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Biomedical subjects

D A Dawson

Publications and source records attributed to D A Dawson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

The effect of parental alcohol dependence on perceived children's behavior.

The effect of past-year parental alcohol dependence on perceived children's behavioral problems was assessed using data from a general population sample of 3,409 father-child pairs and 5,892 mother-child pairs. Eight percent of the children living in households containing fathers had an alcoholic father; 2% of those living with mothers had an alcoholic mother. Behavioral problems in the 3 months preceding the interview were assessed using a list of 32 indicators and were evaluated by an adult household member, usually the child's mother. The unadjusted odds of a child's being in the top 10th percentile of the behavioral problem distribution were increased by a factor of 1.7 for paternal alcoholism and 2.2 for maternal alcoholism. After adjustment for social and demographic characteristics of the child and family, the odds ratio for alcohol dependence in the mother dropped to 1.6; the odds ratio for paternal alcohol dependence remained at 1.7. Parental alcohol dependence did not interact with social and demographic factors in its association with children's behavioral problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Gender differences in alcohol consumption: effects of measurement.

Data from a 1988 survey of US drinking habits and related problems revealed differences in male and female patterns of alcohol consumption. Men were more likely than women to be current drinkers (64 v. 41%), and beer accounted for a larger proportion of their overall intake. Men's average daily ethanol intake was about twice as high as that of women, 17.5 v. 8.9 g. Adjustment for differences in body weight and composition substantially reduced the male-to-female ratio of consumption. Men were more likely than women to be classified as heavy drinkers, and the excess proportion of males so categorized increased with the severity of the measure of heavy drinking.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Alcohol use and dependence among employed men and women in the United States in 1988.

This paper provides estimates of alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence among employed men and women in the United States. Data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey indicate that the percentages of drinkers in white-collar occupations are higher than the percentages of drinkers in blue-collar occupations among both men and women; however, the men and women in blue-collar occupations who drink have a higher average daily consumption than drinkers in white-collar occupations. DSM-III-R criteria were used to classify respondents as alcohol-dependent. Consistent with an earlier survey of employed adults in Detroit, the prevalence of alcohol dependence is highest in certain blue-collar occupations (craftsmen, laborers, and service workers among men; machine operators, laborers, and service workers among women). Directions for further research on the occupational and drinking experiences of employed men and women are discussed.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1992

Family history as a predictor of alcohol dependence.

The effects of various levels of positive family history of alcoholism on the probability of past year alcohol dependence were investigated using a general population sample of 23,152 drinkers 18 years of age and older. Forty percent reported a positive family history. After adjustment for age, race, gender, and poverty and compared with persons with a negative family history, the odds of alcohol dependence were increased by 45% among persons with alcoholism in second or third degree relatives only, by 86% among those with alcoholism in first degree relatives only, and by 167% among those with alcoholism in first and second or third degree relatives. The effects of family history did not vary among population subgroups as defined by age, race, gender, and poverty.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Joint toxic action of binary mixtures of osteolathyrogens at malformation-inducing concentrations for Xenopus embryos.

The joint action of binary mixtures of the osteolathyrogens semicarbazide (SC), beta-aminopropionitrile (beta APN) and penicillamine (PNC) were determined at malformation-inducing concentrations for Xenopus embryos. Tests were static with renewal every 24 h for the 96-h test period. Simultaneous tests on each individual component of the binary mixtures alone gave baseline malformation data (EC50) for joint action analyses. Toxic unit analysis and isobole diagrams were used to determine the type of joint action for 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3 mixtures of each combination. The joint action was concentration additive (strictly additive) for SC with beta APN and response additive (less-than-additive) for SC with PNC and beta APN with PNC. The joint actions were not changed when only osteolathyrogenic lesions, rather than all types of malformations, were considered. The different specific location and character of PNC lesions, as opposed to those for SC and beta APN, may signify a different type of osteolathyrogenic effect for PNC. The mixture testing approach has potential value in determining compounds that act similarly.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1991

Joint action of t-retinoic and valproic acids on Xenopus embryo development.

The joint action of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) with valproic acid (VPA) was examined at malformation-inducing concentrations for Xenopus embryos. The compounds were selected for testing to evaluate malformation as an endpoint for the developmental toxicity of chemical mixtures and to help assess whether joint action types can be related to modes or mechanisms of chemical toxicity for Xenopus. Three mixtures (3:1, 1:1, and 1:3 RA:VPA) were tested in 96 hr static-renewal exposures. Three separate tests were conducted on each mixture. Positive controls were also tested (i.e., 1:0 and 0:1 solutions). Using toxic unit analysis, the joint action for induction of malformations of all types, craniofacial malformations, and microcephaly was response addition, indicating the chemicals are dissimilar and non-interactive. The results support recent joint action studies in providing evidence that similar acting chemicals might be defined as chemicals with the same biochemical/molecular mechanism of action in inducing malformations in Xenopus embryos.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1991

Additive incidence of developmental malformation for Xenopus embryos exposed to a mixture of ten aliphatic carboxylic acids.

A modified FETAX (Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay: Xenopus) protocol was used to assess the joint action of ten aliphatic carboxylic acids on Xenopus embryo development. Stock solutions of each acid alone, made up at twice the EC50 of the individual acids, were prepared for testing alone and in a mixture with an equal volume of each acid stock solution. For each treatment, five concentrations and a control dish, each with 25 embryos, were tested for 96 h, with solution renewal every 24 h. The embryos were then fixed and evaluated for gross malformations. For each dish, the number and types of malformations were recorded. An EC50 was calculated for each acid alone and this value was defined as 1.0 toxic unit (TU) for malformation induced by the acid. An EC50 was also calculated for the mixture. The concentration of each acid at the mixture EC50 and the TU values corresponding to these concentrations were then determined. A TU value of 0.990 (0.923-1.060) was obtained for the mixture by adding the TU values for each acid in the mixture. This represents a concentration additive rate of malformation. Microcephaly, TU = 1.09 (1.01-1.18), was the primary malformation, but did not completely account for the response. The concentration additive rate of malformation indicates that all ten acids are likely to induce malformation in Xenopus embryos in a similar manner. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis revealed developmental malformation induced by the acids was highly correlated (r2 = 0.979) with hydrophobicity and molar refractivity (r2 = 0.949). The approach has potential application in determining compounds that induce developmental malformations in a similar manner, when metabolism and pharmacokinetic factors are considered.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1991

Developmental malformation of frog embryos: an analysis of teratogenicity of chemical mixtures.

Chemical compounds known to be teratogenic to frog embryos were tested singly and in binary mixtures and Weibull functions were used to model their concentration-response relationships. A separate Weibull function with an additive concentration variable modeled the mixtures using only single chemical test data. Seven chemicals in five binary mixtures at 3/1, 1/1, and 1/3 mixture proportions each were tested. The ratios of measured and calculated model parameters and median concentrations were estimated for comparing the results. The ratios ranged from 0.72 and 1.44 with an average at 0.99, an agreement that was qualitatively similar to modeling mixtures of narcotic chemicals which are known to produce additive concentration effects. The model reliability in determining mixture response classes and prediction of effects based on single chemical data was quantified. The model is useful for environmental risk assessment of chemical mixtures in hazardous waste sites and for the design of mixture experiments.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Initial evaluation of developmental malformation as an end point in mixture toxicity hazard assessment for aquatic vertebrates.

The joint toxic action of three binary mixtures was determined for the embryo malformation endpoint of the aquatic FETAX (frog embryo teratogenesis assay: Xenopus) test system. Osteolathyrogenic compounds and short-chain carboxylic acids, representing separate, distinct modes of action for induction of malformation, were selected for testing in 96-hr, static-renewal tests. Three mixtures were tested for each combination, with each combination being tested on three separate occasions. Using toxic unit analysis, the combination of osteolathyrogens and the combination of carboxylic acids produced strictly additive (concentration addition) rates of malformation, while the combination of an osteolathyrogen and a carboxylic acid was less-than-additive (response addition) for induction of malformation. Therefore, developmental malformation may have value as an endpoint in mixture toxicity hazard assessment.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1991

Family structure and children's health: United States, 1988.

This report describes the family arrangements of children 17 years of age and under and the association between family structure and various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the children and their families. The focus of the report is on the relationship between family structure and children's health and well-being. Physical health, educational attainment, and emotional health are compared for children in the four most common types of family. Data are from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey on Child Health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Structure-activity relationships for osteolathyrism. III. Substituted thiosemicarbazides.

Eight substituted thiosemicarbazides were assayed for their toxicity and teratogenicity using early embryos of Xenopus laevis. Results of the 96-h static tests on seven 4-position alkyl substituents were used for quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analyses, with thiosemicarbazide as the parent compound. The compounds induced malformations via the connective tissue defect osteolathyrism. Teratogenicity (log EC50) was negatively correlated with molar refractivity, suggesting that steric inhibitions were important in explaining the variations in biological activity due to changes in the 4-position substituent. It appeared that there were two separate modes of lethal action, one associated with the ring-containing substituents and the other with straight-chain substituents. However, QSARs were not developed for embryolethality (log LC50) or for the mortality/malformation index (LC50/EC50) due to the limited number of chemicals eliciting each lethal mode of action.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

HIV antibody testing among adults in the United States: data from 1988 NHIS.

Data collected from 21,168 adults using the 1988 AIDS supplement to the National Health Interview Survey were examined to determine awareness of and experience with HIV antibody testing in the United States. Three-fourths of adults knew of the blood test for HIV antibodies; awareness was lower among Blacks, Hispanics, older adults, and those less educated. Overall, 17 percent of adults had been tested; of these, 73 percent because of blood donation, 14 percent through other non-voluntary programs (such as military induction), and 16 percent sought testing voluntarily. While a smaller proportion of Black and Hispanic adults had been tested, they were more likely than their White non-Hispanic counterparts to have been tested voluntarily. Persons who reported belonging to groups with high-risk behaviors were also more likely to have been voluntarily tested. Most of those tested voluntarily received their test results, but only one-third also received prevention information. Three percent of adults plan to be tested voluntarily in the next year; about half will seek testing through their doctor or health maintenance organization.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗