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Paper Reviews Studies (paper + review_studies)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

The Brøset violence checklist (BVC)

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2002
Phil Woods
Objective:, The Brøset violence checklist (BVC) is a short-term violence prediction instrument assessing confusion, irritability, boisterousness, verbal threats, physical threats and attacks on objects as either present or absent. The aim of this paper is to describe the evolution and usefulness of the BVC. Method:, This paper reviews studies on the BVC and discusses implications for further research. Results:, Empirical research has shown that it has moderate sensitivity and high specificity with an adequate inter-rater reliability. Conclusion:, The BVC is a useful instrument for predicting inpatient violence within the next 24-h period. The psychometric properties of the instrument are satisfactory. Results from ongoing studies will give important information on cultural differences, the validity of the BVC in less well staffed wards, the clinical use of the checklist and its ability to predict violence throughout all the hospital stay. [source]

Subjective Response to Alcohol: A Critical Review of the Literature

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2010
Meghan E. Morean
Background:, Subjective response to alcohol (SR), which reflects individual differences in sensitivity to the pharmacological effects of alcohol, may be an important endophenotype in understanding genetic influences on drinking behavior and alcohol use disorders (AUDs). SR predicts alcohol use and problems and has been found to differ by a range of established risk factors for the development of AUDs (e.g., family history of alcoholism). The exact pattern of SR associated with increased risk for alcohol problems, however, remains unclear. The Low Level of Response Model (LLR) suggests that high-risk individuals experience decreased sensitivity to the full range of alcohol effects, while the Differentiator Model (DM) asserts that high risks status is associated with increased sensitivity to alcohol's positive effects but decreased sensitivity to negative effects. Aims:, The current paper (1) reviews two prominent models of subjective response, (2) reviews extant laboratory-based research on subjective response, (3) highlights remaining gaps in our understanding and assessment of subjective response, and (4) encourages collaborative efforts to address these methodological and conceptual concerns. Methods:, This paper reviews studies which employed placebo-controlled and non-placebo-controlled alcohol challenge paradigms to assess a range of alcohol effects including impairment, stimulation, and sedation. Results:, The research literature provides at least partial support for both the LLR and DM models. High-risk individuals have been shown to have a reduced response to alcohol with respect to sedative or impairing effects, particularly on the descending limb of the blood alcohol curve (BAC). There is also evidence that ascending limb stimulant effects are more pronounced or operate differently for high-risk individuals. Discussion:, Despite commendable advances in SR research, important questions remain unanswered. Inconsistent results across studies may be attributable to a combination of an inadequate understanding of the underlying construct and methodological differences across studies (e.g., number and timing of assessments across the BAC, inclusion of a placebo condition). With respect to the underlying construct, existing measures fail to adequately distinguish between cognitive/behavioral impairment and sedation, aspects of which may be perceived positively (e.g., anxiolysis) due to their ability to act as negative reinforcers. Conclusions:, Addressing the concerns raised by the current review will be integral to making meaningful scientific progress in the field of subjective response. [source]

Empirically Derived Eating Patterns Using Factor or Cluster Analysis: A Review

NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 5 2004
M.P.H., P. K. Newby Sc.D.
This paper reviews studies performed to date that have employed cluster or factor analysis to empirically derive eating patterns. Since 1980, at least 93 studies were published that used cluster or factor analysis to define dietary exposures, of which 65 were used to test hypotheses or examine associations between patterns and disease outcomes or biomarkers. Studies were conducted in diverse populations across many countries and continents and suggest that patterns are associated with many different biomarkers and disease outcomes, whether measured by cluster or factor analysis. Despite clear differences in approaches and interpretations, there is some evidence that underlying eating patterns are revealed by either method. Although the research considered herein has created a meaningful body of literature, refining both the factor and cluster analysis methods will help to further establish eating patterns as a sound dietary assessment method. [source]

Phenotypic approaches for understanding patterns of intracemetery biological variation

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue S43 2006
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Abstract This paper reviews studies of phenotypic inheritance and microevolutionary processes in archaeological populations using data on cranial and dental phenotypic variation, often referred to as paleogenetics or biodistance analysis. The estimation of biological distances between populations, or among individuals within populations, is one component of bioarchaeological research on past populations. In this overview, five approaches that focus on morphological variation within cemeteries are summarized: kinship and cemetery structure analysis, postmarital residence analysis, sample aggregate phenotypic variability, temporal microchronology, and age-structured phenotypic variation. Previous research, theoretical justifications, and methods are outlined for each topic. Case studies are presented that illustrate these theoretical and methodological bases, as well as demonstrate the kinds of inferences possible using these approaches. Kinship and cemetery structure analysis seeks to identify the members of family groups within larger cemeteries or determine whether cemeteries were kin-structured. Analysis of sex-specific phenotypic variation allows estimation of postmarital residence practices, which is important for understanding other aspects of prehistoric social organization. Analysis of aggregate phenotypic variability can be used to infer site formation processes or cemetery catchment area. The study of temporal microchronologies can be used to evaluate provisional archaeological chronologies or study microevolutionary processes such as adaptive selection or changing patterns of gene flow. Finally, age-structured phenotypic variation can be reflective of selection processes within populations or it can be used as a measure of morbidity, growth arrest, and early mortality within past populations. Use of phenotypic data as a genotypic proxy is theoretically sound, even at small scales of analysis. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 49:49,88, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]