A review of alcohol-impaired driving: the role of blood alcohol concentration and complexity of the driving task.

The operation of a motor vehicle requires the integrity of sensory, motor, and intellectual faculties. Impairment of these faculties following the consumption of alcohol has been studied extensively through laboratory, closed-course and on-road driving, and epidemiological studies. The scientific literature was reviewed critically, with a focus on low-to-moderate blood alcohol concentrations (BAC ≤ 0.100%), to identify the most reliable determinants of alcohol-impaired driving. Variables such as age, gender, driving skill, and tolerance were shown to have limited impact on impairment. It was concluded the most relevant variables are BAC and complexity of the driving task. The scientific literature provides a high degree of confidence to support the conclusion that a BAC of 0.050% impairs faculties required in the operation of a motor vehicle. Whether impairment is apparent depends upon the complexity of the driving task, which applies to both study design and actual driving.

Development of the head skeleton of the Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes (Teleostei).

The identification, spatial relationships, and sequences of development of the cartilaginous and bony elements of the chondrocranium, osteocranium, and splanchnocranium in the medaka, Oryzias latipes, are described here for the first time. The development of the cartilaginous head skeleton commences at stage 29 and is essentially complete by stage 35 (hatching). The parasphenoid bone and two pairs of branchiostegals are present at this stage and several other replacement and dermal bones begin to appear shortly thereafter. Development of the osteocranium and ossification of the splanchnocranium continue throughout the larval and juvenile phases and are essentially complete at sexual maturity at approximately 3 months (at 25°C), at which time the fish range in length between 25 and 30 mm. The description of the adult head skeleton of O. latipes is compared to those of O. melastigma, O. luzonesis, and other Oryzias spp. previously described and a redesignation of the relationships between certain elements in the adult head skeleton is proposed, based on the developmental data presented. Furthermore, the value of the medaka as a model teleost to study the embryological origins of, and in particular, the neural crest contributions to, the cranial and visceral skeleton is outlined based on certain characteristics of the medaka's life history traits. These include the ease of obtaining embryos for which the exact time of fertilization is known (without sacrificing any brood stock) and the relatively rapid development of the chondrocranium, which is nearly complete at hatching, a process which can occur in as short a time as 6 days (at 34°C). The usefulness of the ontogenetic data obtainable from further studies into the embryonic origins of head and visceral skeletal elements revealed in the present study, is briefly discussed.

Morphology of the intestine of prefeeding and feeding adult lampreys, Petromyzon marinus (L): The mucosa of the posterior intestine and hindgut.

The epithelium of the posterior intestine and hindgut of recently metamorphosed adult lampreys (Petromyzon marinus L.) prior to and during spontaneous feeding was examined using light and electron microscopy. These two regions differ slightly in their general morphology but possess the same mucosal cell types. Included are caveolated absorptive and mucous cells, which are not present in more cephalic regions of the intestine, and ciliated and enteroendocrine cells. During feeding, the caveolated cells undergo dramatic transformation in their structure, namely, through the acquisition of numerous heterophagic vacuoles. Due to their morphology and to the fact that there are low amounts of lipid, it is suspected that caveolated cells are primarily involved in the absorption of protein components from the ingested host blood and body fluids. Iron in caveolated cells may result from the degradation of ingested heme or reflect the excretion of bile products at this location in the intestine. Mucous cells are likely responsible for lubrication of the luminal surface and may be important as a stem cell for the mucosal epithelium.

Morphology of the intestine of prefeeding and feeding adult Lampreys, Petromyzon marinus L.: The mucosa of the diverticulum, anterior intestine, and transition zone.

Light and electron microscopy were used to examine the morphology of the mucosa of the diverticulum, anterior intestine, and transition zone in prefeeding and spontaneously feeding adult lampreys (Petromyzon marinus L.). Absorptive (either types A or B), ciliated, and enteroendocrine cells are present in all regions but the diverticulum and anterior intestine also possess zymogen (secretory) cells. Type A absorptive cells are restricted to the diverticulum and the rostral one-third of the anterior intestine and are characterized by abundant mitochondria and an extensive smooth tubular network. Type B absorptive cells, in the remainder of the anterior intestine and the transition zone, possess small numbers of these organelles but in the transition zone also have inclusion bodies. During feeding, abundant lipid droplets and lipoprotein (VLDL) accumulate in the cytoplasm of both types of absorptive cells and in the lateral intercellular and the perivascular spaces. Lipid is present to a limited extent in ciliated cells and is encountered only rarely in enteroendocrine and zymogen cells. Although the animals are obligate sanguivores, there is little evidence of iron within these mucosal cells. It is suggested that intestinal efficiency displayed by this animal is due in part to ion transport in osmoregulation in type A cells, lipid absorption in types A and B cells, and digestion through enzymes in zymogen cells.