bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Provision of a Telepsychology Service to Shetland: Client and Therapist Satisfaction and the Ability to Develop a Therapeutic Alliance
Authors: Simpson Susan
Published: April 2015

We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of videoconferencing as a means of providing a clinical psychology service in the Shetland Islands. A general practitioner was equipped with a desktop PC-based system connected to a mainland hospital videoconferencing system by ISDN at 128 kbit/s. Qualitative methods were used to assess user satisfaction, the ability to form a therapeutic relationship and client improvement. Over one year, 10 patients (eight female, two male) participated in the videoconferencing therapy sessions. The psychologist and all but one of the clients were highly satisfied with the videoconferencing therapy sessions. The clients were able to develop a positive therapeutic relationship with the psychologist and all reported some improvement from therapy. The results showed that videoconferencing is a feasible and acceptable means of providing therapy to patients in remote areas.
Using Telemedicine for Distance Education
Authors: Tachakra Sapal , Creagh-Brown Ben
Published: April 2015

We assessed the use of videoconferencing as an educational tool for students and emergency nurse practitioners based at a minor injuries unit. Nineteen teaching sessions were conducted by videoconferencing, followed by a debriefing session in which the participants made observations about their educational experience. The participants observed that the experience was rewarding. The success of the teaching session depended on group size: an upper limit of six is recommended. The teaching sessions encouraged debate, independent thinking and peer communication.
Patient Satisfaction with Store-and-Forward Teledermatology
Authors: Williams Tracy , May Carl , Esmail Aneez , Ellis Nicola , Griffiths Christopher , Stewart Elizabeth , Fitzgerald David , Morgan Michele , Mould Mark , Pickup Lynne , Kelly Sally
Published: April 2015

We assessed patient satisfaction with a nurse-led store-and-forward teledermatology service in Manchester. A teledermatology nurse obtained the patient's history, took digital photographs of the patient's skin lesion and then sent the information to a hospital dermatologist, who responded with management advice the following week. Of 141 patients who attended their teledermatology appointment, 123 (50 male, 73 female) completed the study questionnaire (87%). The average age of respondents was 42 years (SD 17, range 18–90 years). Ninety-three per cent reported that they were happy with the teleconsultation while 86% reported that it was more convenient than going to the outpatient clinic. Forty per cent agreed that they would feel more comfortable seeing the dermatologist in person while only 58% were comfortable with not speaking to the dermatologist about their skin condition. The absence of interaction with the dermatologist and the delay in receiving management advice may have contributed to the somewhat low satisfaction rates.
The Potential for Telemedicine to Improve Coronary Heart Disease Services
Authors: Clough Keith , Mallinson Mike , Jardine Ian
Published: April 2015

The potential of telemedicine to improve services for patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD) was explored. Key issues surrounding the delivery of CHD services in London were identified, such as a shortage of skilled staff, the need for appropriate patient information and problems with waiting times, particularly for diagnostic test results. Telemedicine has the potential to improve service delivery in each of these areas. It is unlikely that some of the targets for CHD service delivery set out by the Department of Health's National Service Frameworks can be met without the use of telemedicine.
Store-and-Forward Teleneurology in Developing Countries
Authors: Patterson Victor , Hoque Fazlul , Vassallo David , Roberts Mike Farquharson , Swinfen Pat , Swinfen Roger
Published: April 2015

We assessed the feasibility of a store-and-forward email teleneurology service between a UK neurologist and a rehabilitation hospital in Bangladesh. Over 12 months, email advice was requested for 12 patients (mean age 43 years, range 15–57 years). Each patient generated an average of 5.2 email messages. Eight cases were considered complicated by the neurologist, who would have preferred a video-link consultation for these. The referring doctor found the neurologist's advice beneficial in 75% of the complex cases and in all of the more straightforward cases. Patient care was changed in 50% of the cases as a result of the specialist advice and one patient transfer out of the country was avoided. Store-and-forward teleneurology is effective for delivering expert neurological advice.
The Development of a Telemedicine System for a Centralized Maxillofacial Unit Serving Four Towns
Authors: Lowry John
Published: April 2015

Following the amalgamation on one site of inpatient oral and maxillofacial surgical (OMFS) services serving four towns, patients attending accident and emergency (A&E) departments in Bolton, Burnley and Bury who required specialist OMFS care were transferred to Blackburn. This sometimes led to inappropriate transfer, with inconvenience for patients, substandard care and wasted resources. To reduce these problems, a videoconferencing system was established, linking the A&E departments of three peripheral hospitals to the central site. This allowed realtime visualization of patients and their radiographs, discussion between clinicians and transfer of a summary data-sheet. The aim was to improve remote diagnosis and to deliver a cost-effective, high-quality specialist service. In the first 12 months, there were an average of 25 remote consultations per month, with favourable feedback from both patients and clinicians.
Cost Implications of Outpatient Teleneurology
Authors: Chua R , Craig J , Wootton R , Patterson V
Published: April 2015

A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the costs of realtime teleneurology with the cost of conventional neurological care. Two district hospitals in Northern Ireland were equipped with videoconferencing units and were connected to the regional neurological centre by ISDN at 384 kbit/s. Of 168 patients randomized to the study, 141 kept their appointments (76 male, 65 female). Sixty-five patients were randomized to a conventional consultation while 76 were randomized to a teleconsultation. The average age was 44 years of those seen conventionally and 42 years of those seen by telemedicine. The groups had similar diagnoses. The telemedicine group required more investigations and reviews than the conventional group. The average cost of the conventional consultation was £49 compared with £72 for the teleconsultation. Realtime teleneurology was not as cost-effective as conventional care.
The price of marriage: Same-sex sexualities and citizenship in Greece
Authors: Kantsa Venetia
Published: April 2015

In contrast to other European countries Greece seems to be the only country which has passed a registered cohabitation law that applies only to heterosexual couples. Thus, heterosexual couples in Greece can now choose between religious marriage, civil marriage or registered partnership, while same-sex couples are still denied any sort of legal recognition regarding their relationship. In this article I discuss recent LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) politics in Greece, and their efforts for the recognition of same-sex marriage, in order to argue that LGBT agendas, European politics, and state policies on marriage and same-sex couple recognition cannot be disconnected from local conceptualizations of kinship, gender and sexuality. The paradox of a registered cohabitation law that excludes same-sex couples can only be explained in relation to the cultural significance of heterosexual coupling as a prerequisite for the fulfillment of one’s subjectivity. Yet, from another perspective the same cultural idiom that values coupling and marriage may be used to explain the almost unified LGBT organizations’ stance towards pro-marriage agendas.
Effects of language experience, use, and cognitive functioning on bilingual word production and comprehension
Authors: Litcofsky Kaitlyn A. , Tanner Darren , van Hell Janet G.
Published: April 2015

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:

Considerable research has investigated how bilinguals produce and comprehend words, focusing mainly on how bilinguals are able to select words from the appropriate language. Less research, however, has investigated whether production and comprehension involve the same underlying mechanisms. The present study explores this issue by examining whether production and comprehension, in the first language (L1) and second language (L2), are similarly influenced by factors relating to language experience, language use, and cognitive functioning.

Design/methodology/approach

Spanish-English bilinguals living in an English-speaking environment completed a picture naming task and a lexical decision task in their L1 and L2. In addition, participants completed the Operation Span task testing working memory and the Flanker task testing inhibitory control, and completed a language history questionnaire probing their language experience, relative proficiency, and codeswitching behavior.

Data and analysis:

Performance on all tasks was submitted to correlation analyses and the impact of individual difference measures on word production and comprehension was assessed via regression analyses.

Findings/conclusions:

Results showed that (1) production and comprehension were more closely linked in L1 than in L2; (2) production in L1 and L2 was predicted by language proficiency; and (3) comprehension in L1 and L2 was predicted by working memory.

Originality:

This is the first study to compare lexical processing in production and comprehension in both L1 and L2 and how these processes are influenced by language experience, use, and cognitive factors.

Significance/implications:

Word production and comprehension appear to be more tightly linked in L1 than L2, but seem to rely on different processing mechanisms.
‘They say I’m not a typical Blackfella’: Experiences of racism and ontological insecurity in urban Australia
Authors: Hickey Sophie D.
Published: April 2015

Racism and racialisation can be framed as a threat to one’s ontological security. This article draws from qualitative life history interviews conducted with 11 Aboriginal people who are part of an existing longitudinal health study based in the city of Brisbane. The narratives revealed that perceptions of racism and racialisation were a significant consideration for these people when asked to reflect on their identity and wellbeing over time. Though less frequently overt, racism was often seen to be perpetrated from within one’s social circle, revealing the complicated process of engaging, contesting, rejecting, ignoring, minimising, avoiding and defining racism. The findings highlight the agency of Aboriginal people in adapting their behaviour to avoid or minimise the dread of ontological insecurity.
Towards a broadloid press approach: The transformation of China’s newspaper industry since the 2000s
Authors: Huang Chengju
Published: April 2015

This study examines the changes and challenges of China’s newspaper industry by focusing on the popular press sector that has dominated the daily newspaper market since the early 2000s. Specifically, the study investigates three key issues: (1) the dramatic expansion of the popular press sector at the expense of the Party organ sector in the early and mid-2000s, (2) the stagnation of the popular press sector since then despite its efforts to experiment with a so-called mainstream press in the second half of the decade and (3) this study’s call for a ‘broadloid’ press approach in response to this stagnation.
Reader comments as press criticism: Implications for the journalistic field
Authors: Craft Stephanie , Vos Tim P , David Wolfgang J
Published: April 2015

This study examines the actions of readers as press critics and, therefore, as potentially powerful shapers of journalism’s cultural capital. An analysis of 2 years’ worth of online reader comments on the ombudsman columns of three national news organizations reveals readers’ support of – and even nostalgia for – mainstream journalism values such as objectivity, echoing earlier research suggesting the stability of the journalistic field in the face of challenges from new players such as bloggers. But commenters’ critiques of journalistic performance also employed social, and not only professional, values, representing a potential challenge to journalist autonomy.
The risk of secondary traumatic stress in the qualitative transcription process: a research note
Authors: Kiyimba Nikki , O’Reilly Michelle
Published: April 2015

It is recognised that transcribing is not merely a neutral and mechanical process, but is active and requires careful engagement with the qualitative data. Whether the researcher transcribes their own data or employs professional transcriptionists the process requires repeated listening to participants’ personal narratives. This repetition has a cumulative effect on the transcriptionist and hearing the participants’ personal narratives of a sensitive or distressing nature, can have an emotional impact. However, this potential emotional impact is often not something which is accounted for in the planning stages of research. In this article we critically discuss the importance of considering the effects on transcriptionists who engage with qualitative data.
A vibration model residual-based sequential probability ratio test framework for structural health monitoring
Authors: Kopsaftopoulos Fotis P , Fassois Spilios D
Published: April 2015

The goal of this study is the introduction and experimental assessment of a sequential probability ratio test framework for vibration-based structural health monitoring. This framework is based on a combination of binary and multihypothesis versions of the statistically optimal sequential probability ratio test and employs the residual sequences obtained through a single stochastic time series model of the healthy structure. The full list of properties and capabilities of the sequential probability ratio test is for the first time presented and explored in the context of vibration-based damage diagnosis. The approach postulated in this framework is shown to achieve early and robust damage detection, identification (classification), and quantification based on predetermined sampling plans, which are both analytically and experimentally compared and assessed. The framework’s performance is determined a priori via the use of the analytical expressions of the operating characteristic and average sample number functions in combination with baseline data records. It is shown to require, on average, a minimal number of signal samples in order to reach a decision compared to fixed sample size most powerful tests. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated and experimentally assessed via its application to a lightweight aluminum truss structure.
Preparing school leaders
Authors: Ng Shun-wing , Szeto Sing-ying Elson
Published: April 2015

In Hong Kong, there is an acute need to provide newly appointed principals with opportunities for continuous professional development so that they could face the impact of reforms and globalization on school development. The Education Bureau has commissioned the tertiary institutions to provide structured professional development courses to cater for the needs of aspiring, newly appointed and serving principals for leadership development. This paper aims to report on an exploratory qualitative study regarding the perception of 32 newly appointed principals from secondary schools on (a) their role as a new principal and (b) their needs and expectations on the school leadership development programme so that contents of existing development programmes could be improved to meet their needs. Findings demonstrated that the newly appointed principals expected to be equipped with the administrative skills of human resources management such as empowering middle leaders and handing underperforming staff; the practical technique of financial management; the skills of dealing with legal matters regarding school management and the capacities of curriculum and instructional leadership. In addition, they attributed networking with peers and working with mentors as invaluable experience and support for their early years’ principalship.
Regionalism and the Publishing Class: Conflicted Isomorphism and Negotiated Identity in a Nested Field of American Publishing
Authors: Childress C. Clayton
Published: April 2015

In sociology different streams of field theory have not been systematically integrated, despite their common intellectual heritage. Incorporating insights from three streams of field theory –Bourdieusian, neo-institutional, and strategic action fields – this work examines the oft-neglected field site of cultural production outside of geographic cores. The case is concerned with book publishers in the San Francisco Bay Area, how they work to balance competing isomorphic pressures between the regional and national fields, and their strategic decoupling of identity and practice while working to maintain legitimacy both in the national field on which they depend for promotion and sales, and in the regional field on which they depend for a sense of group identity and purpose.
Contesting hydrofracking during an inter-governmental hearing: Accounting by reworking or challenging the question
Authors: Buttny Richard
Published: April 2015

An inter-governmental hearing on hydrofracking for natural gas is examined. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently released an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and takes questions from the New York State Assembly. Assembly members pose concerns with the EIS. The DEC’s responses at times appear to not address the question, but rather to challenge or rework the question in a way that can be answered from the DEC perspective. Assembly members assess seeming evasive answers in critical ways. This interactional pattern is examined from a discursive analysis perspective as problem–accounts–assessments sequences. Especially notable are the discursive practices of reported speech and metadiscourse in these accounting sequences. The conflicting assessments are not based on ‘the facts’, but on which facts are relevant. The DEC can be heard as advocating for their draft of the EIS despite the concerns raised by the Assembly. At certain junctures, Assembly members accuse the DEC of being biased or evasive, which does not make for the trust needed to reach consensus. At stake in this hearing is the construction of environmental or public health risk and whether or not to permit hydrofracking.
Model of the risk assessment of hand-arm system vibrations in cycling: Case of cobblestone road
Authors: Munera Marcela , Chiementin Xavier , Murer Sébastien , Bertucci William
Published: April 2015

Vibrations experienced by the human body are a well-known and widely studied risk factor in the industrial world. These are transmitted to the whole body or parts of it (like the hand-arm system) and are measured and limited according to international standards and European directives. However, despite the ubiquity of vibrations, their effects are little studied in sport. Vibrations can induce discomfort, thus degrading performance, or even cause musculoskeletal disorders. This article presents a numerical methodology to estimate the vibration total value transmitted to the hand-arm system during the practice of cycling over cobblestone roads. This assessment is achieved using a modeling of the excitation source representing the displacement over the cobblestone, as well as the vibratory behavior of the cycle. The influence of the model parameters will be discussed. Finally, the estimated vibration total value will be compared to values obtained from field test conditions.
The validity and reliability of the Sense of Coherence scale among Indian university students
Authors: Rajesh Gururaghavendran , Eriksson Monica , Pai Keshava , Seemanthini S , Naik Dilip G. , Rao Ashwini
Published: April 2015

Background:

The importance of salutogenesis, with the focus of what creates health rather than what causes diseases, has been highlighted for a long time. This has been operationalized by Aaron Antonovsky as the Sense of Coherence (SOC-13) scale. The aim of this study was to further examine the psychometric properties of the SOC-13 in India.

Methods:

The present study was carried out among second-year degree students at three randomly chosen institutions at Mangalore University. Investigators assessed the appropriateness, relevance, comprehensiveness and understandability of the scale. Further, the scale was assessed by five subject experts. The SOC-13 was then pretested by administering it to peers, individuals and a few of the study subjects. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and split-half reliability. Test-retest reliability was assessed by administering the instrument to the same study participants after two weeks. Confirmatory factor analysis employing varimax rotation was employed.

Results:

The SOC-13 revealed a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.76. Split-half reliability and Guttman split-half reliability were found to be 0.71 and 0.70, respectively. Test-retest reliability was found to be 0.71 ( p < 0.01). Factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution explaining 40.53% of the variation in SOC.

Conclusions:

SOC-13 was found to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring SOC in an Indian context. The present study contributes to health promotion in an Indian context, and could be useful even in other developing countries and for further research in India.
Short commentary on empagliflozin and its potential clinical impact
Authors: Hinnen Deborah
Published: April 2015

Sodium glucose cotransporter type 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new class of drug developed to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). They target the kidney by reducing renal glucose reabsorption and promoting urinary glucose excretion, which reduces hyperglycemia in individuals with T2DM. The SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin has gained approval in the EU and in the USA for the treatment of adults with T2DM (there is no current indication in type 1 diabetes). Empagliflozin has shown a good efficacy and safety profile from clinical trials when given as monotherapy, and as an add-on therapy to other glucose-lowering agents. This short commentary reviews the key efficacy and safety data from empagliflozin phase III trials and examines the potential role this agent may have in the management of T2DM.
Secular power, law and the politics of religious sentiments
Authors: Saeed Sadia
Published: April 2015

This paper undertakes a political sociology of religious sentiments by examining how social actors seek to make their religious sentiments legible and authoritative within structures of modern state governance. It argues that a central dimension of religious politics consists of struggles over constituting hegemonic and common sense religious sentiments through drawing on the secular powers of the modern state. This politics entails contestations over how citizens ought to feel, and how the state ought to authorize certain religious sentiments, with respect to socially resonant religious issues and events. Drawing on concrete historical episodes from colonial India and postcolonial Pakistan that allow a problematization of ‘religious sentiments of Muslims' in relation to the controversial religious views of the reformist Ahmadiyya movement, this paper further demonstrates the elasticity of the modern state to accommodate and embed a range of religious sensibilities, affects and emotive responses through legal arguments about public order.
Music Preferences and the Adolescent Brain
Authors: Thomas Karen S.
Published: April 2015

Music plays an important part in the transitional period of life for adolescents as they define their personal and social identities and build their preferences for music. Recent neuroscientific research into the adolescent brain has produced developmental models that work to explain the neural reasons behind teenage behavior and development. These neural responses and developments of the brain provide some understanding for many of the social, as well as musical, choices that teenagers make during this period. By examining processes in the adolescent brain, we can begin to understand some reasons behind choices for music preference, which can aid music educators in determining the best ways to present music to teenagers in the music classroom. The purpose of this article is to present a review of previous research in adolescent brain development, music preference, and the application of such research in the musical education of adolescent students.
Central nervous system acute lymphoblastic leukemia: role of natural killer cells
Authors: Frishman-Levy Liron , Shemesh Avishai , Bar-Sinai Allan , Ma Chao , Ni Zhenya , Frenkel Shahar , Muench Vera , Bruckmueller Hilke , Vokuhl Christian , Debatin Klaus-Michael , Eckert Cornelia , Stanulla Martin , Schrappe Martin , Campbell Kerry S. , Loewenthal Ron , Schewe Denis M. , Hochman Jacob , Meyer Lueder H. , Kaufman Dan , Cario Gunnar , Porgador Angel , Izraeli Shai
Published: April 2015

Key Points

Increased IL-15 expression in leukemic lymphoblasts is associated with activation of NK cells. The CNS may be an immunologic sanctuary protecting lymphoblasts from NK-cell activity.
Arginine deprivation using pegylated arginine deiminase has activity against primary acute myeloid leukemia cells in vivo
Authors: Miraki-Moud Farideh , Ghazaly Essam , Ariza-McNaughton Linda , Hodby Katharine A. , Clear Andrew , Anjos-Afonso Fernando , Liapis Konstantinos , Grantham Marianne , Sohrabi Fareeda , Cavenagh Jamie , Bomalaski John S. , Gribben John G. , Szlosarek Peter W. , Bonnet Dominique , Taussig David C.
Published: April 2015

Key Points

Most AMLs lack ASS1, which allows synthesis of arginine, and so depend on exogenous sources. Depletion of arginine via ADI-PEG 20 reduces the burden of primary AML in vivo and in vitro.
Association of the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis
Authors: Gonçalves Meire Luzia , Borja Sarah Moreira , Cordeiro Jacqueline Andréia Bernardes Leão , Saddi Vera Aparecida , Ayres Flávio Monteiro , Vilanova-Costa Cesar Augusto Sam Tiago , Silva Antonio Márcio Teodoro Cordeiro
Published: April 2015

This study was conducted in order to investigate the implications of the R72P polymorphism in the TP53 gene in breast cancer risk. The enlightenment of this matter might provide a piece of information about the potential implications of this polymorphism in patient risk. A meta-analysis was conducted considering a large sample size from studies with conflicting results on the R72P polymorphism in breast cancer patients. Relevant studies were selected from PubMed and SciELO databases for data extraction and statistical analysis. Database was built according to the continent and considering the genotype frequencies, sample size and genotyping methodology. The dominant models (RR vs RP + PP and RR + RP vs. PP), homozygous (RR vs. PP), heterozygous (RR vs. RP and RP vs. PP) and the allele (R vs. P) were used. Genotype frequencies were summarized and evaluated by χ2 test of heterogeneity in 2×2 contingency tables with 95% CIs. Odds Ratios (OR) were calculated with a fixed-effect model (Mantel-Haenszel) or a random-effect model (DerSimonian-Laird) if the studies were considered homogeneous (P > 0.05) or heterogeneous (P < 0.05), respectively, using BioEstat® 5.0 software. Supported by a large sample size composed by 25,629 cases and 26,633 controls from 41 studies, we found significant association between the R72P polymorphism in the TP53 gene and the breast cancer risk. The overall data shows an increased risk due to the P allele dominant model, but not in Asia where the risk was associated with the R allele and R dominant model.
Early cartilage abnormalities at the hip are associated with obesity and body composition measures – a 3.0T MRI community-based study
Authors: Teichtahl Andrew J , Wang Yuanyuan , Smith Sam , Wluka Anita E , Urquhart Donna , Giles Graham G , Hussain Sultana Monira , Cicuttini Flavia M
Published: April 2015

Introduction

Although obesity is a risk factor for hip osteoarthritis (OA), the role of body composition, if any, is unclear. This study examines whether the body mass index (BMI) and body composition are associated with hip cartilage changes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in community-based adults.

Methods

141 community-based participants with no clinical hip disease, including OA, had BMI and body composition (fat mass and fat free mass) measured at baseline (1990 to 1994), and BMI measured and 3.0 T MRI performed at follow-up (2009–2010). Femoral head cartilage volume was measured and femoral head cartilage defects were scored in the different hip regions.

Results

For females, baseline BMI (β = −26 mm3, 95% Confidence interval (CI) -47 to −6 mm3, p = 0.01) and fat mass (β = −11 mm3, 95% CI −21 to −1 mm3, p = 0.03) were negatively associated with femoral head cartilage volume. Also, while increased baseline fat mass was associated with an increased risk of cartilage defects in the central superolateral region of the femoral head (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.08, 95% CI 1.00–1.15, p = 0.04), increased baseline fat free mass was associated with a reduced risk of cartilage defects in this region (OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.67–0.99; p = 0.04). For males, baseline fat free mass was associated with increased femoral head cartilage volume (β = 40 mm3, 95% CI 6 to 74 mm3, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Increased fat mass was associated with adverse hip cartilage changes for females, while increased fat free mass was associated with beneficial cartilage changes for both genders. Further work is required to determine whether modifying body composition alters the development of hip OA.
Post-mortem analysis of neuroinflammatory changes in human Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Gomez-Nicola Diego , Boche Delphine
Published: April 2015

Since the genome-wide association studies in Alzheimer’s disease have highlighted inflammation as a driver of the disease rather than a consequence of the ongoing neurodegeneration, numerous studies have been performed to identify specific immune profiles associated with healthy, ageing, or diseased brain. However, these studies have been performed mainly in in vitro or animal models, which recapitulate only some aspects of the pathophysiology of human Alzheimer’s disease. In this review, we discuss the availability of human post-mortem tissue through brain banks, the limitations associated with its use, the technical tools available, and the neuroimmune aspects to explore in order to validate in the human brain the experimental observations arising from animal models.
New iteration process for pseudocontractive mappings with convergence analysis
Authors: Thakur Balwant Singh , Dewangan Rajshree , Postolache Mihai
Published: April 2015

In this study, we introduce a three step iteration process and prove a convergence result for a countable family of pseudocontractive mappings. Our results improve and generalize most of the results that have been proved for this important class of nonlinear mappings.
Association between the TCF7L2 rs12255372 (G/T) gene polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Cameroonian population: a pilot study
Authors: Nanfa Dieudonne , Sobngwi Eugene , Atogho‐Tiedeu Barbara , Noubiap Jean Jacques N , Donfack Olivier Sontsa , Mofo Edith Pascale Mato , Guewo‐Fokeng Magellan , Nguimmo Metsadjio Aurelie , Ndonwi Ngwa Elvis , Pokam Fosso Priscille , Djahmeni Eric , Djokam‐Dadjeu Rosine , Evehe Marie‐Solange , Aminkeng Folefac , Mbacham Wilfred F , Mbanya Jean Claude
Published: April 2015

Background

To study the relationship between the rs12255372 (G/T) polymorphism of the transcription factor 7‐like 2 (TCF7L2) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a Cameroonian population.

Methods

This case–control study included 60 T2DM patients and 60 healthy normoglycemic controls, all unrelated and of Cameroonian origin, aged above 40 years (range 40–87). The Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism ‐ Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP‐PCR) was used for genotyping.

Results

The T allele frequency was significantly higher in the diabetic group (0.44) than in the control group (0.17). This allele was significantly associated to a greater risk of developing T2DM as compared to the G allele (OR = 3.92, 95% CI 2.04 – 7.67, p < 0.0001). The codominant (additive) model explained best the risk of developing the disease, as the TT genotype was significantly associated to T2DM when compared to the GG genotype (OR = 4.45, 95% CI 1.64 – 12.83, p = 0.0014). By logistic regression adjusted for age, this OR was 4.33 (95% CI: 1.57 – 11.92, p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the rs12255372 (G/T) polymorphism of the TCF7L2 gene is an important risk factor for T2DM in the Cameroonian population.
Does a Recent Cancer Diagnosis Predict Smoking Cessation? An Analysis From a Large Prospective US Cohort
Authors: Westmaas J. Lee , Newton Christina C. , Stevens Victoria L. , Flanders W. Dana , Gapstur Susan M. , Jacobs Eric J.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

Quitting smoking provides important health benefits to patients with cancer. A cancer diagnosis may motivate quitting—potentially providing a teachable moment in which oncologists can encourage and assist patients to quit—but little is known about whether a recent cancer diagnosis (including diagnosis of a cancer that is less strongly linked to smoking) is associated with increased quitting.

Methods

Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort participants reported smoking status at enrollment in 1992 to 1993 and approximately biennially through 2009. Quit rates of smokers diagnosed with cancer during 2- and 4-year intervals were compared with those of smokers not diagnosed with cancer (12,182 and 12,538 smokers in 2- and 4-year analyses, respectively). Cancers likely to cause physical limitations or symptoms that could influence smoking (cancers of the lung, head and neck, esophagus, or any metastatic cancer) were excluded. Logistic regressions calculated quit rates controlling for age, sex, survey year, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Results

The 2-year quit rate was higher among the 772 smokers who were diagnosed with cancer (31.3%; 95% CI, 28.0% to 34.5%) than among smokers not diagnosed with cancer (19.5%; 95% CI, 19.0% to 19.9%). A similar difference was observed for 4-year quit rates (43.0% v 33.8%). Results were similar by cancer site and stage.

Conclusion

A diagnosis of cancer, even a cancer not strongly related to smoking and with a relatively good prognosis, may be associated with increased quitting that is sustained well after diagnosis. Results support the hypothesis that a cancer diagnosis presents a teachable moment that can be capitalized on to promote cessation.
Clueless, a protein required for mitochondrial function, interacts with the PINK1-Parkin complex in Drosophila
Authors: Sen Aditya , Kalvakuri Sreehari , Bodmer Rolf , Cox Rachel T.
Published: April 2015

Loss of mitochondrial function often leads to neurodegeneration and is thought to be one of the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the precise events linking mitochondrial dysfunction to neuronal death remain elusive. PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin (Park), either of which, when mutated, are responsible for early-onset PD, mark individual mitochondria for destruction at the mitochondrial outer membrane. The specific molecular pathways that regulate signaling between the nucleus and mitochondria to sense mitochondrial dysfunction under normal physiological conditions are not well understood. Here, we show that Drosophila Clueless (Clu), a highly conserved protein required for normal mitochondrial function, can associate with Translocase of the outer membrane (TOM) 20, Porin and PINK1, and is thus located at the mitochondrial outer membrane. Previously, we found that clu genetically interacts with park in Drosophila female germ cells. Here, we show that clu also genetically interacts with PINK1, and our epistasis analysis places clu downstream of PINK1 and upstream of park. In addition, Clu forms a complex with PINK1 and Park, further supporting that Clu links mitochondrial function with the PINK1-Park pathway. Lack of Clu causes PINK1 and Park to interact with each other, and clu mutants have decreased mitochondrial protein levels, suggesting that Clu can act as a negative regulator of the PINK1-Park pathway. Taken together, these results suggest that Clu directly modulates mitochondrial function, and that Clu's function contributes to the PINK1-Park pathway of mitochondrial quality control.
Deinstitutionalization in Italian psychiatry – the course and consequences

Part II. The consequences of deinstitutionalization
Authors: Morzycka-Markowska Maria , Drozdowicz Ewa , Nasierowski Tadeusz
Published: April 2015

Włoski system opieki psychiatrycznej funkcjonuje w oparciu o Ustawę 180
(wł. Legge 180) uchwaloną 13 maja 1978 roku, zwaną także Legge Basaglia od nazwiska twórcy reformy, Franco Basaglii. Nowe prawodawstwo było ogromną zmianą, wprowadzoną w efekcie działań silnego ruchu antypsychiatrycznego. Wprowadzanie reformy i jej skutki stały się przedmiotem licznych analiz w literaturze naukowej, głównie w Wielkiej Brytanii
i w USA. Autorzy badań i opracowań dostrzegają liczne sukcesy reformy, szczególnie jej początkowej fazy. Przyczyn częściowej porażki Legge 180 upatrują w jej wadliwej i niepełnej implementacji. Wprowadzenie Legge Basaglia całkowicie zmieniło strukturę opieki psychiatrycznej we Włoszech, ostatecznie przywracając psychiatrię medycynie i szpitalom ogólnym oraz promując model psychiatrii środowiskowej. Deinstytucjonalizacja we Włoszech nie pociągnęła za sobą wzrostu liczby przymusowych hospitalizacji psychiatrycznych, nie spowodowała wzrostu liczby samobójstw w grupie osób chorych psychicznie, ani nie doprowadziła do wzrostu liczby przestępstw przez nie popełnianych. Nie wywołała też masowej transinstytucjonalizacji, w tym przewidywanego przez przeciwników odpływu chorych do sektora prywatnego ani jego rozrostu.
Task related stress and cognitive control in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Zajenkowski Marcin , Styła Rafał , Jędrasik-Styła Małgorzata
Published: April 2015

Cel

Deficyty pamięci roboczej są jednym z głównych zaburzeń poznawczych w schizofrenii. Badania sugerują, że u pacjentów ze schizofrenią szczególnie zaburzona jest kontrola poznawcza. Wykazano na przykład, że bodźce nieistotne z punktu widzenia wykonywanego zadania absorbują zasoby pamięci roboczej, które mogłyby być wykorzystane do przetwarzania i przetrzymywania istotnych informacji.
Zbadano czy podwyższone napięcie oraz tendencja do skupiania się na nieistotnych informacjach (martwienie się) są związane z kontrolą poznawczą w schizofrenii.

Metoda

W badaniu uczestniczyło 28 pacjentów ze schizofrenią paranoidalną oraz grupa kontrolna (n=28). Kontrola poznawcza była mierzona za pomocą skróconej wersji Attention Network Test, natomiast stany martwienia się i napięcia były szacowane przy użyciu skróconej wersji Dundee Stress State Questionnaire w polskiej adaptacji.

Wyniki

W grupie pacjentów zaobserwowano wyższy poziom napięcia i martwienia się niż w grupie kontrolnej. Ponadto związek między przynależnością do grupy (pacjenci/grupa kontrolna) a efektywnością kontroli poznawczej był mediowany przez stan martwienia się.

Wnioski

Wyniki badania sugerują, że deficyty poznawcze w zakresie kontroli poznawczej u pacjentów z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii mogą być częściowo wyjaśnione podwyższonym stanem martwienia się w trakcie wykonywania zadania (rozpraszaniem się myślami nie związanymi z zadaniem).
GABAB receptor as therapeutic target for drug addiction: from baclofen to positive allosteric modulators
Authors: Agabio Roberta , Colombo Giancarlo
Published: April 2015

Tekst ten podsumowuje dane eksperymentalne i kliniczne wskazujące na potencjał terapeutyczny agonisty receptora GABAB, baklofenu w leczeniu zaburzeń związanych z używaniem alkoholu (AUD) oraz zaburzeń związanych z używaniem substancji psychoaktywnych (SUD). W wielu badaniach przedklinicznych wykazano zdolność baklofenu do zmniejszania picia alkoholu (w tym picia ciągami i nawrotów spożycia alkoholu), instrumentalnego doustnego samopodawania alkoholu, samopodawania dożylnego kokainy, nikotyny, amfetaminy, metamfetaminy, morfiny i heroiny u gryzoni. Niektóre randomizowane, kontrolowane badania kliniczne (RCT) oraz opisy przypadków potwierdzają skuteczność baklofenu w zakresie hamowania spożycia alkoholu, odczuwania głodu alkoholu oraz symptomatologii zespołu abstynencyjnego u pacjentów uzależnionych od alkoholu. Dane z badań z randomizacją i badań otwartych oceniających skuteczność baklofenu w SUD są mniej jednoznaczne. Ostatnio pojawiło się zainteresowanie podawaniem wysokich dawek baklofenu u pacjentów z AUD i SUD. Badania przedkliniczne pozwoliły ustalić, że "antyuzależniające" właściwości baklofenu są również cechą pozytywnych allosterycznych modulatorów receptora GABAB (PAM GABAB). W świetle ich bardziej korzystnego profilu działań niepożądanych (w stosunku do baklofenu), PAM GABAB mogą stanowić istotny krok naprzód w farmakoterapii AUD i SUD opartej o ligandy receptora GABAB.
Academic perspectives and experiences of knowledge translation: a qualitative study of public health researchers
Authors: Collie Alex , Zardo Pauline , McKenzie Donna Margaret , Ellis Niki
Published: April 2015

This study explores the views and experiences of knowledge translation of 14 Australian public health academics. Capacity to engage in knowledge translation is influenced by factors within the academic context and the interaction of the academic and policy environments. Early and mid-career researchers reported a different set of experiences and pressures to senior researchers. Barriers to knowledge translation reported are largely consistent with prior research. However, this study also emphasised the importance of academic professional identity in research-policy translation. Strategies to enhance research uptake should both address structural barriers and seek to encourage a culture of engagement with public policy.
Close encounters of the Other kind: Ethical relationship formation and International Service Learning education
Authors: Larkin Allyson
Published: April 2015

International Service Learning (ISL) is a pedagogy designed to engage students in first-hand experiences of global social issues including poverty and inequality. There are growing concerns in the critical ISL research literature that positions of power and privilege obstruct opportunities to engage in transformative learning. Critiques are often founded on an understanding of ISL as learning about Others versus learning from Others and engaging with difference. This article considers the possibilities for a practice of ISL education that centres on the formation of socially ethical engagements with Others. It is motivated by my research on the impact of ISL practices on host communities in Tanzania. Racial and socio-economic differences are two key tensions that emerged as participants and community partners struggled to understand their respective roles in this project. Todd’s work problematizes ethical educational practices and is a valuable lens through which think about the ways that ISL may be complicit with the injustice that most practitioners and students of ISL originally seek to mitigate. Todd’s analysis built on Levinasian theory of relationship with Others is a space for ISL educators to imagine new opportunities for transformative and ethical educational practices.
Teaching citizenship in an international pharmacy practice course
Authors: Sadowski Cheryl A. , Shultz Lynette , Cox Cheryl , Gukert Marlene
Published: April 2015

Pharmacy education is focused on preparing students for practice as health professionals. Curriculum for this professional programme includes pharmaceutical, social and health sciences. For pharmacy students to appreciate their role as citizens, exposure to citizenship teaching must be integrated into the curriculum, but this has not been studied within pharmacy. The purpose of our research was to describe the impact of an international pharmacy elective course that placed University of Alberta pharmacy students in Italy for a three-week period. Activities within the course were designed to expose the students to social justice, health policy, citizenship and their role in addressing health issues. Student interviews and course materials were analysed for emerging themes. The analysis identified themes relating to an developing awareness of citizenship and the personal and professional roles the students could play; appreciating broader health issues in the world, and the realization that medications are not always the primary approach for health; the importance of policy and advocacy for the right to food and health; and the integration of professionalism, advocacy, justice and citizenship in addressing health. Student learning regarding citizenship was supported through course activities and the context of the cross-cultural setting. The learnings about citizenship started at a basic level, identifying a significant curriculum gap in pharmacy education. Further collaboration between Pharmacy and Education, and international course experiences can assist in enhancing the citizenship teaching and learning of future health professionals.
Reviews
Authors: Davies Ian , Alaudan Rasha , Chen Sicong , Syed Ghazal
Published: April 2015

Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Schools: Examining the Impact and Opportunities within Educational Systems, Anit Somech and Izhar Oplatka (2015) London: Routledge, xvi + 157 pp. ISBN: 9780415720533 Hardback £90

Growing Up Muslim: Muslim College Students in America tell their Life Stories, Andrew Garrod and Robert Kilkenny (2014) Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 232 pp., ISBN: 9780801452529, Paper back, £14.87

Citizenship Education in China: Preparing Citizens for the ‘Chinese Century’, Kerry J. Kennedy, Gregory P. Fairbrother and Zhao Zhenzhou (eds) (2014) New York: Routledge, 267 pp., ISBN: 9780415502726, h/bk, £80

Citizenship and Crisis in Contemporary Brazilian Literature, Leila Lehnan (2013) New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 252 pp., hardcover, £61 ISBN: 9781137277558