A prevention and early intervention mental health program for disadvantaged pre-school children

In this study, 155 disadvantaged pre-school children, ages 3 to 6, were screened for developmental delays using the Cooperative Pre-school Inventory as the primary evaluation tool. Thirty-eight children participated in the experimental group and 20 children were designated the control group. Experimental group children received developmental therapy and their regular classroom experience. In addition, intervention was provided to parents and teachers in order to affect the child's total environment more positively. The control group received only classroom experience. Sixty-five percent of the control group passed the Cooperative Preschool Inventory per-test compared to 50 percent of the experimental group. On the Cooperative Preschool Inventory post-test, 100 percent of the experimental group passed, compared to only 85 percent of the control group. These results suggest that for disadvantaged children early intervention of developmental therapy and classroom experience help eliminate their developmental delays and provide them with age-appropriate developmental skills.

Metabolism and thermoregulation during stages of sleep in humans exposed to heat and cold

Electrophysiological stages of sleep, oxygen consumption (VO2), and skin (Tsk) and rectal (Tre) temperatures were recorded from six virtually naked male subjects exposed to ambient temperatures (Ta) of 21, 24, 29, 34, and 37 degrees C. VO2 increased during sleep as a whole as Ta departed from thermoneutrality (29 degrees C) and was significantly greater during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep than during adjacent nonrapid-eye-movement (NREM) periods at low and high Ta but not at 29 degrees C. Tsk showed small but significant increases during REM sleep at 29, 34, and 37 degrees C, but Tre did not change during REM sleep at any Ta. Shivering was present during wakefulness at 21 and 24 degrees C but occurred only occasionally during stages 1 and 2 sleep at 21 degrees C. The increases in VO2 and the absence of marked changes in vasomotor tone during REM sleep in the cold were unexpected and possibly indicate that REM sleep is not as thermally disruptive in humans as in other mammals.

Hibernation at moderate temperatures: a continuation of slow wave sleep

Golden-mantled ground squirrels (Citellus lateralis) displayed virtually continuous electrophysiological states of sleep when hibernating at moderate ambient temperatures (22 degrees C). Rapid-eye-movement sleep progressively diminished with the fall in body temperature so that at a body temperature of 23 degrees C it was completely absent. At this temperature hibernation was characterized by slow wave sleep isomorphic with slow wave sleep episodes at non-hibernating (euthermic) body temperatures.

The effects of high and low ambient temperatures on human sleep stages

Six male subjects slept nude except for shorts on a bed made from nylon webbing at 5 different ambient temperatures (TaS): 21, 24, 29 (thermoneutrality), 34 and 37 degrees C. Standard electrophysiological recordings were obtained and analyzed for sleep stages. Temperature displayed a significant quadratic trends for nearly every sleep variable, such that TaS above or below thermoneutrality had similar effects on sleep patterns. Multiple comparisons showed that 21 degrees C was the most disruptive condition, and that cold TaS were generally more disruptive to sleep than warm TaS. There were marked individual differences in sensitivity of sleep to cold. Decreases in REM sleep in humans produced by heat or cold probably result from a general disruption of sleep processes rather than being specifically related to the status of the thermoregulatory system during REM sleep.

The isolation and characterisation of nerve growth factor from the prostate gland of the guinea-pig

Nerve growth factor from the guinea-pig prostate gland has been completely purified and characterised. Its chemical and biological properties in vitro are compared with those of nerve growth factor from other sources.

Induction of analgesia by central administration of ORG 2766, an analog of ACTH4--9

Dose-dependent analgesia was produced by microinjection of ORG 2766 into the periaqueductal gray (PAG). This analgesia was found to be potent and long-lasting and occurred at doses which were equimolar to those necessary for morphine analgesia. The same doses failed to produce analgesia by the cerebroventricular route, suggesting that the PAG was the site of action of this effect. Naloxone failed to reduce the analgesia and morphine tolerant did not diminish the effect significantly. Additionally, ORG 2766 at concentrations up to 10 micrometer failed to inhibit binding of [3H]naloxone to brain opiate receptors in vitro. These results suggest a non-opiate mechanism of action and are discussed in terms of a proposed alpha-MSH or ACTH receptor.

Guanfacine: a new centrally-acting antihypertensive agent

The centrally-acting antihypertensive drug guanfacine was studied in a group of 11 moderate hypertensives. In doses of 2 mg daily, an average reduction in diastolic blood pressure of 10.8 mmHg was achieved. Side-effects were few when doses were maintained below 3 mg daily. The blood pressure reduction was associated with a fall in plasma renin activity and an average weight gain of 1.8 kg. When guanfacine was tried in 6 very severe hypertensives who had proved resistant to other antihypertensive drugs, a similar reduction in diastolic pressure of 7 mmHg was achieved using a dose of 3 mg daily. It is considered that guanfacine is a useful new antihypertensive drug, effective in mild hypertension, and side-effects are few if doses are maintained below 3 mg daily. Above this dose, side-effects became prominent, and these included sedation, dry mouth and constipation.

Histological study of the fetal development of the human acetabulum and labrum: significance in congenital hip disease

Seventy-four acetabula from a total of 140 normal human fetuses, obtained from abortions and deaths in the prenatal period, were used. The fetuses ranged from 9.1 to 40 cm in crown-rump length and are believed to be between 12 weeks and term. Acetabula were decalcified embedded in paraffin or celloidin, sectioned, and stained using conventional histologic techniques. Sections from the superior one-quarter of the acetabulum were examined for the initial appearance and later spread of osseous tissue. Throughout the fetal period bone was present only in the floor of the acetabulum and did not extend into the socket walls. Ossification was detected initially more posteriorly in the socket floor, and at all ages, ossification was more prominent on the ischial side of the socket. Despite the lack of osseous tissue a well-formed hyaline cartilage socket was present. The fetal labrum was composed of fibrous tissue with the density of fibers increasing with age. Typical-appearing chondrocytes were detected at only the inner articular margin of the labrum. Contributing from one-fifth to one-half of the socket depth, the labrum may play a greater role in containing the femoral head at birth than it does in the mature joint. In seven acetabula, from joints that were neither subluxated nor dislocated, an area of areolar tissue with capillaries was detected at the hyaline cartilage-labrum junction. Such defects may weaken the labrum and contribute to neonatal hip instability.

Blockade of endogenous opiates reduces activity in the rat

Naloxone (2 mg/kg, SC) was found to result in a substantial and significant reduction in general activity levels in the rat (90--120 days old). This effect was seen both under baseline conditions and after stress manipulations which would be expected to result in elevated levels of endogenous opiate peptides. Thus, under baseline conditions general activity was reduced to less than half of the saline control value thirty min after injection. Similarly, a reduction was seen after stress induced by a 30 min swim. While naloxone may have some non-opiate effects, these results support the view that endogenous opiate systems may play an important activational role in behavioral regulation, under baseline conditions and conditions of stress.

Morphometric study of the fetal development of the human hip joint: significance for congenital hip disease

Hip joints (280) from 140 human fetuses, obtained from abortions and deaths in the perinatal period, were studied. The fetuses ranged from 8.7 to 40 cm in crown-rump length and are believed to be between 12 and 42 weeks in age. The joints were dissected, morphology inspected, and measurements taken of the depth and diameter of the acetabulum, the diameter of the femoral head, length and width of the ligament of the head, the neck-shaft, and torsion angles of the proximal femur. Regression models were fitted to determine which would best predict the growth pattern. Multivariate analysis of variance showed no significant differences between males and females or between the right and left sides. Acetabular depth was shown to be the slowest-growing hip variable, increasing less than fourfold in the period studied. Acetabular indices less than 50 percent indicate a shallow socket at term. Femoral head and acetabular diameter demonstrated a strong relationship (r = 0.860) and in many joints the femoral head diameter exceeded that of the acetabulum. Considerable variability was demonstrated in both femoral angles. The femoral angles showed only low correlation with the other hip variables. These observations indicate that soft tissue structures about the joint must play an important role in neonatal joint stability. The explanation of greater female and left side involvement in congenital hip disease must lie in factors other than growth changes of hip dimensions. Neither angle appears to be a useful indicator of normal joint development.

Evidence for homologous actions of pro-opiocortin products

alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), a modified fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone, derives from the same biosynthetic route as beta-endorphin and is stored by the same arcuate neurons. Microinjection of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and several related peptides into the periaqueductal gray matter significantly reduced responsiveness to pain and had a behavioral profile similar to that produced by beta-endorphin.

Purification of glutamate dehydrogenase from ox brain and liver. Evidence that commercially available preparations of the enzyme from ox liver have suffered proteolytic cleavage

1. A rapid procedure, involving ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and affinity chromatography on GTP-Sepharose, was used to purify glutamate dehydrogenase from ox brain and liver. 2. Preparations purified in this way differed from those of the ox liver enzyme that were obtained from commercial suppliers in their mobilities on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. This difference appears to result from the occurrence of limited proteolysis during the preparation of the latter enzyme samples. 3. N-Terminal sequence analysis showed the presence of four amino acid residues in the enzyme prepared in this study that were not present in those obtained from the commercial sources and which have not been reported in previous studies on the sequence of the ox liver enzyme. 4. A preliminary examination of the enzyme prepared in this way indicated that the Michaelis constants for the substrates are similar to those obtained from the commercial preparation, but that the response to allosteric effectors was modified.

Morphological variants in the human fetal hip joint. Their significance in congenital hip disease

In a study of 280 hips in 140 normal fetuses, sixty-five of the ninety-two hips of forty-six fetuses between the ages of twelve weeks and term showed morphological variants, yet they were neither subluxated nor dislocated and showed no statistically significant morphological differences from normal joints. The vazriants observed included flattening (fourteen hips) or rounding-off of the rim of the labrum (nine hips), localized dips in the labrum (twenty hips), folding of the labrum (six hips), capsular folds (four hips), extension of the pulvinar pad between the joint surfaces (six hips), and kinking of the ligament of the head of the femur (seven hips). The localization of these variants in the anterosuperior quadrant of the acetabulum was highly significant (p < 0.001), but there was no significant relationship to sex or side of involvement. A significant relationship to age, on the other hand, was evident since the frequency of these minor morphological variations in the fetal hip joint appeared to increase with age. Considering all 140 fetuses, the ones with variant hips formed 55 per cent of all of those older than twenty-eight weeks and only 23 per cent of those younger than twenty-eight weeks (p = 0.007). I suggest that some of these variants are subclinical manifestations of congenital hip disease.

The ontogenesis of sleep states, thermogenesis, and thermoregulation in the Virginia opossum

Polygraphic recordings of sleep and wakefulness were obtained over 4-hr periods from infant opossums, aged 48-79 days, while they were in the mothers' pouches. Concurrent body temperature measurements were obtained from littermates held at ambient temperatures of 25 and 30 degrees C. The ontogenesis of sleep was similar to that of placental mammals: quiet sleep increased from 13% sleep time at 48 days to 55% at 79 days; conversely, active sleep decreased from 87% to 45%, respectively. the amplitude of the electroencephalogram (EEG) during quiet sleep increased with age and quiet sleep could be categorized as slow wave sleep at 75 days. Active sleep could be identified as rapid eye movement sleep at the same age. Temperature measurements revealed that thermogenesis appeared at approximately 55 days and the 1st signs of thermoregulation were apparent at 67 days. Near-adult thermoregulatory capabilities were present by 79 days. Increases in percent time spent in quiet sleep corresponded with increases in percent adult thermogenesis. The appearance of slow wave EEG activity coincided with the onset of thermoregulatory capabilities. We suggest that lowered metabolism associated with slow wave sleep is adaptive in offsetting the increased energy demands of thermogenesis.

The isolation of three new high mobility group nuclear proteins

In addition to the four high mobility group non-histone chromosomal proteins HMG 1, 2, 14 and 17 and histone H1, perchloric acid extracts of nuclei contain a number of other smaller low molecular weight proteins. Three of these proteins (HMG 18, 19A, and 19B) have been purified and characterized. Protein HMG 18 has high lysine and alanine contents, resembling histone H1. Proteins HMG 19A and 19B have high contents of basic and acidic amino acids and resemble HMG proteins 1, 2, 14 and 17. N-terminal sequence analyses of the proteins show that they are not degradation products of histones or the other HMG proteins. However, there are sequence similarities between HMG 18 and histone H5, and between HMG 19B and HMG 17, supporting the view that the HMG proteins and the lysine-rich histones are functionally related.

Human fetal femoral head sphericity

The question of decreasing sphericity of the human femoral head during fetal growth was investigated with a Talyrond roundness-measuring machine. In 58 pairs of randomly selected femore, from 12 weeks to term, there was a trend for the femoral head to become less round with age and more oval or ellipsoidal in shape. At term a position of best "fit" may exist. No significant laterality or sex differences were found. Restriction of joint motion towards the end of pregnancy may decrease congruency, decrease joint stability, and become a factor in neonatal hip instability.

The isolation, characterization and partial sequences of the chicken erythrocyte non-histone chromosomal proteins HMG14 and HMG17. Comparison with the homologous calf thymus proteins

Non-histone chromosomal proteins HMG14 and HMG17 were isolated from chicken erythrocyte nuclei. The proteins were characterized by amino acid analysis and by N-terminal sequence analyses. Comparison with the corresponding data for the calf thymus proteins shows that 11% of the residues in HMG14 protein and 5% of the residues in HMG17 protein differ between the two species. Proteins HMG14 and HMG17 therefore do not appear to exhibit the evolutionary stability shown by the nucleosome core histones. Detailed evidence for the amino acid sequence data has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50101 (4 pages) at the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies may be obtained on the terms given in Biochem. 4. (1978) 169, 5.