Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B Howe.
Alcohol use is an important problem among personnel in the high-stress police occupation. The impact of occupational demands, psychological distress, and coping on police alcohol consumption are explored. Results indicate that psychological distress, as an intervening factor between work demands and alcohol use itself, has an important positive effect on alcohol use.
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The effects of electrical stimulation of the vagus at varying pulse widths on the release of immunoreactive VIP (IR-VIP) and IR-gastrin have been investigated, using the isolated perfused rat stomach preparation. Electrical stimulation of vagal trunks at a pulse width of 0.1 msec duration yielded no change in basal IR-VIP levels whereas a pulse width of 5.0 msec produced a prompt sustained increase. Stimulation at either pulse width evoked gastrin release. Atropine blocked the vagal release of IR-gastrin but not IR-VIP whereas hexamethonium blocked both responses. Exogenously administered porcine VIP, at concentrations mimicking endogenously released levels, was used in an attempt to reproduce the effects observed by vagal stimulation. Exogenous VIP had no effect on gastrin or somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) release. These in vitro studies support a role for VIP as a neurotransmitter released from the stomach by low-threshold non-cholinergic vagal fibres, but involving autonomic ganglia.
A study of 1,505 women obtaining abortions in a freestanding abortion clinic in Western New York state revealed that women having repeat abortions were more likely to be using contraception at the time of conception than women having first abortions. However, nearly one-half the non-contracepting repeaters were not contracepting at the time of the repeat pregnancy. Repeaters who were not contracepting at the time of the repeat pregnancy listed medical contraindications or lack of supplies as the major reasons for not contracepting at the time of the present conception--indicating that they had tried one or more methods since their first abortion. Repeaters were sexually more active than first timers, thus increasing their statistical risk of unwanted pregnancy even as they contracepted more than first timers. The data indicate that both first timers and repeaters overwhelmingly reject the premise that abortion is a primary or even a back-up birth control method. The essential difficulty for repeaters appears to be that they are victims of technological, organizational, and logistical inadequacies as well as statistical probabilities rather than being motivationally deficient or indifferent to the dangers of unprotected sexual intercourse.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.