Levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) bearing reticulocytes (F reticulocytes) range from 2% to 50% in patients with sickle cell (SS) anemia. To learn whether any portion of such variation in F cell production is regulated by loci genetically separable from the beta-globin gene cluster, percentages of F reticulocytes were compared in 59 sib pairs composed solely of SS members, including 40 pairs from...

Although the use of punishment often raises ethical issues, such procedures may be needed when the reinforcers that maintain behavior cannot be identified or controlled, or when competing reinforcers cannot be found. Results of several studies on the effects of intermittent schedules of punishment suggest that therapists must use fairly rich schedules of punishment to suppress problem behavior....

We examined methods for determining how extinction should be applied to different functions of self-injurious behavior (SIB). Assessment data indicated that the head banging of 3 children with developmental disabilities was maintained by different reinforcement contingencies: One subject's SIB was positively reinforced by attention from adults, the 2nd subjects SIB was negatively reinforced by ...

Although historical, religious, and cultural examples provide some understanding of SIB, the importance of further research, especially in adolescent SIB, cannot be underestimated. Nursing research is needed to explore the correlation between SIB and the spiritual needs of adolescents. Shannon (2005) stated that SIB is a common precursor to suicide. If adolescents at risk for this behavior are ...

Research has shown that different maladaptive behavior categories may be maintained by different contingencies. We examined whether behavior categories or behavior topographies determine functional properties. The Questions about Behavioral Function with its five subscales (Attention, Escape, Nonsocial, Physical, and Tangible) was completed by direct care staff for one target behavior for each ...

INTRODUCTION To evaluate in-field megavoltage (MV) imaging of simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) breast fields to determine its feasibility in treatment verification for the SIB breast radiotherapy technique, and to assess whether the current-imaging protocol and treatment margins are sufficient. METHODS For nine patients undergoing SIB breast radiotherapy, in-field MV images of the SIB fi...

Several candidate genes for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) map on chromosome 20, including the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene (PCK1) and one of the maturity onset diabetes of the young genes (MODY1). Thus, we have investigated the entire long arm of chromosome 20. Linkage analyses were conducted in a total sample of 148 NIDDM families (301 NIDDM sib pairs) and in a subs...

OBJECTIVE We propose a new test for rare variant mapping, based on an affected sib-pair sample and a control sample. In each sib-pair, only the index case needs to be sequenced, and the number of alleles shared identical-by-descent between the sibs is used as complementary information. The test makes use of both association and linkage information. We compare this test to the Armitage test on c...

BACKGROUND Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of serotonin. Low turnover rate of this monoamine neurotransmitter is associated with impaired impulse control. We previously reported that, in Finns, TPH genotype was associated with suicidality, a pathophysiological mechanism that may involve impaired impulse control. METHODS Association and sib-pair linkag...

Diseases triggered by an abnormally high level of cortisol (hypercortisolism), such as the Cushing's and metabolic syndromes, could be successfully tackled by inhibitors of CYP11B1, a steroidal cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyzes the last hydroxylation step of the cortisol biosynthesis. Structural optimization of 7-(benzyloxy)-4-(1H-imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2H-chromen-2-one 2, a selective aromata...