A Systematic Review of the Literature on the Use of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy in Criminal Justice Work to Reduce Re-offending

A systematic review of the published literature from 1995 to 2007 considers the published evidence on the use of interventions employing Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy in criminal justice efforts to reduce re-offending. Thirty-six studies are briefly described, summarised and appraised for research quality using a six point scale. Twenty-four studies were excluded from further analysis due to insufficiently rigorous or weak research design and method. Twelve studies were appraised as sufficiently robust to reliably inform the research interest. Further analysis of the studies indicated an association between negative emotional states and offending behaviour, some evidence of REBT effectiveness in treating emotional disturbance in offender populations, and mixed evidence of REBT effectiveness in reducing re-offending. It is concluded that interventions using REBT might be a promising approach for aiding criminal justice aims to reduce re-offending

Mapping research activity on mental health disorders in Europe: Study protocol for the Mapping_NCD project

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: Mental health disorders (MHDs) constitute a large and growing disease burden in Europe, although they typically receive less attention and research funding than other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study protocol describes a methodology for the mapping of MHD research in Europe as part of Mapping_NCD, a 2-year project funded by the European Commission which seeks to map European research funding and impact for five NCDs in order to identify potential gaps, overlaps, synergies and opportunities, and to develop evidence-based policies for future research. Methods: The project aims to develop a multi-focal view of the MHD research landscape across the 28 European Union Member States, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, through a survey of European funding entities, analysis of research initiatives undertaken in the public, voluntary/not-for-profit and commercial sectors, and expert interviews to contextualize the gathered data. The impact of MHD research will be explored using bibliometric analyses of scientific publications, clinical guidelines and newspaper stories reporting on research initiatives. Finally, these research inputs and outputs will be considered in light of various metrics that have been proposed to inform priorities for the allocation of research funds, including burden of disease, treatment gaps and cost of illness. Discussion: Given the growing burden of MHDs, a clear and broad view of the current state of MHD research is needed to ensure that limited resources are directed to evidence-based priority areas. MHDs pose a particular challenge in mapping the research landscape due to their complex nature, high co-morbidity and varying diagnostic criteria. Undertaking such an effort across 31 countries is further challenged by differences in data collection, healthcare systems, reimbursement rates and clinical practices, as well as cultural and socioeconomic diversity. Using multiple methods to explore the spectrum of MHD research funding activity across Europe, this project aims to develop a broad, high-level perspective to inform priority setting for future research

Bone regeneration: current concepts and future directions

Bone regeneration is a complex, well-orchestrated physiological process of bone formation, which can be seen during normal fracture healing, and is involved in continuous remodelling throughout adult life. However, there are complex clinical conditions in which bone regeneration is required in large quantity, such as for skeletal reconstruction of large bone defects created by trauma, infection, tumour resection and skeletal abnormalities, or cases in which the regenerative process is compromised, including avascular necrosis, atrophic non-unions and osteoporosis. Currently, there is a plethora of different strategies to augment the impaired or 'insufficient' bone-regeneration process, including the 'gold standard' autologous bone graft, free fibula vascularised graft, allograft implantation, and use of growth factors, osteoconductive scaffolds, osteoprogenitor cells and distraction osteogenesis. Improved 'local' strategies in terms of tissue engineering and gene therapy, or even 'systemic' enhancement of bone repair, are under intense investigation, in an effort to overcome the limitations of the current methods, to produce bone-graft substitutes with biomechanical properties that are as identical to normal bone as possible, to accelerate the overall regeneration process, or even to address systemic conditions, such as skeletal disorders and osteoporosis

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Screening of a food-grade antimicrobial from Lactococcus species of raw milk origin, and optimization of the antimicrobial activity

Antimicrobials produced by Lactococcus species of milk origin are valu- able as natural inhibitors against food spoilage and pathogenic micro- organisms. An example is nisin, which has diverse food preservation applications. This study was performed to isolate and identify Lactococ- cus species from raw milk having antimicrobial activity against selected food spoilage organisms, with the potential to optimize conditions for improved antimicrobial production. During the initial screening, lactic acid bacteria were isolated on MRS agar from 47 raw milk samples from the University dairy farm. Based on colony morphologies on the selec-tive medium, Gram staining, and catalase test, 5 isolates were selected, and screened for antimicrobial activity using agar well assay technique. All the isolates were observed to secrete antimicrobial compounds, active against a test strains Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 10240) and Lac- tococcus lactis ssp. cremoris (ATCC 19257). The diameter of clear zone around the well of 5 isolates corresponded to an antimicrobial activity of 48.90, 265.41, 213.15, 371.95, and 505.00 IU/mL respectively. Two larger isolates, N40615 and N50615 (P \u3c 0.05), were chosen for further experiments but N50615 produced less antimicrobial activity againstLactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris (ATCC 19257). As a result, N40615 was selected for further studies. On the evaluations for identification and characterization, the inhibitory substance was not identified to be either hydrogen peroxide or bacteriophage. As the inhibitory activity was inactivated by α-chymotrypsin, proteinase, and trypsin, it was concluded that the isolate produced nisin-like antimicrobial activity. N40615 in autoclaved skim milk medium heat treated at 85°C for 15 min supplemented with 0.50% peptone, 0.25% yeast extract, and 0.3% dipotassium phosphate (W/W), without pH control, had 1,571.0 IU mL−1 of antimicrobial activity, and the one with pH control, had 3,896.7 IU/mL of antimicrobial activity (P \u3c 0.05). This nisin-like bacteriocin is inhibitory to salad dressing spoilage organisms such as Lactobacillus brevis (ATCC 367), Lactobacillus buchneri (ATCC11305), and Lactoba- cillus plantarum (ATCC 8014). In conclusion, the results demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of the isolated culture N40615 from raw milk was comparable to that of nisin in Nisaplin