bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Theorizing about the other. Vulnerable groups and strategies for social inclusion in public health policies: a brief account of Brazilian case
Authors: Camargo Ferreira Adorno Rubens 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis paper seeks to address the issue of contemporary vulnerabilities in the context of late capitalism, analysing how policy making directed at the public health system in Brazil has targeted groups that are made visible from an exclusion perspective, whether by their sexual, ethnic, geographic or gender identities.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses the array of public policies behind the construction and development of the Brazilian Unified Healthcare System, confronting them with ethnographic research of practices of care in health services.FindingsThe themes of vulnerability and health are being worked upon within the public health system in Brazil as forms of “inclusion”: discrimination and prejudice are considered one of the aspects of health vulnerability. Government health policies are supporting projects, seminars and methods of facilitating social movements' expression, and also concrete actions towards denouncement of discrimination, which has been criminalized. However, contemporary public health is also a new normative field adapted to the neoliberal market, where risks are individualized and individuals are held responsible for what they do with their bodies.Originality/valueThe focus on both governmental policies and practices of public healthcare in the Brazilian context, highlighting the complexities of the application of risk and vulnerability discourses will be informative not only to scholars in the field of public health, but to practitioners and policy makers alike.
Acquiring health literacy as a moral task
Authors: Ingleby David 
Published: April 2012

Purpose“Health literacy” refers to the knowledge and skills required to make optimal use of the health system. In the West, the question “how to live?” is increasingly answered by reference to medical and psychological norms and concepts: the concept of “health” has expanded enormously. Teaching migrants to become “health literate” is therefore a process of resocialisation or acculturation. If it is done without regard for their own ideas and values, it will be an attempt at assimilation – and like most such attempts, it will usually fail. If migrants are not consulted and involved in the design of their own health services, the services will not be optimally accessible and inclusive, which will lower the performance of the health system. This paper seeks to argue that becoming a “literate” user of Western health care involves learning a new morality.Design/methodology/approachEvidence is presented to illustrate the increasing medicalisation and psychologisation of life in the West and the argument that concepts of health are value‐based.FindingsMigrants are not empty vessels simply waiting to be filled up by Western expertise; they have their own ideas and values, which may clash with those that underlie health care. Integration of migrants into health systems can only take place through dialogue, in which both sides show respect for each other's views. The confrontation with other ideas and values can enrich mainstream health care in the West.Originality/valueThe paper encourages readers to go beyond a purely technical interpretation of “health literacy” and consider its moral and political dimensions.
A primer on project management
Authors: Maddalena Victor 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis article is a primer which aims to examine the application of project management principles in organizational strategic planning. The intended audience is students in health administration and novice leaders in health care.Design/methodology/approachA six‐phase project management algorithm is presented to serve as a framework for implementing various aspects of an organization's strategic plan, with a particular emphasis on accountability processes.FindingsLeaders in healthcare can increase the effectiveness of their organization's strategic planning processes and improve accountability by incorporating basic project management principles during the implementation phase of strategic planning.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a review article drawing on a well‐established literature in project management and strategic planning.Practical implicationsThe processes associated with generating an organizational strategic plan are well addressed in the management literature. This article succinctly outlines the application of basic project management principles to the implementation of strategic plans and organizational success, focusing on accountability processes.Social implicationsCost effectiveness of health organizations can be improved by implementing project management practices in strategic planning.Originality/valueThe article succinctly applies basic project management principles to the implementation of strategic plans and organizational success.
Saigon Eye Hospital
Authors: Trong Tuan Luu 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the innovative business model of Saigon Eye Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a case study.FindingsThe study identifies the categories underlying the high performance of the hospital system, namely leadership style, cause‐related marketing, market driving approach, HR and cost reduction, innovation stimulators, and brand building.Originality/valueThe research offers insight into the elements of the innovative business model of Saigon Eye Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, highlighting concepts of service management and social marketing in an emerging market context.
Evaluation of the efficiency of national health systems of the members of World Health Organization
Authors: Sinimole K.R. 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThe importance of health care is growing worldwide, and the health sector receives a good proportion of GDP. As health care costs are increasing, it is important to assess the performance of health care facilities across countries. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effectiveness of data envelopment analysis, which is one of the most important techniques currently available to model and measure the efficiency of national health care systems across the world.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the effectiveness of the operation of 180 countries is evaluated using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The countries selected are the members of the World Health Organization. Efficiency measures are calculated with respect to two groups of indicators, namely health status and health service coverage. In the health status group, four outputs representing mortality rates and one input representing the total expenditure on health is used in the analysis. In the health service coverage group, two outputs representing immunisation coverage and one input representing the total expenditure on health are used in the analysis.FindingsUsing data for the year 2008 from World Health Statistics (WHO), 45 countries are found to be efficient.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in the fact that it is one of the few studies to examine the robustness of data envelopment analysis to evaluate the performance of health care systems across countries.
Work‐family conflict, satisfactions and psychological well‐being among women managers and professionals in Turkey
Authors: Koyuncu Mustafa , Burke Ronald J. , Wolpin Jacob 
Published: April 2012

PurposeAlthough women continue to enter managerial and professional jobs in increasing numbers, they continue to be underrepresented at more senior levels of management. Several factors have been found to account for this, an important one being women's responsibilities for home and family functioning, often resulting in work‐family conflict (WFC). The purpose of this paper is to examine correlates and consequences of WFC among a sample of managerial and professional women working in Istanbul, Turkey.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 143 women, most working in the public sector, using anonymously completed questionnaires. About half were married and about half had children. WFC, both work interfering with family and family interfering with work (time‐, strain‐ and behaviour‐based) were measured by a scale developed and validated by Carlson et al., in a US study.FindingsThe respondents indicated relatively low levels of WFC. Levels of work interfering with family and family interfering with work were significantly and positively correlated. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for both personal demographic and work situation characteristics, showed that WFC generally predicted both work and psychological well‐being outcomes, work interfering with family being a consistently stronger predictor of these than was family interfering with work.Research limitations/implicationsData collected at one point in time make it difficult to examine causality. In addition, most respondents worked in the public sector, raising the issue of generalizability to women managers and professionals in the private sector.Practical implicationsPractical implications are offered for individuals, families and workplaces to address work‐family issues.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies of WFC among women managers and professionals in Turkey.
Type of community as confounding variable in the satisfaction of rural child and youth mental health clinicians: implications for evidence‐based workforce development
Authors: Gillespie Judy , Redivo Rhea 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis paper seeks to present findings from a study soliciting the perspectives of child and youth mental health clinicians practising in rural/remote settings in British Columbia, Canada. Satisfaction is assessed in four areas: lifestyle, practice, preparation for practice, and fit of organizational standards.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey using a variety of closed and open‐ended questions was administered to clinicians practising in four distinct settings: small rural, large rural, small remote, and large remote. Closed questions were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 while open ended questions were analyzed using manual open and axial coding.FindingsFindings indicate moderate to high levels of satisfaction in all areas. Satisfaction with rural lifestyle and professional practice was strongest for clinicians recruited from within the community. However, clinicians from small remote communities indicated much lower levels of satisfaction in all four areas.Originality/valueThe study underscores the importance of understanding the diversity of rural practice settings in mental health workforce development. In particular it highlights the need for greater attention to evidence based approaches to support mental health practitioners in small remote settings.
“Wounded Healers”: the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice
Authors: Gilbert Peter , Stickley Theodore 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis article aims to focus on the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice as perceived by undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approachA small qualitative survey was conducted among Social Work and Mental Health Nursing students who were asked about their own experiences of mental ill health and its possible impact on their practice.FindingsThe article is contextualised in the concept of “Wounded Healers” as a number of students had previously (and were currently) experiencing mental distress.Originality/valueThere is a strong sense that students believe that their personal experiences inform their practice, and that this may assist them in empathising constructively with service users, within the boundaries of a professional relationship.
The greatest showman on earth
Authors: Brown Stephen , Hackley Christopher 
Published: April 2012

PurposeSimon Cowell, the impresario behindThe X Factor, a popular television talent show, has often been compared to P.T. Barnum, the legendary nineteenth century showman. This paper aims to examine the alleged parallels in detail and attempts to assess this “Barnum reborn” argument.Design/methodology/approachPutative parallels between the impresarios are considered under the aegis of two long‐standing, if contentious, historical “theories”: time's cycle and the great man thesis.FindingsSeven broad similarities between the showmen are identified: vulgarity, hyperbole, rivalry, publicity, duplicity, liminality and history. In each case, the arguments pro and con are explored, as is humanity's propensity to personify.Originality/valueIn accordance with the iconic literary critic Harold Bloom, who “strikes texts together to seek if they spark”, this paper strikes two celebrated showmen together to generate historical sparks.
What do I have to do to get noticed around here?
Authors: Richardson Alan J. 
Published: April 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to explore some of the strategies and issues associated with writing historical research to meet the demand for social “relevance” and to appeal, and be accessible to, a broader audience of readers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses Brown and Hackley as a foil for identifying the key differences between traditional academic writing and writing to get noticed. These differences are then analyzed to identify the issues for academic historians.FindingsThe paper highlights distinct uses of rhetoric, metaphor and theory in Brown and Hackley that make their paper stand out from typical academic history papers and raises concerns about this style of research and writing.Originality/valueThe paper identifies and opens the debate on some key issues in historical writing and explanation that arise when academic historians take seriously the demand to seek greater contemporary relevance and public support for their research.
There's a scholar born every minute
Authors: Brown Stephen 
Published: April 2012

PurposeIn “There's a scholar born every minute”, the author aims to explain the background to Brown and Hackley's co‐authored paper, “The greatest showman on earth”, and respond to the comments of Richardson and Tadajewski.Design/methodology/approachThe major concerns of the authors' critics are addressed, after a fashion. The author also attempts to account for their unorthodox approach to historical writing.FindingsThe authors are innocent of every charge levelled by Richardson and Tadajewski. Except one, which the author hides in a footnote hoping no one will read it.Originality/valueThe rejoinder is all style, no substance. So there!
A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the IL1B gene is associated with risk of multiple myeloma
Authors: Vangsted Annette J. , Nielsen Kaspar R. , Klausen Tobias W. , Haukaas Einar , Tjønneland Anne , Vogel Ulla 
Published: April 2012

SummaryThe cytokine interleukin‐1β (IL1B) is important for anti‐tumour immune response. Genetic variation may modify the expression of IL1B and thereby influence the risk of disease. We investigated genetic variations with functional importance in the IL1B and NFKB1 genes in 348 population‐based samples of multiple myeloma (MM) and a random sample of 1700 individuals. Carriers of the variant T‐allele IL1B C‐3737T and carriers of the TGT haplotype were at lower risk of MM [relative risk (RR) 0·58 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0·41–0·84) and RR 0·59 (95%CI 0·40–0·85), respectively]. No association with risk of MM was found for the NFKB1‐ 94 ins/del polymorphism.
Plasma glycation levels are associated with severity in sepsis
Authors: Andrades Michael Éverton , Lorenzi Rodrigo , Nagai Ryoji , Moreira José Cláudio Fonseca , Ritter Cristiane , Dal‐Pizzol Felipe 
Published: April 2012

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (10): 1055–1060AbstractBackground  Advanced glycation end‐products (AGE) have been involved in inflammatory diseases and may have an important role in the progression of symptoms. However, few studies have analysed the levels of glycated proteins in sepsis. In this study, we evaluated the levels of the well‐known AGE (Nε‐(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and Nε‐(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL)) in the plasma of septic patients.Material and methods  Plasma from 36 patients admitted to an adult intensive care unit and 6 healthy controls had the levels of CML/CEL measured by ELISA.Results  The level of AGE in plasma decreased with the increase of severity (1·40 ± 0·46 nmol/mg of protein in sepsis, 0·58 ± 0·23 nmol/mg of protein in severe sepsis and 0·31 ± 0·12 nmol/mg of protein in septic shock). Control plasma presented low AGE concentration (0·06 ± 0·01 nmol/mg protein). Also, we found a decrease in plasma AGE in those patients that died at the end of 28 days follow‐up (0·80 ± 0·50 nmol/mg of protein in survivors vs. 0·31 ± 0·10 nmol/mg of protein in nonsurvivors), being associated with the renal component of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. In the same line, there was a decrease in plasma AGE with the increase in SOFA.Conclusions  Our data demonstrate that plasma AGE levels are inversely associated with the severity of sepsis and may be associated with kidney dysfunction.
SLO2, a mitochondrial pentatricopeptide repeat protein affecting several RNA editing sites, is required for energy metabolism
Authors: Zhu Qiang , Dugardeyn Jasper , Zhang Chunyi , Takenaka Mizuki , Kühn Kristina , Craddock Christian , Smalle Jan , Karampelias Michael , Denecke Jurgen , Peters Janny , Gerats Tom , Brennicke Axel , Eastmond Peter , Meyer Etienne H. , Van Der Straeten Dominique 
Published: April 2012

SummaryPentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins belong to a family of approximately 450 members in Arabidopsis, of which few have been characterized. We identified loss of function alleles of SLO2, defective in a PPR protein belonging to the E+ subclass of the P‐L‐S subfamily. slo2 mutants are characterized by retarded leaf emergence, restricted root growth, and late flowering. This phenotype is enhanced in the absence of sucrose, suggesting a defect in energy metabolism. The slo2 growth retardation phenotypes are largely suppressed by supplying sugars or increasing light dosage or the concentration of CO2. The SLO2 protein is localized in mitochondria. We identified four RNA editing defects and reduced editing at three sites in slo2 mutants. The resulting amino acid changes occur in four mitochondrial proteins belonging to complex I of the electron transport chain. Both the abundance and activity of complex I are highly reduced in the slo2 mutants, as well as the abundance of complexes III and IV. Moreover, ATP, NAD+, and sugar contents were much lower in the mutants. In contrast, the abundance of alternative oxidase was significantly enhanced. We propose that SLO2 is required for carbon energy balance in Arabidopsis by maintaining the abundance and/or activity of complexes I, III, and IV of the mitochondrial electron transport chain.
Prevention and control of childhood asthma and allergy in the EU from the public health point of view: Polish Presidency of the European Union
Authors: Samoliński B. , Fronczak A. , Kuna P. , Akdis C. A. , Anto J. M. , Bialoszewski A. Z. , Burney P. G. , Bush A. , Czupryniak A. , Dahl R. , Flood B. , Galea G. , Jutel M. , Kowalski M. L. , Palkonen S. , Papadopoulos N. , Raciborski F. , Sienkiewicz D. , Tomaszewska A. , Von Mutius E. , Willman D. , Włodarczyk A. , Yusuf O. , Zuberbier T. , Bousquet J. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe leading priority for the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union was to reduce health inequalities across European societies, and, within its framework, prevention and control of respiratory diseases in children. This very important paper contain proposal of international cooperation on the prevention, early detection and monitoring of asthma and allergic diseases in childhood which will be undertaken by the EU member countries as a result of EU conclusion developed during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This will result in collaboration in the field of chronic diseases, particularly respiratory diseases, together with the activity of the network of national institutions and NGOs in this area. Paper also contains extensive analysis of the socio‐economic, political, epidemiological, technological and medical factors affecting the prevention and control of childhood asthma and allergy presented during Experts presidential conference organized in Warsaw‐Ossa 21–22 September 2011.
Interleukin‐33 induces interleukin‐17F in bronchial epithelial cells
Authors: Fujita J. , Kawaguchi M. , Kokubu F. , Ohara G. , Ota K. , Huang S.‐K. , Morishima Y. , Ishii Y. , Satoh H. , Sakamoto T. , Hizawa N. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractBackgroundIL‐33 is clearly expressed in the airway of patients with asthma, but its role in asthma has not yet been fully understood. IL‐17F is also involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the regulatory mechanisms of IL‐17F expression remain to be defined. To further indentify the role of IL‐33 in asthma, we investigated the expression of IL‐17F by IL‐33 in bronchial epithelial cells and its signaling mechanisms.MethodsBronchial epithelial cells were stimulated with IL‐33. The levels of IL‐17F expression were analyzed using real‐time PCR and ELISA. Next, the involvement of ST2, MAP kinases, and mitogen‐ and stress‐activated protein kinase1 (MSK1) was determined by Western blot analyses. Various kinase inhibitors and anti‐ST2 neutralizing Abs were added to the culture to identify the key signaling events leading to the expression of IL‐17F, in conjunction with the use of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting MSK1.ResultsIL‐33 significantly induced IL‐17F gene and protein expression. The receptor for IL‐33, ST2, was expressed in bronchial epithelial cells. Among MAP kinases, IL‐33 phosphorylated ERK1/2, but not p38MAPK and JNK. It was inhibited by the pretreatment of anti‐ST2 neutralizing (blocking) Abs. MEK inhibitor significantly blocked IL‐17F production. Moreover, IL‐33 phosphorylated MSK1, and MEK inhibitor diminished its phosphorylation. Finally, MSK1 inhibitors and transfection of the siRNAs targeting MSK1 significantly blocked the IL‐17F expression.ConclusionsIL‐33 induces IL‐17F via ST2‐ERK1/2‐MSK1 signaling pathway in bronchial epithelial cells. These data suggest that the IL‐33/IL‐17F axis is involved in allergic airway inflammation and may be a novel therapeutic target.