The power of nonspecific effects in healing: Implications for psychosocial and biological treatments

We evaluate the hypothesis that the power of nonspecific effects may account for as much as two thirds of successful treatment outcomes when both the healer and the patient believe in the efficacy of a treatment. Five medical and surgical treatments, once considered to be efficacious by their proponents but no longer considered effective based upon later controlled trials, were selected according to strict inclusion criteria. A search of the English literature was conducted for all studies published for each treatment area. The results of these studies were categorized, where possible, into excellent, good, and poor outcomes. For these five treatments combined, 40 % excellent, 30 % good, and 30 % poor results were reported by proponents. We conclude that, under conditions of heightened expectations, the power of nonspecific effects far exceeds that commonly reported in the literature. The implications of these results in evaluating the relative efficacy of biological and psychosocial treatments is discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31080/1/0000757.pd

A Minimal Intervention to Promote Smoke-Free Homes among 2-1-1 Callers: North Carolina Randomized Effectiveness Trial

This study examined the extent to which delivery of the minimal Smoke-Free Homes intervention by trained 2-1-1 information and referral specialists had an effect on the adoption of home smoking bans in low-income households. A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 2-1-1 callers (n = 500) assigned to control or intervention conditions. 2-1-1 information and referral specialists collected baseline data and delivered the intervention consisting of 3 mailings and 1 coaching call; university-based data collectors conducted follow-up interviews at 3 and 6 months post-baseline. Data were collected from June 2013 through July 2014. Participants were mostly female (87.2%), African American (61.4%), and smokers (76.6%). Participants assigned to the intervention condition were more likely than controls to report a full ban on smoking in the home at both 3- (38.1% vs 19.3%, p = < .001) and 6-month follow-up (43.2% vs 33.2%, p = .02). The longitudinal intent-to-treat analysis showed a significant intervention effect over time (OR = 1.31, p = .001), i.e. OR = 1.72 at 6 months. This study replicates prior findings showing the effectiveness of the minimal intervention to promote smoke-free homes in low-income households, and extends those findings by demonstrating they can be achieved when 2-1-1 information and referral specialists deliver the intervention. Findings offer support for this intervention as a generalizable and scalable model for reducing secondhand smoke exposure in homes

Comparison between GC-MS-SIM and GC-ECD for the determination of residues of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides in Brazilian citrus essential oils.

Óleos essenciais cítricos brasileiros (mandarina, laranja, limão, bergamota e tangerina) foram analisados a fim de determinar resíduos de pesticidas organoclorados (aldrin, clordano, dieldrin e dicofol) e organofosforados (clorpirifós metílico, dimetoato, metidationa e paration metílico). Um estudo comparativo entre cromatografia gasosa acoplada a espectrometria de massas em modo de monitoramento seletivo de íons (CG-EM-MSI) e cromatografia gasosa com detector por captura de elétrons (CG-DCE) foi realizado usando extração em fase sólida (EFS) com fase Florisil® para pré-concentração dos pesticidas. A recuperação média dos pesticidas foi de 71 a 83% por CG-EM-MSI e de 99 a 104% por CG-DCE. O limite de quantificação foi de 0,93 a 3,93 mg L-1 por CG-EM-MSI e de 0,09 a 0,12 mg L-1 por CG-DCE. Quinze amostras comerciais de óleos essenciais cítricos brasileiros foram analisadas e seis amostras apresentaram contaminação com valores acima do limite máximo de resíduos (LMR) permitido pelo Codex Alimentarius

A Radiotracer Study of CadmiumTransport Across the CdS/ Aqueous Solution Interface

Information on interfacial mass transport of cadmium in cadmium sulfide suspensions and er equilibrium conditions has been obtained by probing with a radiotracer for cadmium. The transport of Cd2+ ions from the cadmium sulfide solid particles to the saturated solution and visa versa is followed by adding radioactive 109Cd2+ to the solution and measuring the amount of radioactivity present in the solution as a function of time. The amount of exchangeable cadmium in or at the solid/liquid interface, which is deduced from the final value of radioactivity in the solution appeared to be 1.8 to 2.3 times the amount of cadmium in one lattice layer. Compartmental analysis of the experimental data revealed that 4 different cadmium species are involved in the exchange processes, one of which being the cadmium in the bulk of the solution, and another one, representing 40% to 50 of one lattice layer, which exchanges rapidly with the solution in comparison with the other two species left

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among South Korean adults: a cross-sectional study of the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies have identified that environmental tobacco smoke exposure is associated with sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status, but few studies have been conducted in South Korea. In this study, the authors investigated the extent of environmental tobacco smoke exposure and factors related in a nationally representative sample of Korean adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data of 7,801 adults aged 19 years and over collected during the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Information on smoking habits and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was obtained by self-reports using a standardized questionnaire. Risks of environmental tobacco smoke exposure conferred by sociodemographic variables and behavioral risk factors were evaluated using logistic regression methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 36.1% of nonsmokers (defined as those not currently smoking) and 50.1% of current smokers were found to be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke either at work or at home. Among the nonsmokers, women were more likely to be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home (OR = 5.22, 95%CI, 4.08-6.67). Furthermore, an inverse relationship was found between education level and the risk of environmental tobacco smoke exposure at home (OR = 1.73, 95%CI, 1.38-2.17 for those with a high school education; OR = 2.30, 95%CI, 1.68-3.16 for those with a middle school education; and OR = 2.58, 95%CI, 1.85-3.59 for those with less than an elementary school education vs. those with a college education or more). In addition, those with office, sales service, or manual labor jobs were found to be at significantly higher risk of environmental tobacco smoke exposure at work than those with professional, administrative, or managerial jobs. Also, the risk of environmental tobacco smoke exposure in the workplace was significantly higher for alcohol drinkers than non-drinkers (OR = 1.23, 95%CI, 1.07-1.47). After adjusting for age, sex and education, it was found that those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home were more likely to have been admitted to hospital during the previous year (OR 1.29, 95%CI, 1.002-1.66).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study of Korean adults, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home or work was found to be affected by sex, age, marital status, educational level, and type of occupation. Accordingly, these factors should be given appropriate consideration by those developing policies or interventions designed to control exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.</p

Evaluating environmental tobacco smoke exposure in a Group of turkish primary school students and developing intervention methods for prevention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In countries like Turkey where smoking is highly prevalent, children's exposure to tobacco smoke is an important public health problem. The goals of this study were to determine the self-reported environmental tobacco smoke exposure status of primary school students in grades 3 to 5, to verify self-reported exposure levels with data provided from a biomarker of exposure, and to develop methods for preventing school children from passive smoking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted on 347 primary school students by using a standard questionnaire and urinary cotinine tests. Children with verified ETS exposure were randomly assigned to 2 intervention groups. Two phone interviews were conducted with the parents of the first group regarding their children's passive smoking status and its possible consequences. On the other hand, a brief note concerning urinary cotinine test result was sent to parents of the second group. Nine months after the initial urinary cotinine tests, measurements were repeated in both groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>According to questionnaire data, 59.9% of the study group (208 of 347) were exposed to ETS. Urinary cotinine measurements of children were highly consistent with the self-reported exposure levels (P < 0.001). Two different intervention methods were applied to parents of the exposed children. Control tests suggested a remarkable reduction in the proportion of those children demonstrating a recent exposure to ETS in both groups. Proportions of children with urinary cotinine concentrations 10 ng/ml or lower were 79.5% in Group I and 74.2% in Group II (P > 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Self-reported ETS exposure was found to be pretty accurate in the 9–11 age group when checked with urinary cotinine tests. Only informing parents that their childrens' ETS exposure were confirmed by a laboratory test seems to be very promising in preventing children from ETS.</p

Does Proximity to Retailers Influence Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Latino Adolescents?

Despite decades of research surrounding determinants of alcohol and tobacco (A&T) use among adolescents, built environment influences have only recently been explored. This study used ordinal regression on 205 Latino adolescents to explore the influence of the built environment (proximity to A&T retailers) on A&T use, while controlling for recognized social predictors. The sample was 45% foreign-born. A&T use was associated with distance from respondents’ home to the nearest A&T retailer (−), acculturation (+), parents’ consistent use of contingency management (−), peer use of A&T (+), skipping school (+), attending school in immediate proximity to the US/Mexico border (+), and the interaction between the distance to the nearest retailer and parents’ consistent use of contingency management (+). The association between decreasing distance to the nearest A&T retailer and increased A&T use in Latino adolescents reveals an additional risk behavior determinant in the US–Mexico border region