Impression management during evaluation and psychological reactions post-donation of living kidney donors.

UNLABELLED: Many healthcare providers have been concerned about the extent to which potential kidney donors use impression management or concealment of important information regarding their medical history, current functioning, or other circumstances that could affect whether they are accepted as donors. To date, however, there has been very little empirical examination of these questions. It is also not known whether donors' use of impression management pre-donation is related to their reactions and adjustment post-donation. METHODS: This study surveyed 76 individuals who had donated a kidney one to six yr previously regarding their use of impression management and their concealing of information during their psychological evaluations. They were also asked about their reactions to the donation and whether they would make the same decision again. In addition, 21 of these donors participated in focus groups that explored these questions in depth. RESULTS: Many of the kidney donors reported that they possessed very strong motivation to donate and consequently used impression management in their interactions with medical professionals pre-donation. Very few donors, however, indicated that they concealed information during their pre-donation evaluations. The donors' psychological reactions post-donation were generally positive, and nearly all indicated that they would make the same decision again.

Hypnosis and relaxation in the context of plastic surgery nursing.

Hypnotic induction and relaxation strategies are discussed as helpful resources for plastic surgery nurses in providing optimal patient care. An overview of the history and context of these strategies is provided along with descriptions of specific techniques to assist patients to relax when receiving potentially painful procedures. The techniques discussed include mindful focus, focused breathing, body scan, progressive relaxation, and guided imagery. Additional resources are provided for nurses seeking further training.

Effects of excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists on a capsaicin-evoked nociceptive reflex: a comparison with morphine, clonidine and baclofen.

The rat isolated spinal cord-tail preparation has been employed to examine the effects of several antinociceptive drugs and excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor antagonists on nociceptive reflexes (recorded in ventral roots) stimulated by peripheral application of capsaicin (CAP). Non-nociceptive monosynaptic and polysynaptic dorsal root-evoked ventral root potentials (DR-VRPs) were also examined. Morphine (0.01-3 microM) and clonidine (0.03-1 microM) inhibited CAP-stimulated activity, but not the non-nociceptive dorsal root-evoked monosynaptic reflex (MSR) or polysynaptic (PSR) activity. These effects were antagonized by naloxone and efaroxan, respectively. The AMPA/KA receptor antagonists CNQX (0.1-100 microM) and DNQX (0.1-30 microM) blocked nociceptive activity and were 4-fold selective for CAP-evoked potentials compared to the monosynaptic reflex. Kynurenate (1-300 microM), DL-AP-4 (3-300 microM), L-AP-4 (3-300 microM), and the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen (0.1-10 microM), inhibited all evoked potentials with relatively little selectivity between nociceptive and non-nociceptive responses. NMDA receptor antagonism by AP-5 (100 microM) reduced nociceptive and non-nociceptive potentials by a maximum of 30-33%. These data indicate that AMPA/KA receptor-mediated synapses are involved in acute spinal nociceptive transmission and suggest that AMPA/KA receptor subtypes could provide novel analgesic targets.