Effects of ethanol ingestion on aversive conditioning in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

Ethanol consumption has been shown to have many deleterious effects, including behavioral alterations, motor deficits, reduction in inhibition, and alteration of neurochemical expression. These effects occur in the wide variety of species that consume ethanol. Although studies have examined aversive conditioning in honey bees (Apis mellifera), few have examined the role of intoxication on the acquisition of learning in such paradigms. The current study continues a line of research using honey bees as a model to explore the behavioral effects of ethanol toxicity. A passive avoidance task is used to explore how increasing dosages of ethanol affects the ability of honey bees to perform this task. The results show that honey bees exposed to higher concentrations of ethanol have slower passive avoidance acquisition than bees exposed to lower concentrations under the same conditions. Bees not experiencing aversive stimuli displayed no difference from baseline behavior when exposed to varying concentrations of ethanol. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of aversive conditioning on expression of physiological stress in honey bees (Apis mellifera).

Stress is defined as any deviation from an organism's baseline physiological levels. Therefore, introduction of new stimuli and information, such as in learning, can be defined as a stressor. A large body of research exists examining the role that stress plays in learning, but virtually none addresses whether or not learning itself is a measurable cause of stress. The current study used a wide variety of learning centric stress responses. Researchers examined changes in expression of ten stress and learning related genes in various physiological systems in domesticated honey bees (Apis mellifera) as a result of exposure to an aversive conditioning task. Gene expression was examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction following the learning task. Results indicate that learning affects expression of some stress related genes.

Failure to Find Ethanol-Induced Conditioned Taste Aversion in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.).

BACKGROUND: Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning is a highly specialized form of conditioning found across taxa that leads to avoidance of an initially neutral stimulus, such as taste or odor, that is associated with, but is not the cause of, a detrimental health condition. This study examines if honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) develop ethanol (EtOH)-induced CTA. METHODS: Restrained bees were first administered a sucrose solution that was cinnamon scented, lavender scented, or unscented, and contained either 0, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20% EtOH. Then, 30 minutes later, we used a proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning procedure where the bees were taught to associate either cinnamon odor, lavender odor, or an air-puff with repeated sucrose feedings. For some bees, the odor of the previously consumed EtOH solution was the same as the odor associated with sucrose in the conditioning procedure. If bees are able to learn EtOH-induced CTA, they should show an immediate low level of response to odors previously associated with EtOH. RESULTS: We found that bees did not develop CTA despite the substantial inhibitory and aversive effects EtOH has on behavior. Instead, bees receiving a conditioning odor that was previously associated with EtOH showed an immediate high level of response. While this demonstrates bees are capable of one-trial learning common to CTA experiments, this high level of response is the opposite of what would occur if the bees developed a CTA. Responding on subsequent trials also showed a general inhibitory effect of EtOH. Finally, we found that consumption of cinnamon extract reduced the effects of EtOH. CONCLUSIONS: The honey bees' lack of learned avoidance to EtOH mirrors that seen in human alcoholism. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of honey bees as an insect model for EtOH consumption.

Tactical emergency medical support programs: a comprehensive statewide survey.

BACKGROUND: Specially trained tactical emergency medical support (TEMS) personnel provide support to law enforcement special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams. These programs benefit law enforcement agencies, officers, suspects, and citizens. TEMS programs are increasingly popular, but there are wide variations in their organization and operation and no recent data on their prevalence. OBJECTIVE: We sought to measure the current prevalence and specific characteristics of TEMS programs in a comprehensive fashion in a single southeastern state. METHODS: North Carolina emergency medical services (EMS) systems have county-based central EMS oversight; each system was surveyed by phone and e-mail. The presence and selected characteristics of TEMS programs were recorded. U.S. Census data were used to measure the population impact of the programs. RESULTS: All of the 101 EMS systems statewide were successfully contacted. Thirty-three counties (33%) have TEMS programs providing medical support to 56 local law enforcement agencies as well as state and federal agencies. TEMS programs tend to be located in more populated urban and suburban areas, serving a population base of 5.9 million people, or 64% of the state's population. Tactical medics in the majority of these programs (29/33; 88%) are not sworn law enforcement officers. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of county-based EMS systems in North Carolina have TEMS programs. These programs serve almost two-thirds of the state's population base, using primarily nonsworn tactical medics. Comparison with other regions of the country will be useful to demonstrate differences in prevalence and program characteristics. Serial surveillance will help track trends and measure the growth and impact of this growing subspecialty field.

Evaluating repeated patient handling injuries following the implementation of a multi-factor ergonomic intervention program among health care workers.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate repeated patient handling injuries following a multi-factor ergonomic intervention program among health care workers. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study which had an intervention group and a non-randomized control group. Data were collected from six hospitals in Saskatchewan, Canada from September 1, 2001 to December 1, 2006. RESULTS: A total of 1,480 individuals who had a previous injury were eligible for the study. Medium and small size hospitals in the intervention group had significantly fewer repeated injuries than in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that the intervention group had 38.1% lower odds of having repeated injury compared to the control group, after adjusting for hospital size. CONCLUSIONS: The work-related repeated injury after a multi-factor intervention program was reduced. The synergistic relationships between components of multi-factor intervention and applicability of injury prevention programs to different settings need to be further explored. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Implementing a multi-factor program with the right equipment and training can lower the risk of injury among health care workers.

Effect of transfer, lifting, and repositioning (TLR) injury prevention program on musculoskeletal injury among direct care workers.

Musculoskeletal injuries among health care workers is very high, particularly so in direct care workers involved in patient handling. Efforts to reduce injuries have shown mixed results, and strong evidence for intervention effectiveness is lacking. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Transfer, Lifting and Repositioning (TLR) program to reduce musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) among direct health care workers. This study was a pre- and post-intervention design, utilizing a nonrandomized control group. Data were collected from the intervention group (3 hospitals; 411 injury cases) and the control group (3 hospitals; 355 injury cases) for periods 1 year pre- and post-intervention. Poisson regression analyses were performed. Of a total 766 TLR injury cases, the majority of injured workers were nurses, mainly with back, neck, and shoulder body parts injured. Analysis of all injuries and time-loss rates (number of injuries/100 full-time employees), rate ratios, and rate differences showed significant differences between the intervention and control groups. All-injuries rates for the intervention group dropped from 14.7 pre-intervention to 8.1 post-intervention. The control group dropped from 9.3 to 8.4. Time-loss injury rates decreased from 5.3 to 2.5 in the intervention group and increased in the control group (5.9 to 6.5). Controlling for group and hospital size, the relative rate of all-injuries and time-loss injuries for the pre- to post-period decreased by 30% (RR = 0.693; 95% CI = 0.60-0.80) and 18.6% (RR = 0.814; 95% CI = 0.677-0.955), respectively. The study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a multifactor TLR program for direct care health workers, especially in small hospitals.

What they tell you to forget: from child sexual abuse to adolescent motherhood.

This study explores the relationship between child sexual abuse and adolescent motherhood, using a life story interview method. The sample consists of 27 mothers participating in a home-visitation parenting program for mothers at risk of child maltreatment. The failure to articulate the violation of child sexual abuse and to appropriately construct blame resulted in a range of self-destructive behaviors, some of which placed mothers at greater risk of teen pregnancy. Repressed feelings associated with the trauma often resurfaced with motherhood as victims re-experienced their innocence and vulnerability as children.

Comparison of Marie Stopes scalpel and electrocautery no-scalpel vasectomy techniques.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the intra-operative experience and postoperative sequelae between the standard Marie Stopes scalpel vasectomy procedure and electrocautery non-scalpel vasectomy (ENSV) techniques. DESIGN: Randomised prospective comparative study. SETTING: Marie Stopes vasectomy centres in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 325 men undergoing vasectomy between January and June 1999. INTERVENTION: Random allocation to the two study arms plus questionnaires at 4 and 14 weeks postoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ease and speed of the procedure; pain levels during and after the procedure; early postoperative complications and time taken to return to work and sexual activity. RESULTS: The ENSV technique was marginally quicker to perform. Pain levels intra-operatively were comparable. Response rates to the questionnaire were 84.6% and 37% at 4 and 14 weeks, respectively. The ENSV group experienced less pain and bleeding from the wound postoperatively and were quicker to heal. For men who experienced postoperative problems, the time taken to return to work was marginally better in the ENSV group. The time taken to return to sexual activity was marginally faster in the ENSV group. CONCLUSION: The ENSV procedure appears to be suitable for mass application in locations where electricity is available.

The evolution of the Marie Stopes electrocautery no-scalpel vasectomy procedure.

OBJECTIVE: To review the evolution of the procedure, the reoperation rate and efficacy data for vasectomies performed in Marie Stopes centres during the periods 1990-1994 and 1995-1999. DESIGN: Retrospective review of re-operation rates and primary and secondary failures during the periods 1990-1994 and 1995-1999. SETTING: Marie Stopes vasectomy centres in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 41 123 men undergoing vasectomy. RESULTS: The re-operation rate for the period 1990-1994 was 0.7% and fell to 0.46% for 1995-1999. The reported pregnancy rate fell from 1 in 1429 procedures for the period 1990-1994 to 1 in 2804 for 1995-1999. CONCLUSION: The results show that vasectomy has had a low failure rate well below that of other methods of birth control. The outcome data continue to improve over time with the evolution of improved techniques and surgical expertise.