Neuroticism and responses to social comparison among cancer patients

The present study examined how the effects of three audiotapes containing different types of social comparison information on the mood of cancer patients depended on the level of neuroticism. On the procedural tape, a man and woman discussed the process of radiation therapy, on the emotion tape, they focussed on emotional reactions to their illness and treatment, while on the coping tape they focussed on the way they had been coping. A validation study among 115 students showed that the tapes were perceived as they were intended. The main study was conducted among 226 patients who were about to undergo radiation therapy. Compared to patients in the control group, as patients were higher in neuroticism, they reported less negative mood after listening to the procedural and the coping tape. Furthermore, as patients were higher in neuroticism, they reported less negative mood after listening to the coping tape than to the emotion tape. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mental number line disruption in a right-neglect patient after a left-hemisphere stroke

A right-neglect patient with focal left-hemisphere damage to the posterior superior parietal lobe was assessed for numerical knowledge and tested on the bisection of numerical intervals and visual lines. The semantic and verbal knowledge of numbers was preserved, whereas the performance in numerical tasks that strongly emphasize the visuo-spatial layout of numbers (e.g. number bisection) was impaired. The behavioral pattern of error in the two bisection tasks mirrored the one previously described in left-neglect patients. In other words, our patient misplaced the subjective midpoint (numerical or visual) to the left as function of the interval size. These data, paired with the patient's lesion site are strictly consistent with the tripartite organization of number-related processes in the parietal lobes as proposed by Dehaene and colleagues. According to these authors, the posterior superior parietal lobe on both hemispheres underpins the attentional orientation on the putative mental number line, the horizontal segment of the intraparietal sulcus is bilaterally related to the semantic of the numerical domain, whereas the left angular gyrus subserves the verbal knowledge of numbers. In summary, our results suggest that the processes involved in the navigation along the mental number line, which are related to the parietal mechanisms for spatial attention, and the processes involved in the semantic and verbal knowledge of numbers, are dissociable.     

前额叶损害对个体一般智力、认知策略与自我监控能力影响的研究

本研究随机挑选了15名因外伤而造成的前额叶损害者和15名正常成人,采用韦氏成人智力量表和自编的图片分类作业,考查了他们在一般智力、认知策略与自我监控能力方面的差异,研究结果表明:(1)前额叶损害对个体的一般智力产生显著的影响,但是其智力仍然处于正常范围,可见智力的脑结构范围极为广泛,智力是一个具有多重性的系统。(2)前额叶损害者对无关刺激的抑制,对有效信息的提取与加工放大的心理活动受到极大影响,认知策略转换能力明显低于正常人,表现出了明显的认知不随意性,额叶可能更多的与个体的计划、认知策略选择、自我监控密切相关;(3)前额叶损害者对具体概念与抽象概念的自我监控能力表现出了不同的影响,对前者的损害显著大于后者,这表明个体依据具体概念进行的形象思维与凭借抽象概念进行的逻辑思维有不同的脑机制。     

A Dissociation between Symbolic Number Knowledge and Analogue Magnitude Information

Semantic understanding of numbers and related concepts can be dissociated from rote knowledge of arithmetic facts. However, distinctions among different kinds of semantic representations related to numbers have not been fully explored. Working with numbers and arithmetic requires representing semantic information that is both analogue (e.g., the approximate magnitude of a number) and symbolic (e.g., what / means). In this article, the authors describe a patient (MC) who exhibits a dissociation between tasks that require symbolic number knowledge (e.g., knowledge of arithmetic symbols including numbers, knowledge of concepts related to numbers such as rounding) and tasks that require an analogue magnitude representation (e.g., comparing size or frequency). MC is impaired on a variety of tasks that require symbolic number knowledge, but her ability to represent and process analogue magnitude information is intact. Her deficit in symbolic number knowledge extends to a variety of concepts related to numbers (e.g., decimal points, Roman numerals, what a quartet is) but not to any other semantic categories that we have tested. These findings suggest that symbolic number knowledge is a functionally independent component of the number processing system, that it is category specific, and that it is anatomically and functionally distinct from magnitude representations.     

Numeracy in the jury box: Numerical ability,meaningful anchors,and damage award decision making

This project employs an experimental design to test theoretical predictions regarding how numeracy can assist jurors in determining damage awards to compensate a plaintiff for pain and suffering and how the use of meaningful numerical anchors may produce similar benefits. Mock jurors (N = 345) reviewed a legal case and were asked to give a dollar award to compensate the plaintiff for pain and suffering. The presence and nature of a numerical anchor and the duration of pain and suffering were manipulated. Participants' numeracy was measured. Results provided support for predictions. Jurors higher in numeracy gave awards that more appropriately reflected the duration of pain and suffering and showed less variability in awards. Similar benefits were obtained by exposing jurors to meaningful numerical anchors to help them contextualize dollar amounts. Thus, introducing meaningful anchors to jurors may provide similar benefits to numeracy, without the drawbacks associated with selecting only numerate jurors.     

涎腺肌上皮癌诊治发展的研究

涎腺肌上皮癌是一种发生于涎腺的罕见恶性肿瘤,随着研究的深入,对其生物学行为及治疗争议较大,其中牵涉到很多矛盾的思想观点,如涎腺肌上皮癌的恶性程度与分型,诊断,颈淋巴清扫的选择,术后辅助放化疗的选择等。本文对其中所蕴涵的哲学思想进行反思,以期引导对涎腺肌上皮癌的科学认识。     

核辐射对消化系统损害的防治策略

消化系统中多个器官具有细胞代谢快、易受核射线损伤的特点,成为骨髓以外最容易遭受核辐射破坏的身体部位。日本核电站的泄露事故,使核辐射再度成为世界的焦点。随着人们对电离辐射认识的增加,核辐射对消化系统的损害也逐渐受到重视。本文通过对消化系统的损害机制的研究,论述了核辐射对消化系统的损害的防护和治疗策略。     

肿瘤临床治疗中应关注肝脏

抗肿瘤细胞毒性药物有不同程度毒副作用,有些严重毒副反应是限制药物剂量或使用的直接原因。肝脏是药物代谢的主要器官,也是药物损伤的主要靶器官。随着临床肿瘤治疗关注治疗带来的副作用与关注疗效同等重要的发展,本文对抗肿瘤细胞毒性药物与肝损伤、发生机制、诊断、分型和临床治疗进展进行了阐述。     

Comprehensive driving assessment: neuropsychological testing and on-road evaluation of brain injured patients

The study investigates the correspondence between neuropsychological test results and on-road driving performance among 55 patients with a CT-verified brain damage or documented neurological disorder (cerebrovascular accident: 43, traumatic brain injury: 5, multiple sclerosis: 4, other: 3). 5 patients showed unimpaired test profiles and passed the on-road evaluation. 18 patients showed severe neuropsychological deficits contrary to driving and were not recommended for on-road evaluation. Of the remaining 32 patients with some neuropsychological deficits, all 100% in the minor impaired group (n = 8) passed the driving evaluation, compared to 69% in the mildly impaired (n = 16) and 38% in the moderately impaired group (n = 8). Measures of reduced visuoconstructive ability, reaction time, visual attention, and awareness of cognitive impairments, were found to discriminate between groups. It is concluded that neuropsychological assessment of targeted functions provide an ecological valid prediction of driving skill after brain damage, but that on-road evaluation is needed as supplement in cases with ambiguous test findings.     

Specifying factors in radiation risk perception

This is a study of risk perception and a test of a model of perceived risk. A scale measuring fear was factor analyzed and the resulting five fear factors were related to a large number of risk dimensions, both personal and general. Fear was only rather weakly related to perceived risk. Furthermore, perceived risk of two ionizing radiation hazards (nuclear power, X-rays) were investigated in more detail. These risk ratings were modelled on the basis of attitude, risk sensitivity, specific perceived risk of radiation, trust and an extended version of the traditional Psychometric Model, enhanced by the introduction of a factor of Tampering with Nature. It was found that risk perception could be well explained with this approach and the importance of Tampering with Nature, as well as specific perceived risk, were stressed.