Meta-analysis of the relationship between risk perception and health behavior: The example of vaccination.

Background: Risk perceptions are central to many health behavior theories. However, the relationship between risk perceptions and behavior, muddied by instances of inappropriate assessment and analysis, often looks weak. Method: A meta-analysis of eligible studies assessing the bivariate association between adult vaccination and perceived likelihood, susceptibility, or severity was conducted. Results: Thirty-four studies met inclusion criteria (N = 15,988). Risk likelihood (pooled r = .26), susceptibility (pooled r = .24), and severity (pooled r = .16) significantly predicted vaccination behavior. The risk perception-behavior relationship was larger for studies that were prospective, had higher quality risk measures, or had unskewed risk or behavior measures. Conclusions: The consistent relationships between risk perceptions and behavior, larger than suggested by prior meta-analyses, suggest that risk perceptions are rightly placed as core concepts in theories of health behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of story liking: Character identification, suspense, and outcome resolution.

Proposes a developmental model of story liking for suspense stories. The model predicts that (a) reader identification increases with greater perceived similarity between character and reader; (b) increased identification leads to greater suspense; (c) liking of outcome is a joint function of character valence (good or bad character) and outcome valence (positive or negative outcome); and (d) overall liking of story increases with greater identification, greater suspense, and greater liking of outcome. The model was tested by having 44 2nd, 64 4th, and 64 6th graders rate suspense stories on 10 affective scales. Results show that similarity to character increased reader identification, and this, in turn, produced more suspense. A strong developmental trend in evaluations of story endings was found: Young Ss preferred positive outcomes regardless of the valence of the character, but older Ss liked positive endings for good characters and negative endings for bad characters. This finding is interpreted as evidence for acquisition of the "just world" belief. Overall story liking was predicted by path analysis of independent contributions of character identification, suspense, and liking of outcome. Results support the proposed model of story appreciation. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pharmacokinetics of oral fluconazole in premature infants

Systemic infections with Candida albicans in neonates are a frequent and well recognized problem. The therapeutic gold standard in this situation is the combined intravenous antimycotic treatment with amphotericin B and flucytosine. Potential adverse effects of this regimen have encouraged the search for desirable alternatives. We report on the use of oral fluconazole in neonates with Candida albicans septicaemia. Three premature infants were treated with four courses of therapy. Pharmacokinetic studies were performed during each course. At oral doses of 4.5-6 mg/kg once a day, serum levels of fluconazole were within the therapeutic range during the entire dosage interval. Follow up showed microbiological and clinical cure in all patients with no side-effects. In one patient a dosage of 4 mg/kg per day lead to a microbiological relapse with sub-therapeutic serum levels. CONCLUSIONS: Oral fluconazole seems to be a safe and effective treatment for Candida albicans septicaemia even in premature infants.     

Choice behavior in social dilemmas: Effects of social identity, group size, and decision framing.

Social dilemmas appear in 2 basic forms: the public goods (PG) problem, in which the individual must decide whether to contribute to a common resource, and the commons dilemma (CD), in which the individual must decide whether to take from a common resource. The 2 forms of choice dilemma are equivalent in terms of outcomes, but because they involve different decision frames, they are not psychologically equivalent. The present experiment, with 88 undergraduates, examined framing effects on decisions involving use of a common resource pool in a 2?×?2?×?2 (PG vs CD task structure?×?small vs large group size?×?individualistic vs collective social identity) factorial design. That the 2 versions of the decision task were not psychologically equivalent was evidenced both by a main effect of task structure and by interactions involving task structure, group size, and social identity. Overall, Ss kept more of the common resource for themselves under the PG version of the task than under the CD frame. Under the CD structure, group size had no effect on choice behavior, but in the PG version, Ss in large groups kept more than did individuals in small groups. As the resource pool was depleted, the social identity manipulation had opposite effects for large groups under CD and PG frames. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental and clinical pulmonary pneumocystosis

Rat lungs with hydrocortisone-induced pneumocystosis and a necropsy material from 5 patients with AIDS were studied light- and electron-microscopically. The identity of basic morphological features of lung pneumocystosis development in experiment and humans is demonstrated. Three main periods--latent, pronounced, terminal (pneumocystic pneumonia) are distinguished taking into account the relation of productive and vegetative forms of Pneumocystis carinii, state of the surfactants, type I alveolocytes and inflammation cells.     

Genotype-environment correlations in late childhood and early adolescence: antisocial behavioral problems and coercive parenting

A key question for understanding the interplay between nature and nurture in development is the direction of effects in socialization. A longitudinal adoption design provides a unique opportunity to investigate this issue in terms of genotype-environment correlations for behavioral problems. As part of the Colorado Adoption Project, adopted children were classified as being at genetic risk (N = 38) or not at genetic risk (N = 50) for antisocial behavior based on their biological mothers' self-report history of antisocial behavior collected prior to the birth of the child. From age 7 through age 12, adoptive parents reported on the negative control, positive parenting, and inconsistent parenting they use in managing their child's behavior. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that children at genetic risk were consistently more likely to receive negative parenting from their adoptive parents than children not at genetic risk, indicating an evocative genotype-environment correlation. However, the findings also showed that most of the association between negative parenting and children's externalizing behavior was not explicable on the basis of an evocative gene-environment correlation and that an additional environmentally mediated parental effect on children's behavior was plausible.     

Effects of Postidentification Feedback on Eyewitness Identification and Nonidentification Confidence.

Two experiments investigated new dimensions of the effect of confirming feedback on eyewitness identification confidence using target-absent and target-present lineups and (previously unused) unbiased witness instructions (i.e., "offender not present" option highlighted). In Experiment 1, participants viewed a crime video and were later asked to try to identify the thief from an 8-person target-absent photo array. Feedback inflated witness confidence for both mistaken identifications and correct lineup rejections. With target-present lineups in Experiment 2, feedback inflated confidence for correct and mistaken identifications and lineup rejections. Although feedback had no influence on the confidence-accuracy correlation, it produced clear overconfidence. Confidence inflation varied with the confidence measure reference point (i.e., retrospective vs. current confidence) and identification response latency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inhibition of transforming growth factor alpha stimulation of human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with anti-TGF-alpha antibodies and tyrphostin

BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) and its receptor (EGF-R) may regulate normal and malignant epithelial cell growth by an autocrine mechanism. We investigated the role of TGF-alpha in regulating head and neck SCC tumor growth. METHODS: TGF-alpha and EGF-R levels were measured in 7 SCC cell lines and 14 SCC biopsies by RIA, Scatchard, and Western analysis. TGF-alpha autocrine stimulation of DNA synthesis in SCC cell lines was assessed by incubation with TGF-alpha neutralizing antibodies and tyrphostin AG 1478, a selective and potent inhibitor of EGF-R kinase. RESULTS: All SCC cell lines synthesized TGF-alpha and expressed elevated EGF-R levels compared to normal keratinocytes. Twelve of the 14 SCC biopsies contained TGF-alpha protein and 8 had specific EGF-R. Exogenous TGF-alpha or EGF significantly increased DNA synthesis in 4 of 5 SCC cell lines. TGF-alpha neutralizing antibodies or tyrphostin AG 1478 reduced DNA synthesis in the two SCC cell lines (FaDu and SCC9) tested. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that SCC cell lines and tumors usually synthesize TGF-alpha, have elevated levels of EGF-R, and are mitogenically stimulated by a TGF-alpha autocrine system. Selective inhibition of the TGF-alpha system by EGF-R kinase inhibitors or TGF-alpha neutralizing antibodies may be useful strategies for treating SCC that overexpress TGF-alpha and its receptor.     

Multimodality treatment of 128 patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma in the era of mammography screening using standard polychemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide: prognostic and therapeutic implications

BACKGROUND: Locally advanced breast carcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis. With single treatment modalities, i.e., surgery and/or radiation therapy, results have been consistently dismal. However, several earlier reports have indicated improvement in survival with a combined modality approach, i.e., the utilization of systemic therapy. METHODS: Between 1991 and 1994, 128 patients with locally advanced noninflammatory or inflammatory breast carcinoma (LABC) were treated with a combined modality strategy consisting of 4-6 courses of preoperative 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2), epirubicin (60 mg/m2), and cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2) (FEC) every 3 weeks, followed by modified radical mastectomy or sector resection with axillary dissection in combination with postoperative radiotherapy and concomitant cyclophosphamide (850 mg/m2). Postoperatively, 3-5 adjuvant courses of FEC therapy were given. Nine percent of the patients received preoperative radiotherapy because the FEC therapy was not sufficiently effective. One-third of the patients were given tamoxifen (20 or 40 mg daily) at the end of the multimodal therapy. RESULTS: Clinical responses were observed in 60% of the patients; 5% had complete responses (CR) and 55% had partial responses (PR). Stable disease (SD) was observed in 40%. No patient had progressive disease (PD) preoperatively. With a median follow-up of 37 months, the median disease free survival (DFS) and median overall survival (OS) were 29 and 54 months, respectively. The actuarial 5-year DFS and OS were 36% and 49%, respectively. The locoregional recurrence rate was 20%, and 53% of the patients experienced systemic relapse. Univariate analysis revealed a significant prognostic difference according to clinical stage of LABC in favor of less advanced stages. Clinical and biologic parameters linked to a significantly worse prognosis were the presence of inflammatory breast carcinoma and peau d'orange. There was a significant trend of worse prognosis for patients receiving below 60% and 75% of the intended dose intensity with reference to DFS and OS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Standard dose preoperative and postoperative FEC therapy combined with surgery and radiotherapy in the era of mammography screening seem to yield results comparable to those achieved with other conventional strategies in the treatment of unscreened populations.