Taking a longer view of contact: the perspectives of young adults who experience parental separation in their youth

This is a report of a research study funded by the Nuffield Foundation exploring the experiences of a representative group of young adults in England (aged 18-35) who had experienced the break-up of their parents' relationships before they reached the age of 16. The study was based on a telephone survey of 398 and face to face qualitative telephone interviews with 50 of them. It produced valuable empirical evidence on how these young adults viewed the contact arrangements they had had during their childhood and what they believed had made that contact a more or less successful experience. The study provides information which will assist practitioners to predict whether contact arrangements being made for a particular child are likely to be beneficial or not

How effective are pharmacologic agents for alcoholism?

Naltrexone (ReVia) and nalmefene (Revex) are the most effective agents for treating alcoholism. Acamprosate is effective but not available in the United States. Serotonergic agents, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and lithium work best in patients with alcoholism and comorbid depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Disulfiram (Antabuse) decreases drink frequency, but is no better than placebo for other outcomes. Greater effectiveness is achieved when pharmacologic agents are combined with either counseling or Alcoholics Anonymous programs. (Grade of recommendation: B, based on multiple randomized controlled studies with short and incomplete follow-up of patients.

Hormonal Regulation of Uterine Macrophages

Macrophages are major cellular inhabitants of cycling and pregnant mammalian uteri. Their densities and patterns of tissue distribution in this organ fluctuate in concert with levels of circulating female sex steroid hormones, estrogens and progesterone, and their production of various effector molecules also may be hormonally regulated. Hormonal control may be achieved by direct binding to receptors or by indirect pathways where hormones modulate production of various autocrine and paracrine cytokines and growth factors that then target to resident macrophages and influence their secretory profiles. In this paper, we marshall evidence supporting the concept that progesterone acts as a powerful negative regulator of these versatile cells, reducing their migration into the uterus and impairing their ability to produce potent effector molecules such as nitric oxide that could interfere with the success of pregnancy

Mining a rich lode : The making of the Springdallah Deep Lead Goldfield communities

Although little material evidence survives other than mullock heaps and the occasional ruined building, a large body of archival documentation exists to help reveal the history of the deep lead gold mining communities at Springdallah. This thesis reconstructs the discovery, rise and progress of that goldfield, 30km south-west of Ballarat, through a study of family formation and community building, facilitated by micro-study tools including prosopographical and genealogical databases. At its prosperous and productive peak in the 1860s and 1870s, the communities relied totally on the mining industry for their existence. This thesis positions the alluvial deep lead gold mining industry firmly within the long but disparate historiography of Australian, and particularly Victorian, gold seeking. Unlike the many regional histories that celebrate the growth from goldfields to city status, it focuses on the miners who worked the deep leads of buried river beds, and how they and their families effected material and social change to benefit the communities they created. The findings of this thesis reveal that, in contrast to the strong Cornish presence on many Victorian goldfields, miners at Springdallah came mainly from northern England, south-west Ireland, and the lowlands of Scotland, often with extensive kinship networks. The study demonstrates that this network of communities attracted workers, usually with coal and lead mining experience, who had skills suited to conditions in the deep lead alluvial gold mining industry. According to the findings of this thesis, miners gained power within the Springdallah communities by becoming members of committees, councils, and boards of local and wider institutions. This study found that the Springdallah families were youthful, adapted well to their changed circumstances, were agents of change within their communities, and quickly took advantage of Victorian land legislation, particularly the 1869 Land Act, to take up farming properties both locally and in the north and east of the State.Doctor of Philosoph

Genomic Imprinting Mediates Social Interactions Within Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Colonies.

Patient centeredness means providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions’.The concept assumes that both physicians and patients are experts; physicians in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, patients by their personal experience. Van der Eijk examined how patient-centeredness could be defined, measured and improved in Parkinson care. Patients with Parkinson's disease(PD) become progressively disabled due to a mixture of cognitive, emotional and motor symptoms. Given the complex nature of the disease, delivering patient-centered care to PD patients is challenging. Preferably, Parkinson care is provided by a collaborative team of physicians, nurses, psychosocial caregivers and allied health experts. 'Patient-centeredness' implies that patients are invited to participate within this team. PD patients currently assume a passive role in healthcare, partially because this is the traditional approach, but also because they lack the tools to self-manage their condition. Van der Eijk found out that PD patients experience a lack of collaboration between their healthcare professionals. Additionally, patients urgently call for more and personally tailored information as well as emotional support to cope better with their disease. Van der Eijk collected patient-experiences in the Netherlands, Canada and the United States and evaluated regional multidisciplinary healthcare networks and online health communities. These innovations may improve the patient-centeredness of care and enhance communication among health professionals and patients, and support coordination of care across institutions. A personal health community is a private community governed by individual patients. Apart from the patient, participants include the caregiver and one or more (ideally all) health professionals involved. Patients favor the possibility to interact with their health professionals for emotional support and to obtain medical information. When technically well facilitated, the concept stimulates active patient involvement in their own health and healthcare