449 research outputs found
Offering fragile X syndrome carrier screening: a prospective mixed-methods observational study comparing carrier screening of pregnant and non-pregnant women in the general population
Article focus▪ This article is a protocol of a study that involves offering fragile X syndrome carrier screening to pregnant and non-pregnant women in the general population. We are undertaking a programme evaluation approach using mixed methods to collect data about informed decisionmaking and predictors of test uptake, with a focus on psychosocial measures. We are also undertaking an economic appraisal.Key messages▪ Carrier screening for fragile X syndrome is the subject of debate because of concerns around education and counselling for this complex conditionand the potential for psychosocial harms. ▪ This study will inform policy and practice in the area of population carrier screening by examining psychosocial aspects of screening, including informed decision-making; models of screening, through antenatal care or other access points and health economics of carrier screening for fragile X syndrome.Strengths and limitations of this study▪ This study seeks to recruit 1000 women in total. This large sample size will give us sufficient power to address the aims of the study.▪ Collecting quantitative and qualitative data will provide a more in-depth picture of screening for fragile X syndrome.▪ A limitation of the study is that the data on models of screening may not be applicable to other countries that have different healthcare systems.</div
Six-Month Mortality among HIV-Infected Adults Presenting for Antiretroviral Therapy with Unexplained Weight Loss, Chronic Fever or Chronic Diarrhea in Malawi.
In sub-Saharan Africa, early mortality is high following initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated 6-month outcomes and factors associated with mortality in HIV-infected adults being assessed for ART initiation and presenting with weight loss, chronic fever or diarrhea, and with negative TB sputum microscopy
The bright unidentified gamma-ray source 1FGL J1227.9-4852: Can it be associated with an LMXB?
We present an analysis of high energy (HE; 0.1-300 GeV) gamma-ray
observations of 1FGL J1227.9-4852 with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope,
follow-up radio observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, Giant
Metrewave Radio Telescope and Parkes radio telescopes of the same field and
follow-up optical observations with the ESO VLT. We also examine archival
XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL X-ray observations of the region around this source.
The gamma-ray spectrum of 1FGL J1227.9-4852 is best fit with an exponentially
cutoff power-law, reminiscent of the population of pulsars observed by Fermi. A
previously unknown, compact radio source within the 99.7% error circle of 1FGL
J1227.9-4852 is discovered and has a morphology consistent either with an AGN
core/jet structure or with two roughly symmetric lobes of a distant radio
galaxy. A single bright X-ray source XSS J12270-4859, a low-mass X-ray binary,
also lies within the 1FGL J1227.9-4852 error circle and we report the first
detection of radio emission from this source. The potential association of 1FGL
J1227.9-4852 with each of these counterparts is discussed. Based upon the
available data we find the association of the gamma-ray source to the compact
double radio source unlikely and suggest that XSS J12270-4859 is a more likely
counterpart to the new HE source. We propose that XSS J12270-4859 may be a
millisecond binary pulsar and draw comparisons with PSR J1023+0038.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 9 pages, 8 figures, 2 table
Prevalence and predictive value of ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder and Complex PTSD diagnoses in children and adolescents exposed to a single-event trauma.
BACKGROUND: The 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) made a number of significant changes to the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We sought to determine the prevalence and 3-month predictive values of the new ICD-11 PTSD criteria relative to ICD-10 PTSD, in children and adolescents following a single traumatic event. ICD-11 also introduced a diagnosis of Complex PTSD (CPTSD), proposed to typically result from prolonged, chronic exposure to traumatic experiences, although the CPTSD diagnostic criteria do not require a repeated experience of trauma. We therefore explored whether children and adolescents demonstrate ICD-11 CPTSD features following exposure to a single-incident trauma. METHOD: Data were analysed from a prospective cohort study of youth aged 8-17 years who had attended an emergency department following a single trauma. Assessments of PTSD, CPTSD, depressive and anxiety symptoms were performed at two to four weeks (n = 226) and nine weeks (n = 208) post-trauma, allowing us to calculate and compare the prevalence and predictive value of ICD-10 and ICD-11 PTSD criteria, along with CPTSD. Predictive abilities of different diagnostic thresholds were undertaken using positive/negative predictive values, sensitivity/specificity statistics and logistic regressions. RESULTS: At Week 9, 15 participants (7%) were identified as experiencing ICD-11 PTSD, compared to 23 (11%) experiencing ICD-10 PTSD. There was no significant difference in comorbidity rates between ICD-10 and ICD-11 PTSD diagnoses. Ninety per cent of participants with ICD-11 PTSD also met criteria for at least one CPTSD feature. Five participants met full CPTSD criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced prevalence of PTSD associated with the use of ICD-11 criteria is likely to reduce identification of PTSD relative to using ICD-10 criteria but not relative to DSM-4 and DSM-5 criteria. Diagnosis of CPTSD is likely to be infrequent following single-incident trauma
Intervention for mixed receptive-expressive language impairment : a review
Children with receptive-expressive language impairment (RELI), also referred to as 'receptive language disorder' or 'mixed receptive-expressive disorder',2 form a subset of those with speech, language, and communication needs who commonly have problems understanding both spoken and written language; they have particular difficulties in comprehending vocabulary and grammar and inferring meaning. They will have problems with expressive language and some will also have difficulties in pragmatics, i.e. the use of language in social contexts
The ISOPHOT-MAMBO survey of 3CR radio sources: Further evidence for the unified schemes
We present the complete set of ISOPHOT observations of 3CR radio galaxies and
quasars, which are contained in the ISO Data Archive, providing 75 mid- and
far-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) between 5 and 200 micron. For
28 sources they are supplemented with MAMBO 1.2 mm observations and for 15
sources with new submillimetre data from the SCUBA archive.
We check the orientation-dependent unified scheme, in which the powerful FR2
narrow line galaxies are quasars viewed at high inclination, so that their
nuclei are hidden behind a dust torus intercepting the optical-ultraviolet AGN
radiation and reemitting it in the infrared. We find that (1) both the quasars
and the galaxies show a high mid- to far-infrared luminosity ratio typical for
powerful AGNs and (2) -- when matched in 178 MHz luminosity -- both show the
same ratio of isotropic far-infrared to isotropic 178 MHz lobe power.
Therefore, from our large sample investigated here we find strong evidence for
the orientation-dependent unification of the powerful FR2 galaxies with the
quasars.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Immune responses in pigs vaccinated with adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted A(H1N1)pdm/09 influenza vaccines used in human immunization programmes.
Following the emergence and global spread of a novel H1N1 influenza virus in 2009, two A(H1N1)pdm/09 influenza vaccines produced from the A/California/07/09 H1N1 strain were selected and used for the national immunisation programme in the United Kingdom: an adjuvanted split virion vaccine and a non-adjuvanted whole virion vaccine. In this study, we assessed the immune responses generated in inbred large white pigs (Babraham line) following vaccination with these vaccines and after challenge with A(H1N1)pdm/09 virus three months post-vaccination. Both vaccines elicited strong antibody responses, which included high levels of influenza-specific IgG1 and haemagglutination inhibition titres to H1 virus. Immunisation with the adjuvanted split vaccine induced significantly higher interferon gamma production, increased frequency of interferon gamma-producing cells and proliferation of CD4(-)CD8(+) (cytotoxic) and CD4(+)CD8(+) (helper) T cells, after in vitro re-stimulation. Despite significant differences in the magnitude and breadth of immune responses in the two vaccinated and mock treated groups, similar quantities of viral RNA were detected from the nasal cavity in all pigs after live virus challenge. The present study provides support for the use of the pig as a valid experimental model for influenza infections in humans, including the assessment of protective efficacy of therapeutic interventions
Properties of Ly-alpha emitters around the radio galaxy MRC 0316-257
Observations of the radio galaxy MRC 0316-257 at z=3.13 and the surrounding
field are presented. Using narrow- and broad-band imaging obtained with the
VLT, 77 candidate Ly-alpha emitters with a rest-frame equivalent width of > 15
A were selected in a ~7'x7' field around the radio galaxy. Spectroscopy of 40
candidate emitters resulted in the discovery of 33 emission line galaxies of
which 31 are Ly-alpha emitters with redshifts similar to that of the radio
galaxy, while the remaining two galaxies turned out to be [OII] emitters. The
Ly-alpha profiles have widths (FWHM) in the range of 120-800 km/s, with a
median of 260 km/s. Where the signal-to-noise was large enough, the Ly-alpha
profiles were found to be asymmetric, with apparent absorption troughs blueward
of the profile peaks, indicative of absorption along the line of sight of an HI
mass of at least 2x10^2 - 5x10^4 M_sun. The properties of the Ly-alpha galaxies
(faint, blue and small) are consistent with young star forming galaxies which
are still nearly dust free. The volume density of Ly-alpha emitting galaxies in
the field around MRC 0316-257 is a factor of 3.3+0.5-0.4 larger compared with
the density of field Ly-alpha emitters at that redshift. The velocity
distribution of the spectroscopically confirmed emitters has a FWHM of 1510
km/s, which is substantially smaller than the width of the narrow-band filter
(FWHM ~ 3500 km/s). The peak of the velocity distribution is located within 200
km/s of the redshift of the radio galaxy. We conclude that the confirmed
Ly-alpha emitters are members of a protocluster of galaxies at z~3.13. The size
of the protocluster is larger than 3.3x3.3 Mpc^2. The mass of this structure is
estimated to be > 3-6x10^14 M_sun and could be the progenitor of a cluster of
galaxies similar to e.g. the Virgo cluster. (Abridged)Comment: 23 Pages, including 20 PostScript figures. Publiced in Astronomy &
Astrophysics. v2: typo fixed and Journal reference adde
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