Calculation of the volume of an HPGe crystal.

An important characteristic of a high-purity germanium detector for gamma spectrometry is the volume of the crystal, which relates to the detection efficiency and to the measured background level. The crystal dimensions provided by the detector manufacturer were used to calculate the crystal volume. The calculation method accounts for the various sub-volumes of the crystal, in particular the contact hole in the back face and the rounding of the 90° right edge in the front face. The calculation was corroborated using the INVENTOR(®) 3D software. The crystal volume was calculated to be 419.7 cm(3) compared with the 413 cm(3) stated by the manufacturer.

Eating-related concerns, mood, and personality traits in recovered bulimia nervosa subjects: a replication study.

OBJECTIVE: Limited data suggest that eating-related concerns and behaviors, disturbances in mood, and altered temperament persist following recovery from bulimia nervosa (BN). METHOD: In order to replicate and extend such findings, 11 women who were long-term recovered from BN (>1 year with no binging, purging, or restricting behaviors, normal weight, and regular menstrual cycles) were compared with 15 healthy volunteer women on the Eating Disorders Invertory-2 (EDI-2), the Beck Depression Inventory, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). RESULTS: Compared with the control women, the recovered BN women showed elevated levels of the EDI-2 subscales of Drive for Thinness, Body Dissatisfaction, Ineffectiveness, Perfectionism, and Social Insecurity, greater depression and anxiety, elevated levels of the MPQ Stress Reaction dimension and the higher-order factor of Negative Emotionality, and lower levels of the MPQ Well Being and Closeness dimensions. DISCUSSION: Core eating and weight-related concerns, dysphoric affect, social discomfort, and personality traits indicative of perfectionism persist following long-term recovery from BN.

Body attitudes and body experiences in suicidal adolescents.

The relationships between cognitive and affective attitudes toward the body, body experiences (dissociation, insensitivity, and lack of control), and suicidal tendencies were examined as a derivative of the hypothesis that bodily attitudes and experiences may facilitate suicidal acting out. Three groups of adolescents (aged 14-18), including suicidal (made a suicide attempt) and nonsuicidal inpatients and controls, were compared with regard to suicidal tendencies, various body aspects, and depression and anxiety. A series of MANOVAs, discriminant analysis, Pearson correlations, and regressions were employed. The results show that the suicidal group differed from the two nonsuicidal groups in feelings toward the body, body protection, and body dissociation. Some aspects of bodily measures discriminated between suicidal and nonsuicidal subjects. In addition, various bodily measures were associated with and statistically predicted suicidal tendencies. The discussion focuses on the web of associations between body attitudes and experiences and their role in suicidal behavior.

Psychosocial diagnosis in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents.

This study examines the relevance of a psychosocial diagnostic system developed by the World Health Organization (WHO; International Classification of Diseases [ICD] 10 axis V) for psychiatrically hospitalized inpatient adolescents and assesses the reliability of semistructured interviews for making these psychosocial diagnoses. Seventy-one consecutive patients admitted to an adolescent unit and their parents were interviewed. The semistructured interviews were derived from the criteria for each psychosocial (axis V) diagnosis. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were measured for both child and parent interviews on a subsample of 57 and 25 subjects, respectively. Results showed high inter-rater reliability (kappa = 0.8 to 1.0). Some test-retest reliabilities were high and others were low (kappa = 0.4 to 1.0). Parent-child agreement was erratic (kappa = 0.2 to 0.7). All of the psychosocial diagnostic entities were common and relevant to our patient population. We conclude that it is possible to make reliable and relevant psychosocial diagnoses in severely ill adolescents.

Depressive symptoms and suicidality in physically abused children.

Depressive symptoms and suicidality were assessed in 114 children 6-12 years old, of whom 41 had been physically abused, 38 neglected, and 35 neither abused nor neglected. The physically abused children manifested significantly higher levels of depressive symptomatology and suicidality than did the other two groups. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Serum cholesterol, suicidal tendencies, impulsivity, aggression, and depression in adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between serum cholesterol levels and suicidal behaviors in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Any association between serum cholesterol and measures of suicidal behavior, impulsivity, aggression, anxiety, and depression was also examined. METHODS: Consecutive admissions (n = 152) to an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit were assessed using measures of suicidal behavior, violence, impulsivity, and depression. Serum cholesterol was compared between those admitted for reasons of suicidal tendencies and those for other reasons. Correlation between serum cholesterol and measures of suicidal behavior, violence, impulsivity, and depression were examined. RESULTS: Serum cholesterol levels were significantly higher in adolescent patients who were currently suicidal than in nonsuicidal adolescents. Within the suicidal group, but not in the total inpatient group, serum cholesterol correlated negatively with the degree of suicidal behavior. No correlation between serum cholesterol levels and depression, violence, and impulsivity were detected. No significant differences were found in serum cholesterol levels between diagnoses or between suicidal and nonsuicidal patients within each diagnostic group. CONCLUSIONS: The association between cholesterol and suicidal tendencies remains complex and may depend on several variables within the population studied. Its usefulness as a biologic risk factor in clinical samples remains to be determined.

Relationship between human sperm lipid peroxidation, comprehensive quality parameters and IVF outcome.

The membranes of human spermatozoa contain an extremely high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids and are therefore susceptible to lipid peroxidation damage. The aim of this study was to retrospectively determine the association between the lipid peroxidation levels of washed spermatozoa, as indicated by thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substance concentration, and: (a) semen quality evaluated by basic routine, biochemical, cytological and quantitative ultramorphological analyses; (b) IVF fertilization rate. Semen samples from 45 male partners of couples who had been referred for IVF treatment due to a female infertility factor were evaluated for quality as well as for thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substance concentrations. The latter were found to have a negative correlation with total sperm count, semen volume, zinc/fructose ratio, and the integrity of sperm acrosome and axonema. It was suggested that lipid peroxidation has a deleterious effect on the ultramorphological status of the sperm cells and, thereby, on the male fertilization potential. The content of the seminal fluid, about 30% of which is produced by the prostate, may protect spermatozoa from this destructive process. A negative correlation was also found between thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substance concentrations and IVF fertilization rate. When the patients were subdivided into fertilizing (fertilization rate > 0%) and nonfertilizing (fertilization rate = 0%) subgroups (n = 33 and n = 12, respectively), the former exhibited significantly lower thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substance concentrations than the latter. A new IVF fertilization index based on the lipid peroxidation level was established. This index had a predictive power of 93% (94% sensitivity and 92% specificity). The clinical value of this index should be further verified.

Cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and support resources as correlates of parenting and infant development.

By applying R. S. Lazarus's (1993) theoretical model, the authors explored the dynamics of stress and coping as central mechanisms underlying parenting adjustment and infant development. Longitudinal assessment of 140 primiparous mothers included measures of cognitive appraisals of parenting, coping strategies used, and supportive coping resources at pregnancy and 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months postpartum. Maternal outcome measures of adjustment included maternal well-being, parental efficacy, and observed behaviors of caregiving and affiliation. Infant developmental outcome was measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (N. Bayley, 1993). All measures of the stress and coping model showed systematic developmental changes across the transition to parenthood as well as relative stability of individual differences. In addition, the stress and coping variables were found to have additive and interactive effects in predicting both maternal adjustment and infant development.

Medical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes in school-age children conceived by in-vitro fertilization.

Assessed long-term effects of assisted reproduction technologies of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and related techniques of embryo transfer (ET) on children's adjustment. 51 school-age Israeli children conceived by IVF/ET were compared with 51 control-matched children conceived spontaneously. The assessment included a comprehensive medical evaluation, a psychological examination, teachers' reports, parents' reports, and children's self-reports. As compared with controls, IVF/ET children did not reveal significant differences in physical and neurological status or on cognitive measures of IQ, visual-motor coordination, visual memory, and verbal comprehension. Nevertheless, the IVF/ET children were scored lower by teachers on measures of socioemotional adjustment in school and on self-report measures of anxiety, aggression, and depression. Among IVF/ET children, the tendency to be at a greater risk for emotional disturbances was exacerbated among boys and among children whose parents were older.

Association between multiple suicide attempts and negative affects in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the level of negative emotions-anxiety, depression, aggression, and impulsivity-in hospitalized adolescents with a history of either a single or multiple suicide attempts. METHOD: Thirty-two adolescents hospitalized for a first suicide attempt, 19 hospitalized for a repeated attempt (fifth or more), 109 nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients, and 85 community controls were assessed for level of depression, anxiety, aggression, and impulsivity with the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Multidimensional Anger Inventory, and the Suicide Potential Scale. RESULTS: Both suicidal groups demonstrated higher levels of most of the negative emotions than both the normal controls and the nonsuicidal inpatients. When the first attempters were compared with the multiple attempters, similarly high levels were noted for most dimensions of anxiety and depression. A trend toward increased aggression was noted among the multiple suicide attempters on all parameters evaluated; some of these differences were significant. CONCLUSION: In already highly anxious and depressed suicidal inpatients, a high level of aggression might significantly increase the risk of recidivism.

Supportive versus cognitive-behavioral intervention programs in achieving adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis.

Two psychological interventions given for 8 weeks, supportive and cognitive-behavioral, were compared in achieving psychosocial adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis. Participants were divided into 3 groups of patients and their spouses: a supportive group (18 couples), a cognitive-behavioral group (18 couples), and a no-intervention control group (24 couples). A group of 97 healthy participants served as a baseline control group. Self-report measurements were made before treatment (T1), halfway through (T2), and after treatment (T3). Results indicated that, without treatment, the no-intervention control group demonstrated a deterioration of psychosocial adjustment going from T1 to T3. Both interventions were effective in aiding patients and spouses in maintaining psychosocial adjustment in comparison with the no-intervention control group, with few differences between treatments. Most improvement was obtained in the emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal areas, with smaller gains made in the behavioral area.

Perception of physical pain in accident and suicide attempt patients: self-preservation vs self-destruction.

The perception of physical pain and its relationship to psychological variables were examined in emergency-room (ER) patients who were admitted following suicide attempts or accident injuries, and in a control group of community subjects. Two pain measures, involving electric shocks, were administered to the subjects. Psychological variables included hardiness, body image, body satisfaction feelings about the body, stressful events, anxiety and depression. Suicidal subjects endured the highest number of shocks, scored lowest on the appraisal of pain, and scored lowest on psychological hardiness. Moreover, it was found that, among the suicidal subjects, the more negative the scores of psychological variables, the higher the endurance of pain. In accident victim subjects, the relationships were exactly opposite. These results were interpreted as reflecting two different core attitudes towards life under stressful circumstances: a life-destroying tendency in the suicidal subjects vs. a life-preserving tendency in the accident-victim subjects. These two core attitudes indicate different modes of defense: defensive detachment in the suicidal patients and avoidance of stress in the accident victims.

Tolerance for physical pain in suicidal subjects.

This study investigated the tolerance for physical pain in suicidal subjects. Suicidal, psychiatric nonsuicidal, and normal young males and females were administered pain measures including electric shocks, appraisal of shocks, and a measure of thermal pain. Additional study variables included diagnosis, past suicide attempts, severity of suicidal intent, and length of hospitalization. Suicidal individuals showed higher tolerance for pain and appraised the pain as less intense than the other groups, regardless of diagnosis, length of hospitalization, and motivation to participate in the study. These findings were explained as a result of dissociative processes inherent in the development of suicidal tendencies and in terms of pain management strategies.

Correlation of suicidal and violent behavior in different diagnostic categories in hospitalized adolescent patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative importance of aggression and depression in adolescent suicide within different diagnostic categories. METHOD: One hundred sixty-three consecutive admissions to an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit were assessed using a semistructure diagnostic instrument, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children. Scores for depression, suicidal behaviors, and violent behaviors were calculated from this assessment. RESULTS: Anorexia nervosa and conduct disorder patients had the highest suicidal behavior scores. In addition, patients with conduct disorder were significantly more violent than patients with major depressive disorder, and scores on the Violent Behavior Scale correlated with suicidal symptoms but not with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Aggression may be as important in some kinds of suicidal behaviors as is depression. Thus it seems that there are hypothetically at least two types of suicidal behaviors during adolescence: a wish to die (depression) and a wish not to be here for a time (impulse control). The first type of suicidal behavior characterizes that seen in disorders with prominent depression such as major depressive disorder and anorexia nervosa, and the second characterizes disorders of impulse control such as conduct disorder.

Sperm quality of subfertile males before and after treatment with human follicle-stimulating hormone.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential of short-term systemic administration of FSH for improving sperm quality, including ultrastructure, in teratozoospermic patients having normal endocrine profiles. DESIGN: Semen parameters were assessed prospectively using light microscopy (LM), biochemical analysis, and quantitative ultramorphological analyses within 2 months before FSH administration and within 5 days after the end of treatment. SETTING: Samples were collected from patients who were referred to the male fertility clinic at Bar-Ilan University. PATIENTS: Thirty-one patients with teratozoospermia who exhibited normal hormonal profiles and who failed to fertilize their wives in at least two previous IVF attempts (n = 17) or who had wives with apparent normal fertility unable to conceive for > or = 5 years (n = 14) were classified as subfertile. One hundred one males with no previous history of infertility, whose wives conceived after < or = 12 months of pregnancy expectation, served as the control group. INTERVENTION: Treatment was 75 IU FSH administered daily for 30 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pretreatment and post-treatment sperm evaluation of basic and quantitative ultramorphological analyses parameters. The hypothesis was FSH treatment may improve spermatid morphogenesis by its multiple actions on the Sertoli-gamete cell compartment without interfering with the testicular hormonogenic function. RESULTS: A significant improvement in agenesis of the acrosome and in the amorphous heads was observed, reaching normal values after treatment with FSH. The axonema deteriorated. No significant changes were observed in basic semen analysis parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Because malformations of the fine structure of the sperm head subcellular organelles seem to be prerequisites for the success of FSH treatment, ultramorphological examination of the sperm may serve as an indication for the probability of success of this treatment.

Ethnic differences in lung function in Israeli children.

BACKGROUND: The population of Israel consists of immigrants from many different countries. It is not known whether a single nomogram can be used for spirometric values of children of different ethnic descent. METHODS: Spirometry was performed in 753 second or third generation Israeli children (7-14 years) of different ethnic groups. Both parents of 503 of the children were of the same ethnic background. Subjects were allocated to six ethnic groups (European, Iraqi, North African, Indian, Yemenite, and Georgian). RESULTS: Standing height contributed most to the prediction of spirometric values (forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity), whereas sitting height did not contribute further. Statistical analysis showed significant ethnic differences. The Georgians had higher spirometric values for FEV1 than all the other ethnic groups, and higher FVC values than those of the Yemenite, North African, and Indian groups. FVC was lower among the Indian than all other groups. CONCLUSION: Differences in normal spirometric values were found among second or third generation Israeli children of different ethnic origins. European, North African, Iraqi, and Yemenite children could be characterised by single equation, whereas children of Georgian and Indian descent needed different predicting equations.

Human sperm acrosin activity with relation to semen parameters and acrosomal ultrastructure.

It was suggested that although not related to the standard semen parameters the level of the acrosin enzyme system is related to the fertility potential in men. Recently a simple clinical assay for total acrosin level was recommended for routine semen analysis. The improved clinical assay was analysed on the freshly liquified semen of 198 Asthenoteratozoospermic men and compared with the routine semen parameters including biochemical data and the ultrastructure of the acrosome. Only the sum of the per cent of live, motile, and normal-shaped spermatozoa had positive significant and reasonably high correlation with the acrosin level (r = 0.382, P < 0.0001). Each characteristic exhibits significant but low (< 0.35) correlation. Similarly negative significant and reasonably high correlation was obtained between the acrosin level and the sum of the principle acrosomal malformations observed by TEM (r = 0.396, P < 0.0001) while lower negative correlation was found only with agenesis or loss of the acrosome. Acrosin levels below 8.1 microIU 10(-6) cells were obtained in 4 specimens with above 80% round-form associated with more than 95% of agenesis of the acrosome. The possible significance of the low correlation obtained between the acrosin levels and seminal plasma zinc levels, malformations in the acrosomal equatorial region, and the presence of white blood cells is also discussed. We concluded that the acrosin activity reflects an aspect of male fertility which is not diagnosed by the routine semen analysis or by the ultrastructure of the acrosome, and is therefore a useful diagnostic sperm parameter.

The emotional impact of frightening stories on children.

This study of the impact of fairy tales examined catharsis vs repetition compulsion hypotheses. Children with high- or low-trait anxiety, aged 6-9 (n = 132), listened either to a frightening story, a frightening-happy end story, a pause story (for measuring anxiety), or a neutral story. They were tested for state anxiety before and afterwards and their preference for a second hearing was evaluated. The procedure was repeated after three weeks. The findings show an increase in anxiety following the frightening story only. Preference and state anxiety correlated positively in the frightening story (repetition compulsion) and negatively in the pause story (catharsis). It was concluded that anxiety is elicited by the frightening elements of the story, rather than the unconscious symbolic content.

Psychological adjustment of adoptive parents-to-be.

Adjustment and functioning of adoptive parents-to-be were examined during the last stage of expectancy, focusing on possible antecedents or determinants of successful parenting. Results failed to support expectations of short-term adverse effects from transitional stresses, and suggested that the expectancy period may not be equivalent for adoptive and biological parents, especially for mothers. Programmatic implications are discussed.