Sensory and demographic characteristics of deafblindness rehabilitation clients in Montreal, Canada

Purpose: Demographic changes are increasing the number of older adults with combined age-related vision and hearing loss, while medical advances increase the survival probability of children with congenital dual (or multiple) impairments due to pre-maturity or rare hereditary diseases. Rehabilitation services for these populations are highly in demand since traditional uni-sensory rehabilitation approaches using the other sense to compensate are not always utilizable. Very little is currently known about the client population characteristics with dual sensory impairment. The present study provides information about demographic and sensory variables of persons in the Montreal region that were receiving rehabilitation for dual impairment in December 2010. This information can inform researchers, clinicians, educators, as well as administrators about potential research and service delivery priorities. Method: A chart review of all client files across the three rehabilitation agencies that offer integrated dual sensory rehabilitation services in Montreal provided data on visual acuity, visual field, hearing detection thresholds, and demographic variables. Results: The 209 males and 355 females ranged in age from 4 months to 105 years (M = 71.9, S.D. = 24.6), indicating a prevalence estimate for dual sensory impairment at 15/100 000. Only 5.7% were under 18 years of age, while 69.1% were over the age of 65 years, with 43.1% over the age of 85 years. The diagnostic combination that accounted for 31% of the entire sample was age-related macular degeneration with presbycusis. Their visual and auditory measures indicated that older adults were likely to fall into moderate to severe levels of impairment on both measures. Individuals with Usher Syndrome comprised 20.9% (n = 118) of the sample. Conclusion: The age distribution in this sample of persons with dual sensory impairment indicates that service delivery planning will need to strongly consider the growing presence of older adults as the baby-boomers approach retirement age. The distribution of their visual and auditory limits indicates that the large majority of this client group has residual vision and hearing that can be maximized in the rehabilitation process in order to restore functional abilities and social participation. Future research in this area should identify the specific priorities in both rehabilitation and research in individuals affected with combined vision and hearing loss

What lies at the intersection of law and psychiatric nursing? Exploring the process of judiciarization in the context of mental health

In this article, our aim is to provide a critical analysis of the phenomenon of judiciarization of people suffering from a mental illness and its impact on nursing practice. To explore the issues inherent to this phenomenon, we employed the methodology of discursive analysis greatly inspired by the work of French philosopher Michel Foucault. The results of this analysis push our reflection on the experiences and practices that take place at the psychiatric and judicial interface, engaging in a critic of underlying goals of public protection, social control, and coercion being incorporated to nursing practice. While acting in seemingly humanistic and therapeutic roles of care, nurses are simultaneously and inevitably fulfilling a mandate to social control which, to date, remains relatively under documented

Measuring bath properties using the STARprobe TM

Abstract Since the beginning of 2012, STAS is the world distributor of the STARprobe TM developed by Alcoa During those campaigns, the STARprobe TM bath properties measurements have been compared with standard bath properties measurements regularly carried out in those smelters operated by different aluminium producers. Those independent comparative measurements all confirmed the capacity of the STARprobe TM to instantaneously and accurately measure Superheat, Temperature, Alumina concentration and bath Ratio for cell control purposes

Investigation of PARP-1, PARP-2, and PARG interactomes by affinity-purification mass spectrometry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) catalyze the formation of poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr), a post-translational modification involved in several important biological processes, namely surveillance of genome integrity, cell cycle progression, initiation of the DNA damage response, apoptosis, and regulation of transcription. Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG), on the other hand, catabolizes pADPr and thereby accounts for the transient nature of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. Our investigation of the interactomes of PARP-1, PARP-2, and PARG by affinity-purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) aimed, on the one hand, to confirm current knowledge on these interactomes and, on the other hand, to discover new protein partners which could offer insights into PARPs and PARG functions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PARP-1, PARP-2, and PARG were immunoprecipitated from human cells, and pulled-down proteins were separated by gel electrophoresis prior to in-gel trypsin digestion. Peptides were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Our AP-MS experiments resulted in the identifications of 179 interactions, 139 of which are novel interactions. Gene Ontology analysis of the identified protein interactors points to five biological processes in which PARP-1, PARP-2 and PARG may be involved: RNA metabolism for PARP-1, PARP-2 and PARG; DNA repair and apoptosis for PARP-1 and PARP-2; and glycolysis and cell cycle for PARP-1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study reveals several novel protein partners for PARP-1, PARP-2 and PARG. It provides a global view of the interactomes of these proteins as well as a roadmap to establish the systems biology of poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism.</p

Effective communication as a fundamental aspect of active aging and well-being: paying attention to the challenges older adults face in noisy environments

Successful communication is vital to active aging and well-being, yet virtually all older adults find it challenging to communicate effectively in noisy environments. The resulting discomfort and frustration can prompt withdrawal or avoidance of social situations, which, in turn, can severely limit the range of activities available to older adults and lead to a less active and satisfying lifestyle, and, in some cases, depression. Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health’s (ICF) multifactorial model (WHO, 2001), we review the wider aspects of functioning and disability as they relate to hearing difficulties and communication, placing a particular emphasis on the work we, an international and interdisciplinary group of researchers, have done in the context of the ERA-NET funded interdisciplinary HEARATTN project. The ICF model is particularly fitting because it allows us to consider how physiological changes in hearing and cognition affect listening in various situations, what the consequences of these changes are for communicative abilities and social participation, and how this in turn affects life-space mobility, self-reported well-being, and, ultimately, quality of life. We will discuss how environmental conditions (both physical and social) and personal factors can affect how well older adults can communicate in the situations characteristic of everyday life. In the concluding section we discuss some behaviors, techniques and strategies that can be adopted to maintain or improve effective communication under difficult listening conditions

Comparative proteome analysis of human epithelial ovarian cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epithelial ovarian cancer is a devastating disease associated with low survival prognosis mainly because of the lack of early detection markers and the asymptomatic nature of the cancer until late stage. Using two complementary proteomics approaches, a differential protein expression profile was carried out between low and highly transformed epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines which realistically mimic the phenotypic changes observed during evolution of a tumour metastasis. This investigation was aimed at a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying differentiation, proliferation and neoplastic progression of ovarian cancer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The quantitative profiling of epithelial ovarian cancer model cell lines TOV-81D and TOV-112D generated using iTRAQ analysis and two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed some proteins with altered expression levels. Several of these proteins have been the object of interest in cancer research but others were unrecognized as differentially expressed in a context of ovarian cancer. Among these, series of proteins involved in transcriptional activity, cellular metabolism, cell adhesion or motility and cytoskeleton organization were identified, suggesting their possible role in the emergence of oncogenic pathways leading to aggressive cellular behavior.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The differential protein expression profile generated by the two proteomics approaches combined to complementary characterizations studies will open the way to more exhaustive and systematic representation of the disease and will provide valuable information that may be helpful to uncover the molecular mechanisms related to epithelial ovarian cancer.</p

Under ice spills of conventional crude oil and diluted bitumen: Physiological resilience of the blue mussel and transgenerational effects

Spillages at sea of diluted bitumen (dilbit) from oil sands have received little attention until now. To our best knowledge, there are no reports on the impact of a severe exposure to dilbit on the Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). In this study, adult Blue mussels were exposed to one conventional crude oil (Heidrun) and two dilbits (Cold Lake Blend and Access Western Blend) for a period of 7 days in an ice-covered environment and then maintained for three months until the spawning season. The exposed mussels were monitored for aromatic hydrocarbon bioaccumulation, physiological energetic budget, cellular stress, byssus production and gametogenesis. In spring, spawning was induced to characterize breeding success. Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was detected after three days of exposure, with higher concentrations of PAHs associated to the conventional oil (5.49 ± 0.12 μg·g−1 d.w.) compared to both dilbits (0.91 ± 0.02 μg·g−1; 0.51 ± 0.03 μg·g−1 d.w.). Despite a fast depuration rate and a good resilience of the exposed mussels, significant negative effects were observed at the cellular, physiological and fitness levels, especially in offspring. Our results suggest a higher toxicity of the diluted bitumen compared to the conventional crude despite the lower bioaccumulation of total PAHs. Dilbit treatments caused evident negative transgenerational effects on unexposed F1 generation. -- Keywords : Diluted bitumen ; PAHs ; Blue mussel ; Winter oil spill ; Ice oil spill

Enjeux et défis de la prise en charge du bruit ferroviaire en aménagement et en urbanisme : un guide d’orientation

Cet ouvrage vise à sensibiliser les divers intervenants quant aux tenants et aboutissants de l’environnement sonore, en particulier à ce qui a trait au bruit ferroviaire, et aux enjeux de sa prise en charge en aménagement. Empruntant la forme d’un guide, il est conçu de sorte à permettre aux intervenants de mieux s’orienter parmi les multiples aspects à prendre en compte pour cerner les problématiques et penser des stratégies d’intervention adaptées à la spécificité des contextes physico spatiaux, administratifs et institutionnels