Life change and psychological distress as predictors of pregnancy outcome

An exploratory investigation was conducted to assess the potential utility of objective measures of life change, anxiety, and personality as predictors of labor complications in a sample of full-term, lower-socioeconomic pregnant women without present evidence or histories of serious medical problems. The results of a linear multiple discriminant function analysis indicated that none of the personality or anxiety measures emerged as reliable predictors, but that scores on a measure of life change were able to discriminate between subjects with and without labor complications at a moderate level of predictive accuracy. This moderate level of discriminability was maintained in a double cross-validation analysis. The relationship between life change and the likelihood of complications was in a negative direction, with lower life change scores indicating a greater probability of complications. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed, along with directions for future research.

Acute pancreatitis following renal allotransplantation. A lethal complication

Since first described by Starzl in 1964 (1), acute pancreatitis following renal homotransplantation has been the subject of sporadic reports and reviews (2-5). The generally reported incidence has been around 2%, with a mortality rate of 50-60%. A recent experience with such a patient caused us to retrospectively analyze our own series of renal transplant recipients. In an eight-year period, there were six patients who had documented pancreatitis out of a total 120 renal homograft recipients, an incidence of 5%. The mortality was distressingly high; five out of the six succumbed directly to this complication, a rate of 83%. The purpose of this paper is to review these six patients in detail, with special attention to the protean etiologies and manifestations of this lethal complication.

Effects of hypothalamic extracts, neurotransmitters and synthetic hypothalamic releasing hormones on adenylyl cyclase activity in the lobes of the pituitary of the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula L.)

Neutralized acid extracts of the median eminence of the dogfish hypothalamus were found to cause a dose-related activation of adenylyl cyclase in all lobes of the dogfish pituitary. Equal concentrations of extracts of extrahypothalamic areas of the dogfish brain did not activate the enzyme. The putative neurotransmitters melatonin, serotonin, adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine and acetylcholine were without effect, as were the prostaglandins E1 and E2. The effects of synthetic mammalian hypothalamic hormones were also studied. Both thyrotrophin releasing hormone and gonadotrophin releasing hormone activated the ventral lobe enzyme, but had no effect on the adenylyl cyclase of the other three lobes. The tripeptide, Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2, a possible melanocyte-stimulating hormone release-inhibiting factor had no effect on the enzyme of the neurointermediate lobe. It is suggested that all four lobes of the dogfish pituitary may be under hypothalamic control and that this control is likely to be mediated by peptide hormones, as in mammals.