"Smoking Is Sóóó ... Sandals and White Socks": Co-Creation of a Dutch Anti-Smoking Campaign to Change Social Norms.

This article considers co-creation as a new persuasive strategy in health campaigns. Co-creation enables target audience members to become active campaign producers. A recent Dutch anti-smoking campaign applied co-creation, inviting the target audience to complete the slogan "smoking is sóóó . . . " with something outdated on social networking sites (SNSs) like Facebook and Twitter to stress non-smoking as the new social norm. From a corpus-linguistic perspective, we investigated how the slogans from the target audience resonated with or deviated from the campaign's original message. In general, the target audience slogans followed the campaign's approach, but on the SNSs, differences were found regarding the valence, type of utterance, and domain to which smoking was compared. The target audience frequently compared smoking with other (inter)personal social norms. Co-creation thus provides the target audience with an opportunity to disseminate campaign messages from their own perspective, but at the same time a co-creation strategy risks diluting the intended campaign message.

Evaluation of 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 cross-reactivity in the Roche Elecsys Vitamin D Total protein binding assay.

BACKGROUND: Presence of the 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [3-epi-25(OH)D3] metabolite affects accurate determination of 25(OH)D3 by most routine liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods and to an unknown extent in present immuno- and protein binding assays. We studied 3-epi-25(OH)D3 cross-reactivity in a competitive protein binding (CPB) assay (Roche Elecsys). METHODS: Neonatal samples, containing up to 58% of 3-epi-25(OH)D3 were used for measurement by the CPB assay and by an LC-MS/MS method separating 25(OH)D3 and 3-epi-25(OH)D3. Analytical recovery was also studied by addition of exogenous 3-epi-25(OH)D3. RESULTS: The CPB assay showed approximately 51% cross-reactivity to 3-epi-25(OH)D3 at exogenous addition. In contrast, there was minimal 3-epi-25(OH)D3 recognition by the CPB assay when present as the natural endogenous metabolite. CONCLUSIONS: The automated CPB assay displays minimal 3-epi-25(OH)D3 cross-reactivity in samples containing significant concentrations of endogenous 3-epi-25(OH)D3. Exogenous 3-epi-25(OH)D3 added to human serum or plasma seems to behave different from endogenous presence, and caution is warranted when using samples spiked with vitamin D metabolites for testing analytical specificity or external quality assurance in immuno- or protein binding assays.

Thinking by metaphor, fast and slow: Deliberate Metaphor Theory offers a new model for metaphor and its comprehension.

The immense increase in metaphor theory and research over the past decades is posing a threat of fragmentation to the field, which has been responded to by calls for new and more encompassing approaches to virtually all aspects metaphorical. This article argues that the opposite response may be more productive. By focusing on a different way of theorizing metaphor and its comprehension, existing theories and data can be re-ordered in an alternative and coherent way, which moreover breaks new grounds in tying up both with a general theory for all utterance comprehension as well as a general theory for all cognition as involving fast and slow thinking. The core of the new theory highlights the differentiation between deliberate and non-deliberate metaphor use, related to how people see the use of a metaphor as a metaphor in communication, that is, as a metaphor that counts as a metaphor between language users. It shows how this distinction can be employed to make sense of many insights about metaphor and its comprehension in innovative ways. The article outlines the foundations of the new theory and discusses how existing data, old and new, can be seen as supporting the new proposals.

Practical application of Sigma Metrics QC procedures in clinical chemistry.

BACKGROUND: Many labs have not yet selected the most appropriate Westgard Quality Control (QC) rule for each test. This is mainly due to the apparent complexity of the matter. METHODS: From the Westgard OPSpecs Charts QC planning tool and the Sigma Metrics formula's it was deduced that every Westgard rule has its own Sigma value. This was converted to an easy three-step road map to optimal Westgard QC rules. RESULTS: The road map provided is based on Sigma Metrics that hold a definition of "world class quality", at which no further effort to increase quality needs to be taken. Furthermore, it is shown that clinical chemical tests can be classified as "good": quality at or above world class, "bad": quality below world class but controllable with Westgard QC rules and "ugly": quality not controllable with Westgard QC rules alone. Finally, practical tips of how to deal with this and related aspects are given. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the road map based on Sigma Metrics leads to fast and easy implementation of optimal Westgard QC rules.

Feasibility of nonselective testing for hemoglobinopathies in early pregnancy in The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of standardized hemoglobinopathy (HBP) carrier testing for pregnant women in The Netherlands in addition to the standard anemia screening. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of HBP in women at the time of the first pregnancy visit using both a prospective cohort (N = 703) and a retrospective series of women selected at random (N = 588). For the purpose of analysis, the population was divided into a high risk and a low risk group for HBP based on maternal ethnicity. Screening for HBP utilized standard screening tests for anemia, with additional high performance liquid chromatography (Variant II); molecular analysis was performed by Gap-polymerase chain reaction (Gap-PCR) and if necessary, direct sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Family history was reported or collected from the medical records. RESULTS: ß-Globin defects were found in 3.9% of the total population (50/1291). The frequency in the high risk population was 5.6% (37/656), compared with 1.2% (6/501) in the low risk group. In the prospective study we found 30 HBP carriers, leading to testing of 16 partners and identification of two couples at risk. One affected child was born. Mean gestational age at the screening was 11.3 weeks with a standard deviation (SD) of 5.8. CONCLUSION: We found that the prevalence of HBP carriers is high enough in our population to warrant HBP testing for the entire multiethnic population in early pregnancy at the time of anemia screening. This is feasible as most women had their booking early in their first trimester.

Editors' Introduction: Abstract Concepts: Structure, Processing, and Modeling.

Our ability to deal with abstract concepts is one of the most intriguing faculties of human cognition. Still, we know little about how such concepts are formed, processed, and represented in mind. For example, because abstract concepts do not designate referents that can be experienced through our body, the role of perceptual experiences in shaping their content remains controversial. Current theories suggest a variety of alternative explanations to the question of "how abstract concepts are represented in the human mind." These views pinpoint specific streams of semantic information that would play a prominent role in shaping the content of abstract concepts, such as situation-based information (e.g., Barsalou & Wiemer-Hastings, ), affective information (Kousta, Vigliocco, Vinson, Andrews, & Del Campo, ), and linguistic information (Louwerse, ). Rarely, these theoretical views are directly compared. In this special issue, current views are presented in their most recent and advanced form, and directly compared and discussed in a debate, which is reported at the end of each article. As a result, new exciting questions and challenges arise. These questions and challenges, reported in this introductory article, can arguably pave the way to new empirical studies and theoretical developments on the nature of abstract concepts.

Hb Bronovo, a new globin gene mutation at alpha2 103 (His->Leu) associated with an alpha thalassemia phenotype.

Mild alpha-thalassemia, a common condition in many ethnic groups, presents with hematologic abnormalities almost identical to those found in iron deficiency. We report a new alpha globin chain variant associated with an alpha-thalassemia phenotype in two members of a Turkish family.

When do natural language metaphors influence reasoning? A follow-up study to Thibodeau and Boroditsky (2013).

In this article, we offer a critical view of Thibodeau and Boroditsky who report an effect of metaphorical framing on readers' preference for political measures after exposure to a short text on the increase of crime in a fictitious town: when crime was metaphorically presented as a beast, readers became more enforcement-oriented than when crime was metaphorically framed as a virus. We argue that the design of the study has left room for alternative explanations. We report four experiments comprising a follow-up study, remedying several shortcomings in the original design while collecting more encompassing sets of data. Our experiments include three additions to the original studies: (1) a non-metaphorical control condition, which is contrasted to the two metaphorical framing conditions used by Thibodeau and Boroditsky, (2) text versions that do not have the other, potentially supporting metaphors of the original stimulus texts, (3) a pre-exposure measure of political preference (Experiments 1-2). We do not find a metaphorical framing effect but instead show that there is another process at play across the board which presumably has to do with simple exposure to textual information. Reading about crime increases people's preference for enforcement irrespective of metaphorical frame or metaphorical support of the frame. These findings suggest the existence of boundary conditions under which metaphors can have differential effects on reasoning. Thus, our four experiments provide converging evidence raising questions about when metaphors do and do not influence reasoning.

Web-based depression treatment: associations of clients' word use with adherence and outcome.

BACKGROUND: The growing number of web-based psychological treatments, based on textual communication, generates a wealth of data that can contribute to knowledge of online and face-to-face treatments. We investigated whether clients' language use predicted treatment outcomes and adherence in Master Your Mood (MYM), an online group course for young adults with depressive symptoms. METHODS: Among 234 participants from a randomised controlled trial of MYM, we tested whether their word use on course application forms predicted baseline levels of depression, anxiety and mastery, or subsequent treatment adherence. We then analysed chat session transcripts of course completers (n=67) to investigate whether word use changes predicted changes in treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Depression improvement was predicted by increasing use of 'discrepancy words' during treatment (e.g. should). At baseline, more discrepancy words predicted higher mastery level. Adherence was predicted by more words used at application, more social words and fewer discrepancy words. LIMITATIONS: Many variables were included, increasing the chance of coincidental results. This risk was constrained by examining only those word categories that have been investigated in relation to depression or adherence. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to link word use during treatment to outcomes of treatment that has proven to be effective in an RCT. The results suggest that paying attention to the length of problem articulation at application and to 'discrepancy words' may be wise, as these seem to be psychological markers. To expand knowledge of word use as psychological marker, research on web-based treatment should include text analysis.

Evaluation of the interference due to haemoglobin, bilirubin and lipids on Immulite 2500 assays: a practical approach.

BACKGROUND: Interfering substances such as haemoglobin, bilirubin and lipids in a sample may lead to wrong interpretation of immunoassay results by the clinician. In general, there has been minor attention to these interferences on immunoassays, whereas these effects on chemical assays are frequently described. Information about interferences by haemoglobin, bilirubin and lipids on the Siemens Immulite 2500 assays in the instructions for use is falling short. METHODS: Interferents in patient samples can be measured reliably in a semi-quantitative way on most chemistry analysers and can be expressed in haemolysis-, icterus- and lipaemia-indices. As the Immulite 2500 cannot perform such measurements, samples are normally analysed without testing for the presence of interferents. Therefore, a study was carried out to examine these interferences on 24 Immulite 2500 assays. Samples were spiked with increasing concentrations of either haemoglobin, bilirubin or lipids. The haemolysis-, icterus- and lipaemia-indices were measured on a Synchron DxC 800 analyser. RESULTS: Based on analytical imprecision and intraindividual biological variation of each analyte, cut-off indices above which clinically significant interference exists were determined. We found clinically significant interference due to haemoglobin on ferritin and folate, by bilirubin on oestradiol and testosterone and by lipids on testosterone. CONCLUSIONS: Introducing cut-off indices prevents reporting of wrong Immulite 2500 results due to interference. Our results are applicable in laboratories using any chemistry analyser capable of reporting semi-quantitative concentrations of interferents.

Correction of patient results for Beckman Coulter LX-20 assays affected by interference due to hemoglobin, bilirubin or lipids: a practical approach.

The influence of interference by hemolysis, icterus and lipemia on the results of routine chemistries may lead to wrong interpretations. On Synchron LX-20 instruments (Beckman Coulter) serum or plasma indices can be used as reliable semi-quantitative measures of the magnitude of such interference. In an article recently published in this journal, we presented the results of a multicenter study carried out in Dutch hospitals in which we determined cutoff indices for analytes above which analytically significant interference exists. Clinically significant interference cutoff indices were also derived for these analytes. In this article, we describe the handling of patient samples with clinically significant interference by hemolysis, icterus or lipemia. We investigated several possible approaches for correction of the result: dilution of the interference; mathematical correction in the case of hemolysis; treatment with ferrocyanide to destroy bilirubin; and removal of lipids in lipemic patient samples. We concluded, that mathematical correction of potassium or lactate dehydrogenase results in hemolytic samples can only be carried out if intravascular hemolysis is ruled out. Hemoglobin quantification in serial patient samples, combined with measurement of haptoglobin, represents a useful tool to rule out in vivo hemolysis. We derived an algorithm for this situation. We do not simply recommend mathematical correction, unless it is clinically acceptable. We present formulas for potassium and lactate dehydrogenase: corrected potassium=measured potassium-(hemolytic index increment x 0.14); corrected lactate dehydrogenase=measured lactate dehydrogenase-(hemolytic index increment x 75). The dilution studies indicated that dilution is only applicable for bilirubin, C-reactive protein and iron. The results of treatment with ferrocyanide were poor, and we do not recommend this method. Removal of lipids using high-speed centrifugation or LipoClear (StatSpin Inc.), a non-toxic and non-ionic polymer, is a very effective approach, although C-reactive protein, creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cholesterol cannot be removed using LipoClear. For all interferants (hemoglobin, bilirubin, lipids), relatively simple algorithms are derived that can easily be implemented in the clinical laboratory.

Multicenter evaluation of the interference of hemoglobin, bilirubin and lipids on Synchron LX-20 assays.

The influence of interference by hemolysis, icterus and lipemia on the results of routine chemistries may lead to wrong interpretations. The H-, I- and L-indices that can be measured by the Beckman LX-20 instrument (Beckman Coulter) in serum or plasma samples are a reliable semi-quantitative measure of the size of these interferences. A survey carried out in 16 Dutch clinical laboratories on the use of these indices demonstrated that in several of these laboratories, the influence of interferences is largely underestimated. Therefore, a multicenter study was carried out in which we examined the interference of hemolysis, icterus and lipemia on 32 analytes. On the basis of biological variation, we decided on cutoff indices above which analytically significant interference exists. We found analytically significant interference by hemolysis, icterus or lipemia, in 12, 7 and 15 of the 32 analytes studied, respectively. Flagging of results on the basis of analytically significant interference, however, results in too many clinically insignificant comments. On the basis of clinical significance, we conclude that significant interference by hemolysis, icterus or lipemia is present in only 5, 6 and 12 of the analytes studied, respectively. Use of the cutoff indices presented here facilitates optimal use of the LX-20 indices to prevent reporting of wrong results due to interference.