Behavioral and EEG responses to alcohol in nonalcoholic men with a family history of alcoholism

1. 1. Behavioral and EEG responses were examined in nonalcoholic males with (FH+) and without (FH-) a family history of alcoholism following the consumption of a placebo and real beer.

2. 2. FH+ subjects were less confident of being able to resist another drink following consumption of the placebo and reported higher taste ratings and feeling more intoxicated following ethanol consumption than FH- subjects.

3. 3. Both groups showed increases in EEG alpha activity (9–12Hz) following alcohol consumption.4. Alpha activity was positively associated with desire to drink in the FH+ group before and after consumption, but was positively associated with perceived intoxication in the FH- group only after consumption.

Continuing evolution of the pelvic pouch procedure.

The results of the pelvic pouch procedure were reviewed to assess the surgical complication rate and outcome of patients who had had the procedure performed with a stapled ileo-anal anastomosis with and without a defunctioning ileostomy. Between December 1982 and March 1992, 483 patients underwent a pelvic pouch (PP) procedure. Patients were divided into three groups: group I consisted of 325 patients (178 men and boys and 147 women and girls) who underwent a PP procedure with a handsewn ileoanal anastomosis (IAA) with a defunctioning loop ileostomy. In group II, there were 87 patients (47 men and boys and 40 women and girls) who had a stapled IAA with a defunctioning ileostomy. Group III patients consisted of 71 patients (43 men and boys and 28 women and girls) who had a stapled IAA with no covering ileostomy. Assessment was made of the IAA leak rate, the surgical complications, the reoperation rate, and functional outcome. Early surgical complications included 40 (12%) IAA leaks in group I patients compared with only six (7%) leaks in group II patients who had a stapled IAA (p < 0.05). In group III patients, who had a stapled IAA but no covering ileostomy, there were 13 leaks (18%). Eleven of these 13 leaks healed spontaneously with tube drainage; one patient remains with a rectal tube in place 6 weeks after operation, and only one patient has required a reoperation (defunctioning ileostomy). Functionally, all patients with a healed IAA after a leak have had an excellent result comparable to those without a leak. Patients who were male, older than age 40, on steroids, and had had a true one-stage PP procedure, had a greater risk of developing an IAA leak. In two patients, there was intraoperative difficulty, and one of these patients had an IAA leak after operation. Disease activity at the resection margin and patient weight did not affect the leak rate. Our results suggest that the IAA leak rate is significantly reduced in patients with a stapled IAA with an ileostomy compared with those with a handsewn IAA. Omission of the defunctioning ileostomy is associated with a higher IAA leak rate, but spontaneous healing occurs in almost all patients without impairment of functional results. In patients in whom the ileostomy is omitted, the IAA leak rate is greatest in male patients who have undergone a true one-stage PP procedure, are on steroids, and are older than age 40.     

Reduced P3 amplitudes are associated with both a family history of alcoholism and antisocial personality disorder

1. 1. Previous research has demonstrated that the amplitude of the P3 component of the event-related electroencephalographic potential (ERP) is influenced by the presence/absence of a family history of alcoholism (FHA). The present study extended this line of research by examining the P3 effects of both FHA and antisocial personality disorder (ASP) in a 2 × 2 factorial design.

2. 2. The task required subjects to judge the orientation of an infrequently-occurring outline drawing, representing an aerial view of a human head.

3. 3. Analyses of P3 amplitudes elicited by this drawing revealed reductions attributable to the effects of both FHA and ASP, but not their interaction. These effects were most apparent at frontal electrode sites. Analyses of P3 latency revealed no consistent pattern of findings. However, the interval between P3 and manual reaction time was shorter in the ASP+ group relative to the ASP- group.

Noradrenergic innervation of human pineal gland: abnormalities in aging and Alzheimer''s disease

Using previously characterized polyclonal antibody directed against dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), immunoreactive fibers were demonstrable in pineals of 6 controls of various ages and of 3 individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Abnormal, swollen axons were present in pineals from aged individuals and from individuals with AD. The pathology of noradrenergic axons in a structure innervated by the superior cervical ganglion suggests that peripheral noradrenergic systems may be affected in aging and in AD.     

Colonic capacitance and transit in man: modulation by luminal contents and drugs.

We have examined whether the human colon is able to adapt its capacity to receive fluid, specifically, whether the caecum and ascending colon ('right colon') exhibited any reservoir function. Healthy volunteers had the caecum intubated from above with a device that permitted intraluminal pressures to be recorded while fluids were instilled into the caecum. Perfusates contained 99mTc-DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) and volumes of the right colon were determined by two plane scintigraphy using gamma cameras. Different individuals received caecal infusions of 154 mM NaC1 (saline), an emulsion of oleic acid (with bile acids and lecithin) or a 100 mM solution of mixed short chain fatty acids. Each person was pretreated by intravenous saline (placebo), morphine sulphate (100 micrograms/kg) or naloxone (5.5 mg as a bolus, followed by 10 micrograms/kg/min). Volumes of the right colon were smallest during oleic acid infusion; morphine reversed the effect of luminal fat and allowed the colon to accommodate larger volumes. Transit from the right colon was more rapid for the emulsion of oleic acid than it was for saline or solutions of mixed short chain fatty acids. We conclude that the right colon may act as a reservoir and that this function can be modified by the nature of the contents and by pharmacological agents.     

Vertebral bone density in children: effect of puberty

To determine changes in bone density during growth, trabecular vertebral density and an index of spinal cortical bone were measured with quantitative computed tomography in 101 children. The children were divided by age into three groups: prepubertal, indeterminate, and pubertal. Compared with prepubertal children, pubertal adolescents had significantly higher trabecular bone density and more compact bone in the spine (P less than .001). After controlling for puberty, vertebral bone density failed to correlate significantly with age, sex, weight, height, surface area, and body mass index. The results indicate that bone density increases markedly during puberty.