Relationship between health beliefs and psychological variables in diabetic patients

The present paper is focused on the relationship between psychological variables and health beliefs in 93 diabetic men. A Diabetes Health Belief Scale was used to assess general health motivation, treatment beneficial, severity, susceptibility, psychological barriers, cues to action, and structural elements. The psychological variables included two measures of locus of control, depression, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive—compulsiveness, anxiety, self-esteem, and attitudes toward diabetes, doctor, and medical care. Ten of the 11 psychological variables were correlated with various aspects of health beliefs. This indicates the extent to which the health beliefs are enmeshed with the psychological dynamics of the person. It would seem important to take such a psychological profile into consideration when attempting to understand and even alter the health beliefs.     

An Attempt to Elk it Cardiac Orienting and Defense Responses in the Newborn to Two Types of Facial Stimulation

Cardiac and behavioral reactivity of the human newborn to facial stimulation eliciting approach and escape responses were compared in order to test the distinction between cardiac orienting and defensive reactions. Each infant received 8 trials each of check stimulation (stroking near the mouth) and ear stimulation (pinch on the ear lobe). HR response to both tactile stimuli were accelerations of different amplitude when motor responses were also present. When no overt behavioral response was observed, stroking on the check elicited cardiac deceleration while ear stimulation again elicited acceleration. Thus, cardiac orienting was demonstrated in newborns when a rooting stimulus was presented that did not elicit overt head turning. The HR response to ear stimulation on trials unaccompanied by observed movements was a larger acceleration than to cheek stimulation when movement was present. This finding suggests that movement itself does not produce the observed HR increase, but rather that central processing of the signal value of the stimulus determines both overt and cardiac responding.     

APC from mice harbouring the filarial nematode, Brugia malayi, prevent cellular proliferation but not cytokine production

Specific T cell hyporesponsiveness and depressed antibody productionis a key feature of human infection with the filarial nematodes,Brugia malayi and Wuchereria bancrofti Despite this immune suppression,responses indicative of T_h2 subset activation are present, includingunusually high levels of specific lgG4. We tested the possibilitythat infection with filarial nematodes causes a reduction inthe co-stimulatory or antigen-presenting capacity of macrophagesresulting in a failure to activate specific T cells. Adherentperitoneal exudate cells (PEC) from mice implanted with adultB. malayi were used to present antigen to the conalbumin-specificT cell clone, D10.G4. Proliferation of the D10 cells at evenbackground levels was completely blocked by the presence ofimplant-derived adherent PEC. However, cytokine production bythese cells in response to antigen was intact, and thus PECfrom implanted mice are capable of functionally processing andpresenting antigen. The elicitation of a suppressive cell populationwas specific for live adults as cells from mice implanted withdead adult parasites effectively stimulated D10 proliferation.The block in cellular proliferation is not due to the productionof factors typically associated with macrophage suppressionsuch as nitric oxide, prostaglandins or catalase. These observationsare consistent with the T cell hyporesponsiveness seen in humancases of patent Brugia infection and may provide a murine modelfor the immune suppression seen in lymphatic filariasis.     

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to but not severity of inflammatory polyarthritis

The aim of the study was to investigate whether polymorphisms of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) determine susceptibility to or severity of inflammatory polyarthritis (IP). Genotypes for a single-nucleotide polymorphism (MIF-173*G/C) and a tetranucleotide (CATT)(n) repeat mapping to the promoter region of the MIF gene were compared between UK Caucasian IP cases (n=438) and controls (n=343). Both polymorphisms were also investigated for association with features of disease activity and severity at baseline and by 5 years. The MIF-173*C allele (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.4, P=1.8 x 10(-4)) and the CATT(7) allele (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.1, P=0.02) were found to be associated with increased susceptibility to IP. Furthermore, presence of the haplotype containing both associated polymorphisms was associated with a three-fold increase risk of developing IP. No association with disease severity or activity either at baseline or by 5 years was detected for either of the promoter polymorphisms studied. In conclusion, MIF is a susceptibility gene for the development of IP. The same alleles previously reported to be associated with susceptibility to juvenile idiopathic arthritis account for the increased risk. The promoter polymorphisms of MIF, investigated in this study, do not influence the severity of disease outcome by 5 years.     

The use of Teflon-embedded calcium sulphate: dysprosium thermoluminescent dosimeters for chest radiography

As part of a U.S. multi-regional pilot study conducted by the six Centers for Radiological Physics, 12-mm-diameter by 0.4-mm-thick CaSO4:Dy Teflon-embedded discs were evaluated and used to measure patient entrance exposure on 60 "average" patients at 12 clinical centers. The discs were found to have adequate sensitivity, reproducibility and linearity up to 69.7 microC kg-1 (270 mR). The minimum measurable exposure was estimated as 0.4 microC kg-1 (1.5 mR). All responses were corrected for energy dependence, which varied +/- 20% from 1.7 to 6.5 mm Al half-value layer. Patient entrance exposure values ranged from 1.3 to 28 microC kg-1 (5 to 110 mR), with a median value of 5.2 microC kg-1 (20 mR). This value agreed with exposure measurements made on the chest radiography equipment using an ionization chamber and a phantom which simulated an "average" patient, and with published Nationwide Evaluation of X-Ray Trends (NEXT) data for the same period.     

Measuring severity of behavior: a revision of Part II of the Adaptive Behavior Scale

This study was designed to: (a) assess the degree to which rehabilitation staff rate the severity of maladaptive behaviors on Part II of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS) and, on the basis of the obtained rating, (b) develop a socially validated revision of the scoring system to allow more accurate classification of mentally retarded individuals as having mild, moderate, or severe behavior problems. On the basis of the modal ratings obtained from various service agencies for "occasionally" and "frequently" on Part II of the ABS, we constructed a revised scoring system. Preliminary use of the scoring system suggests satisfactory agreement between "severity profile" scores and subjective ratings of individuals classified by service agencies as demonstrating mild, moderate, or severe behavior problems.     

Application of validated mapping algorithms between generic PedsQL scores and utility values to individuals with sickle cell disease

Quality of Life Research - There is a paucity of empirically estimated health state utility (HSU) values to estimate health-related quality of life among individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD)....     

Introduction: The Quest for Birth Equity and Justice—Now is the Time

Maternal and Child Health Journal -     

Associations Between LGBTQ-Affirming School Climate and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Adolescents

Prevention Science - Intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts sexual minority adolescents at rates equal to or greater than the rate it impacts heterosexual adolescents. We investigated whether...