Comparison and item analysis of the MESSY for autistic and normal children

Seventeen autistic children were matched for age, race, and sex with 17 nonautistic children, and group differences in social skills were assessed. Appropriate social skills and levels of inappropriate assertiveness/impulsiveness were assessed and evaluated using the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY). Significant differences in both the appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors displayed by the two groups were found. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Delay in obstetrical care in newly diagnosed teenage pregnancy.

A retrospective study of 42 adolescent patients diagnosed as being pregnant between June 1987 and February 1990 at the Downtown Health Center (DHC), an inner city pediatric primary care clinic, was conducted to determine whether patients referred to a hospital-based Teen Pregnancy Clinic (TPC) were seen within a reasonable period of time. The frequency of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) was also determined when these women were initially seen at TPC. Only 5 of the 42 patients seen at DHC had a pelvic exam prior to referral. Of the 40 patients seen at TPC, 20% were not seen until four weeks or more after initial diagnosis. Fifty percent had a STD. Pediatricians should recognize that pregnant teenagers may have a significant delay between diagnosis of pregnancy and entry into obstetrical care. Pelvic exam including cultures for STDs is recommended prior to referral.     

Solid and papillary epithelial neoplasms of the pancreas: CT findings

Five female patients and one male patient with solid and papillary epithelial neoplasms of the pancreas were examined with computed tomography (CT). The mean age of the patients was 27 years (range, 13-46 years). All cases showed well-encapsulated, round or lobulated masses consisting of both cystic and solid areas. Cystic portions showed CT numbers that suggested hemorrhagic necrosis. There were no internal septations within the masses. In three tumors located in the head of the pancreas, dilatation of the biliary tree was absent or minimal, although the masses were large. Two tumors contained calcifications. One tumor demonstrated metastatic deposits in liver and lymph nodes. Metastatic masses appeared similar to the primary pancreatic mass. Solid and papillary neoplasm of the pancreas should be the primary diagnostic consideration when characteristic CT findings are detected in a young female patient.     

A guide to upwardly mobile spermatozoa

Morphological comparison of sperm in raw ejaculates and swim-ups showed that the swim-up process does not simply increase the proportion of 'normal' sperm. Rather, sperm of specific morphologies have characteristic grades of upward motility.     

Characterization of serum antibody responses to natural rotavirus infections in children by VP7-specific epitope-blocking assays.

Knowledge of the immune response to rotavirus is crucial for vaccine development. We compared an epitope-blocking assay (EBA) that uses VP7-specific monoclonal antibodies with neutralization assays (NAs) with polyclonal antisera for detecting serum antibody responses after natural rotavirus infection in children. Twenty-six serum pairs from children living in an orphanage with and without symptoms during two rotavirus outbreaks were evaluated for VP7 type 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-specific antibody responses. In the first outbreak, which was caused by a VP7 type 3 strain, homotypic antibody responses were detected in 11 of 11 symptomatic children by NA and in 10 of 11 symptomatic children by EBA. Heterotypic antibody responses were detected more frequently (12 of 15 children) by NA than by EBA, and the heterotypic epitope-blocking antibody responses occurred in children older than 14 months of age. Antibody responses in asymptomatic children were more commonly detected by EBA than by NA. EBA results from the sera of children in the second outbreak indicated that it was caused by VP7 type 4, whereas NA results suggested it was caused by VP7 type 3. Our results confirm that EBA is a sensitive and specific method for determining VP7 type-specific immune responses after natural rotavirus infections.     

Clinical and genetic features of variegate porphyria in a Chinese patient

Acute porphyria is rare in orientals. We describe a Chinese woman with recurrent generalised tonic-clonic seizures and abdominal pain. Genomic DNA studies identified a heterozygous base substitution from guanine to adenine at nucleotide position 503, resulting in substitution of arginine by histidine at position 168 of the protein (R168H). This genetic abnormality is similar to the mutation reported in Caucasians with variegate porphyria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature a Chinese patient with variegate porphyria with an identifiable mutation. A brief review of porphyria is presented.     

Cholecystokinin: proofs and prospects for involvement in control of food intake and body weight

Evidence that CCK participates in the control of meal size is compelling, but the avenues by which CCK may affect daily food intake and body weight regulation are still uncertain. Although participation of brain CCK in control of food intake is acknowledged, our focus here is on participation of peripheral CCK in the control of food intake. Therefore, in this article we (1) review evidence for CCK's participation in control of meal size, (2) document involvement of CCK-A receptors located on vagal sensory neurons in control of food intake by exogenous and endogenous CCK, (3) point out apparent discrepancies in the experimental record, which auger for non-endocrine sources of CCK and non-vagal sites of CCK action, and (4) summarize recent observations, suggesting mechanisms by which CCK could participate in the control of daily food intake and body weight regulation.     

The influence of reported paternal attitudes on the decision to breast-feed

Objective: To identify factors that influence a woman's decision to breast-feed.
Methodology: Five hundred and fifty-six women were recruited from the maternity wards of two Perth hospitals. Data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire completed by participants prior to discharge. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors influencing the initiation of breast-feeding.
Results: At discharge from hospital 83.8% of women were breast-feeding, including 6% who were giving complementary formula feeds. After controlling for potentially confounding demographic and biomedical factors, the father's reported preference for breast-feeding was found to be the most important factor influencing a woman's decision to breast-feed (OR 10.18).
Conclusion: Fathers participate in and influence the choice of infant feeding method and should be included in breast-feeding discussions.     

Isolation and characterization of propagable cell lines (HUNC) from the androgen-sensitive Dunning R3327H rat prostatic adenocarcinoma

The Dunning H rat prostate tumor (R3327H) is a widely used experimental model of human prostatic adenocarcinoma (CaP). The Dunning H tumor has been characterized as androgen-sensitive, androgen-receptor (AR) positive, prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) positive. To date, the tumor has been maintained by serial passage in vivo because of the lack of an in vitro cell line that retains the characteristics of the in vivo tumor. The objective of the present study was to establish a propagable cell line from R3327H adenocarcinoma that maintained androgen sensitivity and expression of AR, PSA and PAP. Tissue harvested from an in vivo R3327H tumor was dissociated with collagenase and placed into Richter's improved media (with supplements). A cytokeratin-positive epithelial cell line (HUNC- E) and a vimentin-positive stromal cell line (HUNC-S) were generated from the primary culture, subcultured continuously for >300 days, and passaged >50 times. Survival of the HUNC-E cell line in vitro depended on several media supplements, including nicotinamide, insulin, transferrin, selenium and epidermal growth factor (EGF). HUNC-E cells expressed AR and produced PSA and PAP throughout the culture period, as confirmed by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analyses. Addition of 14 nM testosterone (T) or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to HUNC-E cells, stimulated DNA synthesis as well as anchorage-independent growth and PSA production, which demonstrated the androgen-sensitive nature of the cells in vitro. When HUNC-E and HUNC-S cells were combined in a 3:1 ratio and introduced subcutaneously into syngeneic male hosts, tumors formed in 2/3 animals with an average latency of 7 months. RT-PCR and immunocytochemical characterization of the HUNC cell lines revealed that the cells expressed several growth factors and their cognate receptors, including HGF, TGF-alpha and the TGF-betas, indicating the establishment of potential autocrine loops in the neoplastic cells. The HUNC-E and HUNC-S CaP cell lines, which retain the characteristics of the epithelial and stromal components of the in vivo R3327H tumor, will allow a more thorough and informative molecular and biological analysis of prostatic adenocarcinoma.