Hypnotists' associations: A consumer's confusion

Hypnosis is practiced by a wide variety of professionals and lay people. The consumer typically has little information on which to base a decision about the utilization of a hypnotist's services. Although there is currently little legal regulation of hypnosis, there are many associations of hypnotists that have a variety of requirements for membership. A survey of all hypnotists' associations that could be contacted in the major cities of the United States was conducted in order to describe the method and degree of regulation of hypnotists through membership in the associations. In addition, an overview of the qualities of associated hypnotists were described in terms of their practice of hypnosis, their education and training, and the titles they used. Recommendations are made for assuring quality control in the use of hypnosis.     

In vivo antimutagenic activity of beta-carotene in rat spleen lymphocytes

The anticarcinogenic effects of beta-carotene (BC) have beenextensively investigated, but only in vitro assays have examinedthe ability of BC to modulate gene mutation. In view of thecurrent interest in the provitamin as a cancer chemopreventiveagent, and the association between mutagenesis and carcinogenesis,we have dosed Fischer 344 rats with the model carcinogen N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea(ENU) and investigated the relationships among BC intake, itstissue accumulation, and antimutagen activity. Animals receiveddrinking water supplemented with BC at doses of 0–0.25%ad libitum, using three dosing schedules. In one group BC dosingcommenced before, and continued for three alternating weeksafter i.p. injection of 100 mg ENU/ kg; another group was givenBC only after mutagen treatment Animals from the first two groupswere sacrificed 5 weeks post-mutagen treatment, and cells wereisolated from the spleen to determine the frequency of 6-thioguanine-resistant(6-TG^r) T-lymphocytes. The presence of BC caused a reductionin the frequency of 6-TG^r T-cells produced by ENU, but the inhibitionwas non-linear within the range of BC doses used. BC intakeonly after mutagen treatment was more effective than the combinationof preand post-mutagen intake. In the third group, rats weretreated with 100 mg ENU/kg, and BC administration was continuedat a fixed dose of 0.15% in the drinking water for 2, 4, 6,or 8 weeks. Measurement of the frequency of 6-TG^r T-cells atthe end of the specified times showed >50% reduction in ENU-mediatedmutagenicity throughout the experiment. Analysis of BC levelsin the liver and in the spleen following BC intake before andduring mutagen exposure revealed higher levels than when BCwas given only after mutagen treatment. Continuous intake ofBC also showed increased tissue levels. There were some correlationsobserved between BC tissue levels and the antimutagenic effectsfor the first two groups, but these correlations were not statisticallysignificant, possibly due to the small numbers of animals used.Taken together, the results demonstrate that intact BC is absorbed,stored, and exerted antimutagenic effects against a chemicalcarcinogen in rats without first being transformed to retinolin the gastrointestinal tract.     

5'-Deoxy congeners of 9-(3-amido-3-deoxy-beta-D-xylofuranosyl)-N(6)-cyclopentyladenine: new adenosine A(1) receptor antagonists and inverse agonists

The synthesis and structure-activity relationship of N(6)-cyclopentyl-3'-substituted-xylofuranosyladenosine analogues with respect to various adenosine receptors were explored in order to identify selective and potent antagonists and inverse agonists for the adenosine A(1) receptor. In particular, the effects of removal of the 5'-OH group and introduction of selected substituents at the 3'-NH(2) position of 9-(3-amino-3-deoxy-beta-D-xylofuranosyl)-N(6)-cyclopentyladenine were probed. A solid phase-assisted synthetic approach was used to optimize the 3'-amide functionality. In view of the general concern of the presence of a 5'-OH moiety with regard to cellular toxicity, the present study describes 5'-deoxy compounds with reasonable affinity for the human adenosine A(1) receptor. Interestingly, this study shows that optimization of the 3'-"up" amide substituent can substantially compensate for the drop in affinity for the adenosine A(1) receptor, which is generally observed upon removal of the 5'-OH group. The fact that for several 3'-amido-substituted (5'-deoxy)-N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine derivatives, guanosine 5'-triphosphate-induced shifts in K(i) values were significantly lower than 1 implies that these analogues behave as inverse agonists. This is further supported by their 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine-like capacity to increase forskolin-induced adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate production.