Factors affecting the number of teats in pigs.

The factors that affect the number of teats in pigs are of interest for both biological and practical reasons. Previous work indicates that there is a genetic component, principally from the dam. The proportion of males in a litter appears to be related to the anogenital distance of the gilts in the litter, possibly as a result of the intrauterine position effect. The present study investigated whether litter size, litter sex ratio, anogenital distance, crown-rump length, distance from base of skull to base of tail, and the number of teats on the dam and boar affected the number of teats on gilts. Stepwise multiple regression on litter mean values (adjusted r2 = 0.178) indicated that two factors were significant: the number of teats on the dam (standard coefficient 0.311) and the proportion of males in the litter (standard coefficient -0.282). A greater number of teats on the dam and a lower proportion of males in the litter resulted in a greater number of teats on the gilt. When the analysis was run using individual gilts as the independent units (adjusted r2 = 0.073), the number of teats on the dam (standard coefficient 0.207), the proportion of males in the litter (standard coefficient -0.135), and the weaning weight of the gilt (standard coefficient 0.083) were all significant predictors of the number of teats. This evidence suggests that teat number in female pigs is related to the proportion of males in the litter.

Conception failure in swine: importance of the sex ratio of a female's birth litter and tests of other factors.

Failure of gilts and sows to conceive when they are mated is a potentially serious economic cost for swine producers. In Exp. 1, we determined that anogenital distance of newborn gilts is related to the proportion of males in the litter (P < .001). Gilts from litters with more males have larger anogenital distances (mean = 8.0 +/- .2 mm); those from litters with low proportions of males have smaller anogenital distances (mean = 5.7 +/- .1 mm). In Exp. 2, we examined the effect of birth litter sex ratio of sows and gilts on reproductive performance using a 13-yr database of breeding and litter data. Gilts that failed to become pregnant on the first breeding attempt came from litters with significantly higher proportions of males than gilts that successfully conceived on the first breeding attempt. Overall, female swine were significantly more likely to exhibit lower rates of successful breeding during their first four breeding attempts if they had been born in a male-biased litter. These results have implications for swine producers deciding which gilts to keep and which to market. Given the higher probability of reproductive problems for gilts from litters of 12 or more pigs with 67% or more males, these females should likely become market hogs. Sow's age, mode of insemination, and the number of insemination attempts at an estrus period, but not season, can affect successful breeding.

Gender differences dominate sleep disorder patients' body problem complaints.

We studied it age, gender, diagnostic status, and psychiatric features affected 291 consecutive sleep disorder patient's body complaints on a brief checklist. Gender had a strong impact on all four (tested) dependent measures, with women reporting more distress than men. Age produced significant regressions on two measures, with younger patients complaining more than older. Presence of psychiatric features was associated with more complaints on one dependent measure--previously found to reflect internal medicine patients' emotional distress. The results of regression analyses were largely supported by follow-up ANOVAs. However, contrasting insomniac versus hypersomniac versus all other sleep disorder diagnoses did not affect body complaints on any dependent measure. The results caution against combining males and females to compare self-reported distress between sleep disorders.

Personality profiles of mothers of sexual abuse victims and their daughters.

Sixty-five mothers of sexual abuse victims and 25 of their daughters were compared with 65 control mothers and 32 control daughters on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Leisure Interest Checklist. Results showed both study groups to be significantly less impulsive than their control counterparts. Victim mothers also presented themselves as being more constricted than control mothers.

To soothe the savage breast.

We review quite a range of procedures--some strange, some familiar--to calm, and spare fantasied harm. Drugs can help a whole bunch, but there is no 'free lunch.' Side-effects from long use, and the risk of abuse, make it wiser to find other means to 'unwind.' (Anxious folks spin a messful of thoughts that are stressful.) Against pressures that fluster, tranquil images muster a sense one is resting--rather than testing how much one achieves (while one's family grieves). Muscle programs to lower tense states, and pace slower, can bring manifold gains easing worry and pains. There are diverse connections among muscle flexions--however those function--that can serve as an unction. Movements practiced each night do more good than the 'right' exercises in theory, left undone by the weary. Thus give choice of routines as well as calm scenes: one might dodge heart attacks if one learns to relax. It will not cheer one's mood to review woes nor brood over future collusions, intrusions, confusions, perfection, rejection and other delusions. Like over-tight shoe points, loosen Puritan viewpoints because standards too stern make adrenaline burn. Teach instead: 'Mellow visions need not earn derisions. People who play more are invited to stay more.' Massages and dancing, gentle fiction entrancing or dulcet harmonics are suitable tonics. For self-damaging actions bring on wholesome distractions. There are so many names for so many games, from social adventures to buying debentures, trip-planning, food-canning and even gold-panning. Thus cease surplus panting but cultivate planting since turmoil may go when one makes flowers grow, or elsewhere embraces Nature's several faces: oceans, rivers, or canyons, mountains, redwoods or banyans, or (thanks to some vets), peaceful contacts with pets.

Redundant clothing: a readily observable marker for schizophrenia in the psychiatric emergency room population.

Most mental health workers have seen bizarrely dressed patients who wear multiple pieces of some item of clothing. Since many of these patients carried a schizophrenic diagnosis, we devised a study to test whether redundant clothing is a reliable indicator of schizophrenia. Of 25 patients who presented at the city psychiatric emergency room wearing redundant clothes, 18 received schizophrenic diagnoses. A Chi square analysis comparing proportions attained significance at the P < .0001 level. Although not a particularly sensitive measure, wearing redundant clothes appears to be a readily observable behavior associated with schizophrenia in the psychiatric emergency room.

Comparing high school and college students' leisure interests and stress ratings.

We compared a large high school area sample with normative data from prior research with college students on the Leisure Interests Checklist (LIC) factor scales, and on the BAROMAS. Whether combined or separated by sex, the college sample displayed far more interest in the LIC activities than the high school students (all P << 0.001). On the BAROMAS, differences were more complex. The teenagers expressed more confidence about dismissing time pressures, sleeping soundly and finding time to do sports, but college students were more confident about falling asleep and sticking to set priorities. The high school data replicated the previous pattern of LIC x BAROMAS relationships, with most scales significantly inter-correlated within inventories, but mainly the sports scales covarying across the two inventories. Numerous differences between the sexes emerged from the high school student sample.

Teenage pregnancy: a small comparison group of known mothers.

PIP: To obtain confirmation of the findings of the authors' earlier comparison of ever-pregnant and nonpregnant Black high school students from Tennessee, 16 students confirmed to be pregnant were substituted for the 33 subjects in the original study whose pregnancy status was based solely on self-report. The nonpregnant control group of 251 teens was utilized in both analyses. Although the confirmed pregnant group was too small to repeat the regression analysis, striking concordance of findings between the 2 studies emerged for all dependent variables except the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire anxiety scale. The lower anxiety scores recorded among subjects in the original study may be either a statistical artifact or a reflection of the fact that these pregnant teens remained in school while subjects in the second study were enrolled in programs centered around their pregnant status. Sexual activity scores were strong or moderate significantly more often in both groups of pregnant teens compared to their nonpregnant counterparts. Interesting was the finding that 81% of pregnant teens regarded romance novels and soap operas to be accurate portrayals of real-life dating relationships compared to only 49% of nonpregnant teens. On the other hand, only 56% of the pregnant subjects regarded their own relationships to have this romantic quality. In a future study, the role of such uncritical romantic ideals in adolescent pregnancy risk will be investigated in a larger sample.^ieng

Hospital violence: site, severity, and nurses' preventive training.

A sample of 663 nurses was surveyed about exposure to violence at the work site; 243 (37%) had faced violence. Hospitals with low response rates to the questionnaire reported less assault, yet the violence admitted to was described as more deadly. More nurses at public than private hospitals had obtained some training to handle potentially violent situations. Serious assault was negatively related to amount of training. At the public psychiatric hospital, violent acts were most frequent, but the rate of deadly violence (e.g., rape, use of knives or guns, etc.) was lowest. The need to train staffs at general as well as psychiatric hospitals was discussed.

Similarities and differences on five inventories among mood and anxiety disorder patients.

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), BAROMAS, Leisure Interests Checklist (LIC), Mental Health Inventory (MHI) and a one-page checklist of Body Problems were given to 128 outpatients with serious mood or anxiety disorders. Compared to normative data published on the first four devices, the combined patients were far 'sicker' in nearly all comparisons (P less than or equal to 0.01). However, anxiety and mood patients did not differ on the EPQ, BAROMAS, or LIC. On Body Problems, strong contrasts emerged (P less than 0.04), especially when 'fringe' cases were excluded (e.g. dysthymics from mood, and obsessives from anxiety disorder diagnoses). Small anxiety subtype groups also differed (P less than 0.05). On the MHI, both global and core groups of mood--especially unipolar (depressed)--patients differed from the anxiety disorders (P less than 0.04).

Assessing emotional distress at the internist's office.

At their first visits to a clinic, 102 outpatients rated the severity of their presenting complaint, of 12 possible body problems including 6 nonspecific symptoms, of a set of adjustment difficulties, and answered the Welsh A and the Beck Depression inventories. Then, an internist 'blind' to the foregoing answers performed a routine history and physical exam, afterward rating the patient for degree of organic and of psychosomatic involvement. Significant correlations were found between clinician judgments of psychosomatic involvement and patients' self-reported complaints on all assessment measures (smallest r = 0.25, P less than 0.01). Substantial intercorrelations were found among the assessment measures, especially between Welsh A (Anxiety) and Beck Depression scores (r = 0.73).

Effects of doxepin on withdrawal symptoms in smoking cessation.

In a double-blind study, 15 cigarette smokers self-monitored 10 withdrawal symptoms. For the first 21 days (baseline), subjects received doxepin hydrochloride, up to 150 mg/day, or inert medication while continuing to smoke. On day 22, they were instructed to stop smoking; medication was continued. Withdrawal symptoms on the first 28 days of treatment (baseline and 7 days of attempted cessation) were analyzed. During cessation, subjects taking doxepin reported significantly less craving for cigarettes. Results from this study and others suggest that antidepressants may attenuate the severity of symptoms during withdrawal from addictive substances.

Predicting outcome of chronic pain treatment via a modified self-efficacy scale.

This study utilized a modified self-efficacy scale and examined the relationship of perceived self-efficacy to treatment outcome in a chronic, intractable, benign pain population (N = 62). In two separate studies a self-efficacy scale was given to inpatients in a combined cognitive-behavioral and medical treatment program. The scale categories consisted of (1) walking distance, (2) lifting ability, (3) pain coping, (4) working ability, and (5) social and recreational engagement. Self-efficacy beliefs were found to be associated with the level of functioning of these patients and their response to treatment. Patients with higher self-efficacy scores following treatment rated themselves as more improved and demonstrated better overall functioning with greater reductions in chronic illness behavior at followup. These observations support the merits of self-efficacy measures as predictors of treatment outcome in chronic pain patients.

Students' self-ratings of stress in medical school: a replication across 20 months.

We replicated the essential results of a prior study on the capacity of the BAROMAS scales to reflect stress in medical school as perceived by students. As before, subjective stress was high at the start of medical school, and when facing the exams prerequisite to entry into clinical clerkships. On most measures, stress was lowest when the second year began (i.e. after having passed the first). Once again, most test-retest reliabilities (significant rs ranged from 0.24 to 0.66 for confidence ratings at 12- and 20-months after entry) were moderate.

Substance abuse patterns reveal contrasting personal traits.

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) responses of 202 male and 95 female substance users taken during 21 months at a public-sector hospital facility were studied. Collectively, inpatients were more impulsive (high P), introverted (low E), and anxious (high N) than same-sexed normals on the main EPQ scales (p less than .001). The alcohol, cocaine, opioid, and polysubstance users and a residual mixed group differed on all EPQ scales (ps less than .05). Cocaine users were the most impulsive, with alcohol and opioid users least so. The polysubstance and residual mixed groups were the most extroverted, with opioid users least. The alcohol and residual mixed groups were the most anxious, and cocaine users least so. Alcohol users earned the highest "lie" (L) scores, with opioid users lowest. When the residual mixed group was excluded from analyses the results were little changed.

Increased plasma tricyclic antidepressant concentrations in two patients concurrently treated with fluoxetine.

Two patients taking stable doses of standard tricyclic antidepressants were additionally treated with fluoxetine as the first step in a transition to that drug. After fluoxetine was added, both patients' plasma tricyclic antidepressant levels increased substantially. Adverse side effects occurred in one patient. Fluoxetine may increase the plasma levels of standard tricyclic antidepressants and the likelihood of tricyclic antidepressant toxicity.

Doxepin as an adjunct to smoking cessation: a double-blind pilot study.

In a double-blind study, 19 adults received bedtime doses of either 150 mg of doxepin hydrochloride (N = 9) or placebo (N = 10). After 3 weeks the subjects were instructed to stop smoking and continue taking medication for 4 additional weeks. Cessation was reported by all nine doxepin subjects 1 week after cessation and by seven doxepin subjects 9 weeks after cessation. One placebo subject reported cessation. Cotinine assays generally confirmed cessation but were subject to interpretation. Doxepin assays suggested that the precessation level was associated with cessation. Further studies with larger samples and extended follow-up are needed to determine the reliability of these results.

Leisure interest patterns and subjective stress in college students.

A first study of the Leisure Interests Checklist (LIC) is reported based on a large (N = 670) normative sample of college students. Acceptable reliability was found on the total interest scores, and on both rationally- and factorially-derived LIC subscales. The BAROMAS stress scales were also studied concurrently with the same college students, and normative data are provided from that sample. Interest in very active diversions and Sports on the LIC did correlate with confidence in doing sports on the BAROMAS. Otherwise, the two instruments showed little overlap. Comparisons between ethnic and gender groupings mainly agreed with advance expectations by disclosing culturally conventional differences in response patterns. The LIC appears promising for future use in both applied and research contexts.