Unraveling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory.

The ascendance of emotion theory, recent advances in cognitive science and neuroscience, and increasingly important findings from developmental psychology and learning make possible an integrative account of the nature and etiology of anxiety and its disorders. This model specifies an integrated set of triple vulnerabilities: a generalized biological (heritable) vulnerability, a generalized psychological vulnerability based on early experiences in developing a sense of control over salient events, and a more specific psychological vulnerability in which one learns to focus anxiety on specific objects or situations. The author recounts the development of anxiety and related disorders based on these triple vulnerabilities and discusses implications for the classification of emotional disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Possibilities for gathering environmental information for training environmental medicine specialists

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal illness characterized by upper and lower motor neuron degeneration of adults. Recently, many advances are being made in our understanding of the pathogenesis of ALS, which are the role of autoimmunity, the glutamate excitotoxicity, the neurotrophic factor and the defined mutation of superoxide dismutase in familial ALS cases. The therapeutic trials have been carried out more commonly based on the putative pathogenesis described. Among them, riluzole, antiglutamate agent, is proved to have the survival advantage in a controlled double-blind randomized study. These current putative pathogenesis and therapeutic trials of ALS are discussed.     

The five mysteries of the mind, and their consequences

OBJECTIVE: Using the European Community (EC) criteria for classification Vitali et al. Arthritis Rheum 1993;36:340 7, we report the prevalence estimates of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) from a general population and present the first population data to assess the impact of the syndrome. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based survey performed on 1000 adults, aged 18-75 yr, randomly selected from a population register. Responders to the initial postal phase were invited for an interview. The five criteria measured at interview were: (1) the reporting of subjective oral symptoms lasting for > 3 months; (2) the reporting of subjective ocular symptoms lasting for >3 months; (3) Schirmer-I test; (4) unstimulated salivary flow; (5) autoantibodies [Ro (SS-A), La (SS-B), rheumatoid factor (RF), antinuclear antibodies (ANA)]. SS was diagnosed if at least four of these five criteria were positive. The MOS Short-form 36 (SF-36), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Health and Fatigue Questionnaire (HFQ) were completed by subjects after the interview, and scores were compared between those with and without a diagnosis of SS. RESULTS: A total of 341 subjects completed both the postal questionnaire and home visit. A diagnosis of SS could be given to 13 subjects. After adjusting for the presence of possible bias due to non-response, our best estimate of the prevalence of SS in the study population was 33 per 1000 subjects (95% CI 22 44). The prevalence of the disorder was higher in females (38; 95% CI 27-52) and for those subjects aged > or = 55 yr (46; 95% CI 34-61). Those subjects diagnosed positively were more impaired for each of the eight dimensions of the SF-36 than those without a diagnosis, and also suffered from higher levels of depression and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: SS affects approximately 3-4% of adults and in the general population appears to be associated with a clinically significant impairment of a subject's health and well-being.     

Mediterranean mysteries: mechanisms of declining alcohol consumption

The efficacy of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for the local recurrence of rectal cancer was evaluated. Operations were performed for a total of 43 patients with local recurrence of rectal cancer, and among them 13 cases received IORT. These patients were divided into two groups those with a suspicion of cancer remaining in the surgical margin macroscopically (EW+ group) or those with no such suspicion (EW- group). The length of pain relieving period and total survival between the IORT and no IORT groups in EW- patients showed no statistical difference. Though the same result was found in EW+ patients, in the patients whose area of positive surgical margin was less than 10 cm2 and given IORT, the pain relief period was prolonged compared with the no IORT patients such as 270 days v.s. 218 days. IORT did not show efficacy in terms of the survival period, but if the local remnant area was small, it was beneficial for the patients in terms of the pain period.     

Unconventional diagnostic and therapeutic methods in environmental medicine]

In the sphere of environmental medicine--analogous to other fields like oncology and chronic diseases--not only proven and approved methods, but also unconvential methods are offered, without evidence of efficacy. The application of these methods has the possible consequence of wrong diagnosis and malpractice. Examples are discussed such as Kirlian photography, electroacupuncture according to Voll, bioresonance diagnosis/therapy, kinesiology, regulation therapy according to Rost, "clinical ecology" according to Runow with, among others, the provocation/neutralisation test, a vaccination therapy with E. coli and finally electrosmog as an environmental noxa. Concerning the admissibility of contested methods, statements of medical specialist societies, judgements, and the law of medical products are quoted. In conclusion, the question of the origin of the ideas and alleged results of unconvential medicine is followed up and conclusions are drawn.     

Health and environment. Between certainty and uncertainty, the emergence of environmental medicine

The evaluation of environmental risks for the human health implies a complex process where a great number of parameters has to be considered. The complexity and the multiplicity of the problem brings on many uncertainties. However several leads exist to guide our reflection with more assurance. Toxicology, ecotoxicoly, occupational medicine, analyse of ecological disasters, epidemiological studies on environmental health issues are such elements the physician can refer to when confronted with a environmental health problem. In looking for solutions, it will be necessary to search and deal with other competences from social life and economics and to take technical feasibility as well as architectural reality and urban development policy into account.     

Unraveling the role of forgiveness in family relationships.

Testing the idea that the process of forgiveness is intrinsically different across diverse relationships, this study examined the role of forgiveness in different family relationships. In 2 laboratory sessions 1 year apart, 114 families (each including 2 parents and 1 child) completed a new measure of family forgiveness and many individual-level, relationship-level, and family-level variables that have been previously linked with forgiveness. After validating the measure of family forgiveness in cross-sectional analyses, investigators performed longitudinal analyses to examine the role of forgiveness in each family relationship over the 1-year interval. Results indicated many important positive consequences of forgiveness on individual traits, aspects of each family relationship, and general family environment. However, there were also important asymmetries in associates of forgiveness across parent-child and parent-parent relationships, demonstrating the relationship-bound nature of forgiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medical examiners' seminar looked at mysteries surrounding sudden death

Medical examiners in Nova Scotia recently attended their first-ever seminar concerning the skills, challenges and techniques their jobs require. It was welcomed by the physicians, most of whom are family physicians with little training in the investigation of sudden death.     

Psychological assessment of the Old Order Amish: Unraveling the enigma.

Old Order Amish define their existence as "in" but not "of" the world, expressing their spirituality in a culture currently unique among Christian sects. The mental health professional--"of" the world, by definition--faces the task of providing services to a sequestered people. This article examines the needed modifications in role, to accommodate expectations of equality, and respect for the boundaries that must always exist. Little professional literature--and almost none in recent years--addresses psychological interventions with the Amish. The challenge of providing services to this population illuminates the challenge of a sequestered people, the demands of cross-cultural service, and a humbling recognition of the limitations to existing psychological techniques and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expanding the specialty of occupational and environmental medicine: the role of the chief health officer. The Sappington Lecture

Passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1971 represented a major milestone for occupational and environmental medicine. Creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) flowed directly from the legislation, and the specialty of occupational medicine entered a new era. As the 25th anniversaries of OSHA and NIOSH are celebrated, consideration of the future of the specialty of occupational and environmental medicine seems timely. In this lecture, an expanded role for the specialty is proposed, based on an analysis of the forces shaping the practice of public health and the opportunities that these forces present. This analysis suggests considering the concept of a "Chief Health Officer" serving the broad health needs of the workplace.     

Review of Everyday mysteries: Existential dimensions of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Everyday mysteries: Existential dimensions of psychotherapy by Emmy van Deurzen-Smith (1997). In this book, van Deurzen-Smith carefully crafts her own vision of the meaning and import of existential psychotherapy with wit, sophistication, and an enjoyable and lively style. However, van Deurzen-Smith's text more fully explicates the wide variety of philosophical and psychological sources that feed the existentialist tradition in psychotherapy. This book should serve admirably as an in-depth introduction to existential psychotherapy—both for those training in the field and those already established seeking more fruitful alternatives to more mainstream approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unraveling of BOT Scheme: Malaysia's Indah Water Konsortium

Malaysia's privatization program, which began in 1983, has been praised by some, while others have been less impressed. This paper describes the return of a privatized infrastructure after seven years to government hands after it had been relinquished to the private sector. Right from the beginning the privatized national sewerage scheme was plagued with controversy—from selection of a concession company, charge structure, and performance to ownership changes. The award of the infrastructure facility was made in the absence of competition. The charge structure accepted by the government was never revealed completely to the public. Inefficiencies and management blunders aggravated public sentiment. The change of ownership three times in as many years gave the impression of industrialists out to make quick money at the expense of public welfare. Despite copious government assistance, Indah Water Konsortium, the concession holder, became infeasible as an independent operating company. This case study provides salutary lessons of what to avoid when structuring a privatization arrangement.     

Searching for Judy: How small mysteries affect narrative processes and memory.

Current theories of text processing say little about how authors' narrative choices, including the introduction of small mysteries, can affect readers' narrative experiences. Gerrig, Love, and McKoon (2009) provided evidence that 1 type of small mystery—a character introduced without information linking him or her to the story—affects readers' moment-by-moment processing. For that project, participants read stories that introduced characters by proper name alone (e.g., “Judy”) or with information connecting the character to the rest of the story (e.g., “our principal Judy”). In an online recognition probe task, responses to the character's name 3 lines after his or her introduction were faster when the character had not been introduced with connecting information, suggesting that the character remained accessible awaiting resolution. In the 4 experiments in this article, we extend our theoretical analysis of small mysteries. In Experiments 1 and 2, we found evidence that trait information (e.g., “daredevil Judy”) is not sufficient to connect a character to a text. In Experiments 3 and 4, we found evidence that the moment-by-moment processing effects of such small mysteries also affect readers' memory for the stories. We interpret the results in terms of Kintsch's (1988) construction-integration model of discourse processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

严格环境管理提高环境意识

环境伴随着经济的发展越来越体现了它的重要性,全社会应重视环境、保护环境,以预防为主,加强综合治理,使我们的天更蓝、水更净、草更绿,到处充满着春的意境.     

Unraveling the Initial Microstructure Effects on Mechanical Properties and Work-Hardening Capacity of Dual-Phase Steel

Ferritic-martensitic, dual-phase (DP) microstructures with different size, morphology, and distribution of martensite were produced by altering the initial microstructures using heat treatment and thermomechanical processing routes. It was revealed that the strength, ductility, and work-hardening rate of DP steels strongly depend on the volume fraction and the morphology of the martensite phase. In this regard, the fine-grained DP microstructure showed a high work-hardening ability toward an excellent combination of strength and ductility. Such a microstructure can be readily obtained by intercritical annealing of an ultrafine grained (UFG) microstructure, where the latter can be produced by cold-rolling followed by tempering of a martensite starting microstructure. Conclusively, the enhancement of mechanical properties of DP steels through microstructural refinement was found to be more beneficial compared with increasing the volume fraction of martensite. Finally, it was also demonstrated that the work-hardening rate analysis based on the instantaneous (incremental) work-hardening exponents might be an advantageous approach for characterizing DP steels along with the conventional approaches.