The association between partner bereavement and melanoma: cohort studies in the U.K. and Denmark

Background: Psychological stress is commonly cited as a risk factor for melanoma, but clinical evidence is limited. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between partner bereavement and (i) first-time melanoma diagnosis and (ii) mortality in patients with melanoma. Methods: We conducted two cohort studies using data from the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink (1997�2017) and Danish nationwide registries (1997�2016). In study 1, we compared the risk of first melanoma diagnosis in bereaved vs. matched nonbereaved people using stratified Cox regression. In study 2 we estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for death from melanoma in bereaved compared with nonbereaved individuals with melanoma using Cox regression. We estimated HRs separately for the U.K. and for Denmark, and then pooled the data to perform a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: In study 1, the pooled adjusted HR for the association between partner bereavement and melanoma diagnosis was 0�88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0�84�0�92] across the entire follow-up period. In study 2, we observed increased melanoma-specific mortality in people experiencing partner bereavement across the entire follow-up period (HR 1�17, 95% CI 1�06�1�30), with the peak occurring during the first year of follow-up (HR 1�31, 95% CI 1�07�1�60). Conclusions: We found decreased risk of melanoma diagnosis, but increased mortality associated with partner bereavement. These findings may be partly explained by delayed detection resulting from the loss of a partner who could notice skin changes. Stress may play a role in melanoma progression. Our findings indicate the need for a low threshold for skin examination in individuals whose partners have died. What is already known about this topic?. Psychological stress has been proposed as a risk factor for the development and progression of cancer, including melanoma, but evidence is conflicting. Clinical evidence is limited by small sample sizes, potential recall bias associated with self-report, and heterogeneous stress definitions. What does this study add?. We found a decreased risk of melanoma diagnosis, but increased mortality associated with partner bereavement. While stress might play a role in the progression of melanoma, an alternative explanation is that bereaved people no longer have a close person to help notice skin changes, leading to delayed melanoma detection. Linked Comment: Talaganis et al. Br J Dermatol 2020; 183:607�608. � 2020 The Authors. British Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists</p

Psoriasis and dementia: A population-based matched cohort study of adults in England

Objective: Evidence for an association between psoriasis and dementia is limited and conflicting. We aimed to investigate the association using large and representative population-based data and describe risk by dementia subtype and over time. Methods: We compared dementia risk between people with and without psoriasis using an age-, sex- and primary care practice-matched cohort of adults aged ?40 years from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum in England (1997�2021) linked to hospital admissions data, analysed with stratified Cox regression. Results: Among 360,014 individuals with psoriasis and 1,799,617 without, psoriasis was associated with a small increased risk of all-cause dementia (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.06, 95% CI 1.04�1.08; absolute rate difference 24 per 100,000 person-years). Strength of association increased with time since psoriasis diagnosis (e.g. aHR 0.99, 0.96�1.03 within 0 to 5 years; 1.20, 1.05�1.37 within 20 to 25 years). The association was stronger for vascular dementia (aHR 1.10, 1.06�1.14) than Alzheimer's dementia (aHR 1.03, 1.00�1.06). Hazard ratios were larger for severe psoriasis (all-cause aHR 1.32, 1.25�1.39; vascular aHR 1.58, 1.44�1.74; Alzheimer's aHR 1.11, 1.02�1.21). Interpretation: Long-term risk of all-cause dementia and vascular dementia, but not Alzheimer's dementia, was slightly higher in people with psoriasis, but absolute risk differences were small. Risks were more substantially raised with time since psoriasis diagnosis and in severe psoriasis compared to mild to moderate psoriasis, suggesting a potential dose�response relationship.</p

Kinetics of inclusion

The kinetics of inclusion of acetone vapour by an organic diol host have been measured as a function of temperature and vapour pressure of acetone. © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 1993. All rights reserved.</p

Video Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) with children and young people who witnessed domestic violence: A naturalistic single case study series

This study investigated the potential effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and putative mechanisms of change of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) delivered via videoconferencing with young people who witnessed domestic violence. A naturalistic, mixed-method, AB, interventional single case design was used. Five female adolescents aged 13–17 years were recruited from a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in the United Kingdom and attended 4–10 video-sessions of the child-friendly NET protocol. Participants completed questionnaires assessing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), general psychological distress, and trauma memory quality, wore a heart rate (HR) monitor assessing habituation, and were offered a Change Interview. At post-intervention, three participants showed reliable improvement in PTSS, but only one showed clinically significant change. One participant also demonstrated reliable improvement in general psychological distress. Effect size estimates ranged from moderate to very large and indicated change in the desired direction for all but one participant; estimated effects for general psychological distress were more modest. Three participants showed reductions in trauma memory quality, indicating increased integration. Within-session habituation was observed for all participants with available HR data; between-session habituation was also recorded for two of them. The lifeline was mentioned as a helpful aspect of NET, the video delivery was considered both a barrier and a facilitator to engagement, and positive or mixed changes were reported by two participants. Future research with more control and larger samples is needed to answer questions on generality of findings and impact of online delivery; future studies may also include longer follow-up periods and investigate other outcomes. </p

Beyond the Shrine: The Material Landscape of the Camino to Santiago

The five books of the Codex Calixtinus present many instances of natural objects and artefacts encountered by pilgrims and travelers in the environment along the Camino to Santiago. The Codex offers insight into their genesis, functions, and agency, showing how their material qualities engaged with the sensorial sphere and the imagination of beholders. This article is concerned with the issues these objects raise in relation to memory, materiality, and the senses. Scattered along the road to Santiago, these objects formed a material landscape of the Camino, creating a route of sensorial memory.</p

Support for staff wellbeing and development when working in prisons: a narrative rapid evidence review

ABSTRACTWorking in a prison can be challenging. Research demonstrates the negative impact it can have on health and wellbeing, therefore there is a need for employers to respond to this to retain healthy and motivated staff. This paper reports on a rapid evidence review of academic literature which explored the support provided for wellbeing and development of people working in prisons. One hundred and eleven articles were included in the review and from these, seventy-two factors were coded and grouped into five themes: support and initiatives; relationships; health and wellbeing; job beliefs and individual characteristics; and job environment. Peer and line manager support was prominent with limited evidence of formal interventions supporting people working in prison. This highlights the need for further research into what interventions entail and their benefits. This paper presents a novel evidence base which could be used to inform future research and support.</p

Uniaxial negative thermal expansion facilitated by weak host-guest interactions

A nitromethane solvate of 18-crown-6 was investigated by means of variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction in response to a report of abnormal unit cell contraction. Exceptionally large positive thermal expansion in two axial directions and negative thermal expansion along the third was confirmed. The underlying mechanism relies exclusively on weak electrostatic interactions to yield a linear thermal expansion coefficient of -129 × 10-6 K-1, the largest negative value yet observed for an organic inclusion compound. © 2014 The Partner Organisations.</p

Tuning extreme anisotropic thermal expansion in 1D coordination polymers through metal selection and solid solutions

The thermal expansion behaviour of a series of 1D coordination polymers has been investigated. Variation of the metal centre allows tuning of the thermal expansion behaviour from colossal positive volumetric to extreme anomalous thermal expansion. Preparation of solid solutions increased the magnitude of the anomalous thermal expansion further, producing two species displaying supercolossal anisotropic thermal expansion (ZnCoCPHTαY2= −712 MK−1, αY3= 1632 MK−1and ZnCdCPHTαY2= −711 MK−1,αY3= 1216 MK−1). © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021.</p

Diffusion of vaporous guests into a seemingly non-porous organic crystal

The tetragonal apohost phase of p-tert-butyltetramethoxythiacalix[4]arene absorbs hydrochloric acid and iodine. These guest molecules occupy different sites in the solid-state structure – either within the small intrinsic voids of the macrocycle or within the interstitial spaces between the host molecules. This study illustrates the dynamic deformation of the host, providing strong mechanistic insight into the diffusion of guests into this seemingly non-porous material. 2014 © The Royal Society of Chemistry.</p

Single crystal to single crystal transformations

[No abstract available]</p