Coming Out, Coming Together, Coming Around: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Families\u27 Experiences Adjusting to a Young Family Member\u27s Disclosure of Non-Heterosexuality

Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) are disclosing their sexual identity--or coming out--at progressively younger ages, making it more important than ever for the general population to understand, tolerate, and accept diversity in sexual identity. This study was designed to fill the gap in the existing literature about how the coming out process affects LGB young people\u27s families of origin. Three LGB young people participated in the study, along with a member of each of their families. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the participants, as well as a conjoint interview with each of the three families. The findings of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study illustrate the many ways in which a young person\u27s coming out reverberates within the family system, offering a relational understanding of the coming out experience. The results of the study emphasize the process-oriented nature of coming out and the means by which that process is influenced by and influences family relationships and overall family dynamics. Centered on the various ways in which LGB young people prepare to disclose their sexual orientation to their families and how their family members adjust to the disclosure, the study offers a historically and culturally situated overview of the coming out experience in the family. Based on the results of the present study, the researcher offers suggestions for future studies on this subject and presents the implications of the study for LGB young people, their families, and family therapists

Plan d’action québécois en santé mentale : contextes de mise en oeuvre et éléments d’impact sur l’organisation des services de première ligne et les modes de collaboration

Depuis 2005, le Plan d’action en santé mentale oriente le développement et l’organisation des services en santé mentale au Québec. En conjonction avec d’autres réformes modifiant l’économie générale du système de santé, il vise en particulier à favoriser une réponse adéquate aux troubles mentaux courants. Cette préoccupation appelle une transformation de l’offre de services en première ligne. Une analyse de différents contextes dans lesquels opèrent ces changements permet une réflexion sur les principaux facteurs susceptibles d’influencer l’actualisation de certaines propositions du Plan d’action et sur l’évolution des modes de collaboration, un pré requis à la mise en place des réseaux locaux de services.Since 2005, the Mental Health Action Plan maps out development and reorganization of mental health services in Québec. With concurrent reforms affecting the overall layout of the health care system, the Action Plan especially seeks to improve the management of common mental disorders. This particular concern calls for transformations at the primary care level. Contextual analysis of contrasting settings allows the identification of the main determinants in this actual process of change and in the ways collaborative issues are addressed.Desde 2005, el Plan de Acción de Salud Mental orienta el desarrollo y la organización de los servicios de salud mental en Quebec. Junto con otras reformas que modifican la economía general del sistema de salud, el plan busca en particular favorecer una respuesta adecuada a los trastornos mentales comunes. Esta preocupación implica una transformación de la oferta de servicios de primer nivel. Un análisis de diferentes contextos en los que operan estos cambios permite una reflexión acerca de los principales factores susceptibles de influir en la actualización de ciertas proposiciones del Plan de Acción y en la evolución de las formas de colaboración, un prerrequisito para la puesta en marcha de las redes locales de servicios.Desde 2005, o Plano de Ação em Saúde Mental orienta o desenvolvimento e a organização dos serviços em saúde mental no Quebec. Em conjunto com outras reformas que modificam a economia geral do sistema de saúde, ele visa principalmente favorecer uma resposta adequada aos transtornos mentais correntes. Esta preocupação demanda uma transformação da oferta de serviços primários. Uma análise de diferentes contextos nos quais operam estas mudanças permite uma reflexão sobre os principais fatores susceptíveis de influenciar a atualização de algumas propostas do Plano de Ação e sobre a evolução dos modos de colaboração, um pré-requisito para a criação das redes locais de serviços

A Multi-Institutional Partnership Catalyzing the Commercialization of Medical Devices and Biotechnology Products.

The commercialization of medical devices and biotechnology products is characterized by high failure rates and long development lead times particularly among start-up enterprises. To increase the success rate of these high-risk ventures, the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) partnered to create key academic support centers with programs to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in this industry. In 2008, UML and UMMS founded the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), which is a business and technology incubator that provides business planning, product prototyping, laboratory services, access to clinical testing, and ecosystem networking to medical device and biotech startup firms. M2D2 has three physical locations that encompass approximately 40,000 square feet. Recently, M2D2 leveraged these resources to expand into new areas such as health security, point of care technologies for heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, and rapid diagnostics to detect SARS-CoV-2. Since its inception, M2D2 has vetted approximately 260 medical device and biotech start-up companies for inclusion in its programs and provided active support to more than 80 firms. This manuscript describes how two UMass campuses leveraged institutional, state, and Federal resources to create a thriving entrepreneurial environment for medical device and biotech companies

Symphonie pédagogique--

Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 14 août. 2013)Atelier 20

ROS- and Radiation Source-Dependent Modulation of Leukocyte Adhesion to Primary Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Anti-inflammatory effects of low-dose irradiation often follow a non-linear dose–effect relationship. These characteristics were also described for the modulation of leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. Previous results further revealed a contribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and anti-oxidative factors to a reduced leukocyte adhesion. Here, we evaluated the expression of anti-oxidative enzymes and the transcription factor Nrf2 (Nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2), intracellular ROS content, and leukocyte adhesion in primary human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) upon low-dose irradiation under physiological laminar shear stress or static conditions after irradiation with X-ray or Carbon (C)-ions (0–2 Gy). Laminar conditions contributed to increased mRNA expression of anti-oxidative factors and reduced ROS in HMVEC following a 0.1 Gy X-ray and 0.5 Gy C-ion exposure, corresponding to reduced leukocyte adhesion and expression of adhesion molecules. By contrast, mRNA expression of anti-oxidative markers and adhesion molecules, ROS, and leukocyte adhesion were not altered by irradiation under static conditions. In conclusion, irradiation of endothelial cells with low doses under physiological laminar conditions modulates the mRNA expression of key factors of the anti-oxidative system, the intracellular ROS contents of which contribute at least in part to leucocyte adhesion, dependent on the radiation source

Modulation of Differentiation and Bone Resorbing Activity of Human (Pre-) Osteoclasts After X-Ray Exposure

Low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) is a local treatment option for patients with chronic degenerative and inflammatory diseases, in particular musculoskeletal diseases. Despite reported analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, cellular and molecular mechanisms related to osteoimmunological effects are still elusive. Here we test the hypothesis that X-irradiation inhibits the differentiation of precursor osteoclasts into mature osteoclasts (mOC) and their bone resorbing activity. Circulating monocytes from healthy donors were isolated and irradiated after attachment with single or fractionated X-ray doses, comparable to an LD-RT treatment scheme. Then monocytes underwent ex vivo differentiation into OC during cultivation up to 21 days, under conditions mimicking the physiological microenvironment of OC on bone. After irradiation, apoptotic frequencies were low, but the total number of OC precursors and mOC decreased up to the end of the cultivation period. On top, we observed an impairment of terminal differentiation, i.e. a smaller fraction of mOC, reduced resorbing activity on bone, and release of collagen fragments. We further analyzed the effect of X-irradiation on multinucleation, resulting from the fusion of precursor OC, which occurs late during OC differentiation. At 21 days after exposure, the observation of smaller cellular areas and a reduced number of nuclei per mOC suggest an impaired fusion of OC precursors to form mOC. Before, at 14 days, the nuclear translocation of Nuclear Factor Of Activated T Cells 1 (NFATc1), a master regulator of osteoclast differentiation and fusion, was decreased. In first results, obtained in the frame of a longitudinal LD-RT study, we previously reported a pain-relieving effect in patients. However, in a subgroup of patients suffering from Calcaneodynia or Achillodynia, we did not observe a consistent decrease of established blood markers for resorption and formation of bone, or modified T cell subtypes involved in regulating these processes. To assess the relevance of changes in bone metabolism for other diseases treated with LD-RT will be subject of further studies. Taken together, we observed that in vitro X-irradiation of monocytes results in an inhibition of the differentiation into bone-resorbing OC and a concomitant reduction of resorbing activity. The detected reduced NFATc1 signaling could be one underlying mechanism