bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Issues in Eating Disorders: Two Cases of Atypical Eating Disorder
Authors: Norvell Nancy , Cooley Eileen
Published: May 2005

Two cases with significant eating disturbances are described. Both possess several characteristic symptoms of anorexia but lack a primary drive for thinness or body image disturbances. Similarly, neither engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating which is typical of bulimia. The authors propose the differential diagnoses of atypical eating disorder rather than conversion disorder as a more descriptive and accurate diagnostic label.
Traumatic Stress and Death Anxiety among Community Residents Exposed to a Train Crash
Authors: Chung Man Cheung , Werrett Julie , Easthope Yvette , Farmer Steven , Chung Catherine
Published: May 2005

This study aimed to investigate the association between traumatic stress and death anxiety among residents who were exposed to a train crash in Stafford, England. Sixty-six community residents were interviewed using the Impact of Event Scale (IES), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). The results showed that the IES scores of the community residents were significantly lower than the standardized Stress Clinic samples, while they were significantly higher than the standardized medical student samples. Thirty-five percent of residents scored at or above the GHQ cutoff point. The community residents' total death anxiety score was significantly higher than the standardized sample of apartment house residents and was no different from the sample of psychiatric patients. Correlation tests showed no association between death anxiety and traumatic stress. The article ended with some remarks on issues relating to data comparison.
A Statewide Dropout Tracking System
Authors: Franklin Bobby J. , Kochan Susan
Published: May 2005

Policy makers and educators alike have been concerned with completion and dropout rates associated with the education process in America for more than two decades. Levine and McLaughlin stated: “The need for valid dropout statistics is widely accepted. Local and State Agencies are continually asked for information on dropout rates; and they have frequently been embarrassed or harmed by the lack of uniformity of dropout definitions” [1, p. 8]. This deficiency is often due to an ineffective method of properly cataloging student exits and tracking student movements across time and distance. The purpose of this paper is to describe a method for tracking student data across years. Data are presented to show the impact of system changes on longitudinal reporting of dropout information.
Sixteen Years of Teaching Elementary Applied Statistics Using CAI: A Case Study
Authors: Hunka S.
Published: May 2005

Since 1974, a lengthy CAI course in applied statistics has been kept operational through changes in computing systems by development of software allowing independence from the manufacturers of computer equipment. During the last sixteen years, over 1,600 graduate students have taken the course with seven different instructors, generating a wide variety of observations about the course itself and the advantages and disadvantages of CAI. These observations relate to changing student characteristics, differing objectives of the instructors, as well as problems related to moving courseware from one system to another. Although the course has been generally well received, its continued operation is questionable due to increasing operational costs and changing perceptions about the importance of statistical inference in educational research.
International Actors and Population Policies in India, with Special Reference to Contraceptive Policies
Authors: Ollila Eeva , Koivusalo Meri , Hemminki Elina
Published: May 2005

The international population policy agenda has traditionally been dominated by demographically driven population control policies. However, in the population policy development that preceded the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, people's reproductive needs and rights received more emphasis. The aim of this study was to analyze how the new emphasis in population policies has been interpreted at the country level. In analyzing population policy rhetoric and its practical interpretations in India in 1994, the authors found that the rhetoric was broadening to encompass women's empowerment and reproductive health and that the use of direct method-specific monetary incentives and disincentives for accepting family planning methods was disapproved. However, population policy options were still considered mainly in terms of their ability to reduce fertility. Furthermore, the increased emphasis on the general market agenda was more important than that on reproductive needs and rights in molding population policies, as was evident in the greater stress on cost-recovery systems and nongovernmental actors. The findings suggest that the broader agenda for population policies and reproductive rights has been interpreted so that it can serve the aims of population-growth control and be implemented in the context of more market-oriented social policies and trade liberalization.
Direct Contract Public Health Training between an Asian Government and a U.S. University: 1984–1988
Authors: Cernada George P. , Cernada E. Ching-Ching , Yeh Ching-Chuan , Tsai J. F.
Published: May 2005

A one-semester, non-degree public health training program for staff of various levels of health agencies in Taiwan conducted at the School of Public Health, University of Massachusetts, Amherst during 1984–88 is described. The project's evolvement, organization, specific training objectives and methodology, operation, cost, and evaluation are reviewed. Attention is paid to training feasibility and the advantages of avoiding third-party sponsoring agencies in international projects.
Computer Presentational Features for Poor Readers' Recall of Information
Authors: Calvert Sandra L. , Watson J. Allen , Brinkley Vickie , Penny Judy
Published: May 2005

Children's recall of words presented on a computer was assessed as a function of action and verbal labels. Eighty children, equally distributed by grades kindergarten and second and by high and low reading ability levels, interacted with different versions of a computer presentation. Within versions, words were presented with varying levels of visual action and verbal labels. Older children recalled more words than did younger children. For the second graders, action presentation increased the poor readers' verbal recall to the level of their better reading peers. The findings suggest that older children who have difficulty reading may well benefit from visual emphasis of computer content.
Neuroticism, other Personality Variables, and Serum Lipid Levels in Patients with Anxiety Disorders and Normal Controls
Authors: Goebel Phillip N. , Peter Helmut , Mueller Susanne K. , Hand Iver
Published: May 2005

Objective:

This study evaluates the association between certain personality variables, especially neuroticism, and serum lipid levels in patients suffering from anxiety disorders as opposed to normal control individuals. It addresses the question whether in anxiety disorder patients neuroticism is associated with elevated serum cholesterol and serum LDL cholesterol levels.

Method:

Thirty (15 male, 15 female) patients with anxiety disorders as defined by DSM-IV and thirty normal matched controls were enrolled in this study. The patients were either admitted for inpatient treatment or referred to the behavioral therapy outpatient clinic at the Department of Psychiatry of the University Hospital Eppendorf (Hamburg/Germany). Control individuals were selected on a voluntary basis and recruited from the authors' colleagues and peers. Matching included Body-Mass-Index, age, and gender.

Results:

This study showed a significant positive association of neuroticism and serum cholesterol ( r = .29) and serum LDL cholesterol ( r = .35) within the entire cohort of participants. An even higher significant positive relation ( r = .43) could be detected between neuroticism and serum LDL cholesterol within the psychiatric patient group. As far as differences of personality variables between patients and normal controls are concerned, patients seemed to be significantly less satisfied with life, more generally inhibited, more irritable, more stressed, and more emotionally labile than controls. Anxiety disorder patients also tended to complain significantly more often about physical problems.

Conclusions:

Our data suggest that high scores of neuroticism in anxiety disorders patients may be involved in elevated serum LDL cholesterol levels and, thereby, may lead to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Children Talk about Death
Authors: Menig-Peterson Carole , McCabe Allyssa
Published: May 2005

Narratives about death produced by children between three-and-one-half and nine-and-one-half years of age were analyzed. Death narratives were almost nonexistent in children under five-and-one-half years of age, but the majority of children who were six or older spontaneously produced narratives about death. Children under nine years of age discuss death as a dramatic event to be told like a television story plot; there is no affective reaction to the deaths of strangers, pets, or relatives. With one exception, only the nine year old children indicated emotional reactions to a death, or their affection for the deceased. This contrast suggests that younger children have difficulty coping with death in emotional terms, and suppress or deny their affective reactions to it. Additionally, three children talked about the death of a parent; none produced narratives with evaluation and affective reactions to these deaths. These children denied the parent's death as well, by talking of the deceased parent as if he or she were still alive in other narratives. The possibility of a “distance phenomenon” in children's ability to cope with death emotionally as the victims become closer to the child is suggested.
A Curriculum Concept: The Computer Thread
Authors: Neu Emil C.
Published: May 2005

The era when one or two isolated computer courses are a standard part of many curricula is rapidly drawing to a close. More and more educators are recognizing that the growing use of computers in nearly every aspect of life must be reflected in education. As a consequence, many schools are revising their curricula so that computers are effectively being integrated into the educational process. This article discusses the experience at Stevens Institute of Technology where one of the fundamental concepts used in revising the engineering curriculum was that a strong computer thread exist throughout this curriculum.
Another Crack in the Mirror: The Politics of AIDS Prevention in Mexico
Authors: Carrillo Heactor
Published: May 2005

Beginning in the mid-1980s, nongovernmental groups and the government in Mexico launched efforts to combat AIDS by addressing the population openly and directly. The content and tone of AIDS prevention messages in Mexico have been strongly influenced by models developed in the United States, even when the social conditions of Mexico are strikingly different. However, the local organization of AIDS prevention efforts in Mexico has differed sharply from efforts in large U.S. cities in terms of the distribution of funds and the role played by civil society in the creation of programs. Based on the premise that social and political forces may strongly influence the success, or failure, of health education interventions, this article analyzes the emergence of AIDS prevention in the Mexican context. The epidemiological characteristics of AIDS in Mexico, the governmental response to the epidemic, the role of nongovernmental groups, the availability of funds, the opposition of the political right, and the adoption of models imported from the United States are all considered to be important factors that shape current efforts. The article highlights possible directions for future development of AIDS prevention in Mexico.
The End of the Golden Age of Doctoring
Authors: McKinlay John B. , Marceau Lisa D.
Published: May 2005

Eight interrelated reasons for the decline of the golden age of doctoring are discussed in this article. Major extrinsic factors (generally outside the control of the profession) include (1) the changing nature of the state and loss of its partisan support for doctoring, (2) the bureaucratization (corporatization) of doctoring; (3) the emerging competitive threat from other health care workers; (4) the consequences of globalization and the information revolution; (5) the epidemiologic transition and changes in the public conception of the body; and (6) changes in the doctor-patient relationship and the erosion of patient trust. Major intrinsic factors are (7) the weakening of physicians' labor market position through oversupply; and (8) the fragmentation or weakening of the physicians, union (AMA). Despite the recent sociopolitical transformation of modern U.S. medicine, our thinking remains wedded to a now inadequate theoretical approach. A future sociology of the professions can no longer overlook now pervasive macrostructural influences on provider behavior (corporate dominance). Until these influences are appropriately recognized and incorporated in social analyses, most policies designed to restore the professional ideal have little chance of success.
Screening for Mental Illness in Primary Care Clinics
Authors: Kahn Linda S. , Halbreich Uriel , Bloom Michael S. , Bidani Rakesh , Rich Ellen , Hershey Charles O.
Published: May 2005

Objectives:

To assess the prevalence of mental disorders in inner city outpatient clinics and to improve the diagnosis of mental illness in primary care.

Methods:

The Problem Oriented Patient Report (POPR), a patient self-report checklist, was administered to 362 outpatients at two inner-city Buffalo primary care clinics. Patients' completed POPR checklists were evaluated to identify those with potential mental illness diagnoses and were available for the physicians' review during the patients' visits. After the visit, clinical charts were reviewed to determine the frequency of new mental illness diagnoses among continuing and new patients.

Results:

The screening checklist (POPR) revealed potential mental illnesses in 148/362 outpatients, of which 98% had not been identified by the physicians who had reviewed the patients' completed POPR forms. Only five new diagnoses of mental illnesses were independently made by clinics' physicians—all in follow-up (continuing) patients.

Conclusions:

The physicians in the two clinics did not diagnose mental illnesses in their patients, even when written checklists of self-reports were available to them. Differences in staff attitudes may influence the data collection process, and patients' as well as physicians' responses. A weakness of this study is that the POPR might generate false positive results. Even if this were the case, the rate of previous diagnoses was still extremely low.
Anhedonic Ejaculation with Desipramine
Authors: Rosenbaum Jerrold F. , Pollack Mark H.
Published: May 2005

Sexual dysfunction secondary to antidepressant drugs is an under-recognized clinical problem, and likely an important factor in noncompliance with treatment. We report two patients with anhedonic ejaculation (ejaculation without orgasm) associated with initiation of treatment with desipramine.
Learner-Centered? It's Just a Click Away…
Authors: Verbeeten Marja J.
Published: May 2005

There are two revolutions sweeping through higher education today: the first one is the move from teacher- to learner-centered education. The second one is the move from the traditional to the virtual classroom. This article examines the most recent literature on Web-based instruction by looking at authors who, based on their own personal experiences, take a positive approach to Web-based education, and who feel that Web-based instruction is learner-centered. Characteristics of learner-centeredness as related to Web-based education are: access anywhere and any time, and student engagement. Student engagement is accomplished through the creation of active learning modules, collaboration among students, and close teacher-student interaction. Virtual classes are effective since they address different learning styles. The article concludes that assessment of learning outcomes is a topic that needs to be addressed in future research.
Policy: Practical and Research Challenges and Options for Health Education in Nigeria
Authors: Egwu Igbo N.
Published: May 2005

Nigeria's new policy on health is based on a primary health care (PHC) system. It consists of hospital services and primary health care services subsystems. The subsystems are interlinked by referral services, and the strength of the total system, should be augmented by intersectoral-, community participation-, and traditional medical-inputs. A functional proportion model (FPM) is proposed here to show interrelationships as well as ideal/relative extent of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care within each subsystem. The health policy vividly enunciates a clear-cut role of health education as an enabling tool for PHC implementation. But it fails to commit itself to actual mechanisms for implementation support. Consequently, health education in Nigeria, at present, lacks professional identity and leadership, despite sporadic initiatives by the academia. It is suggested here that the situation could be remedied by deliberate expanded policy on health education—strengthening public policy support for health education practice and research.
Unhealthy Money: The Growth in Health Pacs' Congressional Campaign Contributions
Authors: Podhorzer Michael , Driscoll Lorraine , Rothschild Edwin S.
Published: May 2005

The health and insurance industries have launched a massive lobbying and public relations effort to undermine popular support in the United States for a national health care system. As part of their campaign, these industries have increased dramatically their PAC contributions to members of Congress. This article provides a detailed account of these PAC contributions to congressional incumbents and candidates, and discusses additional information on the health insurance industry's advertising campaigns.
Cutaneous Manifestations of Psychiatric Disease That Commonly Present to the Dermatologist—Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Koblenzer Caroline S.
Published: May 2005

Patients whose psychopathology is expressed in cutaneous lesions often consult a dermatologist rather than a psychiatrist. Dermatologists may not be interested in working with these difficult patients. The need for liaison dermatology is becoming more widely recognized. This article discusses the place of psychiatric consultation in the dermatology setting, and describes the common dermatologic presentations of psychopathology: cutaneous delusions, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, expressions of depression, and dermatitis-artefacta. Diagnostic criteria for these conditions are outlined and a treatment approach, within the competence of the interested dermatologist, is offered.
Participatory Action Research and the Struggle for Social Justice in the Workplace
Authors: Johnson Jeffrey V.
Published: May 2005

This article discusses the centrality of social justice as an ethical framework for participatory action research. Historical examples of action research projects in Great Britain and in Sweden are used to illustrate the importance for researchers and occupational health professionals of taking a clear stand with those who have less power, possess fewer resources, and who often are forced to bear the greatest burden of adverse exposures and ill health in modern work organizations. The theory of social justice developed by John Rawls is used to identify the ethical centrality of directly challenging the exploitation of subordinate by dominant social groups.
Personality Perception of Painted Faces in Beijing Opera
Authors: Chau Albert Wai-Lap , Yang Chung-Fang
Published: May 2005

The features of the painted face in Beijing opera are drawn to represent the personality of the character wearing the face. In two experiments, participants with different backgrounds and levels of experience with Beijing opera rated the painted faces on ten personality traits. Experiment 1 revealed that both Beijing and Hong Kong viewers were able to perceive the intended personality of ten real painted faces in Beijing opera regardless of their experience level or the availability of the identity of the character. In Experiment 2, eighteen computer-simulated painted faces were generated by combining base color, pattern, and shape of eyebrows. Again, both groups of viewers were able to see the intended personality borne by the base color and pattern, though they had opposite perceptions regarding the two eyebrow shapes. These results suggest that personality perception of the painted face is direct, i.e., features of the painted face capture the subjective element of the Chinese people in perceiving the personality traits of the character bearing the painted face.
Dissociative Experiences and Reality-Testing Deficits in College Students
Authors: Kunzendorf Robert G. , Karpen Julie
Published: May 2005

One hundred forty-one college students completed a computerized test of reality-monitoring deficits and a computerized version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). In the test of reality-monitoring, subjects fixated on a dot, perceived a stimulus to one side, imaged an identical stimulus on the other side and rated its vividness while continuing to image. Then, either the dot became a P and subjects pressed a button on the side of the percept, as quickly as possible, or the dot became an I and subjects pressed a button on the side of the image. Subjects exhibiting above-median scores on the Dissociation/Amnesia factor of the DES took longer to discriminate perception from vivid imagery than from faint imagery, as if they failed to monitor the greater “central innervation” behind more vivid, more percept-like imagery. These results corroborate recent findings that dissociative tendencies in college students, like psychotic tendencies in students, have reality-testing deficiencies at their core.
Using CRM Survey Data: As Useless as Tennis Shoes on Armadillos? Examining Characteristics of Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric Sites in the Central Scioto Valley, Ohio
Authors: Church Flora
Published: May 2005

The use of CRM data for serious archaeological research is often ignored, given that most CRM surveys are not designed to address an archaeological research problem. Rather, they are in most cases expedient means of satisfying state and federal regulations. This article utilizes the results of CRM survey data from the central Scioto River drainage, Ohio, to address the problem of settlement pattern change from the Late Woodland period to the early Late Prehistoric. The study indicates that useful information is present for a number of basic environmental and archaeological variables, suggesting that similar use may be made of such data in other areas.
Caribou (Rangifer Tarandus L.) Bones from New England Paleoindian Sites
Authors: Spiess Arthur E. , Curran Mary Lou , Grimes John R.
Published: May 2005

The use of caribou ( Rangifer tarandus) and beaver ( Castor canadensis) by New England Paleoindians has been confirmed by new evidence. Using an approach which includes consideration of bone shrinkage during calcination, in addition to species—specific morphology, Spiess has identified faunal assemblages composed exclusively of mammal bone from two sites in central New England, The Bull Brook site (Massachusetts) and the Whipple site (New Hampshire). Caribou is the most commonly identified species at both sites, although beaver is present at Bull Brook. Because of the variability of caribou behavior in different environmental contexts, the implications of these identifications for the reconstruction of Paleoindian subsistence economy must await further research.
The Faces of Deceased Persons as Emotion-Expressive Behaviors: Implications for Mourning Trajectories
Authors: Eyetsemitan Frank , Eggleston Tami
Published: May 2005

Emotion discrete terms (e.g., sad, happy, and angry) are not only used to describe the faces of living people but could also be used to describe those of dead people. This study was carried out in two phases among college and non-college participants drawn from a small community in the mid-west region of the United States. Study one was made up of 108 participants (age range 17–81), with a mean of 38, and study two was made up of 211 participants (age range 17–52), with a mean of 19. The results showed that both positive and negative emotion discrete terms were used to describe a deceased person's face. But contextual and demographic variables such as the type of death, age, and sex of the deceased, as well as the age and sex of the viewer were influential. It is suggested that the emotion discrete term that the viewer attributes to the face of a deceased loved one would affect his or her mourning trajectory. This study has implications for counselors who work with bereaved individuals, for funeral directors who prepare deceased persons for viewing, and for researchers interested in the relation between emotions and grieving.
Compensation for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Quebec: Systemic Discrimination against Women Workers?
Authors: Lippel Katherine
Published: May 2005

Criteria for evaluating workers' compensation claims for occupational disease are strongly linked to medical expertise as supported by scientific study, yet decision-makers are not necessarily familiar with the meaning of these studies. While this is a problem for all claimants, who bear the burden of proving that work caused their injury, the adverse impact of misunderstanding of scientific data can have particular consequences for women, whose work more often appears to be benign. This article reports on a study of empirical data drawn from analysis of 314 workers' compensation appeal tribunal decisions on compensation claims, in Quebec, for musculoskeletal disorders alleged to be related to repetitive work. The study considers randomly selected decisions rendered between 1994 and 1996 on diagnoses of tendonitis, epicondylitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome and, in a follow-up, looks at significant legal decisions by the same tribunals, rendered over a longer period (1987–96). Results indicate that women workers are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to have their occupational disease claims accepted by the appeal tribunal. Evidence suggests that inappropriate overreliance on scientific studies for adjudication purposes contributes to a greater rate of refusal of claims by women workers.
The Social Causes of Suicide: A Look at Durkheim's LE Suicide One Hundred Years Later
Authors: Lester David
Published: May 2005

The present article presents reflections on Durkheim's theory of suicide 100 years after it was first formulated. It is suggested that much of the research which purports to test Durkheim's theory does not in fact do so, and suggestions are made as to how the theory might be tested. Research into whether there is a societal effect on suicide is reviewed, and efforts to apply Durkheim's theory to individuals described.
Community College Freshmen: Last in, First Out?
Authors: Freer-Weiss Dana
Published: May 2005

Institutions that allow late admission may be doing a disservice to students who have not adequately prepared for their transition to college. This research examined 785 admissions files of first-time, matriculated college freshmen at an open-access college. Data were collected regarding the demographics, characteristics, and academic performance of these students. Using Tinto's model of attrition as the framework, these data were analyzed to test the following hypotheses: 1) Students who apply late have different characteristics from students who apply earlier; 2) Students who apply late do not perform as well academically as students who apply earlier; and 3) Students who apply late are less likely to re-enroll the subsequent term. According to this research, late applicants exhibit different characteristics from students who apply earlier and have higher rates of attrition. These findings corroborate the high-risk profile for attrition in the professional and research literature.
Factors Influencing the Gender Difference in Dream Recall Frequency
Authors: Schredl Michael
Published: May 2005

The results of the present study confirmed earlier findings of heightened dream recall frequency in women. The variables “meaningfulness of dreams” and “occurrence of problem-solving dreams” significantly reduced the correlation coefficient between gender and dream recall frequency. However, the question of causality remains unsolved. Other variables such as emotional intensity of dreams or nightmare frequency did not affect the relationship between gender and dream recall in a substantial way. Future research should manipulate systematically the variables under consideration, e.g., attitude toward dreams in order to observe the effects of this procedure on dream recall frequency and focus on the development of the gender difference during childhood and adolescence in relation to the child's understanding of the dream phenomenon.
Beta-Endorphin Decline in Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder
Authors: Giannini A. James , Martin David M. , Turner Carlton E.
Published: May 2005

The β-endorphin hypothesis of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (premenstrual syndrome or L2D2) was tested. Twenty-two PMS patients were compared to twenty-two controls. Levels of β-endorphin, ACTH, FSH, LH, cortisol, prolactin and TRH were measured on the first and twentieth days after menses. PMS subjects exhibited a significantly greater drop in the opiate, β-endorphin, ( p < .001) than controls. No relationship or significant e was seen with the other hormones/transmitters tested. The symptoms of PMS may be due to noradrenergic rebound following β-endorphin decline. Symptomatic and pharmacological morphine withdrawal and manic phase of bipolar disorder are discussed as possible models for L2D2.
Reading Theory and Persuasive Business Communications: Guidelines for Writers
Authors: Blyler Nancy Roundy
Published: May 2005

Reading theory is important because meaning is not located solely in texts, but instead results from an interaction between reader and text. Although guidelines for developing such consensual meaning have been derived for the informational level of communications, the arguments underlying this level are not well understood. Reading theory offers insights on this issue. Background is given on reading theory and on guidelines that have already been formulated. The inability of current guidelines to account for the reader impact of one type of persuasive business communication is demonstrated. Three aspects of reading—inferring, reasoning analogically, and learning—are discussed, and their role in building consensual meaning, for persuasive business communications, is demonstrated in sample texts. Four guidelines are proposed for persuasive business communications, to supplement those guidelines already developed.
The Use of Digitized Films for Teaching Honorifics in Japanese
Authors: Clark David
Published: May 2005

In-depth diachronic and synchronic analysis of five Japanese films revealed that with careful planning and film-clip selection, teachers can profitably use films in interactive video (IV) format to teach honorifics in the Japanese classroom. The framework for analysis included influence of Confucianism, Bourdieu's work on “language and symbolic power,” the Japanese concept of kejime, Bachnik's notion of variability, Lebra's concept of “bun” and what Hendry termed “linguistic wrapping” or “keigo.”
Fluoxetine and Orgasmic Sexual Experiences
Authors: Morris Philip L. P.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this article to describe a unique potential side effect of fluoxetine. A case report of a patient with post stroke depression treated with fluoxetine is presented. Fluoxetine was associated temporally with frequent short episodes of sexual excitement described by the patient as feeling like an orgasm. The relationship was dose dependent. Serotonergic medications, like fluoxetine, may induce sexual stimulation as a side effect. The mechanism for this effect is unclear but patients with organic brain disease may be at higher risk for this complication.
Patients' Influence on Doctors' Behavior: A Case Study of Patient Strategies in Somatization
Authors: Salmon Peter , May Carl R.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Extensive empirical data and theory describe the inequality of power in relations between doctors and their patients. However, the focus has been on the ways in which doctors control the doctor-patient relationship. This has meant that the extent to which patients influence the consultation, and the ways in which they do this, have been neglected.

Methods:

In this article, we use a single case to identify and illustrate distinct ways in which patients exert power to determine the outcome of consultations.

Conclusion:

This analysis leads to a more powerful explanation than is presently available to understand the somatization of psychological needs. According to this, the patient organizes strategies, which include the presentation of emotional and social distress, around a biomedical model. Because of their prior decisions as to their role, doctors permit themselves to be trapped in this model.
Electronic Networks and Systemic School Reform: Examining the Diverse Roles and Functions of Networked Technology in Changing School Environments
Authors: Davidson Judith , McNamara Elizabeth , Grant Cathy Miles
Published: May 2005

This article presents findings from a three-year qualitative research study of the implementation of networked technology in a K–12 cluster of four schools. The authors found that truly networked schools possess a unique virtual geography requiring substantive reorganization across schools' practices, culture and structure. The questions they explore here are: How do teachers develop a notion of the networked school and its components? How does it affect their practice to teach in such schools? How are the changes that come about as a result of learning to work in a networked school related to systemic reform goals? What are the implications of the development of networked schools for technology integration and systemic education reform?
Effectiveness of a Hospice Community Bereavement Program
Authors: Longman Alice J.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this longitudinal pilot study was to assess the extent of unresolved grief in bereaved individuals attending two programs offered by St. Mary's Hospice, to assess their spiritual perspectives, and to describe the relationship between them. The differences in individuals attending the programs at two time periods were also examined. Fifty-six individuals completed two questionnaires at Time 1 and forty-two individuals completed the same questionnaires three months later. The results indicated that these individuals manifested initial reactions to the death and that these reactions were somewhat lessened three months later. Participants who expressed some belief in a spiritual perspective used this to assist them in their bereavement. That the programs were of benefit to the participants were evident by their comment.
Challenges of Conducting Research in Palliative Care
Authors: Davies Betty , Reimer Joanne Chekryn , Brown Pamela , Martens Nola
Published: May 2005

There has been virtually no discussion of the challenges that are encountered in conducting qualitative research in palliative care. This article draws upon the authors' experiences to identify issues and options in designing studies that are appropriate to the needs of patients, families, and staff as well as the research objectives. Attention is given to characteristics of the qualitative method, selection of the appropriate design, recruitment of participants, the interview process, and data analysis. The importance of sharing the results is emphasized: most families expressed hope that their experiences would be helpful to others in similar situations and their desire to be helpful overrode their feelings of fatigue and discomfort that accompanied participation in the study.
An Evaluation of Substance Abuse Aftercare Program for Homeless Women with Children Using Confounding Variable-Control Design
Authors: Kim Sehwan , Crutchfield Cal
Published: May 2005

An outcome evaluation of a substance abuse aftercare program for homeless women with children was conducted using confounding variable-control evaluation design. The confounding variables are chosen from pre-treatment and other contextual variables of the clients that are known to have significant influence on the program outcome, but those that could not have been influenced a priori by the client involvement in in-treatment program activity at Transition House (TH). The latter is the independent variable of this evaluation design. The pre-treatment variables are measured by severity of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems of the clients, their mental health status, age, and their job status before enrollment in the program. The contextual confounding variables are composed of family and social support available to the clients before and during recovery. While applying multiple regression analysis, we were able to explain 50.8% of the total variance in program outcome by four pre-treatment variables. By adding two contextual variables of family and social support, the total variance in program outcome explained is increased to 64.1%. Finally, by adding the degree of client involvement in in-treatment program activity, we were able to augment the total variance of the program outcome to 69.7%. By estimating the changed variance of program outcome by the in-treatment program activity during the final step, controlling for all other variables previously entered, we were able to establish that client involvement in in-treatment program had unique and positive impact on the program outcome distinct from those explained by the confounding variables. The additional variance uniquely added by in-treatment program activity is 5.6% ( p < .001). It has been determined that the degree of client involvement in in-treatment program had positive and systematic impact on the program outcome.
Physical Activity and Television Viewing Linked to Body Mass Index among Philippine High School Students: Signaling of an Emerging Epidemic of Obesity?
Authors: Page Randy M. , Zarco Emilia Patricia
Published: May 2005

The major purpose of this study was to determine whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with reports of vigorous physical activity and television viewing among a sample of more than 3,000 Philippine high school students. In addition, the International Task Force on Obesity's new cutoff points to these adolescents' self-reports were applied to calculations of BMI based on self-reported height and weight in order to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among this sample of Filipino adolescents. Results showed that Filipino boys and girls who were the most frequent participants in vigorous physical activity (3 or more times a week) had significantly lower BMI when compared to those who were physically active less frequently. Conversely, Filipino boys and girls who viewed five or more hours of television during an average school day had significantly higher BMI than those who watched less television. The percentage of Philippine students in this study above the international cut offs for overweight (6.5 percent of boys and 5.7 percent of girls) and obesity (1.6 percent of boys and 1.8 percent of girls) was considerably lower than what has been found in studies of youth in developed Western nations. However, the adopting of Western lifestyle habits, including increased recreational inactivity (e.g., television viewing, video games, and surfing the Internet) and decreased participation in vigorous physical activity, could signal an emerging epidemic in this developing nation.
The Crisis of the Western System of Medicine in Contemporary Capitalism
Authors: Navarro Vicente
Published: May 2005

This article makes a critique of current interpretations of the crises of the western system of medicine and presents alternative explanations for those crises. It indicates that the crises of medicine-reflected in its ubiquitous problems of costs and ineffectiveness-are due to and reflect the crises of legitimation and capital accumulation of contemporary capitalism. The article is divided into six parts: the first two define the characteristics of the crises of western contemporary capitalism and of its system of medicine, with a critique of current theories which try to explain them. Parts three and four contrapose to these theories a Marxist interpretation of the crises, tracing their causes to the needs created by the process of capital accumulation and to the demands expressed by the working population. The needs and demands generated by Capital and Labor are intrinsically in conflict, and are realized in the daily practice of class struggle. The characteristics and consequences of that struggle for health and for the organization, content, and ideology of medicine are analyzed in the fifth part. This class struggle takes place within a political context in which Capital and its social expression, the bourgeoisie or corporate class, have the dominant influence on the organs of the State. The sixth part of the article shows how that dominance determines the nature of the State responses to the crises of medicine. A primary thesis of this paper is that social class, class struggle, capitalism, and imperialism are not passé categories, as most ideologists of capitalism postulate, but rather they are the most important paradigms for understanding the crises of the western system of power and its medicine.
Depression and Thought Intrusions, Relating Thought Frequency to Activation and Arousal
Authors: Giambra Leonard M. , Grodsky Alicia , Belongie Craig , Rosenberg Edwin H.
Published: May 2005

Laboratory studies have demonstrated that task-unrelated image and thought (TUIT) likelihood decreased with increased age, displayed a circadian rhythm, and increased with hyperactivity; these outcomes are consistent with the speculation that TUIT production is directly related to brain activation/arousal level. We examined the association between TUIT likelihood and depression and anxiety and their putative activation/arousal levels. Individuals diagnosed with a major depressive disorder reported TUITs while performing a vigilance task. Significant, p < .05, correlations indicated that deeper depression, dejection, and perceived fatigue were associated with a reduced likelihood of unintentional TUITs and greater anxiety were associated with increased likelihood of unintentional TUITs. These results were consistent with an association between arousal/activation and unbidden TUIT likelihood.
The Work of George Rosen: Observations on a Very Small Sample
Authors: Susser Mervyn
Published: May 2005

A sampling of the work of George Rosen—physician, public health worker, medical historian, sociologist, and teacher—is presented to illustrate his method of relating historical development to the material conditions of both past and present. The material circumstances which nurtured Rosen's Marxist philosophical perspective are traced.
Lithic Technology and the Hunter-Gatherer Sexual Division of Labor
Authors: Sassaman Kenneth E.
Published: May 2005

A technological change from formal to expedient core reduction marks the “transition” from mobile to sedentary prehistoric societies in many parts of the world. The phenomenon has often been attributed to changes in the organization of men's activities, particularly hunting. Considering, however, that the change coincides with the adoption of pottery, technology usually attributed to women, an alternative explanation must be considered. From the standpoint of archaeological systematics, the addition of pottery turns our focus away from places where hafted bifaces were discarded toward places where pottery was discarded. The latter are largely domestic contexts: locations at which women, as well as men, employed expedient core technology for a variety of tasks. Thus, the perceived change in core technology reflects the increased visibility of women's activities in the archaeological record. This recognition provides a basis for incorporating gender variables into our interpretations of prehistoric technology and labor organization.
Unified Health Services and Family-Focused Primary Care
Authors: Fleck Stephen
Published: May 2005

Unified health and primary care services must focus on family health and the family as the clinical unit. Understanding the family as the basic social system and assessing its functioning from the standpoints of evolutionary family tasks, family health behavior and family coping capacities are as important as is knowledge of body systems and their functional evaluation, and of social and ecological systems which also can be pathogenic for individuals or families.

The concept of psychosomatic medicine must include familio-somatic and somato-familial medicine. Families are involved in the pathogenicity of some diseases and psychiatric disorders, and in the treatment and management of all chronic disease. Coping with dying patients and mourning are also basic family tasks.

Only unified clinical services, whether hospitals or health stations, can render realistic care and relate to the many relevant systems in the community, beginning with the patient's family. Clinicians must evaluate these systems as to their wholesome or unwholesome impact on a particular health issue or problem, seeking corrective as well as preventive measures.
Underdevelopment and the Political Economy of Malnutrition and Ill Health
Authors: Chossudovsky Michel
Published: May 2005

This article applies Marx's abstract subdivision of social consumption to the prevailing patterns of capital accumulation in the Third World. Built-in scarcities in the availability of necessary consumer goods, alongside patterns of overconsumption and social waste by the upper-income groups, are conducive to conditions of mass poverty, malnutrition, and disease that coexist with small pockets of social privilege and affluence. Malnutrition and ill health must be understood and analyzed in relation to the dual and divided structure of social consumption: necessities of life as opposed to luxury and semi-luxury goods.

The relationship between capital accumulation, the distribution of money income, and patterns of malnutrition and ill health is analyzed. It is shown that patterns of malnutrition and ill health are socially differentiated, and the core disease pattern in Third World social formations is discussed in relation to the material and social conditions of life which generate ill health and which underlie particular patterns of peripheral capital accumulation. The study focuses on empirical procedures for analyzing the relationship between levels of money income and levels of calorie and protein intake. An appendix outlines a methodology for estimating undernourishment in urban areas from household budget surveys.
Contribution of Health to Development
Authors: Griffith D. H. S. , Ramana D. V. , Mashaal H.
Published: May 2005

Health planners in developing countries face–amongst others–the following problems: defining the role of health in economic growth, obtaining recognition of the effects of ill health upon economic development, and quantifying health benefits. Three examples of these problems stated in simple health and economic terms are developed in this paper: production function, health expenditures, and investment in Ceylon from 1947–1948 to 1958; effects of ill health on the growing of rice in Southeast Asia in 1957; and the health benefits and cost-benefit ratio achieved by malaria prophylaxis in a small mining concern in Thailand in 1969–1970. It is suggested that further studies in the fields exemplified will aid health planners in finding ways and means for better justification of programs.