Does preoperative education reduce anxiety in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery?

The main purpose of the study was to find out whether preoperative education helps in reducing anxiety in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), by means of systematic review. About 28,000 CABG surgeries are done in UK every year, but there is variation in terms of number of surgeries from place to place. Patients undergoing CABG faces many psychological issues such as anxiety and depression that may bring the worse outcome of the surgery and even leads to death or another cardiac event. This systematic review brings all these issues into light and 14 relevant studies obtained by search methodology have discussed the issues such as effect of anxiety on coronary heart disease, effect of preoperative patient education on the outcome of the surgery and the different forms of education and their effects. It was reported that anxiety does predict the post operative psychological outcome. Positive association were observed between different forms of education such as support from peer group and music and video information. The systematic review concluded that there is positive effect of education given to the patient prior to surgery, but few more studies need to be performed on large cardiac population to obtained better results for the practical implementation

Healthcare professionals' and parents' experiences of the confirmatory testing period:A qualitative study of the UK expanded newborn screening pilot

Background: With further expansion of the number of conditions for which newborn screening can be undertaken, it is timely to consider the impact of positive screening results and the confirmatory testing period on the families involved. This study was undertaken as part of a larger programme of work to evaluate the Expanded Newborn Screening (ENBS) programme in the United Kingdom (UK). It was aimed to determine the views and experiences of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and parents on communication and interaction during the period of confirmatory testing following a positive screening result. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with parents of children who had received a positive ENBS result and HCPs who had been involved with the diagnosis and support of parents. Ten parents and 11 healthcare professionals took part in the in-depth interviews. Questions considered the journey from the positive screening result through confirmatory testing to a confirmed diagnosis and the communication and interaction between the parents and HCPs that they had been experienced. Key themes were identified through thematic analysis. Results: The results point to a number of elements within the path through confirmatory testing that are difficult for parents and could be further developed to improve the experience. These include the way in which the results are communicated to parents, rapid turnaround of results, offering a consistent approach, exploring interventions to support family relationships and reviewing the workload and scheduling implications for healthcare professionals. Conclusions: As technology enables newborn screening of a larger number of conditions, there is an increasing need to consider and mediate the potentially negative effects on families. The findings from this study point to a number of elements within the path through confirmatory testing that are difficult for parents and could be further developed to benefit the family experience

LEADing together: Partnerships for a Healthier DeKalb

Background: In 2014, the DeKalb County Board of Health (DCBOH) received a three-year Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant to work with community partners to address health disparities among African Americans in DeKalb County. The project, called Local Efforts toward Addressing Disparities in DeKalb (LEAD DeKalb), relies on a network of partnerships to implement community-based interventions that promote healthy eating and physical activity among African Americans throughout low-income parts of DeKalb County. Methods: The evaluation team developed an online survey to assess LEAD DeKalb staff and partner satisfaction with the partnerships created and the work completed through LEAD DeKalb thus far (n=20, response rate of 71.4%). The 20-question survey was adapted primarily from two sources: the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory and the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool. Data analysis was limited to basic descriptive information such as frequencies, percentages, and averages, with comparisons made between DCBOH staff and partners. Results: Partners reported that their organization benefits from being involved in the partnership and attributed a variety of factors to the success of the partnership, including: bringing together diverse stakeholders; exchanging information/knowledge; sharing resources; and developing a shared mission and goals. Identifying new partners and developing a sustainability plan that includes funding, community support, and strong partnerships were identified as areas for improvement. Relevant qualitative findings from key informant interviews were also presented. Conclusions: Two main themes emerged from the data: (1) the network of partnerships is valuable and strong, but may benefit from new partners, and (2) resources (especially funding) are critical for implementing and sustaining the work of the partnership. Taken together, these findings suggest that partnerships are best conceptualized as ongoing processes rather than tasks to complete; and expanding social networks and learning communities allows partners to leverage social, human, and financial capital well beyond the grant period

Elective affinities of the Protestant ethic : Weber and the chemistry of capitalism

Peer reviewedPostprin

Development of an intervention to increase sexual health service uptake by young people

This study aimed to develop and implement an intervention, delivered via a website and Web app, to increase the uptake of sexual health services by young people. The intervention was co-designed with a group of 10 young people. Intervention mapping was used to guide development. To identify barriers and facilitators of access to sexual health services, three focus groups with 24 young people aged 13 to 19 years, and interviews with 12 professionals recruited from across a range of health and social services, were conducted. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Evidence was supplemented through a literature review. Barriers and facilitators were categorized as theoretical determinants and then suitable behavior change techniques (BCTs) for targeting them were selected. Targeted determinants were attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and knowledge. Selected BCTs included “information about others’ approval,” “framing/reframing,” and “credible source.” The website/app enable users to search for services, access key information about them, watch videos about what to expect, and have key concerns removed/addressed. This is the first known digital evidence-based intervention to target this behavior described in the literature. A clear and full description of intervention development and content, including of theorized causal pathways, is provided to aid interpretation of future outcome evaluations

L'India contemporanea. Dinamiche culturali e politiche, trasformazioni economiche e mutamento sociale

Frutto di uno studio interdisciplinare realizzato da tre grandi centri di ricerca indiani, il volume rende con sapienza la vivacità delle dinamiche sociali e della complessa evoluzione culturale in corso nella società indiana.- Indice #5- Introduzione #9- Correnti culturali e versioni indiane della modernità. Le tradizioni e il futuro della democrazia, Ashis Nandy #13- Caste e classi in India: realtà sociale e rappresentazioni politiche, Dhirubhai L. Sheth #33- Religione e politica in India. Cultura politica, revivalismo, fondamentalismo e secolarismo, Triloki N. Madan #61- Comunitarismo e integrazione nello stato nazionale. Tolleranza e secolarismo, Shail Mayaram #79- Il ruolo delle scuole e delle università nel promuovere una cultura comune e lo sviluppo sociale nelle città e nelle aree rurali, Suma Chitnis #101- I partiti e il processo elettorale in India. Nodi centrali nel dibattito politico corrente, Peter R. de Souza #127- Pluralismo centrale e istituzioni politiche. Lo stato federale indiano e il suo futuro, Ajit Mozoomdar #149- Società civile, movimenti sociali e stato in India: le politiche del cambiamento sociale, Shobha Raghuram #183- Geostrategia e geopolitica dell’India. Sviluppi recenti, sfide contemporanee e prospettive future, Jasjit Singh #209- La demografia e le sue implicazioni economiche, Vishvanath A. Pai Panandiker #235- L’economia dell’India e le sue prospettive, Isher J. Ahluwalia #255- Diseguaglianze nella distribuzione del reddito e del patrimonio in India, Nilakantha Rath #279- Il ruolo dello stato e del mercato nell’economia indiana, Eswaran Sridharan #317- La posizione geoeconomica dell’India. Relazioni internazionali e prospettive dell’integrazione regionale, con particolare riferimento all’ASEAN, Charan D. Wadhva #34

Magnetic Particle-Based Hybrid Platforms for Bioanalytical Sensors

Biomagnetic nano and microparticles platforms have attracted considerable interest in the field of biological sensors due to their interesting physico-chemical properties, high specific surface area, good mechanical stability and opportunities for generating magneto-switchable devices. This review discusses recent advances in the development and characterization of active biomagnetic nanoassemblies, their interaction with biological molecules and their use in bioanalytical sensors

Le rôle de l'État dans le développement industriel : le cas de l'Inde

Ahluwalia Isher J. Le rôle de l'État dans le développement industriel : le cas de l'Inde. In: Tiers-Monde, tome 29, n°115, 1988. Industrialisation et développement. Modèles, expériences, perspectives, sous la direction de Abdelkader Sid Ahmed et Alain Valette. pp. 617-638