Phenylethylaminergic mechanisms in attention-deficit disorder.

Urinary excretion (24-hr) of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA), phenylacetic acid (PAA), phenylalanine (Phe), and p-tyrosine (Tyr), and plasma levels of PAA, Phe, and Tyr were examined in 18 normal children and 26 children diagnosed as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The results indicated that urinary excretion (expressed per g of creatinine) of free and total PEA was significantly lower in the ADHD patients, and plasma levels of Phe and Tyr were also decreased in the ADHD subjects compared with the normal controls.

Empirical analysis of the selective attention and associated behavior checklists of the Aggregate neurobehavioral student health and educational review.

For 111 referred children, the Behavior Observation (BO) and the Selective Attention (SA) components of the Aggregate Neurobehavioral Student Health and Educational Review (ANSER) were completed by mothers and teachers and the Pediatric Examination of Educational Readiness at Middle Childhood was completed by the pediatrician. Smaller samples were used to study concurrent validity. The questionnaires presented high internal reliability. Factor analyses of the BO questionnaires resulted in a common primary factor of "Aggressiveness" for ratings by mothers and teachers. For the SA, "Hyperactivity" (mothers) and "Inattention" (teachers) accounted for the majority of variance. There were modest correlations between teachers and mothers. The correlation between the pediatrician and teachers reached the highest value. The BO-Teachers form was significantly related to the Teacher Report Form and the Conners Teacher Rating Scale. The authors concluded that the ANSER presents concurrent validity for teacher ratings, items predictive of atypical behavior, and a unique pool for defining a subgroup of children with attentional disorders. The limited relationship between mothers and teachers may be ascribed to different interpretations of the same items.

Prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in juvenile prostitutes and street youth.

Four groups of adolescents - 35 juvenile prostitutes, 36 street youth, 31 monogamous sexually active adolescents and 35 non-sexually active adolescents - were studied between January 1, 1988 and December 31, 1988 for the presence of sexually transmitted diseases and other genital pathogens. The high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases found in the juvenile prostitutes (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, 49%; Chlamydia trachomatis, 83%) is in contrast to other studies, which document much lower rates of infection. This could be due to the fact that there are few studies done on juvenile prostitutes as a well defined group. Despite high risk sexual behaviour, the consistent use of contraception was low. No contraceptives were used by 57% of the juvenile prostitutes and 85% of the street youth. None of the adolescents sought medical attention although 48% of the juvenile prostitutes and 53% of the street youth had genital symptoms. It appears that the present public health education and health care delivery do not reach this high risk population.