Book review: Deporting black Britons: portraits of deportation to Jamaica by Luke de Noronha

In Deporting Black Britons: Portraits of Deportation to Jamaica, Luke de Noronha weaves together the personal histories of four men who have been deported from the UK to Jamaica. Showing how their migratory journeys and experiences have been shaped by state-based racial discrimination and criminalisation, de Noronha explores what these accounts reveal about racism, migration and citizenship in the UK as well as the broader global (im)mobilities regime. Privileging the voices of de Noronha’s interviewees and guided by a strong activist orientation, the book’s persuasive writing style succeeds in offering a vivid depiction of lives impacted by deportation, writes Natalie Dietrich Jones. Deporting Black Britons: Portraits of Deportation to Jamaica. Luke de Noronha. Manchester University Press. 2020

Method to Identify High Value Assets for Small Government Agencies and Small to Mid-sized Organizations

In today’s increasingly connected world, it is more important than ever to ensure an organization’s information and information systems are protected from cyber threats. Every organization has critical information and technology assets that are essential to their business operations and require enhanced security. Organizational resources that can be dedicated to cybersecurity are finite; therefore, those resources should be applied deliberately and strategically focusing on the most important assets. While large cities, states and corporations, with robust IT capabilities, may be able to align their processes with federally mandated directives to identify those critical assets also deemed high value assets, the smaller government agencies and small to mid-sized organizations require a scalable and flexible process based on their individual requirements. This paper will describe a method for identifying high value assets that can be integrated into an organization’s or agency’s cybersecurity program

High Value Assets (HVA) Lessons Learned for Small Government Agencies and Small to Mid-sized Organizations

Cyberattacks are a persistent threat to organizations across all sectors, and over the past decade, attackers have increasingly been targeting municipalities. Protecting the most critical information and systems or high value assets (HVAs) from a cyberattack is essential to reduce the risk of impacting critical services that make day-to-day activities possible. Identifying HVAs is a process that assists organizations in recognizing which assets are most critical and therefore require the most significant protective measures. An HVA process was developed for State, Local, Tribe, and Territory (SLTT) jurisdictions of any size, capability, and cybersecurity maturity to assist them in identifying assets that are vital to community operations. The SLTT HVA Process aligns with the Federal HVA Program developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Four jurisdictions are piloting the SLTT HVA Process and, through this initiative, are generating vital lessons learned to successfully incorporate the process into their cybersecurity program

Pflegende Angehörige erfahren Aggression und Gewalt - eine empirische Untersuchung

Ausgangslage: Viele Menschen haben den großen Wunsch, zu Hause gepflegt zu werden. Welche Strategien sollen angewendet werden, wenn sich der Patient aufgrund seiner Einschränkung und der Lebensumstellung unwohl fühlt und dieses Unwohlsein Aggression oder gar Gewalt auslöst? Pflegende werden massiven Belastungen ausgesetzt, besonders dann, wenn diese keine pflegerische Ausbildung haben oder aus Scham keine professionelle Hilfe aufsuchen. Ziel: In dieser Arbeit sollen subjektive Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse von pflegenden Angehörigen, die Aggression und Gewalt durch pflegebedürftige Familienmitglieder verspürten, näher betrachtet und in den Vordergrund gestellt werden. Bedeutend wird hier der Umgang mit derartigen Belastungen, Folgen, Bewältigungsstrategien, Lebenseinstellung und Lebensumstellung beforscht. Durch diese Arbeit soll das Thema Gewalt und Aggressionen gegenüber pflegender Angehöriger enttabuisiert werden und zu weiteren Forschungsarbeiten und Entlastungsmaßnahmen in diesem kaum beachteten Gebiet anregen. Methodologie: Als Methode wurde der qualitative Ansatz gewählt. Als erster Schritt wurde Literatur zu diesem Thema gesucht, wobei zu diesem Phänomen nicht viel beschrieben wurde. Als nächster Schritt wurde die Fragestellung anhand der Literaturergebnisse ausgearbeitet. Für die Datenerhebung wurden fünf episodische Interviews und eine Gruppendiskussion durchgeführt. Die Auswertung erfolgte anlehnend an die zusammenfassende qualitative Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring (2008). Ergebnisse: Die Ergebnisse liefern einen Einblick in die persönliche Lebenswelt von pflegenden Angehörigen. Die Auswertungen und der Literaturvergleich haben ergeben, dass es Gleichheiten in Bezug auf Erfahrungen im Vergleich zu professionellen Pflegepersonal in ähnlichen Situationen gibt. Es hat sich herausgestellt, dass es in allen Fällen (unabhängig ob Kurz- oder Langzeitpflege) insbesondere zu Aggressionen gegenüber pflegender Angehöriger gekommen ist. Darüber hinaus wurde die These aufgestellt, dass Aggressionen und Gewalt in der häuslichen Pflege aufgrund der geringeren Hemmschwelle häufiger vorkommen als im stationären, professionellen Bereich. Ergebnis ist daher auch, dass es dringenden Handlungsbedarf bezüglich weiterer Forschung, Unterstützungsmaßnahmen wie psychologischer Betreuung und Schulungen sowie für die Politik gibt.Synopsis: Many people have the great desire to be cared for at home. What strategies should be applied if the patient is feeling uncomfortable due to his/her constraints and the conversion of the environment causes aggression or even violence? Relatives are exposed to a massive burden, especially if they have no training in home care or are reluctant seeking any professional help out of shame. Objectives: In this thesis, subjective experiences as well as experiences of caregivers, who felt aggression and violence by their loved ones during home care should be observed and focused on. Important thereby is the handling of such burden, the consequences, the strategy of coping with the situation, the attitude towards life and the change of environment which should be examined. Via this thesis, the topic of violence and aggression shall no longer remain a taboo towards caregivers and shall lead to further research and elaborating relief measures in this largely neglected area. Data collection and analysis: A method of qualitative approach has been chosen. As a first step, literature on that topic was looked for, whereat research into this phenomenon could be hardly found. As a next step, the objective of investigation was elaborated on the basis of literature analyses. For the data collection, five episodic interviews and one group discussion were conducted. The analysis mainly oriented itself on the integrated qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2008). Main results and conclusions: The results provide an insight into the personal life of caregivers. The analysis and the comparison of the literature revealed that there are certain similarities between the experiences of professional and family caregiviers . It transpired that in all cases (whether short or long term care) aggression erupted toward caregiving family members. Moreover, the hypothesis has been laid down, that aggression and violence occur more frequently in home care due to the lower inhibition threshold than in the stationary, professional field. An additional result is that there is an urgent need for action of policy makers beefed up with further research, supporting measures as well as psychological support and training

The humeral head : a review of the blood supply and possible link to osteonecrosis following rotator cuff repair

Trauma, corticosteroid therapy and metabolic diseases are well established aetiologies of humeral head osteonecrosis; however, there is increasing evidence that arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery may be another possible cause. One of the reasons is that there may be inadvertent damage to the arterial blood supply to the humeral head during surgical intervention. The blood supply to the humeral head displays large amounts of variation with regard to origin, course and distribution. Therefore, to shed light on the pathogenesis, the blood supply of the humeral head is reviewed together with a summary of all reported cases of osteonecrosis of the humeral head that occurred following rotator cuff repair. Inconsistencies with regard to terminologies used and contradictions concerning arterial contributions from the anterior circumflex humeral artery and the posterior circumflex humeral artery towards humeral head supply are addressed. Moreover, variations in the course of the anterior circumflex humeral artery and its branches are summarized. The vascular anatomy of the humeral head is clinically relevant due to the close relationship of these blood vessels with the surgical repair sites for rotator cuff surgery and biceps tenotomies or tenodesis procedures. Potential sites of disruption of blood supply following arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery are discussed. Detailed knowledge of the course of the arteries supplying the humeral head may help to minimize the risk of vascular injury and subsequent osteonecrosis. Given the great interindividual variations of vascular anatomy, imaging procedures preceding arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery may be advisable.The National Research Foundationhttp://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joaam2022Anatom

Executive function in children with Tourette syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder:Cross-disorder or unique impairments?

Contains fulltext : 217340.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access

Lrp4 Regulates Initiation of Ureteric Budding and Is Crucial for Kidney Formation – A Mouse Model for Cenani-Lenz Syndrome

Background: Development of the kidney is initiated when the ureteric bud (UB) branches from the Wolffian duct and invades the overlying metanephric mesenchyme (MM) triggering the mesenchymal/epithelial interactions that are the basis of organ formation. Multiple signaling pathways must be integrated to ensure proper timing and location of the ureteric bud formation. Methods and Principal Findings: We have used gene targeting to create an Lrp4 null mouse line. The mutation results in early embryonic lethality with a subpenetrant phenotype of kidney agenesis. Ureteric budding is delayed with a failure to stimulate the metanephric mesenchyme in a timely manner, resulting in failure of cellular differentiation and resulting absence of kidney formation in the mouse as well as comparable malformations in humans with Cenani-Lenz syndrome. Conclusion: Lrp4 is a multi-functional receptor implicated in the regulation of several molecular pathways, including Wnt and Bmp signaling. Lrp4 2/2 mice show a delay in ureteric bud formation that results in unilateral or bilateral kidney agenesis. These data indicate that Lrp4 is a critical regulator of UB branching and lack of Lrp4 results in congenital kidne

INfluence of Successful Periodontal Intervention in Renal Disease (INSPIRED):study protocol for a randomised controlled pilot clinical trial

Abstract Background Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) exhibit increased morbidity and mortality which is associated with an increased systemic inflammatory burden. Identifying and managing comorbid diseases that contribute to this load may inform novel care pathways that could have a beneficial impact on the morbidity/mortality associated with CKD. Periodontitis, a highly prevalent, chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting structures of teeth, is associated with an increased systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress burden and the successful treatment of periodontitis has been shown to reduce both. This pilot study aims to gather data to inform a definitive study into the impact of successful periodontal treatment on the cardio-renal health of patients with CKD. Methods/design This pilot study will employ a randomised, controlled, parallel-group design. Sixty adult patients, with CKD with a high risk of progression and with periodontitis, from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, will be randomised to receive either immediate, intensive periodontal treatment (n = 30) or treatment at a delay of 12 months (n = 30). Patients will be excluded if they have reached end-stage renal disease or have received specialist periodontal treatment in the previous year. Periodontal treatment will be delivered under local anaesthetic, on an outpatient basis, over several visits by a qualified dental hygienist at the Birmingham Dental Hospital, UK. Patients in the delayed-treatment arm will continue to receive the standard community level of periodontal care for a period of 12 months followed by the intensive periodontal treatment. Randomization will occur using a centralised telephone randomisation service, following baseline assessments. The assessor of periodontal health will be blinded to the patients’ treatment allocation. Patients in either arm will be followed up at 3-monthly intervals for 18 months. Aside from the pilot outcomes to inform the practicalities of a larger trial later, data on cardio-renal function, periodontal health and patient-reported outcomes will be collected at each time point. Discussion This pilot randomised controlled trial will investigate the viability of undertaking a larger-scale study investigating the effect of treating periodontitis and maintaining periodontal health on cardio-renal outcomes in patients with CKD. Trial registration National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (UKCRN ID: 18458), ID: ISRCTN10227738 . Registered retrospectively to both registers on 23 April 2015

<i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> IgG positivity is associated with tic severity in chronic tic disorders

Infectious pathogens may represent an environmental risk factor for chronic tic disorders (CTD). This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) IgG positivity is associated with the presence or severity of tics. We compared M. pneumoniae IgG positivity across three groups: children and adolescents (3-16 years) with CTD (CTD group; n=302); siblings (3-10 years) of people with CTD who developed tics within a seven-year follow-up period (tic onset group; n=51); siblings (4-10 years) who did not develop tics within the study period and were ≥ 10-years-old at their last assessment (unaffected group; n=88). The relationship between M. pneumoniae IgG positivity and the presence and severity of tics was analysed using multilevel models controlling for site, family relatedness, sex, age, presence of comorbid obsessive-compulsive and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and use of psychotropic medication. M. pneumoniae IgG positivity was not associated with the presence of CTD, or the first onset of tics as compared to siblings who remained unaffected. M. pneumoniae IgG positivity was associated with a higher tic severity score within the CTD group (β=2.64, s.e.=1.15, p=0.02). It is possible that M. pneumoniae infection influences tic severity in CTD or, that having more severe tics, increases the risk of infection. However, it is more likely that the association observed in this study reflects a propensity toward enhanced immune responses in people with CTD and that, rather than a causal relationship, infection and greater tic severity are indirectly linked via shared underlying immune mechanisms

Reversible Host–Guest Crosslinks in Supramolecular Hydrogels for On‐Demand Mechanical Stimulation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Stem cells are regulated not only by biochemical signals but also by biophysical properties of extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is constantly monitored and remodeled because the fate of stem cells can be misdirected when the mechanical interaction between cells and ECM is imbalanced. A well-defined ECM model for bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) based on supramolecular hydrogels containing reversible host–guest crosslinks is fabricated. The stiffness (Young\u27s modulus E) of the hydrogels can be switched reversibly by altering the concentration of non-cytotoxic, free guest molecules dissolved in the culture medium. Fine-adjustment of substrate stiffness enables the authors to determine the critical stiffness level E* at which hMSCs turn the mechano-sensory machinery on or off. Next, the substrate stiffness across E* is switched and the dynamic adaptation characteristics such as morphology, traction force, and YAP/TAZ signaling of hMSCs are monitored. These data demonstrate the instantaneous switching of traction force, which is followed by YAP/TAZ signaling and morphological adaptation. Periodical switching of the substrate stiffness across E* proves that frequent applications of mechanical stimuli drastically suppress hMSC proliferation. Mechanical stimulation across E* level using dynamic hydrogels is a promising strategy for the on-demand control of hMSC transcription and proliferation