Derived generalization of attentional bias for laboratory-induced threat: Yes but.

There is laboratory evidence that fear conditioning underlies the emergence of attentional bias (AB) for threat. Our main objective was to test, for the first time, whether derived or symbolic responding contributes to the generalization of AB across non-conditioned stimuli. Participants were all university students (N = 86) with no pre-existing conditions. We first employed an exogenous cueing paradigm with two color slides (i.e., A1 or to-be CS+, and A2 or to-be CS-) serving as cues, and loud white noise serving as unconditioned stimulus during conditioning trials. We then employed a match-to-sample procedure to establish a derived equivalence relation between color A1 and arbitrary shape C1 as well as between color A2 and arbitrary shape C2. Next, we investigated the transfer of AB across non-conditioned stimuli: participants performed the same spatial cueing task with non-conditioned C1 and C2 stimuli serving as cues. Results replicated previous findings on the conditioning basis of AB, and most importantly, showed preliminary evidence of AB transfer: those participants who appraised C1 and not C2 as a signal of impending noise showed AB toward C1. This is the first laboratory demonstration that AB may generalize to stimuli physically unrelated to directly conditioned threats. Unfortunately, the small number of participants showing this effect calls for cautious considerations.

Differences in the frequency and distribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in breast/ovarian cancer cases from the Basque country with respect to the Spanish population: implications for genetic counselling.

The prevalence of unique and recurrent BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic mutations and unclassified variants varies among different populations. Two hundred and thirty-six breast and/or ovarian cancer patients were analysed to clarify the role of these genes in the Basque Country. We also studied 130 healthy women from the general population from the same region. Fifteen different pathological mutations were found in 16 index cases: 10 truncating mutations, 4 missense mutations and 1 splicing mutation. c.3002_3003insT and c.5788_5789delGT, both in exon 11 of BRCA2 have not previously been described. No pathological mutations were found in cases of sporadic juvenile breast cancer. There are no recurrent mutations in our population; apart from the mutation c.9254_9258del5, which appears in only two index cases. We have also found a lot of variants whose effect is unknown. From these variants, 17 have not previously been described: 6 missenses, 6 synonymous and 5 alterations in intronic regions. We would like to highlight the fact that 14.3% of patients with 3 or more cases of breast cancer in the family, and 16.7% of patients with family history of breast and ovarian cancer, present a pathological mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. This manuscript demonstrates that each population can have different mutations and due to this, Genetic Counselling and selection criteria must be different for each population. Furthermore, this article describes for the first time some new mutations and unclassified variants found in our population.

Increasing levels of estradiol are deleterious to embryonic implantation because they directly affect the embryo.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the deleterious effect of E(2) on embryonic implantation is due to a direct effect on the endometrium, on the embryo, or both. DESIGN: Prospective, controlled in vitro study. SETTING: Tertiary infertility center. PATIENT(S): Fertile patients in the luteal phase with histologically normal endometrium who were attending the infertility clinic as oocyte donors (n = 14). INTERVENTION(S): E(2) dose-response (0, 10(-8), 10(-7), 10(-6), 10(-5), and 10(-4) M) and time course (day 2 vs. day 5) experiments were performed in an in vitro embryo adhesion assay composed of human polarized endometrial epithelial cells obtained from fertile patients and mouse embryos. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Blastocyst formation rate and embryo adhesion rate. RESULTS: Monolayers of polarized endometrial epithelial cells expressed ERalpha at the mRNA level. The E(2) dose response of blastocysts with polarized endometrial epithelial cells (n = 235) demonstrated a progressive reduction in embryonic adhesion that was statistically significant at 10(-6) M. When polarized endometrial epithelial cells were treated alone with increasing doses of E(2) for 3 days and E(2) was then removed and blastocysts added (n = 410), embryonic adhesion was not significantly reduced, except at 10(-4) M. When 2-day mouse embryos (n = 609) were treated with increasing E(2) concentrations until day 5, the rate of blastocyst formation significantly decreased at a concentration >or= 10(-6) M, and embryonic adhesion decreased when blastocysts (n = 400) were obtained at a concentration >or= 10(-7) M. Time course experiments of embryos cultured for 2 days with polarized endometrial epithelial cells (n = 426) showed that the adhesion rate was higher at E(2) levels of 10(-7), 10(-6) and 10(-5) M compared with embryos cultured for 5 days (n = 495). CONCLUSION(S): High E(2) levels are deleterious to embryo adhesion in vitro, mainly because they have a direct toxic effect on the embryo that may occur at the cleavage stage.

Portion-size estimation training in second- and third-grade American Indian children.

Training in portion-size estimation is known to improve the accuracy of dietary self-reporting in adults, but there is no comparable evidence for children. To obtain this information, we studied 110 second- and third-grade American Indian schoolchildren (34 control subjects were not trained), testing the hypotheses that a 45-min portion-size estimation training session would reduce children's food quantity estimation error, and that the improvement would be dependent on food type, measurement type, or both. Training was a hands-on, 4-step estimation and measurement skill-building process. Mixed linear models (using logarithmic-transformed data) were used to evaluate within- and between-group differences from pre- to posttest. Test scores were calculated as percentage estimation errors by difference and absolute value methods. Mean within-group estimation error decreased significantly (P<0.05) from pre- to posttest for 7 of 12 foods (trained group) by both calculation methods, plus 3 additional foods by the difference method and one additional food by the absolute value method. Significant (P<0.05) between-group differences occurred for 3 foods, reflecting a greater decrease in estimation error for the trained group. Improvement was greatest for solid foods estimated by dimensions (P>0.05) or in cups (P<0.05), for liquids estimated by volume or by label reading (P<0.001), and for one amorphous food estimated in cups (P<0.01). Despite these significant improvements in estimation ability, the error for several foods remained >100% of the true quantity, indicating that more than one training session would be necessary to further increase dietary reporting accuracy.

Pathways family intervention for third-grade American Indian children.

The goal of the feasibility phase of the Pathways family intervention was to work with families of third-grade American Indian children to reinforce health behaviors being promoted by the curriculum, food service, and physical activity components of this school-based obesity prevention intervention. Family behaviors regarding food choices and physical activity were identified and ranked according to priority by using formative assessment and a literature review of school-based programs that included a family component. The family intervention involved 3 primary strategies designed to create an informed home environment supportive of behavioral change: 1) giving the children "family packs" containing worksheets, interactive assignments, healthful snacks, and low-fat tips and recipes to take home to share with their families; 2) implementing family events at the school to provide a fun atmosphere in which health education concepts could be introduced and reinforced; and 3) forming school-based family advisory councils composed of family members and community volunteers who provided feedback on Pathways strategies, helped negotiate barriers, and explored ideas for continued family participation. For strategy 2, a kick-off Family Fun Night provided a series of learning booths that presented the healthful behaviors taught by Pathways. At an end-of-year Family Celebration, a healthy meal was served, students demonstrated newly learned Pathways activities, and certificates were presented in recognition of completion of the Pathways curriculum. Based on evaluation forms and attendance rosters, strategies 1 and 2 were more easily implemented and better received than strategy 3. Implications for developing family involvement strategies for intervention programs are discussed.

Use of intrauterine contraceptive devices in nulliparous women: personal experience over a 12-year period.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) in nulliparous women compared to their use in parous women. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the reasons for removal of IUDs inserted between 1985 and 1996 in a sample of 227 nulliparous women and 2080 parous women. The statistical analysis was performed using the chi 2 test; the differences were considered to be significant when p < 0.05. RESULTS: The reasons for removal of IUDs in the two groups were: expiry, 49.1% in the nulliparous group vs. 48.2% in the parous group; planned pregnancy, 21.7% vs. 15.4%; accidental pregnancy, 4.8% vs. 6.3%; expulsion, 1.6% vs. 5.1%; pelvic inflammatory disease, 1.6% vs. 1.1%; pain and/or bleeding, 14.5% vs. 10.2%; other, 6.4% vs. 6.3%; vasectomy or tubal sterilization, 0% vs. 7%. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that nulliparity is not a contraindication for the use of an IUD, and that the use of an IUD in nulliparous women is as safe and effective as in parous women.

Phase II trial of weekly IV vinorelbine in first-line advanced breast cancer chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: The study investigated the therapeutic effect of single-agent IV weekly vinorelbine (Navelbine, Pierre Fabre Oncologie, Boulogne, France) a semi-synthetic vinca-alkaloid, in women who had received no prior treatment for advanced or metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-four patients with assessable advanced or metastatic breast cancer who had received no prior chemotherapy were entered into the study. Fifty patients were evaluable for toxicity and response by WHO criteria; 4 patients were not evaluated because they did not meet the eligibility criteria of the study. Vinorelbine was given as a weekly 30 mg/m2 short IV infusion; and treatment was continued until disease progression or the occurrence of unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 50% (complete response 2%, partial response 48%). The response rate according to target was: lymph nodes 64%; liver 28%; lung 66%; local recurrence 60%. The median duration of response was 9 months, the median time to treatment failure was 5 months and the median survival was 15 months. TOXICITY: Six-hundred thirty cycles were given to 54 patients (53 assessable for tolerance). At least one episode of WHO grade 3/4 granulocytopenia was seen in each of 71% of the patients. Significant nausea/vomiting (WHO grade 3) was seen in less than 1% of cycles and other side effects were uncommon. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that vinorelbine has major single-agent anti-tumour activity as front-line therapy in advanced breast cancer. Given its excellent tolerance profile and low morbidity, it should be considered for inclusion in first-line combination chemotherapy regimens.