慢性乙型肝炎患者外周血中睾酮的变化及其意义

测定65例慢性乙型肝炎患者和35例健康者血清睾酮水平,并分别检测血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶（alanine aminotransferase,ALT）、谷氨酸氨基转移酶（aspartate aminotransferase,AST）、γ-谷氨酰基转肽酶（gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase,GOT）、血清总胆红素（total bilirubin,TBIL）、碱性磷酸酶（alkaline phosphatase,ALP）、免疫球蛋白IgG、IgM、IgA,荧光定量PCR检测外周血HBV DNA水平。慢性乙型肝炎患者血清睾酮水平显著高于正常对照组,HBeAg阳性患者较HBeAg阴性患者升高明显,但差别无显著意义。慢性乙型肝炎患者肝功血清学指标ALT、AST、TBIL、GGT、ALP及IgG水平显著高于正常人,但乙肝患者睾酮水平与ALT等生化指标及HBV DNA水平无明显相关性,与免疫球蛋白IgG呈中等负相关。因而可以看出慢性乙型肝炎患者血清睾酮水平显著高于正常人,睾酮水平升高可作为慢性乙型肝炎的易感因素之一。     

Enhanced feminine sexual behavior and infertility in female rats prenatally treated with an antiestrogen

An attempt to elucidate the possible role of prenatal estrogen on the development of feminine sexual behavior and reproductive function was made by treating females with the antiestrogen CI628 prenatally on days 13-19. Control females were prenatally treated with saline or remained untreated. The animals were delivered by caesarian section on day 22 of pregnancy and placed with foster mothers whose newborn pups had been previously removed. Intact peripubertal females in each treatment group were observed for several reproductive measures, including the capacity to become pregnant. Other females were ovariectomized in adulthood and treated with estradiol benzoate (EB) (1, 1.5, 2 or 4 micro g/rat) and 0.5 mg progesterone and tested for receptivity, proceptivity and sexual partner preference. Two weeks after the completion of these tests, the females were injected daily for 7 days with 0.25 mg testosterone and tested for sexual partner preference and mounting behavior. The results obtained showed accelerated vaginal opening, and infertility in the antiestrogen-treated intact females and enhanced receptivity and proceptivity in response to 1 micro g EB in the antiestrogen ovariectomized females. Sexual partner preference and mounting behavior did not differ between groups. These results suggest an involvement of prenatal estrogen on the development of female reproductive function, but not on behavioral differentiation.     

Poly I:C母体免疫刺激诱导的子代精神分裂症神经发育动物模型研究

精神分裂症是一组病因未明的重性精神障碍,其病理生理学机制极其复杂,建立能够确切模拟精神分裂症的动物模型对于其发病机制的研究及抗精神分裂症药物的研发具有十分重要的意义。本文意在介绍产前母体免疫刺激（聚肌胞苷酸聚肌苷酸-聚胞苷酸,poly-I:C）诱导子代出现精神分裂症样的神经发育动物模型,以及该模型对精神分裂症的病因研究、生物学机制及其治疗和药物研发的重要意义。     

Testosterone,Risk Taking,and Religiosity: Evidence from Two Cultures

Miller and Stark (2002) argued that worldwide tendencies for males to be less religious than females must have a physiological foundation. In the same year, Stark (2002) proposed that males are more prone to risk taking than females (thereby becoming less religious) due to their higher testosterone levels. The present study was undertaken to assess the merits of these proposals using questionnaire data obtained from Malaysian and U.S. college students. Seven religiosity traits were factor analyzed into a single factor, two risk‐taking traits were averaged into a single variable, and five traits were factor analyzed into two factorial measures of androgens. The usual gender differences in religiosity and risk taking were confirmed. However, contrary to Miller and Stark's suggestion, risk taking was not found to be inversely correlated with religiosity. Regarding the two androgen factors, most of the findings were inconsistent with Stark's proposal that negative correlations would be found. Aside from females being more religious and less prone to take risks than males, most of the other theoretical ideas offered by Miller and Stark were not supported by findings from this study.     

Maternal prenatal stress and infant regulatory capacity in Mexican Americans

The early postpartum period lays important groundwork for later self-regulation as infants’ dispositional traits interact with caregivers’ co-regulatory behaviors to produce the earliest forms of self-regulation. Although emerging literature suggests that fetal exposure to maternal stress may be integral in determining child self-regulatory capacity, the complex pathways that characterize these early developmental processes remain unclear. The current study considers these complex, transactional processes in a low income, Mexican American sample. Data were collected from 295 Mexican American infants and their mothers during prenatal, 6- and 12-week postpartum home interviews. Mother reports of stress were obtained prenatally, and mother reports of infant temperament were obtained at 6 weeks. Observer ratings of maternal sensitivity and infant regulatory behaviors were obtained at the 6- and 12-week time points. Study results indicate that prenatal stress predicts higher levels of infant negativity and surgency, both of which directly or interactively predict later engagement in regulatory behaviors. Unexpectedly, prenatal stress also predicted more engagement in orienting, but not self-comforting behaviors. Advancing understandings about the nature of these developmental pathways may have significant implications for targets of early intervention in this high risk population.     

Prenatal meditation influences infant behaviors

Meditation is important in facilitating health. Pregnancy health has been shown to have significant consequences for infant behaviors. In view of limited studies on meditation and infant temperament, this study aims to explore the effects of prenatal meditation on these aspects. The conceptual framework was based on the postulation of positive relationships between prenatal meditation and infant health. A randomized control quantitative study was carried out at Obstetric Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong. 64 pregnant Chinese women were recruited for intervention and 59 were for control. Outcome measures were cord blood cortisol, infant salivary cortisol, and Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Cord blood cortisol level of babies was higher in the intervention group (p < 0.01) indicates positive health status of the newborns verifies that prenatal meditation can influence fetal health. Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire showed that the infants of intervention group have better temperament (p < 0.05) at fifth month reflects the importance of prenatal meditation in relation to child health. Present study concludes the positive effects of prenatal meditation on infant behaviors and recommends that pregnancy care providers should provide prenatal meditation to pregnant women.     

Factors predictive of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Neuropsychological assessment

A variety of neurodevelopmental impairments related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) diagnoses have been consistently documented. However, it is not clear whether such variables are predictive of a diagnosis. The purpose of the present study is to use logistic regressions to identify predictors of FASD in neuropsychological assessment. Charts of 180 children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) who underwent psychological and diagnostic assessment for FASD were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 107 received an FASD diagnosis (the PAE-FASD group) and 73 did not (the PAE group). Following preliminary analyses, direct logistic regressions were performed to assess the contribution of different neuropsychological testing measures on the likelihood of a child or adolescent receiving an FASD diagnosis. The results indicate that the classification accuracy of the PAE-FASD and PAE groups is clinically significant across models of intelligence, academic achievement, memory, and executive functioning. Classification rates across the various models range from 67.1% to 75.5%, with models incorporating 10 intelligence subtests or 3 academic subtests emerging as superior to those using broad indices of intelligence and/or individual subtests of memory or executive functioning. A “test battery” model incorporating verbal intelligence, verbal/auditory working memory (digit span), basic reading and spelling skills, math calculations, delayed story recall, and spatial planning and problem-solving yielded a classification rate of 74.7%. These results suggest that neuropsychological testing is a critical component of FASD assessment and help guide decisions to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of the diagnostic process and treatment recommendations.     

An investigation of intra-individual variability in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

Intra-individual variability (IIV) is defined as systematic within-person variation in performance either across test sessions (e.g., test/retest performance on the same task) or in one session (e.g., variations in performance on multiple trials of a single task). Higher levels of IIV have been noted as a characteristic of neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder? (ADHD), but IIV is yet to be investigated in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is a term used to describe a range of conditions resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol. As part of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, four study groups (1. fetal alcohol syndrome/partial fetal alcohol syndrome; 2. static encephalopathy/alcohol exposed; 3. neurobehavioral disorder/alcohol exposed as diagnosed using the University of Washington FASD 4-Digit Code; 4. typically-developing (TD) age-matched children with no prenatal alcohol exposure) were administered measures of motor response and inhibitory control, attention, and adaptive behavior. The results indicate increased levels of IIV in those with FASD compared to the TD controls. It was found that IIV uniquely contributes to predicting adaptive behavior above and beyond attention, while attention partially mediates the relationship between IIV and adaptive behavior. This is the first study to the authors’ knowledge to show the presence of increased IIV in children with FASD. It additionally provides evidence that IIV measures some inherent variability in performance independent of poor attention in children with FASD.     

Urinary testosterone metabolite levels and aggressive behaviors in male and female bonobos (Pan paniscus)

This study presents the first data on the relationship between testosterone (T) and aggression in both sexes of the bonobo (Pan paniscus). Morning urinary concentrations of T metabolites (measured by immunoreactive 5α–androstane–17α–ol–3–one) were used to reflect T status. Results show that first, no correlation of T metabolite levels with any of the aggressive behaviors was found between individuals. Within an individual, T metabolite levels only correlated with a minority of aggressive behaviors. Hence, social factors are likely of major importance for the occurrence of aggression in this highly gregarious species, but certain intraindividual aspects of aggressive behavior are nevertheless related to T. A more detailed discussion of the results follows. Secondly, all correlations with T were similar for every individual, males and females, suggesting an analogous relationship in both sexes. Thirdly, our study confirms for bonobos that the measure of aggression used, the time scale at which the correlation is studied, and whether this is done on an inter‐ or intraindividual level, considerably affect results. Aggr. Behav. 30:425–434, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.