Hepatitis B immunisation : a survey of surgeons and theatre nurses

Acute viral hepatitis remains a serious condition. Its long-term sequelae include cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Health workers constitute a high-risk group for contracting hepatitis B. A group of clinicians associated with invasive procedures and nurses working in operating theatres were invited to answer a confidential questionnaire concerning hepatitis B immunisation and the use of protective measures. A self-administered confidential questionnaire was sent to 152 clinicians and 97 theatre nurses, of whom 82 and 74 respectively responded, giving an overall response rate of 63 %. Whilst 91% of respondents considered their speciality as being of high risk for hepatitis B only 63% of them were fully immunised and of these only 51% had had their immunity tested. Out of those who checked their antibody status 19% did so following a needle stick injury. 60% of our respondents had had a needle stick injury over the past year. Even so barrier precaution techniques were used infrequently with only 17% always or at least frequently using double gloving and 10% wearing a visor during operations. Some respondents also commented on the poor availability of resources such as impermeable gowns or blunt needles which are established precautions against contamination from hepatitis B.peer-reviewe

Regulation of alcohol advertising: Policy options for Australia

A systematic search of academic databases was conducted to identify all refereed papers published between 1990 and 2012 on the regulation of alcohol advertising in Australia and three comparison countries (New Zealand, Canada and the UK). This paper reviews the codes that apply to alcohol advertising in each of the four countries, research into the effectiveness of these codes, and the small body of research into consumer attitudes towards alcohol advertising regulation. This review adduces considerable evidence that alcohol advertising influences drinking behaviours, and that current regulatory systems based on co-regulation and voluntary regulation (as is the case in Australia) are ineffective. Recommendations are provided regarding the three pillars of regulation: volume restrictions, content restrictions, and infrastructure to support the regulatory environment

System size dependence of strangeness production at 158 AGeV

Strange particle production in A+A interactions at 158 AGeV is studied by the CERN experiment NA49 as a function of system size and collision geometry. Yields of charged kaons, phi and Lambda are measured and compared to those of pions in central C+C, Si+Si and centrality-selected Pb+Pb reactions. An overall increase of relative strangeness production with the size of the system is observed which does not scale with the number of participants. Arguing that rescattering of secondaries plays a minor role in small systems the observed strangeness enhancement can be related to the space-time density of the primary nucleon-nucleon collisions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Presented at Quark Matter 2002, Nantes, Franc

Degree Completion at British Columbia's Universities

This study investigated an important dimension of the performance of students in two of the universities in British Columbia. Specifically, it examined rates of degree completion, time taken to earn the degrees and the final academic standing attained by graduates. The study involved all students who enrolled between 1973 and 1978, both directly from secondary school and as transfer students from the community colleges in the province. Results were reported by faculty, by department in which students majored, and by sex. The results revealed wide variations by faculty and department. Furthermore, results were not consistent between the two universities concerned. For example, female students performed far better than males at one university but not at the other. Finally, the study exposed many differences in performances between direct entry and transfer students, but again, the differences varied by university and faculty. Finally, the study invited both speculation and further research on the reasons for the inconsistent results. Particular attention was drawn to the need to assess the impact of rising admission standards upon students' withdrawals, degree completion rates and final academic standing.Cette étude examine une dimension importante de la performance des étudiants à deux universités de la Colombie-Britanique. Précisément, nous examinons le nombre proportionnel d'étudiants qui a réussi à obtenir un grade universitaire, le temps pris pour obtenir ce grade et le résultat académique atteint par les diplômés. L'étude inclut tous les étudiants qui étaient inscrits entre 1973 et 1978, soit en provenance des écoles secondaires ou des collèges publics de la province. Les résultats font mention de la faculté et du département dans lesquels les étudiants ont obtenu leurs diplômes de même que le sexe de l'étudiant. Les résultats ont révélé de grandes variations par faculté et par département. Par exemple, les étudiantes ont réussi beaucoup mieux à une université que les étudiants à l'autre. Enfin, l'étude a exposé beaucoup de différences de perfor-mances entre les étudiants provenant du secondaire et ceux provenant des col-lèges publics; mais ici encore, les résultats ont varié par université et par faculté. Enfin, l'étude invite à la spéculation et à des enquêtes additionnelles sur les causes de ces résultats incompatibles. En particulier, nous signalons le besoin d'évaluer les conséquences académiques de l'imposition de critères d'entrée de plus en plus exigeants, des désistements des étudiants, du pourcentage d'étudiants qui reçoivent leurs diplômes et du résultat académique qu 'ils atteignen

Body Temperatures and Activity Patterns of Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and Eastern Quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus) through a Subalpine Winter

During a field study of carnivorous dasyurid marsupials in subalpine Tasmania, the trapping success for Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii), but not for spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus) or eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus), was significantly lower when winter weather conditions turned to sleet or snow or when deep snow lay on the ground. This field study was instigated to determine if devils and eastern quolls spend more time in burrows in severe weather conditions and if they enter torpor. Torpor is known to occur in eutherian mammals as large as devils and in a similar-sized congeneric marsupial, the western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroyi). Using radiotelemetry, body temperatures of Tasmanian devils and eastern quolls ranging freely in their natural habitat were monitored throughout winter. Neither species was observed in torpor, even under prolonged severe weather conditions, and the number of hours spent active did not differ between summer and winter or between moderate and severe winter weather conditions. Body temperatures averaged 36.5 degrees C (SD = 0.079, range of 33.5 degrees -38.6 degrees C) for the three male eastern quolls and 35.7 degrees C (SD = 0.575, range of 31.3 degrees - 37.5 degrees C) for the four (male and female) devils. A diel cycle in body temperature occurred in both species; temperatures rose each evening when animals became active, remained high throughout the night despite ambient temperatures falling to the diel minima, and were lower during the day when the individuals were inactive in dens. The amplitude of this cycle was greater in eastern quolls (1.1 degrees C, SD = 0.142) than in devils (0.6 degrees C, SD = 0.252)

Energy-momentum balance in quantum dielectrics

We calculate the energy-momentum balance in quantum dielectrics such as Bose-Einstein condensates. In agreement with the experiment [G. K. Campbell et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 170403 (2005)] variations of the Minkowski momentum are imprinted onto the phase, whereas the Abraham tensor drives the flow of the dielectric. Our analysis indicates that the Abraham-Minkowski controversy has its root in the Roentgen interaction of the electromagnetic field in dielectric media

Qualitative process evaluation of an Australian alcohol media literacy study: recommendations for designing culturally responsive school-based programs

Background: Alcohol media literacy programs seek to mitigate the potentially harmful effects of alcohol advertising on children\u27s drinking intentions and behaviours through equipping them with skills to challenge media messages. In order for such programs to be effective, the teaching and learning experiences must be tailored to their specific cultural context. Media in the Spotlight is an alcohol media literacy program aimed at 9 to 12 year old Australian children. This study evaluates the process and implementation of the program, outlining the factors that facilitated and inhibited implementation. From this evaluation, a pedagogical framework has been developed for health professionals implementing culturally responsive programs in school settings. Methods: Process measures included: semi-structured interviews with teachers before and after the program was implemented (n = 11 interviews), program evaluation questionnaires completed by children (n = 166), lesson observations completed by teachers (n = 35 observations), and reflective journal entries completed by the researcher (n = 44 entries). A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse all of the data sets using NVivo. Inductive coding was used, whereby the findings were derived from the research objectives and multiple readings and interpretations of the data. Results: Five key pedagogical considerations were identified that facilitated implementation. These were: connecting to the students\u27 life worlds to achieve cultural significance; empowering students with real-world skills to ensure relevance; ensuring programs are well structured with strong connections to the school curriculum; creating developmentally appropriate activities while providing a range of assessment opportunities; and including hands-on and interactive activities to promote student engagement. Three potential inhibitors to implementing the alcohol media literacy program in upper-elementary school classrooms were identified. These included topic sensitivities, classroom management challenges, and fitting new programs into already busy school schedules. Conclusion: Overall, the program content and individual lessons were well received by the teachers and students. The lessons learned from the development, implementation and evaluation of this program can provide health professionals with key pedagogical strategies for designing culturally responsive educational programs. Culturally responsive programs are critical for ensuring interventions are effective for their specific context

Mind-Body Skills Groups for Adolescents with Depression in Primary Care: A Pilot Study

Objective: To determine acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) as a treatment for depressed adolescents in primary care. Methods: A single arm clinical trial was conducted. A 10-week MBSG program was implemented in primary care. Participants completed self-report measures at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-months following the MBSGs. Measures included the Children’s Depression Inventory-2, Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Self-Efficacy for Depressed Adolescents, rumination subscale of the Children’s Response Style Questionnaire, and a short acceptability questionnaire. Results: Participants included 43 adolescents. The total depression scores significantly improved following the MBSG intervention and continued to improve significantly from post-treatment to follow-up. Mindfulness, self-efficacy, rumination, and suicidal ideation all had significant improvement following the intervention. Acceptability of the program was strong, and attendance was excellent. Discussion: Preliminary evidence suggests that MBSGs are an acceptable treatment for primary care settings and lead to improved depression symptoms in adolescents.Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center and the Herbert Simon Family Foundation (070241-00002B

Large-scale Roll Out of Electronic Longitudinal Mood-Monitoring for Research in Affective Disorders: Report From the UK Bipolar Disorder Research Network

Background Electronic longitudinal mood monitoring has been shown to be acceptable to patients with affective disorders within clinical settings, but its use in large-scale research has not yet been established. Methods Using both postal and email invitations, we invited 4080 past research participants with affective disorders who were recruited into the Bipolar Disorder Research Network (BDRN) over a 10 year period to participate in online weekly mood monitoring. In addition, since January 2015 we have invited all newly recruited BDRN research participants to participate in mood monitoring at the point they were recruited into BDRN. Results Online mood monitoring uptake among past participants was 20, and among new participants to date was 46 with participants recruited over the last year most likely to register (61). More than 90 mood monitoring participants engaged for at least one month, with mean engagement period greater than one year (58 weeks) and maximum engagement for longer than three years (165 weeks). There were no significant differences in the proportion of past and new BDRN participants providing data for at least 4 weeks (91, 92 respectively), 3 months (78, 82), 6 months (65, 54) or one year (51, 44). Limitations Our experiences with recruiting participants for electronic prospective mood monitoring may not necessarily generalise fully to research situations that are very different from those we describe. Conclusions Large-scale electronic longitudinal mood monitoring in affective disorders for research purposes is feasible with uptake highest among newly recruited participants

Adverse Childhood Life Events and Postpartum Mood Episodes in Bipolar Disorder

Background: The early postpartum has been established as a period of increased vulnerability for psychiatric mood illness. Women with bipolar disorder (BD) in particular are at elevated risk of postnatal depression (PND) and of postpartum psychosis (PP). Though adverse childhood life events (ACLEs) have been implicated in the aetiology of PND, this has rarely been studied in relation to PP. Furthermore, despite being at high risk of relapse following childbirth, little research has assessed the relationship between ACLEs and postnatal mood episodes (PNEs) exclusively in women with BD. Therefore, our aim was to explore associations between ACLEs and occurrence of both PND and PP in a large sample of women with BD. Methods: Participants were 665 parous women with BD who had been recruited into the Bipolar Disorder Research Network study. Diagnoses and lifetime psychopathology were obtained via a semi-structured interview (SCAN). Postnatal psychiatric history and experience of 7 ACLEs were also assessed. Where available, all information obtained at interview was confirmed from psychiatric case notes. Women were classified into three groups according to postnatal psychiatric history: 1) those who had experienced no postnatal mood episode (no PNE, n=224), 2) women with a history of PND (n=223) and 3) women who had experienced PP (n=208). A Pearson’s chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of each type of ACLE between women in the no PNE group and those with a history of PND or PP. Results: Women with PND were significantly more likely to have experienced emotional, sexual or physical abuse in childhood compared with women who had no history of a PNE (p<0.05). In particular, childhood sexual abuse was reported significantly more in the PND than the no PNE group (P<0.05). In contrast, there were no significant differences in the frequency of reporting of any ACLEs between women who had no PNE and those with PP. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that childhood abuse, sexual abuse in particular, is associated with PND among women with BD. In contrast, we found no evidence for an association between any ACLE and PP, suggesting that biological factors are likely to play a more important role in the aetiology of psychosis in the early postpartum