Beyond platitudes: a qualitative study of Australian Aboriginal people's perspectives on biobanking.

BACKGROUND: Biobanks are vital resources for genetics and genomics, and it is broadly recognised that for maximal benefit it is essential that they include samples and data from diverse ancestral groups. The inclusion of First Nations people, in particular, is important to prevent biobanking research from exacerbating existing health inequities, and to ensure that these communities share in the benefits arising from research. AIMS: To explore the perspectives of Australian Aboriginal people whose tissue - or that of their family members - has been stored in the biobank of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics (NCIG). METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 42 Aboriginal people from the Titjikala, Galiwinku, Tiwi Islands, Yarrabah, Fitzroy Crossing, Derby, One Arm Point and Mulan communities, as well as a formal discussion with A. Hermes, an Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator at the NCIG who had conducted the interviews. The interviews and the structured discussion were double coded using a procedure informed by Charmaz's outline of grounded theory analysis and Morse's outline of the cognitive basis of qualitative research. RESULTS: In this article, we report on A. Hermes' interviews with members from the above Aboriginal communities, as well as on her personal views, experiences, and interpretations of the interviews she conducted with other community members. We found that participation in the NCIG biobank raised issues around broken trust, grief and loss, but also - somewhat unexpectedly - was perceived as a source of empowerment, hope and reconnection. CONCLUSIONS: This research reminds us (again) of the need to engage deeply with communities in order to respond appropriately with respect for their cultural values and norms, and to develop culturally relevant policies and processes that enhance the benefits of biobank participation and minimise potential harms

Ein Neues Verfahren zur Messung der Bakteriziden Fähigkeit des Vollblutes

Das oben erwahnte Verfahren hat vor den anderen Methoden besonders die Vorzuge, 1) da&#946; man dadurch zu einem sicheren Resultat gelangen und gleichzeitig auch jedes Datum mit exakten Ziffern zum Ausdruck bringen kann, 2) da&#946; bei diesem Verfahren keineswegs erforderlich ist, eine bestimmte Anzahl von Keimen einschlie&#946;ende Bakterienaufschwemmung herzusteHen und auch Kontrollversuch anzustellen, 3) da&#946; es von den Fehlern des Mischverhaltnisses zwischen der Bakterienlosung und dem Blut nicht so erheblich beeinflu&#946;t wird, und 4) da&#946; man durch dieses Verfahren gleichzeitig mehrere bakterientotende Faktoren untersuchen kann. Ferner hat dieses Verfahren auch den Vorzug, da&#946; es praktisch sehr einfach auszufuhren ist und nur 6 Stunden nach der Blutentnahme bereits das Ergebnis liefert. Es gestattet ferner, die bakterizide Kraft des Blutes gleichzeitig bei 6 - 8 Menschen zu untersuchen, was mich zur Uberzeugung fuhrt, da&#946; es in der Klinik hochgeschatzt werden wird. Auch das Verfahren und die ebenfalls vom mir aufgestellte Formel zur zusammenfassenden Beurteilung kann man nach meinem Erachten durch entsprechende Veranderungen einiger Faktoren ohne jede Schwierigkeiten auch fur andere Bakterienarten anwenden. Man wird wohl gegen eine einzige Lucke dieses Verfahrens, da&#946; die mikroskopische Untersuchung und die Berechnung allzu verwickelt zu sein scheint, Einwand erheben, eine Lucke, zu deren Schlu&#946; jedoch nur eine kurzfristige Ubung erfordert wird, durch welche die mikroskopische Untersuchung innerhalb 30 Minuten, die Berechnung nur in 5 Minuten vollendet werden kann. (Zur Berechnung bedarf es einer Gauss'schen Logarithmentafel.) Obgleich das geschilderte Verfahren noch viele, genauere Prufungen erheischende Punkte in sich einschlie&#946;t, mu&#946; es hier, wenn auch in Grundzugen, jetzt schon angefuhrt werden,. da ich der festen Uberzeugung bin, da&#946; es im Vergleich zu den bisherigen Methoden ein dem wirklichen Wert der Bakterizidie des Vollblutes im lebenden Organismus viel naheres Resultat liefert.</p

APOE genotype and cognitive change in young, middle-aged, and older adults living in the community.

We examined whether the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele was associated with cognitive benefits in young adulthood and whether it reversed to confer cognitive deficits in later life ("antagonistic pleiotropy") in the absence of dementia-related neuropathology. We also tested whether the ε2 allele was associated with disadvantages in early adulthood but offered protection against cognitive decline in early old age. Eight-year cognitive change was assessed in 2,013 cognitively normal community-dwelling adults aged 20-24, 40-44, or 60-64 years at baseline. Although cognitive decline was associated with age, multilevel models contrasting the ε2 and ε4 alleles provided no evidence that the APOE genotype was related to cognitive change in any of the age groups. The findings suggest that in the absence of clinically salient dementia pathology, APOE ε2 and ε4 alleles do not exhibit antagonistic pleiotropy in relation to cognition between the ages of 20 and 72 years

Design of urban furniture to enhance the soundscape: A case study

In modern urban scenarios all the aspects of the historical heritage, including public open spaces and ancient buildings, have to meet the high increase of density of infrastructures and constructions, with the consequent change of visual and sound environments. This in turn affects people’s quality of life. Because of the growing interest on this problem, this study investigates the relationship between soundscape and design solutions for urban furniture, considering technical and environmental feasibility of the designing process, from the materials characteristics, to the acoustic and psychoacoustic impact of the tool on the user. The process includes the acoustic suitability of 3D printing materials, the suitability of acoustic design using software simulation, the experimental assessment of the performance of the 3D printed prototype, and the statistical evaluation of the chosen studying parameters and conditions. This paper describes all the stages of the designing process, with a focus on the study of shapes and volumes of the prototype and on its impact on the user’s perception. FEM simulations and experimental tests performed in a semi-anechoic chamber allowed to validate the design process. These analyses proved that the designed prototype of urban furniture can not only positively influence the physical environment but also the psychoacoustic perception of it

Loss of ACTN3 gene function alters mouse muscle metabolism and shows evidence of positive selection in humans

More than a billion humans worldwide are predicted to be completely deficient in the fast skeletal muscle fiber protein α-actinin-3 owing to homozygosity for a premature stop codon polymorphism, R577X, in the ACTN3 gene. The R577X polymorphism is associ

Domestic Violence and Health Care: Opening Pandora¿s Box ¿ Challenges and Dilemmas

In this article we take a critical stance toward the rational progressive narrative surrounding the integration of domestic violence within health care. Whilst changes in recent UK policy and practice have resulted in several tangible benefits, it is argued that there may be hidden dilemmas and challenges. We suggest that the medical model of care and its discursive practices position women as individually accountable for domestic violence-related symptoms and injuries. This may not only be ineffective in terms of service provision but could also have the potential to reduce the political significance of domestic violence as an issue of concern for all women. Furthermore, it is argued that the use of specific metaphors enables practitioners to distance themselves from interactions that may prove to be less comfortable and provide less than certain outcomes. Our analysis explores the possibilities for change that might currently be available. This would appear to involve a consideration of alternative discourses and the reformulation of power relations and subject positions in health care

Using Combined Morphological, Allometric and Molecular Approaches to Identify Species of the Genus Raillietiella (Pentastomida)

Taxonomic studies of parasites can be severely compromised if the host species affects parasite morphology; an uncritical analysis might recognize multiple taxa simply because of phenotypically plastic responses of parasite morphology to host physiology. Pentastomids of the genus Raillietiella are endoparasitic crustaceans primarily infecting the respiratory system of carnivorous reptiles, but also recorded from bufonid anurans. The delineation of pentastomids at the generic level is clear, but the taxonomic status of many species is not. We collected raillietiellids from lungs of the invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina), the invasive Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), and a native tree frog (Litoria caerulea) in tropical Australia, and employed a combination of genetic analyses, and traditional and novel morphological methods to clarify their identity. Conventional analyses of parasite morphology (which focus on raw values of morphological traits) revealed two discrete clusters in terms of pentastome hook size, implying two different species of pentastomes: one from toads and a tree frog (Raillietiella indica) and another from lizards (Raillietiella frenatus). However, these clusters disappeared in allometric analyses that took pentastome body size into account, suggesting that only a single pentastome taxon may be involved. Our molecular data revealed no genetic differences between parasites in toads versus lizards, confirming that there was only one species: R. frenatus. This pentastome (previously known only from lizards) clearly is also capable of maturing in anurans. Our analyses show that the morphological features used in pentastomid taxonomy change as the parasite transitions through developmental stages in the definitive host. To facilitate valid descriptions of new species of pentastomes, future taxonomic work should include both morphological measurements (incorporating quantitative measures of body size and hook bluntness) and molecular data

The association of APOE genotype and cognitive decline in interaction with risk factors in a 65–69 year old community sample

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>While the evidence of an association between the apolipoprotein E (<it>APOE</it>) <it>*E4 </it>allele and Alzheimer's disease is very strong, the effect of the <it>*E4 </it>allele on cognitive decline in the general population is more equivocal. A cross-sectional study on the lifespan effects of the <it>*E4 </it>allele <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp> failed to find any effect of the <it>*E4 </it>allele on cognitive performance at ages 20–24, 40–44 or 60–64 years.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this four year follow-up study, we reexamine the effect of <it>*E4 </it>in the sample of 2,021 individuals, now aged 65–69 years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was significantly poorer for <it>*E4 </it>homozygotes than heterozygotes or non-carriers. The effects of the <it>*E4 </it>genotype on cognitive decline over four years were found on the MMSE and Symbol-Digit Modalities test but only when controlling for risk factors such as head injury and education. Analyses were repeated with the exclusion of participants diagnosed with a mild cognitive disorder, with little change.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is possible that <it>*E4 </it>carriers become vulnerable to greater cognitive decline in the presence of other risk factors at 65–69 years of age.</p

The training needs of Turkish emergency department personnel regarding intimate partner violence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Violence against females is a widespread public health problem in Turkey and the lifetime prevalence of IPV ranges between 34 and 58.7%. Health care workers (HCW) sometimes have the unique opportunity and obligation to identify, treat, and educate females who are abused. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of the emergency department (ED) staff regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) at a large university hospital in Turkey.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in a large university hospital via questionnaire. The study population consisted of all the nurses and physicians who worked in the ED during a two month period (n = 215). The questionnaire response rate was 80.5% (41 nurses and 132 physicians). The main domains of the questionnaire were knowledge regarding the definition of IPV, clinical findings in victims of IPV, legal aspects of IPV, attitudes towards IPV, knowledge about the characteristics of IPV victims and abusers, and professional and personal experiences and training with respect to IPV.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One-half of the study group were females, 76.3% were physicians, and 89.8% had no training on IPV. The majority of the nurses (89.5%) and physicians (71.1%) declared that they were aware of the clinical appearance of IPV. The mean of the knowledge scores on clinical knowledge were 8.84 ± 1.73 (range, 0–10) for acute conditions, and 4.51 ± 3.32 for chronic conditions. The mean of the knowledge score on legal procedures and the legal rights of the victims was 4.33 ± 1.66 (range, 0–7). At least one reason to justify physical violence was accepted by 69.0% of females and 84.7% of males, but more males than females tended to justify violence (chi square = 5.96; p = 0.015). However, both genders accepted that females who experienced physical violence should seek professional medical help.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study participants' knowledge about IPV was rather low and a training program is thus necessary on this issue. Attention must be given to the legal aspects and clinical manifestations of IPV. The training program should also include a module on gender roles in order to improve the attitudes towards IPV.</p