Preference awareness education as stress management training for academic staff

This paper describes a response directed stress management intervention (SMI) in the form of a Jungian based preference awareness education (PAE). It uses the Insights System of personality types to increase awareness of behaviour and communication preferences of self and different others. Eighteen self‐recruited academic employees participated for 7 weeks and received feedback about work preferences and personality type. The aim was to reduce perceptions of stress and interpersonal stress and to increase feelings of job satisfaction and interpersonal satisfaction. The data were analysed using two‐tailed t‐tests. No significant findings were observed for the total sample after training, however, interesting results were found for certain sub‐sample groups. Extravert‐thinking types, reported decreased stress levels (p > 0.018), and participants suffering high stress/interpersonal stress pre‐PAE, reported decreased stress levels (p > 0.010–0.018). Participants suffering low job/interpersonal satisfaction pre‐PAE, reported increased job satisfaction (p > 0.015–0.016). These results suggest that individuals who report high levels of stress and dissatisfaction are most likely to benefit from this type of intervention. Future PAE research might: (a) use pilot studies to meet the intervention preferences of employees that are reluctant to participate in SMIs; (b) include a wait‐list control group; use: (c) a follow up education/measures; (d) and organizational level (stressor directed) SMIs at the same time as response directed initiatives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flavor preference conditioning by oral self-administration of ethanol

 Oral self-administration and operant tasks have been used successfully to confirm ethanol′s positive reinforcing effects in rats. However, in flavor conditioning tasks, ethanol is typically found to have aversive effects. The present studies explored this apparent paradox by examining the change in value of a flavor paired with orally self-administered ethanol in two different limited-access procedures. Rats were food-deprived and trained to drink (experiment 1) or to barpress for (experiment 2) 10% (v/v) ethanol during daily 30-min sessions using prandial initiation techniques. All rats were then exposed to a differential flavor conditioning procedure in which banana or almond extract was added to the drinking solution. One flavor (counterbalanced) was always mixed with ethanol (CS+), whereas the other flavor was mixed with water (CS–). By the end of conditioning, rats in both experiments drank more flavored ethanol than flavored water, confirming ethanol’s efficacy as a reinforcer. Moreover, barpress rates for CS+ exceeded those for CS– in the operant task. Ethanol doses self-administered in final sessions averaged about 1 g/kg. The effect of the flavor-ethanol contingency was assessed in preference tests that offered a choice between the two flavor solutions without ethanol. In both experiments, subjects developed a preference for the flavor that had been paired with ethanol. Thus, the outcome of flavor conditioning was consistent with that of the oral self-administration tasks in providing evidence of ethanol’s rewarding effects. These experiments confirm and extend previous studies showing that flavor aversion is not the inevitable result of flavor-ethanol association in rats. It seems likely that ethanol’s nutrient and pharmacological effects both contributed to the development of conditioned flavor preference. Received: 15 February 1997 / Final version: 11 June 1997     

Nursing involvement in euthanasia: how sound is the philosophical support?

Abstract  Preference utilitarians are concerned to maximize the autonomous choices of individuals; for this reason, they argue that nurses ought to advocate for those patients who desire assistance with ending their lives. This approach prompts us to consider, then, the moral validity of nursing involvement in measures intended to end the lives of patients. In this article, the terms of preference utilitarianism are set out and considered in order to determine whether this approach offers sufficient philosophical support for sanctioning a role for nursing in euthanasia. Ultimately, it is found that preference utilitarianism is lacking in this respect, as well as in its fitness for guiding nursing activity in general. In particular, it is found that nurses are required to exchange a handmaiden relationship with the medical profession for an equally undignified relationship with patients. If nursing involvement in measures intended to end the lives of patients is to find sufficient philosophical support, then we need to look elsewhere.     

In vivo microdialysis and conditioned place preference studies in rats are consistent with abuse potential of tramadol.

The abuse potential of tramadol was investigated using both in vivo microdialysis measures of dopamine (DA) release within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in rats. Tramadol (75 mg/kg, i.p.) induced a statistically significant increase (starting 80 min posttreatment) in DA release within the NAc shell, which was maintained for at least 120 min posttreatment. Tramadol (18.75, 37.5, and 75 mg/kg i.p.) produced a statistically significant CPP, with the effects of the two highest doses comparable to those induced by morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c.). The release of DA within the NAc shell may be responsible for the rewarding properties of tramadol and, together with the CPP results, provide evidence that tramadol may possess greater abuse potential than originally believed.     

Socioeconomic differences in food preference and their influence on healthy food purchasing choices

Background: Studies have shown that socioeconomic groups differ in their dietary behaviours, and it has been suggested that these differences partly account for health inequalities between social groups. To-date, however, we have a limited understanding of why socioeconomic groups differ in their dietary behaviours. This paper addresses this issue by examining the relationship between socioeconomic status, food preference (likes and dislikes) and the purchase of 'healthy' food (i.e. food consistent with dietary guideline recommendations). Methods: This study was based on a dual-sample, dual-method research design. One sample was systematically selected from the Australian Commonwealth electoral roll and the data collected using a mail-survey methodology (81% response rate, n =403). The second consisted of a convenience sample of economically disadvantaged people recruited via welfare agencies (response rate unknown, n =70). A mail survey methodology was deemed inappropriate for this sample, so the data were collected by personally delivering the questionnaire to each respondent. Results: Socioeconomic groups differed significantly in their food purchasing choices and preferences. The food choices of respondents in the welfare sample were the least consistent with dietary guideline recommendations, and they reported liking fewer healthy foods (all results were independent of age and sex). Notably, socioeconomic differences in preference explained approximately 10% of the socioeconomic variability in healthy food purchasing behaviour. Conclusion: Whilst it is not clear why socioeconomic groups differ in their food preferences, possible reasons include: reporting bias, differential exposure to healthy food as a consequence of the variable impact of health promotion campaigns, structural and economic barriers to the procurement of these foods, and subculturally specific beliefs, values, meanings, etc.     

Choices in oncology: factors that influence patients' treatment preference

Medical treatment of cancer often entails a trade-off between outcomes of two different attributes: quality of life (QOL) and length of life (LL). This process of weighing advantages and disadvantages seems to be influenced by different factors. The main purposes of this study were (a) to investigate the relative importance of different factors on the trade-off and (b) to explore the relationship between these importance ratings and personal characteristics. We asked 199 patients with cancer to indicate to what degree they consider a number of factors to be of importance if they had to choose between two treatment modallties that differ in their expected outcomes concerning QOL and LL. The seven factors were their age at the time of decision, having a partner, having children, inability to work due to side-effects of the treatment, the nature of the side-effects, disease-related life expectancy and baseline QOL. The results indicate that six of the seven factors were of considerable to great importance when a treatment choice had to be made. The negative effects of treatment on the ability to work did not seem to be a very important consideration. Patient age and education were positively associated with importance ratings.Supported by the Dutch Cancer Society (Project IKW 90-13).     

A learned odor decreases the number of Fos-immunopositive granule cells in the olfactory bulb of young rats

Olfactory stimulation evokes a column of activity within the olfactory bulb extending from the glomerular layer to the granule cell layer that can be visualized with 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography, optical imaging, Fos protein immunohistochemistry and c-fos mRNA in situ hybridization. The Fos response to odors is typified by the activity of relatively few juxtaglomerular cells, which often occur in foci, and a large number of granule cells extending through much of the bulb. In this study, we characterized the granule cell response to an odor for which young rats had acquired a preference. Fos-like immunoreactive granule cells were quantified by image analysis, and densely stained cells were counted in a region previously shown to be responsive to peppermint odor. We found that odor-trained pups have about half the number of Fos-immunopositive superficial granule cells which respond to a learned odor than do control pups. We then determined whether there was a correlation between the juxtaglomerular cell response and the response of the superficial granule cells deep to those glomerular layer cells. We found a positive correlation between the number of juxtaglomerular cells and the number of granule cells demonstrating Fos immunoreactivity in both control and trained pups, a relationship that changed with early olfactory training.     

Effects of cocaine on the EEG power spectrum of rats are significantly altered after its repeated administration: do they reflect sensitization phenomena?

It was previously shown that a moderate dose of cocaine (10 mg/kg i.p.) produces a pattern in the EEG power spectrum which indicates a preferential activation of dopamine D₁-like receptors, namely a decrease of power in most of the frequency bands. In contrast, a large dose of cocaine (30 mg/kg i.p.) produces a decrease of power in most of the frequency bands as well, but a selective increase in the alpha-1 band, characteristic for an additional activation of dopamine D₂-like receptors.In the present experiments, it was studied in rats, if in the course of sensitization, a shift from D₁-like to additional D₂-like receptor activation will occur or not. For this study, the animals were treated 10 times with cocaine (either 10 or 20 mg/kg) and, after a drug free interval of 4 days, tested with the same dose administered previously. Acute administration of 10 mg/kg of cocaine increased the Locomotor activity slightly and its effect tended to be enhanced after repeated administration. Twenty mg/kg cocaine increased the locomotor activity more than the 10 mg/kg dose and its effect was significantly enhanced after repeated treatment. In addition, it was shown that the dose of 10 mg/kg of cocaine which activates D₁- but not D₂-like receptors is sufficient to elicit conditioned place preference.Ten mg/kg of cocaine produced a decrease of power in most of the frequency bands and this effect was slightly more pronounced after repeated treatment. Twenty mg/kg of cocaine acutely also produced a decrease in power in most of the frequency bands, but did not decrease the power in the alpha-1 band, being just at the threshold of activating D₂-like receptors as well. Repeated administration led to a significant increase in power in the alpha-1 band and a less pronounced one in the alpha-2 band. This observation demonstrates that sensitization to cocaine can be manifest in the EEG and that after a certain dosage, a shift from an activation of D₁-like dopamine receptors to an additional activation of D₂-like receptors becomes obvious.     

牛磺酸与大脑发育关系的初步探讨——牛磺酸与行为

本实验将断乳大鼠随机分成三组。补充0.6％牛磺酸组(ST组);未补充牛磺酸组(TF组);及5703大鼠常备膳组(5703组)。用水迷宫及食物偏爱性试验观察补充牛磺酸对大鼠学习、记忆能力的影响。结果表明,三组大鼠在水迷宫试验总潜伏期,总错误次数,无误率及持续时间四项指标上均存在高度显著差异。ST:TF P<0.01;ST:5703 P<0.01;5703:TF P<0.05。ST与TF在食物偏爱性试验上存在显著差异(P<0.05)。上述结果表明:牛磺酸与大脑发育有关,表现为补充了牛磺酸的大鼠在学习、记忆等方面的提高。而牛磺酸缺乏对幼鼠大脑及智力发育有不利影响,表现为学习、记忆能力的不足。     

Comparison of Different Types of Oral Adsorbent Therapy in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Multicenter,Randomized, Phase IV Clinical Trial

PurposeOral adsorbents delay disease progression and improve uremic symptoms in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). DW-7202 is a newly developed oral adsorbent with high adsorptive selectivity for uremic toxins. We evaluated patient preference for and adherence to DW-7202 versus AST-120 therapy and compared treatment efficacy and safety in patients with pre-dialysis CKD.Materials and MethodsA seven-center, randomized, open-label, two-way crossover, active-controlled, phase IV clinical trial was conducted. Patients with stable CKD were randomly assigned to receive DW-7202 (capsule type) or AST-120 (granule type) for 12 weeks. The groups then switched to the other adsorbent and took it for the next 12 weeks. Patient preference was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum creatinine, cystatin C, and indoxyl sulfate (IS) levels.ResultsSignificantly more patients preferred DW-7202 than AST-120 (p<0.001). Patient adherence improved after switching from AST-120 to DW-7202; there was no apparent change in adherence after switching from DW-7202 to AST-120. Changes in eGFR and serum creatinine, cystatin C, and IS levels were not significantly different according to adsorbent type. There was also no significant difference in the incidences of adverse events during treatment with DW-7202 and AST-120.ConclusionDW-7202 can be considered as an alternative to AST-120 in patients who cannot tolerate or show poor adherence to granule type adsorbents. Further studies to evaluate factors affecting patient preferences and improved adherence are warranted (Clinical trial registration No. {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02681952","term_id":"NCT02681952"}}NCT02681952).