Mimicry of Food Intake: The Dynamic Interplay between Eating Companions

Numerous studies have shown that people adjust their intake directly to that of their eating companions; they eat more when others eat more, and less when others inhibit intake. A potential explanation for this modeling effect is that both eating companions' food intake becomes synchronized through processes of behavioral mimicry. No study, however, has tested whether behavioral mimicry can partially account for this modeling effect. To capture behavioral mimicry, real-time observations of dyads of young females having an evening meal were conducted. It was assessed whether mimicry depended on the time of the interaction and on the person who took the bite. A total of 70 young female dyads took part in the study, from which the total number of bites (N = 3,888) was used as unit of analyses. For each dyad, the total number of bites and the exact time at which each person took a bite were coded. Behavioral mimicry was operationalized as a bite taken within a fixed 5-second interval after the other person had taken a bite, whereas non-mimicked bites were defined as bites taken outside the 5-second interval. It was found that both women mimicked each other's eating behavior. They were more likely to take a bite of their meal in congruence with their eating companion rather than eating at their own pace. This behavioral mimicry was found to be more prominent at the beginning than at the end of the interaction. This study suggests that behavioral mimicry may partially account for social modeling of food intake

Health Care Response to CCHF in US Soldier and Nosocomial Transmission to Health Care Providers, Germany, 2009

In 2009, a lethal case of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), acquired by a US soldier in Afghanistan, was treated at a medical center in Germany and resulted in nosocomial transmission to 2 health care providers (HCPs). After his arrival at the medical center (day 6 of illness) by aeromedical evacuation, the patient required repetitive bronchoscopies to control severe pulmonary hemorrhage and renal and hepatic dialysis for hepatorenal failure. After showing clinical improvement, the patient died suddenly on day 11 of illness from cerebellar tonsil herniation caused by cerebral/cerebellar edema. The 2 infected HCPs were among 16 HCPs who received ribavirin postexposure prophylaxis. The infected HCPs had mild or no CCHF symptoms. Transmission may have occurred during bag-valve-mask ventilation, breaches in personal protective equipment during resuscitations, or bronchoscopies generating infectious aerosols. This case highlights the critical care and infection control challenges presented by severe CCHF cases, including the need for experience with ribavirin treatment and postexposure prophylaxis

Nontoxigenic \u3ci\u3eVibrio cholerae\u3c/i\u3e Non-O1/O139 Isolate From a Case of Human Gastroenteritis In the U.S. Gulf Coast

An occurrence of Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139 gastroenteritis in the U.S. Gulf Coast is reported here. Genomic analysis revealed that the isolate lacked known virulence factors associated with the clinical outcome of a V. cholerae infection but did contain putative genomic islands and other accessory virulence factors. Many of these factors are widespread among environmental strains of V. cholerae, suggesting that there might be additional virulence factors in non-O1/O139 V. cholerae yet to be determined. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolate belonged to a phyletic lineage of environmental V. cholerae isolates associated with sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in the Western Hemisphere, suggesting a need to monitor non-O1/O139 V. cholerae in the interest of public health

Nontoxigenic Vibrio cholerae Non-O1/O139 Isolate from a Case of Human Gastroenteritis in the U.S. Gulf Coast

An occurrence of Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139 gastroenteritis in the U.S. Gulf Coast is reported here. Genomic analysis revealed that the isolate lacked known virulence factors associated with the clinical outcome of a V. cholerae infection but did contain putative genomic islands and other accessory virulence factors. Many of these factors are widespread among environmental strains of V. cholerae, suggesting that there might be additional virulence factors in non-O1/O139 V. cholerae yet to be determined. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolate belonged to a phyletic lineage of environmental V. cholerae isolates associated with sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in the Western Hemisphere, suggesting a need to monitor non-O1/O139 V. cholerae in the interest of public health

Marital Quality and Income: An Examination of the Influence of Government Assistance

Government assistance, Income, Marital quality, Money, Welfare,