A Springboard Fellowship: Investigating the T cell repertoire in malplacentation disorders and developing a novel classification system for assigning cause of death in twin pregnancies

In the first project I examined the peripheral and decidual T cell populations in pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction by collecting samples of maternal blood and placenta from postpartum women whose pregnancies were affected by these placentally-mediated disorders, herein known as malplacentation disorders. After isolating white cells from these different samples, antibody staining was performed to enable comparison of the T cell repertoire in maternal blood and placental tissue in healthy pregnancies and those complicated by malplacentation. For the second project I worked with a multi-disciplinary panel of obstetricians and perinatal pathologists supervised by Professors Kilby (University of Birmingham) and Heazell (University of Manchester) to develop a novel classification system for assigning the cause of fetal and neonatal death in twin pregnancies using post-mortem reports. This new classification system was then tested using a retrospective cohort sample of 256twin pregnancies with single or double fetal death. I was able to determine inter-rater, intra-rater and inter-disciplinary agreement. Successful peer reviewed publication of this work in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology(BJOG) establishes this project as an important piece of original work in the field of fetal and maternal medicine.The BJOG, an international journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, now has an impact factor of 5.19, and is ranked 6th out of 83 obstetrics and gynaecology journals in the Journal Citation Reports rankings.In both projects I have also explored the potential for further research and how I might take each project forward with more time and funding

The Social Life of Steeplechase Park: Neighborhood Dog-Park as a "Third Place

In the United States, there is a growing trend towards livable cities that facilitate physical, psychological, and social well-being. According to Congress of the New Urbanism, the great American suburb served by the automobile, does not fulfill all these functions. Urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg points out three realms of satisfactory life as work, home and the ‘great good place’ as the third. The third place is one that facilitates barrier free social interaction, for example the American main-street, the English pub, French coffee house etc. Despite the ever existing need for such places, greater travel distances and the ever expanding needs of the automobile era have stripped our urban fabric of these. The Charter of the New Urbanism points out that in the American suburbs, neighborhood parks have the potential to serve as ‘third places.’ The twofold purpose of this research was to examine Steeplechase dog-park using Oldenburg’s Third Place construct as a starting point; and then to operationalize third place by establishing relationships between social characteristics and physical environment. Participant observation, casual conversations and ethnographic interviews were methods used to examine how residents use Steeplechase Park. The observation phase was used to understand on-site behavior, user interests and then establish contacts with participants for recruitment. In-depth interviews were then conducted to examine user history, relationships and attitudes toward the place. Data was coded and analyzed in NVivo 10 utilizing Oldenburg’s framework as a reference, the components of which were then examined for correlations to the physical elements. The findings of suggest that Steeplechase Park functions as a somewhat unique third place in terms of user motivation, companion animal/social lubricant, neutrality and inclusiveness of the place. Findings also establish useful links between the physical design of the space and the social activity; prospect-refuge supported by vegetation and layout, topography, shade, edges and access being the most important aspects. Additionally, lack of maintenance was established as a major concern to sustained use

Editorial: Children and Families in Times of Crisis

The current issue of Horizons of Education is devoted to the widely recognized issue of the crisis that entire families and children have to face. The local, national and international contexts are/have always been rife with crisis. Armed conflicts, terrorism, pandemics, illnesses, economic meltdowns, unemployment, hunger, forced migration, and natural disasters create ruptures, discontinuities, breaks, and pain. The family is also threatened with conflicts emerging internally, i.e. relationship loss, addiction, or death. Crisis events impact children and families over time. In the current issue of Horizons of Education you will find articles on the following issues: the educational and health impact of COVID-19 on children with special needs; emerging solidarities with-in the migrant neighbourhood of Delhi in India during COVID-19 pandemic; the relationship between abandonment and memory through Minco’s The Address and Sumar’s Silent Waters; the impact of the war and migration crises on the functioning of children and refugee families from Ukraine in Poland; the crisis in the lives of young boys experiencing death of the loved one; parental conflict’s impact on children and families; state interference with the scope of parental responsibilities; parental crisis of children with hearing impairment as a result of social conditions; digital media use as a source of conflict in the family

Edytorial: Dzieci i rodziny w sytuacji kryzysu

Bieżący numer „Horyzontów Wychowania” poświęcony został szeroko rozumianej problematyce kryzysu, z którym przychodzi mierzyć się całym rodzinom lub dzieciom. Kryzysy są nieodłącznym elementem życia w lokalnym, narodowym i międzynarodowym kontekście. Konflikty zbrojne, terroryzm, pandemie, choroby, krachy gospodarcze, bezrobocie, głód, przymusowe migracje i klęski żywiołowe dezorganizują funkcjonowanie zarówno jednostek, jak i całych społeczności. Rodzinie zagrażają również konflikty powstające wewnętrznie, takie jak rozpad związku, uzależnienie czy śmierć osoby bliskiej. Wydarzenia kryzysowe mają długofalowy wpływ na dalsze życie dzieci i rodzin, a jego negatywne skutki mogą pogłębiać się w miarę upływu czasu. W bieżącym numerze „Horyzontów Wychowania” znajdziecie Państwo artykuły dotyczące problematyki: edukacyjnego i zdrowotnego wpływu COVID-19 na dzieci ze specjalnymi potrzebami; powstających solidarności w sąsiedztwie migrantów w Delhi w Indiach podczas pandemii COVID-19; związku między porzuceniem a pamięcią na podstawie Adresu Minco i Cichych wód Sumary; wpływu kryzysów wojennego i migracyjnego na funkcjonowanie dzieci i rodzin uchodźczych z Ukrainy w Polsce; kryzysu w życiu młodych chłopców doświadczających sytuacji śmierci bliskiej osoby; wpływu długotrwałego konfliktu rodzicielskiego na dzieci i rodzinę; ingerencji państwa w zakres obowiązków rodzicielskich; kryzysu rodziców dziecka z niepełnosprawnością słuchu jako efektu społecznych uwarunkowań oraz użytkowania mediów cyfrowych jako źródła konfliktów w rodzinie

Low-dose ultra-high-pitch computed tomography coronary angiography: identifying the optimum combination of iteration strength and radiation dose reduction strategies to achieve true submillisievert scans

PURPOSETo identify the optimum strength of advanced modeled iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) to achieve the best subjective and objective image quality when combining three-dose reduction strategies, ultra-high-pitch computed tomography coronary angiography (FLASH CTCA; with single-dose ivabradine to lower heart rate), low tube voltage, and ADMIRE.METHODSSixty consecutive patients underwent FLASH CTCA at 100 kVp in this single-center prospective study. Single-dose ivabradine was administered to patients whose heart rate was above 75 bpm. Images were reconstructed using the three highest strengths of ADMIRE (A3, A4, and A5). Objective and subjective image quality (using a Likert scale) were evaluated in the three datasets.RESULTSThe signal strength remained unchanged but mean noise significantly reduced across the increasing strengths of ADMIRE [signal: 513.78 ± 101.7 Hounsfield units (HU) at A3, 515.6 ± 100.5 HU at A4, and 519.7 ± 107.9 HU at A5; noise: 23.4 ± 4.5 HU at A3, 20.2 ± 3.6 HU at A4, and 17.2 ± 3.3 HU at A5]. Signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios were the highest at A5, and A5 offered significantly higher Likert scores in image noise, vessel sharpness, and overall image quality than A3 or A4. Additionally, A5 did not interfere with image interpretation in any patient.CONCLUSIONUsing all three dose reduction strategies during FLASH CTCA along with single-dose ivabradine administration ensures minimal radiation exposure in daily practice. In this study, A5 datasets had the best overall subjective and objective image quality despite their “plastic appearance”. In the future, enhanced dose reduction can be obtained by further lowering tube voltages

Autonomy of the family in the modern world

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to understand autonomy of the family in the ‘modern’ world by locating the family in the historical changes that led to its present form. The autonomy of the family was shaped in two ways, as collective mentalitiés and as private space. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The present research problem concerns an important inquiry into the private space of the family and the role of the state in shaping and governing the individual by intervening in the family. The paper uses the method of historical inquiry and analysis of reference literature. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: After having defined the aim of the study and the fundamental concepts (modernity, autonomy, mentalitiés) there has been presented the psychogenic history of the family in the context of France. This is followed by the presentation of changes in mentalitiés and private space in the family, with a special emphasis on the changing focus on the child in the family. The essential part of the argumentation was also to build the concept of autonomy through the changes in mentalitiés and private space that unfolds in three stages of the psychogenic history of the family. RESEARCH RESULTS: The result of this argumentation is the autonomous space of the family in the modern times, which is impacted by the state and popular culture. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: This analysis confirms the changes of autonomy in the family from the middle, to the modern and across the contemporary times through the conceptions of (i) collective mentalitiés, (ii) private space and sociability and (iii) governmentality. It argues that ever since the turn of the modern, the family has never been autonomous, though in law it appears to be a ‘private space’. Family in the contemporary times is insidiously governed by messages and images that circulate in media. Autonomy of the modern family has always been under threat. The arguments point to the necessity to question and problematize the contemporary conceptions of family and the child as mirrored in the domain of popular culture.

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF CAFFEINE LOADED NATURAL GUM MATRIX TABLET

The present research work was carried out to develop sustained release tablets of caffeine using natural matrix former (tragacanth) and different filling polymers like hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC K15M) and ethyl cellulose (EC). Caffeine was used as model drug. The polymers and tragacanth gum were incorporated in varying ratios into a matrix system using wet granulation technique. All the lubricated formulations were compressed into tablets and evaluated for various physicochemical properties such as thickness, hardness, friability, weight variation, drug content and in vitro drug release studies. From the investigation it was observed that increase in the amount of gum tragacanth (from F1 to F5) led to reduced friability, increased hardness and retarded drug release. Different filling polymers also sustained the drug release. The in vitro drug release data were tted in various release kinetics models to understand th mechanism of drug release. All solid matrix formulations were found to follow Higuchi kinetics, indicating the diffusional release of drug from the matrix type system. The Formulation F5 containing highest amount of gum tragacanth have shown promising results. The findings of the current investigation clearly indicate the potential of tragacanth gum to be used as release retardant and natural matrix material in sustained release formulations. Key words: Sustained release, Matrix tablets, Tragacanth, Caffeine

Controlled ocular drug delivery of ofloxacin using temperature modulated in situ gelling system

Background: The designing of ocular dosage form off ers complicated issues. Numerous protective mechanisms are present in the eye to prevent the absorption of drug candidate from the corneal membrane. The poor bioavailability and therapeutic response exhibited by conventional ophthalmic solutions due to rapid precorneal elimination of the drug may be overcome by the use of in situ gel forming systems, which are instilled as drops into the eye and then undergo a sol-gel transition in the cul-de-sac. In situ forming polymeric formulations drug delivery systems is in sol form before administration in the body, but once administered, undergoes gelation in situ to form a gel. The formulation of gel depends upon factors like temperature modulation, pH changes, presence of ions, and ultraviolet irradiation, from which drug gets released in sustained and controlled manner. Objective: The present investigation deals with formulation and evaluation of Pluronic; based in situ gel of ofloxacin. Material and Method: Pluronic as gelling agent, HPMC as viscosity modifying agent was used. Ofloxacin was used as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. Results: In vitro drug release studies indicated that the formulated in situ gel retained the drug better than the conventional dosage forms. The formulations were therapeutically efficacious, sterile, stable, and provided controlled release of the drug over a period of time. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the developed system is an alternative to conventional ophthalmic drops, patient compliance, industrially-oriented, and economical