Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in disadvantaged populations

Twelve March 2015 will mark the 10th anniversary of World Kidney Day (WKD), an initiative of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. Since its inception in 2006, WKD has become the most successful effort ever mounted to raise awareness among decision-makers and the general public about the importance of kidney disease. Each year WKD reminds us that kidney disease is common, harmful and treatable. The focus of WKD 2015 is on chronic kidney disease (CKD) in disadvantaged populations. This article reviews the key links between poverty and CKD and the consequent implications for the prevention of kidney disease and the care of kidney patients in these populations

Tapping into the Power of Twitter: A Look at Its Potential in Canadian Health Libraries

In health libraries, it is becoming increasingly important to recognize and understand user interactions and expectations. Research suggests that more and more patients will begin to rely on online resources to receive health information. In response, many health organizations have turned to social media and micro-blogging services to try and meet those needs. The ease of posting and sharing information on Twiter makes it an essential tool for health libraries use to reach their users. However, libraries that lack systematic metrics for measuring success can find themselves pouring precious resources into social media upkeep without knowing if they are promoting their strategic vision. This paper first uses a literature review to summarize the best practices among Twitter researchers. The authors then measure the success of these practices among several health libraries using simple metrics for evaluation. By advocating accountable Twitter use, the authors hope to promote a goal-oriented social media strategy that ensures health libraries are maximizing their efficiency. Administrators and libraries can engage communities through active Twitter use by going well beyond just promoting their services. Through better Twitter use, libraries can show users that they listen to other organizations in the community, hear and respond to the questions and concerns of individual users, and send people links to information that go beyond the reach of their own website. Administrators can subsequently report accurate metrics to demonstrate what is working well and which strategies have not been successful. It is then possible to make immediate changes to maximize the impact that social media can have on that organization’s strategic goals. The objective of this paper is to provide every reader with the ability to head into a meeting about social media and confidently develop a strategy that will plan for success, with the metrics to prove it

Intellectual function after treatment for leukaemia or solid tumours.

Twenty three children who had been treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) were evaluated intellectually using the British Ability Scales. Their treatment included early cranial irradiation, intrathecal chemotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy. Nineteen children who had been treated for various types of solid tumours (ST), had undergone related chemotherapy, and had received irradiation to sites of the body other than the cranium were used as controls. In addition, patients' siblings were assessed and their scores statistically corrected to produce a best estimate of the patients' pre-morbid degree of intellectual functioning. The results showed intellectual deficits after treatment in both patient groups, but these were consistently larger in the ALL group, particularly for the higher functions of intelligence. Intellectual deficit in ALL patients did not show immediately after radiotherapy but became progressively more apparent some time afterwards and particularly in younger children. In contrast, in the ST group, intellectual deficits seemed to diminish over time, and the age at radiotherapy was not a critical factor

Resolution of the OI + NH2 Blend in Comet p/ Halley

Abstract image available at: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1987A&A...187..485