Human hepatocellular carcinoma tumor xenografts

Castrated or sham-operated male athymic mice were inoculated with cells from the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line PLC/PRF/5. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the number of animals developing tumors, the time to tumor development, or the subsequent rate of increase in either tumor base area or mouse serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration. Androgen receptors were assayed in nuclei obtained from three separate liver cancer cell lines and from normal adult human liver. Similar concentrations, ranging from 235 to 550 fmol/mg DNA, of nuclear androgen receptors were detected in all tissues. Low percentages of androgen receptors were retained on DNA-cellulose. Although the presence of receptors implies the potential for metabolic effects of androgens in normal and malignant liver, our in vivostudies suggest that castration does not alter significantly the growth of liver cancer xenografts in athymic mice.     

Effects of monoamine uptake inhibitors given early postnatally on monoamines in the brain stem,caudate/putamen and cortex,and on dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the caudate/putamen

Summary Rats were treated with desipramine 5mg/kg, nomifensine 10mg/kg, zimelidine 25 mg/kg or with 0.9% sodium chloride once a day during the second and third weeks after birth, and brain stem, caudate/putamen and cortical monoamines, and caudate/putamen dopamine D₁ (³[H]SCH 23390) and D₂ (³[H]spiroperidol) receptor binding were measured when rats were at two months of age. In the brain stem, the concentration of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenyl glycol was increased in nomifensine rats and the ratio of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid to 5-hydroxytryptamine was increased in zimelidine rats. In the caudate/putamen, the concentrations of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid and the ratio of homovanillic acid to dopamine were increased in desipramine rats; neither³[H]SCH 23390 nor³[H]spiroperidol binding were affected by any of the three monoamine uptake inhibiting antidepressants studied. In the cortex, the ratio of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid to 5-hydroxytryptamine was increased in desipramine and zimelidine rats. The findings suggest that desipramine but not nomifensine increases the metabolism of dopamine in the caudate/ putamen and nomifensine but not desipramine increases the metabolism of norepinephrine in the brain stem, and furthermore that the metabolism of serotonin is affected by desipramine as well as by zimelidine. It is possible that also treatment of women with these drugs during late pregnancy causes long-lasting changes in the brain of human fetus.     

Office versus Home-Based Family Therapy for Runaway, Alcohol Abusing Adolescents: Examination of Factors Associated with Treatment Attendance

There is a dearth of research examining treatment engagement and attendance among runaway youth and their families. Such research is needed in order to inform treatment providers on factors associated with engagement and maintenance of these difficult to engage families into counseling. This study examined differential treatment attendance for alcohol abusing runaway youth residing at a local shelter. A traditional office-based family systems approach, Functional Family Therapy (FFT), was compared to a non-traditional, home-based, multi-systemic family therapy approach, Ecologically Based Family Therapy (EBFT). As expected, treatment engagement and attendance was significantly higher for those assigned to EBFT (N = 37) compared to FFT (N = 40). Predictors of treatment attendance (income, family chaos, externalization problems and level of youth substance use) were examined within each treatment modality. Findings suggest that home-based (compared to office-based) treatment modalities may significantly increase treatment attendance and engagement of runaway youth and their families. Non-traditional forms of treatment may need to be considered in order to best meet the needs of highly chaotic and disorganized family systems.     

No Worries, No Cares: An Investigation into Self-Reported "Nondistress" in College Students

An important methodological issue in depressionanalog research is whether individuals who scoreextremely low on self-report measures like the BeckDepression Inventory (BDI) should be included innondepressed control groups. Joiner, Schmidt, and Metalsky(1994) found that college students with BDI scores of 0or 1 evidenced a fake-good test taking style as measuredby the MMPI validity scales. The present study investigated whether very low BDI scores (BDI= 0 or 1; n = 21) might be associated with an elevatedpositive mood state, extreme optimism, positiveattributional style or social desirability. Resultsindicated that the very low scoring BDI subjects scoredhigher on social desirability than the low scoring group(BDI = 2 9, n = 63). Significant differences on mood,symptom and cognitive measures disappeared when social desirability was entered as a covariate.Findings support Kendall, Hollon, Beck, Hammen, andIngram's (1987) recommendation that subjects who score0 or 1 on the BDI should be excluded from a nondepressed control group.     

Cortisol moderates the relationship between testosterone and aggression in delinquent male adolescents.

BACKGROUND: In animals, strong evidence exists for an association between testosterone and aggression. In humans, and particularly in children and adolescents, findings have been less consistent. Previous research has suggested that this may partly be due to moderating effects of other factors, e.g., hormones. This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of cortisol on the relationship between testosterone and subtypes of aggression in delinquent male adolescents. METHODS: Participants were 103 boys (mean age 13.7) referred to a delinquency diversion program. Testosterone and cortisol levels were determined from saliva samples collected during resting conditions and related to self-report scores on overt and covert aggression. RESULTS: Linear regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between cortisol and testosterone in relation to overt aggression, with a significant positive relationship between testosterone and overt aggression in subjects with low cortisol levels but not in subjects with high cortisol levels. Using the same model for covert aggression, no significant effects of testosterone, cortisol, or testosterone x cortisol interaction were found. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate a moderating effect of cortisol on the relationship between testosterone and overt aggression in delinquent male adolescents. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Parenchymal and pleural fibrosis in construction workers.

Exposure to mineral dust was studied among construction workers (N = 437) with the aid of a questionnaire and a chest X-ray examination of the lungs. The results of the questionnaire showed that 81% of the construction workers had been exposed to asbestos. Exposure had occurred in all of the occupational groups studied. Pleural plaques and/or lung fibrosis (ILO greater than or equal to 1/1) were found in 26% of the examined workers; the prevalence varied from 18 to 40% among the various occupational groups. Comparison with a representative sample of the Finnish male population from another investigation indicates that the frequency of lung fibrosis (ILO greater than or equal to 1/1) is at least two times higher among the examined construction workers than among the general population. It seems likely that exposure to asbestos dust can be considered an etiological factor for an appreciable number of the X-ray findings.