Discrimination Trends and Mental Health Among Native- and Foreign-Born Latinos: Results from National Surveys in 2004 and 2013

Prevention Science - We examined national trends and mental health correlates of discrimination among Latinos in the USA. We used data from two nationally representative surveys based on the...     

Dynamic SPECT imaging of dopamine D2 receptors in human subjects with iodine-123-IBZM.

We studied the uptake, distribution, metabolism and washout of the dopamine D2 receptor ligand [123I]IBZM in healthy subjects (n = 12) with dynamic brain SPECT. The highest radioactivity level was detected in the striatum. Operationally-defined striatal "specific" uptake peaked at 69 min postinjection of radioligand and showed a gradual decline of 15% per hour thereafter. "Specific" uptake at maximal counts represented 53% of the total striatal radioactivity. Two subjects received haloperidol (20 micrograms/kg i.v.) 80 min postinjection of radioligand. Haloperidol caused a 2.6-fold increase in the rate of washout of specific striatal activity in comparison to that in the 10 control subjects and was consistent with drug-induced displacement of radioligand from the dopamine D2 receptor. Two classes of metabolites were detected in plasma and urine: a polar fraction, not extracted by ethyl acetate, and a nonpolar, extractable fraction consisting of parent compound and two compounds having shorter retention times on reversed-phase HPLC. Greater than half the plasma parent was metabolized within 10-15 min after administration. The volume of distribution, estimated from the peak arterial plasma concentration at 50-75 sec, was 7.7-10.2 l; the free (nonprotein bound) fraction of [123I]IBZM after in vitro incubation with blood or plasma was 4.4% +/- 0.4%. These results suggest that [123I]IBZM exhibits uptake in brain regions with high D2 receptor density and shows a relatively stable washout during which drugs affecting dopaminergic transmission may be administered.     

Family resemblance: Ten family members with prosopagnosia and within-class object agnosia

We report on neuropsychological testing done with a family in which many members reported severe face recognition impairments. These 10 individuals were high functioning in everyday life and performed normally on tests of low-level vision and high-level cognition. In contrast, they showed clear deficits with tests requiring face memory and judgements of facial similarity. They did not show deficits with all aspects of higher level visual processing as all tested performed normally on a challenging facial emotion recognition task and on a global–local letter identification task. On object memory tasks requiring recognition of particular cars and guns, they showed significant deficits so their recognition impairments were not restricted to facial identity. These results strongly suggest the existence of a genetic condition leading to a selective deficit of visual recognition.     

Family resemblance: ten family members with prosopagnosia and within-class object agnosia

We report on neuropsychological testing done with a family in which many members reported severe face recognition impairments. These 10 individuals were high functioning in everyday life and performed normally on tests of low-level vision and high-level cognition. In contrast, they showed clear deficits with tests requiring face memory and judgements of facial similarity. They did not show deficits with all aspects of higher level visual processing as all tested performed normally on a challenging facial emotion recognition task and on a global-local letter identification task. On object memory tasks requiring recognition of particular cars and guns, they showed significant deficits so their recognition impairments were not restricted to facial identity. These results strongly suggest the existence of a genetic condition leading to a selective deficit of visual recognition.     

Sepiolite asbestos from Franklin, New Jersey: a case study in medical geology

Asbestiform sepiolite has been found in a zinc deposit at Franklin, New Jersey. The host rock is Precambrian Franklin marble. Pseudomorphous foliated texture and cross-cutting relationships indicate replacement of talc by sepiolite. Sepiolite is manganoan, while talc contains little manganese, suggesting differences in manganese substitution in these minerals and providing evidence against solid-state replacement. Sepiolite from Franklin is of moderate crystallinity and consists of soft, flexible mass-fiber. Comparison with other sepiolite samples suggests that increased crystallinity among sepiolites parallels increased fiber length, while disorder appears to be associated with flexibility. Length and aspect ratio (length/width) distributions support toxicological equation of asbestiform sepiolite with the regulated asbestos minerals. The data presented here suggest that talc can be unstable in a low-temperature hydrothermal environment, altering under certain conditions to form sepiolite. In a wider context, sepiolite may be expected to precipitate at the end-stages of hydrothermal mineralization in some talc deposits and in carbonate and calc-silicate rocks. Many occurrences of sepiolite in these rocks may have been overlooked due to similarities with other minerals. The fact that sepiolite has been previously unrecognized and misidentified at Franklin is a case in point. Since there is evidence suggesting that sepiolite is fibrogenic and carcinogenic, its potential occurrence in consumer talcs and crushed-stone products has environmental health implications. Similarities in composition and other analytical parameters may cause sepiolite to be mistaken for fibrous talc or chrysotile in environmental samples.     

Asbestos distribution in the central serpentine district of Maryland-Pennsylvania

The bedrock of the Central Serpentine District of Pennsylvania and Maryland was examined to determine the content of asbestiform minerals. Serpentinite is exposed along an approximately 5-km-wide belt along the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line near the Susquehanna River. Minor quantities of fibrous anthophyllite and chrysotile (less than 2 vol %) were visible megascopically as veins in the bedrock of the 18 quarries that were investigated. The quarries sampled include two abandoned asbestos quarries, three abandoned chrome mines, one abandoned and two operating talc quarries, and two operating and eight abandoned serpentinite rock and gravel quarries. Chrysotile was not noted in primary-mesh and bastite-textured serpentinites abundant in the eastern sector of the district, but is an important component in recrystallized ribbon- to bladed-textured serpentinites common in the central and western portions of the district. Because there are several active quarries in the asbestos-bearing portions of the district, and since crushed asbestos-bearing rock is used locally as road surfacing material and in construction, some potential health hazards may exist.     

Clinically significant cognitive impairment in older adults with type 1 diabetes

Aims

Little is known about cognition in older adults with type 1 diabetes. The aim of this study was to identify correlates of clinically significant cognitive impairment.

Rutile fibers in surface waters of northern New Jersey

Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses of surface water samples from the northern New Jersey (USA) area indicate that rutile (TiO₂) is a consistent contaminant, with fiber concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 million fibers per liter (MFL), and averaging 0.7 MFL. Concentrations of rutile fiber were comparable to or somewhat higher than asbestos concentrations in ambient surface water samples. Rutile is a component of bedrock in the drainage areas studied, and is also widely used commercially. The data favors a bedrock origin for most of the rutile observed. Analysis of hydraulic parameters indicates that rutile in the surface water samples is entirely in the Wentworth clay range, with Stokes' diameter of less than 2 microns, and suggests a high degree of sorting control over suspended particles. Since the samples were all from actual or potential sources of drinking water, the results suggest that a substantial amount of rutile is ingested via surface water supplies by the general population. The health effects of such ingestion are unknown.