Neoproterozoic 'snowball Earth' simulations with a coupled climate/ice-sheet model.

Ice sheets may have reached the Equator in the late Proterozoic era (600-800 Myr ago), according to geological and palaeomagnetic studies, possibly resulting in a 'snowball Earth'. But this period was a critical time in the evolution of multicellular animals, posing the question of how early life survived under such environmental stress. Here we present computer simulations of this unusual climate stage with a coupled climate/ice-sheet model. To simulate a snowball Earth, we use only a reduction in the solar constant compared to present-day conditions and we keep atmospheric CO2 concentrations near present levels. We find rapid transitions into and out of full glaciation that are consistent with the geological evidence. When we combine these results with a general circulation model, some of the simulations result in an equatorial belt of open water that may have provided a refugium for multicellular animals.

The effects of the PDQ patient information file (PIF) on patients' knowledge, enrollment in clinical trials, and satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the outcomes of providing a copy of the PDQ Patient Information File (PIF) to cancer patients. METHODS: Patients with cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers were randomized to two groups: 1) verbal communication only and 2) verbal communication plus PIF. Cancer knowledge and satisfaction with the PIF and the information received were assessed with telephone interviews. Clinical trial registries were reviewed to determine enrollment in clinical trials. RESULTS: The overall reaction to the PIF was good or excellent for 92% of the patients surveyed, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in their cancer knowledge, enrollment in clinical trials, or satisfaction with the information they received from their physicians. The majority of patients from both groups lacked basic knowledge about their disease, did not use any source of information other than their physicians and/or nurses, and were satisfied with the information they received. CONCLUSIONS: Patients appreciate receiving written cancer information, although it may not increase their cancer knowledge.

Combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A survey of Alabama rheumatologists.

Combinations of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been recently advocated. Efficacy and toxicity data are scant. We conducted a survey of Alabama rheumatologists to determine actual practice patterns regarding combined DMARD treatment for their patients with RA. No differences were found between academic and nonacademic rheumatologists nor between users and nonusers of combination DMARDs in demographics or practice pattern profiles. The majority did report use of combination DMARD treatment, though only in a small proportion of their patients for whom the pyramid approach had failed. The combination most often employed was gold salts and antimalarials. Users, as compared to nonusers, did favor changing the classic pyramid approach for the treatment of RA, but the differences did not reach statistical significance.

Sources of meaning through the lifespan.

185 men and women representing five developmental ages ranging from younger to older adulthood (17 to 96 yr) completed several measures to assess the amount and origins of most meaningful events in a person's life. As assessed by a modification of the Purpose-in-Life Test, the amount of purpose did not vary per se with age or sex. Similarly, the sources of meaning did not alter across time or sex. Themes of involvement emerged as the salient sources of meaning and included love, work, births of children, independent pursuits, accidents, illnesses, deaths, separations, or divorces, and to a lesser extent major purchases. The common sources and their timing are discussed within the context of a lifespan developmental model.

Loneliness and attachment patterns in young adults.

Loneliness is a pervasive problem for many young adults. How early attachment patterns affect later development of loneliness was investigated in a college sample. Forty-seven young adults residing in Los Angeles were screened for race, disability, age and SES and then administered an attachment history questionnaire and several measures of loneliness, including the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Pearson correlations revealed a moderate to strong relationship between feeling lonely and early disrupted attachment. The results of the study are consistent with Bowlby's notion that underlying attachment disorders may affect subsequent psychological development and social behavior.

Time perception and psychological well-being in the elderly.

Perception of time is a concept that has interested gerontologists for many years, but why "time flies" as the years go by is not well understood. Two hundred and ninety-six institutionalized and community dwelling elderly (X = 75.4 years) were administered a battery of psychological measures to test the relationship between emotional well-being and subjective speed of time. Faster time perceptions were associated with better psychological functioning--less clinical depression, enhanced sense of purpose and control, and "younger" perceived age--while the opposite perception held true for elders with time "on their hands." Time also moved slower for many institutionalized elders. The clinical implications for treating older people in terms of utilizing their time more effectively and meaningfully are discussed.

Depression and old age identification.

Three hundred and eight Los Angeles elderly (means = 75.5 years) were selected from three settings to test empirically the relationship between psychological depression and feeling "old." Ss were administered the Symptom Checklist -90, an age identification item and several other measures of well-being. Results indicated that irrespective of age, persons who felt "older" were significantly more depressed and less healthy than their "younger" feeling counterparts. Multivariate level analysis further implicated personal meaning as a major correlate of depression. The clinical implications for working with depressed elders are discussed briefly.

Age identification in the elderly: some theoretical considerations.

Gerontologists have long noted the discrepancy between chronological age and person's perception of age. Labeling theory suggests that older people who "feel young" are denying their age because of the stigma attached to the label "old." When the empirical literature is reviewed, however, there is little actual evidence to support this notion. More apparent are the data that suggest "younger age feeling" represents various dimensions of physical, psychological, and social well-being. Gerontologists would do well to reconsider their earlier notions of age identification and construct a new model based upon the subjective expression of wellness in later years.