Quality of life: international and domestic students studying medicine in New Zealand

International students form a significant proportion of students studying within universities in Western countries. The quality of life perceptions of international medical students in comparison with domestic medical students has not been well documented. There is some evidence to suggest that international medical students may have different educational and social experiences in relation to their domestic peers. This study investigates the levels of quality of life experienced by international and domestic students studying medicine. A total of 548 medical students completed the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. The focus of the analysis was to evaluate differences between international and domestic students in their early clinical years. The responses were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance methods. International medical students are experiencing lower social and environmental quality of life compared with domestic peers. International medical students in New Zealand have expressed quality of life concerns, which likely have an impact on their academic achievement, feelings of wellness, acculturation, and social adaptation. The findings reinforce the need for creating stronger social networks and accessible accommodation, as well as developing systems to ensure safety, peer mentorship and student support.published_or_final_versio

Verbal Reports and "Real' Reasons" : Confabulation and Conflation

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. Constantine Sandis, ‘Verbal Reports and “Real” Reasons: Confabulation and Conflation’, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol. 18(2): 267-280, first published online 18 March 2015. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10677-015-9576-6 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015This paper examines the relation between the various forces which underlie human action and verbal reports about our reasons for acting as we did. I maintain that much of the psychological literature on confabulations rests on a dangerous conflation of the reasons for which people act with a variety of distinct motivational factors. In particular, I argue that subjects frequently give correct answers to questions about the considerations they acted upon while remaining largely unaware of why they take themselves to have such reasons to act. Pari passu, experimental psychologists are wrong to maintain that they have shown our everyday reason talk to be systematically confused. This is significant because our everyday reason-ascriptions affect characterizations of action (in terms of intention, knowledge, foresight, etc.) that are morally and legally relevant. I conclude, more positively, that far from rendering empirical research on confabulations invalid, my account helps to reveal its true insights into human nature.Peer reviewe

Effects of different lower-limb sensory stimulation strategies on postural regulation – A systematic review and meta-analysis

Systematic reviews of balance control have tended to only focus on the effects of single lower-limb stimulation strategies, and a current limitation is the lack of comparison between different relevant stimulation strategies. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine evidence of effects of different lower-limb sensory stimulation strategies on postural regulation and stability. Moderate- to high- pooled effect sizes (Unbiased (Hedges’ g) standardized mean differences (SMD) = 0.31 – 0.66) were observed with the addition of noise in a Stochastic Resonance Stimulation Strategy (SRSS), in three populations (i.e., healthy young adults, older adults, and individuals with lower-limb injuries), and under different task constraints (i.e., unipedal, bipedal, and eyes open). A Textured Material Stimulation Strategy (TMSS) enhanced postural control in the most challenging condition – eyes-closed on a stable surface (SMD = 0.61), and in older adults (SMD = 0.30). The Wearable Garments Stimulation Strategy (WGSS) showed no or adverse effects (SMD = -0.68 – 0.05) under all task constraints and in all populations, except in individuals with lower-limb injuries (SMD = 0.20). Results of our systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that future research could consider combining two or more stimulation strategies in intervention treatments for postural regulation and balance problems, depending on individual need

Towards an alternative testing strategy for nanomaterials used in nanomedicine: lessons from NanoTEST.

In spite of recent advances in describing the health outcomes of exposure to nanoparticles (NPs), it still remains unclear how exactly NPs interact with their cellular targets. Size, surface, mass, geometry, and composition may all play a beneficial role as well as causing toxicity. Concerns of scientists, politicians and the public about potential health hazards associated with NPs need to be answered. With the variety of exposure routes available, there is potential for NPs to reach every organ in the body but we know little about the impact this might have. The main objective of the FP7 NanoTEST project ( www.nanotest-fp7.eu ) was a better understanding of mechanisms of interactions of NPs employed in nanomedicine with cells, tissues and organs and to address critical issues relating to toxicity testing especially with respect to alternatives to tests on animals. Here we describe an approach towards alternative testing strategies for hazard and risk assessment of nanomaterials, highlighting the adaptation of standard methods demanded by the special physicochemical features of nanomaterials and bioavailability studies. The work has assessed a broad range of toxicity tests, cell models and NP types and concentrations taking into account the inherent impact of NP properties and the effects of changes in experimental conditions using well-characterized NPs. The results of the studies have been used to generate recommendations for a suitable and robust testing strategy which can be applied to new medical NPs as they are developed

Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor Proteome Reveals Chromatin-Regulatory Partners

Nuclear lamin filaments and associated proteins form a nucleoskeletal (“lamina”) network required for transcription, replication, chromatin organization and epigenetic regulation in metazoans. Lamina defects cause human disease (“laminopathies”) and are linked to aging. Barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF) is a mobile and essential component of the nuclear lamina that binds directly to histones, lamins and LEM-domain proteins, including the inner nuclear membrane protein emerin, and has roles in chromatin structure, mitosis and gene regulation. To understand BAF's mechanisms of action, BAF associated proteins were affinity-purified from HeLa cell nuclear lysates using BAF-conjugated beads, and identified by tandem mass spectrometry or independently identified and quantified using the iTRAQ method. We recovered A- and B-type lamins and core histones, all known to bind BAF directly, plus four human transcription factors (Requiem, NonO, p15, LEDGF), disease-linked proteins (e.g., Huntingtin, Treacle) and several proteins and enzymes that regulate chromatin. Association with endogenous BAF was independently validated by co-immunoprecipitation from HeLa cells for seven candidates including Requiem, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), retinoblastoma binding protein 4 (RBBP4), damage-specific DNA binding protein 1 (DDB1) and DDB2. Interestingly, endogenous BAF and emerin each associated with DDB2 and CUL4A in a UV- and time-dependent manner, suggesting BAF and emerin have dynamic roles in genome integrity and might help couple DNA damage responses to the nuclear lamina network. We conclude this proteome is a rich source of candidate partners for BAF and potentially also A- and B-type lamins, which may reveal how chromatin regulation and genome integrity are linked to nuclear structure

Using death to one's advantage: HIV modulation of apoptosis

Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with an early immune dysfunction and progressive destruction of CD4+ T lymphocytes. This progressive disappearance of T cells leads to a lack of immune control of HIV replication and to the development of immune deficiency resulting in the increased occurrence of opportunistic infections associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The HIV-induced, premature destruction of lymphocytes is associated with the continuous production of HIV viral proteins that modulate apoptotic pathways. The viral proteins, such as Tat, Env, and Nef, are associated with chronic immune activation and the continuous induction of apoptotic factors. Viral protein expression predisposes lymphocytes, particularly CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and antigen-presenting cells, to evolve into effectors of apoptosis and as a result, to lead to the destruction of healthy, non-infected T cells. Tat and Nef, along with Vpu, can also protect HIV-infected cells from apoptosis by increasing anti-apoptotic proteins and down- regulating cell surface receptors recognized by immune system cells. This review will discuss the validity of the apoptosis hypothesis in HIV disease and the potential mechanism(s) that HIV proteins perform in the progressive T cell depletion observed in AIDS pathogenesis. Originally published Leukemia, Vol. 15, No. 3, Mar 200

The role of unintegrated DNA in HIV infection

Integration of the reverse transcribed viral genome into host chromatin is the hallmark of retroviral replication. Yet, during natural HIV infection, various unintegrated viral DNA forms exist in abundance. Though linear viral cDNA is the precursor to an integrated provirus, increasing evidence suggests that transcription and translation of unintegrated DNAs prior to integration may aid productive infection through the expression of early viral genes. Additionally, unintegrated DNA has the capacity to result in preintegration latency, or to be rescued and yield productive infection and so unintegrated DNA, in some circumstances, may be considered to be a viral reservoir. Recently, there has been interest in further defining the role and function of unintegrated viral DNAs, in part because the use of anti-HIV integrase inhibitors leads to an abundance of unintegrated DNA, but also because of the potential use of non-integrating lentiviral vectors in gene therapy and vaccines. There is now increased understanding that unintegrated viral DNA can either arise from, or be degraded through, interactions with host DNA repair enzymes that may represent a form of host antiviral defence. This review focuses on the role of unintegrated DNA in HIV infection and additionally considers the potential implications for antiviral therapy