Migrations in our common home: Responding with care - Ireland's response to the Ukrainian crisis

Policy Brief produced by the Roundtable on Migrations in Our Common HomeIreland’s response to the Ukrainian migrants has been almost exemplary and this “human rights first” approach should be the blueprint for a reshaping of Ireland’s International Protection system. Beyond the immediate challenges faced by Ukrainian people forcibly displaced, the wider geopolitical impacts of the crisis – the dependency on Russian fossil fuel production and resultant risks, together with risks to food security – will be felt globally into the future, and disproportionately impact those who can least absorb them. Ireland needs to focus on the care, human rights and wellbeing of all. The legitimate expectations of people living in Ireland are not being met. This is most obvious in areas such as housing and homelessness, a two-tier healthcare system, the deepening rural-urban divide, and high levels of poverty and social exclusion, especially among children. These are all areas that must be grappled with in addition to our response to the Ukrainian crisis. This policy briefing takes a look at the key issues and makes a series of policy recommendations aimed at addressing immediate and future challenges

Green Mind Theory: How Brain-Body-Behaviour Links into Natural and Social Environments for Healthy Habits

We propose a Green Mind Theory (GMT) to link the human mind with the brain and body, and connect the body into natural and social environments. The processes are reciprocal: environments shape bodies, brains, and minds; minds change body behaviours that shape the external environment. GMT offers routes to improved individual well-being whilst building towards greener economies. It builds upon research on green exercise and nature-based therapies, and draws on understanding derived from neuroscience and brain plasticity, spiritual and wisdom traditions, the lifeways of original cultures, and material consumption behaviours. We set out a simple metaphor for brain function: a bottom brain stem that is fast-acting, involuntary, impulsive, and the driver of fight and flight behaviours; a top brain cortex that is slower, voluntary, the centre for learning, and the driver of rest and digest. The bottom brain reacts before thought and directs the sympathetic nervous system. The top brain is calming, directing the parasympathetic nervous system. Here, we call the top brain blue and the bottom brain red; too much red brain is bad for health. In modern high-consumption economies, life has often come to be lived on red alert. An over-active red mode impacts the gastrointestinal, immune, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems. We develop our knowledge of nature-based interventions, and suggest a framework for the blue brain-red brain-green mind. We show how activities involving immersive-attention quieten internal chatter, how habits affect behaviours across the lifecourse, how long habits take to be formed and hard-wired into daily practice, the role of place making, and finally how green minds could foster prosocial and greener economies. We conclude with observations on twelve research priorities and health interventions, and ten calls to action

Migrations in our common home: Planning for change - Climate change and migration

Policy briefing on Ireland's response to climate migration in the context of COP27Migration linked to climate change did not get the attention it deserves at COP27. The Global North must accept responsibility for its role in driving climate change and abide by their commitments made to schemes which address worsening conditions for those in the Global South – according to the Roundtable on Migration in Our Common Home. COP27 marks thirty years since the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As the world grapples with the devastating consequences of intensifying climate change, this policy brief examines how climate change is impacting migration, displacement and food security. As COP27 draws to a close, this policy brief looks at the pledges made by Ireland, as well as Ireland’s obligations to Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Climate Finance and the compelling argument in favour of Loss and Damage funding made by the Global south for over three decades. As COP27 draws to a close, the Roundtable expresses its disappointment at the lack of ambition evident in Ireland’s response and the repackaging of previously announced, and inadequate, policies

A multicentre evaluation exploring the impact of an integrated health and social care intervention for the caregivers of ICU survivors

Background: Caregivers and family members of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survivors can face emotional problems following patient discharge from hospital. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a multi-centre integrated health and social care intervention, on caregiver and family member outcomes. Methods: This study evaluated the impact of the Intensive Care Syndrome: Promoting Independence and Return to Employment (InS:PIRE) programme across 9 sites in Scotland. InS:PIRE is an integrated health and social care intervention. We compared caregivers who attended this programme with a contemporary control group of ICU caregivers (usual care cohort), who did not attend. Results: The primary outcome was anxiety measured via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at 12 months post-hospital discharge. Secondary outcome measures included depression, carer strain and clinical insomnia. A total of 170 caregivers had data available at 12 months for inclusion in this study; 81 caregivers attended the InS:PIRE intervention and completed outcome measures at 12 months post-hospital discharge. In the usual care cohort of caregivers, 89 completed measures. The two cohorts had similar baseline demographics. After adjustment, those caregivers who attended InS:PIRE demonstrated a significant improvement in symptoms of anxiety (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.20–0.89, p = 0.02), carer strain (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16–0.98 p = 0.04) and clinical insomnia (OR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17–0.77 p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in symptoms of depression at 12 months. Conclusions: This multicentre evaluation has shown that caregivers who attended an integrated health and social care intervention reported improved emotional health and less symptoms of insomnia, 12 months after the delivery of the intervention

Daily magnesium fluxes regulate cellular timekeeping and energy balance

Circadian clocks are fundamental to the biology of most eukaryotes, coordinating behaviour and physiology to resonate with the environmental cycle of day and night through complex networks of clock-controlled genes1, 2, 3. A fundamental knowledge gap exists, however, between circadian gene expression cycles and the biochemical mechanisms that ultimately facilitate circadian regulation of cell biology4, 5. Here we report circadian rhythms in the intracellular concentration of magnesium ions, [Mg2+]i, which act as a cell-autonomous timekeeping component to determine key clock properties both in a human cell line and in a unicellular alga that diverged from each other more than 1 billion years ago6. Given the essential role of Mg2+ as a cofactor for ATP, a functional consequence of [Mg2+]i oscillations is dynamic regulation of cellular energy expenditure over the daily cycle. Mechanistically, we find that these rhythms provide bilateral feedback linking rhythmic metabolism to clock-controlled gene expression. The global regulation of nucleotide triphosphate turnover by intracellular Mg2+ availability has potential to impact upon many of the cell’s more than 600 MgATP-dependent enzymes7 and every cellular system where MgNTP hydrolysis becomes rate limiting. Indeed, we find that circadian control of translation by mTOR8 is regulated through [Mg2+]i oscillations. It will now be important to identify which additional biological processes are subject to this form of regulation in tissues of multicellular organisms such as plants and humans, in the context of health and disease

La respuesta de Quevedo al padre Pineda: una obra posiblemente censurada

Entre 1626 y 1635 circulan numerosas invectivas contra las obras de Quevedo, en coincidencia con la difusión impresa de algunos de sus textos más polémicos: Política de Dios, el Buscón y los Sueños. Una de las primeras es una diatriba del jesuita Juan de Pineda contra el tratado político, manuscrita y hoy perdida, a la que replica Quevedo en el propio año 1626. De su respuesta se conservan dos fuentes manuscritas del siglo XVII, una de ellas con significativas omisiones nunca señaladas por la crítica. El propósito de este artículo es dar a conocer una veintena de pasajes que, incluidos en la versión presumiblemente más próxima a la voluntad del autor, podrían haber sido censurados en la otra, texto base de los editores modernos. Dichas lagunas parecen obedecer a una posible censura: desaparecen pasajes críticos y hasta insultantes contra Pineda, así como elogios y citas de un controvertido jesuita, Gabriel Vázquez, acusado por la heterodoxia de sus ideas y encarcelado por la InquisiciónNumerous invectives against Quevedo’s works were disseminated from 1626 to 1635, coinciding with the publication of his most polemical texts: Política de Dios, Buscón and Sueños. Among the earliest ones, there is a diatribe against the political treatise by the Jesuit priest Juan de Pineda, handwritten and now lost. Quevedo replied to it quickly, in 1626. His response is preserved in two manuscript sources dated in the 17th century, one of them with relevant omissions never mentioned by scholars. The aim of this paper is to provide information about more than twenty excerpts that were included in the version that could be presumably closer to the author’s will; the other one, which was precisely the base text of modern editors, might have censored them. The above omissions seem to be due to a possible censure: some insulting passages against Pineda dissapear, as well as praises and quotes from a controversial Jesuit, Gabriel Vázquez, who was accused for his heterodox ideas and even imprisoned by the InquisitionEste artículo es resultado de los proyectos de investigación “Edición crítica y anotada de la obra en prosa de Quevedo, IX” (MINECO, Excelencia 2015, FFI2015-64389-P; AEI/FEDER, UE) y “Edición crítica y anotada de la poesía completa de Quevedo, 1: Las silvas” (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Científico y Tecnológico del Sistema de I+d+i, PGC2018-093413-B-I00; AEI/FEDER, UE), ambos con financiación del Plan Nacional; así como de la ayuda del Programa de Consolidación y Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas de la Xunta de Galicia para el año 2018, Grupo GI-1373, "Edición crítica y anotada de las obras completas de Quevedo" (EDIQUE), con referencia ED431B 2018/11"S

Interactions of Cathinone NPS with Human Transporters and Receptors in Transfected Cells

Pharmacological assays carried out in transfected cells have been very useful for describing the mechanism of action of cathinone new psychoactive substances (NPS). These in vitro characterizations provide fast and reliable information on psychoactive substances soon after they emerge for recreational use. Well-investigated comparator compounds, such as methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, cocaine, and lysergic acid diethylamide, should always be included in the characterization to enhance the translation of the in vitro data into clinically useful information. We classified cathinone NPS according to their pharmacology at monoamine transporters and receptors. Cathinone NPS are monoamine uptake inhibitors and most induce transporter-mediated monoamine efflux with weak to no activity at pre- or postsynaptic receptors. Cathinones with a nitrogen-containing pyrrolidine ring emerged as NPS that are extremely potent transporter inhibitors but not monoamine releasers. Cathinones exhibit clinically relevant differences in relative potencies at serotonin vs. dopamine transporters. Additionally, cathinone NPS have more dopaminergic vs. serotonergic properties compared with their non-β-keto amphetamine analogs, suggesting more stimulant and reinforcing properties. In conclusion, in vitro pharmacological assays in heterologous expression systems help to predict the psychoactive and toxicological effects of NPS

A good life for all within planetary boundaries

Humanity faces the challenge of how to achieve a high quality of life for over 7 billion people without destabilizing critical planetary processes. Using indicators designed to measure a ‘safe and just’ development space, we quantify the resource use associated with meeting basic human needs, and compare this to downscaled planetary boundaries for over 150 nations. We find that no country meets basic needs for its citizens at a globally sustainable level of resource use. Physical needs such as nutrition, sanitation, access to electricity and the elimination of extreme poverty could likely be met for all people without transgressing planetary boundaries. However, the universal achievement of more qualitative goals (for example, high life satisfaction) would require a level of resource use that is 2–6 times the sustainable level, based on current relationships. Strategies to improve physical and social provisioning systems, with a focus on sufficiency and equity, have the potential to move nations towards sustainability, but the challenge remains substantial

Subsequent Surgery After Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Rates and Risk Factors From a Multicenter Cohort

BACKGROUND: While revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) can be performed to restore knee stability and improve patient activity levels, outcomes after this surgery are reported to be inferior to those after primary ACLR. Further reoperations after revision ACLR can have an even more profound effect on patient satisfaction and outcomes. However, there is a current lack of information regarding the rate and risk factors for subsequent surgery after revision ACLR. PURPOSE: To report the rate of reoperations, procedures performed, and risk factors for a reoperation 2 years after revision ACLR. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 1205 patients who underwent revision ACLR were enrolled in the Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) between 2006 and 2011, composing the prospective cohort. Two-year questionnaire follow-up was obtained for 989 patients (82%), while telephone follow-up was obtained for 1112 patients (92%). If a patient reported having undergone subsequent surgery, operative reports detailing the subsequent procedure(s) were obtained and categorized. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine independent risk factors for a reoperation. RESULTS: Of the 1112 patients included in the analysis, 122 patients (11%) underwent a total of 172 subsequent procedures on the ipsilateral knee at 2-year follow-up. Of the reoperations, 27% were meniscal procedures (69% meniscectomy, 26% repair), 19% were subsequent revision ACLR, 17% were cartilage procedures (61% chondroplasty, 17% microfracture, 13% mosaicplasty), 11% were hardware removal, and 9% were procedures for arthrofibrosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients aged <20 years had twice the odds of patients aged 20 to 29 years to undergo a reoperation. The use of an allograft at the time of revision ACLR (odds ratio [OR], 1.79; P = .007) was a significant predictor for reoperations at 2 years, while staged revision (bone grafting of tunnels before revision ACLR) (OR, 1.93; P = .052) did not reach significance. Patients with grade 4 cartilage damage seen during revision ACLR were 78% less likely to undergo subsequent operations within 2 years. Sex, body mass index, smoking history, Marx activity score, technique for femoral tunnel placement, and meniscal tearing or meniscal treatment at the time of revision ACLR showed no significant effect on the reoperation rate. CONCLUSION: There was a significant reoperation rate after revision ACLR at 2 years (11%), with meniscal procedures most commonly involved. Independent risk factors for subsequent surgery on the ipsilateral knee included age <20 years and the use of allograft tissue at the time of revision ACLR