Assessing patients'' priorities and perceptions of the quality of health care: the development of the QUOTE-Rheumatic-Patients instrument

BACKGROUND: Stress can exacerbate a number of psychiatric disorders, many of which are associated with prefrontal cortical (PFC) cognitive deficits. Biochemical studies demonstrate that mild stress preferentially increases dopamine turnover in the PFC. Our study examined the effects of acute, mild stress exposure on higher cognitive function in monkeys and the role of dopaminergic mechanisms in the stress response. METHODS: The effects of loud (105-dB) noise stress were examined on a spatial working memory task (delayed response) dependent on the PFC, and on a reference memory task with similar motor and motivational demands (visual pattern discrimination) dependent on the inferior temporal cortex. The role of dopamine mechanisms was tested by challenging the stress response with agents that decrease dopamine receptor stimulation. RESULTS: Exposure to noise stress significantly impaired delayed-response performance. Stress did not impair performance on "0-second" delay control trials and did not alter visual pattern discrimination performance, which is consistent with impaired PFC cognitive function rather than nonspecific changes in performance. Stress-induced deficits in delayed-response performance were ameliorated by pretreatment with drugs that block dopamine receptors (haloperidol, SCH 23390) or reduce stress-induced PFC dopamine turnover in rodents (clonidine, naloxone hydrochloride). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that stress impairs PFC cognitive function through a hyperdopaminergic mechanism. Stress may take the PFC "off-line" to allow more habitual responses mediated by posterior cortical and subcortical structures to regulate behavior. This mechanism may have survival value, but may often be maladaptive in human society, contributing to the vulnerability of the PFC in many neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Self-image resilience and dissonance: The role of affirmational resources.

Predicted that high self-esteem Ss (HSEs) would rationalize an esteem-threatening decision less than low self-esteem Ss (LSEs), because HSEs presumably had more favorable self-concepts with which to affirm, and thus repair, their overall sense of self-integrity. This prediction was supported in 2 experiments within the "free-choice" dissonance paradigm: one that manipulated self-esteem through personality feedback and the other that varied it through selection of HSEs and LSEs, but only when Ss were made to focus on their self-concepts. A 3rd experiment countered an alternative explanation of the results in terms of mood effects that may have accompanied the experimental manipulations. Results were discussed in terms of the following: (1) their support for a resources theory of individual differences in resilience to self-image threats—an extension of self-affirmation theory, (2) their implications for self-esteem functioning, and (3) their implications for the continuing debate over self-enhancement vs self-consistency motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Cue interactions in flavor preference learning: A configural analysis": Correction to Dwyer et al. (2011).

Reports an error in "Cue interactions in flavor preference learning: A configural analysis" by Dominic M. Dwyer, Mark Haselgrove and Peter M. Jones (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 2011[Jan], Vol 37[1], 41-57). There was an error in Figure 3. The X-axis of both panels of this figure should be labeled “3-trial block” and not “trial.” The analysis of the simulations presented in Figure 3 are unaffected by this change. The corrected figure is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-01268-001.) Four experiments showed that the preference normally established to a neutral flavor cue that was paired with maltodextrin was attenuated when that cue was conditioned in compound with another flavor—overshadowing. Furthermore, two experiments showed that the preference for a neutral flavor conditioned as part of a compound was further attenuated if the other element in that compound was separately paired with the reinforcer—blocking. These results stand in contrast to a number of previous compound flavor preference conditioning experiments, which have not revealed reliable cue competition effects. These discrepant findings are discussed in terms of the effects of within-compound associations and a configural perspective on potentiation. Modeling of this configural perspective predicts that a compound of two separately trained cues will elicit a similar response to the individual cues themselves—absence of summation. Two experiments confirmed this prediction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expression of flavor preference depends on type of test and on recent drinking history.

The persistence of a conditioned flavor preference was examined in 3 experiments. All contained an initial acquisition phase in which half the rats were given almond odor mixed with sucrose (AS) in some sessions and water (W) only in other sessions, whereas the other half (controls) were given explicitly unpaired exposures to almond (A) and sucrose (S) in separate sessions. Subsequent 2-bottle choice tests revealed a persistent preference for A, despite extinction exposure to A or S, but this depended on the choice offered on test: Exposure to A did not extinguish the preference for A over W but did reduce the preference for AS over S; conversely, exposure to S did not extinguish the preference for AS over S but did reduce the preference for A over W. These results indicate that flavor preferences can be resistant to extinction procedures but suggest that the expression of such preferences in choice tests depends on an adaptation-level process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of novelty and familiarity on illness-induced aversions to food and place cues in coyotes (Canis latrans).

Two experiments investigated the effects of novelty and familiarity on illness-induced aversions to taste and place cues in 10 coyotes. Ss were made ill on familiar food laced with Li?CO? in a novel place and then received preference tests. In Exp I, Ss avoided the previously poisoned familiar food in the novel treatment place but readily ate the same familiar food in a familiar safe place. Exp II replicated the results of Exp I, and it was found that Ss would eat a different familiar food in the novel treatment place. A model for averting animals from places where they are not wanted is presented. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cue interactions in flavor preference learning: A configural analysis.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 37(2) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes (see record 2011-08162-003). There was an error in Figure 3, which is described in the correction.] Four experiments showed that the preference normally established to a neutral flavor cue that was paired with maltodextrin was attenuated when that cue was conditioned in compound with another flavor—overshadowing. Furthermore, two experiments showed that the preference for a neutral flavor conditioned as part of a compound was further attenuated if the other element in that compound was separately paired with the reinforcer—blocking. These results stand in contrast to a number of previous compound flavor preference conditioning experiments, which have not revealed reliable cue competition effects. These discrepant findings are discussed in terms of the effects of within-compound associations and a configural perspective on potentiation. Modeling of this configural perspective predicts that a compound of two separately trained cues will elicit a similar response to the individual cues themselves—absence of summation. Two experiments confirmed this prediction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Surfactant replacement increases compliance in premature lamb lungs during partial liquid ventilation in situ

Treatments available to improve compliance in surfactant-deficient states include exogenous surfactant (ES) and either partial (PLV) or total liquid ventilation (TLV) with perfluorochemical (PFC). Because of the additional air-lung and air-PFC interfaces introduced during PLV compared with TLV, we hypothesized that compliance would be worse during PLV than during TLV. Because surfactant is able to reduce interfacial tension between air and lung as well as between PFC and lung, we further hypothesized that compliance would improve with surfactant treatment before PLV. In excised preterm lamb lungs, we used Survanta for surfactant replacement and perflubron as the PFC. Compliance during PLV was intermediate between TLV and gas inflation, both with and without surfactant. Surfactant improved compliance during PLV, compared with PLV alone. Because of the force-balance equation governing the behavior of immiscible droplets on liquid surfaces, we predict that PFC droplets spread during PLV to cover the alveolar surface in surfactant-deficient lungs during most of lung inflation and deflation but that the PFC would retract into droplets in surfactant-sufficient lungs, except at end inspiration.     

Morphine, MDMA, MDA, and nexus produce a conditioned place preference in newly hatched chickens.

The current study was undertaken to determine whether morphine and three amphetamine-related designer drugs would produce a conditioned place preference in newly hatched chickens (Gallus gallus). MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and Nexus (4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) produced a place preference at intermediate doses; MDA (3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine) produced a place preference only at the highest dose; and morphine produced a place preference only at the lowest dose tested. A second experiment was then conducted in which the same drugs were administered outside the context of the place preference apparatus. With the exception of Nexus, none of the drugs caused in a change in preference for the initially preferred side, suggesting that the place preference seen with Nexus in Experiment 1 was of a dissociative nature (i.e., not a true conditioned place preference). Results suggest that the newly hatched chicken may be an inexpensive, alternative species for studying drug-conditioned place preferences, but the results also emphasize the importance of conducting the proper control experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A simplified triple-test cross analysis of alcohol preference in the rat

Reanalyses of first-degree biometrical genetic data from previous studies of alcohol preference in the mouse revealed little consistency beyond a basic additive genetic component. A simplified triple-test cross in the rat investigated the genetic architecture of alcohol preference for a 10% (w/v) alcohol solution or water. An initial survey of eight selected and inbred strains identified high- and low-scoring strains, the MNR and the ACI respectively, which were crossed as tester lines to six strains ( the RHA, RLA, TMB, TMD, MNR, and ACI) to produce the required set of largely F1 families. The additive-dominance model proved adequate for males, and directional dominance for low alcohol preference was found on all three measures: alcohol intake, alcohol preference ratio, and alcohol calorie contribution ratio. For females the model was adequate only for alcohol preference ratio, which showed ambidirectional dominance. The relevance of such genetic architecture to an animal model of alcoholism and to the evolution of alcohol drinking in the rat is discussed.     

Visualization of renal arteries and value of color-coded duplex sonography in renal artery stenoses using an ultrasound signal enhancing agent]

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether a second-generation perfluorocarbon (PFC) blood substitute added to the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) prime influences complement production. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, single-blinded, ex vivo model. SETTING: A university hospital, laboratory, and clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Ten healthy adult consented volunteer blood donors (five men, five women). INTERVENTIONS: Ex vivo closed-loop extracorporeal circuit including membrane oxygenator, tubing, and filter primed with crystalloid or crystalloid plus PFC was circulated for 1 hour with the addition of 500 mL of heparinized fresh human whole blood. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Laboratory specimens were drawn from the circuit at 10-minute intervals for 1 hour and measured for complement (C3a, Bb fragment) concentrations, blood gases, fibrinogen concentration, platelet count, and hematocrit. In the PFC group, C3a and Bb fragments were equal to or less than those in the group that received crystalloid alone. CONCLUSION: The second-generation PFC added to the prime of a CPB circuit does not independently increase complement production.     

Distributed versus exclusive preference in discrete-trial choice.

Two experiments on discrete-trial choice examined the conditions under which pigeons would exhibit exclusive preference for the better of two alternatives as opposed to distributed preference (making some choices for each alternative). In Experiment 1, pigeons chose between red and green response keys that delivered food after delays of different durations, and in Experiment 2 they chose between red and green keys that delivered food with different probabilities. Some conditions of Experiment 1 had fixed delays to food and other conditions had variable delays. In both experiments, exclusive or nearly exclusive preference for the better alternative was found in some conditions, but distributed preference was found in other conditions, especially in Experiment 2 when key location varied randomly over trials. The results were used to evaluate several different theories about discrete-trial choice. The results suggest that exclusive preference for one alternative is a frequent outcome in discrete-trial choice. When distributed preference does occur, it is not the result of inherent tendencies to sample alternatives or to match response percentages to the values of the alternatives. Rather, distributed preference may occur when two factors (such as reinforcer delay and position bias) compete for the control of choice, or when the consequences for the two alternatives are similar and difficult to discriminate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of stimulus–response mapping and irrelevant stimulus–response and stimulus–stimulus overlap in four-choice Stroop tasks with single-carrier stimuli.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether and how stimulus–stimulus (SS) and stimulus–response (SR) consistency and SR congruence effects combine to produce the Stroop effect. Two experiments were conducted with 4-choice tasks in which SS and SR consistency and SR congruence effects were examined in isolation as well as in the Stroop task. The experiments were so designed as to remove the confound between SS and SR consistency that is ordinarily found in standard Stroop tasks and to pit SS consistency against the logical recoding hypothesis (A. Hedge & N. W. A. Marsh, 1975). The results indicate that SS and SR consistency both contribute to the Stroop effect and that they interact. This finding supports models such as the dimensional overlap model (e.g., S. Kornblum & J. W. Lee, 1995) that distinguish between SS and SR overlap. Simulation results from an interactive activation network, modeled after the dimensional overlap model, provide reasonable fits to the experimental data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term effect of perfluorocarbon distension on the lung

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: We have demonstrated previously that postnatal lung growth can be accelerated by continuous intrapulmonary distension with perfluorocarbon (PFC). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of PFC distension on long-term lung function and to determine if shorter periods of lung distension would be sufficient to stimulate growth. METHODS: Eight neonatal lambs underwent a right thoracotomy. The superior segment of the right upper lobe of the experimental group (n = 5) was isolated and distended with PFC to an intrabronchial pressure of 7 to 10 mm Hg. The inferior segment was removed. After a 7-day distension period (the maximum period of exposure currently allowed for humans), the experimental animals underwent removal of the intrabronchial catheter and surgical closure of the bronchial stump. Control animals (n = 3) underwent right upper lobe inferior segmentectomy alone. Animals were allowed to breathe spontaneously and reach 3 to 6 months of age. Before death, all animals were evaluated by chest radiographs and ventilation-perfusion scans. Pulmonary venous blood gas levels were obtained. Lungs were harvested and airway fixed for morphometric analysis. RESULTS: Chest radiographs of the experimental group showed variable amounts of intrapleural and interstitial PFC but were otherwise normal. Results of ventilation/perfusion (VQ) scans of all experimental animals were normal. On retrieval, the right upper lobe of experimental animals appeared slightly hyperinflated compared with controls. Right upper lobe pulmonary vein PaO2 to left pulmonary vein PaO2 ratio was comparable in experimental and control animals (1.2 +/- .41 v 0.92 +/- .15). DNA to protein ratios were slightly higher in the right upper lobes of experimental animals, however, the difference was not statistically significant (.64 +/- .11 v .42 +/- .03). On histological evaluation, the airway epithelium and alveoli of the right upper lobe of experimental animals appeared normal. Lung morphometry results showed no statistically significant differences in alveolar number between experimental and control animals. CONCLUSIONS: From these preliminary data we conclude that (1) lung architecture is preserved in juvenile animals subjected to intrapulmonary PFC distension as neonates, (2) lung function is preserved in the lobar segment after PFC distension, and (3) intrapulmonary PFC distension appears to be safe at 3 to 6 months follow-up. However, 7 days of PFC distension is insufficient to promote lung growth.     

Effects of social and asocial learning on longevity of food-preference traditions

The influence of both social and asocial factors on the stability of a socially learned tradition of food preference was explored in colonies of domesticated Norway rats, Rattus norvegicusWe trained members of 'founding colonies' of rats to avoid eating a distinctively flavoured food and then introduced them into enclosures where they were offered a choice between the food they had learned to avoid and a familiar, safe food. We then monitored the food preferences of these colonies while we gradually replaced founding members with naive subjects. Traditions of food preference were more stable across generations of replacements: (1) in colonies that had food available 2 h/day than in colonies that had food available 24 h/day (experiment 1), (2) when replacement subjects each resided in their respective colonies for 2 days rather than for 4 days before themselves being replaced (experiments 2 and 3) and (3) when founding members of colonies had learned to avoid a relatively palatable diet (experiment 4). The results of the first four experiments were consistent with the view that opportunities to learn asocially to eat a food other than that preferred by one's fellows reduced the stability of a food preference as it was transmitted across generations. We also found that introducing a naive individual into a tradition-bearing colony reduced its rate of acquiring a food preference other than that of the colony it joined (experiment 5). The interactive effects of social and asocial learning on the stability of food preference traditions in Norway rats was discussed.     

A comparison of the effect of different occlusal forms in mandibular implant overdentures

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Posterior tooth form selection for implant overdentures is made according to personal preference and experience using the concepts of conventional complete denture prosthodontics. PURPOSE: This study (1) compared the masticatory efficiency of three occlusal forms, 0 degrees, 30 degrees, and lingual contact (lingualized occlusion), in subjects with mandibular implant overdentures, and (2) determined their effects on the implant supporting tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight patients who had four root form implants in the mandibular symphysis area connected with a Hader bar were selected. Maxillary and mandibular dentures were constructed for each patient with interchangeable posterior segments and the three occlusal forms were tested. The masticatory efficiency for each posterior tooth form was assessed with objective food tests and a subjective patient preference questionnaire. Periodic evaluation of implant-supporting tissues also was performed. RESULTS: Reliability analysis showed that all R1 coefficients were > or =0.80 (<0.001), indicating high subject consistency between multiple chewing efficiency trials. MANOVA analysis indicated a significant difference in chewing efficiency among the three occlusal forms (p < 0.001). The 0 degree occlusal form was associated with a significantly higher number of chewing strokes compared with 30 degrees or lingualized occlusal forms. The different occlusal forms were not found to have a clinically detrimental effect on the peri-implant soft or hard tissues. CONCLUSION: Chewing efficiency tests and patient preference ratings showed that 30 degree teeth and lingual contact provided better chewing efficiency than 0 degree teeth. None of the tested occlusal forms showed any clinical or radiographic detrimental effect on the implant-supporting tissues.     

Analysis by a plaque assay of IgG- or IgM- dependent cytolytic lymphocytes in human blood

When monolayers of bovine erythrocytes (Eb) were exposed to purified human blood lymphocytes and either IgG or IgM fractions of rabbit anti-Eb serum, clear zones (plaques) appeared when Eb had been lysed by antibody-dependent effector cells (K cells). IgG-dependent plaque formation was complete by 20 h of incubation, while the IgM-dependent reaction required 40 h. The estimated minimal numbers of plaque forming cells (PFC) were 5.6% (IgG) and 2.0% (IgM) of the added lymphocytes. Inhibition experiments with human IgG or IgM indicated that different immunoglobulin receptors on the effector cells were involved in the two systems. In the IgG system, approximately 50% of the PFC had complement receptors and approximately 30% receptors for Helix pomatia A hemagglutinin (HP). In the IgM system, less than 10% of the PFC had complement receptors, while approximately 60% had HP receptors. The results suggest that a subset of human T cells had IgM-dependent K-cell potential. These cells are different from the majority of the IgG-dependent K cells.     

Decoy effects and attribute-level inferences.

A decoy effect occurs when the addition of an inferior choice alternative changes the preference relations among the other alternatives in the set. Whereas many authors have suggested that the decoy effect has considerable relevance to applied decision-making contexts, others have suggested that the phenomenon may not be found in situations more realistic than those used in typical decoy experiments. The authors examined whether the effect would generalize to situations in which decision makers are required to infer attribute values. The results of the current study showed that even when no numerical attribute information is presented, decoy effects can be quite strong. These findings suggest that decoy effects may indeed be generalizable to realistic choice situations requiring attribute-level inferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feedback consistency effects in visual and auditory word recognition: Where do we stand after more than a decade?

The role of phonology-to-spelling consistency (i.e., feedback consistency) was investigated in 3 lexical decision experiments in both the visual and auditory modalities in French and English. No evidence for a feedback consistency effect was found in the visual modality, either in English or in French, despite the fact that consistency was manipulated for different kinds of units (onsets and rimes). In contrast, robust feedback consistency effects were obtained in the auditory lexical decision task in both English and French when exactly the same items that produced a null effect in the visual modality were used. Neural network simulations are presented to show that previous demonstrations of feedback consistency effects in the visual modality can be simulated with a model that is not sensitive to feedback consistency, suggesting that these effects might have come from various confounds. These simulations, together with the authors' results, suggest that there are no feedback consistency effects in the visual modality. In contrast, such effects are clearly present in the auditory modality. Given that orthographic information is absent from current models of spoken word recognition, the present findings present a major challenge to these models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)