The Dublin Medical Press and medical authority in Ireland 1850 -1890

Nineteenth-century Ireland saw the rise of modern Irish nationalism, sweeping changes in land reform, the growth o f a new bourgeois class and the parallel decline and collapse of eighteenth-century social structures. In short, it was a period that crystallised the major social features of modem Ireland. R.V. Comerford asserts that the preoccupation with the ‘mythic march of the nation’ has detracted from the importance of the latter half of the nineteenth century.1 This study seeks to highlight the significance of this time period in relation to laying the foundation stones for a centralised and modern health-care system. This system in turn would ensure that the figure of the doctor was a real presence in the lives of the public and, as the Dublin Medical Press indicates, it bolstered the perception of the medical practitioner as moral guardian of society in general. This thesis is not a study of the medical profession in Ireland in the nineteenth century. Though the structures and the hierarchical and elitist nature of the medical establishment are explored, it is the doctors’ widening perception of their role in society, so carefully documented in the Dublin Medical Press, that the study seeks to highlight. That is not to say that the thesis is the study of the Dublin Medical Press itself.2 Rather, the Dublin Medical Press is examined in this study as a framework of the developing moral role of the medical profession in Ireland in this period

The writing of poor and working-class women : issues of personal power, self-esteem, and social class.

This study was undertaken in order to explore the writing experiences of poor and working-class, non-professional women writers and the issues of power, self-esteem, and social class. The study was focused on this population because their writing experiences had not been investigated. The study was qualitative, having a naturalistic inquiry perspective and employing in-depth, phenomenological interviewing as a method of data collection. The population for the study were five white and five Black working-class and poor women, ages twenty to seventy-five. The data were collected in a series of three audio-taped interviews. Profiles of each woman were made from the transcripts of their interviews, and these were analyzed for emerging patterns. Issues of trustworthiness were addressed in order to avoid bias. The women exhibited powerful personal voices when writing journals and letters where they were able to express their emotions as well as get things done for family members or other people in like circumstances. They experienced self-esteem when writing personal letters, fiction, and poetry. When they first tried to share their public voice in school it was an overwhelming experience of powerlessness. However, they did report success with writing on the job, and their self-esteem was generally good when they talked about their advocacy writing. One group, members of an advocacy group for the elderly, was able to make significant changes in health care for the elderly. However, all of the women still had conflicting feelings about their experiences with public voice. One function of social class was that most of the women did not finish school. The wishes and dreams they had for their lives were not realized. The writing of poor and working-class women centered around the events in their daily lives, such as: letters to teachers, politicians, those in the health care system; journaling about events in their daily lives and writing poetry. Poor and working class women should write on topics connected with their life experiences. In order to overcome problems with writing, they need the support of each other collectively, both privately and publicly

Pharmacogenomics of anticoagulants: steps toward personal dosage

Warfarin and other coumarin anticoagulants are widely used clinically, but currently dosing is determined individually on the basis of patient response. There is increasing evidence that genetic factors, together with several non-genetic patient-specific factors, are important determinants of stable dose requirement for these compounds. Genotype for CYP2C9, which encodes the main cytochrome P450 enzyme that metabolizes warfarin, and VKORC1, the gene encoding the warfarin target vitamin K epoxide reductase, together account for approximately 30% of the variability in dose requirement. The past two years have seen several advances in the area of genetic factors affecting coumarin anticoagulant response. In particular, prospective studies have taken place to analyze whether earlier small retrospective studies can be confirmed, and the question of whether genes other than CYP2C9 and VKORC1 are important in determining dose requirement has been examined. So far, no strong evidence that other genes contribute to dose requirement has been found, apart from a minor but novel role for another cytochrome P450 gene, CYP4F2. A recently published whole genome association study confirms that the main genes important in warfarin response are CYP2C9 and VKORC1. Clinical trials comparing genotype-guided and conventional warfarin initiation have suggested that genotyping may be of value, but larger studies are still needed to show clear clinical benefit. Current knowledge of genetic factors affecting other coumarin anticoagulants is more limited and this area requires further study, as does the impact of ethnic variation in genes relevant to coumarin responses. Here we review recent advances in the area of coumarin anticoagulant genetics and its potential clinical application

Pharmacogenomics of anticoagulants: steps toward personal dosage

Warfarin and other coumarin anticoagulants are widely used clinically, but currently dosing is determined individually on the basis of patient response. There is increasing evidence that genetic factors, together with several non-genetic patient-specific factors, are important determinants of stable dose requirement for these compounds. Genotype for CYP2C9, which encodes the main cytochrome P450 enzyme that metabolizes warfarin, and VKORC1, the gene encoding the warfarin target vitamin K epoxide reductase, together account for approximately 30% of the variability in dose requirement. The past two years have seen several advances in the area of genetic factors affecting coumarin anticoagulant response. In particular, prospective studies have taken place to analyze whether earlier small retrospective studies can be confirmed, and the question of whether genes other than CYP2C9 and VKORC1 are important in determining dose requirement has been examined. So far, no strong evidence that other genes contribute to dose requirement has been found, apart from a minor but novel role for another cytochrome P450 gene, CYP4F2. A recently published whole genome association study confirms that the main genes important in warfarin response are CYP2C9 and VKORC1. Clinical trials comparing genotype-guided and conventional warfarin initiation have suggested that genotyping may be of value, but larger studies are still needed to show clear clinical benefit. Current knowledge of genetic factors affecting other coumarin anticoagulants is more limited and this area requires further study, as does the impact of ethnic variation in genes relevant to coumarin responses. Here we review recent advances in the area of coumarin anticoagulant genetics and its potential clinical application

Seeking certainty: Are people who are experiencing relational doubt more sensitive to relationship cues?

Experiencing uncertainty in one’s relationship is likely an aversive experience and a motivating factor in restoring confidence about where things stand. Thus, uncertain partners may place more weight on positive and negative interactions with their partner as they seek greater confidence in their evaluation of their relationship. The present research examined how partners responded to two different types of relationship information: a past relationship experience (Study 1, N= 154) and false feedback about its quality (Study 2, N = 154). Results suggest that while partners appear to place significance on positive information, regardless of their uncertainty, whether or not uncertain partners place more significance on negative information than confident partners appears to depend on information type. In addition, no robust downstream effects of uncertainty on global relationship evaluations in response to positive and negative information were observed. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed

Livestock Vaccines: How They Work and How to Ensure They Do Their Job

Vaccines are suspensions of microorganisms administered with the goal of stimulating the body’s immune system against these same organisms, thereby preventing a clinical disease or reducing its sever¬ity. The agents included in vaccines are inactivated or modified such that, once introduced into the body, they do not cause clinical illness

Successfully Training and Retaining New Teachers

The widespread need to fill the many teacher vacancies in Virginia and the nation as a whole has stirred many debates on how to solve the problem. Often a quick fix attitude prevails when considering options for training and retaining teacher candidates to fill the current and future needs of our schools. The professional development model of collaboration between Marymount University and two local school jurisdictions is an ongoing effort that has met with success and has produced long-term positive results

Successfully Training and Retaining New Teachers

The widespread need to fill the many teacher vacancies in Virginia and the nation as a whole has stirred many debates on how to solve the problem. Often a quick fix attitude prevails when considering options for training and retaining teacher candidates to fill the current and future needs of our schools. The professional development model of collaboration between Marymount University and two local school jurisdictions is an ongoing effort that has met with success and has produced long-term positive results