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Rounding, Lee, Jacobsen and Ji (2012) reported that priming with religious concepts increases the ability to delay gratification, an interpretation that implies decreased temporal discounting. The required magnitude of such a decrease--to make participants respond in the way Rounding et al. report--is very large, and should be easily detectable. Sixty-nine participants were allocated to religious, secular moral (Fairness) or neutral priming conditions. Temporal discounting rates were estimated for each participant using an 'Equivalent Present Value' procedure prior to and following the sentence unscrambling primes. No effects for priming conditions were detected. With regard to theoretical explanations for the results, we suggest that it is not the ability--but motivation--to delay gratification that is influenced by religious concepts., Modern societies present individuals with continuous conflicts between their immediate desires and the needs of others in their community. While factors such as direct reciprocity and kinship explain cooperation in [...]

Using a Foley catheter appears to be a safe and effective method for removing a foreign body from a child's esophagus. Records were reviewed for an 11-year period at Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT. During that time, 415 children underwent Foley catheter procedures. The most common object swallowed was a coin (76% of the time). If the child had a normal esophagus, the procedure was successful 92% of the time. It was successful in children with underlying esophageal abnormalities 83% of the time. The success rate fell to 50% if the object was swallowed more than four days prior to attempted removal, probably because of tissue swelling. Two percent of patients experienced vomiting or nose bleeds and 1% had major complications including damage to the esophagus or compromised airway. To minimize risks, the procedure should be done under fluoroscopic guidance, equipment and personnel to deal with airway compromise should be available, and the number of removal attempts should be limited. Contraindications include a jagged or irregular object and airway compromise. These patients should have traditional endoscopic removal under general anesthesia., Objective. This study sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of the fluoroscopic Foley catheter technique (FFCT) for removal of esophageal foreign bodies (EFBs) in children, and to identify factors associated with decreased success. Design/Setting/Patients. An 11-year retrospective review of all pediatric patients undergoing the FFCT for removal of EFBs at a tertiary-care children&apos;s hospital was performed. Results. Four-hundred and fifteen cases are reported. The median age was 29 months (range, 4 to 193); children [less than or equal to] 24 months accounted for 45% (185) of the cases. Of all episodes 86% (355) involved children without known esophageal pathology. Coins comprised 76% (316) of the EFBs. The FFCT was successful in 91% (378) of the cases. In the 60 episodes involving children with underlying esophageal pathology, the technique had an 83% success rate compared to 92% in children without known pathology (P < .05). There were 290 patients where the duration of impaction was known. The success rate was 96% if the duration was 3 days or less compared to 50% if the duration was longer (P < .0001). Though the overall success in children [less than or equal to] 24 months was less than older children (88% vs 94%, P < .05), this effect disappeared when corrected for duration of impaction. Minor complications occurred in 2% of the episodes, and major complications were noted in 1%. Conclusions. The FFCT appears to be a safe and effective method for removal of EFBs especially in children without underlying esophageal lesions and a duration of impaction [less than or equal to] 3 days. Major complications are rare. Pediatrics 1994;94:709-714; fluoroscopic Foley catheter technique, esophageal foreign body removal coins, children.

Objective: To define the indications for tracheotomy in patients requiring prolonged intubation (>1 week) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)., Design: Retrospective chart review and follow-up telephone survey., Setting: A tertiary care center PICU., Outcome Measure: Tracheotomy or extubation., Patients: All patients older than 30 days in the PICU intubated for longer than 1 week between 1997 and 1999., Results: During the study, 63 total admissions required intubation for longer than 1 week. A tracheotomy was necessary in 14% of admissions (n = 9). The mean length of intubation before the tracheotomy was 424 hours, whereas the mean length of intubation without the need for tracheotomy was 386 hours. Length of intubation, age, and number of intubations did not increase the probability of having a tracheotomy. Of those requiring a tracheotomy, 2 had tracheomalacia, 1 had subglottic edema, 1 had plastic bronchitis, 1 had Down syndrome with apnea resulting in right heart failure, 3 required long-term ventilation after cardiopulmonary collapse, and 1 had mitochondrial cytopathy. Of these 9 children, 7 were successfully decannulated, 1 patient died of underlying disease, and 1 patient remained cannulated secondary to the mitochondrial cytopathy. Twenty families of the patients who did not undergo a tracheotomy were reached by telephone after discharge. Most of the families reported that their children were free of stridor and hoarseness after extubation., Conclusions: Children tolerate prolonged intubation without laryngeal complications. The consideration for tracheotomy in the PICU setting must be highly individualized for each child.