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Biomedical subjects

J Block

Publications and source records attributed to J Block.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Longitudinally foretelling drug usage in adolescence: early childhood personality and environmental precursors.

Drug usage in early adolescence (age 14) was related to concurrent and preschool personality characteristics for a sample of 54 girls and 51 boys. The personality concomitants and antecedents of drug use differed somewhat as a function of gender and the drug used. At age 14, for both sexes, the use of marijuana was related to ego undercontrol, while the use of harder drugs reflected an absence of ego-resiliency, with undercontrol also a contributing factor. At ages 3/4, subsequent adolescent drug usage in girls related to both undercontrol and lower ego-resiliency. In boys, adolescent drug usage related strongly, during their nursery school years, to undercontrol and with resiliency having no long-term implications. Early family environment related to adolescent drug usage in girls but not in boys. Drug usage in adolescent girls was related to homes earlier identified as unstructured and laissez-faire, where there was little pressure to achieve. Drug usage related to other substance use and, in boys, to IQ decline from age 11 to age 18. Implications of these results for contemporary views regarding adolescent drug usage are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Parental agreement on child rearing during early childhood and the psychological characteristics of adolescents.

In previous research, an index of parental agreement regarding child-rearing orientations was found to relate to the quality of children's psychological functioning from 3 to 7 years of age. For this study, the parental agreement index, derived when their children were 3 years old, was related to a variety of psychological measures and personality descriptions obtained when the children were adolescents. Reliable differences were found in the patterning of relations for boys and girls wherein parental agreement during early childhood was associated with tested intelligence, aspects of moral judgment, and dimensions of personality derived from self-reports for boys but not for girls. For adolescent girls, early parental agreement was associated with the congruence of "self" and "ideal-self" descriptions (i.e., self-esteem). For both girls and boys, parental agreement was associated with personality descriptions provided by observers; however, it was only in the sample of girls that early parental agreement significantly correlated with Q sort criterion scores referencing ego-undercontrol and ego-resiliency. These findings suggest that early family socialization experiences are importantly but differently salient for boys and girls with respect both to psychological content and the developmental timing of effects. The data suggest that socialization researchers consider the likelihood that developmental paths to competence differ markedly for girls and boys.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The mechanical characteristics of the collateral ligaments of the human ankle joint.

In the present study, the tensile mechanical properties of all of the collateral ligaments of the human ankle joint were determined, in vitro, from tensile tests conducted on 120 ligaments obtained from 20 fresh lower limbs. The ultimate load of the lateral collateral ligaments increased in an anteroposterior sequence, with the anterior fibulotalar ligament less than the fibulocalcaneal ligament and less than the posterior fibulotalar ligament. For the medial collateral ligaments, the increasing order of ultimate load was found to be tibiocalcaneal ligament, tibionavicular ligament, tibiospring ligament, posterior tibiotalar ligament. The posterior tibiotalar ligament and tibiospring ligament, so frequently neglected in the anatomical and orthopaedic literature, demonstrated the highest yield force and ultimate load of all of the collateral ligaments of the ankle. Additionally, the tibiospring ligament showed high yield and ultimate elongation properties probably related to its distal attachment to the spring ligament. The fibulocalcaneal ligament was found to have high linear elastic modulus suggesting some type of unique material properties or internal fiber organization. Knowledge of the mechanical characteristics of the ligaments of the ankle joint contributes to an understanding of their normal function, pathomechanics of injury, and their optimal surgical reparative procedure and reconstructive material. A knowledge of the normal mechanical properties of the ankle ligaments provides a data base to evaluate which of the multiplicity of present tendon graft materials has mechanical properties similar to those of the ligaments to be replaced. Those tendon grafts will be the most suitable for replacement of specific ligaments. Finally, data on the mechanical properties of these ligaments offer the possibility for evaluating any future biological or prosthetic grafts.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Testing aspects of Carl Rogers's theory of creative environments: child-rearing antecedents of creative potential in young adolescents.

Longitudinal data involving 106 children and their parents were used to test preschool child-rearing implications of Carl Rogers's theory of creativity-fostering environments (Rogers, 1954). Indices were developed for each parent and for each mother-father combination that reflected the degree to which the parents' child-rearing practices and interactions with their preschool children matched the recommendations implicit in Rogers's description of a creativity-fostering environment. The three indices of Rogers-prescribed child-rearing practices each correlated positively (rs = .38 to .46) and significantly (all ps less than .001) with a composite index of creative potential in early adolescence, 7 to 11 years later. Rogers-prescribed preschool child-rearing practices also emerged as significant antecedents of adolescent creative potential in regression/path analyses that held constant the influence of sex, preschool intelligence, and preschool creative potential. Theoretical and methodological aspects of the study are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Antinucleic acid autoantibody responses of normal human origin: antigen specificity and idiotypic characteristics compared to patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and patients with monoclonal IgM.

One idiotype family 4.6.3 derived from a human hybridoma IgML monoclonal anti-DNA antibody of normal origin is commonly expressed (approximately 85%) in the serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus but not in normal controls, where its level appears to fluctuate with clinical disease activity. In contrast, the IgM released by normal cultured lymphocytes in vitro expresses this idiotype family but does not bind DNA. Both idiotype 4.6.3 and anti-DNA antibodies are frequently detectable in the serum of patients with monoclonal IgM but not IgG. Therefore, it is likely that idiotype 4.6.3 reflects the expression of a common germ line immunoglobulin gene family. Some of the IgM molecules encoded by these germ line immunoglobulin genes also bind DNA.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1986

Egocentrism and ego resiliency: personality characteristics associated with perspective-taking from early childhood to adolescence.

In this study we examined the longitudinal relation between ego resiliency and egocentrism. Measures of Level 1 and Level 2 egocentrism were administered to one hundred eleven 3 1/2-year-old children. Independent personality evaluations were available on these children at ages 3, 4, 7, 11, and 14 in the form of Q-sort ratings by independent sets of teachers and examiners. The relation between egocentrism and ego resiliency was observed to depend on level of egocentrism, as well as on sex of subject. In the sample of girls, both Level 1 and Level 2 egocentrism were negatively correlated with ego resiliency concurrently at age 3, but no long-term implications of egocentrism emerged. In the sample of boys, Level 1 egocentrism was consistently negatively associated with ego resiliency from early childhood (age 3) into adolescence (age 14). However, Level 2 egocentrism displayed no concurrent nor any dependable longitudinal relation with ego resiliency. The discussion focuses on possible interpretations of the relation between egocentrism and ego resiliency and on the sex differences in the pattern of longitudinal results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Social roles and social perception: individual differences in attribution and error.

In a replication of the social roles experiment by Ross, Amabile, and Steinmetz (1977), 103 male and female 14-year-olds viewed a brief videotape that showed a randomly assigned "questioner" asking general knowledge questions of a "contestant," who answered most of them incorrectly. Subjects subsequently manifested the role-based attribution error of attributing significantly more knowledge and ability to the arbitrarily designated questioner than to the arbitrarily designated contestant, and this effect was stronger among girls than boys. Personality data were available on the subjects for when they were in nursery school and again at age 14 in the form of independent Q-sort ratings. Personality correlates of the role effect were stronger among boys but manifested a basically similar pattern among girls and suggested that those most prone to make this attribution error, far from being disadvantaged in social judgment, tended to be more socially engaged and competent as well as emotionally well adjusted. The role effect was also positively associated with self-esteem. Personality correlates of attributional generosity and the tendency to attribute high ability to stimulus persons were associated with generally positive interpersonal qualities and attitudes. Results were interpreted in terms of usually appropriate heuristic social competencies that, in special circumstances, may sometimes underlie attribution errors. The general usefulness of examining individual differences in research on social cognition was noted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

The personality of children prior to divorce: a prospective study.

In a longitudinal study, the personalities of children from intact families at ages 3, 4, and 7 were reliably assessed by independent sets of raters using Q-items reflecting important psychological characteristics of children. A number of these families subsequently experienced divorce. The behavior of boys was found, as early as 11 years prior to parental separation or formal dissolution of marriage, to be consistently affected by what can be presumed to be predivorce familial stress. The behavior of boys from subsequently divorcing families was characterized by undercontrol of impulse, aggression, and excessive energy prior to parental divorce. The behavior of girls from subsequently divorcing families was found to be notably less affected by the stresses in families prior to parental divorce. The prospective relations afforded by the longitudinal analyses suggest that the behavior of conflicting, inaccessible parents during the preseparation period may have serious consequences for personality development, especially for boys. Hence, some characteristics of children commonly seen to be a consequence of divorce may be present prior to marital dissolution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Analytical profile of metaclazepam.

Physical and physicochemical properties of 7-bromo-5-(2'-chlorophenyl)-2, 3-dihydro-2-(methoxy-methyl)-1-methyl-1H-1,3-benzodiazepine (metaclazepam, Talis), a new anxiolytic 2-methoxymethyl-1,4-benzodiazepine derivative, are reported. Furthermore the analytical methods for quantitative determinations of metaclazepam are described.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1984

Differential pulse polarographic determination of plasma menadione.

A differential pulse polarographic assay for plasma vitamin K3 (menadione) has been developed. Details of the assay are (i) lipid-soluble material is extracted from plasma into ether by the method of Bjornsson et al. [(1978) Thromb. Haemostas. 2, 466-473]; (ii) ether is evaporated under nitrogen and the residue is dissolved in the supporting electrolyte, methanol: 0.2 M borate buffer (9:1), pH 6.8; (iii) current height is measured at -0.32 V vs SCE on the differential pulse polarogram. The lower sensitivity limit of this technique after addition of standard vitamin K3 to plasma is 0.3 microM; the calibration curve is linear from 0.6 through 10 microM. Two patients treated with a single dose of menadiol sodium diphosphate, 20 mg/M2 i.m., achieved measurable plasma vitamin K3 levels at 0.5 to 1.0 h ranging between 0.5 (0.08 micrograms/ml) and 2 microM (0.3 micrograms/ml).

Humans↗
PubMed1984

Anti-DNA autoantibody-producing hybridomas of normal human lymphoid cell origin.

Fusion of human myeloma cell line GM 4672 and tonsillar lymphoid cells from a normal donor resulted in 13 primary hybridomas, which produced IgM anti-single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) antibodies, as determined in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Nine of these primary hybridomas have been cloned and a total of 34 clones were obtained. Supernatants of these cloned hybridomas were tested for binding to ssDNA, native DNA, RNA, low molecular weight supernatant DNA, polydeoxyguanylate-polydeoxycitidylate, polydeoxyadenylate-thymidylate sodium salt, and cardiolipin. Supernatants from all clones but one showed polyspecificity when reacting with the antigens tested. That the clones were true hybridomas rather than transformed lymphoid cells was evidence by IgM anti-DNA antibody secretion, karyotype analysis, and HLA typing. These studies imply that immunoglobulin genes encoding for anti-DNA autoantibodies with a spectrum of nucleic acid specificities similar to systemic lupus erythematosus, exist among normal B lymphocytes.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1984

Dundee chordomas.

All patients with chordomas that have been treated in the Dundee neurosurgical unit are reviewed. Five intracranial and two sacral chordomas have presented since the unit opened in 1966. Survival has ranged from one to fifteen years following treatment. The difficulties in diagnosis and in assessing treatment of these rare slow growing neoplasms are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

A comparison of serologic reactivity among SLE patients with or without anti-Ro (SS-A) antibodies.

The serum from 112 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was examined to compare serologic reactivity among anti-Ro positive and anti-Ro negative patients. While hypergammaglobulinemia, rheumatoid factor (RF) and elevated Clq binding were significantly more frequent among the anti-Ro positive group there was no increase in the frequency of anti-dsDNA antibody measured by the Farr assay or antibodies to ssDNA, dsDNA, poly dG . poly dC, poly (dA-dT) and cardiolipin measured by ELISA. Patients with the highest levels of anti-DNA antibody by the Farr assay did not have any increased frequency of anti-Ro antibodies. We concluded that anti-Ro and anti-DNA antibodies are independently regulated. The frequent occurrence of RF in anti-Ro positive SLE patients may provide a useful screening assay for this autoantibody among pregnant SLE patients.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗