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The present study was conducted to examine if the cognitive representation of subjective probability could be better objectified. Subjects were required to play a commercial slot machine and afterwards make an estimation as to the machine's percentage of payback. A linear regression analysis indicated that such a subjective probability estimation is developed by a combination of the number of coins played, the number of coins won, and the number of winning games. These findings suggest that examining such environmental variables may provide an explanation for the development of subjective probabilities.

Hazard-based residuals have properties that exhibit the inherent weakness of model diagnostic procedures on residual vector quality. Although the procedures function when exponents fail and parametric residuals are taken, they pose problems using the Weibull technique. In addition, total-time-on-tests always falsely conclude on the presence of the unit exponentiality property for nonparametrically measured residuals., Davis, T., and Lawrance, A. (1989), 'The Likelihood for Competing Risk Survival Analysis,' Scandinavian Journal of Statistics, 16, 23-28. Doksum, K., and Yandell, B. (1974), 'Tests for Exponentiality,' in Handbook [...]

Background: Viral loads (VLs) frequently are followed during treatment of symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus disease, but their predictive value is unclear.Methods: Post hoc analysis of 2 antiviral studies was performed. Seventy-three subjects were treated for 6 weeks and 47 subjects were treated for 6 months. Whole blood VL was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction before and during therapy.Results: Higher baseline VL was associated with central nervous system involvement (3.82 log, range 1-5.65 vs 3.32 log, range 1-5.36; P = .001), thrombocytopenia (3.68 log, range 1-5.65 vs 3.43 log, range 1-5.36; P = .03), and transaminitis at presentation (3.73 log, range 1-5.60 vs 3.39 log, range 1-5.65; P = .009), but with overlap in the amount of virus detected between groups. In subjects treated for 6 months, lower VL at presentation correlated with better hearing outcomes at 12 months, but VL breakpoints predictive of hearing loss were not identified. Sustained viral suppression during 6 months of therapy correlated with better hearing outcomes at 6, 12, and 24 months (P = .01, P = .0007, P = .04), but a majority without viral suppression still had improved hearing.Conclusions: In infants with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus disease, higher whole blood VL before initiation of antiviral therapy has no clinically meaningful predictive value for long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is often associated with increased systolic blood pressure and decreased diastolic blood pressure. Isolated systolic hypertension or an elevated systolic blood pressure without an elevated diastolic blood pressure is a known risk factor for incident heart failure in older adults. In the current study, we examined whether isolated diastolic hypotension, defined as a diastolic blood pressure <60 mm Hg and a systolic blood pressure ≥100 mm Hg, is associated with incident heart failure. Of the 5795 Medicare-eligible community-dwelling adults age ≥65 years in the Cardiovascular Health Study, 5521 were free of prevalent heart failure at baseline. After excluding 145 individuals with baseline systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg, the final sample included 5376 participants, of whom 751 (14%) had isolated diastolic hypotension. Propensity scores for isolated diastolic hypotension were calculated for each of the 5376 participants and used to match 545 and 2348 participants with and without isolated diastolic hypotension, respectively, who were balanced on 58 baseline characteristics. During >12 years of median follow-up, centrally adjudicated incident heart failure developed in 25% and 20% of matched participants with and without isolated diastolic hypotension, respectively (hazard ratio associated with isolated diastolic hypotension: 1.33 [95% CI: 1.10-1.61]; P=0.004). Among the 5376 prematch individuals, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for incident heart failure associated with isolated diastolic hypotension was 1.29 (95% CI: 1.09-1.53; P=0.003). As in isolated systolic hypertension, among community-dwelling older adults without prevalent heart failure, isolated diastolic hypotension is also a significant independent risk factor for incident heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have shown previously that patients with resistant hypertension and hyperaldosteronism have increased brain natriuretic peptide suggestive of increased intravascular volume. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that hyperaldosteronism contributes to cardiac volume overload. Thirty-seven resistant hypertensive patients with hyperaldosteronism (urinary aldosterone > or = 12 microg/24 hours and plasma renin activity < or = 1.0 ng/mL per hour) and 71 patients with normal aldosterone status were studied. Both groups had similar blood pressure and left ventricular mass, whereas left and right ventricular end-diastolic volumes measured by cardiac MRI were greater in high versus normal aldosterone subjects (P<0.05). Spironolactone treatment (19 patients in the high aldosterone group and 15 patients from the normal aldosterone group participated in the follow-up) resulted in a significant decrease in clinic systolic blood pressure, right and left ventricular end diastolic volumes, left atrial volume, left ventricular mass, and brain natriuretic peptide at 3 and 6 months of follow-up in patients with high aldosterone, whereas in those with normal aldosterone status, spironolactone decreased blood pressure and left ventricular mass without changes in ventricular or atrial volumes or plasma brain natriuretic peptide. Hyperaldosteronism causes intracardiac volume overload in patients with resistant hypertension in spite of conventional thiazide diuretic use. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade induces rapid regression of left ventricular hypertrophy irrespective of aldosterone status. In subjects with high aldosterone, mineralocorticoid receptor blockade induces a prominent diuretic effect compared with a greater vasodilatory effect in subjects with normal aldosterone status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]