Taletrening for hørselshemmede er mer enn artikulasjonslære : effektstudie av thoracal mobilisering

Utgangspunkt for dette oppsett av en eksperimentell forskningsdesign er forskjellene i talespråket og tegnspråkets pustemønster. Et pustemønster deles inn i tre faser: Innpust (inspirasjonsfase), utpust (ekspirasjonsfase) og hvile. Samtlige Europeiske talespråk tar i bruk ekspirasjonen ved tale. I de talte språkene er ekspirasjonsfasen 4-6 ganger så lang som inspirasjonen, avhengig av setningslengden som produseres. I tegnspråk, brukes ikke stemmen eller pusten som grammatisk funksjon. Ekspirasjonsfasen blir omtrent lik inspirasjonsfasen i en tegnspråkligfremføring. For den hørselshemmede som velger å uttrykke seg på Norsk talespråk, må ekspirasjonsfasen forlenges. Undervisningsmomentet klassifiseres ved Internasjonal Classification of Function, ICF, i kapitel Stemme, med underkapitelet ”taleflyt og talerytme”. Prosessen som fordeler luftmengden, er muskulær. Thorax (brystkassen) er kroppens mest avstivede område, som beskytter indre organer, blant annet lungene. Ved inspirasjon ekstenderer Thorax og ved ekspirasjon komprimeres den. Det kreves en fysisk mekanisk bevegelse av Thorax og muskelgrupper arbeider i forskjellige faser i denne prosess. En muskulær bearbeiding av Thorax, benevnes i denne oppgaven som Thoracal Mobilisering. Problemstilling; Kan en Thoracal Mobilisering påvirke pustemønsteret for en sterkt hørselshemmet, slik at a/ pusten blir bedre? b/ stemmen forandres? c/ taleflyten påvirkes? Et kvasi-eksperimentelt forskningsdesign, ble utarbeidet. Stratifisert utvalg blev benyttet, i to steg, for å finne 8 informanter. Av 26 klienter som meldt seg frivillig, etter å ha fått 30 minutters informasjon om prosjektet og sett en demonstrasjons dvd av behandlingen, ble 12 valgt til en fysisk observasjon. Av disse 12 ble 8 personer, 4 kvinner og 4 menn, valgt til å være informanter i undersøkelsen. Utvalgsprosedyre i to steg ble benyttet for å finne informanter som danner en så homogen informantgruppe som mulig i forhold som alder, skolegang og språkbruk (norsk tegnspråk), samt fysisk aktivitet og kroppsholdning. Den fysiske observasjonen blev 3 gjennomført for å unngå faktorer i informantenes kroppsholdning, som påvirker og låser Thorax Ved valg av eksponeringsvariabelen, blev 3 forskjellige behandlinger vurdert. Av disse blev Lotorps Thoracal Mobilisering, 2.e pilotforsøk uten kontrollgruppe, valgt. Forsøk er utført år 2000 med Professor Olle Löwhagen, Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset, som koordinator. Undersøkelsen ble gjennomfør i en periode vurdert som fri fra sesongsinfluensa og smittsomme luftveis sykdommer. Samtlige informanter gjennomførte pre og post–tester, behandling og tilhørende øvelser. Resultat kunne regnes som undersøkelses verdier, slik at resultatfremstilling var mulig å gjennomføre. Konklusjonen av forsøket er at Lotorps modellens Thoracale Mobilisering har fungert for 8 utvalgte informanter. De konklusjoner man kan trekke er at den fungerte som den utgir seg for å være, best i problemstillingens første ledd. Pusten (a) blir bedre. Samtlige informanter fikk økt bevegelighet i Thorax og pustet kraftigere etter 3 uker. Innen området stemme (b) fikk alle en økning i amplitudene ved sine lydtrykks fremstillinger og samtlige senket frekvensen i stemmen. Best resultat oppnåddes av de informanter som tidligere har vært gjennom fonetisk opplæring. Ved en begrenset manuell stemmevurdering på 3 områder, med liten skala på 0-3, utviklet seg samtlige informanter som fikk registrert avvik ved pre-testet godt. Forekomsten av luft i stemmen, knarr ved stemmebåndslukking og pitch-voice ble senket for alle fra 3 til 0. For klienter uten grunnopplæring i fonasjon kan en Thoracal Mobilisering anbefales som et komplement til andre metoder og øvelser til fonasjon, som ledes av en pedagog. Området talefly (c), var den del av forsøket som var mest vanskelig å teste og mest vanskelig å bedømme. Samtlige informanter fikk økt ytrings lengde og mindre start vegring ved den leste teksten. Konklusjonen er at en Thoracal mobilisering i følge Lotorps behandlings metode klarte å påvirke alle 3 områdene i problemstillingen i dette utvalget. Det må undersøkes videre, med andre utvalg, før man trekker endelig konklusjon. Likevel er det et spennende felt, som gir alternativ til tradisjonell måte å tenke pust og basal kroppskunnskap på. Forsøket er avsluttet og dokumentasjon på prosessen og dess resultat leveres til utdanningsinstanse

Respiratory health screening for opiate misusers in a specialist community clinic: a mixed-methods pilot study, with integrated staff and service user feedback.

OBJECTIVES: Increased rates of illicit drug inhalation are thought to expose opiate misusers (OMUs) to an enhanced risk of respiratory health problems. This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of undertaking respiratory screening of OMUs in a community clinic. SETTING: Single-centre UK community substance misuse clinic. PARTICIPANTS: All clinic attendees receiving treatment for opiate misuse were eligible to participate. 36 participants (mean age=37) were recruited over a 5-week period. The sample included 26 males and 10 females. OUTCOME MEASURES: Spirometry without bronchodilation; health related quality of life EQ-5D-3L; Asthma Control Test; Mini Asthma Quality of Life; Clinical COPD Questionnaire and the Treatment Outcome Profile were used to assess the respiratory health of participants. Findings were discussed with staff and service users in 2 patient and public involvement events and feedback was analysed thematically. RESULTS: 34 participants reported that they had smoked heroin. 8 participants diagnosed with asthma, scored under 13 on the Asthma Control Test, suggesting poorly controlled asthma. Participants (n=28), without a diagnosis of asthma completed the Lung Function Questionnaire. Of these, 79% produced scores under 18, indicating symptoms associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Spirometry showed 14% of all participants had forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity <0.7 (without bronchodilator), indicating potential obstructive lung disease. Feedback from service users and staff suggested a willingness and capacity to deliver respiratory health screening programmes. Insight towards the difficulties service users have in accessing services and the burden of respiratory health was also provided. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to undertake respiratory health screening of OMUs in a community clinic. Larger screening studies are warranted to determine the prevalence of respiratory health problems in this population. Research regarding asthma medicines adherence and access to healthcare among OMUs is also required

Interplay between Structure and Dynamics in Chitosan Films Investigated with Solid-State NMR, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, and X-ray Diffraction

Modern solid-state NMR techniques, combined with X-ray diffraction, revealed the molecular origin of the difference in mechanical properties of self-associated chitosan films. Films cast from acidic aqueous solutions were compared before and after neutralization, and the role of the counterion (acetate vs Cl⁻) was investigated. There is a competition between local structure and long-range order. Hydrogen bonding gives good mechanical strength to neutralized films, which lack long-range organization. The long-range structure is better defined in films cast from acidic solutions in which strong electrostatic interactions cause rotational distortion around the chitosan chains. Plasticization by acetate counterions enhances long-range molecular organization and film flexibility. In contrast, Cl⁻ counterions act as a defect and impair the long-range organization by immobilizing hydration water. Molecular motion and proton exchange are restricted, resulting in brittle films despite the high moisture content

Up-regulated expression of LAMP2 and autophagy activity during neuroendocrine differentiation of prostate cancer LNCaP cells

Neuroendocrine (NE) prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly aggressive subtype of prostate cancer associated with resistance to androgen ablation therapy. In this study, we used LNCaP prostate cancer cells cultured in a serum-free medium for 6 days as a NE model of prostate cancer. Serum deprivation increased the expression of NE markers such as neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and βIII tubulin (βIII tub) and decreased the expression of the androgen receptor protein in LNCaP cells. Using cDNA microarrays, we compared gene expression profiles of NE cells and non-differentiated LNCaP cells. We identified up-regulation of 155 genes, among them LAMP2, a lysosomal membrane protein involved in lysosomal stability and autophagy. We then confirmed up-regulation of LAMP2 in NE cells by qRT-PCR, Western blot and confocal microscopy assays, showing that mRNA up-regulation correlated with increased levels of LAMP2 protein. Subsequently, we determined autophagy activity in NE cells by assessing the protein levels of SQSTM/p62 and LC3 by Western blot and LC3 and Atg5 mRNAs content by qRT-PCR. The decreased levels of SQSTM/p62 was accompanied by an enhanced expression of LC3 and ATG5, suggesting activation of autophagy in NE cells. Blockage of autophagy with 1μM AKT inhibitor IV, or by silencing Beclin 1 and Atg5, prevented NE cell differentiation, as revealed by decreased levels of the NE markers. In addition, AKT inhibitor IV as well as Beclin1 and Atg5 kwockdown attenuated LAMP2 expression in NE cells. On the other hand, LAMP2 knockdown by siRNA led to a marked blockage of autophagy, prevention of NE differentiation and decrease of cell survival. Taken together, these results suggest that LAMP2 overexpression assists NE differentiation of LNCaP cells induced by serum deprivation and facilitates autophagy activity in order to attain the NE phenotype and cell survival. LAMP2 could thus be a potential biomarker and potential target for NE prostate cancer

Characterization of different FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenases for possible use in glucose-based biosensors and biofuel cells

In this study, different flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenases (FADGDHs) were characterized electrochemically after “wiring” them with an osmium redox polymer [Os(4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)2(PVI)10Cl]+ on graphite electrodes. One tested FADGDH was that recently discovered in Glomerella cingulata (GcGDH), another was the recombinant form expressed in Pichia pastoris (rGcGDH), and the third was a commercially available glycosylated enzyme from Aspergillus sp. (AspGDH). The performance of the Os-polymer “wired” GDHs on graphite electrodes was tested with glucose as the substrate. Optimal operational conditions and analytical characteristics like sensitivity, linear ranges and current density of the different FADGDHs were determined. The performance of all three types of FADGDHs was studied at physiological conditions (pH 7.4). The current densities measured at a 20 mM glucose concentration were 494 ± 17, 370 ± 24, and 389 ± 19 μA cm−2 for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. The sensitivities towards glucose were 2.16, 1.90, and 1.42 μA mM−1 for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. Additionally, deglycosylated rGcGDH (dgrGcGDH) was investigated to see whether the reduced glycosylation would have an effect, e.g., a higher current density, which was indeed found. GcGDH/Os-polymer modified electrodes were also used and investigated for their selectivity for a number of different sugars

When the strategies for cellular selectivity fail. Challenges and surprises in the design and application of fluorescent benzothiadiazole derivatives for mitochondrial staining

This work describes a series of fluorescent 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole derivatives (neutral, singly-charged and doubly-charged) to act as bioprobes for mitochondria. The results showed the flaws in the molecular architecture of this class of fluorophores and our attempts to direct the synthesized derivatives to the organelle. Unexpected results also showed a need for new strategies to predict the cellular selectivity of these derivatives. One of the singly-charged derivatives could stain mitochondria selectively whereas the doubly-charged stained the plasma membrane in an unexpected but highly selective manner. Co-staining experiments confirmed the cellular localization of the new derivatives. EPR experiments demonstrated the fluorescent marker that is selective for mitochondria does not interfere in the ROS production of the cells

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field