A narrative study: Utilizing personal strengths to manage foreign language anxiety

Foreign language anxiety develops when a student feels under pressure or uncomfortable in a foreign language-learning situation often because they are cognizant of their inability to project themselves in their target language as they do in their first. As a result, students may become nervous or overwhelmed and fear speaking in the target language. Many researchers and educators have recommended strategies to help students manage their foreign language anxiety. To continue expanding on these ideas, the purpose of this research is to investigate whether focusing on and using personal strengths will mitigate students’ foreign language anxiety and help improve their classroom performance. Students rarely dedicate enough time to the self-reflection needed to discover their strongest attributes, so this study provided them with scaffolded self-reflection through narrative frame stories composed of sentence starters and connectives. Students were asked to fill in the blanks with their own thoughts and reflections. In this study, participants creatively used their strengths to improve their language learning

Dexmedetomidine In The Prevention Of Emergence Delirium In Children

This review examines the use of intravenous dexmedetomidine in the role of decreasing or preventing emergence delirium in pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery. The included randomized controlled trials evaluated the administration of dexmedetomidine, whether as a bolus, infusion, or in combination, and its effectiveness in preventing or reducing emergence delirium. The analysis scales for emergence delirium varied between studies, and it was noted that multiple scale components overlapped with pain scale components used in the trials. It has also been noted that differentiating between pain and emergence delirium can be challenging for clinicians (Somaini, Engelhardt, Fumagalli & Ingelmo, 2016). To address this challenge, both the prevalence of pain and emergence delirium were assessed. Variations between studies included the administration of premedication, surgical procedure performed, and other pharmacological agents administered during the perioperative period. Eleven of the twelve trials demonstrated that dexmedetomidine decreased the incidence of emergence delirium when compared to the use of a placebo and eight studies reported decreased pain scores. Thus, it can be suggested that dexmedetomidine is an adequate pharmacological option to help prevent the incidence of emergence delirium and pain, regardless of whether the two outcomes are tied together. However, it is imperative that further research be performed to establish the most effective time during the perioperative period dexmedetomidine should be administered. In addition, further research must be performed to establish a dose that allows for the prevention of emergence delirium, but not at an expense of the increased discharge time

Red

Red, taken by Lauren Anderson on the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program in Galway, Ireland. 1st place, Architecture division, in the 2011 Linfield College Study Abroad Photo Contest.https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_photos2011/1006/thumbnail.jp

Animal-Assisted Therapy and Oncology Hospice Patients

Background: If there are more ways to induce comfort during hospice care, all options should be explored, which is why animal-assisted therapy (AAT) could be a viable, non-pharmacological option for oncology hospice patients. Objectives: The aim of this research is to show that the use of AAT with oncology patients receiving hospice care will result in enhanced comfort and diminished pain. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects on pain for oncology hospice patients receiving AAT compared to oncology hospice patients who do not receive AAT. Method: This study is performed as an integrative literature review, viewing studies performed within the last 10 years (2009-2019) in the CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, and ProQuest databases using these terms: hospice, palliative, hospice care, palliative care, end of life, end of life care, pain, pain management, animal assisted therapy, pet therapy, animal therapy, oncology, cancer care and cancer. Results: Through the integrative literature review, it is apparent that AAT is beneficial to palliative, hospice and oncology patients by decreasing stress, anxiety and depression while increasing feelings of happiness and calmness. Pain reduction using AAT is not heavily studied, however AAT shows potential in decreasing the physical pain felt by an individual. Conclusion: AAT proves to be a potential alternative therapy resource for nurses, especially for improving psychosocial factors. The effect of AAT on pain is still mostly undetermined, but is still advantageous for nurse and patient. There continues to be a need for more research to be conducted on the effectiveness of AAT being used to reduce pain in oncology hospice patients

Opioids Are The New Black

The crack epidemic swept through the black community in the United States in the early 1980s. Despite the increasing use of powder cocaine in metropolitan areas and suburbs, the “crackheads” giving birth to “crack babies” were subject to narratives that portrayed black drug users as a threat to others, which was to be contained rather than treated. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 created stricter penalties for users. The mandatory minimums disproportionately incarcerated African Americans and adversely impacted a number of urban neighborhoods. The psychology driving the mandate to incarcerate African American, impoverished drug addicts relied on tales of gang warfare, laziness, and child neglect. Now, the opioid crisis is considered a national emergency, as declared by President Trump in October 2017. The users of these drugs span an economic and racial spectrum, with a particular emphasis in rural communities. For example, one in seven opioid users in Ohio is a construction worker. The employment of crack addicts in the 1980s was not a subject of research, legislation, or news. This Article examines the importance of stories, particularly those with racial tropes, in the creation and enforcement of drug legislation. The environments in which crack was prevalent are marked by economic distress. Disinvestment and high poverty rates in these low-income, minority neighborhoods are more commonly framed as personal failures by criminals. The story of opioids is centered on a group of people who can be saved through healthcare, treatment, and leniency. If the stories of crack addicts focused on victims of external circumstances rather than villains by individual choice, it is likely that the persistence of poverty in African American neighborhoods would have a different ending

Post-Pandemic, but Not Post-Racial

The Fair Housing Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act have had measurable success in providing opportunities to address intentional discrimination in housing and voting contexts. Plaintiffs with evidence of direct illegalities have clear frameworks under which justice may be sought, and both Acts provide a path for relief upon violations of housing and voting rights because of one’s membership in a protected class. However, the disparate impact theories that are cognizable under both Acts have been scrutinized for lackluster results. Practitioners and academicians have written about and experienced the difficulties plaintiffs face in successfully proving that a particular housing practice or policy is the cause of specific discriminatory outcomes, given the interrelated factors that give rise to segregation. Similarly, the gutting of the preclearance requirements in the Voting Rights Act, coupled with the onslaught of voter suppression legislation in the last few years, create obstacles to satisfy the complicated “totality of the circumstances” test required to evidence disparate impact under the Voting Rights Act. In addition to critiquing the limits of each Act, this Article explains how racial disparities in poverty and health are exacerbated by these limitations. Systems and individuals seeking to exploit people of color through oppressive housing and voting laws rely on the failure of the Fair Housing Act and Voting Rights Act to eradicate segregation, with determinants in each sphere perpetuating the discrimination within the other. The Article sets forth federal action that can be taken to mitigate these inequities

The Effects of Indirubin-3’-(2,3 dihydroxypropyl)-oximether (E804) on Inflammation Profile in Macrophages

Indirubin is a deep-red bis-indole isomer of indigo blue, both of which are biologically active ingredients in Danggui Longhui Wan, an ancient Chinese herbal tea mixture used to treat neoplasia and chronic inflammation, and to enhance detoxification of xenobiotics. Multiple indirubin derivatives have been synthesized and shown to inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and glycogen-synthase kinase (GSK-3β) with varying degrees of potency. Several indirubins are also aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, with AhR-associated activities covering a wide range of potencies, depending on structure-activity-relationships (SAR). In this study, the effects on indirubin-3’-(2,3 dihydroxypropyl)-oximether (E804), a novel indirubin derivative with potent effects on STAT3 signaling, on LPS-stimulated inflammatory profiles in RAW264.7 murine macrophages were examined. Most genes, proteins, and biological functions up-regulated by LPS treatment were suppressed by E804, including LPS-induced expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, E804 enhanced HO-1 expression, which may promote antioxidant responses to control inflammation. However, RAW264.7 cells showed only modest CYP1A1 induction following treatment, thus at this time it is not clear if E804 modulates inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells through AhR signaling. To further explore the possible effects of E804 on AhR signaling, THP-1 human monocytes were differentiated to macrophages by a 48 hr treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), then treated with E804 and treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), then treated with E804 and and potent inducer of CYP1A1. CYP1A1 gene and protein expression were significantly induced by 7-bromoindirubin-3\u27-oxime (7BIO), another novel indirubin, and PCB-126, but not E804. Furthermore, both 7BIO and E804 suppressed IL-6 and IL-10 secretion, thus confirming that AhR signaling is not a requirement for the anti-inflammatory properties of this compound. Of particular note, 7BIO is a potent inducer of COX-2, another potent pro-inflammatory mediator known to be activated through the AhR. Taken together, this study demonstrates potent anti-inflammatory properties of E804 without the toxicities historically associated with AhR activity. These findings can be applied to development anti-inflammatory drugs that may replace current methods for topical inflammation control