The Relationship Between Self-concept and Body Image in Females with Deleterious BRCA1/2 Mutations

Among women in the United States, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and is the second-leading cause of death (American Cancer Society, 2015b). A subgroup of women with genetic mutations called BRCA1/2 mutations are at a significantly higher lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, among other cancers (Friedman, Sutphen, & Steglio, 2012). While the research base is growing with regard to women with BRCA1/2 mutations, little is known about the psychological experience of having a BRCA1/2 mutation and the challenges and obstacles that having a BRCA1/2 mutation entails throughout the lifetime. This study looked at women with BRCA1/2 mutations who had undergone a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy compared to women who had chosen to undergo surveillance methods only to manage their breast cancer risk. It was hypothesized that women who had undergone a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy would display greater experiences of stigma, greater experiences of vulnerability, and fewer mastery experiences, as well as would rate higher on investment in appearance and investment in body integrity, when compared to women who had not undergone a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and only underwent surveillance methods. Participants in this study included women who had tested positive for a deleterious BRCA1/2 mutation who spoke and understood English and were older than the age of 18 years. These women completed an online survey that asked demographic questions, as well as questions about body image and self-concept. Two separate MANOVAs were conducted to analyze the results. No significant differences were found between groups. The implications of these findings are discussed, as well as limitations of the study and the need for more research on this area of study

Oxidative stress via hydrogen peroxide and menadione does not induce the secretion of IGFBP-5 in primary rat hepatocytes

Conference abstract describing how oxidative stress via hydrogen peroxide and menadione does not induce the secretion of IGFBP-5 in primary rat hepatocytes. Presented at the 2010 annual congress of the british toxicology societ

SUMSS: A Wide-Field Radio Imaging Survey of the Southern Sky. I. Science goals, survey design and instrumentation

The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope, operating at 843 MHz with a 5 square degree field of view, is carrying out a radio imaging survey of the sky south of declination -30 deg. This survey (the Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey, or SUMSS) produces images with a resolution of 43" x 43" cosec(Dec.) and an rms noise level of about 1 mJy/beam. SUMSS is therefore similar in sensitivity and resolution to the northern NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS; Condon et al. 1998). The survey is progressing at a rate of about 1000 square degrees per year, yielding individual and statistical data for many thousands of weak radio sources. This paper describes the main characteristics of the survey, and presents sample images from the first year of observation.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures (figures 2, 8, 10 in jpg format); AJ, in pres

Young people's use of NHS Direct: a national study of symptoms and outcome of calls for children aged 0-15

Objectives National Health Service (NHS) Direct provides 24/7 expert telephone-based healthcare information and advice to the public in England. However, limited research has explored the reasons to why calls are made on behalf of young people, as such this study aimed to examine call rate (CR) patterns in younger people to enable a better understanding of the needs of this population in England. Setting NHS Direct, England, UK. Participants and methods CRs (expressed as calls/100 persons/annum) were calculated for all calls (N=358 503) made to NHS Direct by, or on behalf of, children aged 0–15 during the combined four ‘1-month’ periods within a year (July 2010, October 2010, January 2011 and April 2011). χ² Analysis was used to determine the differences between symptom, outcome and date/time of call. Results For infants aged <1, highest CRs were found for ‘crying’ for male (n=14, 440, CR=13.61) and female (n=13 654, CR=13.46) babies, which is used as a universal assessment applied to all babies. High CRs were also found for symptoms relating to ‘skin/hair/nails’ and ‘colds/flu/sickness’ for all age groups, whereby NHS Direct was able to support patients to self-manage and provide health information for these symptoms for 59.7% and 51.4% of all cases, respectively. Variations in CRs were found for time and age, with highest peaks found for children aged 4–15 in the 15:00–23:00 period and in children aged <1 in the 7:00–15:00 period. Conclusions This is the first study to examine the symptoms and outcome of calls made to NHS Direct for and on behalf of young children. The findings revealed how NHS Direct has supported a range of symptoms through the provision of health information and self-care support which provides important information about service planning and support for similar telephone-based services

The impact of location of the uptake of telephone based healthcare

Telephone healthcare systems have been put forward as a key strategy to overcome geographical disadvantage, however, evidence has suggested that usage decreases with increasing rurality. This research aimed to identify geographical high and low areas of usage of NHS Direct, a leading telephone healthcare provider worldwide to determine if usage is influenced by rurality. National call data was collected (January, 2011) from the NHS Direct Clinical Assessment System for all 0845 4647 calls in England, UK (N=360,137). Data extracted for analysis included; unit postcode of patient, type of call, date of call, time of call and final disposition. Calls were mapped using GIS mapping software using full postcode, aggregated by population estimate by local authority to determine confidence intervals across two thresholds by call rate. Uptake rate Output Area Classification (OAC) group profiles was performed using the chi-square goodness of fit. The majority of calls were ‘symptomatic’ (N=280,055; 74.8%) i.e. calls that were triaged by an expert nurse, with the remaining 25.2% of calls health/ medicine information only (N=94,430). NHS Direct were able to manage through self-care advice and health information 43.5 of all calls made (N=99,367) with no onward referral needed. Geographical pattern of calls were highest for more urbanised areas with significant higher call usage found in larger cities. Lower observed usage was found in areas that are more rural of which were characterised by above average older populations. This was supported by geo-segmentation, which highlighted that rural and older communities had the lowest expected uptake rate. There is a variation of usage of NHS Direct relating to rurality, which suggests that this type of service has not been successful in reducing accessible barriers. However, geographical variations are likely to be influenced by age. There is a need for exploratory to determine the underlying factors that contribute to variation in uptake of these services particularly older people who reside in rural communities. This will have worldwide implications as to how telephone based healthcare is introduced

Protocol for a longitudinal qualitative interview study: maintaining psychological well-being in advanced cancer - what can we learn from patients' and carers' own coping strategies?

IntroductionPeople with advanced cancer and their carers experience stress and uncertainty which affects the quality of life and physical and mental health. This study aims to understand how patients and carers recover or maintain psychological well-being by exploring the strategies employed to self-manage stress and uncertainty.Methods and analysisA longitudinal qualitative interview approach with 30 patients with advanced cancer and 30 associated family or informal carers allows the exploration of contexts, mechanisms and outcomes at an individual level. Two interviews, 4–12?weeks apart, will not only enable the exploration of individuals’ evolving coping strategies in response to changing contexts but also how patients’ and carers’ strategies inter-relate. Patient and Carer focus groups will then consider how the findings may be used in developing an intervention. Recruiting through two major tertiary cancer centres in the North West and using deliberately broad and inclusive criteria will enable the sample to capture demographic and experiential breadth.Ethics and disseminationThe research team will draw on their considerable experience to ensure that the study is sensitive to a patient and carer group, which may be considered vulnerable but still values being able to contribute its views. Public and patient involvement (PPI) is integral to the design and is evidenced by: a research advisory group incorporating patient and carers, prestudy consultations with the PPI group at one of the study sites and a user as the named applicant. The study team will use multiple methods to disseminate the findings to clinical, policy and academic audiences. A key element will be engaging health professionals in patient and carer ideas for promoting self-management of psychological well-being. The study has ethical approval from the North West Research Ethics Committee and the appropriate NHS governance clearance.RegistrationNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Studies Portfolio, UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN) Study number 11725

Gene Expression Microarray Data from Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells Supplemented with a Low Concentration of Niacin

The systemic lipid modifying drug, niacin, can directly improve human microvascular endothelial cell angiogenic function under lipotoxic conditions, possibly through activation of niacin receptors [1]. Here we provide accompanying data collected using Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays to identify changes in gene expression in human microvascular endothelial cells treated with 10 μM niacin. Statistical analyses of robust multi-array average (RMA) values revealed that only 16 genes exhibited greater than 1.3-fold differential expression. Of these 16, only 5 were identified protein coding genes, while 3 of the remaining 11 genes appeared to be small nuclear/nucleolar RNAs. Altered expression of EFCAB4B, NAP1L2, and OR13C8 was confirmed by real time quantitative PCR

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 as a biomarker for detection of early liver disease

Study identifying an Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 as a biomarker for detection of early liver disease presented at the annual congress of the british toxicology societ

Proposed changes to the function of the Mental Health Act will erode patient rights

Imagine for a moment you ind yourself arrested in some foreign clime – Queensland, for example. You are told you have transgressed some northern law and are looking at several weeks inside. You are anxious, to be sure, but not dismayed. You know you are innocent and you’re sure you’ll be able to persuade a judge that there has been a miscarriage of justice. You also know that under Queensland law the police must present you to court “as soon as reasonably practicable” and you know that, like all Australian jurisdictions, this time frame is normally interpreted as being within 24 hours, 365 days of the year. All Australians enjoy a basic right to freedom of movement. Australians who ind themselves detained against their will have a right to be brought before a court to ensure that the terms of the detention are lawful. This ancient right is protected in the civil law through habeas corpus and is also relected in the prompt review of criminal procedure. Timely independent review of restrictions on liberty is also applied in the medico-legal context. For example, while the NSW Guardianship Act allows a person responsible or guardian to consent for a patient who lacks capacity, if that patient objects to the treatment, the Act stipulates that, a quasijudicial body - the Guardianship Tribunal – must authorise this consent to check that this deprivation of freedom is justiied. The Tribunal is available to hear urgent matters around the clock and urgent orders are usually made within a week