What Variables Predict Endorsing Gambling as an Escape on the GFA-R?

The present investigation attempted to determine what variables would predict participants’ endorsing of gambling as an escape on the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised (GFA-R). Study 1 employed 224 university students as participants. Results of a hierarchical linear regression showed that responses on the GFA-R escape subscale were predicted by their GFA-R positive reinforcement subscale, Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), and South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) scores, but not by the risk factors of pathological gambling. Study 2, which employed 188 university students, replicated those findings and also found that participants’ self-reported locus of control and gambling expectancy scores, cumulatively, also accounted for a significant amount of variance in endorsing gambling as an escape. Together, these results suggest that people endorse gambling as an escape because they gamble for a variety of reasons, have experienced negative consequences due to their gambling, have a relatively lengthy history with gambling, and have potential emotional-regulation problems. The present results shed light on why people may gamble as an escape, which is important to understand given its strong relationship with pathological gambling

Dirigo : March Militaire

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-me/1329/thumbnail.jp

Genetic Interaction between Mfrp and Adipor1 Mutations Affect Retinal Disease Phenotypes

Adipor1tm1Dgen and Mfrprd6 mutant mice share similar eye disease characteristics. Previously, studies established a functional relationship of ADIPOR1 and MFRP proteins in maintaining retinal lipidome homeostasis and visual function. However, the independent and/or interactive contribution of both genes to similar disease phenotypes, including fundus spots, decreased axial length, and photoreceptor degeneration has yet to be examined. We performed a gene-interaction study where homozygous Adipor1tm1Dgen and Mfrprd6 mice were bred together and the resulting doubly heterozygous F1 offspring were intercrossed to produce 210 F2 progeny. Four-month-old mice from all nine genotypic combinations obtained in the F2 generation were assessed for white spots by fundus photo documentation, for axial length by caliper measurements, and for photoreceptor degeneration by histology. Two-way factorial ANOVA was performed to study individual as well as gene interaction effects on each phenotype. Here, we report the first observation of reduced axial length in Adipor1tmlDgen homozygotes. We show that while Adipor1 and Mfrp interact to affect spotting and degeneration, they act independently to control axial length, highlighting the complex functional association between these two genes. Further examination of the molecular basis of this interaction may help in uncovering mechanisms by which these genes perturb ocular homeostasis

Bottom dissipation of subinertial currents at the Atlantic zonal boundaries

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90515/1/jgr_bbldiss_wrightetal_2012.pd

A Splicing Mutation in Slc4a5 Results in Retinal Detachment and Retinal Pigment Epithelium Dysfunction

Fluid and solute transporters of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are core components of the outer blood-retinal barrier. Characterizing these transporters and their role in retinal homeostasis may provide insights into ocular function and disease. Here, we describe RPE defects in tvrm77 mice, which exhibit hypopigmented patches in the central retina. Mapping and nucleotide sequencing of tvrm77 mice revealed a disrupted 5\u27 splice donor sequence in Slc4a5, a sodium bicarbonate cotransporter gene. Slc4a5 expression was reduced 19.7-fold in tvrm77 RPE relative to controls, and alternative splice variants were detected. SLC4A5 was localized to the Golgi apparatus of cultured human RPE cells and in apical and basal membranes. Fundus imaging, optical coherence tomography, microscopy, and electroretinography (ERG) of tvrm77 mice revealed retinal detachment, hypopigmented patches corresponding to neovascular lesions, and retinal folds. Detachment worsened and outer nuclear layer thickness decreased with age. ERG a- and b-wave response amplitudes were initially normal but declined in older mice. The direct current ERG fast oscillation and light peak were reduced in amplitude at all ages, whereas other RPE-associated responses were unaffected. These results link a new Slc4a5 mutation to subretinal fluid accumulation and altered light-evoked RPE electrophysiological responses, suggesting that SLC4A5 functions at the outer blood-retinal barrier

Specialist nursing support for unpaid carers of people with dementia: a mixed-methods feasibility study

Background: Unpaid carers are the mainstay of support for people with dementia. Admiral Nursing (AN) is the only specialist nursing service that specifically focuses on supporting such carers, but evidence of its effectiveness, costs and relationships with other health and social care services is limited. This project aimed to address this gap and explore the feasibility of a full-scale formal evaluation. Objectives: To explore the relationships between characteristics of carers and people with dementia, service type and input and outcomes; to develop and test data collection methods for subsequent economic evaluation; to explore the effect of AN on outcomes and costs, compared with usual care; to explore the perceived system-wide impact of specialist support for carers of people with dementia, compared with usual care; and to implement new data collection methods in AN, which could also be used by other services, to facilitate evaluation. Design: A mixed-methods study, using secondary analysis of an administrative data set, and primary (cross-sectional) quantitative and qualitative data collection. Setting: Qualitative research with carers in four areas of England; a survey of carers in 32 local authority areas (16 with and 16 without AN); and qualitative interviews with professionals in four areas. Participants: Thirty-five carers of people with dementia and 20 professionals were interviewed qualitatively; 346 carers completed in-scope questionnaires (46% through AN services and 54% from matched non-AN areas). Interventions: Specialist nursing support for carers of people with dementia (with AN as an exemplar) compared with usual care. Main outcome measures: The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers; the EuroQol-5 Dimensions, five-level version; and the Caregiver Self-Efficacy for Managing Dementia Scale. Data sources: Dementia UK’s AN administrative data set. Results: Admiral Nurses are successfully targeting the most complex cases. They work predominantly with older carers who have the main responsibility for the person with dementia, who are heavily involved in caring activity and who may be at risk. Three outcome areas that are important to carers of people with dementia and are potentially affected by receiving support are (1) carer self-efficacy, (2) carer quality of life (3) and carer mental and physical health. The carers in the survey receiving support from AN were older, were more heavily involved in caring and had poorer outcomes than carers not in receipt of such support. When these differences were controlled for, carers supported by AN had better outcomes, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. Health and social care costs were similar in both groups. The perceived system-wide impact of services, such as AN, is not well understood by professional stakeholders. Limitations: Challenges were experienced in identifying similar carers in areas with or without an AN service and in the cross-sectional nature of the work. Conclusions: Specialist nursing support to carers of people with dementia may enable them to continue providing care to the end or very close to the end of the dementia journey. The outcomes for such carers may be no different from, or even slightly better than, those of similar carers without this support, although the costs to health and social care services are the same in each case. Future work: Future research could investigate the impact of specialist support for carers on admission to long-term care. There is also a need for more work to encourage routine use of the selected outcome measures in dementia service delivery. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme

Identification of Arhgef12 and Prkci as genetic modifiers of retinal dysplasia in the Crb1rd8 mouse model.

Mutations in the apicobasal polarity gene CRB1 lead to diverse retinal diseases, such as Leber congenital amaurosis, cone-rod dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa (with and without Coats-like vasculopathy), foveal retinoschisis, macular dystrophy, and pigmented paravenous chorioretinal atrophy. Limited correlation between disease phenotypes and CRB1 alleles, and evidence that patients sharing the same alleles often present with different disease features, suggest that genetic modifiers contribute to clinical variation. Similarly, the retinal phenotype of mice bearing the Crb1 retinal degeneration 8 (rd8) allele varies with genetic background. Here, we initiated a sensitized chemical mutagenesis screen in B6.Cg-Crb1rd8/Pjn, a strain with a mild clinical presentation, to identify genetic modifiers that cause a more severe disease phenotype. Two models from this screen, Tvrm266 and Tvrm323, exhibited increased retinal dysplasia. Genetic mapping with high-throughput exome and candidate-gene sequencing identified causative mutations in Arhgef12 and Prkci, respectively. Epistasis analysis of both strains indicated that the increased dysplastic phenotype required homozygosity of the Crb1rd8 allele. Retinal dysplastic lesions in Tvrm266 mice were smaller and caused less photoreceptor degeneration than those in Tvrm323 mice, which developed an early, large diffuse lesion phenotype. At one month of age, Müller glia and microglia mislocalization at dysplastic lesions in both modifier strains was similar to that in B6.Cg-Crb1rd8/Pjn mice but photoreceptor cell mislocalization was more extensive. External limiting membrane disruption was comparable in Tvrm266 and B6.Cg-Crb1rd8/Pjn mice but milder in Tvrm323 mice. Immunohistological analysis of mice at postnatal day 0 indicated a normal distribution of mitotic cells in Tvrm266 and Tvrm323 mice, suggesting normal early development. Aberrant electroretinography responses were observed in both models but functional decline was significant only in Tvrm323 mice. These results identify Arhgef12 and Prkci as modifier genes that differentially shape Crb1-associated retinal disease, which may be relevant to understanding clinical variability and underlying disease mechanisms in humans

The importance of sea ice area biases in 21st century multimodel projections of Antarctic temperature and precipitation

Climate models exhibit large biases in sea ice area (SIA) in their historical simulations. This study explores the impacts of these biases on multimodel uncertainty in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble projections of 21st century change in Antarctic surface temperature, net precipitation, and SIA. The analysis is based on time slice climatologies in the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 future scenario (2070–2099) and historical (1970–1999) simulations across 37 different CMIP5 models. Projected changes in net precipitation, temperature, and SIA are found to be strongly associated with simulated historical mean SIA (e.g., cross-model correlations of r = 0.77, 0.71, and −0.85, respectively). Furthermore, historical SIA bias is found to have a large impact on the simulated ratio between net precipitation response and temperature response. This ratio is smaller in models with smaller-than-observed SIA. These strong emergent relationships on SIA bias could, if found to be physically robust, be exploited to give more precise climate projections for Antarctica

Value for Money in Social Care : The Role of Economic Evidence in the Guideline Development Process of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in England. Journal of Long-Term Care

In England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been responsible for developing social care guidelines since 2012. Internationally, it is the first health technology assessment and guideline agency that specifically includes social care. As is the case for NICE’s clinical and public health guidance, social care guidelines comprise recommendations based on the best available evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of how economic evidence is used within social care guideline development. Firstly, the paper describes the guideline development and quality assurance process, in addition to the roles and responsibilities of the technical team and guideline committee members. Secondly, the paper summarises how economic evidence is reviewed, generated, and used to inform recommendations, with examples given to highlight some of the challenges and opportunities that can be encountered. The paper culminates with proposals for the use of economic evidence in social care in England going forward and makes recommendations for further research in this area. The paper posits that guidelines are an important vehicle for supporting evidence-based practice in social care and that economic evidence is a critical kind of evidence to include. As economic evidence in social care becomes more widely available, it can be increasingly used to produce useful and accessible information for decision makers. Further research is needed to understand the impact of implementing economic evidence-based recommendations in social care practice