Physical health 25 years later: The predictive ability of neuroticism.

Objective: Neuroticism, a personality trait related to distress and emotional stability, is often correlated with physical symptoms and disease presence. Theorists have posited that chronic emotional instability creates physiological changes detrimental to health, yet most findings are based on cross-sectional analyses. The objective of the current study was to examine neuroticism assessed in 1973 and the likelihood of reporting physical conditions 25 years later. Design: Participants included 21676 adult twins (n = 8143 intact twin pairs) ranging from 15 to 47 years old in 1973 who were assessed again between 1998 and 2002. Main Outcome Measures: Thirteen physical conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, ulcers, and coronary heart disease, were selected based on their prior theoretical and empirical links to personality traits. Results: Results indicate that the likelihood of having a physical condition is related to higher levels of prior neuroticism, with some associations attenuated when controlling for familial similarity. Conclusion: Familial influences are most pronounced for conditions most related to systemic pain, suggesting genetic pathways between neuroticism and these pain experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The timing of psychosocial changes in women's lives: The years 25 to 45.

60 30–45 yr old women participated in a retrospective interview concerning psychosocial changes in their adult lives. Ss' responses provided self-report data concerning specific psychosocial changes, and 3 judges who read the interview protocols provided independent ratings of major psychosocial transitions. The distributions of self-reported changes and rated transitions across both age and family cycle phases were examined statistically. Rated transitions were reliably related to age but not to family cycle phase. Specifically, 78% of the Ss manifested a major transition commencing between ages 27 and 30 yrs. That transition was characterized initially by personal disruption, followed by reassessment, and finally by increased psychological well-being. Both age and family cycle phase were reliably related to self-reported changes such as geographic moves, career commitments, and childrearing responsibilities. Implications for conceptions of adult developmental changes are discussed. (64 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eye movements in reading and information processing: 20 years of research

Recent studies of eye movements in reading and other information processing tasks, such as music reading, typing, visual search, and scene perception, are reviewed. The major emphasis of the review is on reading as a specific example of cognitive processing. Basic topics discussed with respect to reading are (a) the characteristics of eye movements, (b) the perceptual span, (c) integration of information across saccades, (d) eye movement control, and (e) individual differences (including dyslexia). Similar topics are discussed with respect to the other tasks examined. The basic theme of the review is that eye movement data reflect moment-to-moment cognitive processes in the various tasks examined. Theoretical and practical considerations concerning the use of eye movement data are also discussed.     

Pregnancy after renal transplantation: 25 years experience in Spain

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the kinetics of calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D3) administered subcutaneously. STUDY DESIGN: Calcitriol kinetics and efficacy after subcutaneous administration were studied in 13 CAPD patients with varying degrees of increased plasma levels of parathyroid hormone (i-PTH). A single dose of 2 micrograms of calcitriol was administered subcutaneously, and its serum levels at baseline and after 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours were determined. Plasma ionized calcium and i-PTH were also determined at these periods. RESULTS: Serum calcitriol levels reached peak levels of 60 and 70 pg/mL at 1 and 2 hours after administration, respectively. These levels decreased thereafter, but remained above baseline values during 24 hours. The mean value of the area under the curve (AUC) was 809 +/- 226 pg/mL/hour. Plasma i-PTH levels showed a slight decrease after 1 and 2 hours, returning to baseline levels after this period. Plasma ionized calcium did not show significant changes during the study. A slight pain at the site of injection was mentioned by some patients. CONCLUSIONS: The subcutaneous route for calcitriol administration achieves theoretically adequate plasma levels in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. This is important when parenteral administration of calcitriol is considered in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism.     

Studies on inherited cancers: outcomes and challenges of 25 years

Research on the dominantly inherited cancer-susceptibility syndromes over the past 25 years has defined the genetic basis of most of these diseases, usually through linkage analysis on families carrying the disease, and identification and analysis of the genes responsible. At present, almost all of these genes have been cloned and, in most cases, the findings have lent full support to Knudson's original hypothesis: germline carriers of mutations in cancer susceptibility genes are predisposed to developing cancer, the resultant tumours contain aberrations in the remaining copy of that gene, and these genes often play a pivotal role in the genesis of the equivalent sporadic cancers, whereby two somatic events result in the disruption of both copies of the gene. This perspective highlight some of the issues that have been raised by these studies, and points to a few of the areas of future research that might help to resolve them.     

The value of maintaining outcomes in an individual practice for 25 years

Decision making in orthopaedic surgery is facilitated by outcome data, not only from the literature, but also from one's own practice. Between 1971 and 1996, 2602 primary and 587 revision total hip replacements were performed. All had prospective collection of data, which altered surgical practice. A posterior approach in 147 primary total hip replacements resulted in 10 dislocations (6.8%) leading to the use of the anterolateral approach in 1788 subsequent hips with only eight dislocations (0.45%). The initial 298 hips were done in a standard operating room with restricted access and were covered with perioperative antibiotics. No infections occurred permitting ongoing use of inexpensive infection prevention. From 1971 to 1975, 168 classic polished Charnley stems were implanted with only seven stems requiring revision to date. In contrast, use of the matte finished Müller prosthesis in the early 1970s in 58 hips has resulted in nine revised stems. From 1980 to 1990, 789 second generation design matte finished Iowa stems were implanted. Prospective data collected disclosed that a small number (1.5%) of early loosenings occurred and all were associated with extensive bone lysis which made revision difficult. Only polished stems are now cemented by the author. The author firmly believes that his practice patterns have been promptly and appropriately altered by the availability of a prospectively collected hip data file.     

The Cognitive Interview: A meta-analytic review and study space analysis of the past 25 years.

The Cognitive Interview (CI) is a well-established protocol for interviewing witnesses. The current article presents a study space analysis of laboratory studies of the CI together with an empirical meta-analysis summarizing the past 25 years of research. The study space comprises 57 published articles (65 experiments) on the CI, providing an assessment of the boundary conditions underlying the analysis and application of this interview protocol. The current meta-analysis includes 46 published articles, including 20 articles published since the last meta-analysis conducted a decade earlier (K?hnken, Milne, Memon, & Bull, 1999). Reassuringly for practitioners, the findings of the original meta-analysis were replicated with a large and significant increase in correct details and a small increase in errors. In addition we found that there were no differences in the rate at which details are confabulated. Importantly, the effect sizes were unaffected by the inclusion of recent studies using modified versions of the CI. The CI appeared to benefit older adult witnesses even more than younger adults. We highlight trends and gaps in research and discuss how our findings can inform policy and training decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The 60-item Boston Naming Test: norms for cognitively intact adults aged 25 to 88 years

Age- and education-stratified norms on the 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT) are presented for 219 cognitively intact adults aged 25-88 years. The sample size, age range, and education levels of this sample represent an improvement over currently available norms. Eight short forms of the BNT are compared with the 60-item BNT. Frequency of errors for individual BNT items and the distribution of incorrect responses over seven different categories of errors are discussed. Finally, specific probes to overcome difficulties with ambiguous items are suggested.     

Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis: changes over 25 years in treatment and results

The pelvic localisations of Ewing's sarcoma have the worst prognosis due to large size at diagnosis, frequent distant metastases, radiosensitive organs next to the tumour and difficult surgery. The purpose of the present study was to analyse treatment results over a period of 25 years and to investigate the impact of newer chemotherapy schedules, improved radiotherapy techniques and newer surgical methods on the prognosis. 35 children and young adults were identified from 1967 to 1994 for whom diagnosis, presentation, performed treatment and outcome were available. Tumour size, as measured from CT scans, response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy target volume, could be reviewed in the later years. Actuarial 5-year survival for the whole group was 31% and for the 24 non-metastatic patients 40%, with a disease-free interval of 19%. Tumour size could be measured in 27 patients and ranged from 36 to 1540 cm3. There were 12 local recurrences, 1 in the 4 patients treated with surgery. After 1983, 9 out of 17 irradiated patients developed local failure. 3 patients had adequate fields and one a close field which did not cover completely the prechemotherapy extent and 3 of these recurred. All 4 patients with stable disease after neoadjuvant CT failed locally, not withstanding high-dose radiotherapy. The mean length of neoadjuvant CT tended to be shorter in patients without local relapse. There was no significant difference in survival before and after 1983.     

Virulence and viability of Yersinia pestis 25 years after lyophilization

When equal volumes of 6% lactose and a broth culture of Yersinia pestis were mixed before freezing, approximately 50% of the cells survived lyophilization and reconstitution on the following day. Concomitantly, the number of viable cells per 50% lethal dose increased from about 16 to 125 organisms. On subsequent storage of the lyophilized cells under vacuum in glass ampoules at 4 degrees C for 25 years, more than 25% of the cells remained viable. When stored cultures were assayed immediately after reconstitution, virulence for mice was significantly reduced (as many as 4,000 cells/50% lethal dose), but the virulence was fully restored when reconstituted cultures were held for 24 h at room temperature, or when a subculture was prepared in fresh medium.     

Personality and risk of cognitive impairment 25 years later.

The authors examined the relationship between personality and cognitive impairment in 4,039 members of the Swedish Twin Registry. Neuroticism and extraversion scores were collected in 1973 at midlife, and cognitive impairment was assessed in the same group 25 years later. Data were analyzed with case-control and co-twin control designs. Greater neuroticism was associated with higher risk of cognitive impairment in the results from case-control, but not from co-twin, analyses. Compared with both extraversion and introversion, moderate extraversion was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment in both case-control and co-twin designs, as was the combination of high neuroticism and low extraversion. Findings are discussed in the context of theories related to personality, psychological distress, arousal, and cognitive function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

25 years of endoscopic sphincterotomy in Erlangen: assessment of the experience in 3498 patients

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate the evolution of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) over a period of 25 years at its birthplace in Erlangen, Germany. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 3498 consecutive ESTs between 1973 and the end of 1997 were reviewed with respect to indications, technology, success, complications, therapy of complications and mortality. In order to demonstrate changes in the course of time, the results have been compiled separately for four time periods (A-D). RESULTS: During the 25 years' practice of EST in Erlangen the frequency of ETSs has increased constantly and significant changes have been observed concerning the spectrum of indications: Bile duct stones (total 55.1%) decreased continuously from 91.1% (period A) to 35.7% (period D). In contrast, the proportion of ESTs applied for malignant obstruction (total 22.1%) rose successively from 1.1% (period A) to more than 25% (periods B-D). Chronic pancreatitis as an indication for EST was established in period B (1.0%) and accounted for 20.2% of all procedures in period D (total 8.0%). Several new indications (summarized as "others") increased from 1.8% in period A to 11.9% in period D (total 6.7%) whereas biliary pancreatitis and scarred papillary stenosis remained constantly below 5%. Whereas the "Erlangen sphincterotome" was the only sphincterotome used in period A, it was almost completely replaced by guide-wire sphincterotomes in period D. With the introduction of the needle knife the precut technique became popular and was used with increasing frequencies: period B 31.9%, period C 34.1%, period D 41.9%. The success rate in total was 95.2%. For each time period the highest success rate of EST was obtained for bile duct stones (96-98%), whereas EST appeared to be more difficult in case of malignant obstruction (93.3%) or chronic pancreatitis (90.2%), but for both indications growing experience resulted in an increase in the success rates (85.7% to 94.9% and 90.9% to 94.0%, respectively). Complications occurred in 7.9% of cases. The complication rate declined significantly from 10.5% in period A over 7.6% in period B to 6.3% in period C. Prospective data acquisition in period D revealed a significant increase in the detection of mild forms of acute pancreatitis, resulting in a slight increase of the complication rate (8.4%). Needle-knife papillotomy did not significantly increase the complication rate. Whereas in period A 41% of all complications were managed by surgery, this value dropped over 28% (period B) and 7.5% (period C) to ultimately 1.6% in period D. The method-related mortality was nearly constant over the whole period of time (0.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a continuous shift of indications and a changing mixture of learning endoscopists and EST experts over 25 years, the practice of EST at its birthplace in Erlangen has shown a constantly high success rate, a decreasing complication rate and an acceptable but mainly unchanged mortality rate. Currently, nearly all complications can be successfully managed nonoperatively.