Benjamin H. Newberry

Impact of age and gender on adherence to infection control guidelines and medical regimens in cystic fibrosis

The goal of the present research was to examine the impact of age and gender on adherence to both infection control (IC) guidelines and traditional medical treatments in a cystic fibrosis (CF) population. Adherence behaviors are consistently suboptimal in chronic illness populations, particularly pulmonary diseases; understanding the factors related to adherence behaviors in CF can aid in the development of interventions to promote adherence.

An American English version of the Pavlovian Temperament Survey

Abstract This paper reports the development and initial evaluation of a version of the Pavlovian Temperament Survey (PTS) based upon a translation of the original German into American English idiom. A total of 452 subjects from student and community subsamples responded to the entire American English PTS item pool. Using the protocol employed in the development of other language versions, 66 items were selected for the inventory. The resulting scales—Strength of Excitation (SE), Strength of Inhibition (SI), and Mobility of Nervous Processes (MO)—had acceptable psychometric characteristics. Scale intercorrelations were similar to those of other language version of the PTS, with the most salient feature being a relatively high SE-MO correlation. Item principal components analyses indicated that each scale contained situation- and/or response-specific factors. General factors were also present for SE and MO. SE was higher for males than females, and SI increased with age. Internal consistency and scale intercorrelations were similar for males and females and for the community and student subsamples. The application of Australian, Polish, and German scorekeys to the responses of the American subjects resulted in the expected moderate correlations among the four versions of the SE and SI scales, and unexpectedly high correlations among the MO scales. Overall, the findings suggest that the American English PTS will be useful in assessing the Pavlovian nervous system properties.

Zymosan: induction of sickness behavior and interaction with lipopolysaccharide

The yeast particulate zymosan (Zy) activates innate immune system cells and induces cytokine secretion. There is also evidence that Zy can affect biologic responses to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and that the pathways by which these two agents act upon immune cells are only partially distinct. The present experiments assessed the ability of Zy to elicit CNS-mediated sickness symptoms and to alter their responses to LPS. In Experiment 1, Zy induced elements of the sickness behavior syndrome dose-responsively in Long-Evans rats, as indicated by reductions in consumption of a highly palatable bait and in body temperature. In Experiment 2, Zy exerted a priming effect, sensitizing animals to subsequent LPS as measured by reductions in bait consumption, 24-h laboratory chow intake, and body temperature. Experiment 3 failed to provide evidence for LPS-to-Zy cross-tolerance but did indicate that the administration of Zy disrupts previously acquired LPS tolerance. These results suggest that the specifics of exposure to microbially derived innate immune activators have to be taken into account in investigating the biologic bases of sickness behaviors and developing models of coinfection.

Compliance in cystic fibrosis: An examination of infection control guidelines

The goal of this research was to begin the process of evaluating acceptability of infection control (IC) recommendations to CF patients and their families, determine whether compliance with IC guidelines differs from compliance with traditional CF medical treatment with respect to the variables predictive of compliance, and assess which patients are most likely to comply with IC recommendations. Participants were recruited during routine outpatient visits at a regional CF center located in a pediatric hospital. The sample included 44 child and adolescent patients, aged 9–18 years and their guardian, and 27 adult patients. All patients completed questionnaires and interviews. Results of this preliminary study suggest that many individuals with CF are unaware of or unconcerned with the risks involved in infection transmission via social contact with other CF patients. Further, most participants reported that they could benefit from friendships with other CF patients. Health belief variables were found to be predictive of compliance with both IC guidelines and traditional medical treatments in the adult and parent sample, but not in the child sample. Possible explanations for study findings are discussed and recommendations for future research on IC compliance are highlighted. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:435–442.

Admission of suspicion as a function of information source: Tip-off vs. situational cues

Two studies were run in which subjects received information about a fake opponent in a two-person game either from a confederate tip off or from situational cues designed to allow the subject to penetrate the deception unaided. In both experiments, subjects given the tip off reported less suspicion of the opponent than did those using situational cues. Probes were run to check tip-off information transmission in both experiments. In Experiment II a preinstruction manipulation was used to check for awareness of the actual purpose of the experiment and suspicion of the confederate tip off, but no evidence for these unwanted artifacts was found. The results suggest that subjects may be candid about their interpretations, at least if their suspicions do not derive from peers.

Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Immunostimulation Produces a Dose- and Time-Dependent Decrease in General Activity and Weight Gain in Preweanling Rats

The immunostimulant lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produces numerous physiological and behavioral effects in adult rodents. The present study examined the effects of this endotoxin on activity levels and weight gain in 20-day-old preweanling rats. Experiment 1 demonstrated that 400 µg/kg of LPS produced a significant decline in locomotor activity 1 hr postinjection, and both 200 µg/kg and 400 µg/kg significantly suppressed weight gain over the first 24 hr posttreatment. The effect on weight gain dissipated by 48 hr following LPS administration. Experiment 2 replicated the effects of 400 µg/kg LPS on activity at 1 hr and on weight gain, and also assessed its effects upon activity level 24 hr following administration. Despite the significant decline in weight gain over the initial postinjection day, LPS animals’ activity level was normal 24 hr after injection. These results indicate that the endotoxin LPS produces significant but transient decreases in both locomotor activity and weight gain in preweanling rats. The relationship of these findings to other issues involving physiology and sickness behavior is discussed.