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The purpose of this three-experiment study was to evaluate whether performance consistent with the formation of equivalence classes could be established after training adults to tact and intraverbally relate the names of visual stimuli. Fourteen participants were exposed to tact training, listener testing, and intraverbal training (A'B' and B'C') prior to matching-to-sample (MTS) and intraverbal posttests presented in different sequences across experiments. All participants demonstrated emergent MTS and intraverbal relations consistent with equivalence class formation. More importantly, all participants emitted experimentally defined or self-generated tacts or intraverbally named the correct sample-comparison pairs at some point during posttests. These results are consistent with the intraverbal naming account (Horne & Lowe, 1996) in that participants who passed novel relations MTS tests also demonstrated emergence of corresponding intraverbal relations. However, verbal reports and latency data suggest that participants did not necessarily have to use intraverbal naming as a problem solving strategy continuously throughout MTS posttests. These results extended previous research by showing that verbal behavior training of baseline relations (A'B' and B'C') is sufficient to establish novel conditional relations consistent with equivalence class formation., (© 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.)

In the title compound, {[Zn(C(8)H(3)ClO(4))(C(12)H(12)N(2))(H(2)O)]·[Zn(C(8)H(3)ClO(4))(C(12)H(12)N(2))]}(n), one Zn(2+) ion is five-coordin-ated by two O atoms from two different 3-chloro-benzene-1,2-dicarboxyl-ate ligands, one O atom from a water mol-ecule and two N atoms from a 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine ligand, while the second Zn(2+) ion is four-coordinated by two O atoms from two different 3-chloro-benzene-1,2-dicarboxyl-ate ligands, and two N atoms from a 4,4'-bimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine ligand. The crystal structure exhibits a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure composed of alternate Zn(C(8)H(3)O(4)Cl)(C(12)H(12)N(2)) and Zn(C(8)H(3)O(4)Cl)(C(12)H(12)N(2))(H(2)O) chains, which are linked together by face-to-face π-π inter-actions [shortest centroid-centroid distances of 3.661 (4) and 3.6901 (3) Å], O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

We have investigated the addition of adrenaline to pethidine for patient-controlled epidural analgesia after elective Caesarean section. In a randomised, double-blind study, patients received patient-controlled epidural analgesia for 24 h using pethidine 5 mg.ml-1 with adrenaline 5 micrograms.ml-1 (adrenaline group, n = 40) or pethidine 5 mg.ml-1 without adrenaline (plain group, n = 38). Visual analogue scale pain scores at rest and on coughing measured 2 h, 6 h and 24 h after surgery were similar between the two groups. There was a trend towards lower mean total consumption of pethidine in the adrenaline group (231.5 mg; SD 140.5 mg) compared with the plain group (289.5 mg; SD 139.5 mg; p = 0.071). Patients in the adrenaline group had higher visual analogue scale scores for nausea at 2 h and 24 h and higher scores for pruritus at 2 h compared with the plain group. Addition of adrenaline to pethidine for patient-controlled epidural analgesia does not appear to have significant clinical advantages.

We have investigated the addition of adrenaline to epidural pethidine for postoperative analgesia in 40 patients after Caesarean section. In a randomised, double-blind study, patients received pethidine 25 mg with adrenaline 50 micrograms (adrenaline group, n = 20) or pethidine 25 mg without adrenaline (plain group, n = 18) epidurally at the first request for postoperative analgesia. The median duration of analgesia was longer in the adrenaline group (196 min; IQR 123-286) compared with the plain group (96 min; IQR 43-113; p = 0.002) and plasma concentrations of pethidine in the first 30 min after injection were lower in the adrenaline group (p = 0.003). Visual analogue scale pain scores in the first 30 min after injection and onset of analgesia, defined by the time for pain scores to decrease by 50%, were similar between groups. Addition of adrenaline to epidural pethidine has advantages for analgesia after Caesarean section.

We have evaluated the use of a disposable device, the Patient Controlled Epidural Infusor, for patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) using pethidine, for pain relief in the first 24 hours after elective Caesarean section. Patients using the Patient Controlled Epidural Infusor (n = 20) were compared with a control group (n = 20) who received PCEA using a standard electronic device. Efficacy, as assessed by visual analogue scores, was comparable to that achieved in the control group. Patient and nursing satisfaction was high and similar to that in the control group. There was a low incidence of side-effects with both devices. Patients using the disposable device used less pethidine than patients using the electronic device (median (interquartile range) 181 (100-275) mg versus 238 (213-375) mg; p = 0.035). Use of this disposable device is an acceptable alternative to more expensive and bulkier electronic devices for PCEA after Caesarean section.