The applicability and utility of the MMPI-based offender classification system in a correctional mental health unit

This study investigated the applicability and utility of Megargee and Bohn's MMPI-based offender classification system in correctional mental health units (MHUs). Previous studies found that 11 MHU samples (n = 1723) had substantially more offenders classified in the more pathological MMPI types than did 21 samples (n = 5881) drawn from general male populations in US prisons. In this study of 63 severely disturbed felons, 43% belonged to the most pathological type (‘group How’). Comparing MHU patients with general offenders from the same IvfIvIPI types on staff ratings and case history variables, we found that the MHU patients were significantly poorer in adjustment. Within the MHU sample, there was no difference in case history variables or adjustment ratings between those in the most and least severe MMPI types. These findings differed from those of studies using less severely disturbed, more heterogeneous, MHU populations. It was concluded that, in settings in which the entire population is flagrantly disturbed, the MMPI-based system is more useful in screening potential admissions than it is in making meaningful distinctions among those already admitted.     

Platelet satellitism: experimental studies

Platelet satellitism (PS), the in vitro phenomenon of platelets rosetting about nonlymphocytic leukocytes, is an uncommon and poorly understood finding reported in the ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA)-anticoagulated blood of patients with a wide variety of clinical conditions. This report presents experimental studies investigating the nature of this phenomenon by utilizing the blood of patients with platelet satellitism. Wet preparation studies and electron microscopy (transmission and scanning) demonstrated the morphologic sequences involved in the phenomenon, including eventual phagocytosis of platelets by neutrophils. The results of varying conditions such as time, temperature, and anticoagulant are described. All of five patients tested were found to have cryofibrinogenemia. Certain blood components from all of three patients tested were capable of inducing PS in normal whole blood, whereas components from normal subjects usually were not. In one patient (A), the PS-inducing capability appeared to be present in both plasma and platelets. In another patient (B) the PS-inducing capability was present in platelets (in both 1966 and 1975) and also in the cryosupernate of serum and plasma; among various antisera, antifibrinogen had the greatest ability to reduce the degree of PS in patient blood; addition of moderate amounts of CaCl2 and/or MgCl2 did not diminish the phenomenon; and two sisters and two daughters demonstrated no PS. In a third patient (C) the PS-inducing capability appeared to be largely concentrated in the cryoprecipitable fraction of plasma. These studies suggest that there are different factors in the patients' blood resulting in PS. Further studies showed PS could be induced in normal blood by adding certain nonprimate antihuman antisera (anti-IgM, antialbumin or antifibrinogen) and also by adding some preparations of normal washed platelets to the same individuals's normal whole blood. This indicates that the phenomenon of PS can be produced by factors other than those specifically present in patients with PS. Antigen-antibody complexes, either formed in vivo (mixed cryoglobulinemia) or in vitro, did not result in PS when mixed with normal blood. These and other studies suggest that PS can result from the presence of several different factors, usually proteins (in conjunction with EDTA), which probably attach to the surface of platelets apparently resulting in some alteration (such as change in surface charge) causing the platelets to be attracted to and phagocytosed by neutrophils.     

Progress in Rhesus Histocompatibility Typing Resulting from the Second International Nonhuman Primate Histocompatibility Workshop (1973)

The Second International Nonhuman Primate Histocompatibility Workshop permitted comparison of rhesus monkey alloantisera developd in various laboratories on a single common panel of related and unrelated monkeys. Analysis of the data permits the conclusion that at least nine specificities are recognized by more than one laboratory, including six at the first locus and three at the second locus.     

Inhibition of the Mixed Lymphocyte Culture Response by Antibody Following Successful Human Renal Transplantation

Immunoglobulin G, appearing after several months in the serum of a recipient of a successful kidney transplant from a closely matched sibling donor, was demonstrated to progressively inhibit unidirectional mixed lymphocyte cultures when donor lymphocytes were used either in responding or stimulating cell populations. The active recipient IgG had no effect in cultures in which donor cells were not used, nor did IgG obtained from other individuals show nonspecific inhibitory effects on cultures containing donor cells. It is suggested that the MLC inhibitory immunoglobulin may serve an immunoregulatory function after renal transplantation.     

Total serum IgD is increased in atopic subjects

We have developed a sandwich-type ELISA system for measuring total IgD levels in the serum of atopics and non-atopic controls. In this ELISA system, affinity purified goat anti-human IgD was used for capture. Results were superior to those obtained with monoclonal anti-human IgD antibody. No cross-reactivity could be demonstrated to IgG, IgM, IgA or IgE. The assay showed minimal non-specific binding even with initial serum dilutions of 1:2. The results obtained were reproducible among replicates (Mean CV +/- SEM = 0.03 +/- 0.002; n = 251), between dilutions (CV = 0.08 +/- 0.006; n = 108), and between assays (CV = 0.05 +/- 0.12; n = 5). We used routine radioimmunoassay for measuring total serum IgE. Using these assays total serum IgD and IgE levels were measured in 75 atopic patients and 33 normal subjects. None of the atopics had recent immunotherapy. As expected, the geometric mean serum IgE in atopics (373 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that in normal subjects (49 ng/ml) (P less than 0.01). However, geometric mean serum IgD was also significantly higher in atopics (20.3 micrograms/ml) than that in normal subjects (8.4 micrograms/ml) (P less than 0.02). In both atopic and normal groups, mean serum IgD level did not differ significantly on the bases of age, sex or asthmatic status. Furthermore, total serum IgD was not significantly correlated with total serum IgE (r = 0.14; P = 0.14; n = 108), indicating that immunoregulatory control of the basal levels of the two isotypes is not linked.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mouse homologues of the human AZF candidate gene RBM are expressed in spermatogonia and spermatids, and map to a Y chromosome deletion interval associated with a high incidence of sperm abnormalities

An RNA-binding motif (RBM) gene family has been identified on the human Y chromosome that maps to the same deletion interval as the 'azoospermia factor' (AZF). We have identified the homologous gene family (Rbm) on the mouse Y with a view to investigating the proposal that this gene family plays a role in spermatogenesis. At least 25 and probably >50 copies of Rbm are present on the mouse Y chromosome short arm located between Sry and the centromere. As in the human, a role in spermatogenesis is indicated by a germ cell-specific pattern of expression in the testis, but there are distinct differences in the pattern of expression between the two species. Mice carrying the deletion Yd1, that maps to the proximal Y short arm, are female due to a position effect resulting in non-expression of Sry ; sex-reversing such mice with an Sry transgene produces males with a high incidence of abnormal sperm, making this the third deletion interval on the mouse Y that affects some aspect of spermatogenesis. Most of the copies of Rbm map to this deletion interval, and the Yd1males have markedly reduced Rbm expression, suggesting that RBM deficiency may be responsible for, or contribute to, the abnormal sperm development. In man, deletion of the functional copies of RBM is associated with meiotic arrest rather than sperm anomalies; however, the different effects of deletion are consistent with the differences in expression between the two species.