Positive Impacts of Prison-Based Gardening and Horticultural Activities for Previously Incarcerated Individuals

Nature deprivation is common in prison populations, with repercussions that may be contributing to severe mental health issues. Although literature has illuminated countless benefits of nature exposure within prisons, there is little research surrounding the effects of in-prison nature-based activities post-release. To ‘‘follow prisoners through the gate,’’ this research explores post-release reflections of people previously incarcerated (PPIs) in relation to the impacts of prison based gardening and horticultural activities (GHAs). Although the terms are often used interchangeably, gardening is typically a leisure activity, whereas horticulture relates more often to work and studying plants. Both terms relate to plant cultivation. An inductive approach was adopted using a written qualitative design to guide data analysis. Using a set of online qualitative questions, 11 (N = 11) participants from different countries across the globe were recruited through social media platforms and contacting relevant services. To generate data-driven themes and address the research question, Braun et al.’s thematic analysis procedure was followed to allow for an iterative flexible approach. PPIs generally experienced GHAs as beneficial in prison, with their value remaining after release. Such benefits included self-development, better mental health, community reconnection, enhanced interpersonal relationships, and improved employability. This study illuminated a need for further research to explore post-release reflections of GHAs in prison. If such research were to support the findings from this study, there may be potential for improvements in PPIs’ rehabilitative outcomes and desistance from crime. Areas of focus for future research might include longitudinal and quantitative studies, nature-based community programmes, and creative ways to incorporate nature into prison environments. Prison systems across the globe vary in how gardening and horticulture are used, so this could also be a focus for future research.</p

Influence of Interferon beta treatment on quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients

BACKGROUND: Interferon-beta (IFN-β) shows beneficial effect on the course of multiple sclerosis (MS), nevertheless its route and frequency of administration and side effects might impact negatively the quality of life (QoL) of MS patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of IFN-β on QoL in MS patients. METHODS: Seventy-seven disease modifying treatment (DMT) free and 41 IFN-β treated MS patients were evaluated. QoL, assessed by MSQoL-54, was related to IFN-β treatment and to clinical and demographic parameters at baseline and after two years. Multivariate hierarchical linear model for repeated measurements was used. RESULTS: Treated patients showed a younger age, a lower disease duration and a higher relapse rate in the two years preceding study entry. At inclusion time treated and untreated patients did not differ in relapse rate, expanded disability status scale (EDSS), fatigue, depression, physical and mental QoL. IFN-β did not influence QoL at inclusion time, but when QoL was evaluated after two years, treatment negatively affected mental QoL. Depression and fatigue negatively influenced physical and mental QoL both at baseline and after two years. EDSS correlated with a poor physical QoL only at baseline. CONCLUSION: IFN-β had a negative impact on QoL over the time in MS patients, influencing mainly mental QoL. The impairment of QoL in MS was strongly associated with increasing fatigue and depression, whereas clinical disability had a minor unfavourable role

Positive Impacts of Prison-Based Gardening and Horticultural Activities for Previously Incarcerated Individuals

Nature deprivation is common in prison populations, with repercussions that may be contributing to severe mental health issues. Although literature has illuminated countless benefits of nature exposure within prisons, there is little research surrounding the effects of in-prison nature-based activities post-release. To ‘‘follow prisoners through the gate,’’ this research explores post-release reflections of people previously incarcerated (PPIs) in relation to the impacts of prison based gardening and horticultural activities (GHAs). Although the terms are often used interchangeably, gardening is typically a leisure activity, whereas horticulture relates more often to work and studying plants. Both terms relate to plant cultivation. An inductive approach was adopted using a written qualitative design to guide data analysis. Using a set of online qualitative questions, 11 (N = 11) participants from different countries across the globe were recruited through social media platforms and contacting relevant services. To generate data-driven themes and address the research question, Braun et al.’s thematic analysis procedure was followed to allow for an iterative flexible approach. PPIs generally experienced GHAs as beneficial in prison, with their value remaining after release. Such benefits included self-development, better mental health, community reconnection, enhanced interpersonal relationships, and improved employability. This study illuminated a need for further research to explore post-release reflections of GHAs in prison. If such research were to support the findings from this study, there may be potential for improvements in PPIs’ rehabilitative outcomes and desistance from crime. Areas of focus for future research might include longitudinal and quantitative studies, nature-based community programmes, and creative ways to incorporate nature into prison environments. Prison systems across the globe vary in how gardening and horticulture are used, so this could also be a focus for future research.</p

Hippocampal activity during the transverse patterning task declines with cognitive competence but not with age

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The hippocampus is a brain region that is particularly affected by age-related morphological changes. It is generally assumed that a loss in hippocampal volume results in functional deficits that contribute to age-related cognitive decline. In a combined cross-sectional behavioural and magnetoencephalography (MEG) study we investigated whether hippocampal-associated neural current flow during a transverse patterning task - which requires learning relational associations between stimuli - correlates with age and whether it is modulated by cognitive competence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Better performance in several tests of verbal memory, verbal fluency and executive function was indeed associated with higher hippocampal neural activity. Age, however, was not related to the strength of hippocampal neural activity: elderly participants responded slower than younger individuals but on average produced the same neural mass activity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that in non-pathological aging, hippocampal neural activity does not decrease with age but is rather related to cognitive competence.</p

Meteorological conditions, climate change, new emerging factors, and asthma and related allergic disorders. A statement of the World Allergy Organization

The prevalence of allergic airway diseases such as asthma and rhinitis has increased dramatically to epidemic proportions worldwide. Besides air pollution from industry derived emissions and motor vehicles, the rising trend can only be explained by gross changes in the environments where we live. The world economy has been transformed over the last 25 years with developing countries being at the core of these changes. Around the planet, in both developed and developing countries, environments are undergoing profound changes. Many of these changes are considered to have negative effects on respiratory health and to enhance the frequency and severity of respiratory diseases such as asthma in the general population. Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, and especially carbon dioxide (CO2), in the atmosphere have already warmed the planet substantially, causing more severe and prolonged heat waves, variability in temperature, increased air pollution, forest fires, droughts, and floods - all of which can put the respiratory health of the public at risk. These changes in climate and air quality have a measurable impact not only on the morbidity but also the mortality of patients with asthma and other respiratory diseases. The massive increase in emissions of air pollutants due to economic and industrial growth in the last century has made air quality an environmental problem of the first order in a large number of regions of the world. A body of evidence suggests that major changes to our world are occurring and involve the atmosphere and its associated climate. These changes, including global warming induced by human activity, have an impact on the biosphere, biodiversity, and the human environment. Mitigating this huge health impact and reversing the effects of these changes are major challenges. This statement of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) raises the importance of this health hazard and highlights the facts on climate-related health impacts, including: deaths and acute morbidity due to heat waves and extreme meteorological events; increased frequency of acute cardio-respiratory events due to higher concentrations of ground level ozone; changes in the frequency of respiratory diseases due to trans-boundary particle pollution; altered spatial and temporal distribution of allergens (pollens, molds, and mites); and some infectious disease vectors. According to this report, these impacts will not only affect those with current asthma but also increase the incidence and prevalence of allergic respiratory conditions and of asthma. The effects of climate change on respiratory allergy are still not well defined, and more studies addressing this topic are needed. Global warming is expected to affect the start, duration, and intensity of the pollen season on the one hand, and the rate of asthma exacerbations due to air pollution, respiratory infections, and/or cold air inhalation, and other conditions on the other hand