Programming life histories: Effects of maternal and environmental variables upon open-field behavior

Open-field behavior was studied as a function of three classes of variables: maternal characteristics, rearing environment, and sexual experience. Mothers of experimental subjects were either handled or nonhandled in infancy. Subjects were born and reared to weaning either in maternit cages or in Hebb-type free environments and were placed after weaning into either a laboratory cage or free enviroment. Sexual experience consisted either of bearing and raising a litter or no sexual experience. The results confirmed previous findings that offspring of mothers handled in infancy arc significantly less active in the open field than the offspring of nonhandled mothers. The maternal handling variable also interacted significantly with breeding experience: for rats which had not been bred, those raised by nonhandled mothers were more active than those raised by handled mothers; for females with breeding experience the reverse was true. Overall, thosc femalcs which had reared a litter were more active and defecated more than their nonbred littermates.     

Housing and house-dust mites

Because the mite-allergen content in homes is highly variable even in the same geographic area, we tried to determine which variables influence mite infestation. We evaluated mite-allergen content in bedding relative to housing conditions and living habits. This cross-sectional study included 108 homes. Housing conditions were assessed by an architect and living habits by a researcher specialized in social and family economics. Group I allergen level was measured on the mattress dust with monoclonal antibodies, and relative humidity (RH) was monitored in the bedroom during a 2-week period. Homes with low RH did have low mite-allergen content. In contrast, homes with intermediate RH levels had very variable mite-allergen content. Using analysis of variance and a logistic regression analysis, we were unable to identify any variable predictive of mite-allergen content. Thus, factors other than relative humidity seem to influence mite infestation. Moreover, the absence of association between mite infestation and ventilation rate might be accounted for by the gentle climate in our area with notable outdoor RH.     

医院图书馆数字化学习环境建设初探

因为数字化学习环境是未来图书馆事业的发展趋势,文章从图书馆数字化学习环境的内涵开始,分析了医院图书馆数字化学习环境建设的必要性及其现实的可行性,提出了图书馆软件环境和硬件环境的建设及两者的有机结合是医院图书馆数字化学习环境建设的重要保障。     

Concentrations of domestic mite and pet allergens and endotoxin in Palestine

BACKGROUND: A few studies have compared indoor allergens and endotoxin levels between urban and rural settings as important determinants for asthma and atopy in children. However, no study was done in the Middle East or investigated refugee camps. METHODS: As part of a nested case-control study in Ramallah in 2001, we measured house dust mite and pet allergens, as well as endotoxin in dust collected from 110 children's mattresses and living room floors. RESULTS: Geometric mean (GM) concentrations of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p1) antigen were 4.48 microg/g in mattress dust and 1.23 microg/g floor dust. The highest Der p1 levels were seen in refugee camps. Concentrations of Dermatophagoides farinae antigen (Der f1) were much lower (<0.08 microg/g dust). Concentrations of cat allergen (Fel d1) were highest in villages, and those of dog allergen (Can f1) were highest in mattresses from cities and in floor dust from refugee camps. GM of endotoxin levels were 25.7 EU/mg in mattress dust and 49 EU/mg dust in floor dust. CONCLUSIONS: Concentrations of Der p1 were high compared to Western European countries, but were lower compared to UK and Australia. Levels of pet allergens were lower than in Western Europe. Endotoxin levels were higher compared to developed countries. Indoor environmental factors such as dampness seemed to be important determinants for allergen and endotoxin, but living habits such as lack of mattress cover appeared unimportant.     

Prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and allergic sensitization in Mongolia

BACKGROUND: Studies in countries, such as Mongolia, which are in transition from farming to industrial society permit evaluation of the impact of environmental change on atopic diseases. METHODS: In the screening study, questionnaire data were obtained from 9453 subjects aged 10-60 years. In the clinical study, a subsample of 869 subjects (participation rate 50.0%) was examined. A questionnaire-based interview, clinical examination, skin prick tests, spirometry and bronchodilation test or methacholine challenge test were used to define the clinical diagnoses. The prevalences of atopic diseases were evaluated at the population level using two-phase data and sampling weights. RESULTS: The prevalences of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and allergic sensitization with 95% confidence intervals were 1.1% (0.3-2.0%), 9.3% (4.0-14.6%) and 13.6% (7.4-19.9%) in Mongolian villages, 2.4% (1.4-3.5%), 12.9% (8.2-17.7%) and 25.3% (17.1-33.6%) in rural towns and 2.1% (1.3-3.0%), 18.4% (13.3-23.4%) and 31.0% (24.5-37.5%) in Ulaanbaatar city, respectively. The prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (P = 0.02) and allergic sensitization (P = 0.003) increased significantly with increasing urbanization. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalences of atopic diseases were low in rural Mongolia and increased with increasing urbanization suggesting that rural living environment protects against atopy.     

Stress and dental caries in the rat

The stress of crowding and exposure to inescapable electric shock increased both the incidence and the severity of dental caries in rats housed in a conventional animal facility. Male Osborne-Mendel rats were inoculated intraorally with cariogenic bacteria, fed a high-sucrose diet, and housed in either a conventional or a sheltered facility. Rats in both housing conditions were subdivided into control and stress groups. At the end of the 56-day trial period, stressed rats from conventional housing had a significant increase in both incidence and severity of dental caries in comparison to their controls. In contrast, stressed rats from sheltered housing had a trend toward increased cariogenesis which reached significance in only one of five scores. These rats also failed to gain weight comparable to their controls, making it possible that stress-induced reduction in appetite partially offset stress-induced exacerbation in cariogenesis.This investigation was supported in part by the following Grants from the United States Public Health Service: CA 20093, HL 22727, and HL 07374.     

Heredity-environment analyses of Jencks's IQ correlations

Three different published heredity-environment analyses of Jencks's summary correlations for IQ have yielded strikingly different results. It is shown empirically that differences in selection of data and in computational procedures and logical inconsistencies in specifying equations are not responsible for the differences in results. Rather, the differences trace to the underlying assumptions made by the various authors. The analyses suggest that the assumptions concerning genetic dominance, assortative mating, and special twin environments were especially critical, while those regarding selective placement and different modes of environmental transmission were not.     

A pilot study of the effect of mechanical ventilation and heat exchange on house-dust mites and Der p 1 in New Zealand homes

We have examined the effect of reducing relative humidity (RH), with inbuilt mechanical ventilation and heat-exchange (MVHE) units, on house-dust- mite (HDM) counts and allergen levels, in a pilot study of 10 Wellington dwellings. Recent international prevalence studies in adults and children have confirmed a high prevalence of asthma in New Zealand, Sensitivity to HDM is common among the general population, and HDM is the major allergen associated with asthma. Recent studies of allergen levels have confirmed high concentrations of Der p 1 in the domestic environment. While humidity was significantly reduced in those dwellings fitted with ventilation units, no systematic effect on mites or Der p 1 was observed during the study period. When the reductions in humidity were examined in the context of the time spent below the critical equilibrium humidity (CEH), the intervention led to RH values below the CEH for only 39% of the total of 24-h periods for which measurements were made. Reducing RH by means of MVHE in New Zealand domestic dwellings does not lower humidity sufficiently, or long enough, to have any measurable effect on HDM populations.     

幼儿情绪自我调控的相关因素

目的:探讨与儿童自我调控能力有关的因素。方法:对560名18个月至6岁的幼儿进行自我调控能力、气质、生活环境和养育方式的评价。自我调控能力包括努力控制的注意集中和抑制性控制两因子和儿童自我调控发展评价。结果:(1)父亲受教育程度与儿童的自我调控能力有关(F=3．83,P<0．05;F =4．71,P<0．01)。父亲为大学或以上组的儿童的认知调控和注意集中的得分最高(3．6±0．4,34．5± 8．7),初中组的得分最低(3．4±0．5,30．4±9．2)。母亲受教育程度与儿童的自我调控能力有关(F= 5．14,P<0．01;F=3．02,P<0．05),母亲为大学或以上组与大专组的儿童的注意集中和抑制性控制得分相同并且最高(3．6±0．4,3．7±0．5)。自我调控发展总分随母亲受教育程度的升高而提高(129．2±25．1, 127．7±23．2,122．37±25．8,118．1±26．1,F=3．63,P<0．05)。(2)家长为权威型养育态度儿童的自我调控能力最强(F=4．02-23．23,P<0．05或P<0．001)。(3)“经常”看电视儿童的社会行为和亲社会行为的得分较很少看或不看者低(117．5±21．7,125．0±22．8,127．2±27．3,t=3．16、3．26,P<0．05)。 (4)自我调控因子与气质维度之间的相关性在3～6岁达到统计学意义的数目比3岁前更多而且相关程度也普遍提高。适应性和坚持性是与自我调控能力相关性最高的两个维度(r=0．4～0．6)。易养型儿童的自我调控能力得分最高,启动缓慢型的最低(F=10．02～15．4,P<0．001)。结论:气质和养育方式是与自我调控关系较大的因素。     

徐州市直属小学学生近视与教室光环境调查研究

目的 调查徐州市直属小学学生近视现状,分析教室光环境及学龄对儿童视力的影响。方法 采用整群抽样方法,运用标准对数视力表对直属小学学生进行视力检测;随机抽取4所学校,使用TES-1332A照度计测定教室光环境;计量资料采用t检验或方差分析;计数资料采用χ2检验,等级资料采用秩和检验分析其统计学差异。结果 2018年徐州市小学生近视检出率总体为49.84%(男生45.81%,女生53.88%),女生高于男生(χ2=52.001,P<0.05),且重度近视检出率更高(Z=7.795,P<0.05)。市直属小学生近视检出率54.18%,县区直属小学46.45%,市区高于县区(χ2=47.247,P<0.05)。不同年级近视发生情况不同,二～六年级近视检出率分别为36.03%,40.5%,48.45%,58.77%,65.4%,高年级近视发生率高于低年级(χ2趋势=384.766,P<0.05),且重度近视高于低年级(χ2=742.673,P<0.05)。各检测小学不同楼层间教室黑板以及桌面照度不同 (F=3.894,P<0.05) ,但均符合国家标准。结论 徐州市直属小学学生近视检出率较高,并随学龄延长而加重,女生更严重;监测学校教室光环境符合要求。改善和保护学生视力除了保障教室光环境合格和定期监测外,应进一步探讨影响学生视力的其他因素,共同促进学生视力健康。