Ethnic differences in illness representations, coping and adjustment in people with coronary heart disease

Background and Aims:There have been few studies examining ethnic differences in people's illness representations. The aim of this research was to explore the relationship between ethnicity and illness representations, coping, perceived health status and psychological adjustment in participants with coronary heart disease (CHD).Furthermore, within a Punjabi group, it aimed to explore the relationship between these variables and acculturation, as well as the relationship between illness representations, coping and adjustment.Design and Participants:The study was cross-sectional employing a between and within group design incorporating comparative and correlational analyses. The sample included 47 Punjabi participants and 44 Caucasian participants with diagnosed CHD,recruited from a cardiology clinic and a Gurdwara (Sikh temple). Measures:Variables were measured using a range of quantitative questionnaires, which were translated into Punjabi. Results:Ethnic differences were found in participants' illness representations and in particular causal beliefs. Only one coping strategy was significantly different between the two groups and there were no differences on perceived health status measures or in anxiety levels. However, the Punjabi group were significantly more depressed. Within the Punjabi group,acculturation was found to be associated with illness representations, coping and physical functioning. Illness representations were associated with adjustment measures, however there were few associations between illness representations and coping, and between coping and adjustment. Overall, ethnicity did not account for any of the variance in perceived physical functioning or anxiety levels, but accounted for 11 percent of the variance in depression levels. Illness representations were more important than ethnicity and coping in accounting for the variance in perceived physical functioning and psychological adjustment. Implications The results are discussed in terms of the self-regulatory model and future research is suggested. Clinical implications for the undertaking of culturally sensitive work with Punjabi clients with CHD, are discussed

Reframing the banning of flavored tobacco in unprecedented times- an example from California’s Senate bill 793

Several cities, but only two U.S states, have passed a law banning the sales of flavored tobacco products. It has been suggested that framing tobacco control policy solely in terms of the youth could send the erroneous message that tobacco use is an acceptable behavior for adults. This study was intended to compare the framing of policy between California's Senate Bill (SB) 38 and 793. Seven audio files of hearings on SB-38 (N = 2) and SB-793 (N = 5), held between March 2019 and August 2020, were transcribed and coded for youth issues and the unprecedented events of 2020 that shaped society's views of health and racial/social justice. The Framework Method was used for organizing and analyzing content of the legislative hearings. Many of the same arguments pertaining to youth were presented in hearings on the two bills. The one notable difference was legislators' sense of obligation to younger constituents, which was expressed in hearings on SB-793, but not SB-38. The hearings on SB-793 also differed with respect to greater discussion about the relevance of a tobacco flavor ban to society as a whole. These discussions revolved around the COVID-19 pandemic and potential impact of a ban on communities of color. Discussions on SB-793 about the larger societal impact of flavored tobacco may be a more effective strategy than focusing exclusively on the youth. Thus, legislators from other U.S. states who are contemplating a statewide ban should consider reframing the issue according to California's SB-793

The Role of Dopamine in Reinforcement: Changes in Reinforcement Sensitivity Induced by D(1)-type, D(2)-type, and Nonselective Dopamine Receptor Agonists

Dose-dependent changes in sensitivity to reinforcement were found when rats were treated with low, moderate, and high doses of the partial dopamine D(1)-type receptor agonist SKF38393 and with the nonselective dopamine agonist apomorphine, but did not change when rats were treated with similar doses of the selective dopamine D(2)-type receptor agonist quinpirole. Estimates of bias did not differ significantly across exposure to SKF38393 or quinpirole, but did change significantly at the high dose of apomorphine. Estimates of goodness of fit (r(2)) did not change significantly during quinpirole exposure. Poor goodness of fit was obtained for the high doses of SKF38393 and apomorphine. Decrements in absolute rates of responding were observed at the high dose of quinpirole and at the moderate and high doses of SKF38393 and apomorphine. Changes in r(2) and absolute responding may be due to increases in stereotyped behavior during SKF38393 and apomorphine exposure that, in contrast to quinpirole, were distant from the response lever. The present data provide evidence that sensitivity to reward is affected more strongly by dopamine D(1)-like receptors rather than D(2)-like receptors, consistent with evidence from other studies investigating consummatory dopamine behavior and the tonic/phasic dopamine hypothesis

AN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM FOR A PRODUCTION SYSTEM WITH REAL OPTION APPROACH (Nonlinear Analysis and Convex Analysis)

Arhinia, or absence of the nose, is a rare malformation of unknown etiology that is often accompanied by ocular and reproductive defects. Sequencing of 40 people with arhinia revealed that 84% of probands harbor a missense mutation localized to a constrained region of SMCHD1 encompassing the ATPase domain. SMCHD1 mutations cause facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 2 (FSHD2) via a trans-acting loss-of-function epigenetic mechanism. We discovered shared mutations and comparable DNA hypomethylation patterning between these distinct disorders. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated alteration of smchd1 in zebrafish yielded arhinia-relevant phenotypes. Transcriptome and protein analyses in arhinia probands and controls showed no differences in SMCHD1 mRNA or protein abundance but revealed regulatory changes in genes and pathways associated with craniofacial patterning. Mutations in SMCHD1 thus contribute to distinct phenotypic spectra, from craniofacial malformation and reproductive disorders to muscular dystrophy, which we speculate to be consistent with oligogenic mechanisms resulting in pleiotropic outcomes