibodies in the sera of these mice directed towards phosphorylation-independent epitopes increased linearly with time. The importance of phosphorylation-dependent epitopes on RPI for the development of the anti-RPI autoimmune response was supported by the observation that treatment of mice with alkaline phosphatase partially attenuated anti-RPI antibody production.