Human Service Professionals\u27 Practice with Families After Parental Incarceration

Social workers and other human services professionals helping families reintegrate after parental incarceration deal with multiple issues without a model of for facilitating family resilience. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore the essence of the perceived role, activities, and practices of a sample of social workers and other human service professionals engaged in the use of family group conferences (FGCs). FGCs are also referred to as restorative justice, as they inform and assist human service professionals in developing clinical interventions and best practices to support reintegration, family preservation, and stabilization. The framework for this study was built around restorative justice theory, resiliency theory, and a larger social ecological theory and focused on the use of FGCs as a developing practice within family systems and the community. The primary research questions investigated the practitioners\u27 experiences using FGCs. Data came from interviews of participants (15) drawn from professional associations and included their own case notes and reflections. The data was sorted and analyzed with the assistance of qualitative analysis software (Atlas.Ti7) to search for themes that may assist in identifying the phenomenon. The findings suggest that the FGC model should consist of a training curriculum, consistent practice, and dedicated and committed financial resources to support programs. This study impacts social change by informing human services professionals of current best practices and may provide a model of FGCs that will help implement services to families

Sexual dimorphism in glioma glycolysis underlies sex differences in survival

The molecular bases for sex differences in cancer remain undefined and how to incorporate them into risk stratification remains undetermined. Given sex differences in metabolism and the inverse correlation between fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake and survival, we hypothesized that glycolytic phenotyping would improve glioma subtyping. Using retrospectively acquired lower-grade glioma (LGG) transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we discovered male-specific decreased survival resulting from glycolytic gene overexpression. Patients within this high-glycolytic group showed significant differences in the presence of key genomic alterations (i.e., 1p/19q codeletion, CIC, EGFR, NF1, PTEN, FUBP1, and IDH mutations) compared with the low-glycolytic group. Although glycolytic stratification defined poor prognostic males independent of grade, histology, TP53, and ATRX mutation status, we unexpectedly found that females with high-glycolytic gene expression and wild-type IDH survived longer than all other wild-type patients. Validation with an independent metabolomics dataset from grade 2 gliomas determined that glycolytic metabolites selectively stratified males and also uncovered a potential sexual dimorphism in pyruvate metabolism. These findings identify a potential synergy between patient sex, tumor metabolism, and genomic alterations in determining outcome for glioma patients

Safety, tolerability and effects on cardiometabolic risk factors of empagliflozin monotherapy in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind extension of a Phase III randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: To investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of empagliflozin monotherapy compared with placebo and sitagliptin in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Of 899 patients randomized to receive empagliflozin 10 mg, empagliflozin 25 mg, placebo, or sitagliptin 100 mg once daily for 24 weeks, 615 continued in a double-blind extension trial for ≥52 weeks. Exploratory endpoints included changes from baseline in HbA1c, weight and blood pressure at week 76. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, adjusted mean changes from baseline in HbA1c at week 76 were −0.78 % (95 % CI −0.94, −0.63; p < 0.001) and −0.89 % (95 % CI −1.04, −0.73; p < 0.001) for empagliflozin 10 mg and 25 mg, respectively. Compared with placebo, adjusted mean changes from baseline in weight at week 76 were −1.8 kg (95 % CI −2.4, −1.3; p < 0.001) and −2.0 kg (95 % CI −2.6, −1.5; p < 0.001) for empagliflozin 10 mg and 25 mg, respectively. Empagliflozin led to reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared with placebo in the primary analysis but not in sensitivity analyses. Compared with sitagliptin, empagliflozin 25 mg reduced HbA1c and both empagliflozin doses reduced weight and SBP. Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 76.8, 78.0, 76.4 and 72.2 % of patients on empagliflozin 10 mg, empagliflozin 25 mg, placebo and sitagliptin, respectively. Confirmed hypoglycaemic AEs (glucose ≤3.9 mmol/l and/or requiring assistance) were reported in two patients (0.9 %) per treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Empagliflozin monotherapy for ≥76 weeks was well tolerated and led to sustained reductions in HbA1c and weight compared with placebo

The Voices (49 poems with prefatory essays)

(Statement of Responsibility) by William Hedrington(Thesis) Thesis (B.A.) -- New College of Florida, 1970RESTRICTED TO NCF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, AND ON-CAMPUS USE(Bibliography) Includes bibliographical references.This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.Faculty Sponsor: Miller, Arthu

The role of empagliflozin in the management of type 2 diabetes by patient profile

Maka S Hedrington, Stephen N Davis Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Abstract: Current recommendations for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) include patient-centered approach, ie, targeting glycemic control based on patient and disease characteristics. Ten different classes of oral and injectable anti-hyperglycemic agents have been developed for T2DM, including the newest class – sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Four members of the class with comparable glycemic efficacy and side effects have gained approval in the US and the rest of the world. This review covers empagliflozin – third approved SGLT2 inhibitor in the US. The drug has shown rapid absorption reaching peak levels in ~2 hours and an elimination half-life of ~13 hours. Empagliflozin is a highly selective SGLT2 inhibitor with 2600-fold higher affinity for SGLT2 compared with SGLT1. Oral administration results in a dose-dependent inhibition of the transporters with increased urinary glucose excretion and resultant reduction in plasma glucose. Its efficacy and safety have been shown in a number of studies conducted in many countries. Across the trials, significant improvements in primary and secondary efficacy end points have been demonstrated, including reductions in HbA1c (~-0.8%), fasting plasma glucose (~-2 mmol/L), body weight (~-2 kg), and blood pressure (systolic -4 mmHg and diastolic -2 mmHg). Similar to other SGLT2 inhibitors, empagliflozin does not increase the risk for hypoglycemia, and the most commonly reported side effects are urinary and genital tract infections. Although empagliflozin can be used as the first-line monotherapy, its current place in the treatment of T2DM appears to be as an add-on to other oral anti-hyperglycemic agent(s) or insulin at any stage of the disease. Keywords: anti-hyperglycemic agents, diabetes, glucose, SGLT