Patients' interactions with health providers - A linguistic category model approach

Two studies investigated interactions between health providers and patients, using Semin and Fiedler's linguistic category model. In Study 1 the linguistic category model was used to examine perceptions of the levels of linguistic intergroup bias in descriptions of conversations with health professionals in hospitals. Results indicated a favourable linguistic bias toward health professionals in satisfactory conversations but low levels of linguistic intergroup bias in unsatisfactory conversations. In Study 2, the language of patients and health professionals in videotaped interactions was examined for levels of linguistic intergroup bias. Interpersonally salient interactions showed less linguistic intergroup bias than did intergroup ones. Results also indicate that health professionals have high levels of control in all types of medical encounters with patients. Nevertheless, the extent to which patients are able to interact with health professionals as individuals, rather than only as professionals is a key determinant of satisfaction with the interaction.

A role for the dominant thalamus in language? A linguistic comparison of two cases subsequent to unilateral thalamotomy procedures in the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres

Background: Thalamotomy has been reported to be successful in ameliorating the motor symptoms of tremor and/or rigidity in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), emphasising the bona fide contribution of this subcortical nucleus to the neural circuitry subserving motor function. Despite evidence of parallel yet segregated associative and motor cortico-subcortical-cortical circuits, comparatively few studies have investigated the effects of this procedure on cognitive functions. In particular, research pertaining to the impact of thalamotomy on linguistic processes is fundamentally lacking. Aims: The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of thalamotomy in the language dominant and non-dominant hemispheres on linguistic functioning, relative to operative theoretical models of subcortical participation in language. This paper compares the linguistic profiles of two males with PD, aged 75 years (10 years of formal education) and 62 years (22 years of formal education), subsequent to unilateral thalamotomy procedures within the language dominant and non-dominant hemispheres, respectively. Methods & Procedures: Comprehensive linguistic profiles comprising general and high-level linguistic abilities in addition to on-line semantic processing skills were compiled up to 1 month prior to surgery and 3 months post-operatively, within perceived on'' periods (i.e., when optimally medicated). Pre- and post-operative language performances were compared within-subjects to a group of 16 non-surgical Parkinson's controls (NSPD) and a group of 16 non-neurologically impaired adults (NC). Outcomes & Results: The findings of this research suggest a laterality effect with regard to the contribution of the thalamus to high-level linguistic abilities and, potentially, the temporal processing of semantic information. This outcome supports the application of high-level linguistic assessments and measures of semantic processing proficiency to the clinical management of individuals with dominant thalamic lesions. Conclusions: The results reported lend support to contemporary theories of dominant thalamic participation in language, serving to further elucidate our current understanding of the role of subcortical structures in mediating linguistic processes, relevant to cortical hemispheric dominance.

Linguistic evaluation method for the environmental assessment of infrastructure projects

A soft linguistic evaluation method is proposed for the environmental assessment of physical infrastructure projects based on fuzzy relations. Infrastructure projects are characterized in terms of linguistic expressions of 'performance' with respect to factors or impacts and the 'importance' of those factors/impacts. A simple example is developed to illustrate the method in the context of three road infrastructure projects assessed against five factors/impacts. In addition, a means to include hard or crisp factors is presented and illustrated with respect to a sixth factor.

Fuzzy linguistic model for evaluating the risk of neonatal death

OBJECTIVE: To introduce a fuzzy linguistic model for evaluating the risk of neonatal death. METHODS: The study is based on the fuzziness of the variables newborn birth weight and gestational age at delivery. The inference used was Mamdani's method. Neonatologists were interviewed to estimate the risk of neonatal death under certain conditions and to allow comparing their opinions and the model values. RESULTS: The results were compared with experts' opinions and the Fuzzy model was able to capture the expert knowledge with a strong correlation (r=0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The linguistic model was able to estimate the risk of neonatal death when compared to experts' performance.

Children's metalinguistic activity in the construction of linguistic existence

In this paper we examine the construction of first entities in narratives produced by children of 5, 7, 10 years and adults1 . The study demonstrates that when children reformulate they try to construct entities detached from the situation of enunciation, which means that they construct a detached or a translated plane and they construct linguistic existence of entities. Entities must first be introduced into the enunciative space and then comments will be made in subsequent utterances. Constructing existence supposes extraction. This consists of “singling out an occurrence, that is, isolating and drawing its spatiotemporal boundaries” (Culioli, 1990, p. 182) . Once the occurrence of the notion is constructed (which means it has become a separate occurrence with situational properties), children can predicate about it. However, there are children who do not construct the linguistic existence of entities. I hypothesize that the mode of task presentation influences the success of constructing linguistic existence. Sharing the investigator’s knowledge about the stimulus images, children do not ascribe an existential status to the occurrence of the notional domain.

Histamine induces ATP release from human subcutaneous fibroblasts via pannexin-1 hemichannels leading to Ca2+ mobilization and cell proliferation

Changes in the regulation of connective tissue ATP-mediated mechano-transduction and remodeling may be an important link to the pathogenesis of chronic pain. It has been demonstrated that mast cell-derived histamine plays an important role in painful fibrotic diseases. Here we analyzed the involvement of ATP in the response of human subcutaneous fibroblasts to histamine. Acute histamine application caused a rise in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and ATP release from human subcutaneous fibroblasts via H1 receptor activation. Histamine-induced [Ca2+]i rise was partially attenuated by apyrase, an enzyme that inactivates extracellular ATP, and by blocking P2 purinoceptors with pyridoxal phosphate-6-azo(benzene-2,4-disulfonic acid) tetrasodium salt and reactive blue 2. [Ca2+]i accumulation caused by histamine was also reduced upon blocking pannexin-1 hemichannels with 10Panx, probenecid, or carbenoxolone but not when connexin hemichannels were inhibited with mefloquine or 2-octanol. Brefeldin A, an inhibitor of vesicular exocytosis, also did not block histamine-induced [Ca2+]i mobilization. Prolonged exposure of human subcutaneous fibroblast cultures to histamine favored cell growth and type I collagen synthesis via the activation of H1 receptor. This effect was mimicked by ATP and its metabolite, ADP, whereas the selective P2Y1 receptor antagonist, MRS2179, partially attenuated histamine-induced cell growth and type I collagen production. Expression of pannexin-1 and ADPsensitive P2Y1 receptor on human subcutaneous fibroblasts was confirmed by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis. In conclusion, histamine induces ATP release from human subcutaneous fibroblasts, via pannexin-1 hemichannels, leading to [Ca2+]i mobilization and cell growth through the cooperation of H1 and P2 (probably P2Y1) receptors.