An Exploration of the Ideology of Health Promotion and Critical Implications for Public health

This dissertation analyzes the ideological, conceptual, and moral foundations of health promotion discourse. It highlights their implications for the field of public health and for broader socio-cultural contexts. Using a critical interpretive qualitative approach, the study employs semi-structured interviews to understand how conceptions of health promotion are articulated by a group of professional health coaches. Additionally, written and visual health communication and social marketing materials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are examined through qualitative discourse analysis. Findings from both sets of data are convergent and support the claim that, currently, the pursuit of health is mainly justified with reference to an individualistic, rationalistic and moralizing doctrine that continues to be pervasive. This translates into professional recommendations which stress individual responsibility for achieving health through discrete behavioral and lifestyle changes. iv It is argued that the dominant approach in health promotion discourse fails to integrate a coherent understanding of the structural determinants of health and does not take into account the complexity of the production of health, nor the rich phenomenology of health in daily life. The present dominant status of individualistic conceptions of health contributes to the spread of a reductive understanding of health among the citizenry. The study points to critical public health implications, including the urgent need for integrating social determinants in the pervasive professional ideology of health. As the health promotion workforce - such as health coaches - is expected to grow at a fast pace in the near future, it is imperative that a more comprehensive conception of health production be incorporated into the training of health promotion and of health professionals, generally. Additionally, efforts should be made so that the social determinants of health become integrated into public debate, public policy agendas, and health communication. This analysis favored depth over scope. The main limitation of the study is the small number of interviews with health coaches from a single organization. Additional empirical studies are needed to include other health promotion and health care groups as well as lay participants, and to integrate a comparative perspective into the analysis

On the properties of aluminium doped zinc oxide thin films deposited on plastic substrates from ceramic targets

We report on the deposition of Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films on unheated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique using a UV excimer laser and Al2O3:ZnO ceramic targets (1.5 and 2 wt% Al2O3). The deposited AZO films have been investigated by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and optical spectrophotometry. Films present excellent optical and electrical properties (transmission in the visible range T > 85%; resistivity at room temperature rho = 1.3 x 10(-3) Omega cm) as electrodes for plastic solar cells. A good correlation was found between deposition conditions (laser fluence) and structural, morphological, optical and electrical propertie

Kite-Powered Design-to-Robotic-Production for Affordable Building on Demand

<p>Building technologies employed today in 2nd and 3rd world countries are imported, expensive, outdated and unsustainable. Highly developed countries, on the other hand, rapidly advance in developing affordable, numerically controlled and robotically supported material- and energy-efficient methods for building on demand. The research team proposes to close this gap by applying advanced design-to-robotic-production (D2RP) technologies developed at Technical University Delft (TUD) to construction problems in 2nd and 3rd world countries. The provided tool base uses refurbished robotic technology, which is retrofitted with state-ofthe-art open source control software, and by employing local approaches and available materials the dependency on imported materials and processes is drastically reduced. The D2RP unit is coupled with the electricity generating Kite Power (KP) system developed at TUD to create a mobile sustainable autarkic unit that can be deployed everywhere.</p

Classic vs laparoscopic approach in colorectal cancer. Experience of a tertiary center, Surgery No 3 Clinic, Cluj-Napoca

Clinica Chirurgie 3, Cluj-Napoca, România, Al XIII-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” și al III-lea Congres al Societății de Endoscopie, Chirurgie miniminvazivă și Ultrasonografie ”V.M.Guțu” din Republica MoldovaIntroducere: Cancerul colorectal este unul dintre cele mai frecvente cancere și cu tendință în creștere la nivel global. Majoritatea studiilor recente au demonstrat non inferioritatea și chiar o ușoară superioritate în abordul laparoscopic prin prisma rezultatelor obținute și a supraviețuirii la distanță. Material și metode: Au fost selectate retrospectiv 2186 de cazuri din baza de date completată prospectiv a Clinicii Chirurgie 3 pentru perioada ian 2013-dec 2018 (6 ani). Din acestea s-au exclus 76 cazuri laparoscopie/laparotomie exploratorie, 154 cazuri colostomii, 51 derivații interne; în final au fost analizate 1905 cazuri de cancer colorectal. Rezultate: Din 1905 cazuri s-au efectuat rezecții laparoscopice la un număr de 310 (16.27%) și clasice la un număr de 1595 cazuri (83.73%). Au fost analizați între cele două loturi următorii parametri: pregătire preoperatorie, durata operației, pierderi sangvine, complicații postoperatorii (fistulă, abces, hemoragie, ocluzie, complicații generale), supurații de plagă, zile spitalizare, necesar antibiotic, mobilizare postoperatorie, mortalitate. Concuzii: Abordul laparoscopic prezintă avantaje privind recuperarea postoperatorie, pierderi sangvine, zile spitalizare, necesar antialgice/antibiotic, lipsa supurațiilor de plagă. Dezavantajele sunt curba de învățare, aparatura specifică și dificultatea păstrării principiilor oncologice.Introduction: Colorectal cancer remains one of the most frequently diagnosed malignant pathologies with a continuously increasing rate worldwide. Most of the recent studies have shown the non-inferiority and slight superiority in the laparoscopic approach through obtained results. Material and methods: 2186 cases were selected retrospectively from a prospectively completed database of the Surgical no 3 Clinic in Cluj-Napoca over the course of 6 years (ian 2013 – dec 2018). Out of these cases, 76 cases were excluded for exploratory laparoscopy/laparotomy, 154 which underwent only colostomy, and 51 which underwent internal derivation. At the end of the study, 1905 cases were eligible. Results: Out of 1905 cases, 310 underwent a laparoscopic approach (16.27%) and 1595 cases underwent a classic approach (83.73%). Between the two approaches, a series of parameters were analyzed: preoperative care, duration of the surgery, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications (fistula, abscess, hemorrhage, occlusion, general complications), antibiotic necessity, postoperative mobilization, mortality, prevalence of surgical site infection. Conclusions: The laparoscopic approach proves many advantages regarding postoperative care, blood loss, hospitalization care, necessity of antibiotics and painkillers, and surgical site infection, cosmetic advantages. Disadvantages are the learning curve, specific instruments requirements, difficulty of maintaining the oncology principles

Effect of Nuclear Quadrupole Interaction on the Relaxation in Amorphous Solids

Recently it has been experimentally demonstrated that certain glasses display an unexpected magnetic field dependence of the dielectric constant. In particular, the echo technique experiments have shown that the echo amplitude depends on the magnetic field. The analysis of these experiments results in the conclusion that the effect seems to be related to the nuclear degrees of freedom of tunneling systems. The interactions of a nuclear quadrupole electrical moment with the crystal field and of a nuclear magnetic moment with magnetic field transform the two-level tunneling systems inherent in amorphous dielectrics into many-level tunneling systems. The fact that these features show up at temperatures $T<100mK$, where the properties of amorphous materials are governed by the long-range $R^{-3}$ interaction between tunneling systems, suggests that this interaction is responsible for the magnetic field dependent relaxation. We have developed a theory of many-body relaxation in an ensemble of interacting many-level tunneling systems and show that the relaxation rate is controlled by the magnetic field. The results obtained correlate with the available experimental data. Our approach strongly supports the idea that the nuclear quadrupole interaction is just the key for understanding the unusual behavior of glasses in a magnetic field.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure

Resection margin in liver metastasectomy secondary colorectal cancer

Clinica Chirurgie 3, Cluj-Napoca, România, Al XIII-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” și al III-lea Congres al Societății de Endoscopie, Chirurgie miniminvazivă și Ultrasonografie ”V.M.Guțu” din Republica MoldovaIntroducere: Rezectia hepatică este gold standardul în tratamentul metastazelor hepatice. Marginea de rezectie hepatica în cazul metastazelor hepatice a fost si este un subiect des dezbătut. Unii chirurgi considerau marginea de siguranță oncologică de 1 cm, în timp ce în ultima vreme se acceptă tot mai des marginea de rezecție de 1 mm. Materiale și metode: În studiul prezent au fost analizați 140 de pacienți internați din 01.01.2011 pana in 30.06.2018 si s-au comparat rezultatele obținute în funcție de marginile de rezecție R0 si R1. Rezultate și concluzii: Concluziile acestui studiu sunt că lipsa tratamentului neoadjuvant se corelează cu apariția mai frecventă marginii de rezecție microscopic pozitive, nu sunt diferențe semnificativ statistice de supraviețuire între pacienții cu R0 și R1, supraviețuirea acestora la 5 ani fiind de 45% vs. 33%, pe termen scurt și mediu, supraviețuirea estimată este mai mică în grupul pacienților cu metastaze mai mari de 5 cm, metastazele din hemificatul stang prezic un prognostic mai lung al supraviețuirii, iar supraviețuirea este influențată de gradul de diferențiere tumoral - biologia tumorală.Introduction: Liver resection is the gold standard in the treatment of liver metastases. The hepatic resection margin for liver metastases has been and is a frequently debated topic. Some surgeons considered the 1 cm margin of oncology safety, whereas lately, the 1 mm resection margin is increasingly accepted. Material and methods: In the current study, 140 patients were admitted from January 01, 2011 to June 30, 2018 and the results obtained according to the resection edges R0 and R1 were compared. Results and conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that the lack of neoadjuvant treatment correlates with the more frequent occurrence of the positive microscopic resection margin, there are no statistically significant survival differences between patients with R0 and R1, their survival at 5 years being 45% vs. 33%, in the short and medium term, the estimated survival is lower in the patients with metastases greater than 5 cm, the left hemi-liver metastases predict a longer prognosis of survival, and survival is influenced by the degree of tumor differentiation - tumor biology

R1 incidence in pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head

Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie “Iuliu Hațieganu”, Institultul Regional de Gastroenterologie și Hepatologie “Prof. O. Fodor”, Institutul Regional de Gastroenterologie și Hepatologie “Prof. O. Fodor,” Departamentul de Anatomie Patologică, Cluj-Napoca, Romănia, Al XIII-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” și al III-lea Congres al Societății de Endoscopie, Chirurgie miniminvazivă și Ultrasonografie ”V.M.Guțu” din Republica MoldovaIntroducere: Gold standardul duodenopancreatectomiei cefalice (DPC) este obținerea unor margini de rezecție tumorală negative (R0). Având în vedere datele din literatură, în care unii autori au demonstrat ca incidența marginilor R1 crește după folosirea unor protocoale histopatologice standardizate de colorare și preparare a piesei de duodenopancreatectomie cefalica (DPC), am considerat necesar efectuarea unui studiu, în acest sens, în Institutul nostru. Material și metode: Au fost studiate 116 cazuri de adenocarcinom ductal pancreatic cefalic la care s-a efectuat DPC cu intenție de radicalitate. Cele 116 cazuri au fost împarțite în două loturi: un lot de 59 de cazuri (retrospectiv) la care marginile de rezecție nu au fost preparate și un lot de 57 de cazuri (prospectiv) la care piesele au fost preparate și colorate conform unui protocol standardizat. Astfel dacă în cazul lotului retrospectiv marginea circumferențiala nu a fost detaliată, în cazul lotului prospectiv această margine a fost imparțită în: medială, anterioară, superioară și posterioară. Rezultate: Incidența marginii R1 în lotul retrospectiv a fost de 39%, iar în lotul prospectiv a fost de 68.6% (p-value=0.0016). Marginea de rezecție cea mai des R1 a fost marginea circumferențială (87%) în cazul lotului retrospectiv, iar marginea mediala (mezopancreasul) (74.35%) în lotul prospectiv. Marginile R1 au fost multifocale în 13.04% în grupul retrospectiv vs 51.28% în grupul prospectiv (p-value=0.003). Supraviețuirea generală nu a fost influențată de tipul margini de rezecție (R0/R1). Concluzii: Folosirea unor protocoale standardizate de preparare și colorare a pieselor de DPC duce la creșterea incidenței marginilor R1. Mezopancreasul reprezintă locul de elecție pentru apariția marginilor R1 în DPC.Utilizarea unor protocoale standardizate pentru colorarea marginilor de rezecție în DPC crește incidența marginilor R1 multifocale. Supraviețuirea generală este influențată de tipul margini de rezecție (R0/R1).Introduction: Obtaining "clear" margins (R0) in pancreatoduodenectomy is the gold standard for this surgery. We sought to determine whether a standardized histopathological protocol (SHP) would increase the R1 rate. Material and methods: We analyzed 116 cases who had received surgery to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) of the pancreatic head. We separated the cases into two groups: the first group included 59 cases (retrospective) with no standardized histopathological protocol (NSHP), while the second one included 57 cases (prospective), for which we used an SHP for the tumor margins. The circumferential margins were not defined in detail in the NSHP group, while SHP margins were defined as medial (mesopancreas), anterior, superior and posterior. R1 was defined as the distance between the tumor and the resection margin of ≤1 mm. Results: The R1 rate increased significantly from 39% in the NSHP group to 68.6% in the SHP group (p-value=0.0016). The circumferential margin was closest to the R1 definition in the NSHP group (87%); the closest to R1 in the SHP group was a medial margin (74.35%). The margin positivity was multifocal (13.04% retrospective vs 51.28% prospective, p-value=0.003) in the SHP group. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) between R0 and R1 resections (p-value=0.348). Conclusions: The R1 incidence rate in PD for PDAC of the pancreatic head is influenced by SHP, but OS is not influenced by margin positivity when R1 is defined as 1 mm. The mesopancreas represents the primary site for positive resection margins. SHP can determine multifocal margin positivity

Cell-specific deletion of C1qa identifies microglia as the dominant source of C1q in mouse brain

BACKGROUND: The complement cascade not only provides protection from infection but can also mediate destructive inflammation. Complement is also involved in elimination of neuronal synapses which is essential for proper development, but can be detrimental during aging and disease. C1q, required for several of these complement-mediated activities, is present in the neuropil, microglia, and a subset of interneurons in the brain. METHODS: To identify the source(s) of C1q in the brain, the C1qa gene was selectively inactivated in the microglia or Thy-1(+) neurons in both wild type mice and a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and C1q synthesis assessed by immunohistochemistry, QPCR, and western blot analysis. RESULTS: While C1q expression in the brain was unaffected after inactivation of C1qa in Thy-1(+) neurons, the brains of C1qa (FL/FL) :Cx3cr1 (CreERT2) mice in which C1qa was ablated in microglia were devoid of C1q with the exception of limited C1q in subsets of interneurons. Surprisingly, this loss of C1q occurred even in the absence of tamoxifen by 1 month of age, demonstrating that Cre activity is tamoxifen-independent in microglia in Cx3cr1 (CreERT2/WganJ) mice. C1q expression in C1qa (FL/FL) : Cx3cr1 (CreERT2/WganJ) mice continued to decline and remained almost completely absent through aging and in AD model mice. No difference in C1q was detected in the liver or kidney from C1qa (FL/FL) : Cx3cr1 (CreERT2/WganJ) mice relative to controls, and C1qa (FL/FL) : Cx3cr1 (CreERT2/WganJ) mice had minimal, if any, reduction in plasma C1q. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, microglia, but not neurons or peripheral sources, are the dominant source of C1q in the brain. While demonstrating that the Cx3cr1 (CreERT2/WganJ) deleter cannot be used for adult-induced deletion of genes in microglia, the model described here enables further investigation of physiological roles of C1q in the brain and identification of therapeutic targets for the selective control of complement-mediated activities contributing to neurodegenerative disorders. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-017-0814-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users