Psychosocial Concerns and Health-Compromising Behaviors among Overweight and Nonoverweight Adolescents

Objective: To compare weight-specific and global psychosocial concerns and health-compromising behaviors among overweight and nonoverweight youth across gender and ethnicity. Methods: A cross-sectional school-based survey of 31,122 adolescents in grades 7 to 12. Based on self-reported heights and weights, respondents were categorized as nonoverweight (body mass index (BMI) <85th percentile), moderately overweight (85th percenile <BMI <95th percentile), or severely overweight (BMI >95th percentile). Results: Global psychosocial concerns, such as emotional well-being, suicidal ideation, future job concerns, and peer concerns, did not differ greatly between nonoverweight, moderately overweight, and severely overweight adolescents. Substance abuse behaviors were equally or less prevalent among the overweight group. Overweight girls were significantly less likely to consume alcohol, whereas overweight boys were at lower risk for marijuana use. In contrast, overweight youth were more likely to perceive their health as only fair or poor and were more likely to express weight-specific concerns and engage in behaviors such as chronic dieting and binge eating than nonoverweight youth. Overweight American Indian girls perceived their physical health more positively than nonoverweight American Indian girls. Strong associations were found between overweight status and chronic dieting among African American boys and girls. Conclusions: Nutritional counseling and educational programs need to address the weight-specific concerns and behaviors of overweight adolescents. However, assumptions regarding global psychosocial concerns and health-compromising behaviors among overweight adolescents of different genders and ethnicities should be avoided. These broad issues need to be explored in more depth at both the research and intervention levels.     

A High-Resolution Interval Map of the q21 Region of the Human X Chromosome

In a previous study, we have developed a panel of chromosomal rearrangements for the physical mapping of the q13-q21 region of the human X chromosome (Philippe et al., Genomics 17: 147-152, 1993). Here, we report the physical localization of 36 additional polymorphic markers by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The high density of chromosomal breakpoints in Xq21 allows us to map 58 DNA loci in 22 intervals. As a result, this segment of the X chromosome is saturated with approximately three sequence tagged sites per megabase of DNA, which will facilitate the construction of a YAC contig of this region.     

Amino acid sequence homology between rat and human C-reactive protein.

The rat serum protein that undergoes Ca2+-dependent binding to pneumococcal C-polysaccharide and to phosphocholine residues, and that is evidently a member of the pentraxin family of proteins by virtue of its appearance under the electron microscope, has been variously designated as rat C-reactive protein (CRP) [de Beer, Baltz, Munn, Feinstein, Taylor, Bruton, Clamp & Pepys (1982) Immunology 45, 55-70], 'phosphoryl choline-binding protein' [Nagpurkar & Mookerjea (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 7440-7448] and rat serum amyloid P component (SAP) [Pontet, D'Asnieres, Gache, Escaig & Engler (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 671, 202-210]. The partial amino acid sequence (45 residues) towards the C-terminus of this protein was determined, and it showed 71.7% identity with the known sequence of human CRP but only 54.3% identity with human SAP. Since human CRP and SAP are themselves approximately 50% homologous, the level of identity between the rat protein and human SAP is evidence only of membership of the pentraxin family. In contrast, the much greater resemblance to human CRP confirms that the rat C-polysaccharide-binding/phosphocholine-binding protein is in fact rat CRP.     

The effect of monochromatic radiation in the range 350 to 750 nm on the carotenogenesis in Verticillium agaricinum

An action spectrum for carotenogenesis in V. agaricinum has maxima at 395, 433, 660 and 737 nm. In a previous study it had been shown that a light-minus-dark difference spectrum of a crude extract from V. agaricinum had maxima at 390 and 420 nm, and furthermore a red, far-red interaction suggesting phytochrome involvement has been proposed. All these data suggest that there may be at least two photoreceptor systems operating in the photoinduction process here; one for the near-ultraviolet (UV-A)-mediated carotenogenesis, presumably a novel pigment, and the other for the red, far-red region, most likely phytochrome.     

Site of Synthesis of NADPH: Protochlorophyllide Oxidoreductase in Rye (Secale cereale)

The site of synthesis of the plastid membrane-located enzyme, protochlorophyllide reductase, has been determined. Plastid ribosome-deficient and normal rye (Secale cereale L., cv Rheidol) plants were grown in darkness at 33°C and 22°C, respectively. Extracts from these plants were analyzed for the levels of different ribosomal RNAs and cytochrome f and the activity of a number of enzymes with well-established sites of synthesis. The results confirmed that the higher temperature had induced a specific inhibition of protein synthesis in the plastids. The activity and level of protochlorophyllide reductase was unaffected by growth at the higher temperature, suggesting it to be a cytoplasmically synthesized enzyme.     

The prosthetic group of methylamine dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas AM1: evidence for a quinone structure

The g-value and linewidth of ESR spectra of methylamine dehydrogenase (primary-amine:(acceptor) oxidoreductase (deaminating) EC 1.4.99.-) and methanol dehydrogenase (alcohol:(acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.99.8) are very similar. This similarity is also reflected in electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) results, the coupling constants of two protons in one enzyme equalling those in the other. The presence of a third proton in the ENDOR spectrum of methylamine dehydrogenase suggests a different structure or a different kind of interaction which can be related to the finding that the resolved ROSTHETIC GROUP IS PROTEIN-BOUND. The bound prosthetic group has a high redox-potential, supporting the conclusion from the ESR and ENDOR results that it is a quinone derivative.     

Sterols from three Lactarius species

The sterol composition of three fungi was determined. Ergosterol is the major sterol, accompanied by other closely related sterols.     

Concurrent or sequential use of cytotoxic chemotherapy and hormone treatment in advanced breast cancer: report of the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research.

In a trial of combined hormone treatment and cytotoxic chemotherapy 464 patients with advanced breast cancer were randomly allocated to either concurrent or sequential treatment. Cytotoxic drugs were given only if the antitumour activity of the hormone treatment was inadequate. Hormone treatment consisted of oophorectomy for premenopausal and tamoxifen administration for postmenopausal patients. Length of survival was better, though not significantly, in premenopausal patients (p = 0.29) treated concurrently and in postmenopausal women (p = 0.17) treated sequentially; the difference was highly significant (p = 0.003) only for postmenopausal women in the low-risk category. The findings suggest that postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer should probably be treated primarily by carefully monitored hormone treatment.     

Inhibition of human seminal fluid and Leishmania donovani phosphatases by molybdate heteropolyanions

Inhibition of a tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (ACP) from Leishmania donovani and the tartrate-sensitive ACP from human seminal fluid (prostatic ACP) was examined using a series of 13 molybdate-containing heteropolyanions. The heteropolyanions were divided into four groups based on the number of molybdenum atoms they contain: Group I, Mo4; Group II, Mo6-8; Group III, Mo12; Group IV, Mo18. Two of the four groups, those consisting of compounds that contain either an Mo4 unit or an Mo18 unit with a heteroatom in the central cavity, were potent inhibitors and exhibited the highest degree of selectivity against the leishmanial and seminal fluid ACPs. The inhibition of prostatic ACP by complex E2 could be completely reversed by dialysis. Little inhibition of the acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, or alpha-mannosidase from human spleen was observed with complexes B' and E2. For the seminal fluid phosphatase, the Ki values obtained with arsenate and vanadate depended markedly on pH, suggesting that, unlike most other phosphatases, the conformation of the inhibitor binding site on human seminal fluid ACP is pH-dependent. Results of competition experiments performed with various inhibitor pairs indicated that complex D2 binds to the active site of prostatic ACP while complex M binds at some site on the enzyme that affects the active site. Binding of complex M also modifies the affinity of the enzyme for other inhibitors such as vanadate. The potency of several heteropolyanion complexes and their selective inhibition of pathophysiologically significant acid phosphatases indicate that these compounds may have value as tools for study of the structure and function of this class of enzyme and perhaps in the therapy of human disease.