A nation of members: civic participation through membership in the UK

As Co-operatives UK launches a new report setting out the performance of the UK’s dynamic co-operative sector, its Secretary General, Ed Mayo, looks at what it means to be a member in today’s society

The Power of Information

Dissertação de mestrado em Psicologia Clínica (Sistémica, Saúde e Família) apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade de CoimbraA mortalidade e morbilidade infantil é uma realidade prevalente em Angola, principalmente nas unidades de cuidados de saúde materno-infantil. Os nascimentos de risco são frequentes e o modo como as mães lidam com esta situação constitui um ponto de análise relevante no contexto angolano. O presente estudo tem por objetivo principal avaliar o investimento materno nos bebés nascidos em situação de risco, assim como estudar a aplicabilidade da Escala de Investimento Parental na Criança. A amostra é constituída por 80 mães recentes, sendo metade mães de bebés prematuros ou doentes, internados na UCIN, e a outra metade, mães de bebés saudáveis. Os dados foram recolhidos no Hospital Irene Neto do Lubango. Foram usados como instrumentos de avaliação um Questionário sociodemográfico, um Questionário geral sobre a Gravidez e Nascimento, um Questionário sobre os Aspetos ligados à Situação de Risco do bebé e a Escala de Investimento Parental na Criança (EIPC; Bradley & cols., 1997; versão portuguesa de Gameiro, Martinho, Canavarro & Moura-Ramos, 2008). Os resultados relativos à consistência interna da EIPC evidenciam valores inferiores, em comparação com o estudo português. Não se encontram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as duas subamostras quanto ao investimento materno no bebé. Os resultados são discutidos pondo em evidência algumas especificidades culturais da amostra estudada.Mortality and morbidity in children is a prevalent reality in Angola, especially in intensive care units of maternal and child health. The risk births are common and the way mothers deal with this situation constitutes a relevant point of analysis in the Angolan context. The present study aims at assessing the maternal investment in babies born at risk, and to study the applicability of the Parental Investment in the Child Scale. The sample consists of 80 recent mothers; half are mothers of premature or sick babies, hospitalized in the NICU, and the other half are mothers of healthy babies. Data were collected in Irene Neto Hospital of Lubango. The instruments used were a socio-demographic questionnaire, a General questionnaire on Pregnancy and Childbirth, a questionnaire on Aspects related to Risk of Baby and the Parental Investment in the Children Scale (Bradley et al., 1997; Portuguese version of Gameiro, Martinho, Canavarro & Moura-Ramos, 2008). The results for internal consistency of the EIPC show lower values compared to the Portuguese study. There are no statistically significant differences between the two subsamples on the maternal investment in the baby. The results are discussed highlighting some cultural specificities of the studied sample

Can You Imagine

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I\u27m Not Jealous : But I Just Don\u27t Like It

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I\u27m Not Jealous

Photo of two women; Illustration of babies holding a bannerhttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/1399/thumbnail.jp

Short- and long-term glucocorticoid treatment enhances insulin signalling in human subcutaneous adipose tissue

BACKGROUND: Endogenous or exogenous glucocorticoid (GC) excess (Cushing's syndrome) is characterized by increased adiposity and insulin resistance. Although GCs cause global insulin resistance in vivo, we have previously shown that GCs are able to augment insulin action in human adipose tissue, contrasting with their action in skeletal muscle. Cushing's syndrome develops following chronic GC exposure and, in addition, is a state of hyperinsulinemia. OBJECTIVES: We have therefore compared the impact of short- (24 h) and long-term (7 days) GC administration on insulin signalling in differentiated human adipocytes in the presence of low or high concentrations of insulin. RESULTS: Both short- (24 h) and long-term (7 days) treatment of chub-s7 cells with dexamethasone (Dex) (0.5 μM) increased insulin-stimulated pTyr612IRS1 and pSer473akt/PKB, consistent with insulin sensitization. Chronic high-dose insulin treatment induced insulin resistance in chub-s7 cells. However, treatment with both high-dose insulin and Dex in combination still caused insulin sensitization. CONCLUSIONS: In this human subcutaneous adipocyte cell line, prolonged GC exposure, even in the presence of high insulin concentrations, is able to cause insulin sensitization. We suggest that this is an important mechanism driving adipogenesis and contributes to the obese phenotype of patients with Cushing's syndrome

A mathematical model for the burden of diabetes and its complications

BACKGROUND: The incidence and prevalence of diabetes are increasing all over the world. Complications of diabetes constitute a burden for the individuals and the whole society. METHODS: In the present paper, ordinary differential equations and numerical approximations are used to monitor the size of populations of diabetes with and without complications. RESULTS: Different scenarios are discussed according to a set of parameters and the dynamical evolution of the population from the stage of diabetes to the stage of diabetes with complications is clearly illustrated. CONCLUSIONS: The model shows how efficient and cost-effective strategies can be obtained by acting on diabetes incidence and/or controlling the evolution to the stage of complications