Neural cell adhesion molecules, CaM kinase II and long-term memory in the chick

The intermediate and medial hyperstriatum ventrale (IMHV) of the chick brain is a site of recognition memory for filial imprinting. Previous results have demonstrated learning-related changes in the amounts of the three major isoforms of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) in the left IMHV. The increases were present 24 h after training. The present study enquired whether the increases persisted and were present 48 h after training. The brain regions analysed were the left and right IMHV and the left and right hyperstriatum accessorium (HA), a visual projection area. The alpha-subunit of calcium/calmodulin protein kinase II (CaMKIIalpha) was also assayed. There were significant correlations between a measure of the strength of learning and the amount of NCAM 180 in the right IMHV (r = +0.65; p = 0.012) but not in the left, and in the left HA (r = -0.61; p = 0.02), but not in the right. There were no learning-related changes for CaMKIIalpha. We conclude that in IMHV the effects of imprinting on NCAM 180 are expressed mainly in the left IMHV 24 h after training, but 48 h after training are expressed mainly in the right IMHV.     

Amphetamine-induced anorexia: analysis with hypothalamic lesions and knife cuts

The present study examined the hypotheses that the midlateral perifornical region of the hypothalamus (PFH), at the level of the ventromedial nucleus, plays a crucial role in amphetamine (AMPH)-induced anorexia and that mediating fibers ascending to this brain region follow a midlateral course through the caudal hypothalamus. Electrolytic lesions that destroyed the PFH region attenuated the feeding suppression induced by intraperitoneal administration of AMPH. Lesions placed anterior, dorsal, or medial to this region, in contrast, did not decrease AMPH's effect. The medially-placed paraventricular nucleus lesion, in fact, enhanced drug response. Midlateral coronal wire-knife cuts in the caudal hypothalamus also attenuated AMPH anorexia. The crucial midlateral caudal hypothalamic cut also disrupted anorexia induced by direct injection of AMPH into the PFH area. The results obtained from the lesion data support the hypothesis that the PFH region is essential to AMPH's suppressive effect upon feeding, and the KC data suggest that crucial catecholamine fibers mediating this drug response ascend specifically through the midlateral portion of the hypothalamus.     

Cross‐sector emergency planning for water supply utilities and healthcare facilities

The purpose of this article is to outline the criticality of water supply in sustained operations of healthcare facilities, particularly during community emergencies, and to advocate for enhanced cross‐sector support from the water utilities in meeting this need. Information and ideas presented here were developed in the course of a regional project sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) for development of emergency water supply operations plans for critical water uses in the Washington, DC, area.     

Measuring health outcomes of adolescents: report from a pilot study

There is a need to understand the practicality, validity and reliability of using utility measures with children and adolescents. We designed a pilot study in order to help guide the selection of an appropriate health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) questionnaire for adolescents to be used in the context of a large randomised controlled trial (RCT) of family therapy versus standard treatment for adolescents aged 11–17 years. The pilot study was carried out on a school sample of adolescents in the same age range as the RCT. Adolescents were asked to fill in three HRQoL questionnaires: the standard EQ-5D, the licensed Health Utilities Index HUI, and the child-friendly version of the standard EQ-5D: the EQ-5D for youth (EQ-5D-Y). This report explores the problems with the language and concepts embodied within those HRQoL questionnaires and open discussion regarding how we can value the health of adolescents for cost-utility analysis in a larger study.     

Characteristics of Suicide from 1998–2001 in a Metropolitan Area

In order to establish effective suicide preventive programs, it is important to know the etiologic factors and causal relationships between suicide and behavior. Coroner data was analyzed for the 468 suicides that occurred in Indianapolis, Indiana during 1998–2001. The age-adjusted suicide rate was 14.08 per 100,000. Almost one-half of the victims had a mental illness and 26% had a history of alcohol/substance abuse. The leading risk factors for suicide were age, impaired health, psychosocial stressors, and access to firearms. This information can be used by health departments and mental health professionals to help reduce suicide.