43 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Beyond viral suppression: the quality of life of people living with HIV in Sweden
Sweden has one of the best HIV treatment outcomes in the world and an estimated 95% of all diagnosed people living with HIV are virally suppressed, but the quality of life (QoL) is understudied. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between variables within sociodemographic, behavioural, clinical, psychological, sexual life, social support and personal resource component and the QoL of people living with HIV in Sweden. Data were derived from a cross-sectional, nation-wide survey completed by 15% (nâ=â1096) of all people living with HIV and collected at 15 infectious disease clinics and 2 needle exchange sites during 2014. Ordinal univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between potential contributors and QoL. Respondents reported high QoL: 63% rated their QoL 7 or higher on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. QoL was independent of gender, age, mode of HIV transmission and country of origin. Lower QoL was associated with recent homelessness, hazardous alcohol consumption, comorbidities, treatment side-effects, HIV-related physical symptoms, hopelessness, negative self-image, sexual dissatisfaction, and negative changes in sex life after HIV. The QoL of people living with HIV in Sweden was high overall, but still significantly influenced by HIV
In their own words: what bothers children online?
In an open-ended survey question to European 9- to 16-year-olds, some 10,000 children reported a range of risks that concern them on the internet. Pornography (named by 22% of children who mentioned risks), conduct risk such as cyber-bullying (19%) and violent content (18%) were at the top of childrenâs concerns. The priority given to violent content is noteworthy insofar as this receives less attention than sexual content or bullying in awareness-raising initiatives. Many children express shock and disgust on witnessing violent, aggressive or gory online content, especially that which graphically depicts realistic violence against vulnerable victims, including from the news. Video-sharing websites such as YouTube were primary sources of violent and pornographic content. The findings discussed in relation to childrenâs fear responses to screen media and the implications for the public policy agenda on internet safety are identified
Aims and challenges of handicraft and home economics education in Estonia
The content sharing link for your article is https://rdcu.be/blNrMPeer reviewe
CRISPR/Cas9-targeted enrichment and long-read sequencing of the Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophyâassociated TCF4 triplet repeat
PURPOSE: To demonstrate the utility of an amplification-free long-read sequencing method to characterize the Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD)-associated intronic TCF4 triplet repeat (CTG18.1). METHODS: We applied an amplification-free method, utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system, in combination with PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) long-read sequencing, to study CTG18.1. FECD patient samples displaying a diverse range of CTG18.1 allele lengths and zygosity status (nâ=â11) were analyzed. A robust data analysis pipeline was developed to effectively filter, align, and interrogate CTG18.1-specific reads. All results were compared with conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based fragment analysis. RESULTS: CRISPR-guided SMRT sequencing of CTG18.1 provided accurate genotyping information for all samples and phasing was possible for 18/22 alleles sequenced. Repeat length instability was observed for all expanded (â„50 repeats) phased CTG18.1 alleles analyzed. Furthermore, higher levels of repeat instability were associated with increased CTG18.1 allele length (mode length â„91 repeats) indicating that expanded alleles behave dynamically. CONCLUSION: CRISPR-guided SMRT sequencing of CTG18.1 has revealed novel insights into CTG18.1 length instability. Furthermore, this study provides a framework to improve the molecular diagnostic accuracy for CTG18.1-mediated FECD, which we anticipate will become increasingly important as gene-directed therapies are developed for this common age-related and sight threatening disease
Awareness, concern and willingness to adopt biosecure behaviours: public perceptions of invasive tree pests and pathogens in the UK
The growing incidence of invasive tree
pest and disease outbreaks is recognised as an
increasing threat to ecosystem services and human
wellbeing. Linked to global trade, human movement
and climate change, a number of outbreaks have
attracted high public and media attention. However,
there is surprisingly little evidence characterising the
nature of public attentiveness to these events, nor how
publics might respond to evolving outbreaks and the
management actions taken. This paper presents findings
from an online questionnaire involving 1334
respondents nationally-representative of the British
public to assess awareness, concern and willingness to
adopt biosecure behaviours. Despite revealing low
levels of awareness and knowledge, the results indicate
that the British public is concerned about the
health of trees, forests and woodlands and is moderately
willing to adopt biosecure behaviours. A key
finding is that membership of environmental organisations
and strong place identity are likely to engender
higher awareness and levels of concern about tree
pests and diseases. Further, those who visit woodlands
regularly are likely to be more aware than non-visitors,
and gardeners are more likely to be concerned than
non-gardeners. Women, older respondents, those with
strong place identity and dependence, members of
environmental organisations, woodland visitors and
gardeners were most likely to express a willingness to
adopt biosecure behaviours. A comparison with findings
from a survey conducted by the authors 3 years
previously shows a decline over time in awareness,
concern and willingness
Youth representations of environmental protest
A necessary condition for a functioning democracy is the participation of its citizens, including its youth. This is particularly true for political participation in environmental decisions because these decisions can have intergenerational consequences. In this article we examine young peopleâs beliefs about one form of political participation - protest - in the context of communities affected by fracking and associated anti-fracking protest, and discuss the implications of these representations for education. Drawing on focus groups with 121 young people (age 15-19) in 5 schools and colleges near sites which have experienced anti-fracking protest in England and Northern Ireland, we find young people well-informed about avenues for formal and non-formal political participation against a background of disillusionment with formal political processes and varying levels of support for protest. We find representations of protest as disruptive, divisive, extreme, less desirable than other forms of participation, and ineffective in bringing about change but effective in awareness-raising. These representations are challenging, not least because the way protest is interpreted is critical to the way people think and act in the world. These representations of environmental protest must be challenged through formal education in order to safeguard the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensure that the spirit of Article 11 of the UK Human Rights Act is protected