The significance of information after discharge for colorectal cancer surgery–a qualitative study

The aim was to explore patients' experiences of information and their information needs after discharge for colorectal cancer surgery

Är topikal behandling med Crystavet® effektiv vid behandling av jästsvampsöverväxt hos hund? : – en pilotstudie.

Malassezia spp. are commensals of the canine skin flora. Opportunistic skin infections involving overgrowth of Malassezia are often found in intertriginous areas or associated with one or several underlying medical conditions affecting the host defence of the skin barrier. Symptoms include pruritus, erythema, alopecia, lichenification, hyperpigmentation, scaling and moist skin surface with a greasy, malodorous exudate. A diagnosis of Malassezia dermatitis is indicated when skin with cutaneous lesions and Malassezia overgrowth responds to antifungal therapy. Treatments available with the indication of Malassezia overgrowth include both systemic treatment with azole derivatives or allylamine and a wide variety of agents for topical treatment. Available topical treatment options include azole derivatives and antimicrobial agents, many of which lack sufficient evidence base. Therefore, the need for randomized, controlled trials evaluating topical antimicrobial agents available and marketed for Malassezia overgrowth is urgent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a new topical product, Crystavet® (1% hydrogen peroxide, Bioglan, Malmö, Sweden), for the treatment of Malassezia overgrowth in a prospective, open, randomized, controlled study design using a split-body protocol. In total, 22 anatomically distinct skin areas from ten dogs were included. The efficacy of Crystavet was compared to a reference product of 4% chlorhexidine and evaluated based primarily on the reduction of Malassezia yeast obtained by cytology. Secondly, the efficacy was evaluated by quantitative culture of Malassezia spp., clinical skin lesion score and degree of pruritus pre and post treatment. Treatment with both Crystavet and the reference product reduced Malassezia population sizes and clinical parameters significantly, without any difference in efficacy noted between the products. No adverse reactions were recorded and owners rated the treatment as easy to perform. These results suggest that topical treatment with Crystavet (1% hydrogen peroxide) is effective and safe for the treatment of localized Malassezia overgrowth in dogs. The results also suggest that the antifungal efficacy of 1% hydrogen peroxide is similar to that of 4% chlorhexidine for Malassezia species. Further studies including a larger sample size are needed to confirm these results.Malassezia spp., även kallad jästsvamp, är en del av hundens normala mikroflora. Opportunistiska hudinfektioner med jästsvampsöverväxt uppstår ofta i intertriginösa områden eller sekundärt till medicinska tillstånd som påverkar hudens barriär och försvarsmekanism. Kliniska tecken som uppstår är klåda, erytem, alopeci, lichenifikation, hyperpigmentering, mjäll samt en fuktig hudyta med illaluktande sekret. Diagnosen jästsvampsdermatit är verifierad när en inflammerad och skadad hudyta med jästsvampsöverväxt läker av efter svampdödande behandling. Både systemiska och topikala behandlingsalternativ finns att tillgå för behandling av jästsvampsöverväxt. För systemisk behandling används azolderivat eller allylamin medan topikala alternativ innefattar både azolderivat samt en mängd antimikrobiella substanser. För flertalet av dessa saknas tillräcklig evidens. Det finns därför ett stort behov av randomiserade, kontrollerade studier som utvärderar effekten av topikala behandlingsalternativ för jästsvampsöverväxt. Syftet med den här studien var att utvärdera effektiviteten av en 1% väteperoxid baserad produkt, Crystavet® (Bioglan, Malmö, Sweden), vid behandling av jästsvampsöverväxt hos hund i en prospektiv, öppen, randomiserad, kontrollerad studie. Ett split-body protokoll användes och Crystavets effektivitet jämfördes med en 4% klorhexidinprodukt som referens. Totalt inkluderades 22 anatomiskt skilda hudområden från tio hundar. Behandlingens effektivitet utvärderades i förstahand baserat på minskning av antalet jästsvampar påvisade via cytologi. I andra hand utvärderades behandlingens effekt genom kvantitativ odling av jästsvamp, kliniska lesionscore och grad av klåda innan och efter behandling. Behandling med både Crystavet och referensprodukt resulterade i en signifikant minskning av jästsvampar och kliniska mätvärden, behandlingarna skiljde sig inte signifikant åt i sin effektivitet. Inga biverkningar rapporterades och djurägarna ansåg att behandlingen var enkel att utföra. Resultat från den här studien indikerar att topikal behandling med Crystavet (1% väteperoxid) är effektivt och säkert att använda vid behandling av lokaliserad jästsvampsöverväxt hos hund. Resultaten tyder även på att den jästsvampsdödande effekten av 1% väteperoxid är jämförbar med den hos 4% klorhexidin för jästsvampar av genuset Malassezia. Vidare studier med en större studiepopulation krävs för att bekräfta dessa resultat

Engelsk kriminologi.

Intet resum

De internationella kongresserna i kriminalantropologi

Intet resum

On the hunt for improvements

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is one of the big feline species kept in zoos worldwide. The wild populations are quite small and therefore the captive population make up an important part of the total population of the world. Although life in the wild is not always easy and a captive environment provides shelter and food it does not come without problems. In captivity cheetahs become chronically ill and also develop stereotypic behaviours. Neither of these are problems in wild populations and both can be linked to stress in captivity. One mean of targeting stereotypic behaviour is to provide environmental enrichments. If it is targeted in the right way then it should reduce stress and may then also have an impact on disease development. The hunting behaviour of felids can be divided into main sequences of location, capturing, killing and processing of the prey. Since hunting behaviour is a natural behaviour often deprived from the animals in captivity I looked at possibilities of enrichments to stimulate this behaviour. Feasible enrichments could be feeding of carcasses or bones, live bait or a “cheetah run”. A cheetah run consists of a moving bait system giving the cheetah an opportunity to pursue lure. Enrichment through live bait or the cheetah run targets the sequences of location, capturing, and killing in the hunting behaviour, while the carcass-feed targets processing of the prey. The enrichments has positive effects on behavioural diversity and behaviour resembling of hunting has been observed in connection to the enrichments. However, the studies reviewed did not show any significant data on the reduction of stereotypic behaviour. No definite conclusions could be made but findings do suggest a feasibility to improve welfare through stimulation of hunting behaviour. More research is needed and targeting hunting behaviour might not be the most optimal choice, so therefore research need to also focus on evaluating enrichments in connection to other natural behaviours and conditions. Most research up to date focus on studying the effects on one factor e.g. corticoids concentration or stereotypical behaviour. These factors are not reliable on their own and research therefore needs to investigate several factors simultaneously to make more accurate predictions on how welfare is affected. More accurate predictions will lead to clearer guidelines and thereby efforts of improvement can be directed towards areas were most effect will be seen.Geparden (Acinonyx jubatus) är ett av de stora kattdjuren som går att beskåda i djurparker världen över. Dess vilda population är ganska liten och därför utgör populationen i fångenskap en betydande del utav världspopulationen. Livet i fångenskap erbjuder både föda och skydd men trots det uppstår en del välfärdsproblem. Geparder i fångenskap insjuknar bland annat i kroniska sjukdomar och uppvisar stereotypa beteenden. Båda problemen kan kopplas till stress i fångenskap och ses inte i de vilda populationerna. Genom miljöberikning kan man arbeta för att minska problemet med stereotypt beteende. Jaktbeteendet hos kattdjur kan delas in i fyra olika sekvenser: lokalisering, tillfångatagande, dödande och bearbetning av bytet. Eftersom jaktbeteendet är ett naturligt beteende som djuren i djurpark sällan får möjlighet att utföra har jag studerat möjligheter som finns för att stimulera detta genom miljöberikning. Berikningar som kan användas är utfodring med slaktkroppar eller ben, levande byte och ”gepardlopp”. Ett gepardlopp består av ett rörligt byte av något slag som stimulerar geparden till att förfölja det och därmed utföra jaktbeteende. Miljöberikningarna visade sig ha en positiv effekt på beteende repertoaren och jaktbeteenden kunde observeras i anknytning till berikningarna. Däremot så visade ingen av studierna att berikningarna signifikant minskade de stereotypa beteendena. Det är svårt att dra några säkra slutsatser, men resultaten antyder att man genom jaktberikning möjligtvis kan förbättra djurens välfärd. Mer forskning behövs och att fokusera på berikning av jaktbeteendet kanske inte är optimalt, så därför borde forskningen också fokusera på att utvärdera berikning med koppling till andra naturliga beteenden och förhållanden. Hittills har forskningen främst fokuserat på att studera berikningars effekt på en faktor, så som värden av stresshormon eller stereotypa beteenden. Att analysera dessa faktorer enskilt ger inte pålitliga resultat och forskningen måste därför undersöka flera faktorer samtidigt för att göra säkrare förutsägelser om hur välfärden påverkas. Säkrare resultat gör att tydligare riktlinjer kan upprättas och insatser till förbättring kan riktas mot områden där de har mest effekt

First year mathematics undergraduates’ settled images of tangent line

This article was published in the serial, The Journal of Mathematical Behavior [© Elsevier]. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732312310000556This study concerns 182 first year mathematics undergraduates’ perspectives on the tangent line of function graph in the light of a previous study on Year 12 pupils’ perspectives. The aim was the investigation of tangency images that settle after undergraduates’ distancing from the notion for a few months and after their participation in university admission examination. To this end we related the performances of the undergraduates and the pupils in the same questions of a questionnaire; we classified the undergraduates in distinct groups through Latent Class Analysis; and, we examined this classification according to the Analytical Local, Geometrical Global and Intermediate Local perspectives on tangency we had identified among pupils. The findings suggest that more undergraduates than pupils demonstrated intermediate perspectives on tangency. Also, the undergraduates’ settled images were influenced by persistent images about tangency and their prior experience in the context of preparation for and participation in the examination

Ecotoxicity and fungal deterioration of recycled polypropylene/wood composites: Effect of wood content and coupling

Polypropylene (PP)/wood composites were produced by homogenization in a twin-screw extruder and injection molding of tensile bars. Their mechanical properties were determined before and after exposure to biological treatment, and the effect of the treatment was assessed by various ways including visual inspection and the measurement of weight loss. The ecotoxicity of the materials was also evaluated by using the bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri. The results proved that wood facilitates biodeterioration (colonization) under the conditions used. The coupling agents do not have inhibitory effect, but seems to stimulate fungal growth (biodeterioration) at large loads of wood flour. PP/wood composites can be considered quite durable, but the influence of wood content on environmental resistance must be taken into account for materials intended for applications requiring long-term outdoor exposure as the time of exposure to microbial colonization increases. Direct ecotoxic effect on aquatic ecosystems cannot be expected from PP/wood composites

Soluble Aβ42 Acts as Allosteric Activator of the Core Cholinergic Enzyme Choline Acetyltransferase

Two major questions in the field of Alzheimer-type dementia remain elusive. One is the native function of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and the other is an early deficit in the central cholinergic network. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that Aβ peptides are involved in the regulation of acetylcholine (ACh) homeostasis either by allosteric activation of ACh-degrading cholinesterases or by inhibiting the high-affinity choline uptake transporter. In the current study, we report that Aβ peptides, in particular Aβ42, allosterically enhances the catalytic rate of the core-cholinergic enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), responsible for biosynthesis of ACh. Detailed in vitro enzyme kinetic analysis indicated that both soluble Aβ40 and Aβ42 enhanced the catalytic efficiency of ChAT by ∼21% and 26% at physiological concentration ranges found in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Further analyses indicated that activation of ChAT by Aβ was highly specific. Intriguingly, Aβ42 exhibited an EC50 of activation potency at 10-fold lower concentrations compared to Aβ40. The activation was persistent even in the presence of a physiological Aβ 40/42 mixture ratio, expected in human CSF. In conclusion, we report for the first time that Aβ42 peptide acts as allosteric enhancers of ACh-biosynthesizing enzyme ChAT. Together with two previous observations, this points to a complex molecular cross-talk between Aβ and the enzymatic machinery involved in maintaining cellular, synaptic and extra-synaptic ACh homeostasis, warranting further investigation