Male Treatment Groups Research Articles

Discussions of Fatherhood in Male Batterer Treatment Group

The aim of this study was to examine how men who have perpetrated violence toward their partners and participated in batterer group talked about being a father and how they perceived their own fatherhood. The discussion in the group was analyzed qualitatively by using the methods of content analysis. In traditional fatherhood, they talked about avoidant, passiveness, distant, indifference, and authoritative controlling ways of acting. These men also created an image of themselves as active and caring fathers, thus including empathy and nurture in the concept of fatherhood. This new fatherhood was considered an achieved goal and an objective for the men as being a father. Talking about fatherhood in these groups is important as fatherhood and relations to children are both an important motivator toward nonviolence.

Subchronic exposure to mitragynine, the principal alkaloid of Mitragyna speciosa, in rats

Ethnopharmacological relevanceMitragyna speciosa is a popular medicinal plant in Southeast Asia which is commonly used for its morphine-like effects. Although the analgesic properties of Mitragyna speciosa and its ability to ameliorate withdrawal signs after abrupt cessation of opioid abuse are well known, information about the long-term safety of the plant's active compounds is lacking. In this work, we evaluated the effects of sub-chronic exposure to mitragynine, the principal alkaloid of Mitragyna speciosa leaves in rats. Materials and methods: Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats received three doses of mitragynine (1, 10, 100mg/kg, p.o) for 28 days respectively. Food intake and relative body weight were measured during the experiment. After completion of drug treatment biochemical, hematological, and histological analyses were performed. ResultsNo mortality was observed in any of the treatment groups. The groups of rats treated with the lower and intermediate doses showed no toxic effects during the study. However, the relative body weight of the group of female rats treated with the 100mg/kg dose was decreased significantly. Food intake also tended to decrease in the same group. Only relative liver weight increased after treatment with the high dose of mitragynine (100mg/ kg) in both the male and female treatment groups of rats. Biochemical and hematological parameters were also altered especially in high dose treatment group which corresponds to the histopathological changes. ConclusionsThe study demonstrated that mitragynine is relatively safe at lower sub-chronic doses (1–10mg/kg) but exhibited toxicity at a highest dose (sub-chronic 28 days: 100mg/kg). This was confirmed by liver, kidney, and brain histopathological changes, as well as hematological and biochemical changes.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Acute Oral Toxicity Evaluation of pH-Sensitive Hydrogel Based on MPEG, Poly(ε-caprolactone), and Itaconic Acid

A kind of chemically cross-linked pH-sensitive hydrogels based on methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(caprolactone)-acryloyl chloride (MPEG-PCL-AC, PECA), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MPEGMA, MEG), N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS), and itaconic acid (IA) were prepared without using any organic solvent by heat-initiated free radical method. The obtained macromonomers and hydrogels were characterized by 1H NMR and FT-IR, respectively. Morphology study of hydrogels was also investigated in this paper, and it showed that the hydrogels had good pH-sensitivity. The acute toxicity test and histopathological study were conducted in BALB/c mice. The results indicated that the maximum tolerance dose of the hydrogel was higher than 10000 mg/kg body weight. No morality or signs of toxicity were observed during the whole 7-day observation period. Compared to the control groups, there were no important adverse effects in the variables of hematology routine test and serum chemistry analysis both in male or female treatment group. Histopathological study also did not show any significant lesions, including heart, liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, intestine, and testis. All the results demonstrated that this hydrogel was nontoxic after gavage. Thus, the hydrogel might be the biocompatible potential candidate for oral drug delivery system.

Positions Constructed for a Female Therapist in Male Batterers' Treatment Group

How the gender of the therapist affects the treatment of intimately violent men has been little researched. In this study we examined the positions that batterers construct for a female therapist in batterers' group treatment. The data consisted of five videotaped therapy groups for male batterers. Three positions of a woman were constructed: woman in general; woman as spouse and woman personally as herself. These positions were often based on a constructed difference between men and women. The female therapist repositioned herself to diminish the difference constructed between the genders and to make fear of the spouse visible.

Lack of carcinogenicity of lyophilized Agaricus blazei Murill in a F344 rat two year bioassay

The Brazilian mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill has antimutagenic, antioxidant, immunostimulatory and antitumorigenic activities, and is increasingly consumed as a health food worldwide. We undertook the present study to evaluate the chronic toxicity and oncogenicity of A. blazei Murill in F344 rats. To establish a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL), four treatment groups of 100 rats each (50 males and 50 females) were fed a powder diet containing lyophilized A. blazei aqueous extract at 0, 6250, 12,500, and 25,000 ppm for up to 2 years. During this period, there was no remarkable change in mean body weight, body weight gain, hematologic or serum chemistry parameters, or absolute or relative organ weights in control or treatment groups. Mortality in male treatment groups (26%, 16%, and 30%), however, was significantly lower than in controls (48%). Histopathological studies showed no increased incidence of tumors in any treatment group, and total tumor incidence across all groups was comparable to historical data. In conclusion, an A. blazei Murill lyophilized powder diet even at 25,000 ppm (1176 mg/kg b.w./day for male rats and 1518 mg/kg b.w./day for female rats) resulted in no remarkable carcinogenic effects in F344 rats over a 2-year period. Therefore, the dietary NOAEL is 25,000 ppm.

Gender specific effect of progesterone on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

The study was designed to investigate the effect of progesterone and its gender based variation on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into vehicle treated reperfusion injury group male (I/R-M), female (I/R-F), ovariectomised (I/R-OVR) and progesterone treatment (I/R-M + PG, I/R-F + PG, I/R-OVR + PG) groups, respectively. I/R injury was produced by occluding the left descending coronary artery (LCA) for 1 h and followed by re-opening for 1 h. Progesterone (2 mg kg − 1 i.p.) was administered 30 min after induction of ischemia. Hemodynamic parameters (± d p/d t, MAP), heart rate, ST-segment elevation and occurrence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) were measured during the I/R period. The myocardial infarct area, oxidative stress markers, activities of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and creatine kinase (CK) were determined after the experiment along with the assessment of the effect on apoptotic activity by using DNA fragmentation analysis. Histological observations were carried out on heart tissue. Treatment with progesterone significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced infarct area, lipid peroxidation (LPO) level and activity of MPO in females (I/R-F + PG) as compared to ischemic females (I/R-F). Progesterone significantly ( P < 0.001, P < 0.05) inhibited serum CK activity and incidences of VT in female rats. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly elevated ( P < 0.05) in I/R-F + PG group. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation was less in I/R-F + PG group when compared to I/R-F group. The ischemic male and ovariectomised (I/R-M and I/R-OVR) counterparts did not show any significant change after progesterone treatment. In conclusion, the cardioprotective effect of progesterone on myocardial I/R injury induced damage is based on gender of the animal. The protective effect could be mediated by attenuation of inflammation and its possible interaction with endogenous estrogen.

Genetic alterations in K‐ras and p53 cancer genes in lung neoplasms from Swiss (CD‐1) male mice exposed transplacentally to AZT

A transplacental carcinogenicity study was conducted by exposing pregnant Swiss (CD-1) mice to 0, 50, 100, 200, or 300 mg of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT)/kg bw/day, through a 18 to 19-day gestation [National Toxicology Program, NIH Pub. No. 04-4458, 2004]. The incidences of alveolar/bronchiolar adenomas and carcinomas, in the 200 and 300 mg/kg male treatment groups, were significantly greater than that of the controls. In the present study, we evaluated the benign and malignant lung neoplasms from this bioassay for point mutations, in the K-ras and p53 cancer genes that are often mutated in human lung tumors. K-ras and p53 mutations were detected by cycle sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA, isolated from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded neoplasms. K-ras mutations were detected in 25 of 38 (66%) of the AZT-induced lung tumors, and the predominant mutations were codon 12 G-->T transversions. p53 mutations were detected in 32 of 38 (84%) of the AZT-induced lung tumors, with the predominant mutations being exon 8, codon 285 A-->T transversions, and exon 6, codon 198 T-->A transversions. No K-ras or p53 mutations were detected in five tumors, examined from control mice. The patterns of mutations identified in the lung tumors suggest that incorporation of AZT or its metabolites into DNA, oxidative stress, and genomic instability may be the contributing factors to the mutation profile and development of lung cancer in these mice.

Investigation of de novo cholesterol synthetic capacity in the gonads of goldfish (Carassius auratus) exposed to the phytosterol beta-sitosterol

Total and intra-mitochondrial gonadal cholesterol concentrations are decreased in fish exposed to the phytoestrogen beta-sitosterol (beta-sit). The present study examined the potential for beta-sit to disrupt de novo cholesterol synthesis in the gonads of goldfish exposed to 200 microgram/g beta-sit and 10 microgram/g 17beta-estradiol (E2; estrogenic control) by intra-peritoneal Silastic® implants for 21 days. The de novo cholesterol synthetic capacity was estimated by incubating gonadal tissue with 14C-acetate for a period of 18 hours, followed by chloroform/methanol lipid extraction and thin layer chromatography (TLC) lipid separation. Lipid classes were confirmed using infrared spectroscopy. Plasma testosterone (T) and total cholesterol concentration were measured and gonadosomatic index (GSI) was calculated. Plasma T was significantly reduced in male beta-sit-treated fish compared to control and E2-treated fish (p < 0.001). 14C-Acetate incorporation into cholesterol and cholesterol esters was not significantly different among treatment groups for male and female fish, however, 14C-enrichment was higher than expected in both triglycerides (TG) and free fatty acids (FFA). FFA incorporation was significantly higher in male control fish than either beta-sit or E2 treatments (p = 0.005). Plasma cholesterol concentration was significantly increased in the male beta-sit treatment group compared to controls (p = 0.027). These results indicate gonadal de novo cholesterol biosynthetic capacity is not disrupted by beta-sit or E2 treatment in early recrudescing male or female goldfish, while plasma cholesterol and steroid concentrations are sensitive to beta-sit exposure.

Acute and subchronic toxicity studies of cryogenically-frozen, cryomilled, Pelodiscus sinensis (Japanese soft-shelled turtle—suppon) powder administered to the rat

Sprague–Dawley rats received “cryogenically-frozen suppon” (CFS), a cryomilled product derived for the Japanese soft-shelled turtle ( Pelodiscus sinensis), widely consumed for its nutritious value and medicinal properties, especially for the maintenance of normal blood pressure and insulin levels, and in women for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. In this acute study, a single limit dose of 2.0 g/kg was given po. common to 10 male and 10 female rats. No adverse effects or mortality were observed during a 14-day period and at gross pathological examination. In the subchronic study, CFS was administered as oral daily doses of 100, 350, and 1000 mg/kg administered for 97 days, resulting in no mortality, no changes in body weight, food and water consumption, hematological and serum chemistry parameters, organ weights, or gross pathology or histopathology. The only treatment related finding was a characteristic excited behavior observed in several male rats from the second or third week of treatment, distributed evenly in all male treatment groups but not affecting all males. The number of excited animals did not change over time, the syndrome occurred in all test item treated male groups with similar incidence. None of the females was so affected.

Gonadal steroid hormone modulation of nociception, morphine antinociception and reproductive indices in male and female rats

The purpose of this study was to examine how gonadal steroid hormones modulate basal nociception and morphine antinociception relative to regulating reproduction in the adult rat. Male and female Sprague–Dawley rats were either gonadectomized (GDX) or sham-gonadectomized (sham); GDX males were implanted subcutaneously with capsules containing testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), E2 and DHT, or nothing (0). GDX females received E2, T, or empty (0) capsules immediately after surgery, and vehicle or progesterone (P4) injections at 4-day intervals. Basal nociception and morphine antinociception were tested 28 days after surgery on 50°C and 54°C hotplate tests, and reproductive behavior and physiology were assessed shortly thereafter. There were no significant differences in baseline hotplate latencies among the male treatment groups, but morphine was significantly more potent in sham and GDX+T males than in GDX+0 males. The ability of T to increase morphine's potency was approximated by its major metabolites E2 and DHT, given together but not alone. Baseline hotplate latencies were higher in sham females tested during diestrus than in those tested during estrus. Morphine was significantly more potent in sham females tested during proestrus and diestrus than in those tested during estrus. Baseline hotplate latencies were significantly higher, and morphine was significantly less potent in GDX+E2, GDX+E2/P4 and GDX+T females than in GDX+0 females. All group differences in basal nociception and morphine antinociception observed on the 50°C hotplate test were smaller and generally non-significant on the 54°C hotplate test. Steroid manipulations produced the expected changes in reproductive behaviors and steroid-sensitive organs. These results demonstrate that in adult rats, gonadal steroid manipulations, that are physiologically relevant, modulate (1) basal nociception in females but not males, and (2) morphine's antinociceptive potency in both males and females.

Estrogen receptor antagonist ICI182,780 exacerbates ischemic injury in female mouse.

Recent findings in animals emphasize that experimental ischemic brain damage can be strikingly reduced by estrogen: however, the neuroprotective mechanisms are not well understood. It was hypothesized that estrogen signaling via cognate estrogen receptors (ERs) within the vasculature is an important aspect of cerebral ischemic protection in the female brain, in part by amplifying intraischemic cerebral blood flow (CBF). In the present study, the hypothesis that chronic treatment with the pure ER antagonist ICI182,780 (ICI) would increase ischemic brain damage by a blood flow-mediated mechanism was investigated. Adult C57B1/6J mice were pretreated with either subcutaneous ICI (100 microg/day) or oil/ethanol vehicle for 1 week before 2 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and 22 hours of reperfusion. End-ischemic regional CBF was evaluated in additional cohorts using [14C]iodoantipyrine autoradiography. Infarction volume as measured by cresyl violet histology was greater in the striatum of ICI-treated females (70 +/- 3% of contralateral striatum vs. 40 +/- 12% in vehicle-treated females). Cortical injury was not enhanced relative to control animals (39 +/- 6% of contralateral cortex in ICI group vs. 27 +/- 8% in vehicle-treated group). Physiologic variables and ischemic reduction of the ipsilateral cortical laser-Doppler flow signal were similar between groups. Further, ICI treatment did not alter end-ischemic cortical or striatal CBF. The deleterious effect of ICI was limited to females, as there were no differences in stroke damage or CBF between male treatment groups. These data suggest that estrogen inhibits ischemic brain injury in striatum of the female by receptor-mediated mechanisms that are not linked to preservation of intraischemic CBF.

Effects of 17α-dihydroequilenin sulfate on atherosclerotic male and female rhesus monkeys

OBJECTIVES: Our purpose was to determine the effects of 17α-dihydroequilenin on plasma lipid and lipoprotein, glucose, and insulin concentrations; coronary artery vasomotor function; and reproductive organ and mammary gland proliferation in atherosclerotic male and female rhesus macaques. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty adult female and 33 adult male rhesus macaques were randomized to treatment by lifetime dietary cholesterol exposure and ratio of total plasma cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The female treatment groups were intact female controls ( n = 9), ovariectomized controls ( n = 16), ovariectomized plus 0.3 mg/kg/day 17 α-dihydroequilenin ( n = 17) and ovariectomized plus subcutaneous estradiol ( n = 7). The male treatment groups were control ( n = 16) and 1.25 mg/kg/day 17 α-dihydroequilenin ( n = 17). Treatment lasted 5 weeks. Longitudinal assessments of plasma lipid and lipoprotein and glucose and insulin concentrations were performed. Coronary artery vasomotor function was assessed by quantitative coronary angiography 1 week after initiation of treatment. Morphologic and immunohistochemical assessments of proliferation index values of reproductive organs and mammary glands were done at necropsy. RESULTS: 17α-Dihydroequilenin prevented endothelium-dependent vasoconstriction in males ( p < 0.05) and ovariectomized females ( p < 0.08). 17 α-Dihydroequilenin treatment increased plasma apolipoprotein A-1 concentrations ( p < 0.05) and lowered fasting insulin concentrations ( p < 0.05) without changing fasting plasma glucose concentrations in males. 17 α-Dihydroequilenin had no other effects on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in either males or females. It had no trophic effects on uterus, endometrium, or breast. There was no effect on either prostatic or testicular weight. CONCLUSION: 17α-Dihydroequilenin may represent a single-agent hormone therapy for reduction of ischemic heart disease risk for both menopausal women and men. It has no apparent trophic effects on reproductive organs or mammary glands of female and male rhesus macaques. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996;175:341-51.)

Influence of Male Broiler Breeder Dietary Energy Intake on Reproduction and Progeny Growth

A study was conducted to test the effects of dietary energy intake on reproduction in genetically similar broiler breeder males and on the subsequent growth of their progeny. Fifty-nine 1-d-old pedigree broiler breeder male chicks were raised to breeding age. At 33 w k of age, 33 males were chosen and placed in one of three groups of 11 males per group and fed either 370, 330, or 290 kcal per bird per d. Each group contained both full and half brothers and had similar 6- and 33-wk mean body weights. There was a significant negative effect of decreased dietary energy intake on sperm concentration and total live sperm per milliliter of ejaculate, whereas there was no significant effect on ejaculate volume or percentage dead sperm per ejaculate.Four groups of hens (21 wk of age) with 18 hens per group, were randomly assigned to each male dietary treatment group. Hens were artificially inseminated with 50 μL neat pooled semen from one of the three male treatment groups. There was a significant linear effect of diet on fertility, with no significant effect on hatch of fertile, hatch of eggs set, or embryonic mortality. There was no effect of sire energy intake on offspring body weights at 0, 3, or 6 wk of age. Hens were similarly artificially inseminated and sperm penetration determined for 9 consecutive d postinsemination. There was a significant quadratic relationship between sperm penetration of the perivitelline layer overlying the germinal disc and day postinsemination for each of the three male treatment groups. In addition, mean sperm penetration was 62.3, 42.9, and 6.6 holes in the germinal disc perivitelline layer for the high, medium, and low energy groups, respectively. Following 16 wk of dietary energy treatment, there was a significant linear effect of diet on mean testes weight, mean testes weight as a percentage of male body weight, and male body weight.

A 90-day feeding study of lupin ( Lupinus angustifolius) flour spiked with lupin alkaloids in the rat

Three groups of 20 male and 20 female Sprague-Dawley rats were given diets based on lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) flour (55.4 g/100 g diet) that had been spiked to provide dietary concentrations of 250, 1050 or 5050 mg lupin alkaloids/kg diet. A control group of 20 males and 20 females received 50 mg/kg (derived from the background level of alkaloid in lupin flour). The rats were treated for a minimum of 91–98 days. A dose-related reduction in red blood cell count and haematocrit (HCT) occurred in both sexes after 45 days, and the mean cell volume (MCV) was decreased in all the male treatment groups. The inductions in HCT and MCV persisted in the males until termination of the study when decreased haemoglobin levels were also observed in the top-dose males. The relative liver weights of female rats showed a dose-related increase. Altered foci of liver parenchymal cells were seen in five females receiving dietary levels of 5050 mg/kg, in one female fed 250 mg/kg and in one male from each of the 250 mg/kg and 1050 mg/kg treatment groups. No foci were seen in the control group. Basophilic foci are uncommon in young rats suggesting that the low incidence in this study is compound related.

Sex differences in the bioavailability of soil-adsorbed m-xylene in orally exposed rats

The bioavailability of soil-adsorbed m-xylene was assessed in male and female rats gavaged with an aqueous suspension of 14 C-m- xylene alone or adsorbed to sandy or clay soil. Sex-related differences were observed in the rate and the amount of m-xylene-derived radioactivity absorbed and excreted in the presence of the soils. A higher peak plasma concentration of radioactivity was observed in females following treatment with sandy soil-adsorbed m-xylene. Further, sandy and clay soil-adsorbed chemicals demonstrated significantly longer absorption half-lives ( t 1 2 ), while sandy soil produced a shorter elimination t 1 2 vs. m-xylene alone in female rats. Increased bioavailability of sandy soil-adsorbed m-xylene in females was evidenced by a significantly increased area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC). Neither of the soils altered the maximum plasma concentration, the rate at which xylene-derived radioactivity was absorbed or eliminated, or the AUC in male rats. Fat contained the highest tissue concentration of xylenederived radioactivity in all treatment groups of both sexes. Further, in all male and female treatment groups m-xylene was primarily metabolized and excreted in urine with methyl hippuric acid identified as the main urinary metabolite. Sandy soil slightly delayed urinary excretion in females while both soils increased expired air excretion in males compared to m-xylene alone. Methylhippuric acid was the main urinary metabolite in all groups.

Formula-fed and breast-fed baboons: Weight growth from birth to adulthood.

The objective of this study was to compare the immediate and long-term effects of type of infant diet (formula-fed vs. breast-fed) on the weight growth of baboons. Longitudinal (serial) weight data were collected from 44 savannah baboons (Papio cynocephalus anubis) for the total preadult period of growth from birth to approximately 8 years of age. Fifty percent of the sample (11 females and 11 males) were fed a standard infant formula by a nursery care technician for the first 18 weeks of postnatal life. The remaining 11 females and 11 males were breast-fed by their mothers for an equivalent period of time. After 18 weeks of age the animals were removed from their infant environments (either nursery or mother-reared) and assigned to one of four age-cohort social groups. Each age-cohort group was balanced for infant treatment and gender. The animals remained in these social groups for the duration of the project and were provided nutritionally identical postweaning diets. No significant weight differences were found between the two rearing conditions for either gender during the initial 15 weeks of growth. Following this period, however, females of breast-fed environments averaged greater weight at all ages than their bottle-fed peers. The intensity of the adolescent growth spurt was also slightly greater among the female breast-fed group. No postinfant average weight-per-age disparity was observed between the male treatment groups.

Play soliciting behavior in prepubertal and postpubertal male rats

Pre- and postpubertal play soliciting behavior was observed in intact males, castrate males, sham-operated males, and female controls. Although play soliciting decreased markedly with age in all groups, male treatment groups did not differ reliably on pre- or postpubertal tests. Males, however, engaged in reliably greater play soliciting than females on all measures in both preand postpubertal tests. These results suggest that the major decrease in social play associated with the attainment of sexual maturity is apparent in the play soliciting behavior of both sexes and may be attributed to maturation effects other than that associated with gonadal hormones. The results are discussed in reference to organizational and activational effects of male gonadal hormones on measures of social play behavior.

Evaluation of the toxicity and carcinogenicity of hair dyes in Swiss mice.

The chronic toxicologic and carcinogenic potential of two oxidative and twelve non-oxidative hair dyes has been evaluated. The dyes were skin painted up to 3 times weekly on groups of 60 male and 60 female Eppley Swiss mice. Treatments were carried out for 20 months followed by terminal sacrifice. Nine months after treatments were initiated an intermediate sacrifice of ten mice per sex per group was carried out. Body weights and survival differed little between appropriate male and female treatment and control groups. Differences between treated and control groups in absolute and relative liver and kidney weights and in hematological and urinary values were not considered to be indicative of toxicologic effects. Microscopic examinations of the skin revealed occasional hyperplasia, necrosis, ulceration and other lesions not significantly increased by dye treatment. Chronic inflammation of the skin was observed in the control and treated mice and was significantly increased by one non-oxidative dye. The predominant tumors diagnosed were liver hemangioma, lung adenoma and malignant lymphoma. There was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of malignant lymphoma in female mice in 3 treated groups when compared to control group 2, but the differences were not significant when these groups were compared to control group 1. In addition the values in these 3 groups were within the range of control values for this tumor in female mice in the Eppley colony. No other tumors occurred at significantly increased frequencies in treated mice. We conclude that toxicological and carcinogenic effects were not clearly induced by the hair dye formulations.

Treatment of chronic patients by therapy aides: a pilot project.

A three-month pilot project was devised to test the effectiveness of treatments designed by therapy aides for improving the daily living skills of long-term chronic psychiatric patients. The study was conducted on two male and two female wards; one male and one female ward were chosen for experimental treatment, the other two as controls. Patients behaviors were rated by a nurse or therapy aide and by one of the investigators both before and after the trial began. Ratings by nursing staff-showed no over-all effect of treatment on male and female patients combined but significant improvement among the males. Investigators rated both male and female treatment groups as significantly improved. The results suggest that improvements in behavior can be achieved using procedures that are much simpler and less costly than formal behavior modification programs.

Evaluation of the toxicity and carcinogenicity of hair dyes.

The chronic toxicological and carcinogenic potential following skin painting in mice was evaluated for nine oxidative and three nonoxidative hair dyes. Groups of male and female Swiss mice were treated one time weekly for at least 20 mo with one dose level of each dye. The oxidative dyes were mixed 1:1 with 6% hydrogen peroxide before treatment and the three semipermanent formulations were applied without dilution. Control groups were shaved only and received no applications. Body weights and survival rates did not differ between appropriate male and female treatment and control groups. Absolute and relative liver and kidney weights were equivalent for treatment and control groups. After 7 and 9 mo of treatment, 10 males and 10 females randomly selected from each group were necropsied and tissues taken for histopathologic evaluation. Animals found dead or sacrificed in moribund condition or at termination of the study were necropsied and evaluated histopathologically. Comparison of incidence of tumors and of nontumor pathology among the various treatment and control groups revealed no biologically significant differences. Toxicological and carcinogenic effects were not induced by the hair dye formulations.