bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Death and dying: Implications for inpatient, psychiatric care
Authors: TATE FREDERIC B. , LONGO DANIELE A.
Published: April 2008

Under a traditional medical model, discussion of issues related to death and dying are usually avoided with clients who hold a psychiatric diagnosis. Too often the result is that individuals in inpatient, psychiatric facilities are left to face grief without emotional or spiritual support. With its focus on the individual, family, and community involvement, and fostering independence, the psychosocial model affords an opportunity to change how mental health professionals address the topic of death. In this article the authors give practical suggestions for working with clients who are dying or who have experienced the death of a loved one. Two case studies are used to illustrate how these ideas can be translated into action.
Are palliative cancer patients willing and able to participate in a
physical exercise program?
Authors: OLDERVOLL LINE M. , LOGE JON H. , PALTIEL HANNE , ASP MAY B. , VIDVEI UNNI , HJERMSTAD MARIANNE J. , KAASA STEIN
Published: April 2008

Objective: The primary aim of the present article was to
identify palliative care patient populations who are willing to
participate in and able to complete a group exercise/physical training
program designed specifically for the individual patient.

Method: We conducted a prospective phase II intervention
study examining the willingness and ability of palliative care cancer
patients to participate in a group exercise physical training program.
Patients who were diagnosed with incurable cancer and had a life
expectancy of less than 1 year at two outpatient clinics were invited to
participate in an exercise program in the hospitals. The groups met twice
a week over a 6-week period.

Results: One hundred one consecutive patients were asked for
inclusion. Sixty-three patients agreed to participate. Sixteen (25%) of
the 63 patients dropped out after consent was given, but before the
program started due to medical problems, social reasons, or death. Thus,
47 patients started the exercise program. Thirteen patients withdrew
during the program due to sudden death, medical problems, or social
reasons. The most frequent reasons for withdrawal were increased pain or
other symptoms. Thirty-four patients completed the exercise program.

Significance of results: A high proportion of incurable
cancer patients were willing to participate (63%) in a structured exercise
program. The attrition rate was high, but despite being severely ill, 54%
of the patients completed the exercise period. This shows that a physical
exercise program tailored to the individual patient is feasible in this
population.
Wernicke encephalopathy presented in the form of postoperative
delirium in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis: A
case report and review of the literature
Authors: ONISHI HIDEKI , SUGIMASA YUKIO , KAWANISHI CHIAKI , ONOSE MASANARI
Published: April 2008

Objective: Although Wernicke encephalopathy has been reported
in the oncological literature, it has not previously been reported in
postoperative cancer patients.

Methods: In this communication, we report a patient of
hepatocellular carcinoma with liver cirrhosis who developed Wernicke
encephalopathy in the form of postoperative delirium. Preoperatively, the
patient had a very good appetite and had eaten all the food of an 1800
cal/day diet until 1 day before operation. The operation was done
without any complications. The patient developed delirium 2 days after the
lobectomy of the liver. The level of delirium remained unchanged until
administration of thiamine starting on day 7 postoperatively, which
resulted in palliation of delirium without brain damage. Laboratory data
demonstrated that the serum thiamine level at day 6 postoperatively was
below the lower limit of normal. As the mechanism of Wernicke
encephalopathy, we thought that decreased ability to store thiamine due to
liver cirrhosis led to depletion of thiamine faster than had been
expected.

Results and significance of the research: In cancer patients,
clinicians must always remain aware of the possibility of Wernicke
encephalopathy, especially in patients with liver dysfunction, which
decreases the ability to store thiamine in the liver. Early detection and
intervention may alleviate the symptoms of delirium and prevent
irreversible brain damage.
The appraisal of positive life changes following cancer diagnosis:
An interview study
Authors: KOMURA KAZUE , HEGARTY JOHN R.
Published: April 2008

Objective: This research examines positive life changes that
cancer patients may experience following their diagnosis. Although cancer
is often believed to have negative impacts on the life of patients,
positive impacts have been also discussed empirically. This study focuses
on cancer patients' appraisal of positive life changes following
their diagnosis and examines how and in which fields they recognize their
lives as positively changed based on the study of Petrie et al. (1999).

Methods: A total of eight cancer patients in a cancer support
group participated in this research. A group discussion and semistructured
interviews were conducted. Content analysis was applied.

Results: The content analysis produced insights into the
seven types of cancer-related life changes: improved empathy,
greater knowledge about health, renewed recognition of
life, change in personal life priorities, greater
appreciation of health and life, improved close
relationships, and healthy lifestyle change. Negative
life changes were also reported.

Significance of the research: This research showed that
cancer patients tended to find and appraise their own positive life
changes following cancer. The categorization of positive life changes
basically supported that of Petrie et al. (1999), but produced an original category: renewed
recognition of life. Positive life changes might be seen as a natural
process that encourages patients' adjustment to cancer. Understanding
positive impacts of cancer could be important in capturing the life-sized
features of cancer patients. Future research could expand the view of the
impacts of cancer and demonstrate how people recognize them as
benefits.
An interdisciplinary workshop to improve palliative care: Advanced
heart failure— Clinical guidelines and healing words
Authors: ZAPKA JANE G. , HENNESSY WINNIE , LIN YAN , JOHNSON LISA , KENNEDY DIANE , GOODLIN SARAH J.
Published: April 2008

Objective: Effective communication is recognized as an
essential process to providing quality care, including palliative and
end-of-life care. Discussion of prognosis and support needs of patients
with heart failure is particularly challenging given the nature of the
condition and care across several settings. The objective was to design,
implement, and evaluate an interdisciplinary workshop aimed at improving
attitudes and skills related to communication with patients and family,
health team communication and documentation, and assessment of physical
and emotional symptoms.

Methods: A pretest, delayed posttest evaluation design was
used to evaluate two 4-h workshops offered to nurses, social workers, and
other nonphysician clinicians.

Results: Although baseline reports of skills were high for
the participants, significant improvement was noted for objectives
emphasized in the workshop.

Significance of results: This project demonstrated the
feasibility of designing, marketing a brief workshop, and positively
impacting communication and documentation skills.
Psychological morbidity and quality of life in women with advanced breast cancer: A cross-sectional survey
Authors: GRABSCH BRENDA , CLARKE DAVID M. , LOVE ANTHONY , McKENZIE DEAN P. , SNYDER RAYMOND D. , BLOCH SIDNEY , SMITH GRAEME , KISSANE DAVID W.
Published: April 2008

Objective:Our purpose was to determine the frequency of psychiatric morbidity and to assess the quality of life of women with advanced breast cancer.

Methods:The 227 women in the sample were recruited in Melbourne, Australia, and were interviewed (prior to intervention) for a randomized controlled trial of supportive-expressive group therapy. The main outcome measures were DSM–IV psychiatric diagnoses plus quality of life data based on the EORTC QLQ-C30 (core) and QLQ-BR23 (breast module) instruments.

Results:Forty-two percent of the women (97/227) had a psychiatric disorder; 35.7% (81) of these had depression or anxiety or both. Specific diagnoses were minor depression in 58 women (25.6%), major depression in 16 (7%), anxiety disorder in 14 (6.2%), and phobic disorder in 9 (4%). Seventeen (7.5%) women had more than one disorder. In terms of quality of life, one-third felt less attractive, one-quarter were dissatisfied with their body image, and, in most, sexual interest had waned. Menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes affected less than one-third, whereas symptoms of lymphedema were experienced by 26 (11.5%).

Significance:Women with advanced breast cancer have high rates of psychiatric and psychological disturbance. Quality of life is substantially affected. Clinicians need to be vigilant in monitoring psychological adjustment as part of a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach.
Caregiver stress and burnout in an oncology unit
Authors: SHERMAN ALLEN C. , EDWARDS DONNA , SIMONTON STEPHANIE , MEHTA PAULETTE
Published: April 2008

Purpose:Caring for patients with cancer can be taxing for front-line health care providers. The growing intensity of treatment protocols, in conjunction with staff shortages, reduced hospital stays, and broader pressures on the health care system may exacerbate these challenges, leading to increased risk for burnout. This article reviews the research literature regarding the prevalence of burnout and psychosocial distress among oncology providers, examines multifactorial occupational and personal determinants of risk, and considers intervention strategies to enhance resilience.

Methods:Literature review of empirical peer-reviewed studies focusing on prevalence and correlates of burnout among oncology physicians and nurses.

Results:Findings from a number of studies using validated measures and large samples suggest that prevalence rates for burnout and psychosocial distress are high among oncology staff, though not necessarily higher than in non-cancer-practice settings. A growing database has examined occupational (e.g., workload) and demographic (e.g., gender) factors that may contribute to risk, but there is less information about personal (e.g., coping) or organizational (e.g., staffing, physician–nurse relations) determinants or multilevel interactions among these factors. Oncologist burnout may adversely affect anticipated staff turnover. Other important endpoints (biological stress markers, health status, patient satisfaction, quality-of-care indices) have yet to be examined in the oncology setting. Intervention research is at a more rudimentary phase of development.

Conclusions:Burnout and distress affect a significant proportion of oncology staff. There is a need for additional conceptually based, longitudinal, multivariate studies regarding burnout and its associated risk factors and consequences.
Terri Schiavo and the use of artificial nutrition and fluids:
Insights from the Catholic tradition on end-of-life care
Authors: PARIS JOHN J.
Published: April 2008

The recent events surrounding the case of Terri Schiavo have
highlighted the moral implications of end-of-life care. Among the issues
raised by Terri's parents against the withdrawal of her feeding tube
was that doing so would be “euthanasia” and, as such, would
violate their daughter's Roman Catholic religious beliefs. The
emotionally charged rhetoric and the political posturing in this case
drowned out both rational discourse and historical memory. Politicians and
even a few bishops and cardinals were quick to join the parents in
denouncing the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube as
“euthanasia” or “murder.” However, the
interpretation of the Catholic position on the sanctity of life that led
to that moral judgment is not in line with the centuries-long Catholic
position on end-of-life care.
Affirming the right to care, preserving the right to die: Disorders of consciousness and neuroethics after Schiavo
Authors: FINS JOSEPH J.
Published: April 2008

In this article, I attempt to untangle some of the cultural, philosophical, and ethical currents that informed the Schiavo case. My objective is to better apprehend what the Schiavo case means for end-of-life care in general and to assert that our discourse about the ethical issues attendant to brain injury will be impoverished if we limit our discussions about disorders of consciousness solely to the vegetative state. If we ignore emerging developments in neuroscience that are helping to elucidate the nature of these disorders and fail to broaden the conversation about brain injury, beyond the unmitigated futility of the permanent vegetative state, we will imperil others who might improve and be helped. Through such efforts we can help mitigate the tragedy of the Schiavo case and overcome the rhetoric that marked the national discourse in March 2005. Once the complexity of disorders of consciousness is appreciated, rhetorical statements about a right to die or a right to life are exposed as being incompatible with the challenge of providing care to such patients. This is especially true as neuroscience brings greater diagnostic refinement to their assessment and management, a topic addressed in this article, which specifically focuses on the clinical and ethical implications of the recently described minimally conscious state. Instead of staking out ideological positions that do not meet the needs of patients or families, we should strive to bothpreserve the right to diefor those who are beyond hopewhile affirming the right to careto those who might benefit from coming advances in neuroscience. If we can achieve that delicate balance, we will be able to transcend the partisan debate that shrouded the life and death of Theresa Marie Schiavo and begin to articulate apalliative neuroethics of carefor those touched by severe brain injury and disorders of consciousness.
RACE IN THE WORLD SYSTEM
Authors: Bonilla-Silva Eduardo
Published: April 2008

David Theo Goldberg,The Racial State. London: Blackwell, 2002, 319 pages, ISBN 0-631-19919-5, $66.95.

Howard Winant,The World is a Ghetto: Race and Democracy Since World War II. New York: Basic Books, 2001, 428 pages, ISBN 0-465-04340-2, $32.00.

Most American social scientists interpret racism as an individual malady and miss, ignore, or simply do not believe in the institutional and global nature of “White supremacy” (Mills 1997). Two limitations that ensue from this myopia are, first, the assumption that societies are not racialized entities (for a critique, see Bonilla-Silva 1997) and, second, a high degree of analytical provincialism—most studies by American scholars are narrow in scope and often are confined to the United States (for early exceptions, see Cox 1948, 1959; Du Bois 1920, 1945).
SEGREGATION AND STRATIFICATION: A Biosocial Perspective
Authors: Massey Douglas S.
Published: April 2008

Thirty years after the civil rights era, the United States remains a residentially segregated society in which Blacks and Whites inhabit different neighborhoods of vastly different quality. Given high levels of racial segregation and elevated rates of Black poverty, it is axiomatically true that African Americans will experience more neighborhood poverty than other groups. Moreover, because poverty is associated with crime and delinquency, they will also be exposed to far higher rates of social disorder and violence. In this article I argue that long-term exposure to social disorder and violence because of segregation produces a high allostatic load among African Americans, which leads, in turn, to a variety of deleterious health and cognitive outcomes. After summarizing recent research on stress and allostatic load, I specify a biosocial model of racial stratification and draw upon it to explicate well-documented racial differentials with respect to health and cognition.
DEVIANCE AS RESISTANCE: A New Research Agenda for the Study of Black Politics
Authors: Cohen Cathy J.
Published: April 2008

This paper explores the possibility of constructing a field of investigation based in African American Studies and borrowing from queer theory and Black feminist analysis that is centered around the experiences of those who stand on the (out)side of state-sanctioned, normalized, White, middle- and upper-class, male heterosexuality. This would entail a paradigmatic shift in how scholars of Black politics and more broadly African American Studies think and write about those most vulnerable in Black communities—those thought to be morally wanting by both dominant society and other indigenous group members. Using a theoretical framework for studying Black politics that highlights the construction and malleability of categories as well as the work of processes of normalization found in queer theory in tandem with the detailed understanding of power, in particular as it is structured around and through axes such as race, gender, and class found in African American Studies, we might gain new insights into the everyday politics of those at the bottom in Black communities.

Despite the feelings of some in Black communities that we have been shamed by the immoral behavior of a small subset of community members, those some would label the underclass, scholars must take up the charge to highlight and detail the agency of those on the outside, those who through their acts of nonconformity choose outsider status, at least temporarily. An intentional deviance given limited agency and constrained choices sits at the center for this field of research. These individuals are not fully or completely defining themselves as outsiders nor are they satisfied with their outsider status, but they are also not willing to adapt completely, or to conform. The cumulative impact of such choices might be the creation of spaces or counter publics, where not only oppositional ideas and discourse happen, but lived opposition, or at least autonomy, is chosen daily. Through the repetition of deviant practices by multiple individuals, new identities, communities, and politics might emerge where seemingly deviant, unconnected behavior can be transformed into conscious acts of resistance that serve as the basis for a mobilized politics of deviance.
CUBAN EXCEPTIONALISM: Group-based Hierarchy and the Dynamics of Patriotism in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba
Authors: Sawyer Mark Q. , Peña Yesilernis , Sidanius Jim
Published: April 2008

This paper examined the interface between “racial” and national identity from the perspective of two competing theoretical frameworks: the ideological asymmetry hypothesis and the thesis of Iberian Exceptionalism. In contrast to previous results found in the United States and Israel, use of survey data from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba showed some support for both theoretical positions. Consistent with the asymmetry thesis, there was strong and consistent evidence of racial hierarchy within all three Caribbean nations. However, contradicting the asymmetry hypothesis and more in line with the Iberian Exceptionalism perspective, there was a general tendency for all “races” to be equally attached to the nation in both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Somewhat unexpectedly, Cuban Blacks tended to be slightly more positively attached to the nation than Cuban Whites. These results suggest that the precise interface between racial and national identity will be acutely influenced by the specific socio-political context within each nation.
METASTEREOTYPES AND THE BLACK-WHITE DIVIDE: A Qualitative View of Race
on an Elite College Campus
Authors: Torres Kimberly C. , Charles Camille Z.
Published: April 2008

We employ qualitative in-depth and focus group data to examine how
racial stereotypes affect relations between Black and White
undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania. Specifically, we
employ the concept of metastereotypes—Blacks'
knowledge and perceptions of the racial attitudes that Whites have of
Blacks. Our interest is in the accuracy of Black students' beliefs
about Whites' racial attitudes to their group, and the
consequences of metastereotypical thinking for Black students'
academic performance. We find that the Black students in our sample
possess some clear and largely negative metastereotypes concerning how
Whites generally think about Blacks, and these metastereotypes are
quite accurate. Moreover, these negative group images are at the heart
of a key campus “problem”—Whites' hostility to
affirmative action and the assumption that Blacks are not qualified to
be at the university; and, ironically, most Blacks seem to have
internalized a piece of these negative stereotypes. These results are a
tangible manifestation of double-consciousness—Blacks'
perceptions of themselves both through their own eyes and through the
eyes of Whites, and evidence of Steele's theory of stereotype
threat, in as much as Black students expend considerable energy
attempting to debunk the myth of Black intellectual inferiority.
NECROLINGUISTICS: Linguistic-Death-In-Life
Authors: Mugane John
Published: April 2008

Necrolinguisticsrefers tolinguistic-death-in-life, a situation in which languages are incarcerated, leaving folk in linguistic limbo. It names the process by which people come to lack the ability to use at least one language well, and includes those who are tongue-locked because their languages are incarcerated in one or more ways. In illustrating how and why the linguistic experience of Black folk inspires the termnecrolinguistics, examples from slavery, colonialism, apartheid, imperialism, and neocolonialism are provided to document the reality oflinguistic-death-in-life. The main assumption of this study is that we can investigate the humanism of institutions belonging to any epoch, regime, or society through its linguistic posture and practice. It is noted that many sub-Saharan African languages are on death row, with many of its speakers stranded in semilingualism (or plummeting linguistic competence), peculiar kinds of monolingualism, or a kind of unilateral bilingualism,asymmetrical bilingualism. Each of these states is elaborated using examples: a native American, “White Thunder” (semilingualism); Jacques Derrida, a Franco-Maghrebian Jew (discordant monolingualism); and the august personality of Léopold Sédar Senghor (unilateral bilingualism). But the paper ends on a bright note, recognizing that, though the linguistic muzzle muffles Black culture and humanity, the resilience of Black folk is evident through their development of patois, pidgins, and creoles.
“TO EXCLUDE AS MANY NEGRO UNDERGRADUATES AS POSSIBLE”:Brown v. Board of Educationand the University of Texas at Austin
Authors: Goldstone Dwonna
Published: April 2008

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision inBrown v. Board of Education, administrators at the University of Texas at Austin reluctantly decided to admit undergraduate African American students for the 1956 academic year, thus making the University of Texas the first southern school to integrate. While nominally accepting the decision, University of Texas administrators would do as little as they could to help Black students, and they did whatever they could both easily and legally to integrate less than fully. For example, after a faculty committee chose African American Barbara Smith to play the romantic lead in a school opera opposite a White male, the University of Texas president removed her from the production just days before she was to appear, after several White legislators objected and threatened to withhold the University's appropriations. This incident reflected not only the difficulty southern states faced when deciding how—and whether—to fully comply with the Court's mandate inBrown, but also how difficult it was for public universities to achieve full and equal integration in the face of “passive” resistance. Those in power at the University of Texas did, in fact, desegregate their school, but their policies ensured that the University would remain segregated in other meaningful ways. What happened at the University of Texas is instructive in showing how racial equality was never embraced as wholeheartedly as most Americans seem to think. Administrators were able to construct a fantasy of integration, all the while enacting racial policies made through “silent covenants” that ensured that policies conformed to priorities set by the Texas legislators and their White constituents.
WHO WE ARE: America Becoming and Becoming American
Authors: Lee Jennifer
Published: April 2008

Samuel P. Huntington,Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004, 448 pages, ISBN: 0-684-86668-4, Cloth, $27.00.

Philip Kasinitz, John H. Mollenkopf, and Mary C. Waters, eds.,Becoming New Yorkers: Ethnographies of the Second Generation. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2004, 448 pages, ISBN: 0-87154-436-9, Cloth, $39.95.

Mae M. Ngai,Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003, 400 pages, ISBN: 0-691-12429-9, Paper, $19.95, and 0-691-07471-2, Cloth, $49.95.
DISGUST, VISIBLE VENERATION, AND ROSA PARKS: African American Visions of a Democratic America
Authors: Pinderhughes Dianne
Published: April 2008

Melissa Victoria Harris-Lacewell,Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2004, 336 pages, ISBN: 0-691-11405-6, Cloth, $37.95.

Barbara Ransby,Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2003, 496 pages, ISBN: 0-8078-2778-9, Cloth, $34.95, ISBN: 0-8078-5616-9, Paper, $19.95.

Ange-Marie Hancock,The Politics of Disgust: The Public Identity of the Welfare Queen. New York: New York University Press, 2004, 210 pages, ISBN: 0-814-736-580, Cloth, $60.00, ISBN: 0-814-736-70X, Paper, $20.00.
THOSE SEGREGATED AND SACRED HOURS: New Perspectives on Religion, Race, and Gender in America
Authors: Gilkes Cheryl Townsend
Published: April 2008

Mark Chaves,Congregations in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004, 291 pages, ISBN 0-674-01284-4, Cloth, $29.95.

Marla F. Frederick,Between Sundays: Black Women and Everyday Struggles of Faith. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003, 263 pages, ISBN 0-520-23394-8, Cloth, $50.00, Paper, $19.95.

Carolyn Moxley Rouse,Engaged Surrender: African American Women and Islam. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004, 271 pages, ISBN 0-520-23795-1, Cloth, $50.00, Paper, $19.95.
Was bewirken außerschulische Experimentierlabors?
Authors: Brandt Alexander , Möller Jens , Kohse-Höinghaus Katharina
Published: April 2008

Schülerexperimente in außerschulischen Experimentierlabors sollen die Motivation von Schülern steigern, sich den naturwissenschaftlichen Unterrichtsfächern zuzuwenden. Mit der vorliegenden Fragebogenstudie wurde diese Annahme am Beispiel eines chemischen Experimentierlabors überprüft. Die Untersuchung erhob bei N = 272 Schülern der Sekundarstufe 1 motivationale Variablen vor und nach dem Laborbesuch, deren Angaben mit N = 222 Schülern einer Kontrollgruppe verglichen wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die Teilnahme am Experimentierangebot des außerschulischen Labors positiv auf motivationale Komponenten auswirkte. Das fachliche Selbstkonzept der Schüler wurde gesteigert, darüber hinaus verzögerte der Besuch des Chemielabors den in der Sekundarstufe 1 allgemein vorzufindenden Rückgang verschiedener Interessekomponenten. Bei einer Befragung vier Monate nach dem Laborbesuch waren allerdings keine positiven Effekte des Laborbesuchs mehr festzustellen.
Entwicklung und Validierung einer Skala der Bereitschaft zu verzeihen (SBV)
Authors: Allemand Mathias , Sassin-Meng Angelika , Huber Stefan , Schmitt Manfred
Published: April 2008

Zusammenfassung. Verzeihen dient der Bewältigung von Kränkungen und zwischenmenschlichen Konflikten. Es werden Definitionen und Operationalisierungen aus dem englischen Sprachraum vorgestellt. Die Entwicklung eines deutschsprachigen szenarienbasierten Instruments zur Erhebung der Bereitschaft zu verzeihen wird beschrieben. Es wird eine Differenzierung des Konstruktes in zwei Komponenten vorgeschlagen: (a) die Bereitschaft, anderen Menschen zu verzeihen, wenn diese ihre Tat bedauern, (b) die Bereitschaft, anderen Menschen zu verzeihen, wenn diese ihre Tat nicht bedauern. Die Messeigenschaften der neu entwickelten Skala wurden in fünf Studien an insgesamt 1824 Probanden untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Instrument gute psychometrische Eigenschaften besitzt. Die theoretische Differenzierung des Konstrukts wird empirisch bestätigt. Hinweise auf die Konstruktvalidität der Skala ergeben sich aus Zusammenhängen mit theoretisch einschlägigen Referenzkonstrukten: der habituellen Ärgerneigung, der Wahrnehmung und Klarheit über eigene und fremde Gefühle, positiver und negativer Affektivität, den fünf Persönlichkeitsfaktoren und sozialer Erwünschtheit. Für die Konstruktvalidität der Skala sprechen ferner konvergente Korrelationen mit anderen Maßen der Bereitschaft zu verzeihen.
Disability, Arthritis, and Body Weight among Adults 45 Years and Older
Authors: Okoro Catherine A. , Hootman Jennifer M. , Strine Tara W. , Balluz Lina S. , Mokdad Ali H.
Published: April 2008

Objectives: To examine the association between body weight and disability among persons with and without self‐reported arthritis.

Research Methods and Procedures: Data were analyzed for noninstitutionalized adults, 45 years or older, in states that participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Self‐reported BMI (kilograms per meter squared) was used to categorize participants into six BMI‐defined groups: underweight (<18.5), normal weight (18.5 to <25), overweight (25 to <30), obese, class 1 (30 to <35), obese, class 2 (35 to <40), and obese, class 3 (≥40).

Results: Class 3 obesity (BMI ≥ 40) was significantly associated with disability among participants both with and without self‐reported arthritis. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for disability in participants with class 3 obesity was 2.75 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.22 to 3.40] among those with self‐reported arthritis and 1.77 (95% CI = 1.20 to 2.62) among those without self‐reported arthritis compared with those of normal weight (BMI 18.5 to <25). Persons with self‐reported arthritis who were obese, class 2 (BMI 35 to <40) and obese, class 1 (BMI 30 to <35) and women with self‐reported arthritis who were overweight (BMI 25 to <30) also had higher odds of disability compared with those of normal weight [AOR = 1.72 (95% CI = 1.47 to 2.00), AOR = 1.30 (95% CI = 1.17 to 1.44), and AOR = 1.18 (95% CI = 1.06 to 1.32), respectively].

Discussion: Our findings reveal that obesity is associated with disability. Preventing and controlling obesity may improve the quality of life for persons with and without self‐reported arthritis.
Regulation of Glucose Transporter SGLT1 by Ubiquitin Ligase Nedd4‐2 and Kinases SGK1, SGK3, and PKB
Authors: Dieter Michael , Palmada Monica , Rajamanickam Jeyaganesh , Aydin Atakan , Busjahn Andreas , Boehmer Christoph , Luft Friedrich C. , Lang Florian
Published: April 2008

Objectives: Serum‐ and glucocorticoid‐inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) inhibits the ubiquitin ligase neuronal cell expressed developmentally downregulated 4‐2 (Nedd4‐2), which retards the retrieval of the epithelial Na+ channel ENaC. Accordingly, SGK1 enhances ENaC abundance in the cell membrane. The significance of this effect is shown by an association of an E8CC/CT;I6CC polymorphism in the SGK1 gene with increased blood pressure. However, strong expression of SGK1 in enterocytes not expressing ENaC points to further functions of SGK1. This study was performed to test for regulation of Na+‐coupled glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) by Nedd4‐2, SGK1, and/or the related kinases SGK3 and PKB. Additional studies searched for an association of the SGK1 gene with BMI.

Research Methods and Procedures: mRNA encoding SGLT1, wild‐type Nedd4‐2, inactive C938SNedd4‐2, wild type SGK1, constitutively active S422DSGK1 or inactive K127NSGK1, wild‐type SGK3, and constitutively active T308DS473DPKB or inactive T308AS473APKB were injected into Xenopus oocytes, and glucose transport was quantified from glucose‐induced current (Iglc). BMI was determined in individuals with or without the E8CC/CT;I6CC polymorphism.

Results: Iglc was significantly decreased by coexpression of Nedd4‐2 but not of C938SNedd4‐2. Coexpression of SGK1, S422DSGK1, SGK3, or T308DS473DPKB, but not of K127NSGK1 or T308AS473APKB, enhanced Iglc and reversed the effect of Nedd4‐2. SGK1 and SGK3 phosphorylated Nedd4‐2. Deletion of the SGK/PKB phosphorylation sites in Nedd4‐2 blunted the kinase effects. BMI was significantly (p < 0.008) greater in individuals with the E8CC/CT;I6CC polymorphism than in individuals without.

Discussion: Overactivity of SGK1 may lead not only to excessive ENaC activity and hypertension but also to enhanced SGLT1 activity and obesity.
Effects of Obesity on the Conversion from Normal Glucose Tolerance to Diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese
Authors: Ko Gary T.C. , Chan Juliana C.N. , Chow Chun‐Chung , Yeung Vincent T.F. , Chan Wing‐Bun , So Wing‐Yee , Cockram Clive S.
Published: April 2008

Objective: To assess the effects of BMI on progression to diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese and to analyze the optimal cutoff for overweight and obesity in Hong Kong Chinese.

Research Methods and Procedures: This is a prospective study with a mean follow‐up of 2.1 years (median 1.4 years, range 0.9 to 8.4 years). We recruited 172 nondiabetic high‐risk subjects, of whom 115 had normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 57 had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). BMI and 75‐gram oral glucose tolerance tests were assessed at baseline and then at yearly intervals

Results: The crude rates of progression to diabetes for subjects with NGT or IGT were 8.4% and 11.5% per year, respectively. For subjects with NGT, the progression rate to diabetes differed with different BMI ranges. For subjects with NGT and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, the crude rates of progression to diabetes or glucose intolerance (diabetes or IGT) were 12.5% per year and 14.6% per year, respectively. The corresponding rates for subjects with NGT and BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2 were 14.6% and 18.9% per year, respectively. Among subjects with NGT, those with BMI between 25 and 28 kg/m2 had the highest Youden index and likelihood ratio to predict the conversion to diabetes or glucose intolerance.

Discussion: Obese subjects with NGT had higher rates of progression to diabetes than nonobese subjects. We recommend redefining BMI cutoffs, with 23 kg/m2 for overweight and 28 kg/m2 for obesity. This definition may be more sensitive to identify at‐risk subjects and more specific to identify “patients” for therapeutic management.
Electronic Games and Environmental Factors Associated with Childhood Obesity in Switzerland
Authors: Stettler Nicolas , Signer Theo M. , Suter Paolo M.
Published: April 2008

Objective: Environmental factors and behaviors associated with obesity have not been well described in children living in Europe. Although television watching has been repeatedly associated with obesity, it is unclear whether other sedentary activities, such as use of electronic games, are independently associated with obesity in children. The hypothesis was that various types of sedentary activities are associated with obesity in children living in Switzerland.

Research Methods and Procedures: This was a cross‐sectional study of children (grades one to three) from four communities in the Greater Zurich Area (Switzerland). Obesity was defined as a combination of overweight (BMI) and overfat (skinfold thicknesses). Environmental factors were assessed by questionnaire. The children's physical activity was estimated by their teacher (scale 0 to 10).

Results: Of 922 eligible subjects, 872 (94.6%) took part in the study. Use of electronic games [odds ratio (OR) = 2.03 per hour per day, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57 to 2.61, p < 0.001], television (OR = 2.83 per hour per day, 95% CI: 2.08 to 3.86, p < 0.001), physical activity (OR = 0.80 per unit, 95% CI: 0.72 to 0.88, p < 0.001), maternal work (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.13 to 3.29, p = 0.02), and paternal smoking (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.96, p = 0.03) were independently associated with obesity. Further adjustment for socioeconomic status, when available, did not change these results.

Discussion: In this sample of children living in Switzerland, the use of electronic games was significantly associated with obesity, independently of confounding factors. The association of obesity with television use and lack of physical activity confirms results from other populations and points to potential strategies for obesity prevention.
Inherited Taste Sensitivity to 6‐n‐Propylthiouracil in Diet and Body Weight in Children
Authors: Keller Kathleen L. , Tepper Beverly J.
Published: April 2008

Objective: Negative associations between the inherited ability to taste the bitter compound 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP) and preference for fat and body weight have been observed in adults. This study tested the relationships among the ability to taste PROP, reported food intake, and body weight in young children.

Research Methods and Procedures: Fifty‐three 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children were classified as tasters (N = 35) or nontasters (N = 18) of PROP using a standard screening solution. Anthropometric measures were taken in the laboratory. Mothers completed questionnaires to assess their child's food intake and their own dieting behaviors.

Results: Nontaster boys had higher weight‐for‐height percentiles than taster boys (77th vs. 56th percentile, respectively), but the relationship was opposite for girls (p ≤ 0.05). Nontasters reportedly consumed a higher percentage of their daily energy from protein (p ≤ 0.01), mainly as high‐fat meat products. Tasters reportedly consumed a higher percentage of their daily energy from sugars (p ≤ 0.05), mainly in the form of brownies, doughnuts, cookies, soft drinks, and juice drinks. There were no differences between tasters and nontasters for reported intake of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, or discretionary fats.

Discussion: This study is the first, to our knowledge, to report weight differences in children as a function of their PROP status. Genetic taste factors seem to play a role in the development of dietary patterns and weight differences in young children, but the nature of these relationships may vary with gender.
Decision‐Making Deficits and Overeating: A Risk Model for Obesity
Authors: Davis Caroline , Levitan Robert D. , Muglia Pierandrea , Bewell Carmen , Kennedy James L.
Published: April 2008

Objective: To demonstrate that human overeating is not just a passive response to salient environmental triggers and powerful physiological drives; it is also about making choices. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex has been strongly implicated in the neural circuitry necessary for making advantageous decisions when various options for action are available. Decision‐making deficits have been found in patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions and in those with substance dependence—impairments that reflect an inability to advantageously assess future consequences. That is, they choose immediate rewards in the face of future long‐term negative consequences.

Research Methods and Procedures: We extended this research to the study of overeating and overweight, testing a regression model that predicted that poor decision making (as assessed by a validated computerized gambling task) and a tendency to overeat under stress would correlate with higher BMI in a group of healthy adult women (N = 41) representing a broad range of body weights.

Results: We found statistically significant main effects for both independent variables in the predicted direction (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.35). Indeed, the decision‐making impairments across the 100 trials of the computer task were greater in those with high BMI than in previous studies with drug addicts.

Discussion: Findings suggested that cortical and subcortical processes, which regulate one's ability to inhibit short‐term rewards when the long‐term consequences are deleterious, may also influence eating behaviors in a culture dominated by so many, and such varied, sources of palatable and calorically dense sources of energy.
Gastric Bypass in a Low‐Income, Inner‐City Population: Eating Disturbances and Weight Loss
Authors: Latner Janet D. , Wetzler Scott , Goodman Elliot R. , Glinski Juliet
Published: April 2008

Objective: To examine the prevalence of eating disturbances and psychiatric disorders among extremely obese patients before and after gastric bypass surgery and to examine the relationship between these disturbances and weight outcomes.

Research Methods and Procedures: Sixty‐five women patients (ages 19 to 67) with a mean BMI of 54.1 were assessed by semistructured psychiatric interview before surgery and by telephone interview after surgery (mean follow‐up: 16.4 months) to determine psychiatric status, eating disturbances, and weight and health‐related variables.

Results: Patients lost a mean of 71% of their excess BMI, with significantly poorer weight loss outcomes among African Americans. Psychiatric disorders remained prevalent before (37%) and after (41%) surgery. In contrast, binge eating disorder dropped from 48% to 0%. Psychiatric diagnosis did not affect weight outcomes. Instead, more frequent preoperative binge eating, along with greater initial BMI, follow‐up length, and postoperative exercise, predicted greater BMI loss. Postsurgical health behaviors (exercise and smoking) and nocturnal eating episodes were also linked to weight loss. Exercise frequency increased and smoking frequency tended to decrease after surgery.

Discussion: These findings indicated that eating and psychiatric disturbances did not inhibit weight loss after gastric bypass and should not contraindicate surgery. Prior binge eating, eliminated after surgery, predicted BMI loss and, thus, may have previously been a maintaining factor in the obesity of these patients. The association between health behaviors and outcome suggests possible targets for intervention to improve surgical results. Poorer outcomes among African Americans indicate that these patients should be closely monitored and supported after surgery.
Predictors of Fat Stereotypes among 9‐Year‐Old Girls and Their Parents
Authors: Davison Kirsten Krahnstoever , Birch Leann Lipps
Published: April 2008

Objective:To assess familial links in fat stereotypes and predictors of stereotypes among girls and their parents.

Research Methods and Procedures:Fat stereotypes were assessed using a questionnaire developed for this study. Participants indicated the extent to which they agreed with nine statements about thin people (e.g., thin people are smart) and the same statements about fat people (e.g., fat people are smart). Predictors of fat stereotypes that were examined include weight status (BMI; girls and parents), education (parents), income (parents), self‐investment in physical appearance (parents), maladaptive eating attitudes (girls), and parenting practices and peer interactions focused on body shape and weight loss (girls).

Results:Girls and parents exhibited fat stereotypes. Fathers who were more educated and had a higher family income were more likely to endorse fat stereotypes, as were mothers and fathers with a high investment in their physical appearance. Although no associations were found between girls’ and parents’ fat stereotypes, girls were more likely to endorse fat stereotypes when interactions with parents and peers focused on body shape and weight loss. Girls were also more likely to endorse fat stereotypes when they reported higher levels of maladaptive eating attitudes. No associations were found between weight status and fat stereotypes.

Discussion:Although there was no association between girls’ and parents’ fat stereotypes, girls were more likely to express negative attitudes about obesity and obese persons when parenting practices and interactions with peers promoted a lean body type, suggesting that there may be an implicit link between the lean ideal and fat stereotypes.
Does Binge Eating Disorder Impact Weight‐Related Quality of Life?
Authors: Kolotkin Ronette L. , Westman Eric C. , Østbye Truls , Crosby Ross D. , Eisenson Howard J. , Binks Martin
Published: April 2008

Objectives: To determine whether binge eating disorder (BED) impacts weight‐related quality of life in obese individuals seeking weight loss treatment and to investigate the role of psychological symptoms, BMI, and demographic variables in the relationship between BED and weight‐related quality of life.

Research Methods and Procedures: Three hundred seventeen women (BMI = 37.6) and 213 men (BMI = 41.3) completed questionnaires on admission into an intensive residential lifestyle modification program. Weight‐related quality of life was assessed using the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life‐Lite (IWQOL‐Lite). The presence of BED was determined using the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns‐Revised. Psychological symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory and the global severity index of the Symptom Checklist 90‐R.

Results: BED prevalence in this sample was 17.9%. Participants with BED, in comparison with those without BED, were more likely to be women (75.8% vs. 56.3%, p < 0.001), younger (45.0 vs. 49.7 years, p = 0.003), white (98.9% vs. 91.7%), heavier (BMI = 42.0 vs. 38.5, p = 0.002), psychologically distressed, and more impaired on total IWQOL‐Lite (51.5 vs. 65.3, p < 0.001) and all IWQOL‐Lite subscales. However, after controlling for demographic variables, BMI, and psychological symptoms, BED was not independently associated with weight‐related quality of life.

Discussion: The association between BED and impairment in quality of life that has been previously reported in the literature may largely be accounted for by differences between those with and without BED on demographic variables, BMI, and psychological symptoms. BED does not seem to independently impact weight‐related quality of life.
Effects of Chronic Nitric Oxide Inhibition on the Renal Excretory Response to Leptin
Authors: Villarreal Daniel , Reams Garry , Samar Huma , Spear Robert , Freeman Ronald H.
Published: April 2008

Objective: Previous investigations have demonstrated that leptin promotes natriuresis with a renal tubular effect. However, the mechanisms involved in this response are unclear. The present study was designed to examine the hypothesis that the natriuretic response to leptin in normotensive Sprague‐Dawley rats is regulated by nitric oxide (NO).

Research Methods and Procedures: The hemodynamic and renal excretory effects of intravenous bolus administration of pharmacological doses of synthetic murine leptin were examined in groups of control Sprague‐Dawley rats (n = 8), Sprague‐Dawley rats treated for 4 days with the NO synthase inhibitor Nω‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME) (n = 8), and Sprague‐Dawley rats treated for 4 days with l‐NAME followed by acute treatment with sodium nitroprusside (n = 8).

Results: In the control group (n = 8), an intravenous bolus of leptin, 400 μg/kg body weight, increased urinary sodium excretion 4‐ to 6‐fold. In the Sprague‐Dawley rats chronically administered l‐NAME (n = 8), an intravenous bolus of 400 μg/kg of leptin did not increase sodium excretion. Acute sodium nitroprusside infusion to Sprague‐Dawley rats chronically treated with l‐NAME (n = 8) was associated with partial restoration of the sodium excretory response to leptin administration.

Discussion: Collectively, these results are interpreted to suggest that the natriuretic and diuretic responses to leptin observed in the Sprague‐Dawley rat require a functional NO system.