NATURAL HISTORY OF LEIOCEPHALUS SEMILINEATUS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SYMPATRIC LEIOCEPHALUS SCHREIBERSII AND AMEIVA LINEOLATA

We examined diet, habitat use, and behavior (focal animal observations of intraspecific interactions, escape behavior, and activity period) of Leiocephalus semilineatus from near Puerto Alejandro, Provincia de Barahona, República Dominicana, and compared some parameters to similar data collected at a site near Baní, Provincia de Peravia. Leiocephalus semilineatus is found in sympatry in dry scrub forests at both sites with Ameiva lineolata, an active-foraging teiid of approximately the same size, and at the Puerto Alejandro site with a larger congener, L. schreibersii. Leiocephalus semilineatus and L. schreibersii from Puerto Alejandro exhibited sexual size dimorphism, whereas L. semilineatus from the Baní site and A. lineolata did not. Leiocephalus semilineatus spent most of the time motionless; other observed activities were interactions with conspecifics, movement, and feeding. Lizards were active from shortly after sunrise to sundown, although activity peaked in late morning. Mean cloacal temperatures of L. semilineatus did not differ significantly from those of the other two species, but were significantly above ambient temperatures. Reproductive condition of collected specimens was examined and no correlation was found between snout-vent length and egg, follicle, or testis size. Clutch size was 1–2. Diets consisted primarily of invertebrates and did not differ significantly between the three species

Family in Rehabilitation, Empowering Carers for Improved Malnutrition Outcomes: Protocol for the FREER Pilot Study

Interventions to improve the nutritional status of older adults and the integration of formal and family care systems are critical research areas to improve the independence and health of aging communities and are particularly relevant in the rehabilitation setting.The primary outcome aimed to determine if the FREER (Family in Rehabilitation: EmpowERing Carers for improved malnutrition outcomes) intervention in malnourished older adults during and postrehabilitation improve nutritional status, physical function, quality of life, service satisfaction, and hospital and aged care admission rates up to 3 months postdischarge, compared with usual care. Secondary outcomes evaluated include family carer burden, carer services satisfaction, and patient and carer experiences. This pilot study will also assess feasibility and intervention fidelity to inform a larger randomized controlled trial.This protocol is for a mixed-methods two-arm historically-controlled prospective pilot study intervention. The historical control group has 30 participants, and the pilot intervention group aims to recruit 30 patient-carer pairs. The FREER intervention delivers nutrition counseling during rehabilitation, 3 months of postdischarge telehealth follow-up, and provides supportive resources using a novel model of patient-centered and carer-centered nutrition care. The primary outcome is nutritional status measured by the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Score. Qualitative outcomes such as experiences and perceptions of value will be measured using semistructured interviews followed by thematic analysis. The process evaluation addresses intervention fidelity and feasibility.Recruitment commenced on July 4, 2018, and is ongoing with eight patient-carer pairs recruited at the time of manuscript submission.This research will inform a larger randomized controlled trial, with potential for translation to health service policies and new models of dietetic care to support the optimization of nutritional status across a continuum of nutrition care from rehabilitation to home.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number (ACTRN) 12618000338268; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374608&isReview=true (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/74gtZplU2).DERR1-10.2196/12647

Family in Rehabilitation, Empowering Carers for Improved Malnutrition Outcomes: Protocol for the FREER Pilot Study

Interventions to improve the nutritional status of older adults and the integration of formal and family care systems are critical research areas to improve the independence and health of aging communities and are particularly relevant in the rehabilitation setting.The primary outcome aimed to determine if the FREER (Family in Rehabilitation: EmpowERing Carers for improved malnutrition outcomes) intervention in malnourished older adults during and postrehabilitation improve nutritional status, physical function, quality of life, service satisfaction, and hospital and aged care admission rates up to 3 months postdischarge, compared with usual care. Secondary outcomes evaluated include family carer burden, carer services satisfaction, and patient and carer experiences. This pilot study will also assess feasibility and intervention fidelity to inform a larger randomized controlled trial.This protocol is for a mixed-methods two-arm historically-controlled prospective pilot study intervention. The historical control group has 30 participants, and the pilot intervention group aims to recruit 30 patient-carer pairs. The FREER intervention delivers nutrition counseling during rehabilitation, 3 months of postdischarge telehealth follow-up, and provides supportive resources using a novel model of patient-centered and carer-centered nutrition care. The primary outcome is nutritional status measured by the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Score. Qualitative outcomes such as experiences and perceptions of value will be measured using semistructured interviews followed by thematic analysis. The process evaluation addresses intervention fidelity and feasibility.Recruitment commenced on July 4, 2018, and is ongoing with eight patient-carer pairs recruited at the time of manuscript submission.This research will inform a larger randomized controlled trial, with potential for translation to health service policies and new models of dietetic care to support the optimization of nutritional status across a continuum of nutrition care from rehabilitation to home.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number (ACTRN) 12618000338268; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374608&isReview=true (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/74gtZplU2).DERR1-10.2196/12647

Value co-creation with stakeholders using action research as a meta-methodology in a funded research project

© 2015 by the Project Management Institute. A large applied research study is a challenging exercise in project management and is often unpredictable because of its complexity. In the beginning, funding bodies, ethics committees, and participating organizations expect a plan of what is intended. As the research evolves, researchers must meet the expectations of stakeholders while being responsive to the emergent reality that the research faces and partly uncovers. This article describes action research used as an umbrella process that enabled us to manage the research project. We used action research as a meta-methodology-that is, a process that can subsume multiple subprocesses and under which these contradicting demands can be satisfied. In particular, two characteristics enable action research to do this. One is its cyclic process, iteratively tracing out a rhythm of planning, acting, and observing the results. The other is the nesting of its cycles, applied at scales ranging from the overall study to the moment-by-moment facilitation. We illustrate this use of action research with examples from a long-term applied study of leadership in faith-based, not-for-profit organizations

How I do it: transapical cannulation for acute type-A aortic dissection

Aortic dissection is the most frequently diagnosed lethal disease of the aorta. Half of all patients with acute type-A aortic dissection die within 48 hours of presentation. There is still debate as to the optimal site of arterial cannulation for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with type-A aortic dissection

Cardiopulmonary bypass via common carotid artery cannulation in redo sternotomy

There are certain situations in redo cardiac surgery in adults where it may not be possible to use alternate arterial cannulation sites like the common femoral artery and axillary artery. We report a case where we established safe cardiopulmonary bypass with common carotid artery cannulation in an adult patient. The patient underwent aortic valve replacement for severe aortic regurgitation 8 months after repair of type A aortic dissection plus aortic valve resuspension

The sensuous secrets of shelter: how recollections of food stimulate Irish men's reconstructions of their early formative residential experiences in Leicester, Sheffield and Manchester

This paper examines the intersection between food, recollection and Irish migrants’ reconstructions of their housing pathways in the three English cities of Leicester (East Midlands), Sheffield (South Yorkshire) and Manchester (North). Previous studies have acknowledged more implicitly the role of memory in representing the Irish migrant experience in England. Here, we adopt a different stance. We explore the mnemonic power of food to encode, decode and recode Irish men’s reconstructions of their housing pathways in England when constructing and negotiating otherness. In doing so, we apply a ‘Proustian anthropological’ approach in framing the men’s representations of their formative residential experiences in the boarding houses of the three English cities during the 1950s and 1960s are examined. The extent to which food provided in the boarding houses was used as an instrument of discipline and control is examined. The relevance of food related acts of resistance, food insecurity and acts of hedonic meat-centric eating in constructing the men’s sociocultural identity are also explored

Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Liver: An Uncommon Finding in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography Imaging

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the liver is rare tumor with an unfavorable prognosis. We report a case of advanced primary SCC of the liver arising adjacent to a nonparasitic liver cyst, invading into the right diaphragm and the right lung tissue. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CE-US) demonstrated unique enhancement in the late vascular phase, which was incompatible with those observed in hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocellular carcinoma, or metastatic adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent surgical resection of the tumor followed by systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin (CDDP), while radiation chemotherapy was not applied because of relatively poor performance status. Although postoperative image analysis revealed no recurrence 4 months later, the patient died 13 months after the operation from recurrence. Immunohistological analysis of the resected specimen revealed that this SCC contained many capillary endothelial vessels expressing CD31 or CD34, possibly reflecting the unique imaging pattern in the late vascular phase of CE-US, which has been reported in choangiolocellular carcinoma. In addition, we reviewed which kind of treatment would be suitable for advanced hepatic primary SCC in the literature. From the review, it could be proposed that a combination of radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy (5-FU and CDDP) and surgical resection, if possible, is appropriate for advanced primary SCC of the liver