Acute Ostracism-Related Pain Sensitization in the Context of Accumulated Lifetime Experiences of Ostracism.

Ostracism (ie, being ignored/excluded) is a form of social adversity that powerfully impacts health and well-being. While laboratory research indicates that experimentally manipulated experiences of ostracism impact pain, findings have been mixed. Prior investigations have not considered moderating or main effects of individual histories of ostracism, and have been limited in the scope of their pain testing. In this study, participants without current pain reported lifetime experiences of ostracism prior to a laboratory visit where they were randomized to experience either a single episode of ostracism (ie, acute ostracism) or control condition that was immediately followed by quantitative sensory testing. Results indicate that the experimental effect of a single episode of ostracism on pain ratings, after-sensations, and temporal summation of pain is moderated by lifetime ostracism; no main effects were found. For individuals with histories of more lifetime ostracism, encountering a single episode of ostracism led to greater pain sensitization relative to the control condition, whereas no experimental effect was observed for individuals with little lifetime exposure to ostracism. These findings indicate that acute experiences of ostracism may be accompanied by periods of hyperalgesia for people who are chronically ostracized, implicating ostracism as a potential social moderator of pain sensitization. People who are stigmatized may therefore experience enhanced pain burden with repeated and accumulating experiences of ostracism. PERSPECTIVE: Results suggest that in the context of accumulated lifetime experiences of ostracism, single experiences of ostracism evoke central sensitization. In this way, ostracism may function to trigger central sensitization and shape socially- and societally-determined patterns of pain burden and disparity.

The platform transfer splint: 2 case reports of a mobility aide for persons with arm injuries or conditions.

Limited or impaired mobility is a major obstacle to maximizing length of stay efficiency for inpatient rehabilitation. Trauma patients and others with multiple limb impairments present a mobility challenge to all rehabilitation centers. Of particular concern are patients with forearm fractures who are nonambulatory. With shorter inpatient stays, patients are being discharged home or to other settings with continued weight-bearing restrictions. These patients put great demands on their caregivers as a result of their limited mobility. The Platform Transfer Splint (PTS) has been developed to overcome limitations seen in this patient population. It is an upper extremity splint that allows weight bearing through the humerus for patients with impairments of the forearm or hand. With use of the PTS, patients can become independent in transfers and wheelchair propulsion. Two case studies are presented to show the impact of the PTS on patient mobility and discharge disposition. Fabrication of the splint is also discussed.

Effect of light-collection geometry on reconstruction errors in Abel inversions.

The Abel inversion, used to reconstruct axisymmetric radial profiles from line-of-sight intensity measurements, is increasingly used to make spatially resolved combustion measurements. An Abel deconvolution is valid only when incoming rays are parallel, whereas most practical optical setups used for emission imaging consist of single-lens and multilens systems that collect light in a cone, over a nonzero solid angle. A ray-tracing simulation was performed to aid in understanding how optical collection geometry affects measured intensity signals and the resultant reconstructed emissivity profiles. Simulation results are compared with emission tomography measurements performed on an axisymmetric laminar diffusion flame.