Note of clarification on Scholten and Sherman (2006): Erratum.

Reports an error in "Tradeoffs and Theory: The Double-Mediation Model" by Marc Scholten and Steven J. Sherman (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2006 May, Vol 135[2], 237-261). This article was inadvertently printed with the incorrect title. The original title was "Tradeoffs and Conflict: The Double-Mediation Model." This title highlights the relation between tradeoffs and conflict as investigated by the authors and accounted for by their model. However, readers are asked to refer to the article by the title with which it was printed to facilitate its retrieval.. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-06642-006.) Most theories of decision making suggest that, when options imply tradeoffs between their attributes, conflict increases as tradeoff size increases, because greater sacrifices are to be incurred in choosing one option instead of another. An alternative view is that conflict decreases as tradeoff size increases, because stronger arguments can be made for any decision. The authors propose a unified model, the double-mediation model, which combines the mediating effects of sacrifice and argumentation. Our model generally predicts an inverse U-shaped relation between tradeoff size and conflict. Results support this prediction. Also, when the decision situation increases the mediating effect of sacrifice relative to that of argumentation, the relation between tradeoff size and conflict changes in an upward direction; conversely, when the decision situation increases the mediating effect of argumentation relative to that of sacrifice, the relation changes in a downward direction. Results support these predictions as well. Commonalities and differences between our model and other formulations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frequency of molecular alterations in heterozygous beta-thalassemia in southern Spain and their relation to the hematologic phenotype

INTRODUCTION: Heterozygous beta-thalassemia manifests hematologically with microcytosis, reduced red blood cell hemoglobin concentration and high hemoglobin A2 levels. Almost all molecular alterations are due to point mutations. We attempt to determinate the frequency of that mutations in the Oriental Andalusia Area, and its relationship with the hematological phenotype. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have studied 45 heterozygous patients. DNA samples were amplified by PCR, using the printers CD7 and HI1. A 16 Kb fragment corresponding to beta globin gene was obtained and analyzed by Dot Blot assay and hybridized with allelic specific oligonucleotide (ASO) probes to detect the 6 more frequent mutations found in the South of Spain. RESULTS: Codon 39 nonsense mutation (31.1%) was the most frequent finding followed by IVS-1 NT 110 (26.7%). The relationship between hematological parameters and molecular mutations concluded that IVS-I NT 6 mutation developed a minimal anemia. DISCUSSION: From the practical point of view, this study indicates that we were able to detect more than 90% of heterozygous beta-tal. with 5 out of 6 ASO probes used in this work. Thus, our data also provides a further implication in prenatal diagnosis.     

Low birth weight as an additional indication for chromosomal analysis

INTRODUCTION: Even though there are few epidemiological studies evaluating the birth weights of different groups of malformed babies with chromosomal abnormalities, it is widely known that infants with trisomy 18, and to a lesser degree those with trisomy 13 and other chromosomal alterations, have low birth weights. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study we present the analysis of the birth weights and gestational ages of a large sample of babies (23,155 malformed and a similar number of nonmalformed babies), separating the different groups of chromosomal anomalies and comparing the weight in the clinical groups of malformed infants. RESULTS: Most of the groups with chromosomal abnormalities present lower birth weights in comparison to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study support the conclusion that the relationship between chromosomal alterations and low birth weight is sufficiently important that such a low birth weight in children with minor or major anomalies should be considered as one more indication to perform chromosomal analysis.     

Absence of detectable human herpesvirus 8 in the semen of human immunodeficiency virus-infected men without Kaposi's sarcoma

The prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)/Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus was investigated in the semen of 99 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men (median CD4 cell count, 357/mm3) by use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay capable of detecting <10 copies of HHV-8 DNA. Of the subjects, 95 (96%) self-identified as men who have sex with men (MSM), and 3 had a history of clinical KS. Seminal cell specimens were negative for HHV-8 in 98 subjects. None of the 26 without KS (27.1% of 96 tested) who were seropositive for HHV-8 by IFA for latency-associated nuclear antigens had HHV-8 detected in their semen. The only subject with any evidence for seminal HHV-8 DNA was seropositive for HHV-8 and had active KS. HHV-8 was detected in 10 (10.4%) of 96 peripheral blood mononuclear cell specimens. The prevalence of HHV-8 DNA by PCR in semen of HIV-infected MSM without KS is low.     

Prevalence of multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors among women in the United States, 1992 and 1995: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

We sought to examine the prevalence of self-reported multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (hypertension, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, overweight, and current smoking) among women in 1992 and 1995 in the United States using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In 1992, 37.5%, 34.4%, and 28.1% of women had zero, one, and two or more of the five risk factors, respectively. In 1995, the respective estimates were 35.5%, 34.3%, and 30%. In both years, the prevalence of two or more risk factors increased with age, decreased with educational level, was higher among black women (lowest among Hispanic women and women of other ethnic groups), and higher among women reporting cost as a barrier to healthcare. The percentage of women with two or more risk factors was higher in 1995 than in 1992 for 35 of 48 states, being statistically significant for 7 states. The percentage of women with at least two risk factors was not significantly lower in 1995 than in 1992 for any state. A higher percentage of women reported having multiple CVD risk factors in 1995 compared with 1992. A multifactorial approach to primary prevention and risk factor reduction should be encouraged to help reduce the prevalence and burden of CVD among women.