The Relationship between Conflict Adaptation Effect and Conflict Processing in Response Preparation

Performance in the stimulus-response compatibility task is affected by the compatibility in a previous trial. This conflict adaptation effect was explained by the conflict monitoring theory (Botvinick et al., 2001). Reaction time in an incompatible trial is reduced by cognitive control elicited by conflict processing in the previous trial. It is important feature of the theory that the monitoring system detect conflict at response level. To investigate whether conflict in the response preparation process would predict the amount of conflict adaptation effect, I recorded the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), and tested the relationship between its amplitude and latency and the conflict adaptation effect in the Strop task. In addition, because it was reported by recent research (Braem et al., 2012) that conflict adaptation effect correlates reward sensitivity, this study aims to reproduce that correlations. Results showed that no conflict adaptation effect was found in response time. The amount of conflict adaptation had a positive correlation with individual reward sensitivity, especially the Fun-Seeking factor, measured by the Behavioral Action System Drive scale. LRP onset latencies were not longer for incompatible trials than for compatible trials. In addition, mean amplitude of stimulus locked LRPs had no difference due to compatibilities, and did not correlate with the amount of conflict adaptation. Thus, this study did not show conflict adaptation effect nor the effect of compatibility in all index of LRPs. Future experiments are necessary using other cognitive tasks which could arise robust conflict adaptation effect in reaction time. As for second aim of this study, correlation between conflict adaptation effect and individual reward sensitivity was reconfirmed. It suggests that the biological reward system is involved in the conflict monitoring system

Development of a Reflective Ability Scale for Clinical Nurses

[Background] Enhancement of reflective ability leads to improved nursing practice and individual growth. This study aimed to develop a reliable, validated scale that can effectively assess the reflective ability of clinical nurses. [Methods] Study participants were 1,872 nurses. We developed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire consisting of 33 original scale items and used it to conduct a survey. The scale was developed based on a construct validity study using item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was estimated with Cronbach’s α values. Criterion-related validity was assessed using Pearson’s correlation analysis. [Results] There were 1,292 responses (response rate, 69.0%). Responses from 1,262 subjects with no missing data were analyzed (valid response rate, 97.7%). Based on the item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, we developed a trial scale model with 3 factors and 25 items. We named the first factor (Factor 1) “Recall Their Own Nursing Practice,” the second factor (Factor 2) “Reflect on Their Own Nursing Practice” and the third factor (Factor 3) “Expand Their Own Nursing Practice”. This model was modified based on modification indices from the confirmatory factor analysis. A model with 3 factors and 19 items was developed. It had acceptable fit indices (goodness of fit index = 0.914; adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.890; comparative fit index = 0.949; root mean square error of approximation = 0.070). Cronbach’s α coefficients were 0.962 for all scale items, 0.922 for Factor 1, 0.918 for Factor 2, and 0.885 for Factor 3. The correlation coefficient between the model and the Professional Identity Scale of Nurses was 0.506 (P < 0.01). [Conclusion] We developed a reflective ability scale consisting of 3 factors and 19 items. We demonstrated its construct validity, reliability, and criterion-related validity. This scale can effectively assess the reflective ability of nurses

Herbal Medicine Containing Licorice May Be Contraindicated for a Patient with an HSD11B2 Mutation

Licorice ingestion, as well as mutations in the HSD11B2 gene, inhibits 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2) enzyme activity, causing the syndrome of apparent mineral corticoid excess (AME). However, the combined effect of licorice ingestion and an HSD11B2 mutation has never been reported, until now. In this study, we demonstrated that licorice ingestion can produce overt hypertension in an individual without medical history of hypertension who is heterozygous for wild-type and mutant HSD11B2 genes. Our patient was a 51-year-old female with serious hypertension who had been taking herbal medicine containing licorice for more than one year. She was clinically diagnosed as having licorice intoxication, because she did not present with hypertension after ceasing the herbal medicine. Molecular analysis showed that she carried a missense mutation, c.40C>T, in HSD11B2. In conclusion, licorice ingestion is an environmental risk factor for hypertension or AME state in patients with a mutation in HSD11B2. Carrying a mutation in HSD11B2 is, conversely, a genetic risk factor for licorice-induced hypertension or AME state. Herbal medicine containing licorice may, therefore, be contraindicated in patients with an HSD11B2 mutation

Supranormal orientation selectivity of visual neurons in orientation-restricted animals

Altered sensory experience in early life often leads to remarkable adaptations so that humans and animals can make the best use of the available information in a particular environment. By restricting visual input to a limited range of orientations in young animals, this investigation shows that stimulus selectivity, e.g., the sharpness of tuning of single neurons in the primary visual cortex, is modified to match a particular environment. Specifically, neurons tuned to an experienced orientation in orientation-restricted animals show sharper orientation tuning than neurons in normal animals, whereas the opposite was true for neurons tuned to non-experienced orientations. This sharpened tuning appears to be due to elongated receptive fields. Our results demonstrate that restricted sensory experiences can sculpt the supranormal functions of single neurons tailored for a particular environment. The above findings, in addition to the minimal population response to orientations close to the experienced one, agree with the predictions of a sparse coding hypothesis in which information is represented efficiently by a small number of activated neurons. This suggests that early brain areas adopt an efficient strategy for coding information even when animals are raised in a severely limited visual environment where sensory inputs have an unnatural statistical structure

Factors that contribute to long-term survival in patients with leukemia not in remission at allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There has been insufficient examination of the factors affecting long-term survival of more than 5 years in patients with leukemia that is not in remission at transplantation.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>We retrospectively analyzed leukemia not in remission at allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) performed at our institution between January 1999 and July 2009. Forty-two patients with a median age of 39 years received intensified conditioning (n = 9), standard (n = 12) or reduced-intensity conditioning (n = 21) for allo-HCT. Fourteen patients received individual chemotherapy for cytoreduction during the three weeks prior to reduced-intensity conditioning. Diagnoses comprised acute leukemia (n = 29), chronic myeloid leukemia-accelerated phase (n = 2), myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (MDS/AML) (n = 10) and plasma cell leukemia (n = 1). In those with acute leukemia, cytogenetic abnormalities were intermediate (44%) or poor (56%). The median number of blast cells in bone marrow (BM) was 26.0% (range; 0.2-100) before the start of chemotherapy for allo-HCT. Six patients had leukemic involvement of the central nervous system. Stem cell sources were related BM (7%), related peripheral blood (31%), unrelated BM (48%) and unrelated cord blood (CB) (14%).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Engraftment was achieved in 33 (79%) of 42 patients. Median time to engraftment was 17 days (range: 9-32). At five years, the cumulative probabilities of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and chronic GVHD were 63% and 37%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 85 months for surviving patients, the five-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of leukemia-free survival rate and overall survival (OS) were 17% and 19%, respectively. At five years, the cumulative probability of non-relapse mortality was 38%. In the univariable analyses of the influence of pre-transplant variables on OS, poor-risk cytogenetics, number of BM blasts (>26%), MDS overt AML and CB as stem cell source were significantly associated with worse prognosis (p = .03, p = .01, p = .02 and p < .001, respectively). In addition, based on a landmark analysis at 6 months post-transplant, the five-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of OS in patients with and without prior history of chronic GVHD were 64% and 17% (p = .022), respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Graft-versus-leukemia effects possibly mediated by chronic GVHD may have played a crucial role in long-term survival in, or cure of active leukemia.</p

シカク ショウガイシャ ヘ ノ シンキュウ キョウイク ニ オケル オントロジー ベース キョウザイ ノ ユウコウセイ

我々は視覚障害者向けの鍼灸、特に経絡と経穴に関する教育材料の研究に取り組んだ。この教材では、鍼灸分野における概念間の関係の体系的な理解を可能にすべく、オントロジーを用いた。オントロジーの概念図によりオントロジー教材を作成し、これを鍼灸の講義で使用した群とオントロジー教材未使用群とで経絡・経穴の試験の結果を比較し、その有効性を解析した。その結果、オントロジー教材を使用した学生の経絡・経穴の試験の得点は、オントロジー教材未使用群の学生の得点よりも有意(P < 0.001)に高く、経絡と経穴の学習にオントロジー教材有効である事が明らかになった。この結果は、オントロジーの視覚障害者教育への利用が視覚障害者の鍼灸理論の学習へも有効であることを示唆している。In this study we developed learning material of acupuncture - acupoints and meridians - for visually impaired people. For this learning material, we used ontology to construct the relations between the concepts in the acupuncture and moxibustion field which also enables tactical understanding similarly as visual understanding. We then used our learning material in the acupuncture lecture for the visually impaired students, and quantitatively analysed its efficacy to compare the results with the group which did not use the learning material. As a result, the students, who used our learning material, scored significantly higher in the examination than the students of non-use group (P < 0.001), suggesting that our learning material was effective for learning of acupuncture theory