Neural computations underlying action-based decision making in the human brain

Action-based decision making involves choices between different physical actions to obtain rewards. To make such decisions the brain needs to assign a value to each action and then compare them to make a choice. Using fMRI in human subjects, we found evidence for action-value signals in supplementary motor cortex. Separate brain regions, most prominently ventromedial prefrontal cortex, were involved in encoding the expected value of the action that was ultimately taken. These findings differentiate two main forms of value signals in the human brain: those relating to the value of each available action, likely reflecting signals that are a precursor of choice, and those corresponding to the expected value of the action that is subsequently chosen, and therefore reflecting the consequence of the decision process. Furthermore, we also found signals in the dorsomedial frontal cortex that resemble the output of a decision comparator, which implicates this region in the computation of the decision itself.     

Reasons and risk: factors underlying women's perceptions of susceptibility to osteoporosis

OBJECTIVES: To assess women's perceptions of risk for osteoporosis and to identify factors that shape those perceptions. METHODS: A community sample of 358 women (aged 40-86) rated their perceived risk of osteoporosis and provided detailed information about factors underlying their risk perceptions. Their open-ended responses were content analysed. RESULTS: On average, participants believed they were less likely to develop osteoporosis than other women their age. In all, 63% perceived their risk as lower than other women their age; only 16% as higher. In explaining their risk, women mentioned more risk-decreasing factors than risk-increasing factors. Women who rated their risk as low attributed their risk primarily to their own preventive behaviors (e.g. taking calcium, exercising), whereas women who rated their risk as high attributed their risk primarily to their family history. Risk-increasing and risk-decreasing personal actions, hereditary factors, and physiological factors accounted for 53% of the variance in perceived risk for osteoporosis. Only one-half and one-third of all women, however, mentioned calcium consumption and exercise, respectively, as protective factors employed to reduce osteoporosis risk. Women also held misconceptions about osteoporosis risk and protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings yield a detailed portrait of women's risk perceptions for osteoporosis. Increasing awareness of osteoporosis should be a priority for future osteoporosis prevention campaigns. Interventions should address misconceptions women may hold about their risk for the disease and promote specific behavioral strategies for osteoporosis prevention.     

中外医学院校人文素质教育的对比研究

文章从人文基础、课程设置、教学内容、教学与考核方法、师资力量五个方面对中外医学院校的人文素质教育进行对比分析,为我国高校医学院校实施人文素质教育提供一些有益的经验启示。     

Examining the Criterion Validity of CBCL and TRF Problem Scales and Items in a Large Singapore Sample

This study examined the criterion validity of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher’s Report Form (TRF) problem scales and items in demographically-matched Singapore samples of referred and non-referred children (840 in each sample for the CBCL and 447 in each sample for the TRF). Internal consistency estimates for both the CBCL and TRF scales were good. Almost all CBCL and TRF problem scales and items significantly discriminated between referred and non-referred children, with referred children scoring higher, as expected. The largest referral status effects were on attention problems scales and their associated items, with the TRF having larger effects than the CBCL. Effect sizes for demographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity and SES were much smaller than effect sizes for referral status, across both the CBCL and TRF forms and at both the scale and item levels. These findings suggest that teachers can be effective partners in identifying children who need mental health services and those who do not.     

Making use of a natural stress test: pregnancy and cardiovascular risk

The gestational period serves as a natural stress test that can be used to predict future cardiovascular health risks of female patients. Recent evidence confirms that mothers with hypertensive pregnancies have higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks compared to other women of similar age. In women with preeclampsia, those delivering before 37 weeks of gestation and mothers with recurring preeclampsia in subsequent pregnancies carry the greater risks. These sex-specific risks are of similar magnitude to traditional CVD risk factors, such as smoking and obesity. Unfortunately, none of the commonly used CVD risk stratification models make use of these sex-specific markers, which can powerfully predict future CVD outcomes. Because women have historically posed a greater diagnostic challenge than men in assessing CVD risks, better models for risk stratification in this sex group are needed. A history of hypertension in pregnancy should be included as a variable in cardiovascular risk stratification. In addition, screening women for a history of preeclampsia should become routine practice, with greater emphasis placed on therapies to modify adverse outcomes for these higher-risk women.     

2008—2009年我国食品出口美国、日本和欧盟的安全问题分析

食品安全已成为全球关注的焦点问题之一。为建立和完善我国食品出口安全制度,保障我国食品出口安全,本文对2008、2009年我国食品出口美国、日本、欧盟受阻的种类和问题进行了分析,归纳出制约我国食品出口的四个原因,即贸易保护日益加剧、质量监控管理落后、检疫技术标准滞后、食品消费理念转变,并提出了完善食品标准,适应贸易需求;提升企业素质,增强社会责任;加强政府监管,保护消费者利益;实施绿色营销,开拓产品市场的针对性建议和对策。     

农村低保边缘群体医疗救助研究

农村低保边缘群体迫切需要医疗救助,但将农村低保边缘群体纳入医疗救助制度当中,还存在财政资金投入不足,边缘群体愿望得不到体现,民政部门负担重,家庭收入核算操作难等问题。针对这些问题,提出相应的对策建议。     

Methodological approaches for studying structural racism and its biopsychosocial impact on health

BackgroundStructural racism is a powerful determinant of health that drives health disparities, morbidity, and mortality across racialized and minoritized groups.PurposeThis article discusses approaches for measuring structural racism and its resultant network of negative biopsychosocial consequences for health and well-being.MethodsWe draw on prevailing theoretical models and approaches to characterize both the nature of structural racism and integrated methods for assessing its consequences across mental and physical health.DiscussionThis article will serve to guide researchers in health-related disciplines to accurately assess the biopsychosocial consequences of structural racism in key populations.