The inhibited power motive, type A behavior, and patterns of cardiovascular response during the structured interview and Thematic Apperception Test

The Type A behavior pattern and the inhibited power motive have been implicated in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). Since it is widely believed that enhanced cardiovascular responsivity may be one mechanism by which individuals develop CHD, the present study examined the relationship of Type A behavior and the inhibited power motive to different patterns of cardiovascular response during two behavioral tasks. Forty-one (24 Type A's, 17 Type B's) male undergraduates underwent the Type A structured interview (SI) and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) while a broad range of cardiovascular functions were simultaneously recorded. Different patterns of cardiovascular response were observed during the SI and TAT, and Type A's showed a greater tendency than Type B's to exhibit increased heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and forearm blood flow (FBF) during the SI and the preparatory phase (but not the story-telling phase) of the TAT. The inhibited power motive was not related to enhanced cardiovascular responsivity during the SI or TAT. The implications of these findings for the development of CHD are discussed.     

The relationship between stressful life events and school-related performances of type A and type B adolescents

Previous research indicates that an individual's style of coping with stress and the nature of stressful events combine to mediate responses to stress. The present study investigated the responses of Type A and Type B high school students to controllable and uncontrollable stressful life events. Specifically, the associations between life stress and gradepoint average, extracurricular activity, sports involvement, days absent, and delinquent behavior were examined. The results revealed a negative relationship between life stress and school-related performance that was more pronounced for Type B than for Type A adolescents. These findings are discussed in terms of different coping mechanisms used by Type A's and B's when encountering environmental stress.     

Type A behavior and job performance: some suggestive findings

This study examined Type A and Type B differences in job performance, psychosomatic complaints, and career progression among white-collar employees (N = 218) in a field setting. Significant differences were found between Type A's and Type B's in quality of performance, effort exerted at the job, and psychosomatic complaints. Employees' cultural background and sex moderated some of the relationships observed in the study. Implications of the findings for future research on the topic are discussed.     

Type A personality as a mediator of stress and strain in employed women

A survey of 136 employed women was conducted. Type A personality, demographic variables, job characteristics and attitudes, health habits, and physical and psychological symptoms of strain were assessed. Average Type A score was higher than the normative mean (57th percentile). Compared with Type Bs, the Type A women had been in their current jobs for a shorter time, worked longer hours, and were less satisfied with their jobs. None of the health habit behaviors was related to Type A score. Small but substantial proportions of the sample complained that they often or always experienced a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. The former were not related to Type A score, but Type A women did tend to report more nervousness in all situations and more dysphoria of all kinds at work. Correlations between job dissatisfaction and rated job stress with symptoms were calculated separately for Type As and Type Bs. Substantial correlations were found for the Type As but not the Type Bs. Dissatisfaction and stress were related to more frequent symptom complaints in the Type As. Correlations of health habits and symptoms were also computed for Type As and Bs separately. Implications for future research are discussed.     

小细胞肺癌患者和重度吸烟者体细胞染色体畸变的类型和断点

应用G显带方法,分析了17名重度吸烟者的小细胞肺癌(SCLC)患者骨髓和外周血细胞的180和172个核型;16名健康吸烟者和20名健康非吸烟者外周血淋巴细胞的367和336个核型。详细记载了畸变的类型和断点,不仅发现吸烟能引起很高的染色体结构和数目畸变,而且看到畸变的染色体片段和断点主要涉及1、2、3、9和11号染色体的某些区域,如1q,3p14—pter,11q13等。许多染色体断裂部位与目前已知的、并描绘在染色体模式图上的癌基因,染色体脆性部位和个体瘤细胞中发现的染色体重排的断点(癌断点)的位置重合或接近,本工作对3组人染色体畸变率和重排类型的分析,发现SCLC患者几乎都是对香烟烟雾作用敏感的个体。     

Feeling Bad and Looking Worse: Negative Affect Is Associated with Reduced Perceptions of Face-Healthiness

Some people perceive themselves to look more, or less attractive than they are in reality. We investigated the role of emotions in enhancement and derogation effects; specifically, whether the propensity to experience positive and negative emotions affects how healthy we perceive our own face to look and how we judge ourselves against others. A psychophysical method was used to measure healthiness of self-image and social comparisons of healthiness. Participants who self-reported high positive (N = 20) or negative affectivity (N = 20) judged themselves against healthy (red-tinged) and unhealthy looking (green-tinged) versions of their own and stranger’s faces. An adaptive staircase procedure was used to measure perceptual thresholds. Participants high in positive affectivity were un-biased in their face health judgement. Participants high in negative affectivity on the other hand, judged themselves as equivalent to less healthy looking versions of their own face and a stranger’s face. Affective traits modulated self-image and social comparisons of healthiness. Face health judgement was also related to physical symptom perception and self-esteem; high physical symptom reports were associated a less healthy self-image and high self-reported (but not implicit) self-esteem was associated with more favourable social comparisons of healthiness. Subject to further validation, our novel face health judgement task could have utility as a perceptual measure of well-being. We are currently investigating whether face health judgement is sensitive to laboratory manipulations of mood.     

Chromosome nondisjunction and instabilities in tapetal cells are affected by B chromosomes in maize

Abnormal mitosis occurs in maize tapetum, producing binucleate cells that later disintegrate, following a pattern of programmed cell death. FISH allowed us to observe chromosome nondisjunction and micronucleus formation in binucleate cells, using DNA probes specific to B chromosomes (B's), knobbed chromosomes, and the chromosome 6 (NOR) of maize. All chromosome types seem to be involved in micronucleus formation, but the B's form more micronuclei than do knobbed chromosomes and knobbed chromosomes form more than do chromosomes without knobs. Micronuclei were more frequent in 1B plants and in a genotype selected for low B transmission rate. Nondisjunction was observed in all types of FISH-labeled chromosomes. In addition, unlabeled bridges and delayed chromatids were observed in the last telophase before binucleate cell formation, suggesting that nondisjunction might occur in all chromosomes of the maize complement. B nondisjunction is known to occur in the second pollen mitosis and in the endosperm, but it was not previously reported in other tissues. This is also a new report of nondisjunction of chromosomes of the normal set (A's) in tapetal cells. Our results support the conclusion that nondisjunction and micronucleus formation are regular events in the process of the tapetal cell death program, but B's strongly increase A chromosome instability.     

Metabolism of ubiquitinated histones

In animal chromatin, a fraction of the histone 2A's and 2B's is covalently attached to the protein ubiquitin through an isopeptide linkage. The ubiquitin moieties of the H2A's and H2B's are found to be in rapid equilibrium with the pool of free ubiquitin, both in dividing cells such as L1210 and Chinese hamster ovary cells and in nondividing cells such as unstimulated lymphocytes. The synthesis of ubiquitin and the formation of ubiquitinated histones are not linked to DNA synthesis. All ubiquitinated histones, including the four H2A variants and the H2B's are absent from isolated metaphase chromosomes.     

The trade balance of grooming and its coordination of reciprocation and tolerance in Indonesian long-tailed macaques (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Macaca fascicularis</Emphasis>)

We collected data on grooming, proximity, and aggression in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Kalimantan, Indonesia. We used this data to study how grooming influenced a receiver's (B) behavior towards the bout's initiator (A). In our first analysis, post-grooming samples were collected after A groomed B. These were compared to matched-control samples of similar conditions but A had not previously groomed B. This comparison was performed on 26 individuals (16 female, 3 male, 7 immature) and tested whether A's initial act of grooming increased the pair's time in proximity and the amount of time B groomed A. We also tested if A's grooming decreased B's aggression towards A per time in proximity. Rates of B-->A aggression per time in proximity with A for 39 individuals (18 female, 5 male, 16 immature) were compared between post-grooming and focal sample data. Finally, we studied 248 grooming bouts to test if the first two grooming episodes were time matched. We assessed the influence of age, sex, rank and inferred kinship on time matching, and controlled for individual variation and tendency to groom using a general linear mixed model. Our results showed that A-->B grooming acted to increase B-->A grooming and the pair's proximity, while lowering B-->A aggression. Despite these effects, episodes in grooming bouts were generally not matched, except weakly among similar partners (i.e., female pairs and immature pairs). Grooming imbalance was greatest across age-sex class (i.e., male-female and adult-immature pairs). In similar pairs, grooming duration was skewed in favor of high-ranking individuals. We conclude grooming established tolerance and increased the likelihood that grooming reciprocation would occur, but grooming durations were not typically matched within bouts. Lack of time matching may be the result of grooming that is performed to coordinate interchanges of other social services.     

Assessment of type A behavior in preschoolers

Teachers and mothers of 219 four-year-old preschoolers assessed their children for Type A behavior pattern using the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH). The sample was derived from five day care centers with Black, White, and Hispanic teachers and students from middle and lower class families. This study indicates that Type A behavior can be identified in four-year-old preschoolers on the basis of ratings by their teachers. A statistically significant difference was found between the ratings of Type A/B characteristics by teachers and those by mothers; however, these were not related to the sex or ethnicity of the children. Repeated measurements of Type A ratings in a subsample of the children at age five showed no significant change among boys or girls. However, repeated measurements at age six on a second subsample showed that boys had lower mean scores, i.e. were more Type B at age six than at age four.     

Lean and Weight Stable: Behavioral Predictors and Psychological Correlates

Objective: To examine behavioral characteristics associated with being lean and weight stable during adulthood. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants included 165 white married couples who were part of a larger longitudinal study. Participants’ height and weight were measured on three occasions at 2‐year intervals. Men and women were classified as being lean and weight stable (the target group) if they had a BMI < 25 at baseline and maintained their weight within 5% of baseline at 2nd and 4th year follow‐up. Individuals not fulfilling these criteria were included in the comparison group. Group differences in background characteristics including childhood weight status, BMI at each occasion, dieting history, and mental and physical health history were examined. In addition, multiple measures of dietary intake and physical activity were obtained and used to predict the likelihood of being in the target group. Results: Men (N = 22) and women (N = 36) in the target group had lower mean BMI scores at each occasion, were less overweight during childhood, were less likely to have dieted in the past year, and rated themselves as being more healthy than men and women in the comparison group. No differences were identified in mental health. Relative to the comparison group, women in the target group reported higher levels of physical activity and higher levels of physical activity among their spouses, and men in the target group reported healthier dietary patterns. Discussion: Results from this study suggest that being lean and weight stable in adulthood is linked to childhood weight status in combination with dietary and activity patterns during adulthood.     

Adolescents' perceived weight associated with depression in young adulthood: a longitudinal study

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine whether adolescents’ measured BMI and self‐ or mother's perception of weight status at age 14 are associated with depression at age 21. Research Methods and Procedures: The study participants were a subsample of 2017 participants of the Mater–University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy and Its Outcomes, a population‐based birth cohort study, which commenced in 1981 in Brisbane, Australia, for whom measured BMI at ages 14 and 21 and information on self‐reported mental health problems were available at the age 21 follow‐up. A total of 1802 individuals had measured BMI and reported weight perception in a supplementary questionnaire at 14 years, and their self‐reported mental health problems were reported at 21 years. Mental health was measured using Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale and Young Adults Self‐Reported depression/anxiety at 21 years of age. Results: We found that both young adult males and females who perceived themselves as overweight at age 14 had more mental health problems compared with those who perceived themselves as the right weight. When we combined adolescents’ weight perception with their measured BMI categories, weight perception but not measured overweight was associated with mental health problems for males and females at age 21. This association remained after adjusting for potential confounders, including adolescents’ behavioral problems, family meals, diet, physical activity, and television watching. Conclusions: This study suggests that the perception of being overweight during adolescence is a significant risk factor for depression in young adult men and women. The perception of being overweight during adolescence should be considered a possible target for a prevention intervention.     

The effects of food sources on Japanese monkey home range size and location, and population dynamics

The effects of supplemental feeding by tourists on wild Japanese monkey's home range size and location, and troop size and composition were studied for two monkey troops, Troop A and Troop B, living along the Irohazaka loop road, Nikko National Park, central Japan. Changes were documented based on data gathered from 1982 to 1996 by the use of radio telemetry. Troop A's home range size shrank and changed from separate winter and summer ranges to a single, year-round home range, with its core located in a high elevation area where supplemental feeding by tourists was heavy. Troop B's home range also shrank and shifted to a lower elevation where supplemental feeding by tourists was heavy. Troop A's population size increased between the winters of 1983–1984 and 1990–1991 in conjunction with an increase in human encounter rates, and then decreased. Troop B's size increased until the winter of 1993–1994, and then decreased. The instability of troop size between 1993 and 1996 may be explained by documented factors such as a decrease in the adult sex ratio, an increase in the infant-female ratio, and an increase in juvenile mortality and/or emigration, all of which may have been influenced by supplemental feeding by tourists.     

Interpersonal interaction and cardiovascular response in type A subjects and coronary patients

The present study tested the hypothesis that Type A subjects respond with greater cardiovascular response than Type B subjects during the structured interview used to assess the Type A pattern. Coronary patients (n = 31) and patient controls (n = 33) were subjected to the interview and a history quiz while ECG and blood pressure were monitored. As predicted, Type A relative to Type B subjects evidenced significantly greater increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which were sustained over the course of the entire 12-15 minute interview. Type A subjects compared with B's also showed significantly greater blood pressure elevations during the quiz. Coronary patients displayed significantly greater Type A attributes than control subjects and tended to show greater blood pressure elevations than controls during the interview. In addition, the quiz induced significant elevations in the blood pressure of coronary patients, but not patient controls, over that displayed during the interview, despite the presence of beta-adrenergic blocking medication. Implications of the findings for coronary-prone behavior and coronary heart disease are discussed.     

ABO associations with blood pressure, serum lipids and lipoproteins, and anthropometric measures

Discriminant analysis was used to explore multivariate associations with ABO blood types in a biracial sample of 898 Bogalusa youths. Dependent variables included blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), serum lipid and lipoprotein levels (total cholesterol, alpha-, beta-, and pre-beta-lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides), and anthropometric variables (height, weight, right arm length, triceps skinfold thickness, and a computed ponderal index). Analyses performed within race showed that several variables including beta-lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and the ponderal index were sufficient to discriminate between individuals possessing the B antigen (B and AB) and those not possessing the B antigen (A and O) in the White subsample. However, height in itself can account for the detected difference, B individuals being taller than non-B individuals by a mean value of 2.4 cm. A concordant, but not significant effect was found in the Black subsample. Further tests support the conclusion that the strongest association is between ABO blood type and height.     

Gestational Age at Birth and ‘Body-Mind’ Health at 5 Years of Age: A Population Based Cohort Study

Numerous studies have identified the effects of prematurity on the neonate’s physical health, however few studies have explored the effects of prematurity on both the physical and mental health of the child as they develop. Secondary analysis of data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a longitudinal study of infants (n = 18 818, born 2000–2002 in the United Kingdom) was performed. Effects of gestational age at birth on health outcomes at 5 years were measured using parental rating of their children’s general health and severity of behavior problems. The association between parent’s general health ratings and behavior problem ratings was low: 86% of those reporting serious behavior problems (5% of the sample, n = 764) rated their child as being in excellent, very good, or good health. Still, a gradient of increasing risk of poorer outcome with decreasing gestational age was observed for a composite health measure (poor/fair health and/or serious behavior problems), suggesting an association with prematurity for this composite assessment of health status. The greatest contribution to the childhood composite health measure at 5 years was for children born at 32–36 weeks gestation: population attributable fractions for having poor outcomes was 3.4% (Bonferroni-adjusted 95% confidence interval 1.1%–6.2%), compared to 1% (0.2–2.3) for birth at less than 32 weeks. Results suggest that preterm children, by school entry, are not only at high risk of physical health problems, but also of behavioral health problems. The recognition of, and response to comprehensive health and well-being outcomes related to prematurity are important in order to correctly plan and deliver adequate paediatric health services and policies.     

Sex differences in children’s investment in peers

It is hypothesized from within an evolutionary framework that females should be less invested in peer relations than males. Investment was operationalized as enjoyment in Study 1 and as preference for interaction in Study 2. In the first study, four- and six-year-old children’s enjoyment of peer interaction was observed in 26 groups of same-sex peers. Girls were rated as enjoying their interactions significantly less than boys. In the second study, six- and nine-year-old children were interviewed about the individuals with whom they spend time in their homes and neighborhoods and about the individuals who participate in their favorite activities. The proportion of individuals named by children who were peers was significantly lower for girls than boys both in children’s neighborhoods and in children’s favorite activities. Results strongly support the hypothesis that females and males have evolved differential preferences for interaction with peers.     

Introspectiveness and adolescent symptom reporting

A new measure of introspectiveness--the tendency to devote diffuse attention to thoughts and feelings about the self--was used to investigate adolescent symptom reporting. Introspectiveness was correlated with psychological distress (r = .40) and with physical symptoms (r = .27) in a random sample of college freshmen, and remained the strongest correlate of distress and symptoms when controlling for a variety of other measures. Women, Jews, and certain Hispanic groups were higher on introspectiveness than other students. An unanticipated, but possibly significant, result was that economic discontinuities and discontinuities involving significant others had markedly different relationships with health. Strong associations between perceptions of parental characteristics, adolescent introspectiveness, and health suggested the importance of socialization processes for understanding distress and symptoms. Finally, measures of emotional sensitivity and time spent alone were associated with introspectiveness and symptom reporting. Taken together, these findings suggest the importance of introspectiveness and its correlates for understanding the processes leading to adolescent symptom reporting.     

Health patterns associated with type A behavior: a managerial population.

Type A Behavior is a behavioral syndrome found to be related to coronary heart disease and characterized by excessive drive, ambition, and competitiveness. Managers from 12 different companies were examined for this syndrome and for a number of the known risk factors in coronary heart disease (blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, smoking, and fitness). Those individuals exhibiting extreme Type A Behavior (Type A) showed significantly higher blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A greater percentage of these individuals were cigarette smokers. On serum uric acid there were no differences. In each age group, Type A's were less interested in exercise, although differences in cardio-respiratory fitness were found only in the oldest age group. Type A Behavior also was related to age, education, company growth rates, and stress symptoms. Overall, the Type A1's were found to be higher on a number of risk factors known to be associated with coronary heart disease. With regard to the Type A2's (individuals with less developed Type A Behavior), the findings were not conclusive.