Turning to art as a positive way of living with cancer: A qualitative study of personal motives and contextual influences

Why do some women turn to creative art-making after a diagnosis of cancer? Eleven women provided qualitative accounts that were analyzed following guidelines for interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Some described taking up artistic leisure activities initially in order to manage emotional distress. Others emphasized their need for positive well-being, taking up art to experience achievement and satisfaction, to regain a positive identity, and to normalize family dynamics in the context of living with cancer. Participants’ turn to art-making was facilitated by biographical and contextual factors, including pre-existing craft skills, long-standing personal values and coping philosophies, family role models for managing adversity, and the supportive encouragement of family and friends. Other research has acknowledged that positive lifestyle change and post-traumatic growth can occur after a cancer diagnosis, and this study reveals a multi-faceted process. The findings suggest a need for further research into the experiences that facilitate positive lifestyle change and subjective well-being among people who are living with cancer

Transcriptomic analysis of mouse EL4 T cells upon T cell activation and in response to protein synthesis inhibition via cycloheximide treatment

T cell activation involves the recognition of a foreign antigen complexed to the major histocompatibility complex on the antigen presenting T cell to the T cell receptor. This leads to activation of signaling pathways, which ultimately leads to induction of key cytokine genes responsible for eradication of foreign antigens. We used the mouse EL4 T cell as a model system to study genes that are induced as a result of T cell activation using phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and calcium ionomycin (I) as stimuli. We were also interested to examine the importance of new protein synthesis in regulating the expression of genes involved in T cell activation. Thus we have pre-treated mouse EL4 T cells with cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, and left the cells unstimulated or stimulated with PMA/I for 4 h. We performed microarray expression profiling of these cells to correlate the gene expression with chromatin state of T cells upon T cell activation [1]. Here, we detail further information and analysis of the microarray data, which shows that T cell activation leads to differential expression of genes and inducible genes can be further classified as primary and secondary response genes based on their protein synthesis dependency. The data is available in the Gene Expression Omnibus under accession number GSE13278

Virtual physiology laboratories during a pandemic: Are they effective for student learning compared to in-person laboratories?

BACKGROUND COVID-19 has significantly impacted higher education, including rapidly transitioning interactive, in-person laboratories to virtual settings. Human physiology laboratories, emphasised in hands-on, active learning, have been particularly impacted by these changes. THE INITIATIVE We assessed whether virtual laboratories are effective in achieving similar student learning outcomes as in-person laboratories, namely in students’ conceptual understanding, research and technical skills development. METHODS Students were randomly assigned to either an in-person or virtual laboratory. The in-person laboratory provided students with hands-on experience in data collection and analysis, while the virtual laboratory included a self-directed module, guiding students through the same series of experiments using pre-recorded videos and data. Pre- and post- surveys were used to assess differences in students’ conceptual understanding, and self-reported ratings of confidence in research and technical skills. OUTCOMES Both groups demonstrated significantly improved performance on conceptual- and research-based multiple-choice questions. The in-person group performed significantly better on application-based, short-answer questions, and rated significantly greater confidence in their technical skills. No significant differences were observed on self-reported ratings of student confidence in research and technical skills. Our findings highlight the importance in identifying pedagogical approaches which focus on developing students’ ability and confidence in technical and research skills within virtual settings

Narratives of therapeutic art-making in the context of marital breakdown: Older women reflect on a significant mid-life experience

This paper explores the narratives of three women aged 65-72 years. They reflected on an episode of therapeutic art-making in midlife, which addressed depression associated with marital crisis and breakdown. The narrative analysis focused upon on the ways in which participants narrated the events leading up to their participation in therapeutic art-making; the aspects of therapeutic art-making that continued to be given significance; the characters given primacy in the stories they told about their journey through therapy and marital breakdown; meanings, symbolic and otherwise, that participants ascribed to their artwork made during this turning point in their lives; and aspects of the narratives that conveyed present-day identities and artistic endeavors. The narratives revealed the complexity of the journey through marital breakdown and depression into health, and showed that therapeutic art-making could best be understood, not as a stand-alone experience, but as given meaning within the context of wider personal and social resources. Participants looked back on therapeutic art-making that occurred two decades earlier and still described this as a significant turning point in their personal development. Art as an adjunct to counselling/therapy was not only symbolically self-expressive but provided opportunity for decision-making, agency and a reformulated self-image

Incidence of unintended pregnancy among female sex workers in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: To determine the incidence of unintended pregnancy among female sex workers (FSWs) in lowincome and middle-income countries (LMICs). Design: We searched MEDLINE, PsychInfo, Embase and Popline for papers published in English between January 2000 and January 2016, and Web of Science and Proquest for conference abstracts. Meta-analysis was performed on the primary outcomes using random effects models, with subgroup analysis used to explore heterogeneity. Participants: Eligible studies targeted FSWs aged 15–49 years living or working in an LMIC. Outcome measures: Studies were eligible if they provided data on one of two primary outcomes: incidence of unintended pregnancy and incidence of pregnancy where intention is undefined. Secondary outcomes were also extracted when they were reported in included studies: incidence of induced abortion; incidence of birth; and correlates/predictors of pregnancy or unintended pregnancy. Results: Twenty-five eligible studies were identified from 3866 articles. Methodological quality was low overall. Unintended pregnancy incidence showed high heterogeneity (I²\u3e95%), ranging from 7.2 to 59.6 per 100 person-years across 10 studies. Study design and duration were found to account for heterogeneity. On subgroup analysis, the three cohort studies in which no intervention was introduced had a pooled incidence of 27.1 per 100 person-years (95% CI 24.4 to 29.8; I2 =0%). Incidence of pregnancy (intention undefined) was also highly heterogeneous, ranging from 2.0 to 23.4 per 100 personyears (15 studies). Conclusions: Of the many studies examining FSWs’ sexual and reproductive health in LMICs, very few measured pregnancy and fewer assessed pregnancy intention. Incidence varied widely, likely due to differences in study design, duration and baseline population risk, but was high in most studies, representing a considerable concern for this key population. Evidence-based approaches that place greater importance on unintended pregnancy prevention need to be incorporated into existing sexual and reproductive health programmes for FSWs

An open label, randomized phase 2 trial assessing the impact of food on the tolerability of abemaciclib in patients with advanced breast cancer

Breast cancer; CDK4/6 inhibitor; TolerabilityCáncer de mama; Inhibidor de CDK4/6; TolerabilidadCàncer de mama; Inhibidor de CDK4/6; TolerabilitatPurpose Abemaciclib, a CDK4 & 6 inhibitor, is indicated for advanced breast cancer treatment. Diarrhea is a frequently associated adverse event of abemaciclib. The study objective was to investigate if food intake impacts local gastrointestinal toxicity. Methods This Phase 2 study (I3Y-MC-JPCP, NCT03703466) randomized 72 patients 1:1:1 to receive abemaciclib 200 mg monotherapy twice daily (1) with a meal, (2) in a modified fasting state or (3) without regard to food. Primary endpoints included: incidence of investigator assessed severe (≥ Grade 3), prolonged (> 7 days) Grade 2 diarrhea, treatment discontinuation, dose modifications, and loperamide utilization during the first 3 cycles of treatment. Patient outcomes were captured via a daily electronic diary. Pharmacokinetics (PK) are reported. Results Incidence of investigator assessed severe diarrhea (Grade ≥ 3) was 1.4% (1 patient in Arm 1). Median duration of Grade 3 diarrhea was 1 day by both investigator assessment (1 patient in Arm 1) and patient-reported assessment (1 patient each in Arms 1 and 3). Median duration of investigator-assessed Grade 2 diarrhea was 2 days overall. No patient discontinued treatment due to diarrhea. Nine patients (12.7%) had a dose reduction, and 7 patients (9.9%) had a dose omission due to diarrhea. Ninety-four percent of patients used loperamide at least once. Abemaciclib PK was comparable across the 3 arms. Conclusion The results suggest that diarrhea incidence associated with abemaciclib was unrelated to timing of food intake, was predominantly low grade, of short duration and well managed with loperamide and dose modifications.Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. The authors are grateful to the patients, their families, and caregivers for participating in study JPCP, and to the study investigator and site staff for their collaboration. Writing and editing provided by Nicholas Pulliam, Sandra Deady and John Hurley of Eli Lilly and Company. Funding provided by Eli Lilly and Company

Program Corporate Social Responsibility Dalam Perspektif Indeks Kepuasan Publik Di Riau

Program Corporate Social Reponsibility (CSR) merupakan salah satu kebutuhan dan di Indonesia merupakan suatu kewajiban dan ditetapkan melalui Undang-Undang Nomor 40 Tahun 2007 tentang Perseroan Terbatas. Dimana pada pasal 74 menjelaskan bahwa tanggung jawab sosial merupakan suatu kegiatan yang diwajibkan dan dilaksanakan berdasarkan pada kepatutan dan kewajaran sesuai dengan peraturan pemerintahan. Pelaksanaan tanggung jawab sosial dikenal dengan istilah CSR oleh Perusahaan merupakan suatu bentuk komitmen Perusahaan untuk membangun kualitas kehidupan yang lebih baik bersama stakeholders terkait, terutama masyarakat disekitar Perusahaan tersebut berada. Karena peran CSR ternyata saat ini semakin penting bagi masyarakat di sekitar Perusahaan dalam upaya menyeimbangkan pembangunan, baik ekonomi, sosial dan lingkungan. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan secara komprehensif mengenai implementasi dan prioritas program CSR di PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU II Dumai dan PT. Cevron Pasific Indonesia (CPI) di Tapung, Minas dan Rumbai Provinsi Riau. Metode penelitian dilakukan dengan metode campuran (mixed methods) yaitu mengkombinasikan pendekatan kuantitatif dan pendekatan kualitatif. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan penyebaran angket, in-dept interview dan observasi terhadap multistakeholders. Hasil penelitian yang ditemukan implementasi program CSR oleh PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU II Dumai dan PT. Cevron Pasific Indonesia (CPI) di Provinsi Riau masih berjalan dengan kurang baik. Sedangkan prioritas program CSR yang dibutuhkan berdasarkan indeks kepuasan publik di PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU II Dumai dan PT. Cevron Pasific Indonesia (CPI) di Tapung, Minas dan Rumbai Provinsi Riau adalah program yang berbasis pemberdayaan ekonomi masyarakat.Kata Kunci: pemberdayaan, program Corporate Social Reponsibility, indeks kepuasan publik. Corporate Social Reponsibility program (CSR) is seen as an urgent thing on social development. Its supported by regulation that stated in Act No. 40 year 2007 about Limited Company. In the article number 74 stated that social responsibility is one among activities that should be conducted by the companies. The companies should have committed for surround people quality of life, in terms of social and economic perspective. The sample of this research covers the implementation of the priority programmes and corporate social responsibility (CSR) PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU II Dumai and PT. Cevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) at Tapung, Minas and Rumbai Riau Province. Data has been collected by questionnaire, in-depth interview and observation. Results of the study found implementation of programs of corporate social responsibility by PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU II Dumai and PT Cevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) in Riau Province is still inadequate. The CSR program of the sample have been emphasized on social-economy empowerment

Combined anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective treatments have the potential to impact disease phenotypes in Cln3−/− mice

Batten disease, or juvenile NCL, is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that occurs due to mutations in the CLN3 gene. Because the function of CLN3 remains unclear, experimental therapies for JNCL have largely concentrated upon the targeting of downstream pathomechanisms. Neuron loss is preceded by localized glial activation, and in this proof-of-concept study we have investigated whether targeting this innate immune response with ibuprofen in combination with the neuroprotective agent lamotrigine improves the previously documented beneficial effects of immunosuppressants alone. Drugs were administered daily to symptomatic Cln3 -/- mice over a 3 month period, starting at 6 months of age, and their impact was assessed using both behavioral and neuropathological outcome measures. During the treatment period, the combination of ibuprofen and lamotrigine significantly improved the performance of Cln3 -/- mice on the vertical pole test, slowing the disease-associated decline, but had less of an impact upon their rotarod performance. There were also moderate and regionally dependent effects upon astrocyte activation that were most pronounced for ibuprofen alone, but there was no overt effect upon microglial activation. Administering such treatments for longer periods will enable testing for any impact upon the neuron loss that occurs later in disease progression. Given the partial efficacy of these treatments, it will be important to test further drugs of this type in order to find more effective combinations