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The questions below are designed to guide your reading of each article listed below.

1. The questions below are designed to guide your reading of each article listed below.
2. What is the basic theme of the article? Try to state it in just one sentence.
3. Did the article add to your knowledge of the chapter topics?  Explain.
4. What examples from your experience help to illustrate the principles in this article?
5. Summarize the findings/conclusions. Were the findings substantively important?
6. What additional questions are suggested by the article's conclusions?

Article 1

Can Marijuana Reduce Social Pain?

Deckman, Timothy, DeWall, C. Nathan, Way, Baldwin, Gilman, Rich, and Richman, S

Abstract: Social and physical pain share common overlap at linguistic, behavioral, and neural levels. Prior research has shown that acetaminophen—an analgesic medication that acts indirectly through cannabinoid 1 receptors—reduces the social pain associated with exclusion. Yet, no work has examined if other drugs that act on similar receptors, such as marijuana, also reduce social pain. Across four methodologically diverse samples, marijuana use consistently buffered people from the negative consequences associated with loneliness and social exclusion. These effects were replicated using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental designs. These findings offer novel evidence supporting common overlap between social and physical pain processes.

Article 2

Conceiving and Negotiating Reproductive Relationships:  Lesbians and Gay Men Forming Families with Children

Dempsey, Deborah

Abstract:  Lesbian and gay parented families are often viewed through the lens of ‘families of choice’, which assumes they are self-reflexive and innovative in structure. In recent years, some lesbians and gay men have informally negotiated reproductive relationships with friends or acquaintances. The varied kinship assumptions underpinning such relationships are the focus of this article. Three main approaches to family formation are identified: ‘standard donor’, ‘social solidarity’ and ‘co-parenting’. I argue that a continuum of kinship intentions is evident in these different approaches, and that the degree of innovation and convention needs to be unpacked, particularly with regard to the status of friendship as kinship. I comment on the persistent appeal of co-habiting coupledom as the basis for parenting and the perceived asymmetry between biological motherhood and fatherhood. In conceptualizing and negotiating reproductive relationships, lesbians and gay men may accept or reconfigure the assumptions characteristic of heteronormative clinical assisted reproductive technology (ART) conventions. 

Article 3

Cardiovascular Disease

Deschamps, Alain, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Denault, Andre, MD, FRCPC

Abstract:  Because anesthesia affects the integrity of the autonomic nervous system, anesthesiologists use vital signs to maintain respiratory and circulatory homeostasis. However, patients with genetic predispositions or with autonomic dysfunctions are at risk of severe complications from anesthesia. For these patients, the monitoring of vital signs may not give sufficient warning to avoid complications. The development of methods to measure autonomic tone could be of interest to anesthesiologists because they could warn of changes in autonomic tone before vital signs are affected. New noninvasive methods are being developed to obtain measurements of parasympathetic and sympathetic output allowing for the monitoring of perioperative autonomic tone. These measurements are based on analysis of heart rate and blood pressure variability. In this report, the principals of the analysis of heart rate and blood pressure variability will be explained and the usefulness of these methods to anesthesiologists will be discussed..

Article 4

An Overview of The Management of Persistent Musculoskeletal Pain

Carlson, Hans, and Carlson, Nels

Abstract:  Musculoskeletal pain is a common reason for patients to seek care from healthcare providers. These conditions are predominantly nontraumatic injuries with a broad differential diagnosis and often without a specific diagnosis despite thorough history and examination. The management of these conditions is often discouraging for patients with continued chronic symptoms despite numerous diagnostic workups and treatment options. Effective communication with respect to the patient’s goals is the key to a good outcome. The combination of an accurate diagnosis, an informed, motivated patient and a comprehensive review of the potential treatment options is beneficial for long-term success.