Experimental stress in inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a review of psychophysiological stress responses

Contains fulltext : 88668.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)INTRODUCTION: Stressful events are thought to contribute to the aetiology, maintenance and exacerbation of rheumatic diseases. Given the growing interest in acute stress responses and disease, this review investigates the impact of real-life experimental psychosocial, cognitive, exercise and sensory stressors on autonomic, neuroendocrine and immune function in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. METHODS: Databases Medline, PsychINFO, Embase, Cinahl and Pubmed were screened for studies (1985 to 2009) investigating physiological stress responses in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Results suggest that immune function may be altered in response to a stressor; such alterations could contribute to the maintenance or exacerbation of inflammatory rheumatic diseases during stressful events in daily life. CONCLUSIONS: This review emphasizes the need for more experimental research in rheumatic populations with controlled stress paradigms that include a follow-up with multiple evaluation points, simultaneous assessment of different physiological stress systems, and studying factors contributing to specific physiological responses, such as stress appraisal

Psychophysiological Responses to Stress after Stress Management Training in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Contains fulltext : 97274.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Stress management interventions may prove useful in preventing the detrimental effects of stress on health. This study assessed the effects of a stress management intervention on the psychophysiological response to stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Seventy-four patients with RA, who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a group that received short-term stress management training, performed a standardized psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Test; TSST) 1 week after the stress management training and at a 9-week follow-up. Psychological and physical functioning, and the acute psychophysiological response to the stress test were assessed. RESULTS: Patients in the intervention group showed significantly lower psychological distress levels of anxiety after the training than did the controls. While there were no between-group differences in stress-induced tension levels, and autonomic (alpha-amylase) or endocrine (cortisol) responses to the stress test 1 week after the intervention, levels of stress-induced tension and cortisol were significantly lower in the intervention group at the 9-week follow-up. Overall, the response to the intervention was particularly evident in a subgroup of patients with a psychological risk profile. CONCLUSION: A relatively short stress management intervention can improve psychological functioning and influences the psychophysiological response to stress in patients with RA, particularly those psychologically at risk. These findings might help understand how stress can affect health and the role of individual differences in stress responsiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: TrialRegister.nl NTR1193

29. Using Skills Portfolios in Fourth-Year University Transition to Work Courses

‘Transition from school to work’ courses are an excellent way to help fourth-year university students as they complete their studies and prepare for the world of work. In this paper we present The Bases of Competence (Evers, Rush, & Berdrow, 1998), a model of the advanced skills used by university graduates in the workplace. The model consists of four groupings of skills (base competencies): Managing Self, Communicating, Managing People and Tasks, and Mobilizing Innovation and Change. Each base competency consists of four or five more specific advanced skills (e.g., Mobilizing Innovation and Change consists of ability to conceptualize, creativity, risk-taking, and visioning). The base competencies and the skills within each base serve as the core of the skills that make up the skills portfolios students complete in the transition courses conducted at the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber. Students reflect on and report behaviours related to each skill based on their education, life, and work experiences. The portfolio also includes a résumé, cover letter, and other elements related to career development and work search. The portfolio comprises fifty percent of the course; the remainder is taken up with a project and presentation aimed at capping the student’s undergraduate experience with eyes to the future and enhancing under-utilized oral communication skills

Where are the Boys? Gender Imbalance in Higher Education

The gender breakdown in higher education in Canada and other western countries has switched from an imbalance in favour of men to an imbalance in favour of women over the last two decades. Programs to attract women into higher education have worked very well. At the University of Guelph for example, 70% of the students are women. Should educators be concerned about this phenomenon? Are there short- and long-term negative effects of gender imbalance? If so, what can and should educators do about the imbalance? Should programs to attract men into higher education be implemented? What accessibility steps can be taken to create a gender balance in higher education? This article explores the changes in the gender profile at universities and colleges in Canada, the United States, and other countries. Potential economic, social, and political causes and effects of gender imbalance are proposed. Accessibility techniques that could be used to create gender balance in university and college programs are explored.

Où sont les étudiants ? Déséquilibre étudiants-étudiantes dans l'enseignement supérieur

Au Canada et dans d’autres pays occidentaux, la ventilation par sexe dans l’enseignement supérieur est passée d’un déséquilibre en faveur des hommes à un déséquilibre en faveur des femmes. Les programmes visant à attirer les femmes vers l’enseignement supérieur ont été très efficaces. C’est ainsi que l’Université de Guelph compte 70 % d’étudiantes. Les enseignants doivent-ils être préoccupés par ce phénomène ? Ce déséquilibre peut-il avoir des effets négatifs à court et à long terme ? Si tel est le cas, que peuvent faire les éducateurs pour y remédier ? Faut-il mettre en place des programmes visant à attirer les hommes vers l’enseignement supérieur ? Quelles sont les mesures qui peuvent être prises sur le plan de l’accessibilité pour arriver à un équilibre hommes/femmes dans l’enseignement supérieur ? Cet article examine les changements intervenus dans la répartition hommes/femmes dans les universités et collèges au Canada, aux États-Unis et dans d'autres pays. Il expose les causes et les effets éventuels sur le plan économique, social et politique du déséquilibre entre hommes et femmes. On étudie les techniques d’accessibilité qu’il serait possible d’utiliser pour aboutir à un équilibre hommes/femmes dans les programmes des universités et des collèges.

A Three-Dimensional Array for the Study of Infrasound Propagation Through the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) operates a three-dimensional microbarometer array at the Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research observatory. The array consists of five microbarometers on a meteorological tower up to an altitude of 200 m. Ten ground-based microbarometers surround the tower with an array aperture of 800 m. This unique setup allows for the study of infrasound propagation in three dimensions. The added value of the vertical dimension is the sensitivity to wind and temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer over multiple altitudes. In this study, we analyze infrasound generated by an accidental chemical explosion at the Moerdijk petrochemical plant on 3 June 2014. The recordings of the tower microbarometers show two sequential arrivals, whereas the recordings on the ground show one wavefront. This arrival structure is interpreted to be the upgoing and downgoing wavefronts. The observations are compared with propagation modeling results using global-scale and mesoscale atmospheric models. Independent temperature and wind measurements, which are available at the Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research, are used for comparison with model output. The modeling results explain the signal arrival times; however, the tower wavefront arrivals are not explained. This study is important for understanding the influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on infrasound detections and propagation.Applied Geophysics and Petrophysic