The behavioral management of asthma and asthma-related problems in children: a critical review of the literature

This review focuses upon the behavioral approach to childhood asthma. Asthma is defined as intermittent, variable, and reversible airways obstruction with a complex multidimensional etiology. The major measures of asthma include physiological, symptomatic, and collateral measures. The behavioral management of childhood asthma has been restricted to relaxation training, systematic desensitization, assertive training, biofeedback, and deconditioning of exercise-induced asthma. The efficacy of such intervention strategies for asthmatic children is in doubt, although the management of asthma-related problems in children appears to be a more promising area of research. The author suggests that the power of intervention programs for asthmatic children may be strengthened by the development of multifaceted treatment programs contingent upon the antecedents and consequences of the individual case. Also, behavior therapy may be of assistance to mild asthmatic children.

A component analysis of biofeedback induced self-control of peripheral (finger) temperature

Most of the research on biofeedback induced peripheral temperature control is open to serious methodological and theoretical criticisms. In the present research investigation, increase in peripheral (finger) temperature was targeted because of the possible therapeutic implications for the treatment of migraine and Raynaud's disease. Two experiments are reported in which the pretest-posttest control group design was employed to test the power of the variables in biofeedback induced self-control of finger temperature, and the necessity for subjects to engage in somatic manoeuvres. Significant increases in within-session and absolute finger temperature occurred in a test for self-control only for those subjects who had undergoing contingent feedback-somatic activity training conditions. It is suggested that future research should examine the role of mediational strategies in biofeedback-temperature training.

The xylanase system of Coniophora cerebella

1. The culture filtrate of the fungus Coniophora cerebella grown on poplar 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan as carbon source and enzyme inducer contained an enzyme system that degraded the polysaccharide to xylose, acidic and neutral oligosaccharides and an enzyme-resistant polymer. Free uronic acid was not produced. 2. Cold ethanol fractionation of the culture filtrate yielded two active fractions, one of which had only xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) and the other both xylanase and xylosidase (EC 3.2.1.37) activities. Further fractionation on DEAE-cellulose resolved the xylanase and xylosidase activities. 3. The xylanase degraded poplar 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan in an essentially random manner, producing oligosaccharides, but some xylose residues in the vicinity of uronic acid side groups were protected from hydrolysis, preventing a truly random attack. The xylosidase attacked the polysaccharide very slowly, releasing xylose, but the oligosaccharides produced by the action of the xylanase were much more susceptible to hydrolysis by the xylosidase. 4. The products of xylanase action were separated into neutral and acidic fractions. The neutral oligosaccharides were separated by chromatography on charcoal-Celite, and the major products were characterized as xylobiose, xylotriose, xylotetraose and xylopentaose. Some of the acidic sugars were branched, having the uronic acid residue attached to a xylose residue other than the terminal non-reducing one. 5. Gel filtration of various xylanase fractions gave values for the molecular weight of the enzyme from 34000 to 38000.

The glucoamylase of Coniophora cerebella

1. The major amylolytic enzyme in culture filtrates of Coniophora cerebella grown in starch-containing media has been purified and characterized as a glucoamylase (EC 3.2.1.3). 2. The activity/unit wt. of protein was increased 11-fold and the enzyme showed one major component on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. 3. The glucoamylase had optimum pH4.0-4.5. 4. Hg(2+) completely inhibited the enzyme, but other ions tested had little effect on the activity at the concentration of ions used (5mm). 5. The action of the enzyme on amylopectin, amylose and maltose was studied. Hydrolysis proceeded by the stepwise removal of glucose units from the non-reducing ends of the polymer chains, and the enzyme was able to bypass or to hydrolyse the alpha-(1-->6)-glucosidic linkages at branch points in the amylopectin molecule. Glucose was the only product found in digests of these substrates. 6. At the same substrate concentration (0.1%, w/v) and enzyme concentration, the initial rates of glucose production from amylopectin, amylose and maltose were in the proportions 40:10:1. 7. K(m) values at 40 degrees and pH4.0 were calculated for the enzyme acting on amylopectin, amylose and maltose.

The extracellular enzymes of Coniophora cerebulla

1. The extracellular enzymes present in the culture filtrates of Coniophora cerebella grown on various carbohydrate carbon sources were investigated. Enzymes that degraded cellulose derivatives, hemicellulose fractions, starch, laminarin, pectin and several oligosaccharides were detected. 2. All the polysaccharide-degrading activities were adaptive except for that acting on laminarin. 3. The culture filtrates degraded native cellulose to only a very limited extent. 4. The hemicellulase activity included enzymes acting on all the major components of wood hemicellulose. 5. The main starch-degrading enzyme was a glucoamylase. 6. Laminarin-degrading activity was produced when cellulose, hemicellulose or starch was used as carbon source for the fungus and it may be involved in the re-utilization of hyphal carbon or of a reserve polysaccharide synthesized during active growth of the organism.