Naltrexone, relapse prevention, and supportive therapy with alcoholics: An analysis of patient treatment matching.

Alcohol-dependent patients (N?=?97 ) were randomly assigned to receive either naltrexone or placebo and either relapse prevention therapy or supportive therapy. The present report explored the hypothesis that patients could be matched to the above treatments on the basis of specific pretreatment characteristics. Treatment matching variables explored included craving, alcohol dependence severity, and cognitive measures of learning and memory. Results of linear regression analyses tentatively suggest that patients experiencing higher levels of craving and poorer cognitive functioning may derive the greatest benefit from naltrexone versus placebo. For psychotherapy, lower levels of verbal learning were associated with poorer drinking outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. Conversely, higher levels of verbal learning were associated with better outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Der Einfluß des Molybdängehaltes auf den Ausscheidungsverlauf in warmfesten Chrom-Molybdän-Vanadin-Stählen

Untersuchungen über die Wirkung verschiedener Molybdängehalte von 0,11 bis 1,15% in Chrom-Molybdän-Vanadin-Stählen mit 0,30 bis 0,36 % C, 1,17 bis 1,25 % Cr und 0,30 bis 0,35 % V auf den Ausscheidungsablauf bei einer Zeitbeanspruchung bei 500 und 550°C.     

Acute alcohol blocks neurosteroid modulation of synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in the rat hippocampal slice

Effects of ethanol (22 mM) on the modulation of synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) by the neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS; 10 microM) was examined in the in vitro rat hippocampal slice preparation. The synaptic responses were elicited by Schaffer collateral stimulation and recorded extracellularly in the somatic and dendritic regions of CA1 pyramidal neurons. LTP induction produced an increase (approximately 55% to 75%) in the amplitude of synaptic responses in ethanol and ethanol plus DHEAS (ethanol/DHEAS) treated slices. These increases were significantly smaller than the approximately 130% increase observed previously in slices treated with DHEAS, but were not significantly different from the approximately 82% increase observed in control slices. These results indicate that an ethanol/DHEAS interaction prevents the enhancement of LTP normally observed with DHEAS treatment of hippocampal slices. An ethanol/DHEAS interaction also altered DHEAS's effects on individual synaptic components of the synaptic response to Schaffer collateral stimulation. Ethanol applied before but not after DHEAS prevented DHEAS's enhancement of the NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic component. DHEAS's depression of the GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic component was also blocked by ethanol. Ethanol or DHEAS individually had no effect on the AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic component, but application of ethanol after DHEAS resulted in a small enhancement of this synaptic component, an effect that was not observed if ethanol was applied before DHEAS. These results show that ethanol and DHEAS interact, altering DHEAS's effects on synaptic transmission and LTP in the hippocampus. Such an interaction may be involved in ethanol's actions on the CNS and raises the possibility that ethanol and DHEAS may act via a common site or pathway.     

Employing people with disabilities: Impact of attitude and situation.

Examined the impact of attitude and hypothetical situational encounters on affective, behavioral and cognitive responses of nondisabled employees toward coworkers with disabilities. 176 Ss completed the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale, and responded to 1 of 9 situations of varying levels of intimacy in which they imagined themselves and a person with an immediately obvious disability. Their affective, behavioral and cognitive reactions were assessed by 3 different measures. Both more negative attitudes and situations with higher discomfort levels resulted in the most negative responses. Attitude and situation independently influenced responses. Findings provide a basis for interventions by rehabilitation professionals who work with individuals with disabilities and for employers seeking to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

James and the physical basis of emotion: A comment on Ellsworth.

It is argued that P. Ellsworth's (1994) interpretation of William James's theory of emotions is not supported by his writings. On the basis of textual evidence and systematic considerations, the authors try to show that, in line with the traditional view, James's theory holds that emotions are identical with feelings of bodily changes, of which autonomic changes are by far the most important ones (i.e., the only ones necessary and sufficient for emotions). Furthermore, the authors argue that James's question of the temporal priority of emotions versus bodily feelings makes good sense even if one acknowledges that these events usually show temporal overlap. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symptom prevalence and worry about high voltage transmission lines

Few studies have documented public perceptions of environmental health risks from exposure to overhead transmission lines. In particular, little information has been provided on the impact of worry on symptom prevalence in residents living adjacent to high voltage transmission lines. The current study assessed symptom prevalence and worry in 152 Orange County female residents living either adjacent to overhead transmission lines or one block away. Forty-five percent of the respondents were either very worried or somewhat worried about the transmission lines and 55% were slightly worried or not worried at all. Results indicated that for those who did not live on the easement level of worry did not affect the prevalence of health problems. For those who lived on the easement, the most worried respondents were more likely to report health problems. Disclosure of health problems may depend more on individuals' level of worry about rather than proximity to overhead transmission lines. Possible limitations of this study include personality variables such as hypochondriasis which were not assessed, recall bias, and social desirability. The homogeneity of subjects may also limit the generalizability of findings.     

Observer agreement on interpreting colposcopic images of CIN

The purpose of this work was to study intraobserver and interobserver variation in the interpretation of colposcopic images of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Twenty-three experienced colposcopists were asked to assess colposcopic images presented on slides and to select the biopsy site. Eleven cases were independently interpreted twice with an interval of 2-3 months by all observers. No information about the cytological classification was available. In each case the "majority assessment" was considered as the standard, being "no CIN" in 2 cases, CIN I in 4 cases, CIN II in 3 cases, and CIN III in 2 cases. Intraobserver concordance was 66.7%, the kappa value was 0.54. Interobserver agreement was found to be 52.4 and 51.0% in the first and second sessions, respectively, while the mean kappa values were 0.41 and 0.33, respectively. In selecting the site for biopsy, 77.4% of all observers agreed while the same site was selected in 85.3% of cases by the individual colposcopist in the two sessions. Overall, CIN I and II interpretations revealed lower levels of agreement than no CIN or CIN III interpretations. It is concluded that observer variability in interpreting colposcopic images and selecting the site for biopsy is in the same range as observer variation in other subjective diagnostic tests such as cytology and histopathology. This variation should be taken into account in the colposcopical management of patients with abnormal cytology.     

Effects of intermittent reperfusion on brain pHi, rCBF, and NADH during rabbit focal cerebral ischemia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of intermittent reperfusion versus straight occlusion during neurovascular procedures is controversial. This experiment studied the effects of intermittent reperfusion and single occlusion on intracellular brain pH (pHi), regional cerebral or cortical blood flow, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) fluorescence during temporary focal ischemia. METHODS: Twenty fasted rabbits under 1.0% halothane anesthesia were divided into four groups: (1) nonischemic controls, (2) 60 minutes of uninterrupted focal ischemia, (3) 2 x 30-minute periods of focal ischemia separated by a 5-minute reperfusion, and (4) 4 x 15-minute periods of focal ischemia separated by three 5-minute reperfusion periods. Focal ischemia was produced by occlusion of both the middle cerebral and ipsilateral anterior cerebral arteries. After the final occlusion, there was a 3-hour reperfusion period in all groups. Regional cerebral and cortical blood flow, brain pHi, and NADH fluorescence were measured with in vivo panoramic fluorescence imaging. RESULTS: During occlusion, regional cerebral and cortical blood flows and NADH fluorescence values were not different among the groups. Brain pHi was significantly lower in the 4 x 15-minute group compared with the 1 x 60-minute group (6.57 +/- 0.02 versus 6.73 +/- 0.06; P < .03) but not significant when compared with the 2 x 30-minute group. During the short reperfusion periods, all parameters returned to normal except for NADH fluorescence levels, which remained elevated. During the postischemic final reperfusion period, there was a mild brain alkalosis of approximately 7.1 in all groups. There were no significant differences in NADH fluorescence among groups during the final reperfusion. Regional cerebral and cortical blood flow returned to near normal values in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that intermittent reperfusion during temporary focal ischemia has different effects on the intracytoplasmic and the intramitochondrial compartments: worsening of brain cytoplasmic pHi but no significant differences in the oxidation/reduction level of mitochondrial NADH.     

Influence of hot deformation on the transformation behaviour and structure of pearlitic steels

A study was made of the influence of hot deformation on the transformation behaviour, the structure and the mechanical properties of a pearlitic steel containing 0.65% C. The production parameters of a modern hot strip mill were taken as a basis for the deformation schedule and cooling performed with the aid of a hot deformation simulator (Wumsi). Parameters to be pointed out as significantly influencing the transformation behaviour are, in particular, the finishing temperature and the cooling rate after hot deformation. By exploiting the possibility of raising the cooling rate after deformation in the same measure as is attainable on a hot strip mill, a yield strength increase of at least 150 MPa is achievable.