29 research outputs found

    Object Relations in the Museum: A Psychosocial Perspective

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    This article theorises museum engagement from a psychosocial perspective. With the aid of selected concepts from object relations theory, it explains how the museum visitor can establish a personal relation to museum objects, making use of them as an ‘aesthetic third’ to symbolise experience. Since such objects are at the same time cultural resources, interacting with them helps the individual to feel part of a shared culture. The article elaborates an example drawn from a research project that aimed to make museum collections available to people with physical and mental health problems. It draws on the work of the British psychoanalysts Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion to explain the salience of the concepts of object use, potential space, containment and reverie within a museum context. It also refers to the work of the contemporary psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas on how objects can become evocative for individuals both by virtue of their intrinsic qualities and by the way they are used to express personal idiom

    Accuracy of GE digital breast tomosynthesis vs supplementary mammographic views for diagnosis of screen-detected soft-tissue breast lesions

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    Objective: To compare the accuracy of standard supplementary views and GE digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) for assessment of soft-tissue mammographic abnormalities. Methods: Women recalled for further assessment of soft-tissue abnormalities were recruited and received standard supplementary views (typically spot compression views) and two-view GE DBT. The added value of DBT in the assessment process was determined by analysing data collected prospectively by radiologists working up the cases. Following anonymization of cases, there was also a retrospective multireader review. The readers first read bilateral standard two-view digital mammography (DM) together with the supplementary mammographic views and gave a combined score for suspicion of malignancy on a five-point scale. The same readers then read bilateral standard two-view DM together with two-view DBT. Pathology data were obtained. Differences were assessed using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: The study population was 342 lesions in 322 patients. The final diagnosis was malignant in 113 cases (33%) and benign/normal in 229 cases (67%). In the prospective analysis, the performance of two-view DM plus DBT was at least equivalent to the performance of two-view DM and standard mammographic supplementary views—the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.946 and 0.922, respectively, which did not reach statistical significance. Similar results were obtained for the retrospective review—AUC was 0.900 (DBT) and 0.873 (supplementary views), which did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The accuracy of GE DBT in the assessment of screen detected soft-tissue abnormalities is equivalent to the use of standard supplementary mammographic views. Advances in knowledge: The vast majority of evidence relating to the use of DBT has been gathered from research using Hologic equipment. This study provides evidence for the use of the commercially available GE DBT system demonstrating that it is at least equivalent to supplementary mammographic views in the assessment of soft-tissue screen-detected abnormalities

    Mental Health Through Movement

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    Children’s mental health: ‘has become an issue of real concern, in the media and to both politicians and NHS leaders, over the last five years in particular. It has prompted numerous inquiries, reports, recommendations and pledges by politicians and NHS leaders to improve the situation’: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/22/what-is-happening-withchildrens-mental-health On July 1st 2019, the Local Government Association released statistics to show that: ‘There were 205,720 cases where a child was identified as having a mental health issue in 2017/18, compared with 133,600 in 2014/15- up 54%’: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/councils-seeing-more-560-child-mentalhealth-cases-every-day It is within this context that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on A Fit and Healthy Childhood presents its 14th Report: ‘Positive Mental Health Through Movement’. With 1 in 10 children now having a mental health diagnosis and 1 in 4 an undiagnosed mental health issue, this, our third Report on the issue of child mental health, addresses the link between positive mental health and physical activity and movement experiences at a time when, paradoxically, today’s children and young people are more inactive and play less than ever before. The growing recognition of a link between mental health and movement is fortuitous because from September 2019, health education in English schools will be statutory alongside the expectation that they will offer their pupils at least 30 ‘active minutes’ per day. The APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood welcomes the change whilst recognising that those responsible for implementing the new strategy (including practitioners and families) will need guidance as they help children to develop individual strategies to address future adverse events and foster the positive sense of self that will enable them to lead fulfilled, healthy lives. This Report is therefore presented as a practical contribution to an essential debate. It offers new strategies against the persistence of historical and traditional ways of thinking; examines and collates best practice in the devolved Home Countries as well as the wider world and discusses exactly what is required to ensure that future child mental health strategy is holistic. It is respectful of equalities and is aware that the successful outcome of policies is entirely dependent upon the expertise and confidence of those tasked with the responsibility of delivering them. As the 21st century advances, we consider the effects of the digital age and its impact on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and the crucial role of parents and carers who want the best for their children in a societal climate where, all too often, fears of ‘nanny state’ meddling serve to isolate families who suffer in silence – until a disaster that may have been all too predictable and preventable overtakes them, making a private grief a public concern. The trajectory of progress in mental health policy has been ‘stop start’ rather than linear, with legislative change in 1959 and 1983, an increase in spending from 1997- 2010 and radical changes to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in 2000. The Wessely Independent Review of the Mental Health Act is another such milestone: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/independent-review-of-the-mentalhealth-act The APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood anticipates that the Government will fulfil its pledge to parents, children and practitioners by introducing much needed mental health legislation - and that our trio of Reports and the holistic theme of this one will help to inform a strategy that works for 21st century children

    Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

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    Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

    Changes in natural killer cells and exhausted memory regulatory T Cells with corticosteroid therapy in acute autoimmune hepatitis

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    Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an immune-mediated liver disease currently treated by immunosuppressive medications with significant side effects. Thus, novel mechanistic treatments are greatly needed. We performed prospective deep immunophenotyping of blood immune cells in patients with acute AIH before and after corticosteroid therapy. Blood samples from 26 patients with acute AIH (United Kingdom-AIH Consortium) were phenotyped by flow cytometry at baseline and 4 months after starting corticosteroids. Pretreatment liver tissues were stained for forkhead box P3-positive (FOXP3POS) regulatory T cells (Tregs), clusters of differentiation (CD)56POS natural killer (NK) cells, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10. Chemokine secretion by cultured primary hepatocyte and biliary epithelial cells was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Functional coculture assays with stimulated NK cells and Tregs were performed. CD161 ligand, lectin-like transcript-1 expression by intrahepatic immune cells was demonstrated with flow cytometry. Frequencies of NKbright cells declined with therapy (P < 0.001) and correlated with levels of alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.023). The Treg:NKbright ratio was lower pretreatment, and Tregs had an activated memory phenotype with high levels of CD39, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4, and FOXP3 but also high programmed death ligand 1, indicating exhaustion. Coculture experiments suggested the Tregs could not efficiently suppress interferon-γ secretion by NK cells. Both Tregs and NK cells had high expression of liver infiltration and T helper 17 plasticity-associated marker CD161 (P = 0.04). Pretreatment and CD161pos NK cells expressed high levels of perforin and granzyme B, consistent with an activated effector phenotype (P < 0.05). Lectin-like transcript 1, a ligand for CD161, is expressed on intrahepatic B cells, monocytes, and neutrophils. Conclusion: Activated effector NK cells, which correlate with biochemical measurements of hepatitis, and exhausted memory Tregs are increased in the blood of patients with treatment-naive AIH and decline with corticosteroid therapy. Inadequate regulation of NK cells by exhausted FOXP3pos Tregs may play a role in AIH pathogenesis and contribute to liver injury. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:421-436)

    Effects of antiplatelet therapy after stroke due to intracerebral haemorrhage (RESTART): a randomised, open-label trial

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    Background: Antiplatelet therapy reduces the risk of major vascular events for people with occlusive vascular disease, although it might increase the risk of intracranial haemorrhage. Patients surviving the commonest subtype of intracranial haemorrhage, intracerebral haemorrhage, are at risk of both haemorrhagic and occlusive vascular events, but whether antiplatelet therapy can be used safely is unclear. We aimed to estimate the relative and absolute effects of antiplatelet therapy on recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage and whether this risk might exceed any reduction of occlusive vascular events. Methods: The REstart or STop Antithrombotics Randomised Trial (RESTART) was a prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint, parallel-group trial at 122 hospitals in the UK. We recruited adults (≥18 years) who were taking antithrombotic (antiplatelet or anticoagulant) therapy for the prevention of occlusive vascular disease when they developed intracerebral haemorrhage, discontinued antithrombotic therapy, and survived for 24 h. Computerised randomisation incorporating minimisation allocated participants (1:1) to start or avoid antiplatelet therapy. We followed participants for the primary outcome (recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage) for up to 5 years. We analysed data from all randomised participants using Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusted for minimisation covariates. This trial is registered with ISRCTN (number ISRCTN71907627). Findings: Between May 22, 2013, and May 31, 2018, 537 participants were recruited a median of 76 days (IQR 29–146) after intracerebral haemorrhage onset: 268 were assigned to start and 269 (one withdrew) to avoid antiplatelet therapy. Participants were followed for a median of 2·0 years (IQR [1·0– 3·0]; completeness 99·3%). 12 (4%) of 268 participants allocated to antiplatelet therapy had recurrence of intracerebral haemorrhage compared with 23 (9%) of 268 participants allocated to avoid antiplatelet therapy (adjusted hazard ratio 0·51 [95% CI 0·25–1·03]; p=0·060). 18 (7%) participants allocated to antiplatelet therapy experienced major haemorrhagic events compared with 25 (9%) participants allocated to avoid antiplatelet therapy (0·71 [0·39–1·30]; p=0·27), and 39 [15%] participants allocated to antiplatelet therapy had major occlusive vascular events compared with 38 [14%] allocated to avoid antiplatelet therapy (1·02 [0·65–1·60]; p=0·92). Interpretation: These results exclude all but a very modest increase in the risk of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage with antiplatelet therapy for patients on antithrombotic therapy for the prevention of occlusive vascular disease when they developed intracerebral haemorrhage. The risk of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage is probably too small to exceed the established benefits of antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention

    Effects of antiplatelet therapy after stroke due to intracerebral haemorrhage (RESTART): a randomised, open-label trial

    Get PDF
    Background: Antiplatelet therapy reduces the risk of major vascular events for people with occlusive vascular disease, although it might increase the risk of intracranial haemorrhage. Patients surviving the commonest subtype of intracranial haemorrhage, intracerebral haemorrhage, are at risk of both haemorrhagic and occlusive vascular events, but whether antiplatelet therapy can be used safely is unclear. We aimed to estimate the relative and absolute effects of antiplatelet therapy on recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage and whether this risk might exceed any reduction of occlusive vascular events. Methods: The REstart or STop Antithrombotics Randomised Trial (RESTART) was a prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint, parallel-group trial at 122 hospitals in the UK. We recruited adults (≥18 years) who were taking antithrombotic (antiplatelet or anticoagulant) therapy for the prevention of occlusive vascular disease when they developed intracerebral haemorrhage, discontinued antithrombotic therapy, and survived for 24 h. Computerised randomisation incorporating minimisation allocated participants (1:1) to start or avoid antiplatelet therapy. We followed participants for the primary outcome (recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage) for up to 5 years. We analysed data from all randomised participants using Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusted for minimisation covariates. This trial is registered with ISRCTN (number ISRCTN71907627). Findings: Between May 22, 2013, and May 31, 2018, 537 participants were recruited a median of 76 days (IQR 29–146) after intracerebral haemorrhage onset: 268 were assigned to start and 269 (one withdrew) to avoid antiplatelet therapy. Participants were followed for a median of 2·0 years (IQR [1·0– 3·0]; completeness 99·3%). 12 (4%) of 268 participants allocated to antiplatelet therapy had recurrence of intracerebral haemorrhage compared with 23 (9%) of 268 participants allocated to avoid antiplatelet therapy (adjusted hazard ratio 0·51 [95% CI 0·25–1·03]; p=0·060). 18 (7%) participants allocated to antiplatelet therapy experienced major haemorrhagic events compared with 25 (9%) participants allocated to avoid antiplatelet therapy (0·71 [0·39–1·30]; p=0·27), and 39 [15%] participants allocated to antiplatelet therapy had major occlusive vascular events compared with 38 [14%] allocated to avoid antiplatelet therapy (1·02 [0·65–1·60]; p=0·92). Interpretation: These results exclude all but a very modest increase in the risk of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage with antiplatelet therapy for patients on antithrombotic therapy for the prevention of occlusive vascular disease when they developed intracerebral haemorrhage. The risk of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage is probably too small to exceed the established benefits of antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention
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