Prejudice and the Plate: Effects of Weight Bias in Nutrition Judgments

As millions of people turn to social media for health information, better understanding the factors that guide health-related judgments and perceptions in this context is imperative. We report on two Web experiments (n > 400 total) examining the power of society’s widespread weight bias and related stereotypes to influence nutrition judgments in social media spaces. In Experiment 1, meals were judged as lower in nutritional quality when the person who recommended them (the source) was depicted as obese rather than of normal weight, an effect mediated by stereotypic beliefs about the source as a generally unhealthy person. Experiment 2 replicated this effect, which—notably—remained significant when controlling for objective nutritional information (calories and fat content). Results highlight spillover effects of weight bias that extend beyond person perception to color impressions of objects (here, food) that are associated with stigmatized attributes. Implications for everyday nutrition judgments and public health are considered.     

Intensive care research coordinators: who are they and what do they do? Results of a binational survey.

Research coordinators in intensive care are a growing specialty about which little is known. This cross-sectional study surveyed the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Coordinators' Group (n = 49) regarding demographics, education, employment history, job structure, and role content. Most research coordinators were highly qualified and experienced nurses who undertake pharmaceutical trials, multicenter projects, departmental medical and nursing research, audits and data registries, and their own projects.     

Familial hemiplegic migraine and autosomal dominant arteriopathy with leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL)

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a recently described familial cerebrovascular disorder shown to map to chromosome 19q12. Familial hemiplegic migraine has also been shown in some families to map close to the CADASIL locus. The fully developed CADASIL phenotype consists of recurrent strokes developing in the fourth decade, progressing to a pseudobulbar palsy, spastic quadriparesis, and subcortical dementia. In an Irish family 15 members were fully investigated by magnetic resonance scanning; 10 had typical magnetic resonance features of CADASIL. Five members of this family had familial hemiplegic migraine and 4 of these had magnetic resonance evidence of CADASIL. Two other members had migraine with and without aura as a presenting clinical symptom of CADASIL. This disorder has been shown by linkage analysis to map to the CADASIL locus at chromosome 19. The phenotype at presentation of CADASIL in this family was variable and age related and included familial hemiplegic migraine, migraine with and without aura, transient ischemic attacks, strokes, and spinal cord infarction. This family study increases our understanding of the spectrum of clinical manifestations of this underrecognized familial cerebrovascular disorder.     

Weaning of infants.

The WHO 2001 global recommendation is a one size fits all approach to weaning, an approach which may not take sufficient account of the special needs of some infants and fails to allow for the different problems encountered in the industrialised nations compared with economically developing countries. For the healthy normal birth weight full term infant born in an industrialised country, current research supports the benefit of exclusive breast milk feeding until 4-6 months. Evidence of harm through introducing solid food to these infants earlier than this is weak. Infants should be managed individually according to their needs.     

Effects of systemic clonidine on auditory event-related potentials in squirrel monkeys

Event-related potential (ERP), electroencephalographic (BEG), and behavioral data were collected from squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) in a 90−10 auditory oddball paradigm. Background or target tones were presented once every 2 s, and responses to the targets were rewarded. ERPs were recorded from epidural electrodes following systemic administration of clonidine (0.1 mg/kg) or a saline placebo. EEG power spectra and behavioral performance were assessed simultaneously as indices of behavioral state. Clonidine significantly decreased the area and increased the latency of a P300-like potential. The amplitudes and areas of the earlier P1, N1, and P2 components and a later slow wave-like potential were not reduced, nor were their latencies altered. Clonidine produced increased EEG power in the alpha range (7.5–12 Hz) and decreased power in the upper beta range (20–40 Hz) but did not affect performance in the oddball task. Because two major effects of clonidine are to substantially reduce activity in the noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and to reduce norepinephrine (NE) release from axons, the present results support the hypothesis that the LC and its efferent projection system are important in modulating the activity of P300-like potentials.     

Thrombolysis and angioplasty for acute lower limb ischemia in Buerger's disease

Acute lower limb ischemia secondary to Buerger's disease in a young patient responded to thrombolysis and subsequent popliteal and anterior artery angioplasty. The value of angioplasty in non-limb-threatening ischemia in Buerger's disease has not been established but this case illustrates a role for thrombolysis and angioplasty in acute ischemia.