The effect of hypoxia on cognitive performance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Air travel may cause significant hypoxia in passengers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is not known whether this level of hypoxia will cause impairment in cognitive function. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hypoxia on cognitive performance in patients with COPD when Pa(O2) was decreased <6.6 kPa. In ten patients with moderate to severe COPD trail making tasks and complex figure tasks were used to assess cognitive performance when the patients breathed 21% O(2), and when Pa(O2) was decreased to <6.6 kPa. During administration of 21% O(2), Pa(O2) was 9.5 (8.9-10.2) kPa. When Sp(O2) was decreased to 85% via manipulation of the FI(O2) (inspired fraction of oxygen) Pa(O2), decreased to 6.1 (5.9-6.2) kPa. No short term deterioration in visual search, mental flexibility or visuospatial constructional ability was detected when Pa(O2) was decreased to <6.6 kPa. The results show that short term exposure to hypoxia had no adverse effect on cognitive function.

Alcohol advertising and youth.

This article presents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2001 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Montreal, Canada. The symposium was organized and chaired by Joel W. Grube. The presentations and presenters were (1) Introduction and background, by Susan E. Martin; (2) The effect of alcohol ads on youth 15-26 years old, by Leslie Snyder, Mark Hamilton, Fran Fleming-Milici, and Michael D. Slater; (3) A comparison of exposure to alcohol advertising and drinking behavior in elementary versus middle school children, by Phyllis L. Ellickson and Rebecca L. Collins; (4) USC health and advertising project: assessment study on alcohol advertisement memory and exposure, by Alan Stacy; and (5) TV beer and soft drink advertising: what young people like and what effects? by Meng-Jinn Chen and Joel W. Grube.

How does alcohol contribute to sexual assault? Explanations from laboratory and survey data.

This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium of the 2001 RSA Meeting in Montreal, Canada. The chair was Antonia Abbey and the organizers were Tina Zawacki and Philip O. Buck. There were four presentations and a discussant. The first presentation was made by Maria Testa whose interviews with sexual assault victims suggest that there may be differences in the characteristics of sexual assaults in which both the victim and perpetrator were using substances as compared to when only the perpetrator was using substances. The second presentation was made by Tina Zawacki whose research found that perpetrators of sexual assaults that involved alcohol were in most ways similar to perpetrators of sexual assaults that did not involve alcohol, although they differed on impulsivity and several alcohol measures. The third presentation was made by Kathleen Parks who described how alcohol consumption affected women's responses to a male confederate's behavior in a simulated bar setting. The fourth presentation was made by Jeanette Norris who found that alcohol and expectancies affected men's self-reported likelihood of acting like a hypothetical sexually aggressive man. Susan E. Martin discussed the implications of these studies and made suggestions for future research.