Menstrual Perceptions and Preparation Among Female Adolescents

Seventy-four 8th- and 10th-grade students attending a private girls' school in Hawaii were queried about their perceptions of and preparation for menstruation using a questionnaire administered in a health education class. Eighty percent had already started menstruating. The most frequently cited perceptions by the respondents referred to both the inconveniences and the normalcy of menstruation. Many were first informed about menstruation by their mothers and stated that they also first informed their mothers when they started menstruating. Surprise, fear, and embarrassment were common initial reactions, while strong negative or positive emotions were more rare. Only 35% wanted boys and girls together during class discussion, but 89% stated that boys needed to be informed about menstruation. The most frequent reasons cited for noncoed settings were the girls' concern about their comfort in openly discussing menstruation. Thirty-eight percent thought parents should inform other siblings when they started menstruation, although almost half gave specific conditions the parents should consider. The majority thought the fifth to sixth grades were the best times to introduce menstruation content.     

IMMUNOSTAINING OF SCRAPIE CEREBRAL AMYLOID PLAQUES WITH ANTISERA RAISED TO SCRAPIE–ASSOCIATED FIBRILS (SAF)

Brain sections from 16 different mouse scrapie models were immunostained with antisera to scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF) from three experimental scrapie sources (hamster 263K, mouse ME7 and mouse 22L). These models involved seven strains of scrapie injected intracerebrally or intraperitoneally into a range of inbred mouse strains, producing a wide variety of neuropathological changes. The only brain structures which were positively immunostained were amyloid plaque cores in those models in which plaques could be readily identified using traditional amyloid stains. The intensity of immunostaining correlated with the density of amyloid in the cores, as detected by Congo red and thioflavine S staining. No differences in immunostaining specificity were found between antisera or between plaques in different combinations of scrapie strain and mouse genotype. There were also no differences in immunoreactivity between plaques in different parts of the brain. These results strongly suggest that SAF and histologically detectable amyloid in scrapie mice are derived from the same precursor protein. Scrapie-associated cerebrovascular amyloid and plaques in sheep and goats also gave positive immunostaining with SAF antisera, although the lesions in the natural disease could only be stained after formic acid pretreatment. Senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome, although structurally similar to scrapie amyloid plaques, were found to be completely negative for SAF, in agreement with previous biochemical and immunocytochemical findings.     

Vaccination against the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis felis

Non-chemical control of haematophagous parasites is a desirable goal. We report here on the use of concealed antigens from the major digestive organ of the cat-flea as vaccine components. Rabbits were immunized with various antigens from cat flea midguts, and immunoglobulin from these rabbits was fed to cat fleas in an artifical feeding system. Antibody produced against soluble antigens from the midguts of fed fleas was able to kill fleas in this system. Dogs were then immunized with various antigen preparations, and challenged for a week with live fleas. Significantly fewer live fleas were recovered from dogs immunized with fed midgut supernatant, and recovered live female fleas produced significantly fewer eggs. This study indicates the possibility of vaccination as a means of control of flea, and possibly other blood sucking insect populations.     

What Can Health Communication Science Offer for ACA Implementation? Five Evidence-Informed Strategies for Expanding Medicaid Enrollment

Context: Implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014 will require effective enrollment and outreach efforts to previously uninsured individuals now eligible for coverage.Methods: From 1996 to 2013, the Health Communication Research Laboratory conducted more than 40 original studies with more than 30,000 participants to learn how to improve the reach to and effectiveness of health information for low-income and racial/ethnic minority populations. We synthesized the findings from this body of research and used them to inform current challenges in implementing the ACA.Findings: We found empirical support for 5 recommendations regarding partnerships, outreach, messages and messengers, life priorities of low-income individuals and families, and the information environment. We translated these into 12 action steps.Conclusions: Health communication science can inform the development and execution of strategies to increase the public''s understanding of the ACA and to support the enrollment of eligible individuals into Medicaid or the Health Insurance Marketplace.     

Severity of dependence and route of administration of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines

This study investigates severity of dependence upon heroin, cocaine and amphetamines in a group of 200 heroin users, 75% of whom were not in contact with any treatment agency. For drug takers who were current users of more than one drug, heroin produced more severe dependence than either cocaine or amphetamine and many users of these stimulant drugs reported having experienced no problems of dependence. Severity of dependence was influenced by route of administration as welt as type of drug. Heroin taken by injection was associated with more severe dependence than smoked heroin. For cocaine, injection and smoking were associated with equivalent dependence ratings, and both of these routes were associated with more severe dependence than cocaine used intranasally. For amphetamine, there were no differences in severity of dependence ratings for injection, intranasal or oral use. Severity of dependence was correlated with dose and duration of drug use; it was also associated with previous attendance at a drug treatment agency, though dependence problems were also common among heroin users who had never received treatment. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

ATP1A3 mutations in infants: a new rapid‐onset dystonia–Parkinsonism phenotype characterized by motor delay and ataxia

We report new clinical features of delayed motor development, hypotonia, and ataxia in two young children with mutations (R756H and D923N) in the ATP1A3 gene. In adults, mutations in ATP1A3 cause rapid‐onset dystonia–Parkinsonism (RDP, DYT12) with abrupt onset of fixed dystonia. The parents and children were examined and videotaped, and samples were collected for mutation analysis. Case 1 presented with fluctuating spells of hypotonia, dysphagia, mutism, dystonia, and ataxia at 9 months. After three episodes of hypotonia, she developed ataxia, inability to speak or swallow, and eventual seizures. Case 2 presented with hypotonia at 14 months and pre‐existing motor delay. At age 4 years, he had episodic slurred speech, followed by ataxia, drooling, and dysarthria. He remains mute. Both children had ATP1A3 gene mutations. To our knowledge, these are the earliest presentations of RDP, both with fluctuating features. Both children were initially misdiagnosed. RDP should be considered in children with discoordinated gait, and speech and swallowing difficulties.     

Accumulation of Cd(II) in the CNS Depending on the Route of Administration: Intraperitoneal, Intratracheal, or Intranasal

The uptake and subsequent neuronal transport of certain heavymetals in the olfactory mucosa may be a major means by whichthese compounds gain access to the CNS. To contrast olfactoryversus blood-borne routes of exposure, three groups (n = 4)of adult Long-Evans rats were exposed to solutions of radiolabeledCdCl₂. Exposure was by one of three routes: unilateral intranasalinstillation (IN), intratracheal lavage (IT), or intraperitonealinjection (ip). The dose level for the intranasal route was30 µl of 1 µM CdCl₂ labeled with 1 µCi ¹⁰⁹Cd.For IT and ip, the dose was 30 µl of 1 µM CdCl₂diluted to 300 µl in saline and labeled with 1 µCi¹⁰⁹Cd. Rats were euthanized 24 hr after exposure, tissue sampleswere taken, and radioactivity was counted. Cd levels were lowin the olfactory bulbs of rats exposed either intratracheallyor intraperitoneally. However, in rats intranasally exposed,Cd levels were nearly 40 higher in olfactory bulbs ipsilateralto the exposed side than in those on the contralateral side.With all routes of exposure, Cd levels in brain samples wereonly slightly elevated. These results suggest that for certainairborne toxicants, especially those that are excluded fromthe CNS by the blood-brain barrier, the olfactory system mayprovide a direct route of entry into the CNS.