Temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia: Comparison of reaction time deficits.

Current theory suggests that temporal–limbic dysfunction is responsible for schizophrenic symtomatology. Such theory dovetails with many reports of a higher frequency of schizophreniform psychoses in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) than is found with other forms of seizure activity. To explore the possibility of a common neurological substrate for the 2 disorders, a variable foreperiod reaction-time task, on which early crossover has been found to be characteristic of many schizophrenics, was administered to 11 schizophrenics, 12 TLE patients, 9 generalized seizure patients, and 10 normal controls. Results show that only TLE and schizophrenic Ss showed an early crossover of regular and irregular preparatory interval gradients. Discussion focuses on the status of crossover as a marker variable, and relevant animal and human lesion literature is reviewed. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changing Type A behaviour.

Reviews research dealing with alteration of coronary-prone (Type A) behavior. Basic dimensions of the problem and evidence concerning various approaches to change are discussed, including behavior modification, psychotherapeutic techniques, and combined approaches. Additional treatment issues reviewed include individual vs group-based treatment, therapeutic-unit size and constitution, preventive Type-A therapy, client characteristics and commitment to change, facilitator characteristics, location and duration of treatment, and measurement of change. Implications for practitioners are drawn and suggestions made for future research. (French abstract) (66 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

NKF finalizes report on controversies in dialysis

Sporting activity in wrestlers operated on for spondylolisthesis is not well documented in the literature. We present the case of a wrestler with a grade I L5-S1 spondylolisthesis who was L4-S1 arthrodesed due to pain not relieved by conservative methods. One year after surgery he had returned to full wrestling activity, including competitions. Two years later, he continues to wrestle at the same level of competition.     

Burden of self-care in seriously ill patients: Impact on adjustment.

Perceived, but not actual, control over treatment has been consistently related to better adjustment in chronic illness. This study examined the relationship between actual control over treatment and severity of illness and their influence on depression in a chronically ill population of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. The authors hypothesized that as severity of illness increases, the burden of control over treatment would increase depression. Severity of illness and depression was assessed for 98 ESRD patients. Control over treatment was represented by whether dialysis patients were self-administering treatment (high control) or were receiving treatment from the medical staff (low control). Results indicated that for the most severely ill patients, high control over treatment resulted in poorer adjustment. Furthermore, this effect was due in part to how illness interferes with social relationships in seriously ill, self-care patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is weight gain after smoking cessation inevitable?

Weight gain after smoking cessation was studied in a naturalistic setting where (1) all smokers quit and (2) risk factors for postcessation weight gain were modified. Participants were 332 military recruits (227 men, 105 women), 86 of whom were smokers who quit during 6 weeks of basic training. Results showed no significant weight changes for smokers who quit. Pretest smoking rates and feat of weight gain were unrelated to changes in weight. Results suggest that an intensive program that limits access to alcohol and foods that are high in fat and that increases physical activity can attenuate weight gain after smoking cessation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative affectivity in children: A multitrait-multimethod investigation.

The present study investigated the use of the broad-band construct, negative affectivity, with children's self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and anger. A multitrait-multimethod analysis was conducted to intercorrelate scores from self-report measures with scale and subscale scores of the Child Behavior Checklist–Teacher Report Form ({cbcl-trf}). The resulting matrix revealed significant correlations among the self-report measures of anxiety and depression and revealed that these measures correlated significantly with the Internalizing scale scores of the {cbcl-trf}. However, correlations between the individual self-report measures and their corresponding {cbcl-trf} scale scores were not significant. Regression analyses indicated that both depression and anxiety self-report measures were predictors of the {cbcl-trf} Internalizing scale, but no self-report measures were predictive of the {cbcl-trf} Externalizing scale. Findings suggest that the child self-report measures of anxiety and depression used in this study can best be conceptualized as measures of a broad-band construct rather than of the narrow-band dimensions of anxiety and depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of counselor source characteristics by premature and successful terminators.

Examined 56 premature and 148 successful terminators' perceptions of counselor source characteristics and satisfaction with counseling services at a university counseling center. S-completed measures included the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire and a counselor rating form. Results indicate that Ss who terminated prematurely were less satisfied with counseling services that they received and viewed their counselors as less expert, attractive, and trustworthy than did Ss who terminated successfully. Ss who responded anonymously to the evaluation form viewed the counselors as less attractive and trustworthy and also expressed less satisfaction with counseling than did those who did not respond anonymously. Significant though modest correlations between ratings of source characteristics and client satisfaction were also found. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of marketing techniques to facilitate acceptance of prevention programs: Case example.

There is a growing interest in marketing in contemporary psychology, but the application of marketing has largely been limited to remediative services. However, marketing techniques have considerable potential for facilitating the acceptance of prevention programs. A case example illustrates the use of market assessment as information for the marketing of preventive parenting programs for fathers, working parents, single parents, and stepparents. Three hundred parents were surveyed via a questionnaire that taped seven areas: general family concept; family communication and the balancing of family roles; previous service use; interest in participating in parent programs; factors bearing on the decision to participate; responsiveness to various forms of advertising; and demographics. The results are discussed in terms of how they influenced the shaping of four elements of the "marketing mix": product, price, place, and promotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A sample preparation for quantitative determination of magnesium in individual lymphocytes by electron probe X-ray microanalysis

We present a sample preparation method for measuring magnesium in individual whole lymphocytes by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. We use Burkitt's lymphoma cells in culture as the test sample and compare X-ray microanalysis of individual cells with atomic absorption analysis of pooled cell populations. We determine the magnesium peak-to-local continuum X-ray intensity ratio by electron probe X-ray microanalysis and calculate a mean cell magnesium concentration of 39± 19 mmol/kg dry weight from analysis of 100 cells. We determine a mean cell magnesium concentration of 34 ±4 mmol/kg dry weight by atomic absorption analysis of pooled cells in three cell cultures. The mean cell magnesium concentrations determined by the two methods are not significantly different. We find a 10% coefficient of variation for both methods of analysis and a 30% coefficient of variation in magnesium concentration among individual cells by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. We wash cells in ammonium nitrate for microanalysis or in buffered saline glucose for atomic absorption analysis. We find cells washed in either solution have the same cell viability (85%), recovery (75%), cell volume (555 μm³) and cytology. We air dry cells on thin film supports and show by magnesium X-ray mapping that magnesium is within the cells. We conclude that: (a) our microanalysis cell preparation method preserves whole intact lymphocytes; (b) there is no systematic difference in results from the two methods of analysis; (c) electron probe X-ray microanalysis can determine the variation in magnesium concentration among individual cells.     

Exploratory study of a matching approach to personnel selection: The impact of ethnicity.

A matching procedure for selection of clerical personnel, based on task and working condition preferences of applicants, was studied for the impact of ethnicity and stability over time. The impact of ethnicity was examined among 200 White, 200 Black, and 200 Hispanic applicants by comparing task/condition preferences with ethnicity. Although a number of significant relationships between task/condition preferences and ethnicity were observed, the magnitude of effect of ethnicity on preferences for singular job conditions and tasks seemed to be near zero in most cases. The data tentatively suggest that the matching procedure might produce little adverse impact in operational use. In the stability study, 71 applicants for state clerical jobs completed a Clerical Job Condition and Task Preference Schedule at 2 different times. The preference schedule was more stable for applicants with previous clerical work experience and tended to be more stable for White than for Black or Hispanic applicants. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)