Conflicting Risk Attitudes

AbstractThis paper examines whether differences in individual risk attitudes are related to interpersonal conflict. In more than thirty villages of rural Uganda, we conduct a social survey to document social links between pairs of individuals within a village, and separately elicit individual risk attitudes using an incentivized task. Our findings reveal that the difference in risk attitudes between two individuals is significantly and positively related to the presence of interpersonal conflict between them. This relationship is particularly strong among kin. By contrast, the strength of risk aversion per se is not related to conflict. Further, we conduct simulations that suggest that the relationship cannot be solely explained by diverging attitudes after the severing of social ties as a result of interpersonal conflict

Plantar fasciopathy: revisiting the risk factors

Background Plantar fasciopathy is the most common cause of acquired sub-calcaneal heel pain in adults. To-date, research of this condition has mainly focused on management rather than causal mechanisms. The aetiology of plantar fasciopathy is likely to be multifactorial, as both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors have been reported. The purpose of this review is to critically reevaluate risk factors for plantar fasciopathy. Methods A detailed literature review was undertaken using English language medical databases. Results No clear consensus exists as to the relative strength of the risk factors reported. Conclusions To-date numerous studies have examined various intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors implicated in the aetiology of plantar fasciopathy. How these factors interact may provide useful data to establish an individuals’ risk profile for plantar fasciopathy and their potential for response to treatment. Further research is indicated to rank the relative significance of these risk factors

Amphetamine, but not methylphenidate, increases ethanol intake in adolescent male, but not in female, rats

Introduction: There has been an increasing interest in analyzing the interactions between stimulants and ethanol during childhood and adolescence. Stimulants are used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these developmental stages, during which ethanol initiation and escalation often occur. Methods: This study assessed the effects of repeated d-amphetamine (AMPH) or methylphenidate (MPH) treatment during adolescence [male and female Wistar rats, between postnatal day (PD) 28 to PD34, approximately] on the initiation of ethanol intake during a later section of adolescence (PD35 to PD40). Results: Amphetamine and MPH exerted reliable acute motor stimulant effects, but there was no indication of sensitized motor or anxiety responses. MPH did not affect dopamine (DA) levels, whereas AMPH significantly reduced insular levels of DA in both sexes and norepinephrine levels in females only. Repeated treatment with AMPH, but not with MPH, enhanced ethanol intake during late adolescence in male, but not in female, rats. Conclusion: A short treatment with AMPH during adolescence significantly altered DA levels in the insula, both in male and females, and significantly enhanced ethanol intake in males. The present results suggest that, in adolescent males, a very brief history of AMPH exposure can facilitate the initiation of ethanol intake.Fil: Ruiz, Paul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Calliari, Aldo. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Genovese, Patricia. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Scorza, Cecilia. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas "Clemente Estable"; UruguayFil: Pautassi, Ricardo Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; Argentin

Neural Models of Normal and Abnormal Behavior: What Do Schizophrenia, Parkinsonism, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Depression Have in Common?

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-1-0409); National Science Foundation (IRI-97-20333

The real risks of steroid injection for plantar fasciitis, with a review of conservative therapies

This article presents a review of conservative therapies for plantar fasciitis pain reduction with a discussion of steroid therapy risks. The therapies reviewed include orthoses, stretching, extracorporeal shockwave, BTX-A, and corticosteroid injection/iontophoresis. These modes were included based on the availability of double blinded randomized controlled trials. We noted the following findings. Orthoses, regardless of type, can improve pain levels. Plantar stretching shows limited short-term benefit (1 month), but can reflect significant long-term improvement (10 months). Extracorporeal shockwave therapy shows equivocal benefit with some studies showing significant improvement and others showing none. Although BTX-A injections were the least studied, significant pain improvement was demonstrated in the short and long term. Steroid injection/iontophoresis showed significant improvement in the short term (1 month). Steroid therapy, when coupled with plantar stretching, can provide efficacious pain relief; however, steroid injections should be combined with ultrasound monitoring to reduce complications

Rise and fall of the two visual systems theory

International audienc

Gene expression of human beta-defensins in healthy and inflamed human dental pulps

Problemstellung: Humane beta-Defensine (hBDs) sind antimikrobielle Peptide, die in der Formierung der angeborenen, lokalen Immunantwort eine wichtige Rolle zu spielen scheinen. Die Bedeutung dieser Peptide in der menschlichen Zahnpulpa ist noch nicht ausreichend geklärt. Zielsetzung: Das Ziel der Studie war, die Genexpression der humanen beta-Defensine-1, -2, -3 und -4 sowie TNF-α, COX-2, IL-1β und -6 im gesunden und entzündeten Pulpagewebe zu untersuchen. Die Expression von proinflammatorischen Zytokinen diente in der vorliegenden Arbeit als Kontrolle der tatsächlich vorhandenen Entzündung. Material und Methoden: Die gesunden und entzündeten Pulpen wurden entweder durch Vitalexstirpation oder post extractionem entnommen. Die Proben wurden unter Zugabe von RNA-Stabilisationsreagens sofort nach der Entnahme bis zur weiteren Verarbeitung in flüssigem Stickstoff schockgefroren und bei -80 °C gelagert. Die mRNA wurde nach dem Homogenisieren der Proben mittels TRIzol- Methode extrahiert und anschließend in einer Reverse-Transkriptase-Reaktion in cDNA umgeschrieben. Die quantitative Analyse der Genexpression erfolgte mittels Real-Time-Polymerasekettenreaktion. Die Auswertung der Ergebnisse wurde mittels Mann-Whitney-U-Tests durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Die Genexpression von humanen beta-Defensinen und proinflammatorischen Zytokinen findet im Pulpagewebe statt. HBD-2 und hBD-3 wurden sowohl in gesunden als auch in entzündeten Pulpen nur schwach exprimiert. Für hBD-1 und hBD-4 konnten in entzündeten Pulpen im Vergleich zu gesunden Proben signifikant erhöhte Genexpressionen nachgewiesen werden. Die Genexpression für die proinflammatorischen Zytokine TNF-α, COX-2 und IL-1β war gegenüber den gesunden bei den entzündeten Pulpen erhöht. Für das proinflammatorische Zytokin IL-6 konnten keine signifikante Unterschiede bezüglich der Genexpression gefunden werden. Schlussfolgerung: Humane beta-Defensine-1 und -4 sowie die proinflammatorischen Zytokine TNF-α, COX-2 und IL-1β werden in entzündeten Pulpen verstärkt exprimiert. Die Expression dieser Peptide spielt eine Rolle bei der entzündlichen Reaktion der menschlichen Pulpa.Statement of problem: Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in the innate host defense against bacterial invasion, contribute to promotion of adaptive immune responses and show chemotactic activities. Until now, the role of hBDs in the human dental pulp has not been adequately investigated. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the expression of hBD-1, -2, -3, -4 and proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, COX-2, IL-1β and -6 in healthy and inflamed human dental pulps. In the present study cytokines were used as molecular diagnostic markers for pulpal inflammation. Materials and methods: Samples of healthy and inflamed dental pulps were obtained from extracted third molars and during treatment of pulpitic teeth. Pulp tissue specimens were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen with addition of RNA stabilization reagent and stored at -80 °C. Total RNA was extracted from homogenized pulp tissue using the TRIzol method Gene expression was assessed using Reverse Transcriptase Reaction and Real- Time-PCR. Differences in gene expression between healthy and inflamed pulps were compared using Mann-Whitney-U test. Results: The expression of human beta-defensins and cytokins was observed in human dental pulps. HBD-2 and -3 were only weakly expressed in healthy and inflamed pulps. In contrast, the expression of hBD-1 and -4 was significantly increased in inflamed compared to healthy pulps. The expression of TNF-α, COX-2, IL-1β (but not IL-6) was also significantly increased during inflammation. Conclusions: These results suggest that beta-defensins obviously play a role in the innate pulpal host defence

Beyond National Origins: The Development of Modern Immigration Policymaking, 1948-1968

This dissertation examines the development of the modern system of immigration policy. In doing so I shift the lens of analysis from singular strands of legislation to the most enduring facet of postwar reform: the three major categories of permanent immigrant admissions - family reunion, labor-market, and refugee - enshrined in the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. Hart-Celler ended the race-based national origins quota system which had governed immigrant admissions since the 1920s, and implemented a new preference system that allotted just under three quarters of all visas to family reunification, with the remainder for labor migrants and refugees. I ask why policymakers created a system so heavily weighted toward family reunification and how they decided who qualified for each admissions preference. The idea of using these specific categories, and of allotting the lion's share of visas to family, marked a revolutionary break from the past. Far from being primordial or pre-ordained, the shape of the preferences emerged from two decades of political struggle.Examining the development of these categories of admission within one overarching admissions structure allows me to detail the long history of policy development. Using a range of archival sources, including the under-utilized State Department records, I follow political and legal processes as they emerged and intertwined from multiple venues, including the executive branch, federal bureaucracies, congress, and civil society groups. My research shows that more than any other factor - more than the will of powerful individuals; of the sausage-making legislative process; or the shape of political coalitions and public opinion - what mattered most for the development of the preference categories, and thus for immigration policymaking itself, was a series of successful short-sighted defenses of older policies and unsuccessful reform efforts. These early attempts at defense and reform in the late-1940s to early-1960s did not answer the key question of immigration policy in the postwar era: how to regulate admissions without the use of the race-based quotas. But, over the course of two decades, they set in motion a positive feedback cycle that, once full-scale legislative reform was possible with the Hart-Celler Act, pushed policymakers to implement a heavily family-reunification based system. Critically, this feedback loop functioned largely below the radar, constraining policymaking in a manner overlooked even by those officials most intimately connected with immigration reform. While other pieces of legislation, such as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and the Immigration Act of 1990, have made cosmetic changes to the admissions regime, for example raising the numbers of people admissible each year, the foundations of the system - the three categories and emphasis on family reunification - remain the same. These three preferences, above any other facet of policymaking, have shaped the modern immigration regime, with all of its trials and tribulations, including long backlogs in the family preference categories, large numbers of undocumented immigrants, and a disconnect between labor-market needs and available visas. Though many of the constrictions on policymaking from the postwar era emerged from the peculiar history of the national origins quotas, I conclude that the lessons about policy defense and failed reform are applicable to contemporary immigration policymaking