The authors evaluated the continuity model of bulimia nervosa, which suggests that bulimia results from extreme weight concern and dieting practices. Individuals with bulimia, current dieters, restrained nondieters, and unrestrained nondieters were compared on measures of general psychopathology, eating-disorder-specific psychopathology, and overeating. Multiple methods, including questionnaires, clinical interviews, and food records, were used to collect data. The continuity and discontinuity models were tested with trend and regression analyses. The results of most analyses were consistent with the continuity perspective. However, binge eating behaviour exhibited a clear nonlinear trend, which occurred because binge eating was common in bulimic individuals but virtually non-existent in the other 3 groups. Current dieters scored higher than restrained nondieters on restraint/ weight concern, but not on psychopathology or binge eating. Overall, the results suggest that "normal" dieting is associated with psychological, but not consummatory, symptoms of bulimia.

Recently, we have demonstrated the capacity to separate chiral transition metal (TM) complexes of the type [M(diimine)(3)](n+) using CE buffers containing chiral tartrate salts. In separate work, several chromium(III)-tris-diimine complexes in particular have been shown to bind enantioselectively with calf-thymus (CT) DNA, and a qualitative assessment of the relative strength and enantiospecificity of this interaction is of significant interest in the characterization of these complexes as potential DNA photocleavage agents. Here, we describe two convenient approaches to investigate such binding behavior using chiral CE. For complexes with lower DNA affinities exhibiting primarily surface binding, DNA itself is used as the chiral resolving agent in the electrophoretic buffer. In this approach, resolution of the TM complexes into their Lambda and Delta isomers is achieved with the isomer eluting later exhibiting superior binding affinity toward DNA. For more strongly bound TM complexes containing ligands known to intercalate with DNA, the [Cr(diimine)(3)](3+) complexes are preincubated with oligonucleotide and subsequently enantiomerically resolved in a dibenzoyl-L-tartrate buffer system that facilitates analysis of the unbound TM species only. Differences in isomer binding affinity are distinguished by the relative peak areas of the Lambda- and Delta-isomers, and relative binding strengths of different complexes can be inferred from comparison of the total amount of unbound complex at equivalent DNA/TM ratios.

No abstract