Thoughts about encounters between nondisabled and disabled peers: Situational constraints,states-of-mind,valenced thought categories

This study explores three issues: thoughts and feelings of individuals with and without physical disabilities concerning encounters in different situations, ways of grouping self-statements into valenced categories, and use of states-of-mind (SOM) ratios as an alternative to positive and negative thought frequencies. Data from 127 able-bodied and 46 physically disabled college students indicate that, in everyday social encounters, nondisabled individuals' thoughts and feelings were more negative, while those of disabled individuals were more negative when helping was involved and when encounters centered on the impairment. Thus, problematic encounters between people with and without disabilities may be due to the reactions of individuals with disabilities in situations which involve help, and to reactions of able-bodied persons in everyday contexts. The data also confirm the utility of SOM ratios as an alternative to valenced frequencies in cognitive assessment: SOM scores discriminated groups when situational demands were manipulated and scores were linearly related to criterion measures. However, SOM ratios differed dramatically, depending on the attentional focus of thoughts. The findings illustrate types of thoughts which occur during interaction between people with and without disabilities, demonstrate a simple technique for grouping thoughts into valenced categories on an empirical basis, and highlight the relative contribution of cognitive and affective elements to overall valenced scores. Implications for research on assessment of self-statements are discussed and recommendations are made concerning programming to facilitate the social integration of people with disabilities.This research was supported by grants to the first author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and from Fonds F.C.A.R. pour l'aide et le soutien à la recherche. Thanks are due to Meribah Aikens, Maria Barile, Leo Bissonette, Bosco Daude, Jim Dubois, Lillian Fox, Evelyn Gold, Naomi Goodz, Darlene Judd, André Leblanc, John Martos, Sue McKenzie, Irwin Slopak, and Joan Wolforth for their assistance with various stages of this investigation.     

Physical and physiological work in treadmill testing compared with other types of ergometry

(1) The objective of the study was to compare physiologicalwork during exercise using treadmill, bicycle, and arm-assistedstep tests. (2) Twelve probands were stressed in randomized order on thethree devices at workloads of 50, 100, 150, and 200 W. O₂ uptake,heart rate, respiratory minute volume, and additional derivedparameters were measured. (3) Values obtained with the bicycle and arm-assisted step testaccorded at all workloads; a linear relationship was observedbetween workload in watts and O₂ uptake. For the treadmill,accuracy depended on the formula used for calculation of energycost. At the 200 W level, the horizontally positioned treadmillrequired considerably more physiological work than calculated. (4) It is concluded that comparison of different forms of exercisehas to be done with caution particularly if the higher speedsof the treadmill (‘running’) are used. (5) For practical ergometry, especially for exercise testingin elderly patients with suspected coronary heart disease, thearm-assisted step test is considered to be advantageous. Thisform of exercise can be applied even to people with handicappedlegs; it avoids premature fatigue by involving a large musclemass. It shows equal accuracy as compared to the more complicatedforms of exercise.     

Haemodynamic response to graded exercise during chronic beta-adrenergic blockade with bunitrolol,an agent with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity

Summary The effect of chronic beta blockade on the haemodynamic response to graded exercise was studied in 18 hypertensive patients treated with bunitrolol, which has partial agonist activity. The patients first received a placebo for 5 to 12 days, then bunitrolol 30 mg daily for one week and subsequently the dose was doubled weekly as necessary upto 240 mg daily. At rest haemodynamic changes after beta blockade were only minor; heart rate decreased by 8% and no significant change was observed in stroke index, cardiac index, (a-v)O₂ difference and VO₂. The hypotensive effect was not significant and no significant change in mean pulmonary arterial and wedge pressure was observed. Maximal exercise capacity remained unchanged, because of haemodynamic responses. The maximal exercise heart rate was reduced by 25% during beta blockade, which was compensated by a 34% elevation in stroke index, whereas maximal cardiac index and (a-v)O₂ difference remained unchanged. There was no consistent change in mean pulmonary artery pressure during maximal exercise, but the mean brachial artery pressure fell by 12%.     

Running and cocaine both upregulate dynorphin mRNA in medial caudate putamen

Physical activities such as long-distance running can be habit forming and associated with a sense of well-being to a degree that justifies comparison with drug-induced addictive behaviours. To understand molecular similarities and dissimilarities controlling these behaviours in humans we compared the effects of running in running wheels to the effects of chronic cocaine or morphine administration on mRNA levels in brain reward pathways in the inbred Fischer and Lewis rat strains. These strains are both inbred from the Sprague-Dawley strain; Lewis rats display a higher preference towards addictive drugs and running than do Fischer rats. After chronic cocaine or running a similar increase of dynorphin mRNA in medial caudate putamen was found in the Lewis rat, suggesting common neuronal adaptations in this brain region to both cocaine and running. Fischer and Lewis rats both responded to cocaine with increased dynorphin mRNA levels in medial caudate putamen. However, only Lewis rats increased dynorphin mRNA after running, possibly reflecting the much higher degree of running by the Lewis strain as compared to the Fischer strain. Moreover, the running-induced upregulation of dynorphin mRNA was blocked by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. We suggest that running increases dynorphin mRNA by a mechanism that involves endogenous opioids. The voluntary wheel-running model in rats might be used to study natural reward and compulsive behaviours and possibly also to screen candidate drugs for treatment of compulsive disorders.     

Relationship of childhood physical and sexual abuse to adult bipolar disorder

Objectives: To characterize whether adult depressives with either bipolar or unipolar disorder differ in the prevalence of childhood sexual or physical abuse.

Method: The investigators reviewed data from patients who were evaluated over a 2-year period by a semi-structured clinical interview. In total, 333 cases with a bipolar or unipolar diagnosis were included in the present study.

Results: A childhood history of abuse, in particular sexual abuse, was significantly more frequent in bipolar subjects compared with unipolar subjects. Consistent with previous studies, women reported higher rates of sexual abuse than men, although no interaction by diagnosis was shown. Sexual abuse incidence in male samples was markedly dissimilar, with male bipolar subjects demonstrating a significantly increased rate of sexual abuse and combined sexual and physical abuse compared with unipolar male subjects.

Conclusion: The increased incidence of sexual abuse in women supports growing evidence of gender differences in sexual abuse among adult depressives. In contrast to literature reports, the finding that male bipolar patients have significantly increased rates of sexual abuse histories suggests differences in psychiatric depressive subgroups. This result may reflect the particular characteristics of our cohort (treatment resistant, privately insured, and educated). Further work will aid in characterizing sexual abuse prevalence in other male bipolar samples.     

体力活动与乳腺癌发生的关系

目的:评估体力活动是否可降低中国妇女乳腺癌发生。材料与方法:本文利用1998年至2001年在上海市区开展的一项以人群为基础的乳腺癌病例对照研究数据,分析妇女既往不同年龄段(13～19岁青春期和近10年成年期)各种体力活动与乳腺癌的关系。在上海市共招收1 495名合格的乳腺癌病例和1 573名年龄频数匹配的全人群随机对照,应答率分别为95.1％和87.7％,在研究对象家中进行结构式问卷调查。结果:对可能的混杂因素校正后,发现青春期和成年期体育锻炼活动均能降低乳腺癌发生,每周运动量在75％分位数以上的妇女OR值分别为0.83(0.66～1.03)和0.64(0.46～0.87),趋势性检验的P值分别为0.040和0.002。两个年龄段做家务、骑自行车和成年期步行均与乳腺癌无关,但青春期较多步行可减少乳腺癌发生。另外未发现职业体力活动与乳腺癌有明显联系。最后对体育锻炼和日常生活体力活动的综合分析发现,只有成年期的体力活动具有独立的保护作用。结论:较多体力活动可降低中国妇女乳腺癌的发生,但仅成年期体力活动具有独立作用。     

Effects of Pediatric Chronic Physical Disorders on Child and Family Adjustment

Research conducted primarily over the past 5–8 years on the psychosocial effects of pediatric chronic physical disorders on children and their families is reviewed. A large body of studies show that both children and their mothers, as groups, are at increased risk for psychosocial adjustment problems compared to peers, but that there is considerable individual variation in outcome. Since the last review on this topic (Eiser, 1990a), many studies have been conducted to identify risk and resistance factors associated with differences in adjustment among these children and their mothers. Improvements are noted in the theoretical basis for this work, programmatic nature of some of the research, and efforts at producing clinically relevant information. Evaluations of interventions, however, are lagging. Critical issues and future directions regarding developmental approaches, theory, method, measurement and intervention are discussed.     

运动负荷平板系统程序引起的故障

本文详细叙述了美国GP公司TM210运动负荷平板系统由于仪器比较老,而且是在DOS状态下工作,运行程序经常无缘无故出错,经过一段时间的摸索,找到了简单的方法,迅速修复,保证了设备的正常运行。     

Sport activities and exercise as part of routine cancer care in children and adolescents

The burden of morbidities affecting cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, metabolism, and psychosocial health in young patients with cancer is high. It is alarming that patients and survivors of childhood cancer are less physically active than their healthy peers, since exercise may improve many of these conditions significantly and is associated with reduction in all‐cause mortality in the general population. Systematic integration of exercise programing into cancer care remains an exception, above all in children. Pediatric oncologists may contribute to a culture shift towards educating patients and stakeholders on the benefit of exercise and sports for children and adolescents with cancer.