Manual-assisted cognitive therapy for self-harm in personality disorder and substance misuse: a feasibility trial

<b>Aims and method</b> To assess the feasibility of conducting a larger, definitive randomised controlled trial of manual-assisted cognitive therapy (MACT), a brief focused therapy to address self-harm and promote engagement in services. We established recruitment, randomisation and assessment of outcome within a sample of these complex patients admitted to a general hospital following self-harm. We assessed symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety and suicidality at baseline and at 3 months’ follow-up.<p></p> <b>Results</b> Twenty patients were randomised to the trial following an index episode of self-harm, and those allocated to MACT demonstrated improvement in anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.<p></p> <b>Clinical implications</b> It is feasible to recruit a sample of these complex patients to a randomised controlled trial of MACT following an index episode of self-harm. There is preliminary support that MACT could be an acceptable and effective intervention in patients with personality disorder and substance misuse

Foodborne disease outbreaks in Australia 2001-2009

BACKGROUND: Analysis of surveillance data from foodborne disease outbreaks can help identify high-risk aetiological agents, food vehicles and settings. This information may help prevent future illness by informing the development of public health policy

Psychodrama and moviemaking in a death education course to work through a case of suicide among high school students in Italy

This study describes the psychological effects of an experience of death education (DE) used to explore a case of suicide in an Italian high school. DE activities included philosophical and religious perspectives of the relationships between death and the meaning of life, a visit to a local hospice, and psychodrama activities, which culminated in the production of short movies. The intervention involved 268 high school students (138 in the experimental group). Pre-test and post-test measures assessed ontological representations of death, death anxiety, alexithymia, and meaning in life. Results confirmed that, in the experimental group, death anxiety was significantly reduced as much as the representation of death as annihilation and alexithymia, while a sense of spirituality and the meaning of life were more enhanced, compared to the No DE group. These improvements in the positive meaning of life and the reduction of anxiety confirmed that it is possible to manage trauma and grief at school with death education interventions that include religious discussion, psychodrama and movie making activities

An assessment of the impacts of pesticide use on the environment and health of rice farmers in Sierra Leone

One of the biggest challenges faced by Sierra Leonean farmers is pest control. Birds, rodents, insects, crustaceans and other organisms can drastically reduce yields. In order to prevent these organisms from destroying their crop, farmers use pesticides. However there are reports that these chemicals are being misused and such misuse is having a negative impact on the environment and the health of the farmers. This research study aimed to investigate the use of pesticides in rice fields and its potential effects on the environment and on the farmers of Sierra Leone. Five hundred farmers and one hundred health workers across the country were interviewed. Fifty focus group discussions were also completed. Field observations were also undertaken to see how farmers apply pesticides to their farms and the possible threats these methods have on human health and the environment. It is clear that a wide range of pesticides are used by rice farmers in Sierra Leone with 60% of the pesticides used entering the country illegally. Most farmers have no knowledge about the safe handling of pesticides as 71% of them have never received any form of training. The pesticides kill both target and non-target organisms some of which enter the food chain. Cases of health problems such as nausea, respiratory disorders and blurred vision investigated in this research are significantly higher among farmers who use pesticides than those who do not use pesticides. Cases of pesticide intoxication are not investigated by health workers but results obtained from interviews with them also indicated that cases of pesticides related symptoms are significantly higher in environments where pesticides are used than those in which pesticides are not used

“I don’t have any emotions”: An ethnography of emotional labour and feeling rules in the emergency department

Aims: This study aims to apply Hochschild's theory of emotional labour to emergency care, and uncover the 'specialty-specific' feeling rules driving this labour. Despite the importance of positive nurse wellbeing, the emotional labour of nursing (a great influencer in wellbeing) remains neglected. Design and Methods: Ethnography enabled immersion in the ED setting, gathering the lived experiences and narratives of the ED nursing team. We undertook first-hand observations at one major trauma center ED and one district general ED including semi-structured interviews (18). A reflexive and interpretive approach towards thematic analysis was utilised. Results: We unearthed and conceptulaised four feeling rules born from this context and offer extensive insights into the emotional labour of emergency nurses. Conclusion: Understanding the emotional labour and feeling rules of various nursing specialties offers critical insight into the challenges facing staff-fundamental for nursing wellbeing and associated retention programs. Impact: What problem did the study address? A lack of (theoretical and empirical) knowledge relating to emotional labour, and associated feeling rules, in the ED. What were the main findings? The distinctive context has significant implications for the emotional labour undertaken. This labour was driven by four, enculturated feeling rules which we conceptualised. Where and on whom will the research have impact? Academically, this research expands our understanding-we know little of nurses' feeling rules and how specialties influence them. Clinically, (including service managers and policy makers) there are practical implications for nurse wellbeing

Real-time auditory feedback may reduce abnormal movements in patients with chronic stroke

Purpose The current pilot study assesses the use of real-time auditory feedback to help reduce abnormal movements during an active reaching task in patients with chronic stroke. Materials and methods 20 patients with chronic stroke completed the study with full datasets (age: M = 53 SD = 14; sex: male = 75%; time since stroke in months: M = 34, SD = 33). Patients undertook 100 repetitions of an active reaching task while listening to self-selected music which automatically muted when abnormal movement was detected, determined by thresholds set by clinical therapists. A within-subject design with two conditions (with auditory feedback vs. without auditory feedback) presented in a randomised counterbalanced order was used. The dependent variable was the duration of abnormal movement as a proportion of trial duration. Results A significant reduction in the duration of abnormal movement was observed when patients received auditory feedback, F(1,18) = 9.424, p = 0.007, with a large effect size (partial η2 = 0.344). Conclusions Patients with chronic stroke can make use of real-time auditory feedback to increase the proportion of time they spend in optimal movement patterns. The approach provides a motivating framework that encourages high dose with a key focus on quality of movement

Plymouth Mountain/Fauver Preserve I-Tree

The town of Plymouth, through participation in the Land Conservation Investment Program, acquired Plymouth Mountain tract, a 1,100-acre woodland area. The area is owned by Green Acre Woodlands Inc., and the town of Plymouth used state funds to purchase a conservation easement on the Plymouth Mountain Property. Plymouth Mountain tract is located in the south-west quadrant of the town and is accessible from the Texas Hill Rd. This area was targeted for its size, forest productivity, important wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. Timber management has taken place from 1980 to present, and the forest is 90% hardwood and 10% softwood. Some tree species located in the area are sugar maple, beech, red maple, yellow/white birch, white ash, pine and spruce. The Conservation Commission manages all trails while Green Acre Woodlands Inc. manages it as a long-term woodland investment. The conservation easement was sold for $200,000 in June, 1991. Fauver parcel is a 104.6 acre conservation easement donated by Alfred Fauver. The parcel is appraised at$160,000 in December 1989. The land is located on the east and west sides of Texas hill Rd, with additional frontage on Old Hebron Rd. The entire parcel is forested and there are several stonewall boundary lines defining the area. The Town of Plymouth plans to manage the parcels for long-term sustained forestry, they also plan to manage wildlife enhancement

Identification of common genetic variation that modulates alternative splicing

Alternative splicing of genes is an efficient means of generating variation in protein function. Several disease states have been associated with rare genetic variants that affect splicing patterns. Conversely, splicing efficiency of some genes is known to vary between individuals without apparent ill effects. What is not clear is whether commonly observed phenotypic variation in splicing patterns, and hence potential variation in protein function, is to a significant extent determined by naturally occurring DNA sequence variation and in particular by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this study, we surveyed the splicing patterns of 250 exons in 22 individuals who had been previously genotyped by the International HapMap Project. We identified 70 simple cassette exon alternative splicing events in our experimental system; for six of these, we detected consistent differences in splicing pattern between individuals, with a highly significant association between splice phenotype and neighbouring SNPs. Remarkably, for five out of six of these events, the strongest correlation was found with the SNP closest to the intron-exon boundary, although the distance between these SNPs and the intron-exon boundary ranged from 2 bp to greater than 1,000 bp. Two of these SNPs were further investigated using a minigene splicing system, and in each case the SNPs were found to exert cis-acting effects on exon splicing efficiency in vitro. The functional consequences of these SNPs could not be predicted using bioinformatic algorithms. Our findings suggest that phenotypic variation in splicing patterns is determined by the presence of SNPs within flanking introns or exons. Effects on splicing may represent an important mechanism by which SNPs influence gene function