Racial and ethnic differences in cognitive health appraisals: a comparison of non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic older adults.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between cognitive performance and cognitive health appraisals across non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic older adults in the United States and to explore within-group variations by examining interactions between cognitive performance and background and health variables. METHOD: The sample (N = 3,099) included 2,260 non-Hispanic White, 498 non-Hispanic Black, and 341 Hispanic adults aged 65 or older, from the 2016-2017 Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol. Regression models of cognitive health appraisals, indicated by self-rated cognitive health, were examined in the entire sample and in racial and ethnic subgroups to test direct and interactive effects of cognitive performance, indicated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). RESULTS: The regression model for the entire sample showed direct effects of cognitive performance and race/ethnicity on cognitive health appraisals, as well as a significant interaction between cognitive performance and being non-Hispanic Black. Cognitive performance and cognitive health appraisals were positively associated in non-Hispanic Whites but not significantly associated in non-Hispanic Blacks. Our subsequent analysis within each racial/ethnic group showed that the effect of cognitive performance in non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics became either reversed or nonsignificant when background and health variables were considered. Modification by age or chronic medical conditions in each racial and ethnic group was also observed. CONCLUSION: Overall, these findings suggest that perceptions and appraisals of cognitive health vary by race and ethnicity and hold implications for how these differences should be considered in research and practice with diverse groups of older adults.

Depression in North Korean refugees: a mixed methods study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate beliefs and experiences about depression in North Korean refugees (NKRs) using both quantitative and qualitative methods. STUDY DESIGN: We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods study design with a quantitative survey followed by an in-depth individual interview. METHODS: We surveyed 329 NKRs who had been in South Korea for at least a year. Eleven participants were selected from the survey sample to complete an additional individual in-depth interview to obtain further understanding about depression among NKRs in their own words and context. RESULTS: About 44% of the sample had mild to severe depression; only 16% indicated that they were being treated for mood disorder. Individual in-depth interviews yielded key themes related to NKRs' depression beliefs and experiences: recognizing depression, factors contributing to depression, overcoming depression, and barriers to seeking help and treatment. Integration of quantitative and qualitative data revealed that although loneliness was one of the prominent subthemes contributing to depression, strong self-determination was noted as being critical to overcoming depression among those who had moderate to moderately severe depression but had no social support. CONCLUSIONS: Future efforts should be directed toward an enhanced support network and targeted education about the South Korean healthcare system, particularly in relation to mental health treatment.

Effect of carbon nanotube addition on the wear behavior of basalt/epoxy woven composites.

The effect of acid-treated carbon nanotube (CNT) addition on the wear and dynamic mechanical thermal properties of basalt/epoxy woven composites was investigated in this study. Basalt/CNT/epoxy composites were fabricated by impregnating woven basalt fibers into epoxy resin mixed with 1 wt% CNTs which were acid-treated. Wear and DMA (dynamic mechanical analyzer) tests were performed on basalt/epoxy composites and basalt/CNT/epoxy composites. The results showed that the addition of the acid-treated CNTs improved the wear properties of basalt/epoxy woven composites. Specifically, the friction coefficient of the basalt/epoxy composite was stabilized in the range of 0.5-0.6 while it fell in the range of 0.3-0.4 for basalt/CNT/epoxy composites. The wear volume loss of the basalt/CNT/epoxy composites was approximately 68% lower than that of the basalt/epoxy composites. The results also showed that the glass transition temperature of basalt/CNT/epoxy composites was higher than that of basalt/epoxy composites. The improvement of wear properties of basalt/epoxy composites by the addition of acid-treated CNTs was caused by the homogeneous load transfer between basalt fibers and epoxy matrix due to the reinforcement of CNTs.

Tailored lay health worker intervention improves breast cancer screening outcomes in non-adherent Korean-American women.

Despite rapidly increasing incidence rates of breast cancer, recent immigrants such as Korean-American (KA) women report disproportionately lower utilization of screening tests compared with other ethnic groups. Early screening of breast cancer for this population may be greatly facilitated by indigenous lay health workers (LHWs). We conducted an intervention trial with a 6-month follow-up. Trained LHWs recruited 100 KA women 40 years of age or older who had not had a mammogram during the past 2 years. Ninety-three completed follow-up questionnaires. A 120-min, in-class education combined with LHW follow-up counseling and navigation assistance through the health care system was provided. Rates of breast cancer screening behaviors significantly increased at 6 months (P < 0.001); changes between pre- and post-intervention were 31.9% for mammography, 23% for clinical breast examination and 36.2% for breast self-examination. Modesty toward screening significantly decreased over time, but we did not find any significant differences in breast cancer knowledge and beliefs before and after the intervention. Results support the efficacy of this neighborhood-based, culturally sensitive intervention. Further research should seek to replicate these findings and to incorporate more self-care skills such as health literacy when designing an intervention program for linguistically and culturally isolated immigrant women.

Evaluation of the training of Korean community health workers for chronic disease management.

The use of community health workers (CHWs) or lay health advisors has been increasingly popular as an effective means of secondary prevention for cardiovascular health in hard-to-reach, underserved populations. Yet, published evaluations of the CHW training programs are rare. The purpose of this article is to report the results of an evaluation of a CHW training program for hypertension and diabetes management for Korean-American seniors. Forty-eight hours of training was developed and delivered to 12 Korean CHWs. Evaluation of the training program involved CHW surveys, trainer observation and debriefing and CHW focus groups. Testing of CHW knowledge showed that all CHWs met the minimum required knowledge level of 70%. Independent ratings by two trainer observations revealed that the overall CHW performance was satisfactory. Both CHW ratings and focus group data indicated that the training program met their expectation (average 9.3 on a 10-point scale) and was successful in empowering them to assume their role as a 'health initiator', 'health advertising agent' or 'health role model'. While this course is judged to be effective in general, future research is warranted to determine whether CHW provision of care and support will affect health outcomes in the target population.

17beta-Estradiol potentiates field excitatory postsynaptic potentials within each subfield of the hippocampus with greatest potentiation of the associational/commissural afferents of CA3.

We sought to determine the impact of 17beta-estradiol throughout the hippocampal trisynaptic pathway and to investigate the afferent fiber systems within CA1 and CA3 in detail. To achieve this objective, we utilized multielectrode arrays to simultaneously record the field excitatory postsynaptic potentials from the CA1, dentate gyrus, and CA3 of rat hippocampal slices in the presence or absence of 100 pM 17beta-estradiol. We confirmed our earlier findings in CA1, where 17beta-estradiol significantly increased field excitatory postsynaptic potentials amplitude (20%+/-3%) and slope (22%+/-7%). 17beta-Estradiol significantly potentiated the field excitatory postsynaptic potentials in dentate gyrus, amplitude (15%+/-4%) and slope (17%+/-5), and in CA3, amplitude (15%+/-4%) and slope (19%+/-5%). Using a high-density multielectrode array, we sought to determine the source of potentiation in CA1 and CA3 by determining the impact of 17beta-estradiol on the apical afferents and the basal afferents within CA1 and on the mossy fibers and the associational/commissural fibers within CA3. In CA1, 17beta-estradiol induced a modest increase in the amplitude (7%+/-2%) and slope (9%+/-3%) following apical stimulation with similar magnitude of increase following basal stimulation amplitude (10%+/-2%) and slope (12%+/-3%). In CA3, 17beta-estradiol augmented the mossy fiber amplitude (15%+/-3%) and slope (18%+/-6%) and the associational/commissural fiber amplitude (31%+/-13%) and slope (40%+/-15%). These results indicate that 17beta-estradiol potentiated synaptic transmission in each subfield of the hippocampal slice, with the greatest magnitude of potentiation at the associational/commissural fibers in CA3. 17beta-Estradiol regulation of CA3 responses provides a novel site of 17beta-estradiol action that corresponds to the density of estrogen receptors within the hippocampus. The implications of 17beta-estradiol potentiation of the field potential in each of the hippocampal subfields and in particular CA3 associational/commissural fibers for memory function and clinical assessment are discussed.

The small GTPase Rap1 is activated by turbulence and is involved in integrin [alpha]IIb[beta]3-mediated cell adhesion in human megakaryocytes.

The small GTPase Rap1, which is activated by a large variety of stimuli, functions in the control of integrin-mediated cell adhesion. Here we show that in human megakaryocytes and several other commonly used hematopoietic cell lines such as K562, Jurkat, and THP-1, stress induced by gentle tumbling of the samples resulted in rapid and strong activation of Rap1. This turbulence-induced activation could not be blocked by inhibitors previously shown to affect Rap1 activation in human platelets, such as the intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA-AM (1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid) and various protein kinase C inhibitors. Also inhibition of actin cytoskeleton dynamics did not influence this activation of Rap1, suggesting that this activation is mediated by cell surface receptors. Human platelets, however, were refractory to turbulence-induced activation of Rap1. To determine the consequences of Rap1 activation we measured adhesion of megakaryocytes to fibrinogen, which is mediated by the integrin alphaIIbbeta3, in the presence of inhibitors of Rap1 signaling. Introduction of both Rap1GAP and RalGDS-RBD in the megakaryoblastic cell line DAMI strongly reduced basal adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen. This inhibition was partially rescued by the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate but not by alpha-thrombin. From these results we conclude that in megakaryocytes turbulence induces Rap1 activation that controls alphaIIbbeta3-mediated cell adhesion.

Binding of protein kinase B to the plakin family member periplakin.

The serine/threonine kinase protein kinase B (PKB/c-Akt) acts downstream of the lipid kinase phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and functions as an essential mediator in many growth-factor-induced cellular responses such as cell cycle regulation, cell survival and transcriptional regulation. PI3K activation generates 3'-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol lipids (PtdIns3P) and PKB activation requires PtdIns3P-dependent membrane translocation and phosphorylation by upstream kinases. However PKB activation and function is also regulated by interaction with other proteins. Here we show binding of PKB to periplakin, a member of the plakin family of cytolinker proteins. Interaction between PKB and periplakin was mapped to part of the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of PKB, which is probably not involved in lipid binding, and indeed binding to periplakin did not affect PKB activation. We therefore investigated the possibility that periplakin may act as a scaffold or localization signal for PKB. In cells endogenous periplakin localizes to different cellular compartments, including plasma membrane, intermediate filament structures, the nucleus and mitochondria. Overexpression of the C-terminal part of periplakin, encompassing the PKB binding region, results in predominant intermediate filament localization and little nuclear staining. This also resulted in inhibition of nuclear PKB signalling as indicated by inhibition of PKB-dependent Forkhead transcription factor regulation. These results suggest a possible role for periplakin as a localization signal in PKB-mediated signalling.

The small GTPase Rap1 is required for Mn(2+)- and antibody-induced LFA-1- and VLA-4-mediated cell adhesion.

In T-lymphocytes the Ras-like small GTPase Rap1 plays an essential role in stimulus-induced inside-out activation of integrin LFA-1 (alpha(L)beta(2)) and VLA-4 (alpha(4)beta(1)). Here we show that Rap1 is also involved in the direct activation of these integrins by divalent cations or activating antibodies. Inhibition of Rap1 either by Rap GTPase-activating protein (RapGAP) or the Rap1 binding domain of RalGDS abolished both Mn(2+)- and KIM185 (anti-LFA-1)-induced LFA-1-mediated cell adhesion to intercellular adhesion molecule 1. Mn(2+)- and TS2/16 (anti-VLA-4)-induced VLA-4-mediated adhesion were inhibited as well. Interestingly, both Mn(2+), KIM185 and TS2/16 failed to induce elevated levels of Rap1GTP. These findings indicate that available levels of GTP-bound Rap1 are required for the direct activation of LFA-1 and VLA-4. Pharmacological inhibition studies demonstrated that both Mn(2+)- and KIM185-induced adhesion as well as Rap1-induced adhesion require intracellular calcium but not signaling activity of the MEK-ERK pathway. Moreover, functional calmodulin signaling was shown to be a prerequisite for Rap1-induced adhesion. From these results we conclude that in addition to stimulus-induced inside-out activation of integrins, active Rap1 is required for cell adhesion induced by direct activation of integrins LFA-1 and VLA-4. We suggest that Rap1 determines the functional availability of integrins for productive binding to integrin ligands.

Segregation analysis of waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio in the Korean Nationwide Family Study.

AIM: A central distribution of adipose tissue is frequently associated with cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. In this study, we investigated environmental, familial and genetic influences on waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in 2507 members of 435 families who had participated in the Korean Nationwide Health Examination Survey. METHOD: Maximum likelihood methods were used to fit several genetic and nongenetic models of inheritance to these data to determine whether an unobserved Mendelian major gene could explain the familial distribution of WC, HC and WHR. Adjustments for age, age(2), body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption and exercise were carried out separately for males and females by multiple regression procedures for WC, HC and WHR phenotypes prior to segregation analysis. Regression models were used to test genetic and non-genetic models in these 435 families. RESULTS: Segregation analysis did not provide statistical evidence of a major gene controlling either HC or WHR. Mendelian single-locus models with two underlying genotypic distributions were best supported by these data on WC, and this putative major gene explained the 22.4% of variance in adjusted WC. CONCLUSION: Future linkage studies may be worthwhile to further clarify the mechanisms controlling WC.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors in Korean American elderly.

An in-depth cardiovascular risk factor assessment was carried out in a sample of 205 Korean American elderly in Maryland, consisting of 75 males and 130 females aged 60 to 89 years (mean age = 69.9 +/- 6.5 years). Six risk factors were assessed in each participant: high blood pressure, current smoking, high blood cholesterol, overweight, sedentary lifestyle, and diabetes. The findings of this cross-sectional study suggested that high blood pressure was the leading cardiovascular disease risk factor among Korean American elderly (71%), followed by high blood cholesterol (53%), overweight (43%), sedentary life style (24%), diabetes (18%), and smoking (7%). Two thirds of the sample had multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. The pattern of prevalence and risk factors that was observed was consistent with the distribution of multiple risk factors in that the combination of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and overweight was most common in Korean American elderly (62%). These findings indicate that culturally relevant and salient strategies are needed to reduce multiple risk factors in this population.

Prevalence and factors associated with high blood pressure in Korean Americans.

This study, conducted from October 1998 to February 1999, included a cross-sectional epidemiological survey administered to Korean Americans (KAs) living in Maryland (N = 761). One third (32%) of participants had high blood pressure (HPB: SBP > or = 140 mm Hg and/or DBP > or = 90 mm Hg or were on hypertension medication). HBP was more common among males (35%) than females (30%) and those who were aged 50 years or older (53%) compared to those who were less than 50 years old (12%). The prevalence of HBP in Maryland KAs was found to be much higher than in other Americans (24%) and in their counterparts in Korea (22% overall: 29% in males, 11% in females). Only 40% of the hypertensive KAs were taking HBP medication, and 74% of those did not have controlled HBPs. Further, multivariate logistic analyses were conducted to estimate the relative biobehavioral risk factors related to hypertension. Several significant risk factors were identified, including family history of HBP, gender, level of education, level of acculturation, regular exercise, and being overweight. Findings from this study indicate that culturally relevant approaches to prevention and treatment of HBP are urgently needed to address the HBP problem in Korean Americans.

The contexts of adherence for African Americans with high blood pressure.

The contexts of adherence for African Americans with high blood pressure African American men between the ages of 18 and 49 years have the lowest rates of awareness, treatment and control of high blood pressure (HBP) of all age/race/gender groups in the United States. A qualitative study was done to gain an understanding of urban black males' experiences of living with HBP. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 black males. The interviews explored perceptions of health, health problems and priorities, and concerns of daily living that influenced appointment keeping and medication taking. The sample was a subset of 309 men participating in a 3-year clinical trial to improve HBP control in an inner city African-American population. Content analysis of transcribed interviews identified the following themes and related concerns: (a) personal contexts: meaning of health, high blood pressure and treatments; (b) social context: living as a young black male in an urban environment; and (c) cultural context of relating: patient-provider relationship can make a difference. Influencing participants' responses were: interpreting symptoms; adjusting medication taking; protecting personal privacy; allocating limited resources; dealing with addiction; and feeling cared for by a health care provider. Adherence appeared to be multifaceted and changing depending upon: the men's social, economic and personal circumstances; empathetic and non-judgemental assistance from providers; financial concerns and employment; and drug addiction. Findings are useful in refining high blood pressure interventions.

Development and testing of the Hill-Bone Compliance to High Blood Pressure Therapy Scale.

The Hill-Bone Compliance to High Blood Pressure Therapy Scale assesses patient behaviors for three important behavioral domains of high blood pressure treatment: 1) reduced sodium intake; 2) appointment keeping; and 3) medication taking. This scale is comprised of 14 items in three subscales. Each item is a four point Likert type scale. The content validity of the scale was assessed by a relevant literature review and an expert panel, which focused on cultural sensitivity and appropriateness of the instrument for low literacy. Internal consistency reliability and predictive validity of the scale were evaluated using two community based samples of hypertensive adults enrolled in clinical trials of high blood pressure care and control. The standardized alpha for the total scale were 0.74 and 0.84, and the average interitem correlations of the 14 items were 0.18 and 0.28, respectively. The construct and predictive validity of the scale was assessed by factor analysis and by testing of theoretically derived hypotheses regarding whether the scale demonstrated consistent and expected relationships with related variables. In this study, high compliance scale scores predicted significantly lower levels of blood pressure and blood pressure control. Moreover, high compliance scale scores at the baseline were significantly associated with blood pressure control at both baseline and at follow up in the two independent samples. This brief instrument provides a simple method for clinicians in various settings to use to assess patients' self reported compliance levels and to plan appropriate interventions.

Relationship of alcohol and illicit drug use with high blood pressure care and control among urban hypertensive Black men.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships among alcohol and illicit drug use and high blood pressure (HBP) care and control. DESIGN: Baseline cross-sectional data from an ongoing clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of a HBP care program was utilized. METHODS: Data collected at baseline on 309 urban hypertensive Black men, aged 18-54, included: socio-demographics, health status, HBP care behaviors, alcohol and illicit drug use, urine screen for illicit drug use, and blood pressure (BP). RESULTS: Men using alcohol and illicit drugs were less likely to report having medical insurance, having a doctor for HBP care, engaging in critical patient behaviors for HBP control, being on HBP medications, and compliance with HBP medication regimen. Alcohol and illicit drug users were more likely to eat high fat/high salt foods and significantly more likely to smoke cigarettes. In comparison to abstainers, men who used both alcohol and illicit drugs were significantly more likely to have uncontrolled BP and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol and illicit drug use were negatively associated with HBP care behaviors. Thus, BP was poorly controlled in this group of alcohol and illicit drug users. Screening, counseling, and treatment for alcohol and illicit drug use should be essential components in comprehensive HBP care.

Isolation and analysis of the 3'-untranslated regions of the human relaxin H1 and H2 genes.

The human has two relaxins, termed H1 and H2, both of which are biologically active and co-expressed in the decidua, placenta and prostate; in the corpus luteum, the main source of circulating relaxin, only the H2 form is expressed. The reasons for this differential expression of the relaxin genes are unknown. The possibility that their 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs) contribute to this differential expression by affecting their mRNA stabilities was investigated. Thus the 3'-UTRs of both relaxin genes were isolated through a combined 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends-PCR (RACE-PCR) using poly (A)(+)RNA from human decidua, placenta, prostate and corpus luteum. The sequences obtained for each 3'-UTR were identical in the tissues examined, were AT-rich (72%) and showed 91% homology between relaxin H1 and H2 when maximally aligned to include several gaps, the significance of which is unknown. Relaxin H1 has two, and relaxin H2 has one, poly (A)(+) signal, in addition to one cytoplasmic polyadenylation element 30 nucleotides upstream of this. The mRNA levels of relaxin H1 and H2 in the prostate adenocarcinoma LNCaP.FGC cell line were determined by quantitative competitive RT-PCR. Relaxin H1 had a 10-fold greater number of molecules (approximately 2.5x10(7)) per microgram of total RNA than relaxin H2 (approximately 2.5x10(6)). The stability of relaxin H1 and H2 mRNAs were compared in LNCaP cells treated with the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D (10 mM) for 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 14, or 24 h. Half-lives of 3.17 days for relaxin H1 mRNA and 11. 4 h for relaxin H2 mRNA were obtained from semi-logarithmic plots. Thus both mRNAs are relatively stable; however, relaxin H1 mRNA is considerably more stable than relaxin H2, at least in LNCaP cells. This difference in their mRNA stability may partly explain the greater level of expression of relaxin H1 in these cells.

Cancer screening behaviors among Korean-American women.

The goals of this study were to evaluate breast and cervical cancer screening tests and to examine the correlates of cancer screening behaviors. A cross-sectional face-to-face survey of 438 Korean-American women residing in Maryland was conducted. About 50% of women age 18 and older had had a Pap smear and 46.6% of these women age 40 and older had had a mammogram in the past 2 years. In multiple logistic regression analyses, the strongest correlate of screening behaviors was having a regular medical checkup. Age and acculturation were found to be important correlates of cancer screening tests: Women less than 50 years of age were more likely to have cancer screening tests than those 50 years and older. English language proficiency was associated with having a mammogram and the proportion of life spent in the United States was associated with having a Pap smear. Employment interacted with marital status for a Pap smear, with those married and unemployed being less likely to have a Pap smear than women who were both married and employed. For strategies to increase cancer-screening tests among Korean-American women, we need to aim at developing culturally appropriate educational programs about cancer for less acculturated and recent immigrants.

Barriers to hypertension care and control in young urban black men.

Barriers to high blood pressure (HBP) care and control have been reported in the literature for > 30 years. Few reports on barriers, however, have focused on the young black man with HBP, the age/sex/race group with the highest rates of early severe and complicated HBP and the lowest rates of awareness, treatment, and control. In a randomized clinical trial of comprehensive care for hypertensive young urban black men, factors potentially associated with care and control were assessed at baseline for the 309 enrolled men. A majority of the men encountered a variety of barriers including economic, social, and lifestyle obstacles to adequate BP care and control, including no current HBP care (49%), risk of alcoholism (62%), use of illicit drugs (45%), social isolation (47%), unemployment (40%), and lack of health insurance (51%). Having health insurance (odds ratio = 7.20, P = .00) and a negative urine drug screen (odds ratio = .56, P = .04) were significant predictors of being in HBP care. Low alcoholism risk and employment were identified as significant predictors of compliance with HBP medication-taking behavior. Men currently using illicit drugs were 2.64 times less likely to have controlled BP compared with their counterparts who did not use illicit drugs, and men currently taking HBP medication were 63 times more likely have controlled BP compared with men not taking HBP medication. Comprehensive interventions are needed to address socioeconomic and lifestyle issues as well as other barriers to care and treatment, if HBP care is to be salient and effective in this high risk group.

Quantitative single-cell-reverse transcription-PCR demonstrates that A-current magnitude varies as a linear function of shal gene expression in identified stomatogastric neurons.

Different Shaker family alpha-subunit genes generate distinct voltage-dependent K+ currents when expressed in heterologous expression systems. Thus it generally is believed that diverse neuronal K+ current phenotypes arise, in part, from differences in Shaker family gene expression among neurons. It is difficult to evaluate the extent to which differential Shaker family gene expression contributes to endogenous K+ current diversity, because the specific Shaker family gene or genes responsible for a given K+ current are still unknown for nearly all adult neurons. In this paper we explore the role of differential Shaker family gene expression in creating transient K+ current (IA) diversity in the 14-neuron pyloric network of the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. We used two-electrode voltage clamp to characterize the somatic IA in each of the six different cell types of the pyloric network. The size, voltage-dependent properties, and kinetic properties of the somatic IA vary significantly among pyloric neurons such that the somatic IA is unique in each pyloric cell type. Comparing these currents with the IAs obtained from oocytes injected with Panulirus shaker and shal cRNA (lobster Ishaker and lobster Ishal, respectively) reveals that the pyloric cell IAs more closely resemble lobster Ishal than lobster Ishaker. Using a novel, quantitative single-cell-reverse transcription-PCR method to count the number of shal transcripts in individual identified pyloric neurons, we found that the size of the somatic IA varies linearly with the number of endogenous shal transcripts. These data suggest that the shal gene contributes substantially to the peak somatic IA in all neurons of the pyloric network.