Sexual Attraction Toward Clients, Use of Supervision, and Prior Training: A Qualitative Study of Predoctoral Psychology Interns

Interviews were conducted with 13 predoctoral psychology interns about an experience of sexual attraction toward a client, use of supervision to address the sexual attraction, and prior training regarding sexual attraction. Results indicated that sexual attraction to clients consisted of physical and interpersonal aspects. Therapists believed they were more invested and attentive than usual to clients to whom they were sexually attracted, and they indicated that sexual attraction created distance, distraction, and loss of objectivity. In terms of supervision, only half of the participants disclosed their sexual attraction to supervisors, and supervisors seldom initiated the discussion. Furthermore, trainees found it helpful when supervisors normalized the sexual attraction and provided the opportunity to explore feelings in supervision. Finally, trainees believed their training programs did not adequately address therapist sexual attraction

Wildlife as Biosamplers: Contaminants in Hair of Elk Harvested Near the Anaconda Smelter Site

The purpose of this research was to test a new way of investigating biological uptake of smelting-related contaminants with a focus on harvested wildlife. Specific objectives were 1) to collect hair samples from elk (Cervus elaphus) harvested in the vicinity of the Anaconda Smelter National Priority List Site in Montana, 2) to analyze the samples using inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and 3) to identify potential elements of concern from the data. Hair samples were collected from 56 elk, and concentration data were processed using a hazard quotient/index approach based on concepts commonly used in fields of ecological and human health risk analyses. Arsenic concentrations in the hair decreased as a function of increasing distance from the Anaconda smelter stack, and 57 % of the elk sampled were identified as animals of concern. For elk harvested within 25 km of the stack, elements of concern were aluminum, arsenic, barium, boron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, strontium, and vanadium. For elk harvested within 76-101.5 km of the stack, elements of concern were aluminum, barium, boron, lithium, and manganese. Hazard indices for uranium, arsenic, cadmium, and lithium were larger by factors of ~17, 9, 7, and 6, respectively, for elk harvested within 25 km of the stack compared to hazard indices for elk harvested within 76-101.5 km

Reproductive Biology of Cobia, Rachycentron canadum, from Coastal Waters of the Southern United States

Reproductive biology of the cobia, Rachycentron canadum, is described from four coastal areas in the southern United States. Samples were obtained from recreational fishermen between December 1995 and November 1997 from the southeastern United States (Morehead City, NC, to Cape Canaveral, FL), the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Ft. Myers to Crystal River, FL), the north-central Gulf of Mexico (Destin, FL, to Chandeleur Islands, LA) and the western Gulf of Mexico (Port Aransas, TX). Histological evidence of spawning occurred from April through September in all areas. Some female cobia (17-32%) throughout the Gulf of Mexico had spent or regressed ovaries by July. Gonadosomatic index peaked between May and July throughout the region. Ovaries of females from all areas contained both postovulatory follicles (POF) and oocytes in final oocyte maturation (FOM) during all months of the reproductive season. Batch fecundity was calculated by using three different methods: oocytes \u3e700 pm were fixed in 1) Gilson\u27s fixative or 2) 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), and 3)oocytes undergoing FOM were sectioned for histological examination. Mean batch fecundity ranged from 377,000 +/- 64,500 to 1,980,500 +/- 1,598,500 eggs; there was no significant difference among methods. Batch fecundity calculated with the NBF method showed a positive relationship with fork length (P=0.021, r(2)=0.132) and ovary-free body weight (OFBW; P=0.016, r(2)=0.143). Relative batch fecundity was not significantly different among months during the spawning season and averaged 53.1 +/-9.4 eggs/g OFBW for the NBF method and 29.1 +/- 4.8 eggs/g OFBW for the FOM method. Although spawning frequencies were not significantly differ ent among areas (P=0.07), cobia from the southeastern United States and north-central Gulf of Mexico were estimated to spawn once every 5 days, whereas cobia from the western Gulf of Mexico were estimated to spawn once every 9 to 12 days

Reproductive Biology of Cobia, \u3ci\u3eRachycentron canadum\u3c/i\u3e, from Coastal Waters of the Southern United States

Reproductive biology of the cobia, Rachycentron canadum, is described from four coastal areas in the southern United States. Samples were obtained from recreational fishermen between December 1995 and November 1997 from the southeastern United States (Morehead City, NC, to Cape Canaveral, FL), the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Ft. Myers to Crystal River, FL), the north-central Gulf of Mexico (Destin, FL, to Chandeleur Islands, LA) and the western Gulf of Mexico (Port Aransas, TX). Histological evidence of spawning occurred from April through September in all areas. Some female cobia (17-32%) throughout the Gulf of Mexico had spent or regressed ovaries by July. Gonadosomatic index peaked between May and July throughout the region. Ovaries of females from all areas contained both postovulatory follicles (POF) and oocytes in final oocyte maturation (FOM) during all months of the reproductive season. Batch fecundity was calculated by using three different methods: oocytes \u3e700 μm were fixed in 1) Gilson’s fixative or 2) 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), and 3) oocytes undergoing FOM were sectioned for histological examination. Mean batch fecundity ranged from 377,000 ± 64,500 to 1,980,500 ± 1,598,500 eggs; there was no significant difference among methods. Batch fecundity calculated with the NBF method showed a positive relationship with fork length (P = 0.021, r2 = 0.132) and ovary-free body weight (OFBW; P = 0.016, r2 = 0.143). Relative batch fecundity was not significantly different among months during the spawning season and averaged 53.1 ± 9.4 eggs/g OFBW for the NBF method and 29.1 ± 4.8 eggs/g OFBW for the FOM method. Although spawning frequencies were not significantly different among areas (P = 0.07), cobia from the southeastern United States and north-central Gulf of Mexico were estimated to spawn once every 5 days, whereas cobia from the western Gulf of Mexico were estimated to spawn once every 9 to 12 days

Socio-Cultural, Organizational, and Community Level Influences on Physical Activity Levels of Latino Preschool-Age Children: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: As more children grow up in families with immigrant parents of Latino origin, there is a need to understand key influences on physical activity behaviors of young Latino children to prevent obesity in this high-risk group.Design: We conducted six focus groups with low-income Latina mothers (N = 33) whose preschool-aged children (2-5 years) were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Rhode Island. Data was analyzed using content analysis to identify recurrent themes.Results: Despite understanding the importance of physical activity for overall health, physical activity was not a top priority for the Latino mothers participating in the focus groups. Mothers reported facing numerous barriers to establishing and maintaining healthful physical activity habits for their preschool-aged children and themselves, particularly financial and socio-cultural barriers. Analyses revealed that Latina mothers perceive the WIC as a program focused on the development and maintenance of healthy eating habits and nutritional status of children and not physical activity.Conclusions: Recognizing the importance of socioeconomic position and the influence of cultural factors on physical activity is essential if effective prevention and intervention programs for Latino families and their children are to be designed. Study findings emphasize the importance of the family as a central unit of change and suggest that successful interventions to promote physical activity of low-income Latino preschool children must take into account the needs and constraints of the family unit as a whole. The WIC program has the potential to be a venue for promoting awareness of and educating low-income Latino parents about the importance of helping their children develop and maintain early healthful physical activity habits. The WIC program can also play an important role in facilitating access and creating programs and services that provide increased opportunities for physical activity of young children and their families

Avian influenza infections in non-migratant land birds in Andean Peru

As part of ongoing surveillance for avian influenza viruses (AIV) in Peruvian birds, in June 2008, we sampled 600 land birds of 177 species, using real-time reverse-transcription PCR. We addressed the assumption that AIV prevalence is low or nil among land birds, a hypothesis that was not supported by the results—rather, we found AIV infections at relatively high prevalences in birds of the orders Apodiformes (hummingbirds) and Passeriformes (songbirds). Surveillance programs for monitoring spread and identification of AIV should thus not focus solely on water birds.We thank ornithologists Michael Andersen, Roger Boyd, Adolfo Navarro-Siguenza, Luis Sanchez-Gonzalez, and Mark Robbins; the staff of CORBIDI, Lima, Peru, for extensive assistance with logistics associated with field sampling of birds; M. Papes¸ for assistance with maps; and A. E. Gonzalez for extending facilities and hospitality at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional. Mayor de San Marcos. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health–Fogarty International Center, US Department of Defense AFHSC-GEIS grant GF0121_07_LI, and R.A.J.W. was supported by grant CGL2010-15734/BOS, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Spain, and a Tinker Field Research grant

The Relationship Between Cumulative Unfair Treatment and Intima Media Thickness and Adventitial Diameter: The Moderating Role of Race in The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation

Objective: Unfair treatment may have a detrimental effect on cardiovascular health. However, little research on chronic health outcomes employs cumulative measures of unfair treatment. We tested whether cumulative unfair treatment was associated with greater subclinical cardiovascular disease in a diverse sample of African American, Caucasian, Chinese, and Hispanic women. We also examined whether this relationship varied by race. Method: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation is a longitudinal study of midlife women. Cumulative unfair treatment was calculated as the average of unfair treatment assessed over 10 years at 6 time points. Subclinical cardiovascular disease, specifically carotid intima media thickness and adventitial diameter, was assessed via carotid ultrasound conducted at study year 12 in 1056 women. We tested whether cumulative unfair treatment was related to subclinical cardiovascular disease via linear regression, controlling for demographic factors including socioeconomic status and cardiovascular risk factors. Results: The relation between unfair treatment and subclinical cardiovascular disease significantly varied by race (ps \u3c .05), with unfair treatment related to higher intima media thickness (B = .03, SE = .01, p = .009) and adventitial diameter (B = .02, SE = .009, p = .013) among Caucasian women only. No significant relations between unfair treatment and subclinical cardiovascular disease outcomes were observed for African American, Hispanic, and Chinese women. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that cumulative unfair treatment is related to worse subclinical cardiovascular disease among Caucasian women. These findings add to the growing literature showing that Caucasian women’s experience of unfair treatment may have detrimental health implications

Society of Behavioral Medicine Call to Action: Include obesity/overweight management education in health professional curricula and provide coverage for behavior-based treatments of obesity/overweight most commonly provided by psychologists, dieticians, counselors, and other health care professionals and include such providers on all multidisciplinary teams treating patients who have overweight or obesity

Obesity is a serious chronic disease whose prevalence has grown to epidemic proportions over the past five decades and is a major contributor to the global burden of most common cancers, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and sleep apnea. Primary care clinicians, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, are often the first health care professionals to identify obesity or overweight during routine long-term care and have the opportunity to intervene to prevent and treat disease. However, they often lack the training and skills needed to deliver scientifically validated, behavior-based treatments. These gaps must be addressed in order to treat the obesity epidemic. The Society of Behavioral Medicine strongly urges health professional educators and accrediting agencies to include obesity and overweight management education for primary care clinicians. Additionally, we support promoting referrals and reimbursement for psychologists, dieticians, and other health care professionals as critical members of the care team and improving reimbursement levels for behavioral obesity and overweight management treatment