Degree In Men Research Articles

Transcutaneous injection laryngoplasty through the cricothyroid space in the sitting position: anatomical information and technique

A variety of approaches have been introduced to perform injection laryngoplasty under local anesthesia. Among these reported methods, transcutaneous injection through the cricothyroid space offers many advantages, but it possesses some technical difficulties during access to the vocal fold. The aim of this study was to assess the anatomic references related to transcutaneous injection laryngoplasty through cricothyroid space using 3-dimensionally reconstructed computed tomography to provide guidelines and to achieve higher efficacy during the procedure. The study group consisted of 14 patients (7 male, 7 female) with unilateral vocal fold paralysis and who had undergone multi-detector array computed tomography (MDCT) between January 2004 and December 2005. Assumption was made that transcutaneous injection is approached from the surface at lower margin of the thyroid cartilage and 7 mm lateral to the midline through the cricothyroid membrane and spot at the posterior 1/3 of true vocal cord is the target for injection laryngoplasty. From the surface of the injection point to the target, a line was drawn. Its length and the angle formed between it and the approach direction of needle was measured. Based on these measurements, 15 patients (8 male, 7 female) with unilateral vocal fold paralysis received 15 trials of transcutaneous injection laryngoplasty through the cricothyroid space. The average length from the surface of the injection point (7 mm lateral to the midline) to the posterior 1/3 of the true vocal cord (target of the injection) was 15.75 mm in men and 13.91 mm in women. The average of the angle in medial direction at the surface needed to reach the target of the injection was 10.57 degrees in men and 12.71 degrees in women, and in superior direction was 47.57 degrees in men and 47.43 degrees in women. Injection laryngoplasty performed under acquired reference measurements were successful in 14 trials (93.3%) out of 15 trials in 15 patients. We suggest that knowledge of the anatomic references regarding the transcutaneous injection laryngoplasty through cricothyroid space will provide guidelines for beginners and improve the understanding of the procedure, eventually leading to easier and more precise access to the vocal cord.

Anxiety and sexual stress in men and women undergoing infertility treatment

To better understand the specific nature of the relationship between anxiety and sexual infertility related stress in men and women. The study used a prospective study design involving consecutively referred patients at a university-affiliated teaching hospital. The sample for this study was composed of men and women diagnosed with infertility and referred to a university-affiliated teaching hospital for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Study measures included the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlation coefficients, and standardized betas from linear regression analyses were used for statistical analyses. A total of 306 women and 295 men participated in the study. Three hundred forty-eight (58%) of the participants were scheduled to undergo IVF treatments, and 253 (42%) of participants were scheduled to undergo IUI treatment. Women reported greater anxiety and sexual infertility stress when compared to men. However, men and women showed a similar patterns in the way anxiety symptoms were related to sexual infertility stress with subjective anxiety and autonomic anxiety having the strongest relationship. Anxiety symptoms accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in sexual infertility stress for both sexes and predicted sexual stress to a considerable degree in men as anxiety symptoms explained 21% of the variance in sexual infertility related stress for men and 14% for women. Although this study found that there is more similarity than difference in how men and women experience anxiety and sexual infertility stress, the strong linkage between anxiety and sexual stress in men was surprising since males tend to report less sexual stress and also less anxiety. Sexual stress among men experiencing infertility may be more closely tied to performance anxiety rather than to a more general deterioration in sexual satisfaction associated with infertility. A recommendation for couples might include relaxing their schedule or taking a break from scheduled sexual activity. In addition, physicians can assist patients by providing basic education regarding the relationship between anxiety and sexual infertility stress, and by referring couples reporting heightened levels of sexual stress to mental health professionals who are knowledgeable about infertility-specific stress.

Die Beugefähigkeit im Daumengrundgelenk des gesunden Erwachsenen

Metacarpophalangeal flexion of the thumb is known to be highly variable. To obtain normative values, active metacarpophalangeal flexion of the thumb was measured bilaterally in healthy Caucasian adults (female n = 403; male n = 366) in a standardized manner. Independent of gender, inter-individual variation was high, ranging between 16 degrees and 90 degrees and showing a continuous decrease with increasing age. Women showed a bigger range of motion than men but in both range of motion was higher on the left thumb (mean 1.4 degrees in women and mean 1.1 degrees in men). No influence of hand dominance was observed. Thus, the healthy contralateral side should be used as parameter of comparison.

Natural history of the respiratory involvement in Anderson–Fabry disease

Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is an X-linked disorder caused by deficient activity of enzyme alpha-galactosidase A, resulting in the accumulation of glycosphingolipids within lysosomes. Pulmonary involvement in AFD has previously been documented, but until now has been studied only in a few series of patients without any longitudinal follow-up. The aim of this study was to compare spirometric changes in AFD patients with a matched control population and to follow the subsequent progression of the disease. Fifty individuals (27 women, 23 men, mean age 40 +/- 14 years) with AFD from 14 families underwent a static spirometric examination under standard conditions. A set of indices was compared with that of the control population. Out of this cohort, 39 individuals not receiving enzyme replacement therapy were longitudinally evaluated (median follow-up time 24 months). A clinically significant reduction in spirometric parameters, corresponding to mild to severe airway obstruction, was observed in 26% of women and 61% of men. During the serial follow-up, a significant (p < 0.05) age-dependent reduction of predicted %FVC and %FEV1 values was observed in male patients, while the influence of age was not seen in female patients. The %FEF(25-75) values decreased by similar degrees in men and women and in older and younger patients, indicating that progressive bronchial disease affects the small airways first. We have demonstrated a clinically relevant age- and sex-dependent progressive pulmonary involvement in AFD patients. The effects of enzyme replacement therapy on pulmonary involvement remain to be demonstrated.

Full‐limb and knee radiography assessments of varus‐valgus alignment and their relationship to osteoarthritis disease features by magnetic resonance imaging

To examine the correlation between hip-knee-ankle and femur-tibia radiograph angles, calculate the offset of the femur-tibia angle with respect to the hip-knee-ankle angle, calculate the sensitivity and specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the femur-tibia angle, and examine the relationship of malalignment by each approach with osteoarthritis (OA) tissue pathology in the mechanically stressed compartment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Individuals with knee OA underwent full-limb and knee radiographs and knee MRI. Linear regression was used to determine if the 2 angles differed systematically and to identify the cutoff. Alignment means for MRI grades were compared using Dunnett's t-test. In the 146 participants (109 women, mean age 70 years, body mass index 30.6 kg/m(2)), femur-tibia and hip-knee-ankle angles correlated (r = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.81, 0.90). On average, the femur-tibia angle was 3.4 degrees more valgus (3.0 degrees in women and 4.7 degrees in men); after correction, its sensitivity and specificity (to predict the hip-knee-ankle angle) were 0.84 and 0.84 for identifying varus and 0.98 and 0.73 for valgus, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (95% CI) was 0.91 (0.86, 0.96) for varus and 0.94 (0.89, 0.99) for valgus. Varus severity worsened comparably with each alignment measure as medial lesion score on MRI worsened. Laterally, as lesion score worsened, comparably worse valgus was seen with either assessment approach. In knee OA, the knee radiograph femur-tibia and full-limb radiograph hip-knee-ankle angles were correlated. The femur-tibia angle, corrected for mean offset, was sensitive, specific, and had excellent discriminative ability for identifying varus and valgus alignment evidenced by area under the ROC curve. The relationship between alignment and specific OA MRI features was comparable with the 2 approaches. Use of the femur-tibia angle, corrected for offset, should be considered in research and clinical settings.

A comparison of the spine posture among several sit-and-reach test protocols

The purpose of the study was to compare the thoracic and lumbar spine posture among different sit-and-reach tests. Fifty-eight men and 47 women were asked to perform three trials of sit-and-reach test (SR), toe-touch test (TT), back-saver sit-and-reach test (BS) right and left, unilateral seated sit-and-reach test (USR) right and left, and V sit-and-reach test (VSR). Thoracic and lumbar angles were assessed with an inclinometer when subjects reached forward maximally. Women had a lower thoracic angle than men on all tests (p<0.05). No differences were found in the lumbar angle between genders. The thoracic angle was the highest in VSR (75.3 degrees in men and 65.8 degrees in women) and the lowest in TT (61.7 degrees in men and 53.1 degrees in women). No differences were found among some pairwise comparisons (SR-BS in both genders, SR-TT, SR-VSR and others in women). The VSR test presented the highest values in lumbar spine when compared to other tests (30.5 degrees in men and 32.0 degrees in women). Unilateral seated sit-and-reach test presented the lowest lumbar angle in men (24.2 degrees for right leg and 23.9 degrees for left leg) and women (23.9 degrees in both legs) and there were significant differences with respect to the other tests. Characteristics and administration procedures of tests, such us uni- or bilateral, sitting or standing, measuring with or without box, parallel or V position, and hip position influence thoracic and lumbar postures.

Autoimmune Diseases in Asthma

Previous research has suggested an inverse relationship between T-helper 2-related atopic disorders, such as asthma, and T-helper 1-related autoimmune diseases. One controversial hypothesis postulates that asthma provides a protective effect for the development of autoimmune-related disorders. To assess the rate of newly diagnosed autoimmune disorders in a large cohort of young adults. Using cross-sectional data from the Israeli Defense Force database, the authors analyzed the prevalence of autoimmune disorders in asthmatic and nonasthmatic military personnel between 1980 and 2003. A follow-up study traced newly diagnosed autoimmune disorders among asthmatic and nonasthmatic individuals from the time of enrollment in military service until discharge (22 and 36 months for women and men, respectively). General community. 307,367 male and 181,474 female soldiers in compulsory military service who were between 18 and 21 years of age. Cases of type 1 diabetes mellitus, vasculitis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and the antiphospholipid syndrome. Of 488,841 participants at enrollment, significantly more women than men had autoimmune disorders. Compared with asthmatic women, nonasthmatic women had a significantly higher prevalence of all autoimmune disorders except for the antiphospholipid syndrome. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, vasculitis, and rheumatoid arthritis were less prevalent in men with asthma than in those without. During the follow-up period, vasculitis and rheumatoid arthritis were more frequently diagnosed in nonasthmatic persons of both sexes. There was a significantly higher incidence of immune thrombocytopenic purpura, inflammatory bowel disease, and the antiphospholipid syndrome in nonasthmatic women and a statistically significantly higher incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in nonasthmatic men. The study was limited to a population of young military recruits; therefore, its findings are not necessarily applicable to the general population. Because of the noninterventional nature of the study, it describes associations but cannot prove causality. Asthma status may affect the prevalence of major autoimmune disorders. Preexisting asthma seems to protect against the development of autoimmune disorders to varying degrees in men and women.

Onset of left ventricular mechanical contraction as determined by phase analysis of ECG-gated myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging: Development of a diagnostic tool for assessment of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony

A count-based method using technetium-99m sestamibi electrocardiography-gated myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography imaging has been developed to extract the left ventricular (LV) regional phase of contraction (onset of mechanical contraction [OMC]) throughout the cardiac cycle. This study was performed to develop OMC normal databases and dynamic OMC displays for assessment of cardiac mechanic dyssynchrony. LV regional phases were extracted from 90 enrolled normal subjects (45 men and 45 women) by use of the Emory Cardiac Toolbox and then submitted to statistical analysis to generate the normal databases. The LV OMC wave was dynamically propagated over the perfusion polar map by blackening either sequential phase bins or all past phases. The developed OMC normal databases consisted of peak phase (134.5 degrees +/- 14.3 degrees for men and 140.2 degrees +/- 14.9 degrees for women), phase SD (14.2 degrees +/- 5.1 degrees for men and 11.8 degrees +/- 5.2 degrees for women), and phase histogram bandwidth (38.7 degrees +/- 11.8 degrees for men and 30.6 degrees +/- 9.6 degrees for women), skewness (4.19 +/- 0.68 for men and 4.60 +/- 0.72 for women), and kurtosis (19.72 +/- 7.68 for men and 23.21 +/- 8.16 for women). Both statistical analysis and dynamic OMC displays were incorporated into a user interface as a diagnostic tool. The OMC normal databases and dynamic OMC displays should help clinicians evaluate cardiac mechanic dyssynchrony. Prospective clinical trials are needed to validate whether this tool can be used to select patients with severe heart failure symptoms who might benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy.

A comparative assessment of alignment angle of the knee by radiographic and physical examination methods

To compare the knee-alignment angle from a full-limb radiograph (mechanical axis) with the anatomic-axis angle as measured by physical examination using a goniometer and by 2 other radiographic methods. The knee-alignment angle was measured in 114 knees of 57 subjects who had radiographic osteoarthritis (OA), with a Kellgren/Lawrence grade of >/=1 in at least one knee. The mechanical axis was defined as the angle formed by the intersection of 2 lines, one from the center of the head of the femur to the center of the tibial spines, and a second from the center of the talus to the center of the tibial spines. The anatomic axis was defined as the angle formed by 2 lines, each originating from a point bisecting the femur and tibia and converging at the center of the tibial spine tips. The anatomic-axis angle was measured by 3 methods: 1) physical examination using a goniometer, 2) a posteroanterior (PA) fixed-flexion knee radiograph (anatomic(PA) axis), and 3) an anteroposterior (AP) full-limb radiograph (anatomic(AP) axis). Significant correlations were found between the mechanical-axis angle and the anatomic-axis angle measured by each of the 3 methods: by goniometer (r = 0.70, P < 0.0001), by anatomic(PA) axis (r = 0.75, P < 0.0001), and by anatomic(AP) axis (r = 0.65, P < 0.0001). The anatomic axis was offset a mean 4.21 degrees valgus from the mechanical axis (3.5 degrees in women, 6.4 degrees in men), which was consistent across all methods. Knee alignment assessed clinically by goniometer or measured on a knee radiograph is correlated with the angle measured on the more cumbersome and costly full-limb radiograph. These alternative measures have the potential to provide useful information regarding the risk of progression of knee OA when a full-limb radiograph is not available.

Clinical Predictors of Difficult Laryngeal Exposure

Although difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) is a common problem encountered after procedures using a rigid laryngoscope, to date, no anticipatory physical indicators have been formally noted as reliable predictors of DLE. The purpose of this paper is to identify useful and reliable indicators by which to predict, with acceptable accuracy, the occurrence of DLE following rigid laryngoscopy. Fifty-six patients, each of whom had undergone a rigid laryngoscope procedure, were classified as belonging to either the DLE group (n = 19) or the control group (n = 37) for purposes of this prospective study. All patients were given a physical examination, which encompassed the following nine measures: age, sex, modified Mallampati index (MMI), body mass index (BMI), hyoid-mental distance (HMD), thyroid-mental distance (TMD), thyroid-mandible angle (TMA), horizontal thyroid distance (HTD), and vertical thyroid distance (VTD). Stepwise regression was employed on patient data to identify those with DLE. RESULTS The ages of patients in the DLE group ranged from 35 to 79 years, with a mean of 51.3 years. Among the nine variables, we found sex (P =.045, odds ratio = 69.159) and TMA (P =.004, odds ratio = 1.510) to be "reliable" DLE predictors. Using these two variables, 94.6% of study case patients could have been correctly classified preoperatively. Based on our comparison of case results, we found that a TMA value greater than 120 degrees in men and 130 degrees in women indicates a strong likelihood of DLE. CONCLUSIONS TMA is a sensitive, reliable, and useful predictor of DLE in both men and women. The combination of sex and TMA provide important initial clinical indicators that can alert a clinician regarding DLE probability.

Estudo da marcha em idosos: resultados preliminares

Os objetivos foram avaliar parâmetros tempo-espaciais da marcha de idosos brasileiros e comparar o valor médio da velocidade confortável da marcha com um banco de dados estrangeiro (de Oberg) de parâmetros básicos da marcha. Metodo: Foram estudados 15 voluntários saudáveis (8 homens, 7 mulheres) dos 60 aos 79 anos de idade. As medidas foram realizadas no playgroung dos prédios onde residiam. A velocidade da marcha foi medida para uma distância de 6 m; o comprimento do passo, a largura da passada e o ângulo dos pés foram medidos a partir de impressões plantares. A cadência foi calculada a partir da velocidade da marcha e do comprimento do passo. Resultados: O valor médio da velocidade confortável da marcha variou de 1,05 + 0,14 m/s para mulheres da faixa etária de 60 anos a 1,10 + 0,13 m/s para homens da faixa etária de 70 anos. Os valores médios do comprimento do passo, da largura da passada, do ângulo dos pés e da cadência foram respectivamente 52,1 + 8,75 cm; 11,2 + 3,49 cm; 119,4 + 11,07 passos/min e 13,5 + 8,53 graus para os homens e 46,6 + 8,08 cm; 6,75 + 7,07cm; 137,4 + 22,64 passos/min e 7,5 + 5,1 graus para as mulheres. Conclusão: O menor valor da velocidade da marcha encontrado para os nossos idosos (apesar da casuística pequena), quando confrontado com os dados de Oberg, sugere a importância de estudos completos para suprir a falta de dados normativos de parâmetros da marcha para a população brasileira.

Dimensions of the cricoid cartilage and the trachea.

Important dimensions of the cricoid cartilage and trachea have been studied. Knowledge of size, variations in size, and configuration of these structures is important when tracheal intubation, stenting, endoscopy, and transplantation are to be performed. In 34 male and 27 female adult human specimens, 1,861 measurements of the cricoid cartilage and trachea were performed. The smallest dimension was found in the frontal plane. The mean inner diameter of the cricoid in this plane with mucous membrane in situ was in women 11.6 mm (range, 8.9-17.0 mm) and in men 15.0 mm (range, 11.0-21.5 mm). The configuration varied more than expected. For example, the angle between the longitudinal axes of the cricoarytenoid joint facets ranged from 42 degrees to 74 degrees in women and from 37 degrees to 75 degrees in men. The mean distance between these joint facets was 10.3 mm (range, 7.4-13.0 mm) in women and 12.6 mm (range, 8.0-18.2 mm) in men. The cross-section of the trachea varied much in configuration, the smallest frontal diameter being as little as 9.9 mm in women and 12 mm in men. In some women the inner diameter of the cricoid ring does not permit passage of a standard-size (7 mm, internal diameter [ID]) tracheal tube or a standard-size rigid endoscope through the larynx without mucosal damage. The small distance between the cricoarytenoid joints in many women and some men is the basis for of the clinical observation that women, especially, receive pressure necroses at the medial sides of the arytenoid cartilages attributable to tracheal intubation with standard tubes. The large difference in almost all sizes and shapes of the cricoid cartilage and trachea makes it impossible to standardize the rigid stents used in these organs. When transplantation to the larynx is planned, this variation of the anatomy must be considered.

Estrogen receptor content in malignant breast tumors in men--a review.

Male breast cancer is a rare disease and clinical or epidemiological data are available from only a relatively few cases. Nonetheless, both similarities and discrepancies are apparent between breast cancer in men and women. For example, lobular and mucinous carcinomas are seldom seen in men. Tumors in men more often display neuroendocrine differentiation, with an average age at diagnosis ten years later than in women. A high proportion of breast tumors in men are estrogen receptor-alpha positive (in this review 77%) and progesterone receptor positive (76%). Breast tumors in men often respond favorably to endocrine manipulation, including testicular ablation or antiestrogen therapy. Thus, the hormone receptors in these tumors can be functionally active and used for therapeutic intervention. This proposal has been questioned in some studies because estrogen dependent proteins are expressed to a lesser degree in men. Furthermore, men do not have a better overall breast cancer prognosis compared with women, after adjustments have been made for age and tumor stage. While the androgen receptor content has been assessed in a few studies, there are no studies on the estrogen receptor-beta content of breast tumors in men.

Social representations of aggression: Crossing the sex barrier

Controversy over Moscovici's concept of social representations has focused upon the extent to which they can be viewed as enduring cognitive structures characterizing social groups and whether individual members are ‘prisoners’ of their social representations, unable to duplicate the social representations of other social groups. Previous research has established a consistent gender difference in orientation toward aggression with men viewing it as an instrumental act of coercion and women as a temporary loss of self-control. These two social representations, originally recovered from spontaneous conversation, have been measured with a psychometric instrument called Expagg. To examine the mutability of these representations, men and women in the present study were asked to complete the questionnaire either spontaneously or as they believed a member of the opposite sex might respond. Under conditions of same-sex responding the usual significant sex difference appeared. When asked to respond as a member of the opposite sex, men accurately mirrored women's higher expressive total score on the questionnaire but psychometric analysis revealed that there was no similarity in terms of item–total correlations. Women grossly overestimated the degree of men's instrumentality but item–total total correlations revealed a considerable degree of similarity with men's structure. The male representation whether natural or assumed showed higher internal consistency than did the female mode. The results are discussed in terms of differential modes of access to gender-linked representations and the cultural dominance of a masculine and instrumental representation of aggression.

Morphometric evaluation of the first sacral vertebra and the projection of its pedicle on the posterior aspect of the sacrum.

This study directly measured the dimensions of the first sacral vertebra based on dry bony specimens. To measure the dimensions of the S1 pedicle, vertebral body, and spinal canal, and determine the projections of the S1 pedicle on the posterior aspect of the sacrum. Sacral screw fixation remains a challenging clinical problem because of the unique anatomy of the first sacral vertebra. The anatomic data of S1 have rarely been described in the literature. Sacrums from 50 carefully prepared bony spines were used. Linear measurements included the dimensions of the vertebral body, spinal canal, and pedicle. Pedicle width was measured in two segments, pedicle zones 1 and 2. Angular measurements of the pedicle relative to the sagittal plane were also included. In pedicle zone 1, the average medial angle of the pedicles was 10.2 degrees for men and 10.7 degrees for women, average width was 10.9 mm for men and 10.4 mm for women, average length of the pedicles was 34.6 mm for men and 34.9 mm for women. In pedicle zone 2, the average medial angle of the pedicles was 39.4 degrees for both men and women, average width was 15.6 mm for men and 14.7 mm for women, average length of the pedicles was 43.7 mm for men, and 41.7 mm for women. The projections of pedicle zones 1 and 2 on the posterior aspect of S1 were determined. The investigators proposed the concept of pedicle zones 1 and 2. The safer area for S1 pedicle screw insertion was found in pedicle zone 2.

Lumbar mobility in asymptomatic individuals.

A radiological study of angulatory and translational lumbar mobility and of lumbar scoliosis was performed on 56 persons aged 35-54 years who had no history of back pain. The measurements of mobility were based on extension-flexion views; the assessment of scoliosis was done using radiographs taken in the standing position. The results indicated that the largest range of angulatory motion occurred in the L5-S1 segment (mean, 17.3 degrees for women and 16.4 degrees for men). Five-millimeter translational motion was so common in the L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments, as was 4-mm in the L5-S1 segments, that these values cannot be considered with certainty as pathological. Ten subjects (18%) showed scoliosis of > or = 10 degrees. Although based on a small series, these results are a step toward a more objective and careful interpretation of extension-flexion and functional radiographs of low-back pain patients.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS PRIOR TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE AND NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS IN A COMMUNITY OF OLDER ADULTS

Cardiovascular disease risk factors were measured 10-15 years (mean, 11.9 years) prior to the diagnosis of impaired glucose tolerance and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Rancho Bernardo, California. There were 1,847 men and women aged 40-79 years who had no known diabetes or fasting hyperglycemia at baseline (1972-1974). At the follow-up examination (1984-1987), 1,115 men and women (60.4%) had normal glucose tolerance, 513 (27.8%) had impaired glucose tolerance, and 219 (11.9%) had non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus as defined by World Health Organization criteria. Rates of impaired glucose tolerance and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus increased with age, and impaired glucose tolerance was approximately twice as common as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were older and more overweight and had higher levels of blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and triglyceride at baseline than those whose glucose tolerance remained normal; those with impaired glucose tolerance generally had intermediate levels of the same risk factors. When it was examined in a prospective fashion, in general, the age-adjusted risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus increased with increasing quartile of each risk factor, and the risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in a given quartile was greater than that for impaired glucose tolerance. Logistic regression analyses showed these factors to be positively associated with a subsequent diagnosis of impaired glucose tolerance as well as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in women, and to a lesser degree in men, independent of baseline age and body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)2). These data illustrate that a less favorable cardiovascular risk factor profile precedes the diagnosis of both non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance.

Fantasies and Exposure to Sexually Explicit Magazines

We assessed whether a relationship exists between the degree of men's exposure to Playboy and Penthouse magazines and the frequency of their sexual and hostile-aggressive fantasies. No significant relationships were found between frequency of readership of Playboy and either sexual or aggressive fantasies. This finding supported the contention by Playboy's publisher that consumers are not attracted to the magazine primarily for sexual fantasizing. Penthouse readership was best predicted by the interaction of sexual and hostile fantasies: For those with low-hostile fantasies, there was not a significant relationship between sexual fantasies and Penthouse exposure, whereas for those with high-hostile fantasies, there was a strong association between exposure to this magazine and sexual fantasizing (r = .51, p &lt;.0001). These results did not change when statistical controls were used for possible confounding with other media and fantasies. Although these findings were largely predicted on the basis of an expressive model, which asserts that consumers' exposure to sexual media is an expression of their conscious fantasies, some of the data may also be explained by other models. The need for better theoretical models to guide further research is emphasized.

Man and tegu lizards in Eastern Paraguay

Tegu lizards ( Tupinambis teguixin and Tupinambis rufescens) are found throughout Paraguay. A survey of 84 rural farmers in the country's northeastern region was carried out to assess the nature and degree of man's interaction with the lizards. The survey results show that tegus represent a significant resource to the rural peasantry. The skins provide hard currency and the meat a source of calories and protein. Sixty-seven farmaers killed approximately 850 tegus during the summer 1984–1985, with those who marketed the skins earning an average of US$ 34·92 (parallel rate) from their sale, a sum equal to 20 days of agricultural wages. Farmers of lower socio-economic strata tend to exploit greater numbers of tegu. Cultural peculiarities of non-Paraguayan immigrants affect attitudes toward exploitation. Overhunting has caused a significant reduction in tegu numbers during the past decade. Recommendations aimed at achieving a rational and sustainable harvest of these valuable species are offered.

Quantitative imaging of neuroreceptors in the living human brain

Positron emission tomography (PET) makes it possible for the first time to examine in living humans the chemistry of the brain, which relates the structures of the brain to the functions of the mind. PET scans make it possible to assess the state of neurotransmitter receptors, such as the dopamine, serotonin, muscarinic cholinergic, opiate, and benzodiazepine receptors, in different regions in normal persons and patients with neuropsychiatric diseases. One of the most striking findings to date is that dopamine receptors fall significantly between the ages of 19 and 73 years, to a greater degree in men than in women. The effects of neurotropic drugs, such as haloperidol and methadone, can be assessed in an individual patient, providing for the first time an objective indicator of the specific desired effects of such drugs in the treatment of nervous or mental disease. Studies of patients with diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, bipolar disease, and schizophrenia are in progress. At present, the patients are being examined as part of research protocols, but it is likely that clinical trials will not be far off.