Sal y salud, el punto de vista del consumidor argentino obtenido por la técnica de grupos focales

The consumption of high levels of salt (NaCl) is associated with hypertension, and possible development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to explore consumers’ understanding of salt in their daily diet, their perceptions and knowledge about health implications and actions to reduce salt intake. Four focus groups were conducted (31 participants): one with university students, two with working adults and one older woman’s group. Some participants were not aware of salt content of food whereas others demonstrated an awareness of salt in food, the role of salt as a preservative, affecting taste and health implications. Reducing consumption of salt tended to be a reactive event when personal/family health events took place rather than a proactive behaviour. Participants tended to consider their own consumption of salt as low/moderate but those who they lived with were perceived to have a high intake based only on table salt. The three adult focus groups expressed concerns about adding salt. Alternatives to salt such as seasonings/spices could be used as strategies to reduce its consumption. At the population level campaigns involving schools and mass media were suggested. Only university students raised the need to involve the food industry and food processors in reducing salt consumption

Increasing the acceptability and rates of organ donation among minority ethnic groups: a programme of observational and evaluative research on Donation, Transplantation and Ethnicity (DonaTE)

Background: Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups have a high need for organ transplantation but deceased donation is low. This restricts the availability of well-matched organs and results in relatively long waiting times for transplantation, with increased mortality risks. Objective: To identify barriers to organ donor registration and family consent among the BAME population, and to develop and evaluate a training intervention to enhance communication with ethnic minority families and identify impacts on family consent. Methods: Three-phase programme comprising (1) community-based research involving two systematic reviews examining attitudes and barriers to organ donation and effective interventions followed by 22 focus groups with minority ethnic groups; (2) hospital-based research examining staff practices and influences on family consent through ethics discussion groups (EDGs) with staff, a study on intensive care units (ICUs) and interviews with bereaved ethnic minority families; and (3) development and evaluation of a training package to enhance cultural competence among ICU staff. Setting: Community focus group study in eight London boroughs with high prevalence of ethnic minority populations. Hospital studies at five NHS hospital trusts (three in London and two in Midlands). Participants: (1) Community studies: 228 focus group participants; (2) hospital studies: 35 nurses, 28 clinicians, 19 hospital chaplains, 25 members of local Organ Donation Committees, 17 bereaved family members; and (3) evaluation: 66 health professionals. Data sources: Focus groups with community residents, systematic reviews, qualitative interviews and observation in ICUs, EDGs with ICU staff, bereaved family interviews and questionnaires for trial evaluation. Review methods: Systematic review and narrative synthesis. Results: (1) Community studies: Organ Donor Register – different ethnic/faith and age groups were at varying points on the ‘pathway’ to organ donor registration, with large numbers lacking knowledge and remaining at a pre-contemplation stage. Key attitudinal barriers were uncertainties regarding religious permissibility, bodily concerns, lack of trust in health professionals and little priority given to registration, with the varying significance of these factors varying by ethnicity/faith and age. National campaigns focusing on ethnic minorities have had limited impact, whereas characteristics of effective educational interventions are being conducted in a familiar environment; addressing the groups’ particular concerns; delivery by trained members of the lay community; and providing immediate access to registration. Interventions are also required to target those at specific stages of the donation pathway. (2) Hospital studies: family consent to donation – many ICU staff, especially junior nurses, described a lack of confidence in communication and supporting ethnic minority families, often reflecting differences in emotional expression, faith and cultural beliefs, and language difficulties. The continuing high proportion of family donation discussions that take place without the collaboration of a specialist nurse for organ donation (SNOD) reflected consultants’ views of their own role in family consent to donation, a lack of trust in SNODs and uncertainties surrounding controlled donations after circulatory (or cardiac) death. Hospital chaplains differed in their involvement in ICUs, reflecting their availability/employment status, personal interests and the practices of ICU staff. (3) Evaluation: professional development package – a digital versatile disk-based training package was developed to promote confidence and skills in cross-cultural communication (available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueaR6XYkeVM&feature=youtu.be). Initial evaluation produced positive feedback and significant affirmative attitudinal change but no significant difference in consent rate over the short follow-up period with requirements for longer-term evaluation. Limitations: Participants in the focus group study were mainly first-generation migrants of manual socioeconomic groups. It was not permitted to identify non-consenting families for interview with data regarding the consent process were therefore limited to consenting families. Conclusions: The research presents guidance for the effective targeting of donation campaigns focusing on minority ethnic groups and provides the first training package in cultural competence in the NHS. Future work: Greater evaluation is required of community interventions in the UK to enhance knowledge of effective practice and analysis of the experiences of non-consenting ethnic minority families. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme

Qualitative study to understand the barriers to recruiting young people with cancer to BRIGHTLIGHT: a national cohort study in England

Objectives: BRIGHTLIGHT is a national evaluation of cancer services for teenagers and young adults in England. Following challenges with recruitment, our aim was to understand more fully healthcare professionals’ perspectives of the challenges of recruiting young people to a low-risk observational study, and to provide guidance for future recruitment processes. / Design: Qualitative. / Setting: National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England. / Methods: Semistructured telephone interviews with a convenience sample of 23 healthcare professionals. Participants included principal investigators/other staff recruiting into the BRIGHTLIGHT study. Data were analysed using framework analysis. / Results: The emergent themes were linked to levels of research organisational management, described using the levels of social network analysis: micro-level (the individual; in this case the target population to be recruited—young people with cancer); meso-level (the organisation; refers to place of recruitment and people responsible for recruitment); and macro-level (the large-scale or global structure; refers to the wider research function of the NHS and associated policies). Study-related issues occurred across all three levels, which were influenced by the context of the study. At the meso-level, professionals’ perceptions of young people and communication between professionals generated age/cancer type silos, resulting in recruitment of either children or adults, but not both by the same team, and only in the cancer type the recruiting professional was aligned to. At the macro-level the main barrier was discordant configuration of a research service with a clinical service. / Conclusions: This study has identified significant barriers to recruitment mainly at the meso-level and macro-level, which are more challenging for research teams to influence. We suggest that interconnected whole-system changes are required to facilitate the success of interventions designed to improve recruitment. Interventions targeted at study design/management and the micro-level only may be less successful. We offer solutions to be considered by those involved at all levels of research for this population

Destruction of indoleacetic acid : IV. Kinetics of enzymic oxidation

Kinetics of enzymic oxidation of indoleacetic acid (IAA) are interpreted as indicating that the reaction has an autocatalytic, cyclical mechanism involving unstable intermediates whose formation and disappearance are important in determining the over-all reaction rate. The kinetics do not support the idea that IAA oxidation occurs mainly by reaction with Mn+3, nor that the reaction is an electron transfer from IAA to O2 catalyzed by a pcroxidase-H2O2-Mn+2 complex, nor that Mn is essential to the reaction. H2O2 is probably not a major reaction intermediate. One-electron oxidation of IAA by peroxidase giving a free radical, followed by spontaneous reaction of the radical with oxygen to give a peroxy oxidant which can reoxidize the peroxidase to a peroxide complex, appears to be a likely mechanism.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32324/1/0000394.pd

Some properties of cocoa swollen-shoot virus

SUMMARY: Partially purified preparations of the Kofi Pare isolate of cocoa swollen-shoot virus (CSSV) were usually inactivated after 10 min. at 50°, but not after 10 min. at 45°. Infectivity of freshly made preparations was greatly lessened by diluting 1/10, and lost at 1/100. The infectivity of preparations increased after storage for 24 hr; after 96 hr infectivity was retained at 0--4° but soon lost at 25°. The virus survived freezing in vitro and, with some loss of infectivity, freezing in leaves and storage in leaves dried over aluminium oxide. Infective material was precipitated from dilute extracts by half saturation with ammonium sulphate at 25°; it appeared to be equally stable over the range pH 6 to pH 8. Preparations of the symptomatologically distinct Kofi Pare, Mampong, Dawa, Nsaba and Bosomuoso isolates all contained similar rod-shaped particles of size about 121 x 28 m/μ

Being a child with intellectual disabilities in hospital: The need for an individualised approach to care

BACKGROUND: There is limited qualitative research focussed specifically on what it is like for children and young people with intellectual disabilities coming into hospital, with much of the evidence-base being about those with Autism Spectrum Condition or adults with intellectual disabilities. AIM: To share rich detail of the emotional and physical impact on children and young people with intellectual disabilities of attending hospital, from their own and their parent's perspective. METHODS: Talking Mats interviews, sticker survey and photography with children and young people with intellectual disabilities, and in-depth interviews, hospital diaries and photography with their parents. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The multiple and compounding layers of complexity surrounding hospital care of children and young people with intellectual disabilities resulted in challenges associated with loss of familiarity and routine, undergoing procedures, managing sensory overload, managing pain and having a lack of safety awareness. An individualised approach to their care is needed

Further studies on cocoa yellow mosaic virus

Cocoa yellow mosaic virus from Sierra Leone is readily transmitted by sap to many woody and herbaceous dicotyledonous plants. It is serologically related to wild cucumber mosaic virus and to turnip yellow mosaic virus, and has similar chemical and physical properties. It is stable when frozen or lyophilized, inactivated when kept for 10 min. at 65°, and is precipitated without loss of infectivity in a half-saturated ammonium sulphate solution. The particles appear to be 25 Mμ across when mounted in neutral phosphotungstate, and 29 Mμ when shadowed. All preparations contained infective nucleoprotein particles which sedimented at 108 S, and non-infective protein shells which sedimented at 49 S

Qualitative study to understand the barriers to recruiting young people with cancer to BRIGHTLIGHT: a national cohort study in England.

OBJECTIVES: BRIGHTLIGHT is a national evaluation of cancer services for teenagers and young adults in England. Following challenges with recruitment, our aim was to understand more fully healthcare professionals' perspectives of the challenges of recruiting young people to a low-risk observational study, and to provide guidance for future recruitment processes. DESIGN: Qualitative. SETTING: National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England. METHODS: Semistructured telephone interviews with a convenience sample of 23 healthcare professionals. Participants included principal investigators/other staff recruiting into the BRIGHTLIGHT study. Data were analysed using framework analysis. RESULTS: The emergent themes were linked to levels of research organisational management, described using the levels of social network analysis: micro-level (the individual; in this case the target population to be recruited-young people with cancer); meso-level (the organisation; refers to place of recruitment and people responsible for recruitment); and macro-level (the large-scale or global structure; refers to the wider research function of the NHS and associated policies). Study-related issues occurred across all three levels, which were influenced by the context of the study. At the meso-level, professionals' perceptions of young people and communication between professionals generated age/cancer type silos, resulting in recruitment of either children or adults, but not both by the same team, and only in the cancer type the recruiting professional was aligned to. At the macro-level the main barrier was discordant configuration of a research service with a clinical service. CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified significant barriers to recruitment mainly at the meso-level and macro-level, which are more challenging for research teams to influence. We suggest that interconnected whole-system changes are required to facilitate the success of interventions designed to improve recruitment. Interventions targeted at study design/management and the micro-level only may be less successful. We offer solutions to be considered by those involved at all levels of research for this population