Is there a risk profile for the vulnerable junior doctor?

BACKGROUND: Mental ill health is prevalent among doctors, especially those in the early stages of postgraduate training. However, a paucity of research has examined factors predictive of psychological distress in this population. AIMS: To report the findings from a multi-centre survey of mental health among junior doctors in Ireland, and assess the extent to which moderator variables (e.g., age, academic performance, nationality, etc.) alter the levels of psychological distress caused by internship. METHOD: An online, anonymous, questionnaire was distributed to all interns in the Republic of Ireland in January 2012. RESULTS: A total of 270 interns responded to the survey (45.0 % response rate), with 48.5 % of the respondents having a score indicative of psychological distress. A regression model found that nationality, academic performance, intern training network, rating of work stressors, home stressors, and work-life balance were associated with differing levels of mental health as measured by the General Health Questionnaire-12. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to consider moderator variables when examining mental health in healthcare populations to avoid drawing overly simplistic conclusions. Interns in Ireland reported particularly high levels of psychological distress compared to other studies of mental health among healthcare populations.

An oblique effect of chromatic gratings measured by color-mixture thresholds.

Contrast sensitivity is lower for obliquely oriented achromatic gratings than for vertical or horizontal gratings at high spatial and low temporal frequencies. Although this response is suggestive of mediation by P-pathway cortical correlates, no clear sensory (i.e. class 1) oblique effect has been demonstrated with isoluminant chromatic stimuli. In the present experiment, a two-alternative forced-choice detection task was used to measure observers' sensitivity to spatiotemporal sinusoids varying in orientation and color contrast. A maximum-likelihood method fit ellipses to the thresholds, with the length of each ellipse taken as a measure of chromatic contrast sensitivity at isoluminance, and the width as luminance contrast threshold. A chromatic oblique effect was observed at about 3 cycles deg-1 suggesting an orientation bias within the cortical stream conveying P-cell activity.

Effect of sulfur fertilization on chemical composition, ensiling characteristics and utilization of corn silage by lambs.

Effects of S fertilization, 0 or 67 kg S/ha, as (NH4)2SO4, as a single or split application on chemical composition, ensiling characteristics and utilization of corn (Zea mays L.) silage by wether lambs was investigated. Corn forages were ensiled at hard-dent stage at 35% dry matter (DM). Sulfur fertilization increased (P less than .01) total S and SO4 but had no effect on N, Mg, Ca or fiber components in silages. Sulfur-fertilized corn silages (N:S = 42 and 43) and non-S fertilized silage (N:S = 62) were fed alone and supplemented with Na2SO4 at two rates to achieve N:S ratios of 12 (high) and 45 (low, to approximate S-fertilized silage), to 30 wether lambs (Suffolk and Dorset crosses) in metabolism and palatability trials. Both trials were randomized complete-block designs. Lambs weighed 36 and 41 kg, respectively. All silages were supplemented with 6.7 g urea/d. Digestibility of DM and cell wall components, and apparent absorption of S and N were increased (P less than .05) by S fertilization and supplementation. Nitrogen retention was increased (P less than .01) by S fertilization and supplementation. Retention was higher (P less than .001) for lambs that were fed S-fertilized silage, compared with supplementation to achieve a similar N:S ratio. It appears that S fertilization was more effective than S supplementation in improving efficiency of N utilization.