Floral Odors and the Interaction between Pollinating Ceratopogonid Midges and Cacao.

Most plant species depend upon insect pollination services, including many cash and subsistence crops. Plants compete to attract those insects using visual cues and floral odor which pollinators associate with a reward. The cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, has a highly specialized floral morphology permitting pollination primarily by Ceratopogonid midges. However, these insects do not depend upon cacao flowers for their life cycle, and can use other sugar sources. To understand how floral cues mediate pollination in cacao we developed a method for rearing Ceratopogonidae through several complete lifecycles to provide material for bioassays. We carried out collection and analysis of cacao floral volatiles, and identified a bouquet made up exclusively of saturated and unsaturated, straight-chain hydrocarbons, which is unusual among floral odors. The most abundant components were tridecane, pentadecane, (Z)-7-pentadecene and (Z)-8-heptadecene with a heptadecadiene and heptadecatriene as minor components. We presented adult midges, Forcipomyia sp. (subgen. Forcipomyia), Culicoides paraensis and Dasyhelea borgmeieri, with natural and synthetic cacao flower odors in choice assays. Midges showed weak attraction to the complete natural floral odor in the assay, with no significant evidence of interspecific differences. This suggests that cacao floral volatiles play a role in pollinator behavior. Midges were not attracted to a synthetic blend of the above four major components of cacao flower odor, indicating that a more complete blend is required for attraction. Our findings indicate that cacao pollination is likely facilitated by the volatile blend released by flowers, and that the system involves a generalized odor response common to different species of Ceratopogonidae.

Comparison of anxiety assessments between clinicians and patients with acute myocardial infarction in cardiac critical care units.

BACKGROUND: Although anxiety is common after acute myocardial infarction and can adversely affect physical recovery, it is not part of the routine clinical assessment of patients with myocardial infarction. Furthermore, evidence suggests that patients and clinicians differ significantly in their assessments of patients' anxiety levels. OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent to which clinicians assess anxiety in patients with acute myocardial infarction and to compare patients' self-ratings with their clinicians' assessments. METHODS: In a prospective, descriptive study, 101 patients used the Spielberger State Anxiety Index to assess their anxiety during the first 48 hours after admission for acute myocardial infarction. Patients' scores were compared with nurses' and physicians' assessments of the patients' anxiety as reported in the medical record. RESULTS: Only 45 patients (45%) had anxiety assessments noted in the record. Of those 45, 26 patients (58%) were described simply as anxious without any further description of the level of anxiety. Eleven (24%) of those 45 patients had behaviors of anxiety recorded, again without any indication of the level of anxiety. No association between patients' self-assessments and their clinicians' assessments was apparent (lambda = .03; P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety was not routinely assessed, despite nearly half the patients reporting moderate to extreme anxiety when asked. When clinicians assessed anxiety, their assessments did not match patients' self-ratings of anxiety. A simple, easy-to-use instrument for discriminating levels of anxiety is needed.

Measurement of preference for information in U.S. and Korean cardiac catheterization patients.

Seeking information is a common coping strategy of patients facing a stressful event. Persons differ, however, in how much information they want to help them in their coping process. Research-based practice related to patients' preferences for information is hampered by the lack of reliable, valid, and clinically useful instruments to measure preference for information. Furthermore, it is imperative that researchers and clinicians understand preference for information in different cultures to reflect the diversity of the needs of patients in clinical practice. This study was designed to determine the reliability and validity of three measures of preference for information-the Miller Behavioral Style Scale (MBSS), the Krantz Health Opinion Survey-Information Subscale (KHOS-I), and the Preference for Information Scale-in 106 U.S. and Korean cardiac catheterization subjects. The MBSS and the KHOS-I were found to have fair-to-excellent reliability and fair-to-moderate convergent validity. The lack of a correlation of either of these two instruments with the Preference for Information Scale does not support convergent validity for that instrument.

Differences between men and women in anxiety early after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety after acute myocardial infarction influences both short- and long-term recovery. Therefore, determining specific subgroups of patients who have relatively higher anxiety levels is important. Published findings about gender differences in anxiety after acute myocardial infarction are conflicting. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether gender differences in anxiety after acute myocardial infarction exist and whether any of the sociodemographic and clinical variables that often differ between men and women with acute myocardial infarction interact with gender to influence anxiety. METHODS: A total of 424 patients with confirmed acute myocardial infarction were enrolled in this multicenter prospective study. Patients' anxiety level was measured within 72 hours of their arrival at the hospital by using the State Anxiety Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory. RESULTS: Women had significantly higher anxiety than did men according to both the State Anxiety Inventory (42 +/- 12.9 vs 37.7 +/- 12.5; P = .001) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (0.83 +/- 0.97 vs 0.63 +/- 0.71; P = .02). Of the sociodemographic and clinical variables examined, only marital status and income significantly interacted with gender to influence anxiety. Married women had higher anxiety than did single and widowed women, and married men had lower anxiety than did single men. Women with lower income had higher anxiety than did women with higher income; income was not related to anxiety in men. CONCLUSION: Women report significantly greater anxiety early after acute myocardial infarction than men do. Women's greater anxiety may be partially explained by marital status and lower income at the time of the infarction.

Stress during mechanical ventilation: benefit of having concrete objective information before cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Negative emotional reactions and difficulty in communicating are common in patients receiving mechanical ventilation and may adversely affect recovery from cardiac surgery. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of providing concrete objective information about emotional stress and difficulty in communicating related to mechanical ventilation to Korean cardiac surgery patients. METHODS: A quasi-experimental 2-group design was used. The 22 subjects in the control group received the usual information; the 21 in the experimental group received concrete objective information in addition to the usual information. State anxiety, negative affect, use of sedative and analgesic medications, and difficulty communicating were compared between the 2 groups after surgery. RESULTS: Patients who received concrete objective information experienced less anxiety and negative mood during mechanical ventilation, less difficulty in communicating, and a shorter intubation time than did patients in the control group. The 2 groups did not differ in the amount of sedative or analgesic medication used per hour during mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing interventions that include concrete objective information help cardiac patients cope with the stresses associated with surgery and mechanical ventilation.

Transcriptional regulation of MMP-9 expression in stromal cells of human giant cell tumor of bone by tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

We determined whether certain factor(s) secreted by multinucleated giant cells, which is of monocyte/macrophage lineage in giant cell tumor of bone (GCT), regulate the induction of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in mononucleated stromal cells. Our data derived using enzyme linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs) suggest that the GCT cells in primary culture produce both MMP-9 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Further, the MMP-9 expression in GCT primary cultures was partially abrogated by neutralizing antibody to TNF-alpha, suggesting that TNF-alpha secretion by the multinucleated giant cells may be one of the factors responsible for the production of MMP-9 by the stromal cells in vivo. In order to confirm this we examined the role of TNF-alpha on the induction of MMP-9 expression in bone GCT stromal cells. These cells express MMP-2, but not MMP-9. However, treatment of these cells with TNF-alpha induced the expression of MMP-9 in a concentration-dependent manner. Kinetic experiments revealed that the secretion of MMP-9 peaked 12 h post TNF-alpha stimulation. Immunofluorescence studies confirmed the expression of MMP-9 after stimulation of GCT stromal cells with TNF-alpha. Further, TNF-alpha-induced MMP-9 expression was completely blocked with neutralizing antibody to TNF-alpha, thereby demonstrating the specificity. In addition, the induction of MMP-9 expression by TNF-alpha was completely abrogated in the presence of cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, suggesting that de novo protein synthesis may be required. Nuclear run-on analysis demonstrated that treatment of GCT stromal cells significantly enhanced the MMP-9 gene transcription. Together, our data suggest that TNF-alpha secreted by the multinucleated giant cells up-regulates MMP-9 expression in GCT stromal cells by the induction of certain transcription factors, which in turn enhanced the rate of transcription of MMP-9 gene. These studies also suggest the existence of an essential cell-cell interaction in the regulation of MMP-9 expression in GCT.

Nonorganic failure to thrive: a theoretical approach.

Nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFTT) is a significant health problem of infancy. Although NOFTT is thought to be a result of multiple factors, exactly what these factors are is unclear. Explaining the development of NOFTT has been hindered by a lack of a theoretical approach. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the literature and the discussion of a theoretical framework to guide future research in the area of NOFTT.

Cardiac patients' conversations and the process of establishing meaning.

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the naturally occurring conversations of hospitalized cardiac patients. According to Blumer's symbolic interactionist perspective, individual interpretation or the meaning of a stressful event is developed and shared through social interaction. The meaning of an event is the foundation for behavioral responses that can promote or impede recovery. This study analyzed the naturally occurring conversations of ten cardiac patients. Three themes were identified within these conversations. The first theme, labeled finding cause, incorporated the processes of structuring the illness event, determining a cause for the event, and sharing the story of the illness with someone. The second theme, labeled acting normally, included participants attempting to preserve their normal patterns or habits, to resume normal activities, and to maintain personal control. The third theme, labeled passing time, encompassed sequencing the experiences within the illness event and hospitalization, waiting for news about their condition and/or recovery and structuring their future following recovery from the acute illness. An analysis of naturally occurring conversation can expedite recognition of the processes cardiac patients use to structure their reality and determine the meaning of an illness event. This may provide a foundation for understanding behaviors that affect physiological and psychosocial recovery.

The effect of environmental sound and communication on CCU patients' heart rate and blood pressure.

The effects of high ambient stressors (equipment sounds) and social stressors (conversation) on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were examined in coronary care patients. Simultaneously occurring sound level in decibels, actual sound, electrocardiogram, and BP were recorded three times/day over 2 days for 20 subjects. Repeated measures ANOVA and pairwise comparisons revealed maximum HR to be significantly higher during conversation than during low ambient sounds (quiet). High ambient stressors did not affect HR for these subjects. BP did not significantly change during any of the sound conditions. Further research is needed to delineate cardiovascular effects of specific social stressors.

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes and AIDS patients' perception of confirmation: a pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to describe registered nurses' knowledge of and attitudes toward the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and people with AIDS and the AIDS patients' perceptions of confirmation in interpersonal relationships with nurses. Convenience sampling was used to obtain 11 patient and registered nurse subject pairs in a large midwestern university hospital. Nurse subjects completed the AIDS Questionnaire: Beliefs and Information, and patient subjects completed the Perceived Confirmation Scale. It was found that patients perceived a high level of confirmation in relationships with nurses and that the nurses had an average knowledge of AIDS and fairly tolerant attitudes toward people with AIDS. No significant correlations were found among nurses' knowledge, nurses' attitudes, and patients' perception of confirmation in relationships with nurses.

Confirming communication of nurses in interaction with physicians.

Communication is an essential component of the theory and practice of nursing. This study used a confirmation/disconfirmation framework to describe the communication characteristics of 40 registered staff nurses videotaped in a decision-making task with a resident physician. Nurses were found to be confirming in 87% of their discourse. Differences in confirmation proportions were not found when educational preparation and sex were examined. Older nurses and nurses with more years of professional experience were more confirming in their communication than younger and less experienced nurses. Implications of the study are discussed.

Values of entering nursing students: changes over 10 years.

Values of students entering nursing in 1982 were compared with values of those entering in 1972. The Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values and an Entering Resources inventory were completed by 309 students in 1972 and 161 students in 1982. The 1982 sample scored higher on economic values (p less than .01), but did not differ on the other values. Both groups scored highest on social values with religious values ranking second in 1982 and third in 1972. These findings contrast to studies in the 1960's which found religious values rated highest and economic values rated lowest.

Intra-aortic balloon pumping and stress in the coronary care unit.

This study compared the perceptions of psychological stress experienced by patients on the IABP with that of other patients in the CCU. During 13 weeks, structured interviews were conducted with 17 male and 10 female patients: Seven were treated with the IABP; 10 were not on the pump but were present during its use; and 10 were neither on the pump nor in physical proximity to it. To measure psychological stress, each patient responded to a list of 20 potentially stressful situations using a stress rating scale. Analysis of variance was used to determine differences in perceptions. The results identified factors in the CCU that patients perceived as stressful and were compared with those of earlier research. Data analysis demonstrated moderate support for the study's hypotheses. Stress levels of patients on the IABP were significantly higher than those of patients who were not on the IABP but present during its use. No significant differences were found between stress levels of patients on the IABP and patients with the IAPB absent or between those of the two groups who were not on the pump. Implications for nursing care of the patient on the IABP were also discussed.

Values of male nursing students.

Values of male nursing students (MNS) at the Ohio State University (OSU) were compared with values of OSU female nursing students, collegiate men in general, medical students, teachers, and personnel and guidance workers, using the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values Scale. The scale measures relative importance to the subject of six basic interests: theoretical, economic, esthetic, social, political, and religious. The sample included 34 men and 841 women who entered the School of Nursing in 1971, 1972, and 1973. The OSU groups scored highest on the social scale, lowest on the economic scale. Males scored higher than females on theoretical and lower on religious scales. When OSU males' scores were compared with national norms, MNS scored higher than general college males on social and esthetic scales and lower on economic and political scales; MNS scored higher than medical students on economic and social scales and lower on theoretical scale; MNS scored higher than teachers on esthetic and social scales and lower on the religious scale; and MNS scored higher than personnel and guidance workers on the esthetic scale.