This study tested predictions to explain the Latino health paradox. Based on the role of spirituality in Latino culture and using Hawkley and Cacioppo’s (2007) model of loneliness and health as a foundation, this research examines whether spirituality has a beneficial impact on health via reduced loneliness. Participants were 319 adults, including 139 Latinos and 116 non-Latino Whites. Results indicate that spirituality had an indirect relationship with better health via reduced loneliness, and the effect was greater for Latinos. Being Latino also predicted better health and lower loneliness through spirituality. Results also suggest that loneliness acts as a suppressor variable in the relationship between spirituality and depression for Latinos, highlighting the importance of including measures of loneliness in studies examining the links between spirituality and health, especially for this population.

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Acute high-frequency (60/s) high-intensity (2,100–2,300 µA) stimulation of the mesial, caudal and inferior portion of the centromedian thalamic region within or close to the parafascicular nucleus produced a sharp, intense, cramp-like painful response localized to the face and shoulder (medial stimulation) or arm and hand (lateral stimulation) contralateral to the stimulation site in 4 intractable epileptic patients in whom depth electrodes had been implanted as a part of a neuroaugmentive procedure for seizure control. This thalamic induced painful response was always accompanied by objective clinical signs (facial gesticulation and contraction of the corresponding muscles) during thalamic stimulation and significant increments in EEG, EKG and respiratory frequencies and EMG muscular tonus from 10 s before to 10 s after thalamic stimulation. Opioid agonists (fentanyl 5.0 µg/kg) and antagonists (naloxone 3.5 µg/kg) were administered to induce and regulate a state of neuroleptanalgesia used for the subcutaneous internalization of the chronic stimulation systems. Under these conditions, we observed that fentanyl greatly attenuated and naloxone increased the intensity of the painful response, as well as the EEG, somatic and vegetative parameters evaluating such a painful response. Differences were significant when one compares the changes in response to electrical stimulation in EEG, EKG, respiration and EMG after the administration of fentanyl (decrease p = 0.001) and naloxone (increase p = 0.01) compared to those obtained after the administration of saline or no drugs during baseline recordings. These data suggest that this thalamic induced painful response is mediated by inhibition or activation of the morphine receptors of the thalamic cells primarily related to the pain process.

The present experiment examined the influence of gender-and race-based norms associated with different sports on evaluations of newspaper reporters. Insights from communication accommodation theory framed this investigation, which predicted that the gender and racial compositions of sports (i.e., female/male sport, predominately black/white athletes) and the gender/race of the reporter would interact in predicting evaluations of reporters (with existing gender and racial attitudes as covariates). Results generally supported these relationships. Female commentators were evaluated more favorably in the context of women's sports. A comparable pattern emerged for race-based evaluations, although these results were somewhat less consistent.

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