Abg1: a novel gene up-regulated by abscisic acid in guard cells of Vicia faba L.

A novel gene (abg1) was isolated by differential display RT-PCR from guard cells of Vicia faba L. Abg1 transcript accumulated in guard cells that were incubated with 5 microM S(+)-ABA for 1 h. The full-length abg1 cDNA was 753 bp, which included a 513 bp coding region. The deduced 17.8 kDa protein shared sequence similarity with several desiccation-related proteins reported in plants.

The effectiveness of individual versus group induction of depressed mood.

This study is an investigation of the effectiveness of an individually administered mood induction procedure compared with an equivalent procedure administered to a group. Seventy-nine nondepressed individuals (25 men, 54 women) were randomly assigned to either a depressive or a neutral mood induction in an individual or a group setting. In each procedure, the mood induction involved the Velten self-statement procedure (E. Velten, 1968) enhanced by related mood music. Overall, both the individual and group induction procedures were effective in producing a depressed mood state, and their effectiveness was unrelated to social desirability or the sex of the participant. However, the group procedure was more vulnerable to individual differences in response, and its use in research on depression requires stringent criteria for mood change.

Single-dose pharmacokinetics of sublingual versus oral administration of micronized 17 beta-estradiol.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pharmacokinetic profiles of different doses of micronized 17 beta-estradiol administered by oral or sublingual routes. METHODS: Single doses of micronized 17 beta-estradiol were administered orally (1 mg, 0.5 mg) or sublingually (1 mg, 0.5 mg, 0.25 mg) to six postmenopausal women in a randomized clinical trial. We calculated pharmacokinetic parameters for estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) of maximum serum concentration, time to maximum serum concentration, terminal half-life, area under the concentration curve, and oral clearance. Serum levels of E1 sulfate also were compared at 4, 12, and 24 hours after dosing. RESULTS: Sublingual administration resulted in rapid absorption with significantly higher E2 levels than did comparable oral dosing. Estrone levels did not vary with route of administration but correlated with the dosage administered. Estrone sulfate levels correlated with the dosage administered and also tended to be higher with sublingual administration. Sublingual administration resulted in a significantly lower E1 to E2 ratio during the 24 hours than did oral administration. CONCLUSION: Sublingual administration of micronized 17 beta-estradiol results in a rapid, burst-like absorption into the systemic circulation, yielding high E2 levels that fall rapidly over the first 6 hours.

Infertility services in a managed care environment.

Managed care schemes are replacing traditional fee-for-service reimbursement to physicians and hospitals in the United States. Managed care schemes take the form of discounted fee-for-service, utilization review, global fee reimbursement, and capitated reimbursement schemes with funds to be distributed among providers. Reimbursement for infertility services has been excluded from many managed care plans as infertility is viewed as a social condition, not a medical condition, and coverage for infertility diagnosis and treatment is viewed as unnecessary in the bundle of services offered by insurers and other managed care organizations. However, some states mandate infertility coverage and some managed care organizations realize that provision of care for infertile couples makes their product more attractive. Large managed care organizations such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield of illinois and some entrepreneurial organizations are developing managed care plans that incorporate infertility services. Comprehensive services--including in-vitro fertilization--can be offered at a lower cost than traditional fee-for-service care. Newer technologies such as in-vitro fertilization are replacing fallopian tube surgery and surgical treatment for male infertility. These can be implemented at a lower cost and with better outcome for infertile couples than traditional services.

The economics of infertility: developing an infertility managed-care plan.

Infertility is a natural disorder for developing a managed-care plan. Infertility has a clearly defined end point. The treatment regimens and protocols used for treating infertile couples have predictable outcomes; it is possible to develop rational treatment plans over a limited period of time. It is not unreasonable for infertile couples to share the cost of treatment and for the physician-providers to share the economic risk by providing a bundle of optimal services at a fixed price. We present the theoretic basis for an infertility managed-care plan and the requirements for developing a plan that can be sold in the marketplace. Finally, we discuss some of the consequences of an infertility managed-care plan on physician relationships, physician manpower, research, and education.

Bromodeoxy uridine combined with UV light and gamma irradiation promotes the production of asymmetric somatic hybrid calli.

The degree of gamma- or X-ray-induced donor chromosome elimination in asymmetric somatic hybrids is highly variable. Here the beneficial use of bromodeoxyuridine and UV light as additional chromosome destabilizing agents is described. Protoplasts of Nicotiana tabacum were fused with protoplasts of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia (Np) that carried the kanamycin-resistance and glucuronidase (GUS) genes on separate chromosomes. Prior to fusion, the Np donor protoplasts were pretreated with bromodeoxyuridine and then were inactivated by treatment with iodoacetate ± UV light ± 200 Gy gamma irradiation. Hybrids were selected on medium containing kanamycin. The elimination of Np DNA was assessed by scoring of the fraction of hybrid calli that expressed GUS and by dot-blot analysis using a Np-specific probe. Gamma irradiation alone resulted in elimination of 50% of Np DNA. Pretreatment with bromodeoxyuridine (10 µM) followed by 2.5 to 5 min UV light resulted in the elimination of 35-45% of the donor genome, but incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (10 µM) followed by 2.5 to 5 min UV light and 200 Gy gamma irradiation resulted in 85 to 90% elimination of Np DNA.

Palpable uterine artery pulsation as a clinical indicator of early pregnancy.

The objective of this study was to determine if palpable uterine artery pulsation is a reliable clinical indicator of pregnancy at less than six weeks' gestation. A preliminary, nonblind study involved 299 women. Of 31 women who were at less than six weeks' gestation, 24 had definite uterine artery pulsations, and 7 did not. Of 268 nonpregnant women, 256 did not have pulsation, while 12 did (P < .001). Because other clinical parameters could bias the interpretation of uterine artery pulsation, a second, blind study was undertaken. During it, 155 patients underwent bimanual examination only, and no other clinical information was available to the examiner. Of 25 women at less than six weeks' gestation, 19 had definite uterine artery pulsation, while 6 did not. Of 130 nonpregnant patients, 121 did not have uterine artery pulsation, while 9 did (P < .001). Palpable uterine artery pulsation seems to be associated with early pregnancy, and physicians should add evaluation of pulsation to their clinical armamentarium.

Genetic transformation of plants by protoplast electroporation.

This article describes an optimized protocol for the electroporation of tobacco mesophyll protoplasts together with notes and data on the effects of various parameters and suggestions for work with protoplasts of other species. In this protocol, electroporation is achieved by means of electrical pulses from a high-voltage, capacitive-discharge unit. Procedures are described for measurement of protoplast viability with Evan's blue, the detection of transient expression of CAT and GUS gene plasmid constructs, and for the recovery of stable transformants based on selection for kanamycin resistance.

Neuroticism and negative affect measures as predictors of psychological distress.

In a year-long study, 106 students (78 women and 28 men, mean age 29 yr.) completed both a self-report Neuroticism and Extroversion inventory and a self-report positive and negative affect checklist at the beginning of an academic year. At the end of the academic year, prior to final examinations, they completed a self-rating scale for depression. The Neuroticism score was the only significant independent predictor of students' end-of-year levels of psychological distress.

Postoperative effects of fentanyl, ketorolac, and piroxicam as analgesics for outpatient laparoscopic procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To compare postoperative analgesia and side effects of intramuscular ketorolac, intravenous fentanyl, and oral piroxicam on healthy women undergoing laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: The study was a randomized double-blind clinical trial of three analgesic drugs. An initial 100-micrograms dose of fentanyl was given at induction, with 25-micrograms boluses after 45 and 90 minutes of operating time. Piroxicam, 40 mg, and ketorolac, 60 mg, were administered 90 and 30 minutes before induction, respectively. RESULTS: Eighty-four subjects were included in the analysis. Ketorolac patients (N = 29) spent significantly less time in the recovery room (median 96 minutes) than those receiving fentanyl (N = 27) (median 121 minutes; P < .01) or piroxicam (N = 28) (median 124 minutes; P < .01) or a verbal descriptive scale, more fentanyl patients (38%) experienced moderate pain at discharge than ketorolac (11%; P < .05) or piroxicam (4%; P < .01) patients. The incidence of measured side effects did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intramuscular ketorolac was associated with shorter recovery room stays while providing analgesia equal to intravenous fentanyl or the oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug piroxicam.

Chromosome elimination in asymmetric somatic hybrids: effect of gamma dose and time in culture.

Mesophyll protoplasts of a kanamycin-resistant line of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia were gamma-irradiated and fused with mesophyll protoplasts of N. tabacum plants bearing the sulfur mutation. Hybrid calli were recovered by selection on media containing kanamycin. In one group of experiments, the degree of elimination of donor (N. plumbaginifolia) genetic material in the hybrid calli was assessed by dot-blot hybridization using a N. plumbaginifolia-specific repetitive-DNA sequence as a probe. The elimination of donor DNA was found to increase with increasing gamma dose for all doses tested (5-50 krad). Elimination of donor DNA was also found to continue in the calli for the first 12 months in culture. The degree of chromosome elimination was quite variable; for a 50-krad dose, some hybrids were recovered that retained less than 15% of the donor genome, whereas others retained nearly 50%. In a second set of experiments, the degree of donorchromosome elimination was assessed from the fraction of hybrid calli that exhibited complementation of the Su phenotype due to retention of a wild-type Su allele of the donor. When N. plumbaginifolia protoplasts were inactivated by treatment with iodoacetate, rather than gamma irradiation, all the hybrid calli were green. However, when the donor protoplasts were inactivated by irradiation, the fraction of hybrid calli that were able to complement the Su mutation decreased with increasing gamma dose; for a 50-krad dose only 40% of the hybrid calli were green. From these data, the degree of radiation-induced donor-chromosome elimination was calculated and was found to agree closely with that measured by dot-blot hybridization. We conclude that radiation-induced elimination of donor chromosomes increases with gamma dose and time in culture in N. tabacum (+)N. plumbaginifolia hybrids, but that donor-chromosome elimination is an inherently variable process.

Vulnerability to psychological distress: empirical and conceptual distinctions between measures of neuroticism and negative affect.

In two studies, 97 and 176 individuals (47 men and 50 women, M age 34.2 yr.; and 88 men and 88 women, M age 34.8) known to have experienced a recent period of psychological distress were compared with otherwise similar individuals who reported no such experience on measures of neuroticism, extraversion, and positive and negative affect. In both studies, the neuroticism measure was a significant independent discriminator between the groups while the negative affect measure was not. This suggests that (a) measures of neuroticism tap factors additional to those tapped by scales measuring only levels of characteristic negative affect and (b) these factors are related to individual differences in vulnerability to psychological distress.

Death anxiety and death denial: Nigerian and Australian students' metaphors of personal death.

Ninety-two Nigerian students and 114 Australian students completed Templer's (1970) Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Feifel and Nagy's (1981) death fantasy measure of positive and negative death metaphors. They were each also asked to write his or her own metaphor of personal death. Results of the DAS showed that the two groups did not differ significantly on the level of conscious death anxiety, but Nigerian students' scores were significantly higher on both positive and negative personal death metaphors scales. Also, significantly more Nigerian students wrote personal metaphors of their own and more often used a neutral metaphor to describe their personal death. Australian students more often used a positive or a negative metaphor. The Nigerian students thus evidenced less death denial than the Australian students did.