The dark side of romantic relationships: The role of person and situational variable in the experience and expression of jealousy

The aim of this study was to further our understanding of the factors that influence the experience of jealousy in romantic relationships. More specifically, the person variables of neuroticism, gender, and attachment style were examined, together with situational determinants such as past infidelity. The research also assessed the interaction between person and situadonal determinants of jealousy, and the relative importance of the various predictors. Questionnaires were completed by 102 undergraduate psychology students and an addidonal five participants from the researcher's social network. Consistent with past research, there was a positive association between neurodcism and chronic, emodonal, and behavioural jealousy. Furthermore, there was a posidve associadon between anxious attachment and jealousy, even when neurodcism was controlled. Past experience of infidelity and attachment dimensions had interacdve effects on jealousy. Interesdngly, the reladve importance of the predictors varied across the dimensions of jealousy. The results extend research in the area of person and situadonal determinants of jealousy, and are discussed in terms of attachment theory.

Serious adverse events in the Australian National Evaluation of Pharmacotherapies for Opioid Dependence (NEPOD)

Aims The study estimated serious adverse event (SAE) rates among entrants to pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence, during treatment and after leaving treatment. Design A longitudinal study based on data from 12 trials included in the Australian National Evaluation of Pharmacotherapies for Opioid Dependence (NEPOD). Participants and settings A total of 1.244 heroin users and methadone patients treated in hospital, community and GP settings. Intervention Six trials included detoxification; all included treatment with methadone, buprenorphine, levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol (LAAM) or naltrexone. Findings During 394 person-years of observation, 79 SAEs of 28 types were recorded. Naltrexone participants experienced 39 overdoses per 100 person-years after leaving treatment (44% occurred within 2 weeks after stopping naltrexone). This was eight times the rate recorded among participants who left agonist treatment. Rates of all other SAEs were similar during treatment versus out of treatment, for both naltrexone-treated and agonist-treated participants. Five deaths occurred, all among participants who had left treatment, at a rate of six per 100 person-years. Total SAE rates during naltrexone and agonist treatments were similar (20, 14 per 100 person-years, respectively). Total SAE and death rates observed among participants who had left treatment were three and 19 times the corresponding rates during treatment. Conclusions Individuals who leave pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence experience higher overdose and death rates compared with those in treatment. This may be due partly to a participant self-selection effect rather than entirely to pharmacotherapy being protective. Clinicians should alert naltrexone treatment patients in particular about heroin overdose risks. Duty of care may extend beyond cessation of dosing.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a kidney and cardiovascular disease treatment program in an Australian aboriginal population

The objective of the study was to assess, from a health service perspective, whether a systematic program to modify kidney and cardiovascular disease reduced the costs of treating end-stage kidney failure. The participants in the study were 1,800 aboriginal adults with hypertension, diabetes with microalbuminuria or overt albuminuria, and overt albuminuria, living on two islands in the Northern Territory of Australia during 1995 to 2000. Perindopril was the primary treatment agent, and other medications were also used to control blood pressure. Control of glucose and lipid levels were attempted, and health education was offered. Evaluation of program resource use and costs for follow-up periods was done at 3 and 4.7 years. On an intention-to-treat basis, the number of dialysis starts and dialysis-years avoided were estimated by comparing the fate of the treatment group with that of historical control subjects, matched for disease severity, who were followed in the before the treatment program began. For the first three years, an estimated 11.6 person-years of dialysis were avoided, and over 4.7 years, 27.7 person-years of dialysis were avoided. The net cost of the program was $1,210 more per person per year than status quo care, and dialyses avoided gave net savings of $1.0 million at 3 years and $3.4 million at 4.6 years. The treatment program provided significant health benefit and impressive cost savings in dialysis avoided. (C) 2005 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.

Lo-Fi matchmaking: A study of social pairing for backpackers 8th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, UbiComp 2006

It is technically feasible for mobile social software such as pairing or ‘matchmaking’ systems to introduce people to others and assist information exchange. However, little is known about the social structure of many mobile communities or why they would want such pairing systems. While engaged in other work determining requirements for a mobile travel assistant we saw a potentially useful application for a pairing system to facilitate the exchange of travel information between backpackers. To explore this area, we designed two studies involving usage of a low-fidelity role prototype of a social pairing system for backpackers. Backpackers rated the utility of different pairing types, and provided feedback on the social implications of being paired based on travel histories. Practical usage of the social network pairing activity and the implications of broader societal usage are discussed.

The effects of domain-specific avoid and prove goal orientations on performance: A multilevel analysis

Recently, goal orientation, a mental framework for understanding how individuals approach learning and achievement situadons, has emerged as an important predictor of performance. This study addressed the effects of domain-specific avoid and prove orientations on performance from the betweenand within-person levels of analysis. One hundred and three participants performed thirty trials of an airtraffic control task. Domain-specific avoid and prove orientations were measured before each trial to assess the effects of changes in goal orientadon on changes in performance (i.e. within-person relationships). Average levels of avoid and prove orientations were calculated to assess the effect of goal orientation on overall performance (i.e. between-person relationships). Findings from the between-person level of analysis revealed that high prove-orientated individuals performed better than low proveorientated individuals. Results also revealed that average goal orientation levels moderated the withinperson relationships. The effect of changes in avoid orientation on changes in performance was stronger for low versus high avoid-oriented individuals while the effect of changes in prove orientadon on changes in performances was stronger for low versus highprove oriented individuals. Implications of these findings are considered.

Human cytomegalovirus: clinical aspects, immune regulation, and emerging treatments

After initial infection, human cytomegalovirus remains in a persistent state with the host. Immunity against the virus controls replication, although intermitent viral shedding can still take place in the seropositive immunocompetent person. Replication of cytomegalovirus in the absence of an effective immune response is central to the pathogenesis of disease. Therefore, complications are primarily seen in individuals whose immune system is immature, or is suppressed by drug treatment or coinfection with other pathogens. Although our increasing knowledge of the host-virus relationship has lead to the development of new pharmacological strategies for cytomegalovirus-associated infections, these strategies all have limitations-eg, drug toxicities, development of resistance, poor oral bioavailability, and low potency. Immune-based therapies to complement pharmacological strategies for the successful treatment of virus-associated complications should be prospectively investigated.

Design options for sample-based mortality surveillance

Background Reliable information on causes of death is a fundamental component of health development strategies, yet globally only about one-third of countries have access to such information. For countries currently without adequate mortality reporting systems there are useful models other than resource-intensive population-wide medical certification. Sample-based mortality surveillance is one such approach. This paper provides methods for addressing appropriate sample size considerations in relation to mortality surveillance, with particular reference to situations in which prior information on mortality is lacking. Methods The feasibility of model-based approaches for predicting the expected mortality structure and cause composition is demonstrated for populations in which only limited empirical data is available. An algorithm approach is then provided to derive the minimum person-years of observation needed to generate robust estimates for the rarest cause of interest in three hypothetical populations, each representing different levels of health development. Results Modelled life expectancies at birth and cause of death structures were within expected ranges based on published estimates for countries at comparable levels of health development. Total person-years of observation required in each population could be more than halved by limiting the set of age, sex, and cause groups regarded as 'of interest'. Discussion The methods proposed are consistent with the philosophy of establishing priorities across broad clusters of causes for which the public health response implications are similar. The examples provided illustrate the options available when considering the design of mortality surveillance for population health monitoring purposes.

Using cohort studies to estimate mortality among injecting drug users that is not attributable to AIDS

Background: Injecting drug use (IDU) and associated mortality appear to be increasing in many parts of the world. IDU is an important factor in HIV transmission. In estimating AIDS mortality attributable to IDU, it is important to take account of premature mortality rates from other causes to ensure that AIDS related mortality among injecting drug users (IDUs) is not overestimated. The current review provides estimates of the excess non-AIDS mortality among IDUs. Method: Searches were conducted with Medline, PsycINFO, and the Web of Science. The authors also searched reference lists of identified papers and an earlier literature review by English et al (1995). Crude. mortality rates (CMRs) were derived from data on the number of deaths, period of follow UP, and number of participants. In estimating the all-cause mortality, two rates were calculated: one that included all cohort studies identified in the search, and one that only included studies that reported on AIDS deaths in their cohort. This provided lower and upper mortality rates, respectively. Results: The current paper derived weighted mortality rates based upon cohort studies that included 179 885 participants, 1 219 422 person-years of observation, and 16 593 deaths. The weighted crude AIDS mortality rate from studies that reported AIDS deaths was approximately 0.78% per annum. The median estimated non-AIDS mortality rate was 1.08% per annum. Conclusions: Illicit drug users have a greatly increased risk of premature death and mortality due to AIDS forms a significant part of that increased risk; it is, however, only part of that risk. Future work needs to examine mortality rates among IDUs in developing countries, and collect data on the relation between HIV and increased mortality due to all causes among this group.