Psychophysiological studies in altered sensory environments

The results of exploratory investigations suggested that disruptive psychological effects similar to those observed in experiments of longer duration could be produced when subjects were isloated for short periods in low sensory input environments if a high degree of uncertainty was produced by sharply limiting the information available to them about the nature or duration of the experiment.

Body- and field-oriented subjects were then tested for 2 hr in a low sensory input experiment. The experimental “environment” was expected to highlight perceptual mode differences determined by Rod and Frame and Draw-A-Person Tests.

Subjects who were field-oriented showed in contrast to body-oriented subjects: (1) most intense psychological discomfort; (2) higher incidence of visual and auditory imagery; (3) more evidence of disorganization of thought; and (4) greater discomfort with body sensations.

In addition, the field-oriented subjects revealed: (1) less of an ability to discriminate somato-sensory cues which was most pronounced after the 2-hour experiment; and (2) EEG and skin resistance evidence of higher level of alerting during the experiment although both groups started at the same level of activity.

Body- and field-oriented subjects were then tested in an identical experimental design except that subjects were given either a sedative, stimulant or placebo capsule immediately prior to their being isolated. The response patterns of both groups with a placebo was similar to that observed in the previous experiment. However, the response of the subjects to the sedative and to the stimulant was different in that the field subjects showed a decrease in central nervous system activation and a more relaxed psychological state as the experiment progressed and body subjects showed alerting to the stimulant and mixed response to densative. Hence, altering the internal state (psychological or physiological) of the two subjects changed their response patterns to the experimental environment.

In another study the responses of subjects given LSD during a 2-hr low sensory input experiment were compared to responses of subjects given a placebo. The effects which were noted in the LSD subjects were very similar to the responses of field subjects in the previous study. It was thought that the effects produced by the drug on perceptual functions caused them to perceive and react similarly to field subjects.

Possible neurol ormonal and neurophysiological differences in addition to perceptual mode and personality differences in body- and field-oriented subjects are discussed. The possible application of the experimental results to clinical diagnostic and therapeutic problems and the possible application to selection and training problems in aerospace research are reviewed.     

Commentary: The Five Ws of a Fracture Liaison Service: Why, Who, What, Where, and How? In Osteoporosis, We Reap What We Sow

Establishing a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) to identify and treat patients with a recent fragility fracture has been shown to be effective, save money, useful to document high quality of care, and makes good clinical sense. A FLS starts with an osteoporosis champion and encompasses identification of patients with a recent fracture, diagnostic workup, treatment, and follow-up. A FLS is most effective when it is able to function in multiple settings: the hospital, emergency department, and outpatient clinic. Implementation may be somewhat easier in a closed healthcare system but can be feasible even in an open system. There are many barriers to implementation which can be addressed. The future of FLS care lies in a collaborative systems-based approach with appropriate stakeholder engagement, leading to seamless integration of osteoporosis care.     

locStra: Fast analysis of regional/global stratification in whole‐genome sequencing studies

locStra is an ‐package for the analysis of regional and global population stratification in whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) studies, where regional stratification refers to the substructure defined by the loci in a particular region on the genome. Population substructure can be assessed based on the genetic covariance matrix, the genomic relationship matrix, and the unweighted/weighted genetic Jaccard similarity matrix. Using a sliding window approach, the regional similarity matrices are compared with the global ones, based on user‐defined window sizes and metrics, for example, the correlation between regional and global eigenvectors. An algorithm for the specification of the window size is provided. As the implementation fully exploits sparse matrix algebra and is written in C++, the analysis is highly efficient. Even on single cores, for realistic study sizes (several thousand subjects, several million rare variants per subject), the runtime for the genome‐wide computation of all regional similarity matrices does typically not exceed one hour, enabling an unprecedented investigation of regional stratification across the entire genome. The package is applied to three WGS studies, illustrating the varying patterns of regional substructure across the genome and its beneficial effects on association testing.     

Assessing Children's Mealtime Problems With the Mealtime Behavior Questionnaire

A caregiver questionnaire that assesses mealtime problems in children aged 2 to 6 years old was developed. Community caregivers (n = 712) completed the Mealtime Behavior Questionnaire (MBQ) and measures of child behavior and family mealtime behaviors and environment. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed and validated the MBQ's 4 subscales (food refusal/avoidance; food manipulation; mealtime aggression/distress; and choking/, gagging/vomiting). Mealtime problems occurred from “sometimes” to “always” for 1% to 61% of the sample. The MBQ demonstrated excellent to fair internal consistencies, and preliminary evidence for validity was found.     

Measuring Osteoporosis Quality: The Work of the Joint Commission

Recognizing the significant impact of osteoporosis, The Joint Commission has worked since 2005 to develop performance measures in osteoporosis across the care continuum. This work has led to the development of 3 measures, which may be used at any time to meet hospital quality improvement goals. Plans are in place to submit to the National Quality Forum for endorsement as national consensus standards. The measures were developed under the guidance of a 12 member Technical Advisory Panel.