University of Pittsburgh

About: University of Pittsburgh is a education organization based out in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 87042 authors who have published 201012 publications receiving 9656783 citations. The organization is also known as: Pitt & Western University of Pennsylvania.

Parsing executive processes: strategic vs. evaluative functions of the anterior cingulate cortex.

Abstract: Event-related functional MRI and a version of the Stroop color naming task were used to test two conflicting theories of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) function during executive processes of cognition. A response-related increase in ACC activity was present when strategic processes were less engaged, and conflict high, but not when strategic processes were engaged and conflict reduced. This is inconsistent with the widely held view that the ACC implements strategic processes to reduce cognitive conflicts, such as response competition. Instead, it suggests that the ACC serves an evaluative function, detecting cognitive states such as response competition, which may lead to poor performance, and representing the knowledge that strategic processes need to be engaged.

The effect of affect on foreign language learning: a review of the anxiety research

Abstract: Although studies of the relationship between affective factors and language learning proficiency abound in the literature, the evidence to support such a relationship is difficult to interpret. Much of the problem resides in the fact that a wide range of variables are lumped together under the rubric “affect.” An attempt is made to ameliorate this situation by defining affective variables in terms of traditional psychological theory and classifying them as a subset of those variables intrinsic to the learner. The conflicting evidence dealing with one important affective variable, anxiety, is then examined, and it is shown that ambiguous experimental results can be resolved if the distinction between facilitating and debilitating anxiety is drawn. Further classificatory distinctions are discussed from the abundant experimentation undertaken by applied psychologists, and an attempt is made to consider the implications of some of this research for adult language learning–for some of the new methodologies in EFL as well as for future research opportunities.

Treatment of complicated grief: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract: ContextComplicated grief is a debilitating disorder associated with important negative health consequences, but the results of existing treatments for it have been disappointing.ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of a novel approach, complicated grief treatment, with a standard psychotherapy (interpersonal psychotherapy).DesignTwo-cell, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial, stratified by manner of death of loved one and treatment site.SettingA university-based psychiatric research clinic as well as a satellite clinic in a low-income African American community between April 2001 and April 2004.ParticipantsA total of 83 women and 12 men aged 18 to 85 years recruited through professional referral, self-referral, and media announcements who met criteria for complicated grief.InterventionsParticipants were randomly assigned to receive interpersonal psychotherapy (n = 46) or complicated grief treatment (n = 49); both were administered in 16 sessions during an average interval of 19 weeks per participant.Main Outcome MeasureTreatment response, defined either as independent evaluator-rated Clinical Global Improvement score of 1 or 2 or as time to a 20-point or better improvement in the self-reported Inventory of Complicated Grief.ResultsBoth treatments produced improvement in complicated grief symptoms. The response rate was greater for complicated grief treatment (51%) than for interpersonal psychotherapy (28%; P = .02) and time to response was faster for complicated grief treatment (P = .02). The number needed to treat was 4.3.ConclusionComplicated grief treatment is an improved treatment over interpersonal psychotherapy, showing higher response rates and faster time to response.

Subcutaneous Abdominal Fat and Thigh Muscle Composition Predict Insulin Sensitivity Independently of Visceral Fat

Abstract: Whether visceral adipose tissue has a uniquely powerful association with insulin resistance or whether subcutaneous abdominal fat shares this link has generated controversy in the area of body composition and insulin sensitivity. An additional issue is the potential role of fat deposition within skeletal muscle and the relationship with insulin resistance. To address these matters, the current study was undertaken to measure body composition, aerobic fitness, and insulin sensitivity within a cohort of sedentary healthy men ( n = 26) and women ( n = 28). The subjects, who ranged from lean to obese (BMI 19.6-41.0 kg/m2), underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to measure fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM), computed tomography to measure cross-sectional abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, and computed tomography (CT) of mid-thigh to measure muscle cross-sectional area, muscle attenuation, and subcutaneous fat. Insulin sensitivity was measured using the glucose clamp technique (40 mU · m∼2 · min−1), in conjunction with [3-3H]glucose isotope dilution. Maximal aerobic power (Vo2max) was determined using an incremental cycling test. Insulin-stimulated glucose disposal ( R d) ranged from 3.03 to 16.83 mg · min−1· kg−1 FFM. R d was negatively correlated with FM ( r = -0.58), visceral fat ( r = -0.52), subcutaneous abdominal fat ( r = -0.61), and thigh fat ( r = -0.38) and positively correlated with muscle attenuation ( r = 0.48) and Vo2max ( r = 0.26, P < 0.05). In addition to manifesting the strongest simple correlation with insulin sensitivity, in stepwise multiple regression, subcutaneous abdominal fat retained significance after adjusting for visceral fat, while the converse was not found. Muscle attenuation contributed independent significance to multiple regression models of body composition and insulin sensitivity, and in analysis of obese subjects, muscle attenuation was the strongest single correlate of insulin resistance. In summary, as a component of central adiposity, subcutaneous abdominal fat has as strong an association with insulin resistance as visceral fat, and altered muscle composition, suggestive of increased fat content, is an important independent marker of insulin resistance in obesity.

Continuous intravenous epoprostenol for pulmonary hypertension due to the scleroderma spectrum of disease. A randomized, controlled trial.

Abstract: Continuous epoprostenol therapy improves exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary hypertension due to the scleroderma spectrum of disease