Asteroidal water within fluid inclusion-bearing halite in an H5 chondrite, Monahans (1998)

Crystals of halite and sylvite within the Monahans (1998) H5 chondrite contain aqueous fluid inclusions. The fluids are dominantly sodium chloride-potassium chloride brines, but they also contain divalent cations such as iron, magnesium, or calcium. Two possible origins for the brines are indigenous fluids flowing within the asteroid and exogenous fluids delivered into the asteroid surface from a salt-containing icy object.

The age of the carbonates in martian meteorite ALH84001.

The age of secondary carbonate mineralization in the martian meteorite ALH84001 was determined to be 3.90 +/- 0.04 billion years by rubidium-strontium (Rb-Sr) dating and 4.04 +/- 0.10 billion years by lead-lead (Pb-Pb) dating. The Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb isochrons are defined by leachates of a mixture of high-graded carbonate (visually estimated as approximately 5 percent), whitlockite (trace), and orthopyroxene (approximately 95 percent). The carbonate formation age is contemporaneous with a period in martian history when the surface is thought to have had flowing water, but also was undergoing heavy bombardment by meteorites. Therefore, this age does not distinguish between aqueous and impact origins for the carbonates.

Expressive writing among Chinese American breast cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the significant size of the Asian American population, few studies have been conducted to improve cancer survivorship in this underserved group. Research has demonstrated that expressive writing interventions confer physical and psychological benefits for a variety of populations, including Non-Hispanic White cancer survivors. The study aims to evaluate the health benefits of an expressive writing intervention among Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors in the U.S. It was hypothesized that expressive writing would increase health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHOD: Ninety-six Chinese breast cancer survivors were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 writing conditions: a self-regulation group, an emotional disclosure group, or a cancer-fact group. The self-regulation group wrote about one's deepest feelings and coping efforts in addition to finding benefits from their cancer experience. The emotional disclosure group wrote about one's deepest thoughts and feelings. The cancer-fact group wrote about facts relevant to their cancer experience. HRQOL was assessed by FACT-B at baseline, 1, 3, and 6-month follow-ups. Effect sizes and residual zed change models were used to compare group differences in HRQOL. RESULTS: Contrary to expectations, the cancer-fact group reported the highest level of overall quality of life at the 6-month follow-up. The self-regulation group had higher emotional well-being compared to the emotional disclosure group. CONCLUSIONS: The study challenges the implicit assumption that psychosocial interventions validated among Non-Hispanic Whites could be directly generalized to other populations. It suggests that Asians may benefit from writing instructions facilitating more cognitive than emotional processes. (PsycINFO Database Record

Use of a bogus pipeline method to increase accuracy of self-reported alcohol consumption among pregnant women.

Pregnant women (N = 220) attending urban maternity care clinics were randomly assigned to study groups to determine the effectiveness of a "bogus pipeline" method to increase the accuracy of behavioral self-reports of alcohol consumption. Results indicate a significant difference (p less than .025) between those who reported alcohol consumption and those who were told their behavioral self-report of alcohol consumption would be confirmed by a physiological test (bogus pipeline). Only 14% in the self-reported group said they currently used alcohol during pregnancy, whereas 27% in the bogus pipeline group reported consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. The results suggest that the use of the bogus pipeline may increase the accuracy of self-reported alcohol consumption data from a cohort of pregnant women.

Acquisition and retention of lead by young children.

The concentrations and isotope ratios of lead in blood and urine, on the hands, and in duplicate diet samples were measured for children living in Omaha, Nebraska. One group consisted of 22 children followed from birth to between 1 and 2 years of age and another group was 20 2- to 4-year-old children followed for 1 year, although some in each group were followed for periods between 3 and 4 years. At no time in life was a component of dietary lead identified in blood by isotope ratios, and blood lead appears dominated by lead derived from the hands, which in turn appears derived from the floors. For some homes floor lead appeared to be a mixture of lead from window sills and from the exterior. Only 2 of the children appear to have ingested lead directly from window sills. Several who lived in homes being remodeled were exposed to lead before the age of 2 years. For those who had been briefly exposed during professional remodeling the blood lead fell with a half-life of 10 months but for those who had suffered prolonged exposure during remodeling by parents the apparent half-life was longer, between 20 and 38 months.

Release of lead from bone in pregnancy and lactation.

Concentrations and isotope ratios of lead in blood, urine, 24-h duplicate diets, and hand wipes were measured for 12 women from the second trimester of pregnancy until at least 8 months after delivery. Six bottle fed and six breast fed their infants. One bottle feeder fell pregnant for a second time, as did a breast feeder, and each was followed semicontinuously for totals of 44 and 54 months, respectively. Bone resorption rather than dietary absorption controls changes in blood lead, but in pregnancy the resorption of trabecular and cortical bone are decoupled. In early pregnancy, only trabecular bone (presumably of low lead content) is resorbed, causing blood leads to fall more than expected from hemodilution alone. In late pregnancy, the sites of resorption move to cortical bone of higher lead content and blood leads rise. In bottle feeders, the cortical bone contribution ceases immediately after delivery, but any tendency for blood leads to fall may be compensated by the effect of hemoconcentration produced by the postpartum loss of plasma volume. In lactation, the whole skeleton undergoes resorption and the blood leads of nursing mothers continue to rise, reaching a maximum 6-8 months after delivery. Blood leads fall from pregnancy to pregnancy, implying that the greatest risk of lead toxicity lies with first pregnancies.

The effectiveness of smoking cessation methods for smokers in public health maternity clinics: a randomized trial.

Little insight is available in the literature on how best to assist the pregnant smoker in public health maternity clinics to quit during pregnancy. A randomized pretest/posttest experiment was used to evaluate the effectiveness of two different self-help cessation methods. Three hundred and nine pregnant women from three public health maternity clinics were assigned randomly to one of three groups with one-third assigned to each: a control group; a group receiving the American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking Manual; and those receiving A Pregnant Woman's Self-Help Guide to Quit Smoking. Using a saliva thiocyanate (SCN) and behavioral report at mid-pregnancy and end of pregnancy to confirm cessation or reduction, 2 per cent in the control group quit and 7 per cent reduced their SCN levels substantially. Of the women assigned to the ALA method, 6 per cent quit and 14 per cent reduced their SCN levels substantially. Of the women who used the Guide, 14 per cent quit and 17 per cent reduced their SCN levels substantially. Results of this trial indicate that health education methods tailored to the pregnant smoker are more effective in changing smoking behavior than the standard clinic information and advice to quit and/or the use of smoking cessation methods not tailored to the needs of the pregnant smoker.