Case Report: Recognizing Pneumatosis Intestinalis: A Case of Bowel Ischemia Presenting as Renal Colic

The clinical diagnosis of bowel ischemia is often difficult and the diagnosis can easily be missed unless there is a high index of clinical and radiological suspicion. Bowel ischemia and or infarction must be considered in the differential diagnosis in the older patient with pre-existing coronary artery or generalized vascular disease, cardiac failure, or arrhythmias especially atrial fibrillation and hypertension. An elderly patient with caecal infarction is presented who was initially diagnosed and treated for renal colic

The synthesis of Dipyrido [1,2-a:2’ ,1-c] Pyrazidiinium salts

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Moving forward with the BAS: Towards a neurobiology of multidimensional model of approach motivation

One of the hottest topics in neuroscience is the study of brain-behavioural circuits underlying the processing of reward-related stimuli. A growing body of studies has shed new light on the neural structure of this reward system. In this paper, we discuss the significance of these studies from the perspective of a neuropsychological theory of personality, namely the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). RST assumes that variation in sensitivity/reactivity of the reward system is the cause of individual differences in approach motivation (e.g. desire or need for achievement, persistence, and positive emotionality). Within RST, these individual differences are contained in the construct of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS). However, there is an ongoing debate as regards the nature of the BAS. This fact motivated us to review the latest refinements in the neuroscience of the BAS in the context of the reward system. In this review, we identity four distinctive aspects of the BAS: wanting, incentive motivation, striving and liking. Their behavioural effects are compared with the behavioural manifestations of testosterone, dopamine, serotonin and endogenous opioids, respectively. We conclude that the unidimensional view of the BAS is overly oversimplified; and we suggest that it should be studied as a multidimensional construct and, by implication, so too should the reward system

Personality and defensive behaviour: A factor analytic approach to threat scenario choices

Although people tend to react in specific ways in threatening situations, research points to the importance of individual differences in these defensive behaviours. From the perspective of reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST), this study examined the role of personality traits in defensive behaviours. Four RST questionnaires and Blanchards' threat scenarios were used, with a total of 1019 participants. The threat scenarios were modified and examined by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), while their relationship with the RST questionnaires was explored by correlational and regression analyses. The EFA revealed an orthogonal two-dimensional structure of defensive direction: defensive direction towards threat and defensive direction away from threat, while defensive intensity was not separately extracted. The results revealed that different operationalizations of the BAS, BIS and FFFS, from the various RST questionnaires, produced different associations with Blanchards' threat scenarios. In general, the BIS, Flight and Freezing scales predicted tendencies to move away from the threat, while Fight and some BAS Scales predicted tendencies to move towards the threat, in dangerous situations. These findings challenge some aspects of RST, especially their lack of association between the BIS and defensive direction towards threat. Directions for further research are indicated

Perfectionism and personality

This chapter provides a synopsis of research on where multidimensional perfectionism “f its” within the broader framework of contemporary personality theory. Focusing on Hewitt and Flett’s (1991) model of perfectionism—differentiating self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism—the chapter presents a summary and critical discussion of how multidimensional perfectionism relates to the dimensions and facets of two major structural models of personality (the five-factor model and the HEXACO model) and one neuropsychological model of personality (reinforcement sensitivity theory). Implications of the findings for multidimensional theories and models of perfectionism, as well as future perfectionism research, are discussed

Relations Between the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) and Self-Reported Life History Traits

The behavioral approach system (BAS) has been shown to be important in everyday life. However, its putative evolutionary origins have not been extensively studied. The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between BAS processes and life history strategies, or lifestyles, within life history theory. The BAS scales were assessed by the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ) and Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ-20), while lifestyles were measured by the Mini-K. Data from 457 participants (173 males) were analyzed by structural equation modelling, followed by set correlation to examine personality and Mini-K relationships. The structural model showed that RST-PQ Reward Interest, Goal-Drive Persistence and Reward Reactivity correlated with a slow lifestyle, while RST-PQ Impulsivity and (SPSRQ) Sensitivity to Reward (SR) did not correlate with the Mini-K. However, set correlation analysis revealed that SR correlated negatively with the Mini-K subscale Experience in romantic relationship and highlighted the importance of Insight, planning, and control in explaining the role of the BAS within slow lifestyle strategy. The findings are discussed in terms of possible evolutionary origins of the BAS

The Physiological, Physical, and Biomechanical Demands of Walking Football:Implications for Exercise Prescription and Future Research in Older Adults

The aim of this investigation was to profile the physiological, physical, and biomechanical responses during walking football. A total of 17 male participants (aged 66 ± 6 years) participated. Heart rate; blood lactate; accelerometer variables (biomechanical load [PlayerLoad.], changes of direction); and rating of perceived exertion were measured. Participants mean percentage of maximum heart rate was 76 ± 6%during the sessions, with rating of perceived exertion across all sessions at 13 ± 2. Blood lactate increased by ∼157% from presession (1.24 ± 0.4 mmol/L) to postsession (3.19 ± 1.7 mmol/L; p ≤ .0005). PlayerLoad. values of 353 ± 67 arbitrary units were observed, as well as ∼100 changes of direction per session. In conclusion, walking football is a moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity. The longitudinal health benefits of walking football remain to be elucidated, particularly on bone health, cardiovascular fitness, and social and mental well-being

On the shoulders of giants

British psychologists such as Hans Eysenck and Jeffrey Gray have been giants in the field of individual differences, offering psychobiological accounts of major personality traits such as extraversion and neuroticism, as well as the cluster of impulsive antisocial sensation-seeking personality facets, marked by Eysenck's psychoticism scale. These theories have stimulated vibrant research programmes worldwide, including several within British psychology departments. This article provides a snapshot of classic and contemporary British research into the affective, behavioural and cognitive processes which characterise personality

Motivating Emotional Intelligence: A Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) Perspective

Trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) is generally associated with positive outcomes and can inform clinical and social interventions. We investigated the sub-factors of trait EI: Wellbeing, Self-control, Emotionality, and Sociability, in the context of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) of motivation. In Study 1, participants (N = 247) completed Carver and White’s (1994) BIS/BAS scales and a measure of trait EI. All EI sub-factors were positively associated with BAS Drive and negatively with BIS. Study 2 (N = 382) employed a new questionnaire based on revised RST (Corr & Cooper, 2016). All trait EI factors were positively associated with BAS Goal-Drive Persistence and Reward Interest, and negatively with the BIS. Self-control showed negative associations with BAS Impulsivity and was the only factor not to correlate with BAS Reward Reactivity. Results suggest that high trait EI individuals are goal driven, sensitive to reward and lower in avoidance motivation and negative emotion. This motivational basis to trait EI further explicates its structure