Changes In Other Behaviors Research Articles

Model Projections on the Required Coverage of Syringe Distribution to Prevent HIV Epidemics Among Injecting Drug Users

Although syringe distribution is effective in preventing HIV transmission among injecting drug users (IDUs), there is little evidence on the required coverage to substantially reduce HIV transmission. A mathematical model is developed to explore the relationship between the endemic HIV prevalence among IDUs and the coverage of syringe distribution. Data from IDU populations in the United Kingdom and Belarus are used to explore the implications of increasing coverage and the effect of changes in other behaviors. Projections suggest that there is a coverage threshold, which, if reached, could lead to substantial decreases in HIV prevalence. The threshold largely depends on the frequency that IDUs inject and (safely) reuse their syringes, and corresponds to less than 4 syringe-sharing events per IDU per month. Other factors, such as the injecting cessation rate and efficacy of syringe cleaning, only have substantial impact near threshold coverage levels. Our results support a policy of increasing the coverage of syringe distribution but highlight the difficulty in producing a universal coverage target. Great public health benefit could be conferred by encouraging the safe reuse of an IDU's own syringes and small stable injecting groups. Policies that discourage this will negate the impact of syringe distribution interventions.

Behavioural responses to different floor space allowances in small groups of laying hens

1. Under Council Directive 1999/74/EC, minimum space allowances per laying hen range from 550 cm2 in unfurnished cages to 1111 cm2 in alternative housing, and to 40 000 cm2 outdoors for free-range hens. In official reports on the welfare of laying hens, there is recognition that knowledge of their space requirements is inadequate. 2. This experiment studied expression of behaviour, including spacing, in five groups of six and one group of five ISA Brown hens aged 21–33 weeks in an adjustable test pen providing 600, 2400, 4800, 7200, 9600, and 12 000 cm2 floor area per hen. Each group was tested with every treatment. Home pens provided 2400 cm2 per hen. The main aim was to identify a hypothetical point at which mutual repulsion equals mutual attraction (a ‘broken stick’ response). 3. Sequencing of treatments was according to a Latin square design, daytime tests lasted 2 h and had no feeder or drinker present, and overnight tests were done with 2400, 7200 and 12 000 cm2 per hen with a feeder and drinker present. Groups were video-recorded from above to allow repeated measurements of spacing and other behaviours. 4. In daytime tests, the relationship between mean distance to nearest neighbour and floor space allowance was asymptotic, rather than a ‘broken stick’. The steepest part of the response was between 600 and 4800 cm2 per hen. Changes in other behaviours were greatest between 600 and 2400 cm2, and there was no significant change above 7200 cm2. Spacing behaviour responses at night were the same as by day. 5. It is concluded that any space allowance of less than about 5000 cm2 per hen imposes at least some constraint on free expression of behaviour, and that hens would benefit from any increase above the current minimum 1111 cm2 usable area in alternative housing.

Acoustic startle, conditioned startle potentiation and the effects of 8-OH-DPAT and buspirone in rats selectively bred for differences in 8-OH-DPAT-induced hypothermia.

HDS and LDS rats are the result of selective breeding for differences in the hypothermic effects of the 5-hydroxytryptamine-1A (5-HT1A) agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT); HDS (high DPAT sensitivity) rats exhibit a much greater hypothermic response than do LDS (low DPAT sensitivity) rats. It is possible that this genetically-based difference in sensitivity to the hypothermic effects of the 5-HT1A agonist is associated with a change in other behaviours modulated by 5-HT neurotransmission. The present study examined the acoustic startle response, the classically conditioned enhancement of startle, and the effects of 8-OH-DPAT and buspirone treatments on these measures, in HDS and LDS rats. On four test sessions, HDS and LDS rats were exposed to 20 acoustic startle stimuli (115 dB; 40 ms in duration). For each test session, 10 trials were presented in the dark (Noise Alone trials) and 10 were presented at the end of a 3500 ms presentation of a 15 W signal light (Light + Noise trials). LDS rats exhibited greater startle amplitude than did HDS rats on Noise Alone trials. Initially, there was no difference in startle amplitude on the Light + Noise versus Noise Alone trials in either LDS or HDS rats. By the end of the first test session, however, and continuing throughout the remainder of the four test sessions, startle amplitude on the Light + Noise trials was significantly greater than in the Noise Alone trials. The magnitude of this startle-potentiated startle (SPS) effect did not differ in HDS versus LDS rats. SPS testing was continued for three additional sessions; in these sessions the effects of acute treatment with the 8-OH-DPAT (125 microg/kg, subcutaneously (s.c.)), the novel anxiolytic buspirone (4 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)) or vehicle (distilled water) were determined. Both 8-OH-DPAT and buspirone treatment increased baseline (Noise Alone) startle amplitude in LDS rats but not in HDS rats. With respect to the conditioned enhancement of startle, buspirone reduced the SPS effect in both HDS and LDS rats, whereas 8-OH-DPAT did not change the conditioned enhancement effect in either rat line. These findings suggest that the selective breeding for differences in 8-OH-DPAT-induced hypothermia has resulted in changes in other behaviours and also changes in the response to 5-HT1A agonist treatment. Moreover, these findings are consistent with the hypotheses that: (a) 5-HT1A agonist actions underlie the buspirone-induced and 8-OH-DPAT-induced increases in Noise Alone startle amplitude; whereas (b) the buspirone-induced reduction in potentiated startle is not the result of 5-HT1A agonist actions of this compound.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CHANGE IN A PATIENT-CENTERED ALCOHOL INTERVENTION - PROJECT HEALTH, 1997???2000

Understanding the interactions among health risk behaviors, such as poor diet, smoking, high-risk alcohol use and physical inactivity, is important for designing effective interventions. Limited data are available to describe how interventions to modify one risk behavior may influence changes in other behaviors. Interaction of behaviors was examined as part of a one-year randomized clinical trial designed to assess the effect of a brief physician- and nurse practitioner-delivered counseling intervention versus usual care to reduce alcohol consumption by high-risk drinkers in a primary care setting. Self-reported data were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months using the Time Line Follow-Back interview methodology, which inquired about alcohol consumption over the previous 7 days embedded in questions on diet, physical activity and smoking as a way to minimize reporting bias associated with self-report of alcohol use. The physical activity component was a modified 7-day physical activity recall. Of the 531 high-risk drinkers enrolled, 78% had complete data on leisure time physical activity (LTPA) at baseline and 12 months. Overall, there was a small statistically significant increase in LTPA (3.8 minutes, p < 0.03) between baseline and 12 months. This result did not differ significantly between the intervention (4.8 minutes) and control (2.7 minutes) groups (p = 0.5). Individuals in the intervention group significantly decreased weekly alcohol consumption compared to the control group at 6 and 12 months; however, change in alcohol was not related to a change in LTPA for either group. Results indicate that an intervention to modify high-risk drinking is not likely to result in meaningful, positive changes to LTPA. This suggests that interventions aimed at changing multiple risk behaviors must be purposeful and tailored to each specific health behavior of interest. Supported by NIAAA 9153-04

Environmental enrichment and isolation rearing in the rat: effects on locomotor behavior and startle response plasticity

Background: Laboratory rats exhibit behavioral changes that reflect a continuum of early life experience, from isolation-reared to socially reared to enrichment-reared conditions. In this study, we further characterize the behavioral effects of isolation, social, and enriched rearing on locomotor activity, patterns of movement and exploration, startle reactivity, prepulse inhibition (PPI), and habituation in adult rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rat pups (21 days old) were housed under enrichment (three per cage with toys and exposure to enriched environments), normal social (three per cage), or isolation (one per cage) conditions. Eight weeks later, locomotor and exploratory behaviors, acoustic startle reactivity, PPI, and habituation were measured in the three groups. Results: Enrichment-reared rats exhibited reduced exploration and rapid habituation of locomotor activity, increased startle reactivity, and normal PPI and startle habituation compared with socially reared controls. Isolation-reared rats exhibited increased exploration and normal habituation of locomotor activity, increased startle reactivity, reduced PPI, and normal startle habituation. Conclusions: Isolation- and enrichment-reared rats exhibited opposite changes in some behaviors and similar changes in other behaviors. Specifically, rats raised in enriched conditions appear more efficient at assimilating stimuli from their environment than do rats reared in isolation. Nevertheless, both enrichment- and isolation-rearing conditions increased startle reactivity, whereas only isolation rearing led to disruptions of PPI in adulthood. These results suggest that isolation- and enrichment-rearing conditions produce some common and some differential effects on how rats process environmental stimuli. For studies of isolation-rearing effects on PPI, however, the complex and resource-intensive enrichment condition seems to offer few advantages over the normal social condition.

Respiratory pumping in Aplysia fasciata in natural and artificial tide pools

The rate of respiratory pumping is gradually increased when Aplysiafasciata are trapped in either natural or artificial tide pools, in which the O2 concentration, temperature, salinity and CO2 concentration are gradually changed. There are also gradual changes in the time spent on additional behaviors. Immobility increases, while feeding and mating decrease. Respiratory pumping is likely to contribute to the ability of Aplysia to survive in a tide pool, since procedures causing a decrease in the respiratory pump rate (ablation of the osphradium or cutting the pleural-abdominal connectives) also cause an increase in the number of animals that become moribund in the tide pool. Respiratory pumping in artificial tide pools is triggered by a combination of all four stimuli that are changed, but the effects caused by changes in the O2 concentration and temperature are the largest. Changes in other behaviors were also caused by all of the stimuli that are altered in artificial tide pools.

Poisoning Prevention Knowledge and Practices of Parents After a Childhood Poisoning Incident

This study investigated the effectiveness of a poison center-initiated mailed intervention on improving the preventive practices of families whose preschool child had recently experienced a poisoning incident. A low-cost, mailed poisoning prevention packet consisting of telephone stickers, a +f41 coupon for syrup of ipecac, one slide-style cabinet lock, a nine-step checklist for "poison-proofing" the home, pamphlets, and a cover letter was tested prospectively on a population of parents calling a poison center for advice about possible poisoning exposures involving their preschool children. Parents without ipecac 1 week after the incident were randomized so that half received the mailed intervention. A "blind" follow-up telephone interview was conducted 3 months later. Of the 336 original families enrolled in the study, 301 (90% retention) completed the follow-up interview. Those who had received the intervention were more likely to have a telephone sticker than control families (78% vs 39%; P < .0001) and were more likely to be using at least one slide lock in the home (59% vs 40%; P < .001). However, intervention families were no more likely to have ipecac on hand than control families (57% vs 52%; P = not significant) and did not indicate a higher rate of compliance with suggested changes in other behaviors and practices to prevent poisonings. A poisoning recurrence rate of 3.7% was seen in the total sample during the 3-month period of surveillance; there was no difference between groups in recurrence rate. Even after a poisoning event, parents may not be sufficiently motivated to take poisoning prevention measures on their own.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effects of staff self‐management on positive social interactions in a group home setting

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a participative management (self‐management) procedure directed toward increasing the frequency of positive interactions between direct‐care staff and group home residents. A component of the self‐management procedure, goal setting, was also evaluated. This study took place in two group homes housing a total of 16 male and female adults with moderate to mild mental retardation. Ten direct‐care staff served as subjects. It was found that self‐management produced an increase in the frequency of positive interactions of staff and residents, but did not produce changes in other behaviors being measured (e.g., negative interactions, self‐stimulation, etc.). Goal setting did not result in changes in positive interactions or other target behaviors. Reasons for the different results of self‐management versus goal‐setting are discussed and further research is suggested.

Clonidine treatment of schizophrenia: Can we predict treatment response?

Four out of 13 drug-free relapsed schizophrenic patients improved with double-blind clonidine treatment. All responders were paranoid schizophrenic patients. Pretreatment growth hormone (GH) response to the clonidine challenge test (CCT) correlated significantly with clonidine treatment improvement in psychosis, anxiety, and negative symptom ratings. Spontaneous GH peaks following placebo correlated significantly with the behavioral change with clonidine treatment. Our data suggest that patients with normal or high α 2- receptor activity and “normal” cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) norepinephrine (NE) are likely to respond to clonidine treatment. Patients with either high or low CSF NE levels did not respond to clonidine treatment. CSF NE and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) decreased significantly with clonidine treatment. Changes in CSF NE and MHPG did not correlate significantly with improvement in psychosis, but they correlated with changes in other behaviors.

Neuroreptide Y: Stimulation of feeding and drinking by injection into the paraventricular nucleus

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a peptide contained within numerous presynaptic terminals in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), was injected directly into the PVN of satiated, brain-cannulated rats, and food and water intake were measured 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 hrs postinjection. Neuropeptide Y (24 and 78 pmoles/0.3 μl isotonic saline) caused a dose-dependent increase in food intake, as well as a small, dose-dependent increase in water intake. This effect on feeding occurred even when food was not presented until 4 hrs postinjection. To determine the behavioral specificity of this effect, the impact of PVN injection of NPY (78 pmoles) on various behaviors was observed. With food available, only feeding and drinking behavior were affected. No change in other behaviors, including grooming, rearing, sleeping, resting or different levels of activity, was observed. With food absent, NPY still elicited drinking, suggesting that this is a primary effect, rather than secondary to the feeding. In addition to drinking, NPY reliably increased activity while decreasing sleep and grooming. These results suggest an important role for hypothalamic NPY, or a structurally-related peptide, in the regulation of feeding and drinking behavior.