Understanding environmental health disparities of Roma populations in Romania

The Roma are the largest and most marginalized minority group of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with the highest number residing in Romania. Their problems and struggles are multi-faceted and deeply rooted in a long history of discrimination and stigmatization. Over the years, many strategies have been developed and implemented across CEE, yet very few studies have addressed their environmental and occupational health issues. Moreover, because the vast majority of these studies have employed quantitative methodology, they have had the unfortunate effect of dehumanizing and devaluing the Roma people through scientific reductionism. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper, more complex, and nuanced understanding about the Roma people, one that accounts for the historical, political, social, cultural, and environmental contexts that shape their everyday lived experiences. Using an arts-informed qualitative research methodology, the aim was to achieve an in-depth understanding of how the Roma make sense of and cope with the conditions under which they have been forced to live and work. A variety of qualitative methods, including ethnographic observation, participatory community mapping, semi-structured interviews, photovoice and photography were used to engage with the Roma of Dallas, a community that lives and works off the municipal landfill outside Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Through this methodological approach I sought to counter the devaluation of these people and provide knowledge that will not only better inform future studies and potential solutions but will also directly address the stigma that is apparent in their present condition. A number of environmental and occupational health concerns were revealed through the course of the study including water, air, and soil contamination; lead and chemical exposures; poor hygiene and sanitation; and a disproportionate level of disease and illnesses. Results are communicated through the use of maps, images, and narrative in Chapter Four. Conclusions address basic human and community rights concerns and discuss both social and environmental justice issues. Recommendations are made in the areas of environmental and occupational health for improving the lives of Roma and scavenging communities in CEE and around the globe

Global public health training in the UK: preparing for the future.

BACKGROUND: Many major public health issues today are not confined by national boundaries. However, the global public health workforce appears unprepared to confront the challenges posed by globalization. We therefore sought to investigate whether the current UK public health training programme adequately prepares its graduates to operate in a globalized world. METHODS: We used mixed methods involving an online cross-sectional survey of UK public health trainees on the international content of the Faculty of Public Health's written examination, a qualitative review of the Faculty's 2007 training curriculum and a questionnaire survey of all training deaneries in the UK. RESULTS: We found that global health issues are not addressed by the current training curriculum or in the written examination despite trainee interest for this. Many of the deaneries were also unreceptive to international placements. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the recognized educational legitimacy of global health placements and the favourable UK policy context, the opportunities and international content of public health training remain limited. In order to retain its position as a leader in the field of public health, the UK needs to adapt its training programme to better reflect today's challenges

Find Me the Evidence: Connecting the Practitioner With the Evidence on Bereavement Care

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in DEATH STUDIES on January 15 2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/07481187.2014.992498 Author version under embargo for 12 months from publication, in accordance with the publisher's policy.This study reports on the development and application of a Bereavement Search Filter with a known level of retrieval performance to support access to the underlying knowledge base for bereavement care

Correlation of thyroid hormone measurements with thyroid stimulating hormone stimulation test results in radioiodine-treated cats.

BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic hypothyroidism can develop after radioiodine-I131 (RAI) treatment of hyperthyroid cats and can be diagnosed using the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulation test. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of noncritical illness on TSH stimulation test results in euthyroid and RAI-treated cats. To assess the correlation of low total-thyroxine (tT4), low free-thyroxine (fT4), and high TSH concentrations with TSH stimulation test results. ANIMALS: Thirty-three euthyroid adult cats and 118 client-owned cats previously treated with RAI. METHODS: Total-thyroxine, fT4, and TSH were measured, and a TSH stimulation test was performed in all cats. Euthyroid control cats were divided into apparently healthy and noncritical illness groups. RAI-treated cats were divided into RAI-hypothyroid (after-stimulation tT4 ≤ 1.5 μg/dL), RAI-euthyroid (after-stimulation tT4 ≥ 2.3 μg/dL OR after-stimulation tT4 1.5-2.3 μg/dL and before : after tT4 ratio > 1.5), and RAI-equivocal (after stimulation tT4 1.5-2.3 μg/dL and tT4 ratio < 1.5) groups. RESULTS: Noncritical illness did not significantly affect the tT4 following TSH stimulation in euthyroid (P = .38) or RAI-treated cats (P = .54). There were 21 cats in the RAI-equivocal group. Twenty-two (85%) RAI-hypothyroid cats (n = 26) and 10/71 (14%) of RAI-euthyroid cats had high TSH (≥0.3 ng/mL). Twenty-three (88%) RAI-hypothyroid cats had low fT4 (<0.70 ng/dL). Of the 5 (7%) RAI-euthyroid cats with low fT4, only one also had high TSH. Only 5/26 (19%) RAI-hypothyroid cats had tT4 below the laboratory reference interval (<0.78 μg/dL). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The veterinary-specific chemiluminescent fT4 immunoassay and canine-specific TSH immunoassay can be used to aid in the diagnosis of iatrogenic hypothyroidism in cats

The benefits and complexities of integrating mixed method findings using the Pillar Integration Process: A workplace health intervention case study

YesThe Pillar Integration Process was developed to facilitate integration of mixed method data, but there is limited historical application of this approach in complex intervention evaluation. To test the applicability of the technique, this paper presents two case studies examining the efficacy of a workplace intervention. The research included a pilot RCT and process evaluation. The case studies illustrate the benefits of applying the Pillar Integration Process to elicit a comprehensive understanding of intervention efficacy and to design better interventions. This paper contributes to the mixed methods research by advancing the technique through considering inherent philosophical assumptions, and evidencing the value of integrating methods within, as well as across, “qualitative” and “quantitative” categories.Macmillan cancer support part-funded this research and were one of the participating organizations. Ergotron Inc. provided 25 sit-stand desks for use within this research. The research formed part of the lead author’s PhD study, which was funded by a School of Sport and Education, Brunel University London, PhD bursary

No effect of cancer-associated SNP rs6983267 in the 8q24 region on co-expression of MYC and TCF7L2 in normal colon tissue

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6983267, located within the 8q24 region, is strongly associated with risk of colorectal and prostate cancer. It has been suggested that the mechanism of this association is related to differential interaction of TCF7L2 protein (previously known as TCF-4) with alleles of rs6983267, influencing the expression of a well-known oncogene, MYC, located 335 Kb telomeric. Here, we tested the correlation between mRNA expression of MYC and several alternatively spliced forms of TCF7L2 in 117 non-cancer colon samples. We observed a strong correlation (r = 0.60, p < 10-6) between expression of MYC and a unique splicing form of TCF7L2. The level of MYC expression in these samples was associated with expression of some TCF7L2 splicing forms but not with genotypes of rs6983267, or interaction of rs6983267 with TCF7L2 expression. These findings suggest that some splicing forms of TCF7L2 may be functionally important for regulation of MYC expression in colon tissue but this regulation is not directly dependent on rs6983267

Are Consumers Willing to Pay More for Biodegradable Containers Than for Plastic Ones? Evidence from Hypothetical Conjoint Analysis and Nonhypothetical Experimental Auctions

This study used and compared hypothetical conjoint analysis and nonhypothetical experimental auctions to elicit floral customers’ willingness to pay for biodegradable plant containers. The results of the study show that participants were willing to pay a price premium for biodegradable containers, but the premium is not the same for different types of containers. This article also shows the mixed ordered probit model generates more accurate results when analyzing the conjoint analysis Internet survey data than the ordered probit model.biodegradable, willingness to pay, marketing, carbon footprint, waste composition, green industry, nursery crops, floriculture crops, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Financial Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing, Public Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, D12, Q13,