Stepping outside normative neoliberal discourse: youth and disability meet – the case of Jody McIntyre

In May 2010, amidst the ‘global financial crisis’ a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government succeeded a 12-year reign of New Labour in the United Kingdom, and ushered in massive welfare cuts. Although New Labour tabled major welfare and disability benefit reform, they arguably did not activate the harshest of these. This paper focuses on the backlash of youth and disability in the form of demonstrations; two groups that are being hit hard by the political shift to work-first welfare in an era of employment scarcity. The case of young disabled activist Jody McIntyre is used to explore parallels and divergences in neoliberal and ‘populist’ discourses of ‘risky’, troubling’ youth and disability

Stormar i Sydsverige

Many people believe that there are more windstorms today than before. In order to find out, it requires knowing what defines a windstorm: the average wind speed must exceed 24,4 m/s to be classed as a windstorm. The average wind speed is measured for a 10 minute period. There are gusts which are strong winds that only blow for a few seconds to a minute. These may reach gale force even if it’s not a windstorm according to the average wind speed. To investigate whether it storms more today than before the geostrophic wind can be explored; this is a theoretical wind that depends on the air pressure and the Coriolis force. This is used because the wind measurements in the past weren’t on the same height and there were few stations. Pressure measurements are more reliable and these go further back in time. From 1961 there are series of wind measurements from some stations that you can explore and see whether the geostrophic wind is reliable or not. It is difficult to get an answer on whether the windstorms have become more or not. Research shows that they are not likely to have become more, but hints that they may become more intense. The uncertainty is large so it is difficult to know if this is the case.Forskning är väldigt oense om huruvida det stormar mer idag än vad det gjorde förr. Vissa pekar på att stormarna har blivit intensivare, men färre. Andra studier visar på att stormarna inte har blivit intensivare. De senaste 10 åren har det stormat mycket i södra Sverige, vilket får många att tycka att det stormar mer nu än förr. Dessa stormar har fört med sig stor förstörelse och höga kostnader för samhället. Undersöker man dock längre tillbaka i tiden ser man att under slutet av 60-talet inträffade det ett antal kraftiga stormar. Vindmätningar är ett bra sätt att undersöka stormar på. För att det ska räknas som storm krävs det att vinden blåser i minst 24,5 m/s under en 10-minuters period. Kraftiga vindar som uppstår under ett kortare tidsintervall kallas för vindbyar, kastvindar eller etc. Mätserier för vind finns från 1961 på vissa mätstationer och från senare år på andra mätstationer. Mätserierna från denna tid är dock inte helt noggranna, bland annat kunde mätstationerna sitta på olika höjd. Först på 90-talet installerades det ett stort antal automatstationer runt om i Sverige där alla sattes på samma höjd, 10 m över marken. På grund av det dels bara är 19 år sedan dessa sattes upp och noggrannheten i de tidigare mätserierna inte var helt bra kan man istället använda sig av en så kallad geostrofisk vind. Detta är en teoretisk vind som tar hänsyn till lufttryckskillnader, då det tidigare fanns fler stationer för lufttrycksobservationer. Denna teoretiska vind kan ge en överblick på hur mycket det stormar per år och höga hastigheter i vindbyar. Den teoretiska vinden kan sedan jämföras med de mätserier för vind som faktiskt finns och undersöka om den teoretiska vinden är tillförlitlig eller inte

High hopes? The gender equality duty and its impact on responses to gender-based violence

From 2007 until 2011, legislation in the form of the Gender Equality Duty (GED) required public bodies in Britain to take gender equality into consideration in all their policies and services. This article traces the development and implementation of the GED in Scotland, following a period of constitutional reform. It outlines its scope and focuses on its perceived potential as a policy tool for driving practical and cultural change in the way public bodies, particularly those responsible for the delivery of criminal justice, respond to gender-based violence. In so doing, it highlights the distinctive approach taken to gender-based violence in Scotland, and argues that despite some evidence of mainstreaming, the real potential for change afforded by the (short-lived) GED was never fully realised

2-Substituted agelasine analogs : synthesis and biological activity, and structure and reactivity of synthetic intermediates

2-Substituted N-methoxy-9-methyl-9H-purin-6-amines were synthesized either from their corresponding 6-chloro-9-methyl-9H-purines or 2-chloro-N-methoxy-9-methyl- 9H-purin-6-amine. Great diversity in the amino/imino tautomeric ratios was observed and calculated based on 1H NMR. The tautomers were identified by 1D and 2D 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR techniques, and showed significant variation both in 13C and 15N shift values. Comparison of the tautomeric ratios with Hammett F values revealed that as the field/inductive withdrawing abilities of the 2-substituent increased, the ratio of amino:imino tautomers was shifted toward the amino tautomer. Computational chemistry exposed the significance of hydrogen bonding between solvent and the compound in question to reach accurate predictions for tautomeric ratios. B3LYP/def2-TZVP density functional theory (DFT) calculations resulted in quantitatively more accurate predictions than when employing the less expensive BP86 functional. N-7-Alkylation of the 2-substituted N-methoxy-9-methyl-9H-purin-6- amines showed that when the field/inductive withdrawing ability of the 2-substituent reached a certain point the reactivity drastically dropped. This correlated with the atomic charges on N-7 calculated using a natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Biological screening of the final 2-substituted agelasine analogs indicated that the introduction of a methyl group in the 2-position is advantageous for antimycobacterial and antiprotozoal activity, and that an amino function may improve activity against several cancer cell lines

Randomised pharmacokinetic trial of rifabutin with lopinavir/ritonavir-antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Rifampicin and protease inhibitors are difficult to use concomitantly in patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis because of drug-drug interactions. Rifabutin has been proposed as an alternative rifamycin, but there is concern that the current recommended dose is suboptimal. The principal aim of this study was to compare bioavailability of two doses of rifabutin (150 mg three times per week and 150 mg daily) in patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis who initiated lopinavir/ritonavir-based antiretroviral therapy in Vietnam. Concentrations of lopinavir/ritonavir were also measured. METHODS: This was a randomized, open-label, multi-dose, two-arm, cross-over trial, conducted in Vietnamese adults with HIV-associated tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City (Clinical trial registry number NCT00651066). Rifabutin pharmacokinetics were evaluated before and after the introduction of lopinavir/ritonavir -based antiretroviral therapy using patient randomization lists. Serial rifabutin and 25-O-desacetyl rifabutin concentrations were measured during a dose interval after 2 weeks of rifabutin 300 mg daily, after 3 weeks of rifabutin 150 mg daily with lopinavir/ritonavir and after 3 weeks of rifabutin 150 mg three times per week with lopinavir/ritonavir. RESULTS: Sixteen and seventeen patients were respectively randomized to the two arms, and pharmacokinetic analysis carried out in 12 and 13 respectively. Rifabutin 150 mg daily with lopinavir/ritonavir was associated with a 32% mean increase in rifabutin average steady state concentration compared with rifabutin 300 mg alone. In contrast, the rifabutin average steady state concentration decreased by 44% when rifabutin was given at 150 mg three times per week with lopinavir/ritonavir. With both dosing regimens, 2 - 5 fold increases of the 25-O-desacetyl- rifabutin metabolite were observed when rifabutin was given with lopinavir/ritonavir compared with rifabutin alone. The different doses of rifabutin had no significant effect on lopinavir/ritonavir plasma concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, rifabutin 150 mg daily may be preferred when co-administered with lopinavir/ritonavir in patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00651066

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Victim, perpetrator or a completely ordinary person : Depictions of drug users in the Swedish press

Studiens syfte var att analysera hur svensk dags- och kvällspress framställer narkotikabrukare. Metoden som användes för att besvara syfte och frågeställningar var en kritisk diskursanalys. Studiens teoretiska grund var socialkonstruktionism och kritisk diskursanalys i relation till Goldbergs (2010) stämplingsteoretiska modell. Resultatet visade på beskrivningar av narkotikabrukare som kriminella, utsatta, offer och beroende. Vad som också framkom var en bild av narkotikabrukare som en helt vanlig person, en Svensson med familj, barn och fast anställning. De diskurser som uttyddes var en förövardiskurs, en offerdiskurs och en normaliseringsdiskurs. Utifrån den stämplingsteoretiska modellen kunde det tolkas som att både offerdiskursen och förövardiskursen är stigmatiserande och således med i skapandet av avvikare medan normaliseringsdiskursen kan sägas vara icke-stigmatiserande för narkotikabrukare.The purpose of the study was to analyse how the Swedish daily and evening press portraysdrug users. The method used to answer the purpose and questions of the study was a critical discourse analysis. The theoretical basis of the study was social constructionism and critical discourse analysis in relation to Goldberg's (2010) stigma theory. The results showed descriptions of drug users as criminals, victims and addicts. What also emerged was an image of drug users as an ordinary person with a family, children and full-time employment. The interpreted discourses were an offender discourse, a victim discourse, and a normalization discourse. Based on the stigma theory, it could be interpreted that both the victim discourse and the perpetrator discourse are stigmatizing and thus involved in the creation of deviants while the normalization discourse can be said to be nonstigmatizing for drug users.

Nutritionens betydelse för sår på nedre extremiteter : En beskrivande litteraturstudie

Bakgrund: Sår på nedre extremiteter är vanligt förekommande, särskilt hos äldre. De sår som inte läkt inom sex veckor räknas som svårläkta och brukar medföra stora lidanden för de drabbade samt stora samhällsekonomiska kostnader. Sårens komplexitet påverkas av bakomliggande sjukdomsfaktorer och diabetespatienter är särskilt utsatta. Kosten är grundläggande för att upprätthålla kroppens livsviktiga funktioner men trots detta används sällan nutritionsbehandling för denna typ av sår. Syfte: Att sammanställa nutritionens betydelse för sår på nedre extremiteter. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på 15 kvantitativa empiriska studier om nutritionens betydelse för bensår och/eller diabetiska fotsår. Huvudresultat: Samband identifierades mellan nutritionsstatus och såromfattning där sämre nutritionsstatus ledde till mer allvarliga sår och ökad amputationsrisk. Näringsbrister, framför allt av mikronäringsämnena vitamin C, D, magnesium och zink, uppdagades hos deltagarna. Deltagarnas kost bestod av hög andel kolhydrater och fett medan proteinintaget i många fall var under rekommenderade nivåer. Trots påtaglig undernäring led majoriteten av deltagarna av övervikt eller fetma. Näringstillskott, särskilt av mikronäringsämnen, påskyndade sårläkningsprocessen och gav även förbättrade värden för CRP och glykemisk kontroll. Vikten av vitamin D är speciellt framträdande. Slutsats: Nutritionen har bevisligen stor betydelse för sårutvecklingen. Därför bör patienter med svårläkta sår utredas för eventuella näringsbrister oavsett kroppsvikt. Med individanpassade kostråd och nutritionsinsatser kan patienten bättre stödjas i strävan efter sårläkning genom egenvårdsinsatser.  Background: Ulcers on lower extremities are common, especially among the elderly. Ulcers not healing in six weeks are considered chronic and lead to significant suffering for those affected and substantial socioeconomic costs. Underlying medical factors contribute to ulcer complexity and patients with diabetes are particularly exposed. Nutrition is essential for maintaining and strengthening the body's vital functions. However, nutritional therapy is not as commonly used for lower extremity ulcers as for other wounds. Objective: To compile the significance of nutrition for lower extremity ulcers. Method: A literature review based on 15 quantitative primary studies on the significance of nutrition for leg ulcers and/or diabetic foot ulcers. Main Results: Relationship between nutritional status and ulcer size was identified where poorer nutritional status led to more severe ulcers and increased risk of amputation. Nutritional deficiencies, especially micronutrients vitamin C, D, magnesium, and zinc, were found among the participants. Diets consisted of a high proportion of carbohydrates and fats, while protein intake often was below recommended levels. Most participants were overweight or obese despite apparent malnutrition. Nutritional supplements, especially of micronutrients, accelerated the ulcer healing process and improved values for C-reactive protein (CRP) and glycemic control in controlled studies. The importance of vitamin D was emphasized in this literature review. Conclusion: Nutrition plays a significant role on ulcer development. Patients with chronic ulcers should be screened for potential nutritional deficiencies, regardless of body weight. With individualized dietary advice and nutritional interventions can patients receive better support in efforts for self-care and ulcer healing