700 research outputs found
Men and infant feeding: Perceptions of embarrassment, sexuality, and social conduct in white low-income British men
Copyright @ 2010 The Authors. This is the accepted version of the following article: Henderson, L., McMillan, B., Green, J. M. and Renfrew, M. J. (2011), Men and Infant Feeding: Perceptions of Embarrassment, Sexuality, and Social Conduct in White Low-Income British Men. Birth, 38: 61ā70, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-536X.2010.00442.x/abstract.Background:ā The views of fathers have been shown to be important determinants of infant feeding decisions, but menās perceptions of breastfeeding and formula feeding are rarely explored. Our objectives were to address this gap and examine cultural associations and beliefs concerning infant feeding practices among men.
Methods:ā Five focus groups were conducted with low-income men (n = 28) living in areas of social deprivation in Leeds, northeast of England, and low-income areas of Glasgow, west of Scotland. Participants were white British men, aged between 16 and 45 years, and included fathers, expectant fathers, and potential fathers.
Results:ā Overarching themes concerning sexuality, embarrassment, and social conduct were identified across all groups. Participants perceived breastfeeding as ānaturalā but problematic, whereas formula feeding was mainly considered as convenient and safe. Participants without direct experience of breastfeeding assumed that it involved excessive public exposure and attracted unwanted male attention. Underpinning these fears were strong cultural associations between breasts and sexuality and anxieties concerning appropriate gender roles.
Conclusions:ā In some communities few opportunities may occur to witness breastfeeding, and thus existing fears concerning the activity as attracting predatory male attention remain unchallenged. Perceptions of breastfeeding as a sexual activity and the dominant mass media emphasis on breasts as a sexual site may present additional obstacles to breastfeeding. Antenatal or perinatal education with men should address not only practical issues but also provide advice on tackling problems generated by wider sociocultural issues of sexuality and masculinity
PD-1 Regulates Neural Damage in Oligodendroglia-Induced Inflammation
We investigated the impact of immune regulatory mechanisms involved in the modulation of the recently presented, CD8+ lymphocyte mediated immune response in a mouse model of oligodendropathy-induced inflammation (PLPtg-mutants). The focus was on the role of the co-inhibitory molecule PD-1, a CD28-related receptor expressed on activated T- and B-lymphocytes associated with immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. PLPtg/PD-1-deficient double mutants and the corresponding bone marrow chimeras were generated and analysed using immunohistochemistry, light- and electron microscopy, with particular emphasis on immune-cell number and neural damage. In addition, the immune cells in both the CNS and the peripheral immune system were investigated by IFN-gamma elispot assays and spectratype analysis. We found that mice with combined pathology exhibited significantly increased numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes in the CNS. Lack of PD-1 substantially aggravated the pathological phenotype of the PLPtg mutants compared to genuine PLPtg mutants, whereas the PD-1 deletion alone did not cause alterations in the CNS. CNS T-lymphocytes in PLPtg/PD-1-/- double mutants exhibited massive clonal expansions. Furthermore, PD-1 deficiency was associated with a significantly higher propensity of CNS but not peripheral CD8+ T-cells to secrete proinflammatory cytokines. PD-1 could be identified as a crucial player of tissue homeostasis and immune-mediated damage in a model of oligodendropathy-induced inflammation. Alterations of this regulatory pathway lead to overt neuroinflammation of high pathogenetic impact. Our finding may have implications for understanding the mechanisms leading to the high clinical variability of polygenic or even monogenic disorders of the nervous system
A retrospective descriptive study of the characteristics of deliberate self-poisoning patients with single or repeat presentations to an Australian emergency medicine network in a one year period
Background - A proportion of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) patients present repeatedly to the emergency department (ED). Understanding the characteristics of frequent DSP patients and their presentation is a first step to implementing interventions that are designed to prevent repeated self-poisoning. Methods - All DSP presentations to three networked Australian EDās were retrospectively identified from the ED electronic medical record and hospital scanned medical records for 2011. Demographics, types of drugs ingested, emergency department length of stay and disposition for the repeat DSP presenters were extracted and compared to those who presented once with DSP in a one year period. Logistic regression was used to analyse repeat versus single DSP data. Results - The study determined 755 single presenters and 93 repeat DSP presenters. The repeat presenters contributed to 321 DSP presentations. They were more likely to be unemployed (61.0% versus 39.9%, pā=ā0.008) and have a psychiatric illness compared to single presenters (36.6% versus 15.5%, pā<ā0.001). Repeat presenters were less likely to receive a toxicology consultation (11.5% versus 27.3%, pā<ā0.001) and were more likely to abscond from the ED (7.5% versus 3.4%, pā=ā0.004). Repeat presenters were more likely to ingest paracetamol and antipsychotics than single presenters. The defined daily dose for the most common antipsychotic ingested, quetiapine, was less in the repeat presenter group (median 1.9 [IQR: 1.3-3.5]) compared with the single presenter group (4 [1.4-9.5]), (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74-0.99). Conclusion - Patients who present repeatedly to the ED with DSP have pre-existing disadvantages, with increased likelihood of being unemployed and having a mental illness. These patients are also more likely to have health service inequities given the greater likelihood to abscond from the ED and lower likelihood of receiving toxicology consultation for their DSP. Early recognition of repeat DSP patients in the ED may facilitate the development of individualised care plans with the aim to reduce repeat episodes of self-poisoning and subsequent risk of successful suicide
Decreased nematode clearance & anti-phosphorylcholine specific IgM responses in mannose-binding lectin deficient mice
Brugia malayi is a nematode that causes human lymphatic filariasis. Previously, we showed that mannose binding lectin (MBL) āA is necessary for clearance of B. malayi microfilariae in mice and presence of MBLāA is linked with maximal levels of parasiteāspecific IgM. Common human MBL gene polymorphisms result in low MBL expression and lead to recurring bacterial infections. Furthermore, these lowāexpressing human MBL polymorphisms result in greatly increased susceptibility to lymphatic filarial infection. Indeed, gain of new filarial infections over a 30āyear period are 10āfold higher in people with low, compared to high, MBLāexpression phenotypes. Human MBL closely resembles mouse MBLāC, rather than MBLāA, therefore we examined the role of mouse MBLāC in clearance of microfilariae. Absence of MBLāC alone, or both MBLāA and āC, resulted in delayed clearance of microfilariae and reduced parasiteāspecific IgM in mice. There were few profound changes in B cell subāpopulations or in the ability of MBLādeficient mice to respond to Tādependent or Tāindependent antigens. However, absence of MBLāA and/or MBLāC resulted in reduced IgM to phosphorylcholine, a constituent of filarial and bacterial antigens, suggesting that inability to form proficient antibody responses to this moiety leads to lack of microfilarial clearance and overall susceptibility to filariasis
Honey is potentially effective in the treatment of atopic dermatitis: Clinical and mechanistic studies
Introduction: As manuka honey (MH) exhibits immunoregulatory and anti-staphylococcal activities, we aimed to investigate if it could be effective in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD).
Methods: Adult volunteers with bilateral AD lesions were asked to apply MH on one site overnight for 7 consecutive days and leave the contralateral site untreated as possible. Three Item Severity score was used to evaluate the response. Skin swabs were obtained from both sites before and after treatment to investigate the presence of staphylococci and enterotoxin production. In addition, the ability of MH and its methanolic and hexane extracts to down regulate IL4-induced CCL26 protein release from HaCaT cells was evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Also, the ability of MH to modulate calcium ionophore-induced mast cell degranulation was assessed by enzyme immunoassay.
Results: In 14 patients, AD lesions significantly improved post MH treatment vs. pre-treatment as compared to control lesions. No significant changes in the skin staphylococci were observed after day 7, irrespective of honey treatment. Consistent with the clinical observation, MH significantly down regulated IL4-induced CCL26 release from HaCaT cells in a dose dependent manner. This effect was partially lost, though remained significant, when methanolic and hexane extracts of MH were utilized. In addition, mast cell degranulation was significantly inhibited following treatment with MH.
Conclusions: MH is potentially effective in the treatment of AD lesions based on both clinical and cellular studies through different mechanisms. This needs to be confirmed by randomized and controlled clinical trials.
Measurement of the hadronic photon structure function F_{2}^{Ī³} at LEP2
The hadronic structure function of the photon F_{2}^{Ī³} (x, QĀ²) is measured as a function of Bjorken x and of the photon virtuality QĀ² using deep-inelastic scattering data taken by the OPAL detector at LEP at eāŗeā» centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. Previous OPAL measurements of the x dependence of F_{2}^{Ī³} are extended to an average QĀ² of ćQĀ²ć=780 GeVĀ² using data in the kinematic range 0.15<x<0.98. The QĀ² evolution of F_{2}^{Ī³} is studied for 12.1<ćQĀ²ć<780 GeVĀ² using three ranges of x. As predicted by QCD, the data show positive scaling violations in F_{2}^{Ī³} with F_{2}^{Ī³} (QĀ²)/Ī± = (0.08Ā±0.02āŗā°Ā·ā°āµ_ā.āā) + (0.13Ā±0.01āŗā°Ā·ā°Ā¹_ā.āā) lnQĀ², where QĀ² is in GeVĀ², for the central x region 0.10ā0.60. Several parameterisations of F_{2}^{Ī³} are in qualitative agreement with the measurements whereas the quark-parton model prediction fails to describe the data
Measurement of the charm structure function F_{2,c)^{Ī³} of the photon at LEP
The production of charm quarks is studied in deep-inelastic electronāphoton scattering using data recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP at nominal eāŗeā» centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. The charm quarks have been identified by full reconstruction of charged D* mesons using their decays into Dā°Ļ with the Dā° observed in two decay modes with charged particle final states, KĻ and KĻĻĻ. The cross-section Ļ^{D*} for production of charged D* in the reaction eāŗeā»āeāŗeā»D*Ī§ is measured in a restricted kinematical region using two bins in Bjorken x, 0.00140.1 the perturbative QCD calculation at next-to-leading order agrees perfectly with the measured cross-section. For x<0.1 the measured cross-section is 43.8Ā±14.3Ā±6.3Ā±2.8 pb with a next-to-leading order prediction of 17.0āŗĀ²Ā·ā¹_ā.ā pb
Measurement of triple gauge boson couplings from WāŗWā» production at LEP energies up to 189 GeV
A measurement of triple gauge boson couplings is presented, based on W-pair data recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP during 1998 at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV with an integrated luminosity of 183 pbā»Ā¹. After combining with our previous measurements at centre-of-mass energies of 161ā183 GeV we obtain Īŗ = 0.97_{-0.16}^{+0.20}, g_{1}^{z} = 0.991_{-0.057}^{+0.060} and Ī» = -0.110_{-0.055}^{+0.058}, where the errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties and each coupling is determined by setting the other two couplings to their Standard Model values. These results are consistent with the Standard Model expectations
Measurement of the running of the QED coupling in small-angle Bhabha scattering at LEP
Using the OPAL detector at LEP, the running of the effective QED coupling
alpha(t) is measured for space-like momentum transfer from the angular
distribution of small-angle Bhabha scattering. In an almost ideal QED
framework, with very favourable experimental conditions, we obtain:
Delta alpha(-6.07GeV^2) - Delta alpha(-1.81GeV^2) = (440 pm 58 pm 43 pm 30) X
10^-5, where the first error is statistical, the second is the experimental
systematic and the third is the theoretical uncertainty. This agrees with
current evaluations of alpha(t).The null hypothesis that alpha remains constant
within the above interval of -t is excluded with a significance above 5sigma.
Similarly, our results are inconsistent at the level of 3sigma with the
hypothesis that only leptonic loops contribute to the running. This is
currently the most significant direct measurment where the running alpha(t) is
probed differentially within the measured t range.Comment: 43 pages, 12 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.
A Measurement of Rb using a Double Tagging Method
The fraction of Z to bbbar events in hadronic Z decays has been measured by
the OPAL experiment using the data collected at LEP between 1992 and 1995. The
Z to bbbar decays were tagged using displaced secondary vertices, and high
momentum electrons and muons. Systematic uncertainties were reduced by
measuring the b-tagging efficiency using a double tagging technique. Efficiency
correlations between opposite hemispheres of an event are small, and are well
understood through comparisons between real and simulated data samples. A value
of Rb = 0.2178 +- 0.0011 +- 0.0013 was obtained, where the first error is
statistical and the second systematic. The uncertainty on Rc, the fraction of Z
to ccbar events in hadronic Z decays, is not included in the errors. The
dependence on Rc is Delta(Rb)/Rb = -0.056*Delta(Rc)/Rc where Delta(Rc) is the
deviation of Rc from the value 0.172 predicted by the Standard Model. The
result for Rb agrees with the value of 0.2155 +- 0.0003 predicted by the
Standard Model.Comment: 42 pages, LaTeX, 14 eps figures included, submitted to European
Physical Journal
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